“But that’s so OBVIOUS! Why didn’t I see it??” is one of the most common reactions I get when working with new coaching clients.
Whether it’s related to their ideal client, their marketing message or just areas of their business where they’re leaving money on the table, they just can’t see it until it’s pointed out to them.
It’s really easy to get so bogged down in the day-to-day running of your business that you forget to look up once in a while – but it’s the looking up and stepping back that can make a world of difference.
Here are three questions you can ask yourself to see if it’s time to take a step back and look at your business with fresh eyes.
1. Are You Busy For The Sake Of It?
Busy does not always equal productive – and DEFINITELY does not always equal profitable.
Work out where you’re spending your time and make sure you’re not just being busy for no reason. You’d be surprised how often I have this discussion with new coaching clients who haven’t looked at their working practices since they set up in business years ago, and just do things the way they’ve always done them.
The trouble with this is that you can’t build a big business on small business practices – often it’s not a scalable model.
Remember: if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. If you’re serious about building your business, you need to look at how and where you’re spending your time and make sure it’s on productive activities.
2. Have You Looked At Your Pricing Lately?
Are you charging what you’re actually worth?
Or are you charging what you set several years ago?
And how DID you set your prices back then? Were they based on what the competition charged? On what you felt your customers might pay to work with ‘little old me’?
Even if you do keep putting up your prices, are they just creeping up by a tiny percentage once a year?
Here’s the thing – if you find your ideal customer and really niche your business, you’re able to charge more as an expert in your field. And because you know your ideal customer inside out, it’s easy to demonstrate the benefits and value you bring.
3. Is Your Work Easy For You?
Or have you ventured further and further out of your comfort and knowledge zones as time has gone on, because you’re saying yes to anyone who wants to do business with you?
It’s a common issue, especially when money is tight. But what happens is that your time gets filled with work you don’t enjoy, for customers you can’t please. You’re no longer doing work that’s a great fit, for clients who are a great fit.
I see this all the time with women business owners – and I’ve been there myself too. Take a step back today and work out what is ‘bad’ business and what is ‘good’ business for you – then just take on the good business!
So this week, make a point of stepping back from the day-to-day ‘stuff’ and see where you can make changes for the better!