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Can a Small Tweek Trigger Your Business Breakthrough?

Guest post by: Paul Tobey

Article Overview: Do you get frustrated when you cannot learn quickly enough or are having a hard time mastering a new skill. Learn from the experts, take a course, buy a book, ask an expert for advice.

Can a Small Tweek Trigger Your Business Breakthrough?

Can a two milllimeter fix get you unstuck so you can experience a real business breakthrough? Do you get easilyfrustrated when you don't get the immediate results you expect? Recently I had been playing golf with a bunch of guys who take this sport pretty seriously. I am probably the weakest player because I don't get to play enough. I'm a pretty competitive guy, so I don't like the feeling of being a weak link.Despite making more time for the game, and practicingmore often, until recently I couldn't figure out why my game seemed to be getting worst, not better. I was considering giving up and was discussing this with my friend Bruce, who is one of the better players. He took a look at my clubs and asked me to try his. Almost immediately I noticed an improvement in my game. He told me that there were several things wrong with my clubs, although to my untrained eye, they looked pretty good. He told me the balance was wrong, the weight was wrong for my height, and he suggested a two millimeter correction in my grip. A few tips from an expert really enhanced my game. I am not going to turn pro, but I am definitely a much better player who could hold his own on the course. I am feeling more confident. The same thing happened to me when I was training live inCalgary. Havingbeen trained bysome of the best in the art of public speaking,I had trained over twenty two thousand people before I saw my original coach again. I started training, and about half way through my mentor walked up to me and asked me to have lunch with him. He reminded me of one critical logistic elementthat I seem to have completely missed. This little logistical correction helpedsky rocket my sales conversions from 20% to over 30%. One tiny little tweek made an amazing difference.Most people give up before they discover their two millimeter tweek, or worst, they never stop making the same mistake over and over again that keeps them stuck in the same place.A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from an HVAC contractor with whom I had done a telephone consultation about a year ago. He had been advertising in the Yellow Pages and was very disappointed with his results. I had suggested a new headline and a different strategy for his ad. I had also suggested he could get away with a smaller ad. He called to let me know he was getting better results, but had not implemented my suggestion to offer a "conversion piece" that would have prospects calling him for information they needed to make an informed decision. During the call he said he wished he had followed all my advice, but at the time he wasn't ready to do something different. Only after seeing the results did he change his mind and now he was kicking himself.In my experience, some people are not coachable. They rather be right then getwhat they really want. So ask yourself. Are you coachable? Are you taking advice from people who only have opinions, are do they have what you want? If they have experience, proof, and have a great result to show for it, you may be wanting to examine what they are advising you.Every time you need to develop a new skill or learn something, there are people who have succeeded in what you are trying to do. The amazing thing is that in most cases, people are willing to show you how they do what they do, and so shorten your learning curve. Taking advantage of this human kindness is the quickest way to success. Understand what they do and follow their suggestions. In most cases you will see an immediate result. It's a strategy I've used throughout my life. I find someone who is already an expert in what I want to learn. I call them and ask them for their help. I usually offer to pay for their time. Sometimes I even barter my marketing skills instead of paying cash. But many people gladly help out with great advice over lunch or coffee and want little or nothing in return. I've received some of the most useful advice using this strategy and have gotten to meet some amazing people this way. I am always amazed at what you can learn for such a small investment relative to the benefit. I recently learned a straight forward way to double the conversion rate on my website. I'd never have figured it out on my own and feel it was worth every penny I paid to attend the business training programs. Of course in some of the fields in which you want to excel there are experts who make their living by selling this knowledge. Don't expect them to give up their expertise for free, but when you find someone who has the knowledge you need, buy their books, buy their courses, their coaching programs or buy their time. They sell this information for a tiny fraction of what it has cost them to learn. How can you put a price on 10, 20 or 30 years of experience that accelerates your success and shortens your learning curve? Of course, you have to work to apply it, simply knowing is not enough, don't expect miracles until you do something with what you have learned. You'll get to where you want to go far more quickly and in the long run probably far more cheaply. There is a definite opportunity cost to taking too long to learn how to do something. I personally spend 10 to 12 thousand dollars each year going to courses where I can learn from subject matter experts who have done what I am trying to do. I believe this has enabled me greatly to accelerate the success of each business I have been in. You can do it too. It's worth every penny to get solid advice from quality people. Write down all the things you need to learn to succeed in your goals, then make a list of all the people who have the expertise you need to succeed. Once you have done that it is a simple matter to contact them and ask for their help.

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Article Tags: breakthrough, business, conversions, expert, small, trainer, training



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