The businesses that need the most help rarely ask for it
It took myself a long time in business to realise that when I offered help and it was ignored – so often it simply wasn’t a personal thing
These businesses weren’t slamming the door in my face and working with another businesses – they were just resistant to any form of outside help
Being acutely aware of your strengths and weakness in business is the greatest skillset you can have outside the skillset of what you actually do in business
And if you can utter those words “I Don’t Know This, Can You Help” you will see your business grow before your eyes.
When you’re walking around your home town today – look at the businesses you see busy every day and ask – did the business owner do everything themselves?
Here are the common barriers to accepting outside help
1. No One Can Know My Business Better Than Me
And this is 100% true – no one should know your business better than you
You’ve done the 10,000 hours of practice, you’re a specialist in your field and that’s why people come to you for help
It’s the very same reason that people use the specialist services of others
So whilst no-one can know your business better than you, you probably don’t know the intracies and specialist skills to run everything to do with your business
Your Network is Your Net worth – work with others who know as much about their specialist field as you do about yours
2. I haven’t got the money
Are you investing in your business or are you investing in your lifestyle?
When I see a startup business owner driving the most expensive cars, dining in the most expensive restaurants and splashing the cash on Theatre / Sports / Concert tickets … but whom have a struggling business with few customers I question whether they like the idea of running a business more than they like the reality of running a business
“I haven’t got the money” is a myth more often that it’s a reality
Replace the question how much will it cost – with the question “How will it improve my business” and you’ll start to see the value of paying for outside help.
By not paying for outside help you might be just giving up a massive opportunity cost – if what will it return is greater than what it costs you can afford it
3. I haven’t got the time
It takes a lot longer to dabble through something than it does to take time out with an expert
If you believe you haven’t got the time to accept outside help – do a time audit over the next week of everything you’ve done and put a note next to all the things you’ve spend hours dabbling on because you don’t really know what you’re doing
You’ll be shocked at how much time you waste dabbling on something you don’t really know about
And that time has a cost – imagine if you could gain back 4 hours a week because you accepted you needed help and decided to outsource Social Media, your bookkeeping, IT etc
You will never get to live today again – so why not concentrate on A) What you do best and B) What you enjoy doing
4. You Don’t Understand The True Value Of It
Have you ever walked out of a meeting and kicked yourself because you forgot to mention something that was vital to the other person? The annecdote, the testimonial, the essential point that really convinces people of the value of what you offer?
I deliver talks on Social Media every single month and it happens all the time – “The talk was perfect, but why did I forget to mention XYZ” is something we’ve all said 15 minutes after a talk
By biggest tip for understanding the value of outside help is to write down a series of questions on an A4 paper when meeting someone
It means you get to find out more about what help the person can offer, you have notes to refer to and the person you’re meeting loves it because they get the chance to address your needs and your problems
The structured meetings like this are often the best meetings I have. We’ve all walked away from un-structured meetings and thought I didn’t get to know enough about the other persons services – it was all too much small talk
5. You Have Given Up
This is always extremely sad to see it – but I see it all the time
Businesses that can’t give that one last big push, because they never took that 1st step in accepting help
The biggest problem particularly for high street businesses is they never look for help when they launch and by the time they realise they really should have 6 months to a year later – the finances are drained, they’re exhausted and they’ve simply given up on their business dream
It’s a costly mistake and one that could have often been avoided early on by saying those words “I Don’t Know This, Can You Help”
CHAT TO US
Chat to about Social Media for YOUR business so we can better understand YOU and what would work best for YOU
We can only find out what is unique to your business by chatting to you
Please call Alex on 07806774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk
