Client Attraction: 3 Mistakes That Stop You From Growing to Your Full Potential in Your Business

If we're in business, it's comforting to know that we’re not the first to walk this journey. Thousands of very successful business people have done this before, and they’ve made their findings available to us through books, coaching, videos, and the Internet. With so much information out there (and much of it free) why don’t we see more millionaires rising up from the grassroots? People like Andrew Carnegie and John Rockefeller didn’t have access to even a fraction of what we have ready available today. We should see more rising stars than ever before. It should be so simple, but what happens?

Here are 3 mistakes create self-sabotage among solo business owners:

1. Not reading the directions
Why is it that we purchase a do-it-yourself product and then try to put it together without reading the directions? We do the same in business. Basic business principles work and they work in Internet marketing. Yet so many solo business owners want to ignore those principles because they seem too boring or they seem too difficult. People marketing their own skills such as coaches or service professionals often overlook foundational concepts as if they don’t apply to them. But they do.

Successful solo business owners—those making 6 and 7 figures—are operating at top levels because they have put those very principles into practice. We all need a clear mission statement. We need to differentiate ourselves from our competition, and on and on.

Every single business manual begins by stating how important it is to know who your prospects are. So, why do we shy away from finding out that critical piece of information? Many people assume that your product or service would benefit everyone. That might be true, but as a solo business owner, you resonate with a certain kind of person and you don’t resonate with others.

2. Not taking advantage of what’s readily available
There are so many helpful websites out there and so many free offers. There are free teleseminars every single week targeting various areas of our business. But we feel we’re too busy, we’re too stressed, or we can’t concentrate on those things right now.

Watch those offers pouring into your mailbox every day. Keep an eye out for things that you need. These days many people offer great content in their free calls. If your days are too busy, load those replays into an iPod or burn them onto a CD and listen to them in the car. If you’re too busy to fill in the gaps that will move your business ahead, then what you’re basically saying is that you’re content to be a hamster on a wheel, working more and more and getting nowhere. Who wants to live like that?

Get solid business advice that will help you get clarity. Once you are clear, you’ll feel so free instead of feeling like you’re slogging through mud to a goal that is so far away you can barely see it any more.

3. Not following through
This is a common problem that I’ve heard all trainers and coaches talk about. I have to admit, I’ve done it myself. Sometimes we get access to fabulous materials and then we don’t use them. The free report we download and park on our desktop, the audio recording we load to our iPod and then forget about. And how about the coaching we never put to use?

Let’s say you are clear on who your Perfect Prospect is and you do know the words to attract them, but if you don’t use those words then it’s a given that you won’t see the results. You’ve wasted your mind equity, your finances, and your time. You have everything you need, but you’re still not moving ahead. What a tragedy. How can you ever make progress and grow your business if you don’t take action on what you already have?

It’s time to stop and take stock of where we are, what we have available, and what we need to implement.