The one thing almost all the women I meet have in common is
that they are too smart for their own good! This is
probably true for you, too!
If you have great ideas all the time and are very
passionate about what you do, and you can never seem to get
everything done when you want it done, congratulations -
this is you.
I understand that you don't want to give anything up, and
coming up with the brilliant ideas makes you happy – so
don't stop doing it. Instead, you need a tool to keep you
focused so you can complete the highest priority items so
you can have the ca'sh flow you deserve.
Determining your priorities and sticking with them is a
systematic approach. You need to know how you are getting
the clients you have had. Try this exercise: look at all
the clients you have gotten in the last 18 months. Add 2
pieces of information for each – where did they come from
and how much revenue did you make from them?
After you have these pieces of information, do an analysis
of where the majority of your customers came from, then put
them in numerical order according to how much revenue they
contributed.
Start editing the list – take out your least favorite
customers. Then, really look at the amount of work it
takes to get one customer and draw a line in the proverbial
sand. Any clients who contributed too little revenue to
make it worthwhile, remove them.
As you look at the edited list, is there a story that these
numbers tell you? Where did the highest ticket customers
come from? Why did they pick you? What did you say and do
to attract them?
Do more of that!
Women have a tendency to be nice in business – that's a
good thing. However, when we are so nice that it becomes
detrimental to our ca'sh flow, then it becomes a problem.
Once you have discovered an action that is not bringing you
a positive return on your investment of time and/or mo'ney,
you need to stop doing it – even if it is difficult. Cut
your losses.
Find those actions that bring you customers – higher-paying
customers – and do those things only. Put those actions on
your written business plan. When the new, brilliant ideas
flow, put them on your LTP – long term plan. That way you
won't lose the ideas, but you don't have to do everything
today.
To start, pull out this list (the beginnings of your
business plan) and use it once a week to plan your work.
After you complete the plan and feel you are ready, then
look at it once a month. Really look at it – analyze
everything on it strategically to see if your actions are
in alignment with your plan.
You should already be feeling less overwhelmed!
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Audrey Burton, Small Business Coach, is “The Tigress”. Get
her FREE Special Report, “Closing the Sale is Not
Complicated!” and her FREE monthly email newsletter at
