Admit it. When you were young you had a dream of being a rock star, didn’t you? No? Hmm . . . then it must have been sports, or dance, or maybe you simply imagined being
voted World’s Best Mom or some other awesome achievement.
When I was in middle school, all the girls wanted to be Barbara Streisand. That voice. The talent. The long notes she could hold FOREVER. In high school, most either wanted to be in a rock band, or at least get to hang out with them. Everyone wanted to party with David Lee Roth or Jon Bonjovi. What about you? What was your childhood fantasy?
Now you’re all grown up and you’ve left childish things in the past. But you still have hopes and dreams. In fact, in your minds eye, you’ve seen this dream for a very long time. You’ve poured yourself into this new creation, called “your business”. You’re supposed to be living the life of your dreams, but it seems to continuously escape you. Don’t let those thoughts in your head dictate to you what you are capable of! Check out this short checklist and know . . . YOU CAN DO THIS!
- Be willing to do whatever it takes. This step is crucial. It would be great if we could all hang up a sign and watch the customers come running to our doorstep. But even, Walt Disney had to be courageous and willing to do whatever he had to in order to see his dream come to fruition–and at the cost of many failures along the way which would have made many of us quit! Step outside of your comfort zone. Be Fearless! Write it down somewhere and remind yourself everyday of your commitment to do whatever it takes.
- Commit to being a proficient marketer. Yes…that bad word…SALES. Sorry folks, but if no one told you yet, everything you do is sales! Want a job? Guess what you are selling on your interview…YOU. Commit to learning all the tips and strategies for being the best salesperson you can be. This doesn’t mean you have to be like the stereotypical used car salesman–be yourself. After all, when someone does business with you, whether you are an employee or owner, to some degree what they are really buying is you. You know they can probably get what you are selling right down the street, right? They buy from you, because they like YOU. [shareable cite=”Eban Pagan”]Job success is about re-actively doing work. Business success is about proactively getting customers.[/shareable]
- Offer what your customer wants to buy. This seems like a no brainer except that the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make is offering only what they want to create or sell (which isn’t necessarily what the customer wants). Products should provide a solution to a problem, or fill a need or desire for the customer. Make sure that you are interacting with your clients regularly and inquire as to what they feel they need.
- Be willing to face rejection. Okay, now for the bad news. Not everyone will love you. In fact, some of them will down right despise you. Name any politician, celebrity, or other well known being or entity that has no haters. You can’t. Sadly, the world still contains trolls. It’s okay. Help the people who want your help and let the trolls keep living under bridges.
- Be willing to learn new things–always. This world is changing at a rapid pace. There are some college degrees today that will be worthless in several years, and altogether new ones that we can’t even imagine because those jobs haven’t been invented yet. If you are going to do well in this world, you have to be willing to learn new things (or take up mortician work…we aren’t likely to run out of dead people any time soon).
The world needs you. They need your talent. They need that which you were born to offer this world. Don’t let doubts, distractions, and negativity keep you from achieving all you were meant to achieve. Grab a hold of these tips and begin to utilize them relentlessly. You can do this!
Question: Which of these 5 essentials are you committed to doing, starting right now?