Today was the second day of my coaching webinar with Chris Barrow. We were a bit more technology-challenged today–technology is a wonderful tool, except when it doesn’t work as it should.. You can’t live with it, sometimes, and I certainly don’t want to live without it..:)
I listened to Chris tell his story of how his coaching practice evolved. Much of what he’s learned to date is through trial and error. Fortunately, he’s willing to pass along the stories of what didn’t work for him so that we don’t have to make the same mistakes. What a gift this is!
As I listened to his stories, I had an opportunity to reflect on my own business and the many times I’ve beaten my head against the wall pursuing opportunites that were, well, not all that they were cracked up to be. It was a rather painful recounting, to remember the money I’ve blown to join professional associations, to rent training space, to become a licensee of a program that I couldn’t sell…well, you get the idea.
I realized that in my quest to keep up with the Jones’s and do the traditional types of marketing that everyone says you should do as a business owner, one key issue was lost in the mix. I don’t enjoy doing these traditional types of marketing, like attending networking functions or making cold calls or holding "live" training seminars. There are other ways I’d rather feed my marketing funnel that are more closely aligned to what I like to do and my gifts and talents.
The ironic realization is that I’m pretty good at these "non-traditional" marketing methods, but had convinced myself that what I was doing wasn’t enough and that I needed to be doing more. In reality, these other things I’ve been attemping have only produced minimal results, yet caused me more stress and discomfort than I care to remember.
So, the great "ping" (or light-bulb moment) for me was to say a permanent good-bye to all that’s not working. It feels like a great burden has been lifted from my shoulders..;)
What should you be giving up in your business that’s simply not working?
Best-selling author Donna Gunter works with successful business owners who are experts in their fields and established in their industry and are seeking a way to stand out from their competitors. Using her Ideal Clients on Autopilot System©, she helps them determine the exact strategies to generate more qualified leads and better-paying clients with automated systems. This proven system makes all their marketing easier and more effective and they find themselves positioned as the only choice for their clients.