You probably remember the tale of The Tortoise And The Hare from childhood, but not for business growth, right?
Well, let me connect those dots for you.
Let’s think about the story for a hot minute. The hare is making fun of the tortoise’s slow movement and asks if he ever gets anywhere.
The tortoise replies that he does, and maybe faster than the hare would think.
So, the tortoise offers to race the hare to show him.
The fox acts as judge and sets up the race. At the start, the hare takes off very fast. As an insult to the tortoise, the hare stops for a nap to wait for the tortoise to catch up a bit.
While the hare is napping, the tortoise passes him.
When the hare awakes, the tortoise is close to the finish line, and the hare cannot pass him before the finish line. The tortoise wins the race!
Man oh man, not a great day for the hare, right?
There Is No Quick Fix For Business Growth
So, let’s put this in the context of your business and, specifically, business growth, which is kind of my thing.
In the online marketing space, there are a ton of hares. People who are looking for that magic pill, easy button or short-cut to get to six figures or more in their ‘new’ business.
Well, here’s the thing. There are none. Period.
The tortoise is slow and steady, and finishes.
The hare stops for a nap.
Ever heard of shiny object syndrome or any of a dozen other names for DISTRACTION? Taking your eye off the ball is the same as taking a nap on your race.
To win in business growth and hit your growth targets, you’ve got to stay focused and take intentional action – every day.
Imperfect action over sporadic perfection will win every time.
There’s a famous (anonymous) quote, “There’s no elevator to the top, you have to take the stairs.”
In fact, I believe you can find an escalator now and then, but not an elevator.
In our tortoise and hare story, the tortoise wins by not quitting. He just keeps going. That’s it. Not complicated or tech-confusing, just one foot in front of the other.
Consistent daily actions beat sprinting and stopping every time for long term Business Growth.
Now, take a look at some of the business leaders you follow now, and check out what they do.
Then, look at your inbox or your newsfeed and see the actions your aspirational role models are taking.
For most online coaches and course creators, it boils down to three steps – Content, Connection and Conversion.
Pick a type of content you want to create with some consistency and get started. Blog posts, YouTube videos, Facebook live videos, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok or SnapChat…
There is no wrong answer here, it only depends on where your target audience already hangs out.
Go there and share content – if you’re creating content on your own website (like this), then share on social to get them back to your site.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is great, but takes time. You sharing the content on social platforms is much faster and will produce results while you wait for SEO to start working.
When people engage with your content, make Connections. Have conversations, virtual or real… Invite them to learn more.
Then, and here’s the hard part for most entrepreneurs… make it easy for them to Convert from an audience member or lead to a client or customer.
People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy. Make it easy for them to buy without being pushy or “salesy.”
This is where the tortoise is more relevant than ever. You see, it takes more touches than ever to close a sale right now, so connecting with your audience and prospects is more important than ever.
There are a few proven steps to predictable business growth.
Engage with people to show an interest in your content. Be willing to jump on a call from time to time. Show your audience that you are human.
Most importantly, show them that you care about them and want to help them. Be real. Be authentic.
Being the tortoise doesn’t mean you have to go slower on purpose. It means being intentional in your actions. Be deliberate.
Plan your work and work your plan – while always being prepared to shift or pivot when needed.
2020 has taught us a LOT about being prepared for the unexpected.
Also, the tortoise didn’t waste any time. While he was slow, he kept moving forward. He didn’t waste time or energy on any activities that didn’t move him toward the finish line.
This is where so many entrepreneurs get hung up with shiny objects or stuck in learning mode instead of taking action.
But, these are traps you can escape with a little help.
I love helping entrepreneurs map out their business growth and put it in action. Optimizing sales and funnels, making ads work better…we “gamify” it to make it more fun. 😉
This is how I help coaches and course creators sail past six figures toward seven figures in your business.
When you’re generating revenue with Content, Connect and Convert….
Then it’s time to put a new framework in place to create consistent revenue and business growth.
