Avoid the Most Deadly Mistake Most Business Owners Often Make
| Category: Entrepreneurship | Date: 2002-09-20 |
Youre a business owner, and of course youll do ANYTHING to make your business succeed.
After all, you dont just believe your idea/product/service will work -- you also know youre the ONLY PERSON in the world who can make it work, because youre simply PASSIONATE about it.
But sometimes -- sometimes -- this business owners passion and conviction turn out to be the very same things that can bring about failure.
All because of a common mistake that too many well-intentioned business owners often make...
What IS This Mistake?
....And how do you avoid it?
Before we get to these questions, let me ask you to think about a few people first:
Dentists. Doctors. Teachers. Parents.
What do these people have in common? What do you remember most about them when you were a child?
Most likely you started out hating these people, because they always seemed to be making you do things you didnt like. Horrible stuff like root canals, flu shots, research papers, and eating leafy green vegetables.
But as you grew older you probably looked back on your relationship with them, and you realized you had more reason to love them than anyone else. Because during those times when they told you those horrible things were "for your own good" -- they were actually telling the truth!
Now, we think were all grown up and we know all about that.
But there is ONE IMPORTANT LESSON that we mature business owners can learn from this juvenile mistake:
No matter how old you get, you still cant always recognize the things you REALLY NEED.
My Head Hurts... I Should Buy A Car!
This is a hard truth, and we all need to learn it.
Although we like to think were in total control of every aspect of ourselves & our business, there WILL be times when its best to consult the experts.
Lets take "marketing," for instance.
Marketing gurus have always advised you to put yourself in the mindset of your customer. And at first glance, this seems too easy. After all, no one knows your product better than you.
But then you watch your marketing efforts flop over & over again, and you start blaming the ezine & website owners (where you place your ads) or your ad distributors (for not doing their jobs).
You overlook the part where you probably made your first mistake: When you failed to REALLY put yourself in your clients shoes.
And its not really surprising, or anything to be ashamed of. Simply because you are NOT your client.
Youre the business owner, the product developer, the service provider. You know too much, have gone too far, and its really hard for you to teach the concept of a simple star to a first grader when your mind is already filled with relativity and nuclear propulsion.
So what DO you do to succeed? How DO you reach the imagination of a "first grader," when youre already a Doctorate Degree holder?
Simple: You ask for the help of a first grade teacher!
Ask The Experts, And DO What They Say!
Again this sounds so simple, but many floundering businesses today prove it is not.
Branding expert Rob Frankel even laments that there are 2 kinds of business owners that are beyond anyones help:
- The first kind believes in his own style of
marketing so much, he doesnt think hell ever
need the advice of a marketing specialist.
- The second kind acknowledges his need for a
marketing specialist, but after spending time
& money to engage the services of one, he lets
office politics, pride, or his own preconceived
notions take over... in the end simply dismissing
the specialists suggestions.
(Of course theres the third kind -- the business owner who brings in the specialist and actually acts on his suggestions -- but these types are too few to mention, as
evidenced by the too-few outstanding brands on the Internet today.)
But Maybe Youre The Fourth Type...
That is, you KNOW you need a specialist for many of your important business functions, but you just cant afford them right now. What can you do in the meantime?
You can do as I do, and try these 3 simple steps:
ASK!
----
Sooner or later youll be needing services outside of your expertise. And once you accept these services, youll be opening yourself up to new opportunities!
For instance, you can maximize your interaction with your service providers by making them your sort-of consultants as well. Theyre bound to be authorities in their field, after all, and youre already in a business relationship together.
Ask them questions (no matter how stupid they sound), and seek their guidance (no matter how stupid youll seem to look).
As long as you make it clear that you just want help in deciding whats best for you, and as long as theyre sincere about helping their clients (like you!) succeed, then they
shouldnt mind your requests.
Truth is, I personally WISH that more clients would ask more questions about the packages I offer at Guaranteed-Hits.Com.
Although I already give them easy-to-choose-from packages on my site, I could help clients so much more if they would just ASK me questions. If they told me EXACTLY what they needed, then I could more easily SOLVE all the non-traffic
problems they have.
After all, the guaranteed hits service may have a price -- but consultation with me is always FREE.
(And now that you know that, remember to ask me your questions using the form on the site) =)
Next...
LISTEN!
-------
Remember: there will always be times when the advice you hear wont SEEM like such good advice at all (like root canals and broccoli soup).
But if they truly come from the experts (and will ideally be supported by others in the field) then the best thing you can do is to believe them and TRY.
LEARN!
------
Finally, keep in mind that all of life (and all of business) is a learning process.
Everyday we keep trying things, and we observe whether they create positive or negative effects.
Then we either do them again (if the effect was positive) or change strategies (if the effect was negative).
Either way, we always need to re-asses where we are at each point in our lives, and then take the necessary steps to move forward.
Success and failure, after all, are not definitions for this person or that. They are simply places we all visit from time to time, giving us the endless choice of where we
really want to stay.
P.S.
"But wait a minute!" you say, "You havent told me the biggest-mistake-Im-supposed-to-avoid yet!"
Well actually, I already HAVE.
The mistake is "not asking." Because not asking means "not listening," and not listening means "not learning" -- and ultimately never finding out whats best for you and your business.
I hope you listened and learned from that.
And by the way, thank you for asking. =)
By Tatiana Velitchkov © 2002
About the Author:
Tatiana is the publisher of: www.TheFortunesEzine.com, the FortunesEzineWeekly at www.TakeYourFortune.com, and owner of the traffic-solution slam advertising
sites www.Guaranteed-Hits.com and www.Guaranteed-Hits.net
info@guaranteed-hits.net
http://www.takeyourfortune.com
After all, you dont just believe your idea/product/service will work -- you also know youre the ONLY PERSON in the world who can make it work, because youre simply PASSIONATE about it.
But sometimes -- sometimes -- this business owners passion and conviction turn out to be the very same things that can bring about failure.
All because of a common mistake that too many well-intentioned business owners often make...
What IS This Mistake?
....And how do you avoid it?
Before we get to these questions, let me ask you to think about a few people first:
Dentists. Doctors. Teachers. Parents.
What do these people have in common? What do you remember most about them when you were a child?
Most likely you started out hating these people, because they always seemed to be making you do things you didnt like. Horrible stuff like root canals, flu shots, research papers, and eating leafy green vegetables.
But as you grew older you probably looked back on your relationship with them, and you realized you had more reason to love them than anyone else. Because during those times when they told you those horrible things were "for your own good" -- they were actually telling the truth!
Now, we think were all grown up and we know all about that.
But there is ONE IMPORTANT LESSON that we mature business owners can learn from this juvenile mistake:
No matter how old you get, you still cant always recognize the things you REALLY NEED.
My Head Hurts... I Should Buy A Car!
This is a hard truth, and we all need to learn it.
Although we like to think were in total control of every aspect of ourselves & our business, there WILL be times when its best to consult the experts.
Lets take "marketing," for instance.
Marketing gurus have always advised you to put yourself in the mindset of your customer. And at first glance, this seems too easy. After all, no one knows your product better than you.
But then you watch your marketing efforts flop over & over again, and you start blaming the ezine & website owners (where you place your ads) or your ad distributors (for not doing their jobs).
You overlook the part where you probably made your first mistake: When you failed to REALLY put yourself in your clients shoes.
And its not really surprising, or anything to be ashamed of. Simply because you are NOT your client.
Youre the business owner, the product developer, the service provider. You know too much, have gone too far, and its really hard for you to teach the concept of a simple star to a first grader when your mind is already filled with relativity and nuclear propulsion.
So what DO you do to succeed? How DO you reach the imagination of a "first grader," when youre already a Doctorate Degree holder?
Simple: You ask for the help of a first grade teacher!
Ask The Experts, And DO What They Say!
Again this sounds so simple, but many floundering businesses today prove it is not.
Branding expert Rob Frankel even laments that there are 2 kinds of business owners that are beyond anyones help:
- The first kind believes in his own style of
marketing so much, he doesnt think hell ever
need the advice of a marketing specialist.
- The second kind acknowledges his need for a
marketing specialist, but after spending time
& money to engage the services of one, he lets
office politics, pride, or his own preconceived
notions take over... in the end simply dismissing
the specialists suggestions.
(Of course theres the third kind -- the business owner who brings in the specialist and actually acts on his suggestions -- but these types are too few to mention, as
evidenced by the too-few outstanding brands on the Internet today.)
But Maybe Youre The Fourth Type...
That is, you KNOW you need a specialist for many of your important business functions, but you just cant afford them right now. What can you do in the meantime?
You can do as I do, and try these 3 simple steps:
ASK!
----
Sooner or later youll be needing services outside of your expertise. And once you accept these services, youll be opening yourself up to new opportunities!
For instance, you can maximize your interaction with your service providers by making them your sort-of consultants as well. Theyre bound to be authorities in their field, after all, and youre already in a business relationship together.
Ask them questions (no matter how stupid they sound), and seek their guidance (no matter how stupid youll seem to look).
As long as you make it clear that you just want help in deciding whats best for you, and as long as theyre sincere about helping their clients (like you!) succeed, then they
shouldnt mind your requests.
Truth is, I personally WISH that more clients would ask more questions about the packages I offer at Guaranteed-Hits.Com.
Although I already give them easy-to-choose-from packages on my site, I could help clients so much more if they would just ASK me questions. If they told me EXACTLY what they needed, then I could more easily SOLVE all the non-traffic
problems they have.
After all, the guaranteed hits service may have a price -- but consultation with me is always FREE.
(And now that you know that, remember to ask me your questions using the form on the site) =)
Next...
LISTEN!
-------
Remember: there will always be times when the advice you hear wont SEEM like such good advice at all (like root canals and broccoli soup).
But if they truly come from the experts (and will ideally be supported by others in the field) then the best thing you can do is to believe them and TRY.
LEARN!
------
Finally, keep in mind that all of life (and all of business) is a learning process.
Everyday we keep trying things, and we observe whether they create positive or negative effects.
Then we either do them again (if the effect was positive) or change strategies (if the effect was negative).
Either way, we always need to re-asses where we are at each point in our lives, and then take the necessary steps to move forward.
Success and failure, after all, are not definitions for this person or that. They are simply places we all visit from time to time, giving us the endless choice of where we
really want to stay.
P.S.
"But wait a minute!" you say, "You havent told me the biggest-mistake-Im-supposed-to-avoid yet!"
Well actually, I already HAVE.
The mistake is "not asking." Because not asking means "not listening," and not listening means "not learning" -- and ultimately never finding out whats best for you and your business.
I hope you listened and learned from that.
And by the way, thank you for asking. =)
By Tatiana Velitchkov © 2002
About the Author:
Tatiana is the publisher of: www.TheFortunesEzine.com, the FortunesEzineWeekly at www.TakeYourFortune.com, and owner of the traffic-solution slam advertising
sites www.Guaranteed-Hits.com and www.Guaranteed-Hits.net
info@guaranteed-hits.net
http://www.takeyourfortune.com
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