For small business owners and entrepreneurs there is always plenty to do in your business to generate new clients, greater income and make a bigger impact in the world. Successful entrepreneurs by their very nature are motivated, curious and energetic but they can also be prone to getting distracted by the latest hot ideas, trying to initiate multiple projects at the same time and serving too many different audiences. The result is a loss of focus on key priorities that will take their business to the next level.
You might be suffering from Business Attention Deficit Disorder (BADD) if:
- You can't clearly and confidently explain what you do, who you serve and the key problem you solve in under 30 seconds
- You need different business cards for different audiences
- You find yourself recreating the wheel and suffering from "shiny penny syndrome" justified by "I'm creative, need variety to stay interested and love learning new things"
- You get easily distracted surfing the internet thinking that with just one more piece of information your business will miraculously take off. The result is signing up for tons of free stuff on the Internet, yet not fully committing to any one method or mentor programme long enough to thoroughly implement and see real results.
- You don't always follow through and consistently implement what you know you should; in other words you're a great starter but a poor finisher!
- Your office is a mess of papers, post-it's and "to do someday soons"
Business ADD becomes frustrating for you, your clients and your bank account over the longer term and will typically not translate into a sustainable business.
The secret is to enjoy the freedom (yes, you heard me correctly, freedom not constraint) that focus, structure and a coordinated approach brings. Here are 3 simple steps to get you started:
1) Start by looking at all the different potential services you have and ask yourself if you could only offer one which one could it be? Then repeat until you have just 3 for starters. You don't have to abandon all the other ideas you have at this point but keep them in a safe place for the future so that they can be reconsidered at a later date to see if they really are serving your core business.
2) Next, what is the thread that links these services and what is the core problem that they solve for clients example? The core problem I solve is how to attract more clients and generate more income in your business and all of my services are ultimately targetted at achieving just that. What is the core problem you solve through your services? You want to be able to say this in a very simple concise sentence that a 10 year old could understand.
3) Lastly, create a marketing plan to promote your core services and test the market. Are they interested and wanting to know more? Are they signing up? For the next 30 days find as many opportunities as possible to tell people what you do and check their reactions - eyes glazing over or lighting up? Also check your own energy levels when you explain what you do - do you feel excited about the services you offer and would you invest in them yourself? If it's a no then ask yourself what would need to change in order for you to want to invest? If the answer is a resounding yes then the passion and enthusiasm you also communicate to others will naturally start to attract interested clients. Consider offering some taster sessions just for the next 30 days to check that you have a viable offering, receive feedback and even some great testimonials to get you started.
© 2012 Vanessa Shaw
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