As a business coach, I work with so many different people and whilst skill, knowledge and ability certainly are major factors in achieving great results, being successful and realising goals and dreams – it does come back often to mindset. Quite honestly, if your business mindset is wrong, then you’re pushing jello up a wall with a fork (imagine that in your head).
Do you believe you can?
Self-belief is the first step. Do you believe you can deliver what you promise? Do you believe you provide a great product or service? I work with many service-based businesses, professionals, coaches and health professionals – and what we do is very much based often on our personal skills, abilities and expertise. I spoke a few months back with an allied health professional who had substantial doubts about marketing themselves and their service. My question to that person was “do you provide a great service?” (Yes was the answer). Is it fair you keep your service a secret and so don’t allow those in need to access it? (No was the answer). That was the powerful question to this person (who assisted autistic children). As a coach, I’m often asking the hard questions.
Do you see your worth?
Somewhat linked with the above, many people, particularly in Australia, do not see their worth. They make a judgment and say “people won’t pay $x for me” thereby closing the door and taking the choice from the prospect. Some of us have issues about money (think it goes back to the old days of ‘money is the root of all evil’ which is not true. If we provide an excellent service, help people in some way, then don’t we deserve to be renumerated for that experience? I know I’ve spent 30 years learning, developing my techniques, training, growing and experiencing – which I know equates to exceptional value to a prospect. I know what works, what doesn’t work and how to get the best results out of a business. Why fumble along, stumble along or flounder – when there is someone to guide you? Do you undervalue yourself and your service?
Pushing out of your comfort zone
There is an expression that we achieve nothing from staying in our comfort zone. This is so true. If we are comfortable, we fall into a routine, pattern and easy way of doing things. We don’t stretch ourselves and we certainly can become stagnant. Back in 2010, I wrote my first book. That was certainly out of my comfort zone. In 2017, I organised my first international workshop – again out of my comfort zone. When I first began public speaking I can very much assure you I was uncomfortable! However, when you speak in front of 300 people, the opportunities abound. You find yourself being asked to speak at industry conferences and Universities. As a business coach, I am constantly pushing clients out of their comfort zone. No – I don’t throw clients in the deep end without a paddle; the move is planned, discussed, agreed up and well-managed.
Recognising Achievements
I’ve known people who just are not happy with what they have or have achieved. Enough is not enough and no matter what they have achieved they look at what they haven’t done (yet). Instead, focus on your wins, your achievements and give thanks for those. Acknowledge what you have accomplished and give yourself a pat on the back. Sure, that doesn’t mean you have achieved everything but I believe that success is a sequence of steps that you action. It’s those little action steps, one by one, that you complete, put together and before you know it a larger step has been done. Before long, several large steps are done and you look back and see how far you have come.
Not there yet, then what’s the plan?
For many of us in business, we are not there yet. Even when I held a business I’ve started in a garage and grew to five locations around Australia, I was not done. The sale certainly represented a closure to an aspect of my business life, but then allowed me to focus fully on other areas of business I wanted to pursue more fully. It makes sense to have a long-term goal. That goal might be to grow a business to sell or to expand interstate (as I had done), go global or simply to have a comfortable income and lifestyle. Are your goals written down? More importantly, are the action steps required to achieve that goal written down? I work with businesses to create 3 years, 1 year and 90-day goals and action plans. I know for a fact that what we focus on gets our attention and therefore positive results.
So in business, what is your mindset? Are you positive? Do you believe in yourself and the product or service you provide? Are you clear to your clients what your value proposition is? Remember this, if you cannot be positive and confident about yourself, how can you possibly expect others to have faith in you and believe in what you do! Change your mindset, become more confident and positive and you’ll see the difference flow through into your business success. If you’d like to know more about my coaching services call me on 0411 622 666.
Yours in Business. Donna
Read this article 15 Reasons Perfectionism Will Kill Your Business.
