Mindset

Okay, so you have almost 12 months ahead of you…what are you going to do differently in your business to make this your best year ever?

I am sure that you’re familiar with the 80-20 Rule. Basically, it states that…

20 percent of your efforts = 80 percent of your results.

So, eighty percent of the results you achieve are produced by twenty percent of your efforts. Question: ‘Do you know what that 20 percent was for you in 2011?’ Most importantly, how can you use that rule to your advantage in your business this year?

You need to get smart about your marketing. You need to focus on those business generating activities that yield highest results. Business coach, Brian Tracy, says that you need to focus on 4 things:

What do you want the world to think of your business?

Now, what does the world THINK of your business?

While the former is how you WANT to be perceived by your clients and prospects the latter is how you are really perceived. It’s not about what you think they think of you but what they TRULY think… it’s a statement of position.

A statement of position is not a positioning statement.

A statement of position is what people really think about your business. Why am I making such a big ‘fuss’ about this? Simply because if what your clients HEAR is different to what they actually SEE then such inconsistency could confuse many… and that could hurt your bottom line.

This is especially important when you want to be perceived as a reputable and credible company. You want people to trust you… without trust they probably won’t deal with you.

So, is there an inconsistency or maybe even a contradiction between what you say you are (in your copywriting, advertising and marketing material) and how a typical client actually perceives your business?

I received an interesting email this morning, it went like this…

I would like to thank the following “gurus” for the money I’ve made so far online…..

1. _____________________
2. _____________________
3. _____________________
4. _____________________
5. _____________________

See that, there’s no one there, know why?

Because they’re all [removed] that’s why.

All the GURU’S I’ve met are crack snorting bitches getting rich selling [removed] to you and me and I’m sick of it!

Push button this, 3 steps to $$$illions that, mass money makers… more like my money takers… [removed] to that!

I thought to myself, that’s an interesting approach, and if you’re in the ‘internet riches’ sphere then it’s an approach that should help you better understand your target audience.

However, I disagree that all gurus suck. What DOES suck, in my opinion, is the ‘guru status’ that we consciously or subconsciously bestow on some individuals to the detriment of our own success…

If you repeat the things you were doing in 2010 then you’ll keep getting the same kind of results this year in your business. Actually, I disagree. Look at professional tennis players, racing car drivers and people like Steve Jobs, Donald Trump and Richard Branson.

The one thing they all have in common is that they keep reinventing themselves… they are constantly trying to outsmart, outmanoeuvre and outdo, not their competition, but their past success.

So what are you going to ‘do’ differently over the next 12 months to ‘outdo’ your past success. Whatever results you have achieved last year… how can you take that to the next level?

I will share a handful of random thoughts hoping to not only make you pause and think but, especially, give you practical ideas you can use this year to grow your business…