Shopping or stalling? 5 ways to make sure it isn’t hurting your business

It’s time to play the Shopping or Stalling game! There are two scenarios listed below. All you have to do is decide which one is “shopping” and which one is “stalling”? Ready? Go!

Scenario A

A woman walks into a store looking for a pair of shoes. She finds a pair she likes and they’re super cute and so ” her”, but she doesn’t want to pay $2,000 for them. Even though she loves them and can’t stop thinking about them and knows they need to be in her closet. So, she goes home and looks for them online. She does an exhaustive amount of research and makes a number of phone calls scouring the country in search of these shoes. Finally, she finds a pair in her size in a tiny store that’s going out of business. Everything is 90% off, so she ends up getting her coveted shoes for $250 (including tax and shipping, which was totally worth it.) She feels euphoric and wants to sleep in them.

Scenario B

The same woman, a business owner,  goes to a networking event wearing her perfect shoes. Everyone in attendance comments on how beautiful they are. Her business, however, is not. It is in a rut and she knows she needs someone who’s an expert to help her.  She talks to dozens of people, collects a fistful of business cards and makes some valuable connections. One in particular stands out, so they make plans to meet for coffee the following week.  At the meeting, she shares her challenges and the connection offers some solutions. She nods her head enthusiastically because the connection gets it and she knows in her heart of hearts that the connection could help her. She knows  that they are supposed to work together. Then the connection tells her how much it will cost, which she knows is totally worth it in order to get her business where it needs to be, but…it…sounds…like…such…a…big…number.

So, she takes a deep breath and says to the connection “I need to think about it.”  She goes home and starts researching online and finds a lot of people who offer the exact same thing as the meant-for-her connection at all different price  points.

What do you think? Is the business owner shopping or stalling?

I know you know the answer because you’ve probably done it yourself as well as experienced it.

Here are five tips for making sure your shopping is not stalling your business:

  1. Shopping for a good deal is good business when it’s tangible — By all means, shop til you drop when it comes to office furniture, copy machines, supplies, etc. But, when you’re shopping for a service provider that’s results-oriented, like a business coach or a marketing specialist, chemistry plays a big part in their success, so you have to go with your gut rather than the number of zero’s on their cost proposal.
  2. Stalling gives credibility to the negative stories in your head — At some point in your life, someone told you how things were supposed to be and you believed them. Whether it was that you weren’t good enough or that your dream wasn’t worth having, stalling gives your brain time to flip that switch over to the negative channel. It’s time to unplug it.
  3. Stalling means you’re waiting for someone to tell you you’re ready to play big — You’re ready to play big.
  4. Ask yourself what will happen to your business if you continue to stall — If the business doesn’t survive, then those negative voices in your head win. Is that what you want?
  5. Do your shopping before you take the plunge — Don’t wait until you’re in crisis mode. Your business is your passion. If you want to give it every chance, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. At the Today’s Innovative WomanSuccess Summit, Lisa Goodwin of Accelerated Marketing Services said it best when she said “Passion not supported by strategy is a hobby.”

I would love to hear what  you been saying no to (or stalling about) that you would say yes to if you were where you wanted to be? Please comment below.

Thank you for sharing this space with me.

 Robin Taney, (aka the “Get R.E.A.L Girl”) is the owner and founder of Studio 4 PR .  She works with creative, independent, and “kitchen table” entrepreneurs who are highly motivated to be found by their perfect client. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, and sign up for her mailing list  You are welcome to use this post on your blog, provided you do not alter it in any way and include a link to this blog.