No matter who you are reading this right now, you run your own business. The moment you realize that, things begin to happen… very positive, result-producing things! You may be an owner, a manager, an employee in a large or small company, or even a stay-at-home mom, whose business is caring for your home and family.
Regardless of who you are, you DO run your own business. The mindset of working for someone else is one that brings with it the proverbial set of shackles. The key that unlocks them is the reality, the honest, REAL awareness that YOU work for YOU.
So, you wanna grow a business, YOUR business. What do you need to do? First, we need to get and keep our heads out of the sand at all times! The ostrich NEVER comes out the winner! A problem arises, a glitch occurs, and without even realizing it, you decide the pressure is too uncomfortable so you just ignore it. There it goes, your head, buried directly in the sand. Can you picture yourself doing this?
Only two things can happen when an ostrich buries its head in the sand. One, he suffocates or two, the very thing he feared attacks and kills him! Neither option works for me! Yet I am guilty of this very behavior at times!
In order to grow and achieve our goals, we need to keep an open-eyed, solution-minded view of things. There is ALWAYS a solution and we can always overcome what’s coming against us, as long as we face it head on.
I’ve discovered that most times the thing I’m burying my head over isn’t such a big deal after all. It just needed looked over, numbers analyzed and a plan made. That’s the next key to remember.
Watch those Smart Numbers. The numbers will talk to you: the number of leads you get, the number of appointments you book, the number of shows that occur as a result of those appointments, the number of new sales that occur and the number of repeat sales. How much product are you selling? Thus, what’s the average product sale per member? This comes from the total dollars spent divided by the total people in the doors.
All of these are smart numbers, and they WILL talk to you. They will tell you not only how your business is doing, but how likely it will be that you hit your goals, and they show exactly what to do if you’re not headed in the right direction.
No matter what your position, Smart Numbers are the key to your success. When you communicate through and act on these numbers, your business does nothing but grow!!!
Don’t forget the forecasted Smart Numbers. This is easiest done through a Performa via Excel or another program like that. Don’t panic if you don’t know how to use this program; we talk about these types of things constantly in my Profit Group. If you are interested in discovering more about Performas and how to grow your business, contact Shelley@donnakrech.com and tell her you want to hear about the Profit Group.
Finally, plan your presence and know your outline for communication. Planning your presence merely means to decide what image you want to portray. What do you want people to think of you, and what are you doing to see that every single person that comes into contact with you sees this?
Your outline for communication depends on your position. For example, in our fitness and weight loss facility, if you’re a Director of First Impressions, sticking to your schedule and having a GREAT attitude are crucial.
A coach needs to listen for a member’s needs and hold them accountable, educate members on the right product to buy and ask for the sale. A coach needs to live what they’re teaching and leave a favorable impression with the member about the experience of our program.
A membership specialist knows the sales process like the back of their hand and markets, markets, markets in order to see success happen.
The location leader needs to know their goals and purpose, as well as knowing their team members’ purposes and goals. Being in it for them has always brought me success. Always. That’s a universal term and rarely can be used. But in the case of being in it for others in business, it can be used.
Embrace the fact that no one except you is in charge of you succeeding or failing … no one. You run your own business. Keep your head out of the sand and your eye on the goal. Know your smart numbers and let them talk to you. Have the goal set ahead of time and keep checking to see how you’re doing compared to where you planned to be. Constantly build a presence toward your purpose and use a successful outline for communication. When I have done these, I’ve grown personally and my business has soared. When I’ve not done these things, I’ve lost every time.
One more thing: work hard to maintain that positive, solution mindset. When you look to the vision, work diligently to overcome obstacles and tear down barriers with a positive belief, great things happen. I’m here for you, so talk to me and together WE will grow a great business!