WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS?
This is a hard one. YOu want to be there for your client...but you have to also figure out what needs to be done first. They have to be totally honest with you.
I was working with a client who was struggling to grow his business. He had particular problems with his sales and marketing plans. He was having a hard time accomplishing the objectives that we have worked on together in his plan. These were the goals that he had established in previous sessions. After failing to complete some of the tasks we had outlined from our previous meetings over several weeks, I asked him these questions, “Why did you set these goals and if was important why have you not begun to execute on what you set out to do?”
I did not get a direct answer. In fact, he could not answer the question directly and told me he would need to think about it. Well, the following session I asked the questions again and he was still unable to come up with an answer. We left that subject and worked on other parts of our session agenda
In our next session I began with a review of what had happened since our last session. There had been a lack of progress on his sales and marketing goals. Of course, I asked the same questions and he became annoyed and frustrated. He had no answer. This was becoming a real obstacle in moving forward. We needed to resolve this. So we started with his dream inventory. I asked him, “Why are you in this business and what do you want to get out of it?” This took some time and discussion. He eventually told me the answer.
He told me that he had started the business when he left the corporate world and thought that being an entrepreneur would be fun. Others had said that he would be good in this kind of business and had suggested he start it in the first place. He told me that the answers to my questions were that he never really liked the business but he had respect for others opinions and thought they knew something he did not know. Therefore, his answer was that he did not like the business and had no motivation to do what was needed to be done to make it a success.
Here is the take away. If you do not really want something, then you probably will not do what is needed to obtain it. You need to have passion for it. Try not to kid yourself but be brutally honest. In the case above, the client moved on. My persistent question brought him clarity and saved him thousands of dollars and who knows how much time pursuing something he did not really want.
So, if you are stumbling at something or failing to take the steps necessary, ask yourself “Why did I want to do this and what do I like about it?” There are two possible outcomes. If you cannot answer these questions it may be best to move on. On the other hand, you may remember what motivated you in the first plan and rekindle your passion.
Business Coach - Strategic Planning - Sales Coach
Grant Schneider - President
Performance Development Strategies
Business and Sales Coach in Westchester NY
- Strategic Planning Facilitator
- Organizational Alignment and Results Facilitator
- Employee engagement and team building
914-953-4458, Armonk NY 10504 grant@pdstrategies.com
Visit my website www.pdstrategies.com for information on how you can obtain quantum leaps in your business performance.
Helping businesses go from "good to great"
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