As a business coach and mentor, I cover a LOT of different topics. So, just for fun, here’s an A-Z of business growth. Ready? Let’s go…
A. A plan – Fail to plan and you plan to fail! Ensure you have a plan that details your goals, how you will measure success, and in what timeframe. Only then you can work out the tactics required to achieve each goal.
B. Behaviour – Understanding why we behave the way we do can strengthen the relationships you build with others. Read this personality profiling blog to learn more.
C. Conversion – Conversion shows you what percentage of your enquiries turn into clients. Learn more about conversion here. Increase knowledge in this area and your sales will increase overnight with the same number of enquiries.
D. Differentiation – Researching your competitors is an important way to start differentiating your services. Not sure where to start? This blog will teach you how to differentiate your business.
E. Efficiencies – Increasing your personal and business efficiency can help you earn more money, deliver better and more consistent customer service, improve their customer experience, and save you time through automation. How efficient are you?
F. Focus – It takes your brain takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to refocus after an interruption! Have a go at using your calendar to set aside time to focus on doing one thing at a time – try it, it really works!
G. Goals – Goals are essential to success. Without them, how do you know where you’re going and what to aim for? Your goals don’t need to be complex, simple is often best. To provide accountability put your goals into a plan and add time frames against the actions.
H. Health – We are nothing without our health. I know it’s boring, but it’s so important to drink plenty of water, exercise daily, get plenty of sleep and eat a nourishing diet. You owe it to yourself, your family and your business! This post shares 5 ways you can improve your resilience in the workplace.
I. Identification – Investing time to identify your ideal versus non-ideal clients is key. There are many reasons for this – for example if we don’t know who our ideal clients are how could we possibly know where to market ourselves?
J. Journey – What journey do you take your prospects and clients on? Create a clear and consistent process from their first engagement with you to becoming a client, and beyond.
K. Knowledge – Do you know why your clients work with you? If not, it’s time to ask them! Set up a ‘check-in’ call to have a general catch-up and ask them for feedback. Read this blog for more advice on improving your client relationships.
L. Louise – What makes me (Louise!) different to other sales coaches and mentors?
🛠️ I pride myself on showing people HOW to do things, instead of just telling them WHAT they should be doing. I do this through tools you can tailor towards your business and personality in a way that feels comfortable for you.
🤓 I have 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and business development. This has given me a real-life understanding of what works and what doesn’t!
💗 I support my clients with a friendly, straight-talking approach that prioritises accountability and real results.
You can read more about what makes me different in this blog post.
M. Marketing – Are you marketing in the right place and in a way that attracts your ideal clients? And have you looked at the return you get from your marketing? Auditing your marketing activity can help you save time and money, and increase your enquiries.
N. Need – Do you know how you solve your clients’ pain points? If not, ask them! By better understanding your clients’ challenges you can address their needs more effectively, provide a better service, and produce marketing content more aligned to them.
O. Opportunity – How do you ascertain if an opportunity is right for your business? I suggest these 3 things –
1. Does the opportunity fit with your goals or distract from them?
2. It is aligned with your values and your ideal client/project type?
3. Can you find a way to make time for it?
P. Process – Processes save you time, are more efficient and negate duplication in your business. How can you streamline processes in your business to save you time?
Q. Qualification – Qualify your potential clients before you create a proposal and you’ll save yourself a lot of time, wasted effort and potential stress. Learn more by reading this blog ‘5 ways to convert marketing leads into sales’
R. Relationships – The stronger your relationships with your clients, the stronger and longer your sales will last. So, pick up the phone and have a chat with your clients – they’re people too! Want more advice? This blog shares more about how you can keep your clients coming back for more.
S. Services – By consciously designing a range of service offerings you can appeal to a range of clients and maximise your income. Think about what you could offer as an entry price service, what your core offering is and what you could offer as a VIP service 🤔.
T. Time – It’s essential to recognise when you are at your most productive. You’ll find it easier to be more effective because you can plan your time to carry out the right tasks in relation to when you work at your best for each. Here’s where you can learn more about time management.
U. Utilisation – Utilisation helps my clients understand when they’re taking on too much work and to see if they’re spending time on tasks that don’t deliver. It also helps us work out what we can realistically earn!
V. Visibility – With a bit of planning and some simple sales techniques, you get visibility of projects and income. This will help you understand how much money is coming into your business and tell you how much capacity you have for extra work.
W. Weaknesses – If we fail to admit our weaknesses, we can damage our business performance. Identify the things you struggle with and work out where you need help! This blog about personality profiling is a great place to begin.
X. X-Ray – When you’re working ‘in’ a business it’s difficult to identify what you could change. I can give you an outside view looking in – a bit like an expert reviewing an x-ray. The result? Clarity about where you can change things for the better. This case study is a great example.
Y. Yield – When you’re under pressure – from clients, suppliers, time – giving in can sometimes feel like the easiest thing to do. Don’t yield to pressure, instead set up processes and boundaries that make it easier to stand up for yourself and your business!
Z. Zooming – Video calls save time and increase your potential client base. You can now reach people who would otherwise be too far away and have access to people whose lifestyles prevent in-person meetings.
If you’d like to know more about business growth or any of the above, get in touch. I offer free discovery calls, book one and we can chat!