WHAT DO THE SUCCESSFUL DO DIFFERENTLY
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.” – Abraham Lincoln
A habit is something that you create by repeating a particular behavior. Do something over and over and it will become a habit. An attitude is a habitual way of thinking. You can develop an attitude by taking conscious control of your way of thinking. By constantly reinforcing your way of thinking, you develop an attitude. Habits and attitudes can make you or break you. Many a hapless business has been broken by the habits and attitudes of its owners. I’ve listed below a compilation of the common habits and attitudes of successful entrepreneurs.
Focus. Successful entrepreneurs have the ability to focus their attention on important projects and see them through. This is the secret to getting things done. Once their priorities are set, successful business people refuse to switch from task to task randomly.
Think! Successful business people don’t fall apart when faced with crises. They take a moment and think about their situation. They evaluate their options, discuss them with others who can offer insight and then decide on the best course of action. People aren’t compensated for having brains… they are compensated for using them.
See the opportunities. Opportunities are everywhere. They really are. It’s just that most people can’t see them. Most of us expect opportunity to beacon to us with flashers and sirens , but that isn’t how it normally works. If opportunities were that easy to see, everyone would flock to them.
Develop good work habits and attitudes. There are far more people who can start a business than there are who can run a one that’s successful. You’ve heard the statistics – most small businesses fail. Develop your procedures and policies regarding how you get your work done, how you treat your customers, how you make decisions, etc. Do this consistently and over time, you’ll find that you’ve established the patterns for keeping your business developing and growing.
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Don’t overcharge. Customers are quick to recognize value and quick to go elsewhere if they feel they are being overcharged. You’re goal should be to make them customers for the long term.
“Don’t learn the tricks of the trade… learn the trade.”- Anonymous
Never forget why you’re doing this. Sometimes, we lose sight of what we are working for. We get sucked into the day – to – day activities that we have to master to keep the show going and forget why we’re doing all of this rather than something else. Its the wood for the trees question. Look up!
Start even when you don’t have the complete information. You will never know everything You won’t know how that ad will work until you try it. You won’t know how people will react to your web p age message until you try it. There is simply no way of knowing , so don’t make knowing all the answers a criteria for taking action.
“If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.” – Dan Rather with Peter Wyden
Ask for business. So many things are lost to us for want of asking. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can succeed in business without asking for it. Let everyone know what you do. Give everyone a card. Let everyone know that they can call you for a free initial consultation. Spending time with prospects is a good avenue for acquiring new business… but don’t forget to ask them for it!
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You will learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes. So fail fast. Try not to keep making the same mistakes over and over. View every disaster for what it is: an opportunity to learn and improve.
“Good judgment comes from experience and… experience comes from bad judgment.” – Anonymous
If you discover you’ve been wrong, stop the damage immediately. It’s never too late to cut your losses and change the way you’re doing things. If something isn’t working, change it…Don’t be controlled by emotion or simply let things run. Letting inertia run your business is suicide.
