“To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who could I ask?”
– Jim Rohn
I love this quotation. It tells me that to solve any problem, first you need to think through it, then you need to learn about it and then you should seek advice. I wholeheartedly believe in this process.
I’d like to expand on it here.
Take any issue you are currently having in your business – big or small – and do this exercise.
First, what could you do to fix it? Think about the problem itself, and as many possible solutions as you can think of. Make a list of solutions. Go over the list and determine which things you are able to do yourself, and which things you are not able to do.
Second, what can you read to fix it? Some of the solutions you have determined – can you find the answers on how to proceed easily (Google is your friend!)? Or do you already have the answer somewhere in something that you have previously learned, but filed away? Sometimes the answer is right where we left it.
Third, who can you ask? If you are stuck, reach out to colleagues or to partners or to your coach or mentor. Someone who has had the same issue before will inevitably know the right answer, or at least one of them.
It’s a really simple process, but it’s one that many people don’t go through when they have a problem.
Often business owners don’t like to tell people they are struggling in any way, and therefore keep things to themselves. Failure comes from not solving issues – big or small – as they happen. If you don’t try to fix what’s wrong, and if you don’t ask for help when you need it, you will probably give up eventually.
Here’s an example: You are not working with enough clients. Big issue for most small business owners. How can you use the three question process to fix this?
First, make a list of what you can do to fix it. Here are a few ideas: join a networking group, increase your social media presence, schedule more sales calls, focus on a single service offering, select a focused target market and reach out to them, approach colleagues for subcontracting work, look for referral partners. The list goes on and on. Rank each of these ‘solutions’ for degree of difficulty. What can you put in place quickly and easily to improve your performance?
Second, find the answers you need by reading. If you have taken any training that helps you find clients, review it and put the exercises into action for your business. Knowledge obtained needs to be used. If you haven’t taken any training yet, you probably need to start there for this particular problem, but if you just need some specific advice on how or where to reach a target audience, the internet can be invaluable for free information.
Third, ask someone. If you don’t currently have anyone that you are confiding in for business, you need to find someone asap. It can be a group of colleagues (though be careful – for problems, be sure to reach out to people who have SOLVED this issue for themselves, instead of wallowing in the forums with others who haven’t yet figured it out either!), or it can be a referral partner (‘I have an opening for a client!’), or a coach (if you don’t have your strategy mapped out yet).
See how this process is invaluable to get through big issues in your business. It works with any size problem, and it forces you to use a process to handle everything that comes your way. By taking these three steps you can easily tackle anything that gets in the way of your success.
By being honest and facing your issues – big or small – head on, you will learn more, you will grow and you will be more successful.
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