Small business owners come to me regularly, asking for something they really don’t want and they truly don’t need. I’m sharing this with you, because you’re probably making the same expensive mistake.
Here it is. Plus how you can avoid it.
First, here are some examples of dangerously misleading statements. I see these pretty-much every day from small business owners.
- I need more leads for our sales team.
- I need more social media followers.
- I need more enquiries from my website.
- I need more traffic to my website.
They’re wrong!
One hundred percent, provably wrong.
More sales leads, additional client enquiries, bigger social networks and more website traffic are not their desired outcomes. That’s because they’re not end results. What business owners actually need, is more customers, higher profits, bigger contracts, higher revenues or more sales, etc.
The challenge with searching for the wrong thing, is that it will lead you down the wrong path. You’ll ask the wrong questions, get the wrong answers and end up with the wrong outcomes.
Start with the end in mind
This means you need to decide what your desired outcome is. In other words, determine exactly what you need your business to achieve. Focus on your desired end point. Not on a particular process or marketing strategy.
Here’s an example of exactly what I mean.
I was prompted to write this, after recalling a small business owner I worked with a few years ago. Sarah came to me for some help growing her business. Like almost everyone reading this, she had been focused on lead generation and trying to convert as many as she could. It was frustrating and time consuming. I explained to Sarah that she had zero requirement for leads.
Instead, I said we should focus on her ACTUAL end point: to massively increase the quantity and quality of her sales. I then showed Sarah how to use a joint venture to get direct to her end point.
So, she identified a business owner who offered a complimentary, but non-conflicting service to hers. They agreed to do some joint ventures. Sarah achieved 7-years worth of business growth in just 11-months. Previous to me sharing this idea with her, she’d wasted years focused on lead generation.
Start with the end in mind, dear reader. It will help you get your marketing on the right track and ensure you’re aiming for the correct target.
IMPORTANT: If you want to make more sales, boost your profits and grow an amazing business, this will help you!