If you’ve been in business for a while it can be tempting to maintain the status quo. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? WRONG! Like anything, if you don’t try new things, growth in your business is going to be challenging to achieve. Referrals are a great source of new clients, but what else can you do, especially when you don’t have deep pockets for a hard hitting marketing campaign?
Most entrepreneurs acknowledge the need to get out and network in order to gain more visibility, but what else can you do? Maybe it’s hosting an open house or doing a free information night where you get more than 30 seconds to speak about your business. As much as public speaking is something many of us would prefer not to do, it is a great opportunity to give potential clients and referral sources a better idea of what it is we do. We don’t have to be Tony Robbins or Oprah Winfrey caliber speakers in order to do presentations. All we have to do is be authentic and provide valuable (not sales heavy) information.
Maybe it’s time to try your hand at video? Whether you’re doing YouTube videos, or the short-attention-span friendly Vine, it is another great way to get visibility for yourself and your business. The benefit of video is that it extends your reach beyond places you can hit locally! If you’re business can handle global customers then you need to be on a global platform. Sharing photos on Facebook and catchy 140 character snippets on Twitter can give potential clients an idea of who you are, but video is a great way to really show potential clients more about you and what you do.
For some, blogging is the challenge. You don’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize winning writer to start a blog. I feel I was built for blogging. Writing 20-page essays were always a struggle for me. Short and to the point is my sweet spot 😉 Like the above suggestions, this works best when you’re being you, sharing tips, tools and knowledge based on your personal experiences, not rhetoric or theory. I find writing the easiest way to express myself, thanks to the “undo” function and the delete button. Blogging for me is like a journal entry that I’ve decided to share with anyone who wants to read it. I hope others find my musings helpful, often it’s a personal reminder of things I need to do for myself 🙂
This is by no means an extensive list of things you can do to stretch your comfort zone. I list the three above because they seem to be some of the top challenges that a lot of entrepreneurs are struggling with. If you’re already doing the talks, videos and blogging, what else are you going to do to push the limits on your comfort zone? Stretching yourself is not only going to benefit your business, but it’s also going to help your personal growth. Every time we push ourselves, we reduce our limitations and build more confidence to see what else is possible. What are you going to do expand your comfort zone today?
Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!
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