The Problem Is…

Always Compete, Gaining an Edge, Get Better, Go Full Speed, Goal Setting, Growth, Marketing, Motivation, Never Quit, Personal Mastery, Problem-Solving, Professional Development

Angry and tired schoolgirl studyingLast week I attended a party with a group of people in the consulting field.  They all work in a very competitive industry and gaining new clients is a struggle.  As I worked the room, talking with many of them, I noticed a very common response when I asked them how business was going.

“It’s tough.  The problem is…”

And then they proceeded to tell me a list of reasons why they weren’t successful.  I noticed that none of them offered up steps they were taking to overcome the challenges.

Now I know this industry well and I also know the clients they seek.  They have valid complaints.  What they don’t seem to realize is that if you have a challenge and choose not to work at overcoming it, then the problem is…YOU!

I work with lots of different companies and usually my number one job is to help them solve problems.  I’ve learned that when you have a problem, the key to solving it involves defining the REAL problem (sometimes referred to as the root cause) and then looking at it systematically to solve it completely.  The tool I use is the Force Field Analysis.   If today YOU are wrestling with a problem, why not consider using it?  Here is what it looks like:

force_field_analysis2

 

 

 

 

 

Now use following steps:

  1. Figure out what success is and what happens when you get it.  Put this in the column labeled Driving Forces.  List out what life would be like if you achieved your goal, signed that client, or acquired that piece of business.  Be sure to list not only the tangibles (dollars and numbers) but also the feelings and emotions you’d get too.
  2. Identify what’s holding you back.  Put this in the column labeled Restraining Forces.  Write down everything that’s preventing you or holding you back from achieving success.  Put in actual and assumed constraints.
  3. Identify your top 3 restraining forces.  Rank order them from least to most.  You want to identify the biggest barrier.
  4. Break down your top 3 restraining forces into processes and identify areas where things break down.

Get busy fixing those areas!

Here’s an example:

I have a great product or service that would benefit people.  If they used it, they would:

Driving Forces

  • Be happy and successful
  • I would make lots of money
  • My influence would increase
  • I would get more clients
  • They would be happy and successful
  • I would be happy

Restraining Forces

  • The benefits of my product is hard to communicate
  • My target audience is hard to reach
  • My ideal client is hard to identify
  • My ideal clients have lots of choices

Key Restraining Force

  • My ideal clients have lots of choices

Solutions

  • Focus on how to differentiate why my product and service is different and better for them.

The alternative to all this is to lament the fact that business is slow right now.

And to tell everyone that “The problem is…”

Because unless you choose to identify the REAL problem and take deliberate, active steps to overcome it, then the REAL problem is YOU!

This week, take some time to reframe the problems you’re facing and take some steps to move from victim to winner.