by Maureen Gharrity, CEO and founder of Finding Your Way Coaching
Growing your business, or trying to get new clients, can be hard. It doesn’t always have to be. The strategies that work to bring in more business are not necessarily what you may think or what you default to.
When business owners and executives struggle to grow, they quickly fall back to what they know, or what got them to their current level of success. This isn’t always the answer, which actually then deepens the frustration.
Consider implementing one or more of the following strategies to take your business revenue to the next level.
#1 – Set up systems and processes within your business.
Having processes and systems in your business does a couple things. You do not have to reinvent the wheel for yourself of course, and they do not have to be complicated. They can be simple, which will not only save you time, it will hold you accountable as well. The more automatic tasks are in your business, the less you have to think about them, the more likely they are to get done and free up time for you to do more of what you need to be doing in your business, such as development or talking to clients and/or prospects.
I know many clients who had baskets of business cards just sitting in their office that they never did anything with. And fear or nervousness about reaching out. Once a system or follow up routine was established, it automatically went into their calendar and into their records, making this important task easier.
#2 – Be willing to invest in yourself and your business.
This one is so important and often the most overlooked and the least understood. The willingness to invest in yourself is ultimately an investment in your business, yet so many people don’t understand this. You think it is about marketing or networking; while those things all have their place, you still need to be willing to look at what is stopping you or causing the struggle. It’s on the inside.
This is one of the biggest reasons people use to not hire a coach or mentor, especially in the beginning, when it can be the very thing that gives them the breakthrough they need to get to build momentum and get to the next level.
#3 – Get clear on your path. Clarity is power.
The more specific you can be about what you want, and who you want to work with, the easier it is to attract it. I know it may seem counterintuitive to you. As though by choosing a group you are excluding a whole myriad of other potential groups as prospects. It doesn’t work that way. In fact, the clearer you can be the more likely you are to attract those people and the opportunities to meet them.
This does not mean you have to have an avatar, not yet. Most people need a place to start and to develop the avatar later or along the way.
For example, many of my clients begin or focus on just helping people, or other business owners yet they struggle. Once they chose a group to work with, such as attorneys, or realtors, all kinds of opportunities came, as well as the confidence to move forward into it.
#4 – Take control of your time and your calendar.
You are very busy. Being more purposeful in how you spend your time and the commitments that you make, can save you time and reduce stress or anxiety.. Most people are reactive in their approach, spending much of their time and energy reacting to what comes up in their day, often without even realizing it. Emails. Client problems. Meetings. Referrals.
The key here is to shift to being more deliberate, to having things in your calendar, with boundaries to help you keep those commitments. Otherwise, it is easy to spend time on other people’s priorities and not your own. At some point, you will wonder “How did I get so off track?”
It is often one of the hardest things to do, especially on your own. Business professionals often think that because they are busy, they are on the right track, but that is not necessarily the case. Busy-ness can keep you from seeing and accepting the best opportunities.
For example, having an open door policy, is good for those you work with, it isn’t necessarily productive for your own responsibilities. And for many people the interruptions make it hard to refocus and recalibrate their own progress. So have time set aside, for yourself, to focus on your own projects.
#5 – Self confidence can save the day.
Your strengths and talents are important and equally so is your confidence in those abilities. First you need to recognize them, and then really accept them. Oftentimes this will show up in your brand. Self confidence will improve just about every area of your life, your business, your communication, the delivery of your services and especially the rates that you charge your clients.
I hear this from all of my clients, throughout our work together, because the more they know about themselves and what they can do for their own clients, changes the way they show up. It just has a trickle effect, for everything they want to do.
To build your confidence, you can start right now, by looking at your strengths. Those abilities that come naturally to you. Everyone has them, sometimes they are hidden behind self doubt or uncertainty.
Celebrate your accomplishments. I like to have my clients do this over the course of our work together, it builds confidence and momentum. People are quick to discount what they have not done or what did not go well, we need to be quicker at recognizing what went well or how far you have come!!
Bonus: Make YOU a priority.
Self care is an integral part of success, including success in business, but it is definitely not one of the first things you are taught. It’s why work-life balance is such a popular topic. Typically you are taught to put others first, the boss, the kids, your spouse, a client… and it’s easy to do. However, It is critical to the individuals as well as the company performance as a whole for opportunity to focus on yourself.
This first step here is making you a priority. That means things you want to do, time for yourself, eating right, exercise, a lunch break, what is right for you, needs to be scheduled into your day. Whatever is best for you. Not just for everyone else. It will show, in how you feel, your energy and your work, and how you show up for your clients.
Maureen Gharrity, CEO and founder of Finding Your Way Coaching is a master coach and talented business strategist with expertise in income acceleration, business development, sales, and mindset. A master of manifestation and a gifted healer, she blends mindset and business strategy to help clients reach their true potential and highest goals. Her intuition, along with 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and business development, helps her clients achieve unprecedented breakthroughs.
