Parents Aren't Afraid of Giving Referrals
Asking for recommendations, gaining referrals and networking are elements in business which some people can struggle with. So much so, that SNH developed sessions to tackle the issues and help people to reach out to their professional network and others.
The same emotional restrictions do not occur though when people hear you are about to become a mother. People are very quick to give advice, recommend what worked for them and refer you to a mountain of businesses that offer good baby related services.
Why then do we find work related referrals so difficult? I have been pondering this and I have come to the conclusion that for parenting people feel justified to give you help/advice/recommendations whether you ask for it or not.
We all know that a new baby is very alien to most new mothers and so they need help. If someone has been through the parenting experience before you, they have seen first hand what works and what doesn't.
This principle I feel we need to remember in business. We are justified to ask others for referrals, if we know what we are selling works then why shouldn't people know about it? I think in business we need to be more confident at sharing examples of how we have been helped by businesses or have helped other businesses and clients.
If every sales person received the recommendations like a new mother then they would be inundated with new leads, introductions and opportunities.
I couldn't finish this blog without passing on the recommendations I received that worked best for me. These Apps have been God send and I hope they help you too.
1. SOUND SLEEPER This is a free app that plays white noise. Every time my little one gets a litter ratty or is falling asleep I put on the white noise (womb is consistently her favourite). The noise really calms the baby and has significantly reduced the time it takes for baby to head off to sleep. I also keep the noise playing once the baby is asleep. She tends to sleep more deeply which means I can make noise around her and she won't woke.
2. BABY CENTRE They offer pre and post baby support. You can track your baby's growth through pregnancy and access very useful articles. I wasn't introduced to the app until after the baby arrived though. You can join your "Birth Club" which is a forum with all parents that have had children the same month as you. This means you can discuss within the app anything you want about your baby. I have found this a great way to ask for help and to get reassurance that what my baby is doing is the same as other babies. Also through the app I have widened my network of mums and have even met up with a couple of mums. As a result I was introduced to SHOWSTOPPERS which is a baby music class that we now attend regularly and we love it!
FUN AT SHOWSTOPPERS
3. WONDER WEEKS I have mentioned before that babies go through different developmental leaps in the early stages after birth. I had no idea about these until someone mentioned it on Baby Centre. Wonder Weeks is an app that tells you when to expect such leaps to occur and what behaviour you might expect to see. All very helpful and saves you a lot of unnecessary stress.