How often have you been to a networking meeting or conference and the speaker has made an offer at the end of their talk? All the time, right? And then you have a brief period to time to decide what to do. But choosing which ones are right for your business and which ones are right for your business, right now can be a daunting task. And if you are prone to the bright shiny objects syndrome, you can get sucked in very quickly to purchasing things that you may not need. Or may not be ready for right now or that might not be as good a deal for your business. So how do you choose what to walk away from and what to take advantage of?

Have a game plan.

  • Know how much money you can spend. You should create a budget for these sorts of things so that you know what you can spend and what you have already spent. This is gets down to the simple fact that you must know your numbers.
  • Know what you need. If you go to these events knowing where your strengths are and where your weaknesses are then you can better evaluate if an offer is the right thing for you right now.
  • Do you feel a connection to the person or company, making the offer? This is about your gut. Does what you’re hearing resonate with you? Do you feel that the way the message is being delivered is working for you? If so then this might be a good thing for you. Remember everyone isn’t going to be your cup of tea. And that’s okay.
  • Does the offer have a potentially good return on investment? You need to know if the monetary and time costs of what you are buying is outweighed by what you will gain.
  • Do you have the time to make it work? You must be able to devote the time to make what you are buying work. Unless you are buying a Done For You solution it is going to require time. If you don’t have time to really use what you are buying you are wasting your money.

So, if the offer fits your budget, gives you what you need, you have a good rapport with this person or company, the offer has potentially good ROI and it’s something you can take advantage of now or in the near future you are good to go. Take the offer. If you answered no to any of those questions. It might not be the right offer for you right now. And that’s OK. It doesn’t mean that you’re not dedicated to your business. It means that you’re making well thought out educated decisions about where you are headed and how you need to get there.

By: Amy Matthews, CEO, AMI LC