Have You Made This Quantum Leap?

The other day, I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with one of the world’s leading small business experts when he came here to Chicago. We went back and forth, discussing some of each other’s clients and how to help them with their particular challenges and goals.

As dinner time approached, this world traveler asked me to recommend a great restaurant where he could get an outstanding steak, because that’s one thing our great city of Chicago is well-known for. My mind couldn’t help but immediately think of just such a restaurant – although, sadly, it has been out of business for a few months.

A few years ago, I had hosted a small business marketing seminar in this once-great establishment. That was when a client boasted to me that this happened to be where he had what he called “the best steak of my life.” A casual glance around the restaurant’s lobby confirmed that my client wasn’t alone – multiple reviews raved about the quality of the food and service.

So what happened?

Unfortunately, it was an all-too-common, critical mistake that most small business owners make (I’ve owned dozens of my own businesses, and I have to admit that very early in my career I made this mistake myself):

They failed to make the critical transition that all successful business owners must make to create wealth and thrive, especially during this challenging economy: Moving from DOER to MARKETER.

When it comes right down to it, there are really only three areas of any business:

1. Generating Leads (marketing)
2. Converting Leads Into Customers/Clients/Patients (sales)
3. Fulfilling the promise of the sale (the “doing” of the business)

In my 30+ years of consulting to thousands of business owners, the overwhelming majority of them tend to hide out in this third area of their business, concentrating almost all of their time, effort and resources on the “doing” of their business. If you ask them what they do, they’ll define themselves in exactly that way (“I’m a dentist,” “I’m a plumber,” “I’m a lawyer,” etc.).

It’s not their fault. That’s how we’ve all been taught to think.

But it’s a recipe for frustration, overwork and under-enjoyment of small business ownership. And often, for the failure of the business.

If you want to become a wealthy and successful small business owner, you MUST concentrate the majority of your time, energy and money on becoming a better marketer of your business. You must make this Quantum Leap to becoming “a marketer of dental services,” “a marketer of plumbing services,” “a marketer of legal services,” etc.

Now I’m not telling you not to keep up with the latest tools and techniques of the “doing” of your business.

Definitely keep doing that. But let’s face it: You’re not going to double your income this year by getting twice as good at the “doing” of your business – but you may very well do so if you get twice as good at marketing your business.

Which is precisely why McDonald’s is the world’s most successful restaurant company ever, and far too many restaurants that used to serve “the best steak I’ve ever had” are struggling or no longer in business.

I love small business owners, and I love helping them live the lifestyle they deserve. So I sincerely hope you’ll decide to make this Quantum Leap.