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Finding the Next Step

Guest post by: Jeanna Gabellini

Article Overview: Are you looking for your next step to bust through a perpetual glitch in your business? When you get to a real stuck place in your business, it’s your Inner Business Expert tapping you on the shoulder to get your attention to move in a different direction. I don’t mean give up on what you’re currently doing, but to seek out a solution that will resolve the real issue at hand.

Finding the Next Step

Recently, I registered for a three-day marketing event intending that I would walk away with a new and brilliant tagline for my company. I felt that the tagline would solve several of my marketing issues. I was straight up desperate.

I filled my notebook with tons of next steps during that event, but the tagline eluded me. I even hunted down the facilitator in between sessions to beg for an answer. She gave me some good stuff but it never came together.

After the event, I hired the facilitator to coach me. That was actually the next step I needed to take to solve my marketing issues. We changed my niche, created a brand for it and came up with an entire plan. It felt good and it worked.

I thought finding a tagline would solve my issues, but it would have been just a temporary band-aid for a bigger problem. I knew I needed to do something different. I’m glad I followed my gut and hired her.

What about you? Are you looking for your next step to bust through a perpetual glitch in your business?

It seems that every time one of my clients is looking for the next step in their business growth, they have too many ideas and don’t know which to choose or have zero ideas. Or so it seems.

When you get to a real stuck place in your business, it’s your Inner Business Expert tapping you on the shoulder to get your attention to move in a different direction. I don’t mean give up on what you’re currently doing, but to seek out a solution that will resolve the real issue at hand.

Here’s how to prime the solution pump…

1. Write down what you don’t like about the situation and why. Clarifying why will give you the key.
2. Identify if the problem is your perspective, another person’s ability or a system breakdown. It may be a combination.
3. Take some nice deep breaths and do your best to relax about the situation. Open your mind, stay curious and ask yourself, “If I were to make up my next step out of thin air, what would it be?” There may not be angels singing when an answer pops in your head, but that doesn’t discount its relevance.
4. Trust the answer and take action.

In almost every coaching situation where a client says they don’t know what to do next, they do. They just think that it should be more complicated. You may be doing the same thing.

If you’ve been toying with offering a new product or service, letting go or hiring a team member, changing your website, or hiring a coach, then you know where you need to focus. What’s the very first step in the process?

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Article Tags: business, ideas, Inner Business Expert, Jeanna Gabellini, Next step, solution



Related Forum Posts
Re: Your choice between... - I will take the $100,000 and double it on it becomes millions before I spend it. Though I am crazy about information, yet I would rather take the money and turn it into a million before I spend a dime out of it. I will do it in 4 steps. Step 1 turn $100,000 to $200,000 Step 2 turn $200,000 to $400,000 Step 3 turn $400,000 to $800,000 Step 4 turn $800,000 to $1600,000. After getting the goal of step 4, I will spend the $600,000 on myself then continue to double the millions again. I could then by the book for $1,000,000
Step by step approach - Here's what I would do; Step 1 - Observe Wal-Mart’s target customers, what does Wal-Mart offer them? How long do they stay? Discover what it is that they might want or need that Wal-Mart doesn't offer, and then write those ideas down. Some ideas to get you started are - A cafe or fast food venue, something for the kids to do while the parents shop, etc Step 2 - Take that list, and weigh up the pros and cons of each idea, and then select the best one for you. Don't worry about not using all the space. Step 3 - Start the best business for you, and then release the other ideas to the general market and sublet the rest of the space to those who could fill some of the niches you've come up with, plus any they can come up with. If money isn't a factor then developing the building to suit multiple small leases may be a better option, as it's a diversified income, which is potentially more stable than one big income stream.
Need a book recommendation for writing better - I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing skills, so I was just wondering if anyone could recommend a good copywriting or copyediting book? I was actually thinking of reading "The Copywriter's Handbook : A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells" by Robert W Bly [u:w3cg00nn]OR[/u:w3cg00nn] "The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications" by Amy Einsohn. Would anyone know if these books are any good? Thanks
Re: Video conference system for families living in different cou - 1) How much will someone pay for the service? 2.1) What costs are involved on the business end? 2.2) What percent on top of that do you think you deserve as profit? 3) How many people will sign up for the service? These three will give you a rough estimate of the value of your idea. use the equation below with respect to the questions above to figure out the value of your idea. ((1 - (2.1 + 2.2)) X 3) You have alread identified major problems for your idea -- you have competition that is free! Computers are easy to hook to televisions, and it is becoming easier at very fast rate. (For free stuff other than skype, look up NetMeeting if you have Windows XP.) The video conferencing systems do a poor job of creating the feel of a physical presence. Even high dollar systems with dedicated internet bandwidth and extremely nice tracking video cameras do a poor job, especially for long distance runs. I have the experienced the disappointing performance of some of these systems on our campus. Video can not recreate the connection felt when in the same room with another person. Step 1, Quickly and roughly calculate the cost of the system you propose. Step 2, Compare that with what you think someone will pay and the cost of your current compeition. Step 3, Go / No-Go.
Re: Email Marketing - Yes, true. What kind of changes happened in Email campaigns except the opt-in? Finding the exact target and reaching them is always a challenge. What new methods can we have to reach the new customers? Thanks Robert


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