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Show Notes
Today, I thought I would start with a story.
There was a teacher who was teaching a pottery class. She divided the group into two. One side had to make as many pots as they could, and the other side had to make the perfect pot.
So, they had a few weeks to make their pots, and they decided it was going to be a competition to see who could make the best pot.
Who do you think did it? The group that made the quantity or the group that made the perfection?
Quantity Over Perfection
After a few weeks, the group focused on quantity created the best pots.
They improved because they made mistakes, learned from them, corrected them and kept going. The group focused on perfection often threw away their work and started again instead of learning from what they had already created.
When Preparation Becomes Procrastination
As coaches, we can spend too much time preparing, iterating and refining without ever putting our work out into the world. Preparation is important, but eventually, preparation can become procrastination.
We might find other things to do, such as cleaning, creating more content, tweaking graphics or talking to peers, rather than actually sharing our offer with the people we want to help.
People will not know what we do, how we can help them or how valuable our ideas are unless we put them out into the world.
Put Your Ideas Into the World
You might have ideas, offers, programs, emails or projects sitting on your computer that have never seen the light of day. You might discuss them with peers or clients, but never make them available.
It can be scary to put something out into the world because people might say no. However, they might also say yes and discover something valuable that they want to be part of.
You need preparation, but you also need action. Develop your ideas, create clarity around your message, have a basic system and recognise when you are avoiding the next step.
Nothing Will Ever Be Perfect
Nothing will ever be completely perfect. Even when you think you have created something perfect, the world may show you a crack or two.
That is okay. Like the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, those cracks can become something special. When you put an idea out there and test it with clients or cohorts, you may discover something unexpected and valuable. That is where the gold can be uncovered.
You will never know what is possible if you do not put it out there.
When creating offers, we often try to make them perfect and include everything. We start to complicate something that could have been simple. A complicated mind will never buy.
Too many choices can confuse people. When you put too many offers in front of someone, they start comparing, worrying about making the wrong choice and experiencing fear of missing out. Sometimes, fewer options make it easier for people to decide.
You may only need one clear offer, or perhaps two options, such as paying in full or using a payment plan. It does not have to be complicated.
Do Not Hide Behind Social Media
Social media can also become a form of preparation and procrastination. You might spend time writing posts, tweaking graphics, redoing content and delaying pressing publish.
Even after posting, you might worry about likes and immediately feel that you need to create something else.
However, simply posting is not the same as interacting with people and building a business. Be careful that you are not hiding behind social media and doing busy work instead of taking the actions that move your business forward.
If week after week you are posting but nobody is moving towards a real conversation, it may be time to change your approach.
Get Out and Talk to People
Talk to people in the real world, online or in person. Go networking, appear on podcasts, collaborate with others, create joint ventures and use other people’s audiences.
There are many ways to connect with people, but they need to know what you offer, what you do and how you can help them.
Remember:
One person. One problem. One solution. One next step.
Make it clear how people can work with you.
Stop Postponing and Take Action
Postponing things can make us feel vulnerable and uncomfortable, but delaying them can also keep us sitting in dread. Sometimes it is easier to rip the Band-Aid off and simply do the thing. Do not wait for the website to be perfect. Do not wait for the message to be absolutely right. Do not wait for the right time, the right signals or the right person.
You will not know what works until you put it out there. The advantage of digital platforms is that you can change and improve things as you go. Put out the first version, see what happens, then tweak and improve it.
However, do not change things too often. Constantly changing your message can be just as confusing as doing nothing. Stick to your core message and make improvements slowly.
Ask yourself what is causing that nagging feeling that you are not doing enough. You are probably doing more than you realise, but are you taking the right actions? Perfectionism can hold you back. So can hiding behind social media, endlessly waiting for the perfect time and preparing without taking action.
Instead, ask yourself what one thing you could do this week:
- Send that one email.
- Press go on the newsletter that has been sitting there.
- Pick up the phone and talk to someone.
- Arrange a coffee and have a chat.
- Schedule a Zoom call.
- Have a real conversation with someone who could benefit from your help.
You have got this. A thriving coaching business is built one step at a time, using a system that works for you.
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When Preparation Becomes Procastination
Do not allow preparation to become procrastination. Put it out there, learn from it, improve it and keep going.
Listen to the full episode of Small Business Talk episode 362.
You can also find the video versions of the Small Business Talk Episodes on YouTube.
