Is it easier for you to promote yourself or would you prefer someone else do it? If you are like me, you’d really prefer someone else do it. That has become a problem for us since that is what our business Turn Lane Consulting provides for our clients – but we have not been focused on doing it for ourselves. Recently, we decided that we would like 1-2 more clients needing to outsource some or all of their marketing to us on an ongoing basis. In effort to do that, I have been reaching out more to my network for leads and referrals. What I discovered – or probably knew all along but didn’t want to admit– is that people don’t really know how to refer business to Turn Lane Consulting unless they have hired us in the past. They are not completely clear as to what we do – not good. What is business development consulting anyway?
I kept hearing, “I am not really clear about what you do,” so I decided that maybe it was time for the cobbler (Turn Lane) to give the kids (my website) some new shoes and step up our own marketing. Practice what you preach – right? We help clients:
- Identify their core strengths and value proposition
- Differentiate themselves in the market
- Build their brand
- Communicate effectively to their audience
- Build clean websites
- Develop & implement strategic and marketing plans
So why were we not doing that well for ourselves? Why did the cobbler’s kids have no shoes? The answer is complex. The cobbler’s kids did have shoes – but not the best shoes. In part, we have been busy serving our clients, and working on a few labor-of-love type projects that have distracted us temporarily. If I were my own client I would say, “those are excuses.” The truth is that doing this for ourselves isn’t as easy as it is for our clients because we are too close to it – just like you are too close to your business to see it objectively.
Finally, I admitted to being STUCK and sought a third party objective view point. Angela Loeb, of InSync Resources Consulting helped me identify our value proposition and the holes in conveying those in our marketing. While Angela is best known for her work as a career coach, her gift is helping people see their own value proposition and how best to present it. In just two hours we were moving forward. Thanks Angela.
Let’s face it – it doesn’t matter how good you are, there is great value in being able to see your business and yourself through the eyes of another. That knowledge is powerful. When used effectively it can generate positive profound change in the business. Feedback is not always easy to hear but is necessary in maximizing your potential.
If you need some new shoes we would be happy to help you get them fitted!
Turn Lane Consulting works with businesses, organizations and leaders to help them discover what is in their blind spot and how to utilize that information to build better systems, more efficient work environments and more profitable companies.