The only person getting in the way of your success is you.
If you desire a certain type of success, and you don’t feel like you are progressing towards it – you need to ask – what am I doing in my business that is stopping that?
You will have heard of mindset – the way you think, what your beliefs are, your values. Both subconscious and conscious will affect the way we do business and show up.
When it comes to effectively marketing your business, people will have two main blocks.
- How they value money
- Telling people about their product or service
How do you value money – do you catch yourself saying things like ‘I can’t afford that’ or ‘I am not worth that’.
How about telling people what you do – how many facebook lives have you avoided? Do you have a headshot? Do you speak confidently about your product or service?
Value of money
This can show up in both not feeling worthy or of not wanting to part with your money. Either way – you need to fix this. Feel abundant about your money. Show gratitude when someone pays you and gratitude you can pay someone else.
Pricing your products is often the hardest thing for business owners. Start with covering the costs of all of your raw materials, then the labour to put it together. Packaging, postage and delivery. Then you also need to make sure you are making enough profit to cover insurances, bank fees, accounting fees, marketing costs AND your time.
Pricing services aren’t straight forward either. You need to price any tools you use to deliver the service (systems or zoom etc), you need to price the time it takes to deliver the service. Plus you need to cover the cost of insurances, bank fees, accounting fees, marketing costs AND your time.
Then you need to make sure you are not seen as too cheap or too expensive in comparison to your competitor.
You also need to put a value on your time. What experience do you bring to your business, qualifications and future training you need to undertake to continue running your business. What has it, or is it going to cost you to achieve what you have today. What would market rates pay you per hour? Importantly, how much do you need to earn in your business to cover costs of your business and also your ‘life’?
These are the questions you ask when you answer that question – how much do I add for my time.
When you have your price – you need to confidently tell people that is what your product or service is worth. Ask for the sale!!! Most businesses fail and state financial reasons – start with getting your price right and you will not have this issue.
Showing up
You have chosen to be in business for yourself. Or maybe circumstances have said you are. Whatever the case you need to show up!
That means you need to be where your customer is – if they are Facebook then be on Facebook – if they read the local paper then be in the local paper. If they watch the news then advertise in the news or on the radio or in Womens Weekly. Go to the local market or a national expo. Show up where your customer is.
Tell people you are the owner of the business – why do you want to hide? Add it to your social profiles, put a pic of yourself on your website. Tell your neighbour, your kids and parents. Hey your customer might just be sitting next to you in the cafe! Do that Facebook live, post an update, send an email.
When you show up with purpose and confidence people will listen. And to do that you need a marketing strategy. You need a content plan, messaging pillars. When you take the time to develop these things – showing up becomes easier – and one day it will just be second nature!
Get out of your way
If you really, truly want the success you deserve, then get out of your own way. Quit the excuses and the stories and just start doing.
If you keep listening to that little voice in your head you will never progress with your business. Remembering any movement forward is progress – even doing that first Facebook live or outsourcing your marketing tasks.
Without progress you will not have growth in your business. You will be forever stuck in overwhelm and confusion. Seek clarity and focus by fixing how you think and behave in your business.
Rachel Allan will be exploring more about this in the August Marketing Conversations event – Money, Marketing Blocks – click here for more