So you’ve been trying to grow your business and now you’re frustrated. Really frustrated. You want customers and clients, but so far, things aren’t happening—at least not the way you’d like. Want to know why? Here are your answers.
You have logistic junk.
A lot of businesses don’t grow because their branding is off or they’re marketing in the wrong places, with the wrong message. This happens largely because business owners don’t take the time to figure out who the heck their target market is so that they know how to find them, how to speak to them, and how to attract them. The issue of not knowing your target market can’t be addressed too much, because you’re still doing it.
Seriously, people, one of the fundamental building blocks of successful business is knowing who you want to sell to. This piece of information, this one little piece of data is what tells you, literally, everything you need to know to create a successful brand and successful marketing campaigns. So why wouldn’t you take the time to figure this piece out?
Figuring out your target market is hard.
It is. I’m not going to sugar-coat it for you. Knowing who your target market is a huge challenge for business owners and entrepreneurs, especially those who think their product or service would be useful for “anyone.” Trust me, your target market is never, ever “anyone.”
Once you know your target market, everything gets easier.
Once you know who you’re delivering your products and services to, everything, literally everything gets easier. Once you know your target market and what they like and don’t like, what they find appealing and not, you can design a brand that appeals to them. Plus, you can craft your messaging to reach them and design marketing campaigns to reach them where they already are. Everything gets easier!
You’re focusing on yourself.
When you’re worried about your business growing, your thought process is most likely “me-focused,” meaning that you’re thinking about getting customers and clients, making the mortgage payment, getting more money coming in—what you’re most likely not thinking about is how you can bring more value to the table, so that people see what you have to offer and want to hire you or buy your product.
You’re muddying the waters.
Oh, boy. Have you ever had a plan to get somewhere, but you weren’t sure how to get there? And once you realized you weren’t sure how to get there, you became more and more uncertain that you were going to get there at all? And…eventually maybe you just gave up?
That’s how your brain works when it’s achieving your goals (or not).
When you’re focused 100% on achieving a goal, when you’re sure you’re going to achieve it, when you know its going to happen, your brain becomes aligned toward that purpose. Your brain begins to put all the pieces in place. It’s like that moment in the first X-Men movie, when Magneto is walking and creating the floor as he walks.
I totally get how nerdy it is that I used Magneto as my example, but it explains perfectly how your brain works when it’s set on achieving your goals. It lines everything up for you so that you see opportunities where you never would’ve seen them before. And because you’re not thinking, “Could I? Should I? Will I?” but instead walking forward with certainty and clarity, your brain goes, “Ok, this is happening!” and starts doing whatever it needs to do to help you out.
In 2012, I broke the Guinness World Records® record for the world’s longest uninterrupted live webcast. When GWR approved my application, I told my husband, Leo, “So…you should probably know…I’m going to break a world record.”
I never thought, “Oh, that’s a crazy idea, I don’t think I could ever pull it off.” I never even worried about how I was going to do it. I just thought, “I’m going to go do that thing.” And I did. Because my brain started to work for me, instead of against me. And when you muddy the waters with uncertainty, doubt, and lack of clarity, that’s when you start to lose your greatest ally: You.
So here’s what to do:
Whenever your “brain junk” comes up, whenever you experience that doubt and uncertainty, stop that “stinkin’ thinkin'” dead in its tracks and replace it with something positive. Don’t even let those negative thoughts interfere with your success. Keep yourself on track and going full-speed toward achieving your goals and make a decision not to let that doubt and other brain junk derail you!
And know where to turn when you need help. Successful people know when to ask for help, and you’ve got to know when it’s time to ask for help, too! Now go forth and do great things!
This article was originally published by Susan Baroncini-Moe
Published: September 23, 2013
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