Who’s your greatest enemy?
For most entrepreneurs, it’s themself.
Your progress is probably being limited by your own bad habits.
1. You’re displaying your prices without context.
Maybe you’re listing 12 options on your website, or maybe you have a big sign in your gym.
People don’t understand your rates. They DO understand their goals. During your NSI, determine what they want and what they’ll have to do to get it. Then pull out your sales binder (we’ll build it with you in the Incubator) and show them THE option.
Not a buffet.
The answer.
2. You’re placing YOUR budget on your clients.
If you’ve ever posted something on Facebook like this: “For the price of a daily latte, you could join a CrossFit gym…” you’re guilty. And so am I.
The people who can pay for CrossFit gyms, or personal training, or nutrition coaching can ALSO pay for lattes. They’re not choosing between one or the other, or calculating their daily spend down to the quarter. But you are.
When I was selling Personal Training in 2005, I couldn’t afford a Personal Trainer myself. That meant I never asked clients for money, and often got paid late. I thought “These people can’t pay more–they have to clothe their kids!” because that’s how MY budget worked. But their kids looked just fine.
3. You’re attacking other businesses instead of building your own.
The danger of wrestling with a pig is that you’ll get dirty, and the pig likes it.
You can’t build your business by attacking someone else.
People are smart. You’re not the only one who sees their dirty business. And people are attracted to positive people. Be grateful that you have a flawed competitor.
Then make your clients and your team famous, instead of shining your spotlight on the bad guys.
4. You’re trying to do too many things today.
You can’t build a new website while you’re raising rates and designing a t-shirt and coaching classes.
You probably won’t finish any of them, and none that you DO finish will be your best work.
The Incubator is a step-by-step process for this reason: Step 2 builds on Step 1. Step 2 does not compete for your attention with Step 1. That’s why it’s called Step 2. We don’t dump 30 Step 1s on you at once.
5. You’re not having enough conversations face-to-face.
You’re trying to interpret emails. You’re getting distracted by texts. You’re thinking of comebacks instead of caring about people.
Be quick to level up a conversation. Here’s the hierarchy of communication:
Face-to-face, in person is best
Face-to-face over video is better than the phone
The phone is better than text
Text is better than email
Email is better than nothing.
If you have to have a hard conversation, do it in person. Here’s your step-by-step guide.
6. You’re sending the wrong message.
You don’t look like your ideal client.
You don’t sound like your ideal client.
You don’t dress like you can afford your own prices.
Remember: the key to belonging–and therefore sales, marketing and retention–is social proof. “People like us do things like this” is both an inclusive and an exclusive term. When future clients see profiles of your clients who are very different from themselves, they think “People like me don’t do things like that.” It’s not about the Games; it’s about your signals. It’s never a mistake to be the best-dressed in the room.
We all think everyone can read our intentions and understand our thoughts. No one can. Make them easy to read.
As I was writing this, I was chatting in our private Facebook group about the list. Several members of the TwoBrain family chimed in with their own self-sabotaging mistakes. My friend Ben wrote:
“1) procrastination
2) success
3) sleeping with members
4) no mentor
5) no love for what we do.
I’ve been guilty of the first 4.”
We’ve all been guilty of at least one mistake on that list. But none of us are guilty of #5. Let’s get what we deserve. Let’s get out of our own way.
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