Time and again I hear the tale of business owners who are confused by the myriad of information out there; in particular, when it comes to running a Facebook Page and identifying their ideal client.
If you have been following my blog for a while now you would know that I’m not a stranger to either of these topics and that I am a little left of centre where they are both concerned.
But I’m tired of hearing about business owners who are frustrated and confused.
There are a couple of issues behind this that I have uncovered over the past months & I want to put them right out there. I want to address the elephant in the room.
The squeaky guru
A mixture of the squeaky wheel and the shining guru. This phenomenon occurs to confound us when we are tripped up by those with big budgets. We get caught up in the marketing circus and the romance of a connection with a leading expert and what happens next? It falls flat. It lacks substance.
There are many reasons why this happens but please realise that you have fallen prey to their funnel and you are but a number on the way to their next zero.
Seem cynical? Perhaps, but beware. Over the years I have seen many businesses tout how you can make six figures but their main aim is for you to help them make theirs. And at what cost? Consider how much they have paid in advertising and affiliate costs to win your money. I’ve seen Facebook ad spends from ten to one hundred thousand dollars a month and profit margins that don’t correlate with how much they pay out.
Buyer beware!
The shiny new thing
The lure of a new tool, a new method, a new fix. Anything! Something! All the things!
Time and again I have seen people and tools come and go. Some might realise that it’s not for them. Others realise their life has moved on. Others just fail.
While I have backed a number of new toys for my business, my initial investment was low and my returns have far outstripped the cost.
Don’t fall foul of the celebrity of a new toy. In fact, make sure you look at my article on testimonials as many new toys use celebrity as a way of endorsing their product as the ‘next best thing’.
Be aware that marketers use influencers to market new things and that FOMO is real. Follow your heart and your head.
Free fever
The biggest thing I hear is that ‘I don’t have the money’. So businesses, especially new ones, will flit from freebie to freebie hoping to be able to piece the puzzle together. It’s ok, I did that too. Until I decided to change that.
In 2017 I instinctively knew that it was time to invest in a business retreat. 2016 had been a year where I put my business on hold for the sake of my family and it was time to take the reigns again. After the retreat, the organiser invited me to join their group coaching program. It wasn’t a massive financial draw but it was significant. The thing is that I knew that I needed one person to guide me through growing my business. I needed one person who was in my corner, who could see my end goal and who could give me the tools and encouragement to get me there.
It was one person. Not a number of free calls with various people who saw my income quadruple in that first month. It was that laser focus from one person who has had me double my income year on year since then.
There is no conflicting advice. Instead there is a clear path of growth to steer me to where I want to be. It’s consistent. It’s measured. It’s got nothing to do with their growth and everything to do with mine because I am working with them, they do not need to bring me through their funnel.
Having a constant voice in your corner is reassuring.
While growing a business requires you to be aware of new opportunities, success requires you to go all in on one direction. A scattered approach will only have you feeling pulled in all directions, where as a consistent source of information and advice will see you through and give you reassurance that you will be ok.
When you make a clear, calculated, and consistent commitment to your business you are rewarded. You reap what you sew.
In response to the constant confusion I am hearing, I have pulled my resources into one location. I want it to be easier for you to choose what suits you best. I understand that when you are starting out that you rely on these resources to help you through, but I want you to realise that there comes a point where free actually has a larger cost than benefit.