Being successful as an entrepreneur requires one to take initiative and maintain a spirit of innovation. You can’t sit back and wait for clients and a steady income to be handed to you. Instead, you have to get out there and create the opportunities you’re looking for.
If you are looking to enroll more clients into your practice, increase your income or create more flexibility in your schedule, I have a question for you.
What are you actually doing EACH WEEK to create this reality?
Let me be frank. You can’t expect to get the results that you’re looking for if you’re not consistently taking action towards the goals you want to achieve. Forget the excuses. Creating the opportunities you want is not that difficult. It simply requires you to take FOCUSED action.
For example, I recently created a target list of companies here in the Bay Area. I don’t know anyone at Company #1, or anyone who can make an introduction there. So I connected with the company via social media, started a conversation and asked whom the decision maker is. The person managing their social media profiles said I could start with her. “Great!” I said. “May I schedule a 10 minute call with you to share a suggestion I have to help you create more value for your members and improve your sales?” She said “Yes,” and I scheduled an appointment at 9:45am the following Tuesday.
During our conversation I clearly explained my idea, the value of what I offer and the benefits and results I create for my clients. I asked her if she would be interested in exploring how we could work together to create similar results for her company. She said “Yes” and asked that I send her my bio, details on my company and samples of my work. I sent the information the following day and followed up with her via Facebook on Thursday. Her manager is interested in the suggestion I offered and we have another call scheduled this week to discuss next steps.
This story is a prime example of an opportunity that didn’t exist (I created it out of nothing) based on a very specific goal and intention that I have on wanting to do work with this company.
There’s nothing “magical” about this. You can and should do the exact same thing.
You start with getting clear about what exactly you want to accomplish in your business. What are your goals for a specified time frame?
For example, what would you like to accomplish in your business over the next 3 months? Who specifically would you like to do business with? Where would you like to speak? Who would you like to do a guest blog post for?
Whatever it is, go for it! Create the opportunity. Reach out. Make a connection. Inquire as to how you can be of service. Get to know the individual or the company and see what you can do to partner with them and simply ask for a meeting to share the solution that you have.
It doesn’t have to be an extensive meeting and you don’t have to give a 50-slide PowerPoint presentation. Have a 5 to 10-minute (voice to voice) conversation with a decision maker to see if they’re interested in the results you create. By all means, follow up!
Stop waiting for someone to hand you the success you’re looking for. You started your business because you have a special set of gifts and talents that can benefit others. Quit hiding behind your fears, get out there and be of service to the people who need you. Be proactive, show initiative, and take specific action towards the goals that you want to achieve. If you do, you’ll have a thriving, successful and profitable business to show for it.
Your Action Plan For This Week:
| 1. | Make a list of 10 individuals or companies you would like to work with. |
| 2. | Research the problems they are experiencing or “holes” in their business/personal life. |
| 3. | Write down EXACTLY how you can help them solve those problems. |
| 4. | Reach out to the company’s decision-maker to set up a 10-minute phone call. |
| 5. | Explain to the decision-maker how you can serve their needs. |
| 6. | Follow up as promised and complete the steps that you already use for closing new business. |
Amy Kinnaird says
I love how you have made this so simple and really no B.S! Sometimes when you talk to clients you have to get real with them. Being afraid doesn’t do anyone any favors and it certainly doesn’t get any business! Breaking down into little bite-size pieces takes the overwhelm and fear out of it and shows people that they can move forward every single week. Or day!
Sydni Craig-Hart says
So true Amy! I must admit, earlier in my coaching career I wasn’t so comfortable “telling my clients like it is”. But the more I focus on what’s true for them, the better results they get. No matter what habits you’ve had in the past, you can always choose to take a different path TODAY! 🙂
Sherri Garrity says
This is valuable and so true. In my work as a business strategist I see so many entrepreneurs struggling because of the “build it and they will come” mentality. All the marketing in the world won’t matter if you don’t take action to generate and followup with leads. This is why I always look at business model, marketing strategy and PROCESSES so that the end goal is talking with a prospect and making the sale. I also am big on targets – if you don’t know how how many leads you need, and you don’t have a reasonable measure of how long the process takes, it’s pretty near impossible to guage how you’re doing, so I love that you were specific here on identifying a specific number. Thanks for modelling great strategy 🙂
Sydni Craig-Hart says
You and I are SO on the same wave length Sherri! I completely agree with you. Deciding on your metrics before you start helps you to focus your efforts and track your progress. I also love your mention of the business success trifecta – model, strategy and processess. You will not be successful without having these three critical elements in place. Thanks so much for your comment!
Tasia says
Hi Sydni,
I love this post! I am now sitting down following these steps.
And Amy you are so correct: being afraid doesn’t do anyone any favors and it certainly doesn’t get any business! Good stuff!
I have a question for you Sydni: I do believe that there is always room for improvement in any business but sometimes I struggle to find holes that they may have. How have you done that through your research?
Sydni Craig-Hart says
Thanks for your comment Tasia! I identify areas of improvement through an assessment process I have developed over the years that allows me to dig into the the heart of a client’s business and diagnose what’s not working. That gives us a basis form which to map out an action plan to resolve the issues they’re facing and helps us track our progress as we transform their business.
Kelli Wilson says
Thanks Sydni
I do a power hour with focused tasked 3 to 4 times a week to move in the direction I’m going; finding speaking engagements or taking other action that directly hits the bottom line. Taking inspired action and making slight persistent effort is key. Kelli
Sydni Craig-Hart says
I love your words Kelli “Taking inspired action and making slight persistent effort is key”. Consistency is so much more powerful than “perfection”. (Which doesn’t even exist!) Thanks for your comments. 🙂
Jason Sneed says
Where is the first place to start on researching the companies’ problems?
Sydni Craig-Hart says
Great question Jason! The best place to start is to ask a contact in the company. They can give you firsthand insight into what’s happening. Another place to look is to do a Google search for News about the company. You may find information about folks who who have recently moved on, a new product launch that didn’t go as planned, etc. Still another place is to check out what their competitors are doing. If their competitors are growing by leaps and bounds but you don’t see similar stories about your target company, they could be facing some challenges that they need help with.