30 Oct Why you need to spend more time looking out of the window…
I was listening to a speaker the other day who said that most business owners need to look out of the window more.
I completely agree.
How much time do you spend looking out of the window?
Are you focused on looking down and inwards most of the time? Spending so much time in the detail of your day to day business that you forget to look up and out?
You know, keeping an eye on the detail is important, but so is the bigger picture.
Don’t get caught up in ‘analysis paralysis’ mode, where you struggle to move forward because there is so much information you feel overwhelmed.
Take a look at what is going on in the big wide world out there and look out of the window!
If you’re so caught up in your own business that you don’t know where the heck to start with this, here are 3 starters for you:
1. Talk to your customers
Pick up the phone, arrange some catch ups, just start having more conversations with your existing customers. What’s going on in their lives right now? What challenges and problems are they facing? What’s going well for them?
Your customers are the heart of your business and you always need to stay close to them. Never get complacent and think that you know everything about them already!
Who knows where these conversations will take you. Maybe you’ll get some extra work. Maybe you’ll realise your marketing material needs updating. Maybe you’ll get a new idea for a new service you can offer them. Maybe you can refer them on to another business contact and do them a good deed.
2. Do some selling!
Do you squirm at the though of this or relish it? If you’re like most business owners, you’ll be squirming.
Sales is probably the most common area that most business owners would like to outsource – even though it usually doesn’t make financial or business sense to do so.
The best way to get to know your potential customers is to try and sell them something.
And by selling, I really mean having more conversations. Speak more to your target clients, learn more about them, offer them what you are selling.
You’ll learn heaps, I promise! This is why you shouldn’t be looking to outsource sales completely until your business is of a size for it to make economic sense. (And even then, I’d suggest you still keep a hand in, I bet Richard Branson does!)
If you hate selling, then you need to get over it. Take a course, get a mentor, read some books, but JUST DO IT!
3. Get out and do something different
What aren’t you doing right now that would give you a different perspective?
Are you getting out regularly to different networking events?
Do you go to relevant trade events and conferences?
How about going on a training course for something completely different, or joining a mastermind group?
If you avoid all or most of these as ‘you don’t have enough time’, then you need to start making these a priority for your business and finding the time.
Getting out to different events and meeting different people gives you a completely different perspective on your business. What difference could this make to you?
So, my question to you is this – are you spending enough time looking out of the window? Leave me a comment to let me know what actions you are going to take to change this.
Alison Bradford
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