News, views, tips and training from around The Sales Masters Guild network
What are your next steps?
by Olivier Carion
What Are Your Next Steps?
In life we are wise to keep our eyes open when taking our next steps. In business, however, doing so is easier said than done when the economic situation is in constant change, bringing much uncertainty to the landscape.
Whether you’ve been stuck in survival mode wondering what steps to take to get your business to thrive or you’ve been grinding to an almost complete halt after years of comfortable success, knowing what next steps to take can be challenging. So, here is the question: how clear are you on what your next steps are?
Consider this question also: What kind of steps do you need to take, “baby steps” or “giant steps”? The following questionnaire will help you determine your all-important next steps to strengthen your business and improve your results. Each point has to do with clarity, because what is needed to succeed is a crystal-clear focus and absolute clarity on the way forward.
Clarity Questionnaire
For each of the 6 clarity statements below, score yourself on the scale of 1 to 10, with 10 reflecting your absolute clarity. Then write down the action you must take to improve your score. For example, if your answer is 6 on a given scale, write down what action you will take to bring it to 7 and then to 8, etc.
Clarity Point 1
My ultimate dream is clearly defined in terms of what my business is meant to give me in terms of income and work/life balance, with a clear timeline to achieve it
Score ………. Action Point ………………………………………………………………………………………………
Clarity Point 2
Starting from my ultimate income target, I have reverse-engineered a clear strategy broken down in well-defined and achievable milestones to help me along the way
Score ………. Action Point ………………………………………………………………………………………………
Clarity Point 3
The value of my service is being communicated in such a clear and compelling way that it attracts quality leads who readily turn into customers
Score ………. Action Point ………………………………………………………………………………………………
Clarity Point 4
I have defined my target market and prototyped my ideal customer; I understand what is most important to my target customer
Score ………. Action Point ………………………………………………………………………………………………
Clarity Point 5
I have improved my “sales conversation” to the point that it has become an elegant conversation, which demonstrates to my prospects that I am first interested in finding what their needs are before I offer them my service
Score ………. Action Point ………………………………………………………………………………………………
Clarity Point 6
I regularly communicate with my existing customers and have a clear strategy to retain them, regularly exploring opportunities to cross-sell and up-sell
Score ………. Action Point ………………………………………………………………………………………………
There are naturally many more aspects of your business that can be added to this list. However, the points above will give you enough of an idea of the health of your business as it is now. Your clarity on each of them is directly linked to your potential for growth and success.
Did you know that I cover these points and more in my online business acceleration workshops? You see, like many successful entrepreneurs, I know from experience that times of crisis offer opportunities. So then, let me ask you: Where are the opportunities for your business?
The simple reality is that you will never see them if you don’t look for them, but they will show up if you go out there to grab them.
Now more than ever before is the time to be confident and positively pro-active in seizing those opportunities. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to have a chat over coffee, either live or virtually, about where your business stands in light of these 6 points and how to move it forward to achieve the kind of success you want and deserve.
Olivier Carion is a Sales Masters Guild Personal Business Mentor
With a real passion for the psychology of communication and the architecture that underpins accelerated growth, you’ll quickly realise why Olivier is the man who will help accelerate your business to a whole new level.
Find out more about Olivier on his Sales Masters Guild profile page.