Small business owners come to me regularly, asking for something they don’t want and they don’t need. I’m sharing this with you, because it’s a symptom of a problem. A serious problem that loses business owners a fortune.

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 enquiries from my website.
• I need more social media followers.
• 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 they 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.

Think about it.

• If fewer sales leads, BUT from high spending, profitable customers is exactly what’s required, you’ll never find it by asking the wrong questions.
• If you can quickly (and massively) improve your profits / revenues, by developing new products for your existing customers, you’ll never find it by asking the wrong questions.
• If you want to escape from the feast and famine cycle, by developing a reliable source of profitable new clients, you’ll never find it by asking the wrong questions.

Here’s how to stop this from happening to you and your business.

Get specific

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. The end point, rather than a particular process or marketing strategy.

Then, focus on that end point like a laser. This will help you get your marketing on the right track and ensure you’re aiming for the correct targets.

You deserve a business that fills you with energy. A business that motivates you to do your very best and rewards you on every level. A business, which is so inspiring that when you tell people about it, they feel excited.

That’s why I’m going to give you a proven, BIG strategy. A big strategy, which could be exactly what you need right now. And the best part? It makes sense on every level and is spectacularly easy to understand.

It starts with this.

Think big. Really, really BIG!

This isn’t just “positive thinking” nonsense. It’s grounded in fact. And it’s extremely effective.

Here’s how it works.

• By thinking really big, you find yourself making bigger plans than before.
• The power of making bigger plans, is that they inspire you to make bigger decisions.
• The power of making bigger decisions, is that they motivate you to take action. BIG actions, which are the actions that lead to transformational results.

Here’s the thing: No one gets excited, energized or motivated by average plans or average ideas.

If you’re not feeling motivated right now, it’s only because your plans are not big enough, exciting enough or compelling enough for you. 

Try this

I’d like you to consider the following.

I’d like you to consider thinking really big… TODAY.

For example, instead of thinking about how to grow your business by 20% between now and December 2022, add a zero. Shoot for 200% growth. This will cause you to elevate your thinking in order to match the elevated target. You’ll think on a higher level.

Predictable can be life saving: The braking system on your car is a great example. You need to know that each time you put your foot on the brake, you’re going to slow down or stop as expected.

Predictable can be reassuring: It’s reassuring to know that the quality of products or services you receive from a vendor, will be predictably excellent.

However, predictable can also hurt your business. Imagine a prospective client is looking for a new service provider. For whatever reason, their previous provider didn’t fulfil their needs. The last thing that prospective client will want, is another provider that seems too similar looking, to the one they just fired.

Conversely, they’ll be extremely attracted to providers that combine being reassuringly professional, with fresh ideas and uncommonly great service.

That’s where YOU come in my friend. At least it should be.

Don’t let predictability bite your ass

Being predictable in the wrong areas will destroy your marketing.

• It will attract fewer enquiries.
• It will motivate fewer prospects to hire you.
• It will position your business as a commodity. People buy commodities based on the lowest price or fee.
• It will camouflage your business and stop you getting noticed.

This is the total opposite of what you need in order for your business to succeed.

Make no mistake, it takes guts to build your own version of how a service provider in your niche should operate. It’s hard to zig when your competitors zag. It’s so much easier to play follow the follower. That’s why only the top few percent in any industry truly stand out.

Those of us who want our business to fly need to be smarter than that. We need to only be predictable where it matters. Because the alternative is to be invisible. And a business that lacks visibility, places a very low ceiling on its potential.