How Much Are Avoidance Tactics Costing Your Business?

As a business owner or manager, I’ll bet you’re really busy all the time and that there never seem to be enough hours in the day.

Some of your everyday activities are habits, like brushing your teeth;  taking a shower; and filling the car with petrol.  You wouldn’t dream of not doing them.

In your business, you have habitual activities too, such as opening the post; reading emails and checking your diary.  You do these without thinking.

But what about those activities you need to do to bring in more business?  Like prospecting for new clients; following up with existing contacts; planning and goal setting for growth.

“I’m just too busy” or “I can’t find the time” are common excuses – oh yes, they are excuses, not reasons for not doing what you need to.

If you have ever spent your day doing tasks like responding to emails, helping other people, working on making your marketing materials absolutely ‘perfect’; doing paperwork or tidying your office – these are comfort activities that will keep you stuck just maintaining your business.  By filling your days with these tasks, you are avoiding doing the less comfortable activities that will really move your business forward and generate more sales.

Your ‘busy’ work will create the illusion that you’re working hard, simply because you feel busy.  Your avoidance tactics will enable you to do everything but the activities that would dramatically accelerate your business success.

Do you get to the end of the day and say to yourself “It’s OK, I was really busy today, I’ll do that tomorrow.” Or “I just couldn’t find the time today to make those follow-up calls.”?

You know what, if you’re waiting to find time, it will never happen!  You will always find other avoidance tactics to fill your available time.

Your business building activities need to become habitual – they are not negotiable if your business is to thrive and profits are to increase. 

What avoidance tactics are you using?  Once you can uncover them and the reasons why you are using them, you can decide if they are really the best use of your time.