Being able to identify and quickly solve problems is an incredibly valuable skill, especially as an entrepreneur. It is valuable for your own business and it is typically highly valuable for your clients. But like all things, with the upside comes the downside, and in being so laser focused on the problem we are trying to solve, we can sometimes miss the possibility for a simpler and more aligned solution.
When we shift our focus from the problem to the possibilities, we open things up for better solutions and accelerated business results.
This aligns closely with something I talk about often, which is being focused on outcomes over actions - being committed to the outcome you want to achieve but being flexible in how you will achieve it. This allows you to be open to new ideas, to leverage things you learn, and to find the optimal solution. It is a much more agile and adaptive approach.
Tune into Episode 66 of the Lean Out Your Business Podcast or keep reading below.
There are parallels with shifting from problems to possibilities.
Let's take the example of poor paid ads performance, which is a problem many entrepreneurs are experiencing this year.
If your Facebook ads are not providing the same ROI they used to and you decide to laser focus on that problem, you might decide to try different audiences, different copy and graphics, maybe do a lead magnet or video view ad and then run retargeting ads for your paid offer instead of doing an ad to cold traffic directly to the offer. There are hundreds if not thousands of different things you can try to solve the problem of your Facebook ads not working the way they used to.
But at the end of the day, why are you doing FB ads? It's not about the ads. The ads are simply the vehicle to achieve the outcome you want. In this example, the outcome is qualified leads.
When you shift from problems to possibilities, instead of trying to solve the problem of FB ads not performing well enough, you would look at what are all the possible ways we can generate qualified leads.
It's a very different conversation filled with a lot of different possibilities and that taps into your creative energy which is where new ideas and breakthroughs come in. While you can experience new ideas during problem solving, you are much more likely to experience a breakthrough or innovative idea when looking at possibilities.
So if your focus shifts to the outcome of qualified leads, maybe you focus on organic marketing, or experiment with different platforms for paid advertising, or maybe you come up with a solution that isn't being done yet that changes the game for your business.
Although it is a simple shift in focus, it can have a big impact on your results. Give it a try and see how you can transition problems into possibilities for accelerated business results.
Take things further:
- Ready to simplify and scale your business? Schedule a complimentary scaling strategy call to see how we can best support you.
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by Crista Grasso
Crista Grasso is the go-to strategic planning expert for leading global businesses and online entrepreneurs when they want to scale. Known as the "Business Optimizer", Crista has the ability to quickly cut through noise and focus on optimizing the core things that will make the biggest impact to scale a business simply and sustainably. She specializes in helping businesses gain clarity on the most important things that will drive maximum value for their clients and maximum profits for their business. She is the creator of the Lean Out Method, 90 Day Lean Out Planner, and host of the Lean Out Your Business Podcast.
