Name: Nikki Pilkington      Twitter name: @NikkiPilkington

What is your main Change challenge at present?

As the business that I run and the industry that I am in is ever changing, it is difficult to pinpoint one area of change that is a challenge. In Internet Marketing change is constant, as new and more effective ways of marketing myself and my clients spring up all the time.

Whether the birth of a new way of promotion, or the decline of an old and previously trusted way, it is important for me to keep up with change, and alert my clients and potential clients to such fluctuations.

What is your strategy for dealing with it?

I constantly research and test my industry, and take advice from my peers. I’m of the mind that no matter how long you’ve been in any business, you can only grow by learning to adapt and change to the climate around you.

Those that refuse to grow, adapt and listen will find themselves left far, far behind when they might have been frontrunners.

Are you using social media as part of that strategy, if so, how?

The majority of my business comes from social media marketing, as it should be in my industry! Credible online networking websites such as UK Business Labs and BT Tradespace, social applications such as Facebook, blogging in places such as Business on Twitter and 299 Steps, microblogging on Twitter, as well as participating in a number of private clubs, including Last Thursday, private Facebook & LinkedIn groups, and private Ning forums are just a few of the ways I use social media for my own business and for those of clients.

With the above, and a few extras, I cover all of the important places for my company to be seen in order to develop reputation and gain credibility as well as clients.

What is your top Change tip?

If something clearly isn’t working, then standing by it and flogging a dead horse is probably not the wisest thing to do. Change is a factor of life, learn to accept it, make decisions and move on.

What role does emotion / intuition play when you dealing with Change?

A huge part, but that’s not to say that I make decisions lightly. If something needs to change, the start of knowing this is probably intuitive and emotional – the ‘how to deal with it’ and ‘what to do’ are logical thought processes and more on the practical side.

So, I may make the decision to stop using a certain method of promotion because my gut instinct tells me it is bad / not working any more. Without researching and putting facts to my emotional theory, I would be mad to change. Once logic and facts are in place, then it becomes obvious whether or not change is needed.

Do you ever find Change brings unexpected gifts?

Absolutely; I think it’s true that change can be a scary thing to face, but once a decision is made and the change has happened, then it’s worth looking for the good things that have come out of it, rather than hankering after days gone by. Change happens for a reason, and some of my best friends / clients and business ideas have come about because of change I wasn’t sure about in the beginning.

What thing best symbolises Change for you and why?

To see how change can be a good thing in your business life, read any business book by Richard Branson – the Virgin story is one of constant change and well worth researching if you’re afraid of change

Previous Interviews:

• Andy Preston
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• Penny Power

 

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