August 16, 2020
How to Get Un-Stuck in your Business
The business launch party hats have been put away and now you’re working on your business in earnest. It’s been a rewarding and exciting ride so far, but now you feel like you’re spinning your wheels. Not enough is happening! What is going on? And how do you get un-stuck in your business? You’re forgetting that success is a numbers game.
What do I mean by that? Let’s look at some major achievements made by women you may recognize:
Diana Nyad, the first swimmer to make it from Cuba to Miami, finally achieved her dream at age 64 after four tries and decades of training.
Arianna Huffington, author, businesswoman, and founder of the Huffington Post, had her second book rejected 36 times before a publisher finally accepted it.
Mary Kay Ash, frustrated after being passed over for a promotion because she was a woman, launched Mary Kay Cosmetics in 1963. At the time of her death in 2001, the company was worth $500 million.
All of these examples point to one thing: Persistence. The willingness to continue without knowing the outcome. Holding onto the belief that success will come, even when you’re hanging on by a thread.
Get past the “no” to get to “yes”
Persistence in business means not letting “no” stop you. It means moving on after rejection with a “next!” mindset.
When I felt like I was treading water as a business owner (we all experience it!), it always helped to remember that success is a numbers game. When you reach out to enough people, you’re eventually going to connect with those who want and need exactly what you offer. As you get better at the game, the “yes” responses come faster.
What numbers are we talking about here? In very simple terms:
Asking: How many people are you coming in contact with and then asking for a meeting?
Meeting: How many sales conversations are you setting up and conducting?
Converting: How many people are buying?
Repeating: How many people are buying again?
The higher the number you attain in each of these actions, the closer you are to reaching the number that equals your standard for success in your business.
See and be seen
While all of the four steps above require intention-focused preparation and a good dose of courage, many new women business owners seem to struggle a lot with the first one.
Succeeding in business means putting yourself out there. For extroverts, that’s not too much of a stretch. If you’re an introvert however, making the first move to connect with people can be a terrifying proposition that sucks the life right out of you. Even in our current Zoom meeting environments, connecting and networking on camera can be stressful.
Here’s the hard truth: If you want to succeed in business, you cannot default to your comfort zone – especially if you’re an introvert – and expect to get very far. You have to engage with people.
Now I admit that I am an introvert at heart. (But I’ve always been very driven to succeed!) Early in my career when I was preparing to make my very first sales call, I asked a co-worker to sit beside me for moral support because I was so scared.
Today I have two successful businesses because I was very motivated to conquer that fear and to get good at connecting with people. The more calls I made, the more comfortable I became – which lead to more connections, more clients, and more income.
Business success really is a numbers game. Make enough contacts, persevere through enough “no” responses, and sooner or later (sooner, if you’re paying attention and learning from your mistakes) you will get to “yes.”
The magic of connections
If you’re new to this entrepreneurship thing (or even more experienced), where and how do you start connecting?
Let’s start with an easy one. Do you have the type of business that you can grow through LinkedIn? If so, get in there. This platform is all about building your business network, and the people who are active in there understand that and are open to making new connections.
Think about who you can help (people you already know, job titles of people you don’t know who could be potential customers or clients, companies that use your product or service) and start reaching out with invitations for connections.
And don’t limit yourself. Hundreds of connections (preferably 500 or more) to dream customers or clients is a good thing.
Along with building your connections, post quality content as often as possible. The growing number of people you’re meeting here will see those posts and your name will begin to stick. When they’re ready to buy, your name will be top-of-mind.
Networking groups, business communities, and professional associations aligned with your target customer or client offer good opportunities for building your list of connections. Consider conferences, too. Of course, in our current COVID reality, that means attending conferences virtually in most cases.
The trick to making the most of these remote events is to approach them just as you would a live conference – viewing and interacting in sessions that have the most value, connecting with speakers and co-participants, and following up after the event to keep the conversation going.
Remember: business success is a numbers game. More connections = more opportunities to grow your enterprise.
Saboteurs be gone!
Of course, there’s much more to creating and sustaining a successful business than just putting yourself out there. Sadly, I have to say that as a business owner and coach I’ve seen so many women do all the right things but then, out of fear, stop short when it comes to reaching out. Or, they reach out only so far and for so long, and when the results aren’t visible yet, they get discouraged and stop.
From my experience building two successful businesses, I’ve learned that you have to ignore the doubters, the naysayers, and the imposter syndrome conspirators in your head (and in your life) and full-on go for it.
Look for every opportunity to connect with the right people – and then act on it, no matter how you think they might respond. Let people know your business exists, why you are really good at what you do, and how you can solve their problem. Do this in quantity.
Get intentional about it. Set and stick to goals around how many new people you will reach out to every day, week, and month. Send cards or personal messages to existing contacts celebrating birthdays or professional achievements. Forward articles of interest.
Remember, persistence matters. In business, that means having the grit and tenacity to keep connecting and asking. Schedule the meeting. Convert. Repeat, repeat. Learn from the find-a-way lessons. Keep going, whether it’s an “aha!” or “oh no!” moment. Don’t let your emotions dictate what you can or can’t do.
Never forget that success is a numbers game, so make those numbers work for you!
Do you have questions about how you can succeed in your business and accelerate your journey toward reaching your goals? I invite you to learn more about From Startup to Success coaching packages. Begin with a no-cost 30-minute consultation to discuss where you are with your business and where you want to go.
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