10 Years in Business–Tip #73: Navigating the Dry Spells
October 17, 2011 by Lizabeth Phelps
In my special report, What I Know For Sure: Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Business, I list 75 topic areas that I have bumped into over ten years. Throughout October, I will randomly choose one of the 75 and expound on it. So here’s today’s:
# 73 There will be dry spells. Times when no one’s calling. Hardly anyone’s opening your emails. Your bank account is on the brink of death. There are two ways to go:
…Into self-pity and listlessness, which is where you construct all these stories in your head about your worthlessness; the worthlessness of your customers; the pitiful state of the economy and how nothing is ever going to change; the fact that you’ve been at this for years and you’re still a loser, etc. etc. You catapult yourself into a spiral of self-limitation in an effort to protect yourself from further pain and talk yourself out of trying harder or differently. How often have you spun in that cycle?
…Or, you could move into clinical analysis. Just looking at the situation objectively and factually, without any fanciful interpretation, and finding just as objective and factual a solution. You don’t believe that a black cloud has secured itself over your head; you just know that there’s something you need to do differently and you seek it out.
There will be dry spells. But you don’t have to be caught in a spell of your own making. Wake up, shake yourself off, and objectively assess the situation. Take a hard look at the marketing you put out there–is it well-written and compelling? Look at your delivery of a sales presentation–did you miss taking them into their pain? At the way you handled a prospect on a call–too abrupt? Too soft? Look at your business identity–is it unique enough? What about your articulation of what you do–is it crystal clear? Are you urgently wanted? Are your fees to low? Too high? LOOK at it all–without emotion–and find an unemotional solution.
But here’s the rub: the first way of handling a dry spell is juicy. You get to feel sorry for yourself. You get REALLY GOOD excuses for why things are falling off the cliff. You get to teeter on “giving up” which is a perverse thrill in itself. You get to continue developing the story you’ve had much of your life about your inabilities and limitations. And all that–again, perversely–feels good. So, you’re going to face, the next time you could go down either of these two paths, withdrawal symptoms if you choose the clinical, non-emotional direction. There won’t be any pity parties or opportunities to relax in a heap on your sofa because you “have tried everything under the sun.” You’ll have to give all that up to get going. Recognize that you may very well encounter resistance to effectiveness…notice it, and then make a wide-eyed decision–to either argue for your limitations or exceed them.
Get all 75 tips PLUS an invitation to join me in celebrating 10 years on a free call October 10th, PLUS much more! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/report/
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Building Your Inspired Business Empire 3-month exclusive group program.
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