I went out to eat with some friends yesterday.
It was a group larger than the restaurant could seat at one table, so they divided us into two tables.
At the table seated across from me was one of my friends who is a bit of a jokester.
To the absolute horror of everyone at my table (and some internal resistance on my part to “just be one of the group”) I grabbed a plastic straw and prepared my ammunition, a piece of paper wadded up and moistened with some water from my drinking glass.
I carefully waited for the ideal moment and then I let my ammunition fly.
Missed!
What else to do but try again, which I did over and over. I missed my intended target more than my “hits.” And each time I tried once again, my table responded with smiles, giggles, and laughter.
Finally, I hit my target gently on the side of his head while he was looking away. He brushed his hair as if to swat a fly away, never deviating from his conversation or even glancing our way.
My table erupted with laughter.
Finally, I scored a hit that got his attention, and he looked our way. Of course, I immediately pointed my finger in an accusatory way to someone else at my table, hopefully, to deflect his direct glance at me.
I tried, but it didn’t work and I was busted.
But what happened the next day was even more interesting.
In the small fitness business, we think success is mimicking what others are doing, rather than step-out and do something outrageous.
Even worse, we think the key to success is to follow what the big boxes do with their unlimited funds in their deep pockets. We don’t have those resources, and the results are disastrous.
The purpose of marketing to potential new customers is to do something to get the attention of people. Outrageous advertising comes to mind as a way to get attention in a crowded marketplace.
But most people think differently, to their disadvantage.
Back to my story. The next day our group was around a campfire and naturally, my “misbehavior” was the topic of conversation.
One woman called me a brat, at which I smiled. Then she followed up with, “You were doing what we all wanted to do, but just didn’t have the guts to do it!” Now I was really smiling and laughing.
How sad is this? It’s how people hold themselves back.
If we are holding ourselves back as business owners,
the odds are stacked that we are also holding our business back.
The challenge for this weekend is to really think through what you might be doing to hold yourself back, and more importantly, what you can do about getting out of your comfort zone, doing the very uncomfortable, and exploding your business now!
Remember, you only get results when you take immediate action on your ideas.
