Do the Right Thing for the Right Result

I’ve been planning and planting my vegetable garden for several weeks now, and in the process I’ve relearned an important business lesson. To get the right results you have to do the right thing.

Think of it this way. In the garden, every species of vegetable has unique requirements for light, temperature, water, soil conditions, and nutrients. No matter how ideal the soil, water, and nutrient conditions may be, if you plant a seed before the days are long enough or the temperature high enough for it to germinate, that seed will rot instead of sprout.

You can add more water and more fertilizer and pray over the darn thing all day long. You can light candles and make affirmations. Still, nothing will happen unless the seed gets the light and heat it needs.

In short, you have to do the right thing to get the right results.

This seems obvious, yet every day I see people trying to grow their businesses by doing more of something without ever asking what the right thing might be.

Every business needs attention in three areas: administration, marketing, and production (or the delivery of your services).

If you try to build a business only by doing good work, you can starve before folks know what you do or where to find you.

If you try to build a business by marketing without building efficient administration, your business will either strangle on its growth or be stillborn as willing clients and customers show up only to be disappointed by your inability to follow through.

Most small business owners are great at what they do (production) and tend to ignore either marketing or administration or both. This is a recipe for disaster.

Fortunately there is a solution. Marketing and administration are not rocket science. You can learn to market and administer your business, and since most of your competitors are weak in these areas, too, even a little attention on your part can result in significant profits.

Here are essential guidelines to getting better at doing the right thing:

1.    Acknowledge your weak areas and resolve to improve.
2.    Start small. Choose one thing to improve or change and work on that until you are confident enough to move on.
3.    Keep it simple. Choose improvements you can achieve from where you are now with a little bit of a stretch.
4.    Be a beginner. You can’t learn unless you have the humility and curiosity to be a beginner.

With these guidelines in mind, here are nine actions you can take to get the right result:

1.    It’s a lot easier to succeed in business if you know the basics of managing money. Enroll in a class to learn more.

2.    Join a business support group or form your own. This should be a study group to help you learn, not just a networking association.

3.    Choose one good business “how to” book, and implement one suggestion related to marketing and one related to administration each week. Note; go even more slowly if necessary, but don’t stop!  

   
4.    Hire a Virtual Assistant so you have more time to focus on the big picture.

5.    Learn how to write and distribute press releases.                                         
6.    Hire a coach.

7.    Develop an effective “elevator speech.” Learn how to say who you are and what you do in less than 10 seconds so you create new opportunities so you can close more sales and make more money.                                                                         

Your investment in building your business will repay you many times over and will enrich everyone who is lucky enough to do business with you. What excuse do you have for not getting started today?