One of the things that it can be hard to see as a business owner is the clear path to your own success. You can do all the planning and research that you want, but when it comes down to it, because the path you are on is unfamiliar, doubts can arise and stopping points can come up that keep you from seeing the success that you want.
So how do you manage that? The best way I know to do that is to surround yourself with people who have been where you are already. They know the road you are on, because they have walked it, and they can help to guide you along the way, so you avoid the potholes and take the shortest route to success.
These people can be colleagues, they can be mentors, they can be coaches, or they can even be clients or potential clients. The key is to look ahead – look up your road to see who is there. What does their success look like? If their success mimics the success you want to achieve, set yourself up on their path.
BUT be sure to have your own strategy and focused goals in place before you do that.
How quickly you get to where you want to go depends on your strategy and what you invest in yourself. If you are just starting out and you want a seven figure business, that would be difficult to achieve in one step, but you can do it quickly if you have the right strategy in place. Start by getting your business established properly, and then invest time, energy and money into your progress. Set some realistic goals, even if they are big goals, and then ask yourself what you need to do to achieve those goals. Then do just that. Hold yourself accountable to what you say you are going to do to achieve what you want. Measure your results of the processes you are using to get there.
For instance, you set a goal to get 10 great clients in 3 months. Ask yourself these questions to set up your strategy to do this:
How many clients do you have now? How many do you still need to get? How many people are in your pipeline right now? Are these 10 clients already in there or do you still need to find them? If they are not in there, you need to start here. Right now.
Where will you find these clients? Are you already networking with them? If not, why not? Where are they? Go and find them and get in touch with them immediately. Your business will not grow until you are in front of your ideal clients.
What is your ‘conversion’ rate: the percentage of people who sign up when you speak with them? If you have a 50% conversion rate, you will have to speak with 20 people to get 10 to sign. If your conversion rate is lower than that, look at your message and be sure you are making your potential clients clear about the value and benefits of your services.
Are you having sales conversations? If you are in business, you are in sales, and in order to keep business coming in the door, you need to get people on the phone to get them to sign on to work with you.
So taking these questions into consideration, do you have all of the answers to them? Do you know your strategy? Here’s a tip: all of the people who are on the road ahead of you have determined the answers to these questions, and they have all set measurable goals and focused on achieving them. ALL of them.
By doing the same thing yourself, and working towards them, you will benefit by being in the company of those who walked your road ahead of you. Don’t be afraid of them because they are more successful than you – they were once where you are now! Network with them, in person or online, and let them know that you admire them and that you are focused on building a business to the success that they have realized.
BUT, be sure you have your strategy in place first. When you are networking with people who are more successful than you, they want to know that you have spent the time and energy determining your strategy and putting it into action. It’s not enough to say you want success and then to ask someone how to get it. It’s important to know what you need to do and then to get out there and do it.
Reach up ahead in your road and find the people that you want to be like. Armed with a good strategy and solid goals, you will get there faster (and honestly, your mentors will be happy to help you along the way!)