Flipping The Magnets

When I was a kid one of the toys that would come in cereal boxes would be a set of magnets.

The fun part of this was if you took the two magnets and flipped one of them it would push away the other and if you flipped it again, the other magnet would jump and stick to the first one.

Since this was around the time that TV screens were the main thing we looked at day to day and video games required you to have your own TV we made do with the entertainment we could get.

I was reminded of this the other day when I had three different meetings with entrepreneurs who were all in problem-solving mode and I found myself listening to the issue and suggesting one thing that would change the dynamic they were struggling with.

Often what I see is that just like those toy magnets we do things that actually repel the things we want rather than flip one thing to attract that thing to us.

Below are some examples to get the juices flowing.

1. I met with one young woman who was feeling overwhelmed with her business and was thinking of calling it quits. As we chatted a bit she explained to me that she had a waitlist of potential clients but the clients she had were draining her of her time and energy. A little prodding led to her revealing that she had clients who were paying a large amount of money for her services AND clients who were just paying for one small piece of what she had to offer.

Guess which clients were overwhelming her and taking up more of her time?

So I made the suggestion to drop her piecemeal services and only sell her larger packages since she already had a waitlist of prospects and could command that price.

A simple shift, but one that would stop attracting the people who were spending little on her and asking for way too much and start attracting more people who paid plenty for her and trusted her to do the work.

2. I met with a gentleman who was raising money for a project who had a very diverse and influential network from his previous jobs but he felt like no one in the industry he was raising the money in was getting back to him or taking him seriously. With a little prodding, I found out that he only ever reached out to these people when he was raising money on a project and that he had never raised money for anyone else in that industry.

So I made the suggestion that he reach out to some of these people and ask if THEY needed help raising money for some of their projects and to offer to help them with it.

This would build his credibility as a fundraiser in that industry and give him the opportunity to practice and hone his ask with someone else's project not only building his credibility but also getting him in rooms he wasn't asked into previously.

Another simple shift, but one that would stop repelling all the people he was trying to raise money from and attract more of the investors he was looking for.

3. I met a woman who was on the search for a new job and had a ton of experience in her field but every time she'd send in her details or apply to a job she was more than qualified for, she wouldn't hear anything back. She was spending hours and hours scouring job boards and hanging out at the Linked Inn only to come back with nothing.

So I made the suggestion that she create her own speaking series focused on her field of expertise and start inviting people from the companies she was interested in to sit on panels and weigh in on the discussion.

This would give her an opportunity to show her expertise and meet many of the decision-makers she wanted to in an environment where she could shine.

Again, a simple shift but one that changed her scenario from being seen as just a job seeker to an expert in her industry who was "open to employment possibilities"

These are just a few examples, but the main point is this:

If you find yourself struggling right now, it's worth it to ask yourself if you need to flip one of the magnets.

Sometimes a slight shift in your approach can lead to a massive change in your business.

Excelsior!

P.S. I have an email list where I explore these ideas in more detail. If you'd like to be on it, feel free to pop on over HERE.