Are All-Nighters the Key to Business Success?

I went to bed at 4 o’clock this morning.  Well, I didn’t so much “go to bed” as click “send” and fall over, hoping someone would have enough sense to wake me after I hit snooze for the third time.

In my opinion, no one over the age of 30 should be up past 1am without a really good reason: taking care of someone sick, running out of a burning building, watching a Top Chef marathon.

Heavy duty makeup was a requirement. As I used a used a trowel to apply cover-up under my eyes, I reflected on the circumstances that led me to spend so many hours typing and listening to the puppy snore.

Yesterday I had an 11am meeting with a client during which I thought we’d agreed on deliverables and timing for said deliverables. Through an ugly confluence of miscommunication on both sides and changing circumstances on the client side, the client let me know at 4:30pm that priorities had radically altered. The piece of the project I had committed to finishing by the end of next week now just HAD to be done by 9am.

Uh-huh.

Fact: All-nighters weren’t that much fun in college, but I was too young and dumb to know it then. I’m older and wiser now.

Of course, I did the obvious: I stayed up, drank too much caffeine, and got the work done.

But as I gently smudged mascara along my cheekbone this morning, I started wondering when the last time was that I had treated my own business as important enough to pull an all-nighter.

Er, never.

All-nighters are not a great solution.  But making your own business an unshakable priority is crucial to long-term success.

Some of my Tips for Making Your Business a Priority

• Ask someone to review your marketing plan (or strategic plan, etc.) and set a date for that review. You’ll get helpful feedback and the deadline will help keep you on track.
• Mark off “sacred time” on your calendar for Your Business related activities. Stay off Facebook, don’t check email, avoid Twitter (yeah, I know, I know!). Don’t schedule client meetings in that time; don’t let others push you to ‘give up’ that time.
• Make a list. Have a plan. Whether it’s a list of items to-do or the commitment to write for half an hour, know what you want to accomplish.
• Don’t over commit. If you have one hour and a list of 478 items to complete, you’re unlikely to feel good at the end of your hour.
• Celebrate your successes!

What are your tricks for making time to work on your business?

 

Judi Cogen is a principal at J Grace Consulting. Her expertise is as the Selection Strategist, helping companies choose the right employees for the right job–reducing the costs and time investment associated with turnover. You can frequently find her chatting on twitter. Won’t you join the conversation? 

Dabble Part II–How to Get Your Clients to Value You

The  discussion about “Dabbling” vs offering real value to clients, began with me spluttering over a cup of coffee with a new client who was undervaluing his own expertise.

Here are some specific tactics to use to help your clients value your services more.

First, you need to value your products and services before your clients will.  If you don’t believe you’re worth your fee, if you don’t believe your products offer a superior solution or better value compared to everything else on the market, if you are not positive that your clients will be worse off if they don’t engage you, why on earth are you doing what you’re doing?  You must completely believe you offer the best solution for your clients if you expect people to buy from you.

Second, practice—out loud—telling others about your exceptional program.  Think “strong and confident.” Use a strong, confident voice; strong, confident words; and strong, confident body language.

Third, evaluate your phrasing. Listen for phrases that undermine your clients belief in you. Move away from “I’ve done that once or twice” to “yes, I’m quite comfortable in that area.”  Avoid “I suppose I can figure that out” to “my clients rely on me to find solutions to their business problems.” Shun twitchy eyes and stuttering for calm, confident replies.

To grow your client base, you must believe in yourself and the product(s)/service(s) you offer.

Judi Cogen is a principal at J Grace Consulting who helps clients grow their businesses by introducing entrepreneurial principals.  You can learn more at her website http://JGraceConsulting.net. You can also follow her on Twitter at JudiCogen.