3 Powerful Exercises to Use When You Feel Doubtful, Stuck Or Overwhelmed in Your New Business

In my work as a psychotherapist, I give my clients cognitive-behavioral strategies to conquer depression and anxiety. I have found that many of these cognitive-behavioral strategies translate well to my coaching practice.

The women small business owners I coach, especially those who are new, can sometimes hit blocks that leave them doubting their abilities, feeling stuck or overwhelmed. I find that these three cognitive-behavioral exercises work well to move them forward.

3 Powerful Exercises to Use When You Feel Doubtful, Stuck Or Overwhelmed in Your New Business
By Kate Sanner

1. Look for Clues – When you begin to doubt your abilities to succeed, it’s time to look for clues. Look in the recent past for the times when you did solve a difficult problem, when you succeeded despite the odds, when you were able come through at the last minute. Acknowledge your abilities, your ingenuity and your resourcefulness. Write these down – this is your list of successes to read over whenever you feel self-doubt. Keep adding to the list every new accomplishment and breakthrough.

2. Rate Your Performance in a Different Light – Let’s say you have been struggling with a project and you feel as if you’ve hit a wall. It’s time to rate your performance…but in a whole different light. On a scale of 0-10, zero being no progress and ten being the completed project, rate your progress so far. Let’s say you rated yourself a 3 out of 10. Now ask yourself why you rated yourself so high? In doing so, you will see the three in a positive light…after all, it’s not a zero. Then ask yourself: “What skills did I use to get me to a three?”, “What resources did I access to get me that high?”, “What personal qualities did I draw upon that made me get to that number?” Write these down. Now ask what you can do to get to a 4 out of 10…don’t focus on the 10, just focus on getting to one point higher.

3. Partialize and Prioritize – Often times when you are in the midst of a big project for your business, you can find yourself overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. Break down the project into more manageable parts then prioritize the tasks in each part in terms of importance. Concentrate on one part at a time and do the most important things that will give you the biggest rate of return on your time in each part. You’ll feel a sense of relief as you watch your to-do list of tasks begin to be ticked off one-by-one.

Being a new small business owner can bring special challenges that can keep you stuck, overwhelmed and frustrated. Having a business coach can be an invaluable asset. Kate Sanner is the CEO and founder of Vivacity. As a coach and consultant, Kate helps a woman on the verge of doing great things to take the leap into the life she has been dreaming of…whether it’s starting a business, writing a book or fulfilling a life long ambition. Once a woman has made the jump, Kate then provides tools and resources so that a woman can continue to take herself to new levels and to maximize and monetize all her efforts for continuous growth, financial gain and success. To get a FREE copy of Vivacity’s “The Think and Play BIG System”?, a 10 Step, 46-page guide,- a $57 value – that shows you how to bring your vision for your enterprise into reality and onto new levels, go to http://vivacitynow.com and fill in your first name and primary email address in the box in the upper right hand corner, then click on Yes, Send My System Now.

Tips for starting a new business: By Sean R Mize

Here are some tips for those people who would like to start their new business: By Sean R Mize

1. Check on your competitors. It is not enough that you know the needs and demands of your potential clients. It’s not also enough that you are confident that you can meet these needs. If you want to increase your chances of making a sale, you need to understand what your competitors are doing. You will need to outplay these people so you can keep your potential buyers from purchasing from them.

2. Hard work and determination. Putting up a small business can be really overwhelming and at times, downright frustrating. You will need to work hard and you will need a truck load of determination to succeed in this field.

3. Hire the best people. Keep in mind that your employees are the secrets to your business’ success. So, hire only the best. Go with those individuals who are driven, result-oriented, and easy to work with. Its better if the people you are hire have in-depth knowledge about your products and about the business that you would like to put up.

4. Be willing to invest for your advertising cost. Spending your precious dimes on your advertising campaign is probably your wisest investment in growing your business. Through this, you’ll be able to promote product awareness and you can easily reach out to those people who are most likely to buy from you. This can lead to enormous sales leads and increased revenue.

5. Offer 100% satisfaction. Having a great reputation in your chosen niche is the key to attract more customers. Make sure that your clients have nothing but good things to say about you and your products. Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed a brand new free guide.

Download it free here: Internet Marketing

Attracting New Business on a Shoestring Budget

Attracting New Business on a Shoestring Budget
By Kelly Robertson

In a recent marketing workshop I attended, I discovered that most business owners rely on just two or three strategies to attract new business. Even well-established companies tend to rely on one or two strategies. However, there is a multitude of ways to drive new business to your door. Here are a few:

Networking. Perhaps the most commonly used approach by small business owners. However, it is often poorly executed. Many people attend a networking function and take the wrong approach by trying to meet as many people as they can. They bounce from person to person, handing out business cards like it is an Olympic event and they are vying for the gold medal. They fail to realize that the most effective way to network is to cultivate relationships and give referrals to other members first.

Referrals. This marketing strategy places a close second in preferred methods of generating new business leads. The key here is to develop a systematic approach to ensure that you take proactive approach instead than a passive one. Rather than assuming that satisfied client will refer someone to you, ask for that referral. Tell people who your ideal client is and ask for their help in finding these types of clients. The real estate agent who represented the seller when we bought our house, sends us a card every year and reminds us that she loves referrals. It is not pushy, does not sound like she?s begging, and I?m confident it helps generate new leads.

Writing. This often under-utilized strategy is an excellent way to become recognized as an industry expert. Every industry has trade magazines and most are hungry for good content. The Internet is also filled with websites and e-zines looking for material to send to their subscribers and customers. I now write at least one article every month and send it to more than two hundred publications. This strategy alone has helped drive more traffic to my website more than anything else. It is sometimes challenging to come up with ideas and to write an 800 word article but the investment of time and effort is definitely worth it.

Newsletters. This is another powerful technique to keep your name in front of your customers and prospects. Provide key insight into business challenges and offer solutions to them. In other words, help your prospects and customers solve problems. Some newsletters are nothing more than advertising so be sure to provide valuable information to your customer. Although it is less expensive to send a newsletter electronically you can issue it in paper format. A local real estate agent regularly sends out a one-page update of the housing market in our neighborhood.

Cold calling. Without a doubt, this is usually the most challenging way to market a business – I know very few people who actually enjoy cold calling. However, it can be a good way to uncover qualified prospects in a relatively short period of time. Be sure to start your conversation with a good opening to capture the other person?s attention.

Give free information. At the marketing workshop I attended, the facilitator suggested to give information to interested prospects. I have used this approach on my website and have quadrupled the number of subscribers to my newsletter in the last year. You do not need to give away ALL the information relevant to your product or service. Instead, offer information that will help your target market with their problems. For example, when people sign up to my e-zine, they receive a report that outlines 100 tips they can use to increase their sales.

Offer a guarantee. A concern many people have when changing suppliers is the risk associated with the change. They may not be completely satisfied with their existing supplier but the risk of choosing a supplier who may be worse can prevent them from changing. Eliminate this concern and offer a guarantee.

Advertising. This can be a great strategy if you know how to create a good ad. The best marketers know that great sales copy is what makes the difference; I have experienced this first-hand. When I began selling my book on my website, I generated mediocre results for the first two years. I eventually changed the copy on my site and sales have soared every since. Glance through the ads in your trade magazine and you will quickly notice that most ads focus on the company?s product features instead of on the customer?s problem. Create a great ad by concentrating on the problem you can solve.

There are many other ways to market your business and generate new business leads. However, the ideas I mentioned in this article are effective low- or no-cost options. Use them consistently and watch your sales grow.

? 2004 Kelley Robertson

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