I’m in Thailand! Yes, another bucket list ‘to do’ has been achieved, and all in a very short time. It’s amazing what you can do in a week, thanks to my wonderful travel agent. So, here I am with hubby, staying in a very nice resort on the western beaches of Phuket. It’s just lovely and such a treat to have a break from work and our daily routine. How blessed we are!

Our main reason for being here is dental work. Hubby needed some major work done and talking with friends lead us to choose Thailand for the dental work, and it really is brilliant, not to mention so much cheaper than at home in Australia. I thought I’d just come along for the trip, I didn’t think I would need any major dental work, just a check up and a clean, but it turns out I need a crown and root canal. Not fun, but we’ll make the most of it while we’re here!

So on our many visits to the dentist we’ve been constantly invited/begged/cajoled to buy from every vendor we pass in the street, and there are so many (as those who’ve been here would know), not to mention the taxi drivers and masseuse girls. I’ve noticed with interest how I react to the different personalities when they’re selling their wares. I don’t like the ones that crowd me, or feel threatening or get loud. I shy away from the pushy massage girls that step in front of us, or the tuk-tuk drivers that want our fare, and the guy that sells DVDs and holds pictures of recent movies in your face so you can’t pass easily.

And it got me thinking about my approach to people as a business, because if you’re like me, I prefer to market my business organically, by word of mouth and through social media, where people have a chance to get to know you a little before deciding to use your services. It’s about trust and connection, not standing at the front of your shop pouncing on every poor soul that wanders past. As a result, I’ve caught myself standing back and watching the taxi drivers, before choosing the quieter more respectful one to drive us back to our resort. I choose the shops I like by observing the owner, if they stand back and give me space, I’ll happily go in. If they stand at the front and hassle me, I walk away. It’s always good to walk in your customer’s shoes for a while. What do you think? How do you like to be treated as a customer?

We’ll be back in Australia in a few days, and boy oh boy, am I looking forward to the cooler weather! Oh, and my biz partner Krishna and I are running our Magnetise Your Brand workshop on the 23rd May, so if you’d like to learn how to market and brand your business in a nice way, without having to yell about it, come along!

‘La-Korn’ or ‘Goodbye’ in Aussie

Jeanne x