Simplicity

Bounce. Hit. I remember my tennis coach telling me that is all that is required in tennis. It makes sense. He cut it down to basic requirements and made it simple for me to view every shot as a process of bounce-hit.

This same simplicity can be applied in your business in many ways. From describing your business (i.e., elevator pitch) to vacation scheduling to document retention plans. Whatever the process, it can be broken down and made simple and thus relatable and repeatable.

Think about explaining what you will do for a prospective client. In my former life as a government contractor, I wrote proposals requiring technical approaches. I would start with what the government was asking for, then break each requirement down to five key actions that my firm would do to achieve the requirement. I used five as the starting point, of course modified it as needed, but figured that most people can relate to the top five things to do. It made writing complex, tedious documents more achievable and simplified the writing and presentation. Often I would receive compliments on how well the proposal was structured and written and for its clarity. Even when my firm was not awarded the contract, we made a positive impression and showed we knew what we were doing. It aided our credibility for the next opportunity.

I became quite adept at looking at a challenge and breaking down the steps to address it. This carried through to deliverables, marketing materials, proposals, agreements, etc. Any written document was cut to its core purpose. Bounce-hit.

I've noticed lately that some small business owners over-explain what they do. As I re-enter the in-person world of business events, I'm having conversations where "what does your business do?" has become a trick question. I'm surprised at the level of verbal garbage that is shared in these initial encounters. At times, I just want to run because I know I am in for a 30-minute monologue, but I stay and listen because it is revealing. Why can't some people give a clear, concise answer about what their business provides? Because they have no idea who their ideal customer is, they are not secure in what they do, or they lack social skills to communicate? Or they just cannot figure out the core of what the service is and what need it addresses. This is the first impression. Get it right. What do you do?

• I help business owners get unstuck so they can make the critical decisions to move forward and free up their time.

Straight-forward and takes ten seconds. Bounce-hit. If there is a follow up question, I always have client success and tools to share. But I break it down to the core of what I do and keep it memorable and actionable.

Think about where you overcomplicate your business. Where are you providing too much information that is irrelevant or just unnecessary? When you know what you are doing, you can explain it in simple language.

What is even more simple is to reach out to me at [email protected] or https:/www.calendly.com/libby-coaching and schedule a complementary call. Game. Set. Match. Success!