Don’t Be Your Own Obstacle

27 Sep Don’t Be Your Own Obstacle

If you’re like most entrepreneurs and business owners then you know, the more your business grows, the more problems you’ll encounter.

Simply put, challenges propel us to grow and to transform what we do and how we do it.

I found this out firsthand last year with my prospecting. I had a goal to recruit nine new clients, but the more I thought I was working toward my goal, the more it became clear that there were several things that were subconsciously holding me back.

I had to take a step back and dive deep into every aspect of my life to analyze it and determine just where I was falling short. If you’re struggling with achieving your goal this year and want to better understand exactly where your time- and energy-drainers are, then try this quick 3-step process.

Step 1 – Look at your schedule. Exploring what you are spending your time on can be a telling exercise to help you identify where you can and need to free up your time. When I looked at my weekly schedule, it became clear that I was spending lots of time recording new podcasts. So, to avoid my podcasting taking over my time to prospect for new clients, I carved out time every Tuesday to dedicate to recording and I also limited the number of new podcasts I would do to two a week. I went virtually day by day and analyzed the tasks I had on my schedule and how I could either reduce them or relegate them to a specific day and time each week. You will be surprised how more time you can free up when you can consolidate the time spent on certain tasks.

Step 2 – Make adjustments. My goal was to onboard nine new clients and even though I was working toward this goal, I wasn’t leveraging all of my resources, particularly asking my current and former clients for referrals and introductions. I was missing out on an easy and proven way to attract clients that could easily help me to achieve my goal. With that adjustment, I was able to get a list of vetted potential clients I could reach out to. NOTE: If your clients are hesitant or not willing to offer referrals, this is an indication that they are not satisfied with your services or products. Take this as a time to try to learn why and find a solution. Your clients should be excited to share their experience with your company and refer colleagues, family members, or friends.

Step 3 – Make time now for your goal. When I took a step back and really analyzed my schedule I realized I didn’t even have the time to take on nine new clients. I had carved out time to prospect, but I didn’t designate time to actually work with the new clients when I found them. This was subconsciously holding me back from aggressively working toward my goal. So, I shifted a few tasks to my team, allocated time every week to others, and was able to designate nine 1-hour slots each week. That way when I signed on new clients, I had time already booked in my schedule to give them the one-on-one time they needed to succeed.

If you’re not hitting your goal, take the time now to ask yourself why. Chances are good that there are even a few time and energy drainers in your schedule that need to be reduced or eliminated to free up your resources to execute at your peak performance.