It’s true there is a sweet spot in your business. It’s the place where you finally feel like the huge learning curve is behind you and you’ve started to get in the groove. You’re making connections, getting clients, making money and feel like the tough stuff is over. Do you know how that feels? “Have you found your sweet spot”?
I was under the impression that I had found my sweet spot. Well that is, until last week when I had a group call with my mentor. She was asking each of us how we were doing with this and how we were doing with that and then she came to the question I had hoped she wouldn’t ask me. “So, Karen… how are you doing with posting on Twitter?” (OK… for those of you that are Twitter experts you will find this amusing.)
My response to her included a bunch of ‘fines’ and ‘pretty goods’ and then she called me out. She said, “You really don’t like Twitter do you?” I had to confess and tell her that I just hadn’t figured out what the purpose of it was. Every post comes and goes so fast, how in the world could anyone keep up? She belly laughed for a bit and then asked the other people on the call the same question. It was unanimous, none of us particularly had figured out why Twitter is so darn popular.
You need to know something about me before we go any further in this story. I’m a total DIY gal! I’m never afraid to jump in to figure out how something works or how to fix it. This trait within me has never been so evident as it was in 1992 when my husband came home from work to find most of the dashboard of my Mercury Cougar in pieces on the garage floor.
One of the bulbs had burned out behind my electronic dashboard and I no longer could see how fast I was going. Pretty important, but the dealer wanted an arm and a leg to fix it. So, one day I went to the dealer, bought the bulb, came home and began disassembling my dashboard. I figured it would be a couple of screws and I would reach in change the bulb and then put it all back together.
It wasn’t quite that easy and 3 ½ hours into it, (at the point my husband came home from work), there were pieces of my dashboard everywhere, a pile of screws in the cup holder and wires hanging out from the dash. For a moment I thought he was going to blow a head gasket but after convincing him I didn’t want his help he went in the house. Long story short another few hours and the bulb was fixed and the dash was back together. (Now my husband wanted to brag to all the neighbors about me.
Why am I telling you this story? Simple, Twitter is the modern day dashboard that I am trying to figure out so I can make it work properly. I thought I could just jump in and I would be able to figure it out. Not so! Can you relate? I’m sure you have something in your business where you feel that you haven’t quite reached your sweet spot yet. (One thing is for sure… taking that dashboard apart and putting it back together was easier for me than trying to figure out how to use Twitter correctly.)
We all have pieces of our business that we haven’t mastered yet. It’s impossible to know it all. If you tell me that you have found your sweet spot in your business and you should never have to leave it again then I’m going to lovingly tell you that you are crazy. If you don’t feel a little discomfort with something in your business at all times then you aren’t pushing yourself to your full potential.
There are three things you should have going on at all times to run a successful business:
1) You should have a website that is preferably in WordPress, a Facebook business page and a Twitter profile.
Each of these components is critical to every business today. It doesn’t matter if you are an online only business or have a brick-and-mortar location; this dynamic is where you will get the most action.
If a potential client is looking to work with someone that is a stress management coach they won’t be looking in the yellow pages. They are going to look online and should hopefully be able to find your website. They are going to ask their friends on Facebook, and followers on Twitter for recommendations. Your job is to build your online reputation as an expert so when Susie needs a stress management coach, your name is the one that gets mentioned.
2) You should be interacting and growing your email list every week.
You do this in a couple of ways. The first way is by sending out a weekly newsletter or blog post giving information your email clients can use. Not only are you giving them information you are also giving them a call to action. Asking them to connect with you in some way related to your email. This builds rapport.
You need to interact regularly on Facebook and Twitter to continue to grow your online client base. Remember, it’s about more than just the numbers. It’s about making a connection, building a reputation and genuinely caring about the people you are connecting with each day.
3) You must have a mentor or coach that you can learn from, who pushes your buttons when necessary and can lovingly call you out when you need it.
I believe in this completely. If you become complacent in your business, always push your ‘to-do’ list off until tomorrow and find every excuse under the sun not to create and market products for your business then you especially need a mentor. Your mentor should be someone that has walked the road you are on before and has successfully made it to the next destination.
I hear it every day. “I’ve tried this and I’ve tried that but no clients yet.” To that comment I remind them that it takes repetition, consistency and the promise that you will be here tomorrow, before the clients will come. If you do something one time and expect huge results you will most likely be disappointed.
Did you know that it took Amazon seven years before it reported a profit? Seven years! Now that’s dedication and commitment. They believed in their company and knew that with hard work it would pay off.
For me, my friends, I can tell you one thing for sure. I like having the feeling of finding my sweet spot for all of about five minutes. That’s why I invest thousands of dollars each year to have a mentor that makes sure I don’t get too comfortable or complacent. If I’m not increasing my skill and learning new things then I can’t be a good mentor for you. My heart is in my business and with you.
Twitter is just the next thing I need to conquer – When to DM, when to tweet someone, how to go about thanking a follower that retweets my message, when to put a handle before my tweet or somewhere in the middle or at the end of the tweet. It’s just crazy.
Do you have any suggestions for me? Can you give me some techniques that will help me get the hang of Twitter? It would mean a great deal to me and I would really appreciate any help I can get.
If you do please post in the comments section.
With Love,
Karen Pattock
Hi Karen….I can SO relate to your twitter story. I just thought of a new label for you AND me, since I’m in the same boat when it comes to Twitter. We are Twitter Tots:). (like Tater Tots, remember those?!?). I love your three tips. I felt kind of smug when I read your first one, as I DO have a wordpress website (www.glutenfreediva.com and http://www.ellenallard.com) AND I have FB pages (www.facebook.com/glutenfreediva and http://www.facebook.com/musickidslove) AND I DO have Twitter profiles (www.twitter.com/GFhealthcoach and http://www.twitter.com/EllenLovesMusic), though I’m a bit uncertain about whether I typed in the correct Twitter address which goes to show that I AM a Twitter Tot. And I’m currently working my butt off on growing my list (I love your website banner and want to change mine so that my opt in box is front and center – thanks for the great model). I can definitely see the benefit of working more seriously with my own private coach. I will put that in the hopper. Thank you for your work. I’m a big fan!
Ellen, Thanks for commenting. I love, love, love our new name – Twitter Tots! I have been laughing about it all morning. Keep up the good work. Consistency is key and it sounds like you have good momentum. If I can every be of assistance, please let me know.