Business is so confusing! You’re choked with overwhelm. What to promote and what to write on social media. How to manage staff & get them to do what you need them to do while keeping them & your customers happy & still turning a profit. Then there’s the laundry list of thoughts streaming through your head, pulling you in different directions. Throw in regular life and it’s no wonder small business owners feel utterly overwhelmed.
As a small business owner, we are all about our industry and our niche. We have that knowledge down. Then we throw in those things we know we should do, like promoting our business and the wheels come off. This is where most people come to me and it goes something like this…
“Kara, I know (insert social media platform name, generally Facebook) is meant to work for me and my business but I have no idea what to write or when to post so that people click & buy; and then I don’t want to spend all day on (insert platform) because then I won’t get the work done that I actually really need to get done. This part of my business is so confusing!”
Sound familiar?
“Business is so confusing!” And the overwhelm begins…
So, we stop and chat about their ideal client and I throw some numbers around about who’s on which channel and how it differs from the others out there and then they say something like this…
“Kara, but I don’t know what to say! What if I get it wrong? What if they hate me? I’m not good at writing!”
And there it is! The heart of the issue. They don’t trust themselves. They are worried about criticism. They don’t want to blow their own trumpet. They’re afraid of being publicly called out. And I understand.
It takes courage to put yourself out there in public. You need to be ok with being vulnerable. You need to trust yourself.
Ouch! That hurts. And yes, it’s true. 90% of people who come to me with this issue really have a problem with being vulnerable & talking themselves up. Who can blame them! Especially if they’re Australian, and they usually are, and have lived a lifetime of tall poppy syndrome where you’re told not to speak up, brag, or big-note yourself. (Surely, it’s not just me)
Here’s the irony. The solution to what to write and how to stop worrying about what will happen when you do is exactly the same.
Say what????
The solution when you’re in deep
Please hear me out.
When you think about it, both require someone to do something. Getting someone to click on your social media post. Actually posting. They both rely on getting someone to do something you want them to do, even if that someone is you!
When you’re trying to get someone to do something for you, you really need to understand what will drive them to do it. Yes, even yourself. That’s psychology.
How well do you know what drives you? How well do you know what drives your clients to click on your social media? How well do you know what drives your staff? You might be surprised!
If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, you can access this training video on what drives people and how you can work out what drives you, your staff, and your clients. Best of all it’s free! (Yes, I know free access to good training is one of your drivers)