Want a successful business? Learn from toddlers.
Description: Learn from a toddler's puddle play and explore practical strategies for tackling common business challenges. Get reminded of simple strategies on generating leads, closing sales, and managing customer requests while navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship.
I can't believe he's still doing it.
I'm on an early evening walk with my 2.5-year-old toddler, Milo. It rained this morning, and our quiet street is lined with puddles an inch or more deep. And of course to a toddler, that is irresistible.
This, for me, is the hardest part of parenting.
Before becoming a dad I thought it would be the dirty diapers (that's actually the easy part), or the sleepless nights (not fun, but like, okay). No, the hardest part for me is the mess.
I've been described as a "neat freak," and that's fair enough.
I like things clean, ordered, and just-so. Toddlers... do not.
And so when Milo sees a puddle, he gets that unmistakable look in his eyes. It's not even a choice he's making. It's pure instinct, and unadulterated joy.
splash!
Over and over. First he steps in the puddle to test the reaction. Then he steps with vigor. Then he graduates to jumping, full-on.
My instinct is, of course, "No! Don't jump in the puddle. You'll get soaked, then you'll get wet, and then we'll have to change your clothes. It's a whole thing, let's not even get involved."
But that's my problem.
He's a toddler, and in the words of my wife, "Toddler's gotta toddler."
After 10 joyous minutes of laughing, jumping, and splashing, he's soaked up to his shirt. But before I have a chance to cut him off, he stops.
"Dada," he starts whining.
"Yeah, bud?"
"I wet! I wettttt!"
Sigh.
Toddlers are irrational
Milo brought it on himself, of course. He jumped in a puddle over and over, soaked himself, and then complained about being wet.
This is also what business owners do, particularly solopreneurs. We complain about lack of leads, low close rates, and bizarre customer requests.
But we also put vague, confusing language on our websites. We get on sales calls and never ask the prospect to buy. We don't publish clear agreements or have standard operating procedures.
And then we get upset!
Milo has an excuse: he's a toddler. He hasn't yet learned about cause-and-effect, or how to take responsibility.
As business owners, taking responsibility for the consequences of our actions is a powerful step towards massively up-leveling our business.
So, if you're struggling with leads, closing sales, or bizarre requests, consider trying some or all of the following strategies:
Leads
Clearly identify the problem you solve
Get super specific on who you serve
State what you do, who it's for, and why it matters in the header of your website
Hang out in places where your ideal customer is already hanging out, online and IRL
Closing sales
Get your prospect to articulate their own problem by asking open-ended questions about their beliefs, fears, and wants
Position your product/service/idea as a direct solution to their problem
Ask for the sale
Bizarre requests
Develop a clear and specific onboarding process
State who you ARE for and who you AREN'T for on you website and marketing materials
Say 'no' to requests that are outside your area of expertise
And on and on.
These are all simple strategies, that deep down every business owner knows they should do.
But we tend to overcomplicate the issue, chasing down fancy, clever, of-the-moment tactics from blogs and YouTube videos and podcasts, jumping in puddle after puddle after puddle until we're soaked.
The alternative is to walk around the puddle.
Clarity and repetition
Running a business is hard, overwhelming, and can be very lonely.
The beauty of living in the age of information is that there's no shortage of educational resources, ranging from free on YouTube, podcasts, and blogs, to expensive coaches and consultants, and everything in-between (books, on-demand courses, webinars, workshops).
But where most business owners get hung up is not the information, or education. It's the implementation.
Really, the whole game of business is simple:
Get super clear on what you do, who it's for, and why it matters
Find the people it's for and ask them about their problems
Tell them what you do and why it matters
Give them the opportunity to buy from you
Solve their problem
Repeat
It's just that so few people are willing to do it. If you're willing to put in the work with focus and discipline, you'll be just fine.
But if you jump in puddles over and over, expect to get wet.
Are you struggling to implement, or you can't quite figure out which information is actually relevant to you?
We can help you communicate with clarity, drive action on your big ideas, and make a dent in the universe.
