I love how we have this amazing feedback mechanism in our own bodies, to help guide us through life – letting us know what’s good for us, what’s working and what’s not. And that’s is your feelings.
Because your feelings are a reflection of what’s going on in the power house of your unconscious mind – the part of you that is driving what you do and how you do it. So if you’re feeling any resistance, fear, worry, anxiety or doubt in relation to your business, this is simply your body letting you know that there is a belief you have that is hindering your success. And the good news is that your can chose to think and feel differently – if you want to…
I wonder if you ever ask yourself any of the following questions:
How do I find more clients?
What’s the right price (for my services)?
Which social media platform should I focus on first?
How long should an ebook/newsletter/book be?
Which product should I develop first?
These are just some of the questions I’ve been asked by clients this week and there is one answer that I say again and again as a starting point for all of these – quite simply, it depends who your ideal paying clients are.
There are many people who can give you their opinions (and some very valuable tips on what to check out) but the best people to get to know well, before you make these decisions, are those that you’re looking to help or serve with your products/services.
Because being clear on who your ideal clients are has an impact on the answer to all these questions. Only once you’ve defined (and researched your ideal clients) will you know where they are (so you can ‘find’ more of them more quickly); what price they are willing to pay; which social media platform they are on; what content to include in ebooks / newsletters / books and which products or services they want, need and are willing to pay for.
So please, please, please if you haven’t defined your ideal PAYING clients yet, make this a priority. Because if you don’t, you’re likely to be wasting lots of your time and money – developing products and services that won’t generate the cash to provide your ideal life.
Matching your passions and skill sets to what lots of your ideal clients want, is one of the core foundations for earning good money doing what you love and making more of a difference to others.
If you’d like help with this, check out my Jumpstart Your Business Programme – there are two modules that specifically covers this. Click here to find out more.
I’d love to hear your ideas and thoughts – please do share your comments below.
Alisoun Mackenzie is The Compassionate Business Mentor, Author, and Speaker who inspires business owners and social entrepreneurs to turn their passions into profits and make a difference in the world.
Having helped many business owners set up in business over the years, I’m always saddened by all the talented and well intended people I meet who are frustrated, disappointed or stressed that their business isn’t working out as they’d hoped – whether this be that they’re not earning enough money, don’t have enough business or are doing things they don’t enjoy. And it’s often easy to identify the key mistakes many of these business owners are making – I wonder if any of these apply to you?
Not having and following a business plan – if you don’t have a vision for your business or action plan you’re following each day/week, it’s likely that you’re wasting time and money doing and you’re less likely to create the lifestyle you want. By simply taking a couple of days out to do this, you could significantly transform your success.
A lack of focus and action on what will generate cash – unless you’ve another source of income, it’s important to focus on activities (in terms of product/service development and marketing) that will have the greatest positive impact for you and the people you want to serve.
Not being clear on who your ideal clients are – one the most critical factors that determines how long quickly you could build a successful business. Only when you’re clear on your ideal clients can you develop products/services that provide solutions to their problems and use the ‘right’ words in your marketing. It’s much easier to help a defined market than try to help everyone.
Avoiding sales – giving in to the fear of not wanting to come across as a pushy sales person. The reality is that unless you learn to embrace and enjoy sales or work collaboratively with others who will refer a good stream of business to you – your business is not likely to succeed. There are so many ways to do this, there’s bound to be something that will work for you.
Giving in to negative thoughts and emotions – it’s your emotions that drive what you do, how you do it, how others perceive you and ultimately whether people will buy from you. So it’s critical to learn to manage your emotions so you can embrace a calm confidence in all you do.
And another one…
Not learning how to succeed at business – I really do meet so many kind-hearted and passionate people who want to make a difference to others, but the reality is that they are not making the difference they’d like to make because they don’t know how to succeed at business. And yet it’s just another set of skills to learn.
So if any of these apply to you what can you do?
If you’re ready to take action to turn your business around, why not sign up to my Jumpstart Your Business Programme – that is available as an on-line Webinar Programme or 2 day workshop. Click here to find out more.
I’d love to hear your ideas and thoughts – please do share your comments below.
Alisoun Mackenzie is The Compassionate Business Mentor, Author, and Speaker who inspires business owners and social entrepreneurs to turn their passions into profits and make a difference in the world.
