In business, the worst thing you can do is to procrastinate. It is a silent enemy that kills your success without you even realizing it. Sadly we all fall prey to this silent killer.
Napoleon Hill said in his book Think and Grow Rich: “Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.”
When I look at procrastination, it’s not even the things that you’re putting off until the day after tomorrow; it’s those things that you have on your list for weeks and weeks and months and even years…. the things you know you should do, but for one or other reason you never get to do it!
For me, one of the biggest reasons why people procrastinate (and here I’m also talking about myself too) is because of fear.
We are often afraid of what other people will say or we fear that we will not be good enough or look good enough or talk good enough and then we just don’t take action on it.
For example we fear to pick up the phone and call that potential client or strategic partner because we fear the outcome. Perhaps they will reject us and say no to what we offer. Or we fear they will say yes and then we have to deal with the change that brings. We fear that we might not have what it takes or might look like a fool when we do it. So we procrastinate on getting the things done that we fear – or worst, we never even take action on it.
The problem is: there are a lot of silly fears keeping us stuck. They keep us playing small and prevent us from stepping up and building the business and the life that we know we deserve.
Other culprits and common subconscious thoughts that make us procrastinate are:
I don’t know where to start
I don’t have the necessary skills or the right tools
I’m not in the right mood right now
I don’t like this task. I don’t want to do it.
This stuff is just plain boring
No one really cares whether I do this or not
I’m just waiting for the best time to do it
I need time to think this through
The scary part though is what procrastination is costing your business!
Every minute. Every hour. Every day you procrastinate you lose time, opportunities and even money.
Just think about it in your own life and business: How many opportunities did you miss out last year because you procrastinated on taking action? How many hours were lost? How much money did you lose out on? How many goals just never realized?
When you start to think about the cost of procrastination, you’ll realize that it is a silent enemy that kills your success.
So, I’ve made a conscious decision in my business that from now on I will be conscious about procrastination and take note of the times it surfaces. Then I’ll take action in spite of the fear or in spite of the difficulties standing in my way. Because with every action I take, I’ll make progress and move forward.
More than 126 million women entrepreneurs were starting or running new businesses in 67 economies in 2012, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2012 Women’s Report.
This is a crazy number.
So why are an increasing numbers of women branching out into their own businesses?
OR if we can ask that question differently…
If you are an entrepreneur: Why did YOU start your business in the first place?
And if you are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur:Why do you want to be self-employed in future?
I asked these two questions in a previous workshop and it resulted into a healthy discussion as the women talked about their reasons for taking up entrepreneurship.
Although many reasons surfaced, here are the top 5 reasons why those ladies are in business for themselves. Can you relate to any of these?
1. Freedom and independence
This was one of the top reasons why they started their own businesses. Becoming an entrepreneur empowers you to make your own decisions. It gives you the freedom to set your own rules, goals, objectives and working hours to fit your lifestyle and needs. You have the freedom to work on your own terms and to decide which projects or clients to take and which you can do without. You have the freedom to grow your business as big as you want or to keep it small and comfortable.
2. Follow A Passion
Many started a business because it gives you the ability to follow a dream and do something that you’re really passionate about. This passion can furthermore motivate you to continue with your business, even when you hit some uphill stretches. The following question was however raised: “Can all passions be converted in a profitable business?” Well, I believe you have a great chance to financially succeed if you focus on how your passion is going to help other people. In other words, how you can serve people with your passion and really bring value to the world
3. Income
Many women start their own business because they want to (or need to) contribute to the family income. Being able to contribute financially is seen as an important emotional factor that can lift a women’s self-esteem as you are not entirely depended on your husband’s income. For many it also reduces the feeling of guilt when spending money on yourself as you can now use your own money to do so.
4. Family
The corporate rat race took its toll on many women in the group and impacted on their family life. This was another big reason why especially moms wanted to leave their full-time jobs and start their own businesses. The mere fact that you are home and can take a moment to help the kids with homework or pause to get a hug from a loved one made it all worthwhile.
5. Contribution
Women by nature are loving, caring and enjoy helping others. Therefore, they often start a business where they can contribute and improve the lives of others – whether it is via delivering a specific service or selling specific products. For them it is more about the satisfaction of making a positive contribution and playing a role in the success and lives of others.
Naturally, we all have different motivations and reasons for starting a business. So whether your reasons are the same or not– it doesn’t matter, because we are individuals with unique circumstances.
What matters however, is that you know why you are in business, because this knowledge can motivate you to keep going when you reach some uphill struggles or obstacles in your path.
To Your Success
PS: Get in on the discussion. We’d love to hear from you! Tell us in the comment box below why you started your business. What other reasons can you add to this list?
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I want to start today, by telling you a simple, basic truth about marketing…
People can’t work with you if they don’t know about you.
This is the first and most important principle in the expression, “people buy from people they know, like and trust.”
When it’s spelled out this way, it all sounds pretty obvious, right?
Yet, there are so many entrepreneurs who don’t have enough clients, simply because they are unwilling or even afraid to share their message and to take action on their marketing.
I’ve literally had women say things to me such as, “I don’t like to go around telling people what I do. I rather prefer to wait until I know if that person is a good fit for my business and then I let them know that I’m a coach / consultant / trainer / therapist / virtual assistant etc.”
My response is sometimes: “So how’s that working for you?” 🙂
The thing is, whether you have a professional services business, sell physical products or sell information products or some combination of those, one of the critical ingredients to growing and sustaining your business is to get your business / services / products in front of as many eyeballs as possible.
That means getting in front of many more people than just the few hundred or even a few thousand people who subscribe to your e-zine list, your Facebook fan page, follow your tweets or happen to stumble across your website.
Thus, to truly be successful and grow your small business, your marketing must include tactics and strategies that put your business and your expertise squarely in front of your ideal clients.
Every day.
It is extremely important to actively extend your reach to more and more people within your target market on a continual basis.
So, how do you know which marketing and client attraction tactics are best for your business?
Well, it is those marketing tactics that:
Effectively reach your target audience where they typically hang out.
Easily reach a large number of your target audience with little time and energy from your side.
You enjoy most and thus are most likely to stick with.
Fit your time frame and budget.
A big part of this is also simple trial and error. So, don’t give up on a tactic after just one attempt. There’s always a learning curve involved, and marketing requires repetition, consistency and continuous improvement.
So, to get those creative juices flowing, below is a list of more than 30 ways to market and get your business in front of more eyeballs.
Know who you want to work with
Have a magnetic marketing message and 30s self-intro that engages people
Know how many clients you need, to reach your income goals per month
Have an effective marketing plan
Go to networking events
Hold a grand opening/re-opening of your business
Host your own live events and workshops
Invite target clients to a wine tasting
Join the board or organizing committee of 1 or more associations
Speak to groups at least once per week
Have a client attractive website
Place your URL in all your social media profiles
Write a free e-book, special report or e-course to give away
Use keywords to improve your website ranking
Submit your website to online directories
Blog regularly
Contribute guest articles to blogs
Hold tele-classes, webinars
Invest in pay-per-click advertising on sites like Facebook , Google, Yahoo! and Bing
Submit articles regularly to article sites
Post videos on YouTube showcasing your expertise
Join forums where your target market spends time
Send out a regular newsletter / e-zine
Create a direct mail campaign – newsletter, postcards, etc.
Call a client / new prospect each day
Contact a local magazine to do an article on you
Invest in “yard” signs
Pass out flyers
Have a custom iPhone App developed
Identify the 20 percent who can get you the 80 percent
Show up at places that scare you
Continuously improve your marketing skills
Have a coach / mentor
There’s truly no limit to the creative ways you can get your business in front of more people and attract more clients. The above list is by no means complete, but it will get you started for now…..and remember, effective marketing and getting more clients ask that you only take one small step every day to expand your reach.
So, start small, take consistent action and expand from there.
I also want you to understand that when you offer a service or product that can improve someone’s life (which most of us do), then you’re doing a disservice to the world by not letting more people know about it.
So, go out there, do your marketing with confidence and create some awesome client chemistry this week!
Every person has knowledge that other people will find valuable.
There will always be people who don’t know what YOU know about your industry, trade or line of work.
So, here are 5 different ways to use that knowledge buried deep inside your head, to help more people, to grow your client base and to grow your income.
*****
1. Create Written Content:
The first way, clients and others can learn from you or learn more about you is to read information that you’ve written. This means that you can create how-to solutions for your target audience through things like articles, blog posts, e-books, guides, transcripts and workbooks that they can simply read.
For Example: Let’s say someone is an avid bonsai tree enthusiast**. He can create an e-book or guide around some solution he provides to one or more of the pressing problems people have with growing or pruning their beloved bonsais. He can post the e-book online so people can download it and even choose if he wants to charge money for it OR offer it for free in exchange for someone’s email address.
2. Create Audio Content:
Your target audience might want to hear your information in an audio format. This can lead you to creating podcasts, audio CDs, audio programs, mp3 recordings, tele-classes or one-on-one calls.
For Example: Our bonsai enthusiast can take a few articles he has written on bonsais and create podcasts from it to put on iTunes. Or he can create a step by step “how-to” information guide that teaches his audience the steps, concepts or framework to grow and prune the perfect bonsai and sell it as an audio program.
3. Create Visual Content
Video is the buzz word these days as more and more people want to watch information on a computer or mobile device. So create videos, webinars, online programs or DVD home study courses.
For Example: Our bonsai guy can create a video of how he trims his bonsais and publish it on Youtube for people to watch. He can even create a series of videos with step by step instructions and sell it as a DVD program or online video course.
4. Create an Experience
Some clients might want to experience you and your information in person. So you can create live events like workshops, seminars, retreats, adventure trips, networking opportunities and even expos.
For Example: Our bonsai guy can arrange an expo where everybody showcases their beloved bonsais and then he can give them some tips and pointers during the expo to help them improve on their “bonsai” skills.
5. Create An Opportunity For Personal Service Or Mastery
A segment of your audience will always want to have more access to you and work with you in person. Or they’ll want to master the things you teach. For these clients you can create exclusive 1-on-1 service packages and programs, mastermind groups or private coaching and mentorship opportunities.
For Example: Our bonsai guy can create a mentoring program where he exclusively helps someone (or even a small group) to master the finer details of growing and trimming a bonsai. He can even deliver a trimming service for his clients and prune their bonsais for them.
Diversifying you knowledge into different modalities gives you multiple entry points for clients to know about you and to work with you. Someone might read an article and enter your client pipeline that way. Someone might see one of your videos on YouTube and as a result buy one of your video programs.
It also allows you to help more people. Because if someone cannot afford to work with you 1-on-1 or take part in one of your “mastery” services or programs, you can still help them in different ways through free and paid written, audio or video content or via providing an opportunity where they can personally experience what you do.
So here is what I want you to do today: Use the 5 different approaches explained above and think about how you can use your current knowledge in one or more ways to help more people, to grow your client base and to grow your income.
Caveat. You do not have to do all 5. Obviously that will be great and something to work towards. But, in the beginning, just start with one and gradually add other modalities over time.
Just think how this can extend your reach and your capability to help more people by allowing your ideas, your systems, your framework, your knowledge, your services transforms the lives of people you’ve never even met.
Let’s DO this!
To Your success
**PS: I just want to let you know that I’m not a bonsai enthusiast. In fact I know absolute nothing about bonsai trees. It just popped into my mind as an example when I was thinking about explaining the different ways to use your knowledge. So, if I could come up with some ideas to re-purpose knowledge on a topic that I don’t have any understanding about, just image what you can come up with on those topics that you are really knowledgeable about. 🙂
Image source: Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
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There is a simple truth in business and marketing:
If you don’t stay in touch, people forget about you.
Your business card gets shuffled to the bottom of the desk drawer; your well-intended email gets deleted; your well-crafted introduction letter ends up in file 13. Yes, that’s right… the dustbin. Ouch.
And that great first impression you’ve made fades from their memory.
It’s the “out of sight – out of mind” phenomenon.
The sad thing is: it’s actually not their fault that prospects and clients forget about you. It is really your responsibility to stay in touch with them.
And we know that!
We know that in order to convert prospects into loyal clients and to have repeat work from existing and previous clients, we must stay in touch and build longer lasting relationships with them. We know we should follow-up. We know we should get in touch with people. We know we should STAY in touch.
But often lack of time or lack of confidence or even an overdeveloped fear of rejection prevents us from doing it.
So here are 7 ways to easily stay in touch with prospects and clients to ensure they keep thinking about you, your services and what you can do for them.
1. Use a regular e-zine / e-newsletter.
For any online business (and even an off-line brick and mortar business) a regular e-zine is one of the easiest and most effective ways to stay in touch with your clients and prospects. Use the e-zine to share some great content or helpful tips with your subscribers. It will help you solidify your position as a credible and knowledgeable person in your industry and help you build the know, like and trust factor – which is critical in a services based business.
2. Use social media
Social Media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn makes connecting and staying in touch with prospects and clients so much easier these days. For example, create a Facebook page or Twitter Profile for your business and ask prospects to connect with you on these platforms as well. Then engaged with them regularly and share interesting titbits so they can get to know you and your business better. Also comment, share and engage in conversations on the profiles of current and previous clients. This shows that you are taking an interest in them even after they’re not paying clients anymore. Social media is just a fun, inexpensive and effective way to constantly stay in touch with prospects and clients.
3. Send the occasional “I thought of you” email
Send current and past clients an occasional email with a link and or an attachment of something you know they will find helpful. This can be an article you wrote or something you found on the internet. It can be a book you think they might enjoy or details of an event or speaker. Sending them valuable info even after they’ve worked with you shows you still understand their unique needs and keeps the relationship warm for possible follow up work.
4. Invite them to events you host or are part of
When you host an event or are participating as a speaker at an event (online or offline), you might receive a couple of complementary tickets when it is a paid event. Why not invite one or more of your best clients to attend the event with you. They will not only benefit from the content and networking opportunities, they’ll also hear you speak and experience your expertise in person.
5. Congratulate them on their birthday
Everybody loves it when people remember your birthday. So send your prospects, clients and previous clients a note on their birthday. It doesn’t really have to be a formal or handwritten card (although those always give a nice touch). It can just be a sincere email or even a comment on their Facebook page to let them know you are thinking about them. And if you have their phone number, call them.
6. Snail mail still works great
Snail-mail isn’t dead when it comes to staying in touch with clients and prospects. Well-crafted letters and cards can stand out from the mass of emails that everyone receives. A postal campaign that reaches out to people over a period of time can bring a lot of goodwill to your business. It shows you put some more effort into contacting them than sending out a mass email. It can also build your brand as well as relationships with your clients on a deeper level. One drawback however is that lengthy postal campaign can be pricey.
7. Pick up the phone
Give your clients and prospects a friendly, no-sales call and ask how they are. They’ll be blown away by this. A phone call can also be a great strategy to follow up with prospects when you do not hear anything from them after sending out an invitation to work with you. The truth is we are relying too much on the convenience of email these days, but countless opportunities are missed when we fail to talk to people. A simple phone conversation can lead to many new clients since it’s personal and it’s a lot easier to solve issues and answer questions when talking to someone than trying to do it via emails.
Incorporating some of the above suggestions on a regular basis will ensure prospects and clients think of YOU when they’re ready to move forward. If someone is thinking about you and your business there is a much bigger chance that they will do business with you. Vice versa, if they are not thinking of you there is NO chance they will do business with you.
Do you have a story of how staying in touch resulted into clients? We would love to hear it! Share it with us in the comment section below. It’s always great to hear from you!
Francis van Wyk is an experienced business and client attraction mentor who supports women solo-preneurs with planning and achieving business success online.
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