Building a Support Tribe

Who doesn’t love Seth Godin? If you’ve read his book Tribes, you know that he speaks very specifically to building a group of followers, your tribe, as the cornerstone of your business.

Today I want to share some tips on how you can build your own tribe, one that is equally passionate and dedicated in the support of your business – in other words your team. The people who make up this tribe will consist of paid and unpaid members in a variety of positions.

But first, accept the notion that you cannot do it all yourself. There is no true solo entrepreneur, even if you have no paid team. The beauty of online business entrepreneurship today is that we are surrounded by as much support as we need as long as we ask. There are opportunities all around to engage, encourage and develop this tribe that will assist in spreading your message. In fact, need help finding your message? There’s support for that too!

Accepting that you’re not alone is important because once you shift your perspective the opportunities you will see will abound.

You cannot build a tribe unless you talk about your work. That often means you need to initiate the conversations because, well, we’re a pretty selfish culture. That doesn’t mean people are unwilling to help, just that you need to find the right people, the ones who tune in to the work you’re doing and want to be a part of the process.

Did you catch that? They want to be involved. When it comes to your tribe, you won’t have to do a lot of old school selling, convincing clients that they need you. Of course there’s some education involved but speaking your message to your tribe is much different than selling.

Talking about your work can include free training calls, telesummits, events, a newsletter, your blog, guest posting – a variety of avenues to sharing your message and reaching new clients.

One of the most effective ways to get out and teach your message is to network – meeting like minded colleagues who can become clients or refer clients to you is an effective use of marketing time.

In addition to meeting people who have the potential to contribute to your tribe, you need to keep in touch and give value in order to develop a stronger relationship. To ensure timely follow up and that you make connections that last I’ve written two articles: Creating your networking system and refining networking systems to give more value.

Giving to your tribe, sharing your gifts and staying connected is an essential part of building a tribe that understands what you bring and who you serve and helps you reach your goals.

What about my team?

When it comes to finding people who love and support your work, share your vision with others and act as your unpaid sales force, it’s important to have systems to ensure you’re nurturing those relationships.

But the relationship you have with your team is just as important.

As business owners, and former employees, it’s hard to strike the right balance between getting results out of our team members and not becoming the type of boss featured in Hollywood comedies. While this subject requires several stand alone posts, I do believe that when you create systems with clear expectations, stipulations and results that your team can become the strongest part of your tribe.

Knowing what is expected and being treated fairly are hard to find in many workplaces today. Whether employees or contract workers, your team will be more efficient and effective when they understand your vision and how to help you achieve it.

If you caught my interview on Mixergy.com you know that I call this “being the GPS” in your business. It’s not enough to ask someone to go from point A to point B (such as “create a sales page”) because if you don’t give them direction they could be wandering all over the place wasting time and money. Instead, it’s your job to create systems by putting the thought in first and being able to communicate what the sales page will entail, the copy, videos, graphics, design, payment options, testimonials, calls to action and more. Creating these road maps takes time but when you’re able to give your team crystal clear direction so they can proceed and deliver your ideal outcome it’s all worth it.

I’ll be sharing more about systems that support your team and bring them into your amazing tribe of supporters here on the blog and exclusively in my weekly newsletter. If you haven’t signed up to receive systems updates fill in the boxes on this page today.