Hi Guys and Gals:

How is everybody doing in window washing land?

Please set some time aside and dig into my newsletter below about procrastination. I also have some news on the removal of my website.

**Procrastination**

–Eliminating the fear of failure
–Getting into the action habit
–Time management-creating a to-do list
–Consistency

**Website…going, going, going, gone**

Let’s get started, shall we?

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Procrastination
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I’ve been wanting to put together some information for quite some time pertaining to procrastination and how it can effect our business. It’s probably one of the biggest things I see that can effect a person’s business in such a negative way.

For some people, procrastination is not just a word, it is a way of life. But what exactly is procrastination? How do you recognize whether or not you have a problem with it? How does a person go about understanding whether the negative experiences that they are having in life is the result of procrastinating?

First let’s take a look at the word "procrastination". It is created from the combination of the Latin words "pro" and "cras" which means "for tomorrow". When a person procrastinates, they are making a conscious decision to put off ’til some undetermined future time something that they have to do now. They may decide to keep putting it off indefinitely or wait until the very last minute to begin the job. Either way, life becomes stressful because of these choices.

If you are a member of the procrastination club, then you more than likely have a big list of responsibilities that you have not gotten around to or at the very least have made it a habit of beginning certain jobs and activities at the last minute, in which the damage is probably already done.

We all have different reasons why we continue selfdefeating behaviors such as procrastination, and we all have different histories that have led up to our current state of habit patterns. However, there is one common variable that seems to connect all people who procrastinate.

And that variable is the "fear of failure"

After speaking with a lot of folks over the years, it’s funny how many of us have the same background as far as being in a number of businesses, the lack of success in those businesses, and the starting up of additional businesses. I mean "funny" in a sad way, not a "ha ha" way.

And these experiences can cause us to have the usual fears when starting another business. So in my opinion this is the main thing that we have to address in order to eliminate the tendencies to procrastinate so we can move forward successfully.

–Eliminating the fear of failure

First…I’d like to say that the window washing business is one heckuva profitable business as is proven over and over again every single day. So failure in this business can’t happen unless you simply place a yellow page ad in the phone book and wait for the phone to ring.

A perfect example is a call I got the other day from someone saying that he has been running one single ad in a community newsletter for a year and a half. No other marketing is being done. None. No flyers, no postcards, no talking to other service businesses, no networking with other small businesses, etc, etc. I asked Larry if I could talk about this in this email, and he said sure if it’ll help other folks. So the moral of the story is that there must be some fears that are preventing him from taking "true" action so he could experience the success that can be had in this biz. 

So…positive and proactive action cures fear. More specifically, it’s the results of that action which results in calls and jobs which will cure the fear of failure real fast. It’ll make a believer out of anyone that this business really works.

It takes some of us extra convincing though. Especially those of us who have been in countless businesses and have dumped lots of dollars in those businesses without a lot to see from it. If you have too many experiences like this, it becomes harder and harder to NOT experience some kind of fear of failure since we’ve been there before. 

As a quick side note, if you are a person that might be having a few doubts that this IS the business to be in, I’d like to mention that I had a ton of doubts too. Again…I think this is only natural if you’ve been involved in one business after another.

One of the biggest doubts I had was that I just wasn’t convinced folks would actually pay $200, $300, or more to get their glass cleaned. And of course it didn’t help that my father also said "Yeah…no one will pay that kind of money". Thanks Pa. ) Good thing I didn’t listen to that advice.

But the key is to not allow the naysayers and people that really have no idea what they’re talking about, to chime in with "advice". Unless they are in the target market we market our service to, then their advice is meaningless. Obviously they wouldn’t hire a professional to clean their glass. Most lower end and middle income folks won’t.

What convinced me that this business was viable was when I asked my higher end, upper income oil change customers. There was interest all around from these folks. 

So listen to the people in your target market. If I listened to my father vs my target prospects, I’d still be changing oil. ) Yuck. 

Anyway…I wish you could listen in on some of my conversations I get every day or read some of the emails that I get from people across the country. Profits are being made! People will definitely pay to get their glass cleaned!

So all we have to do is take the necessary action to attract those people to our business. Easy. And this’ll eliminate any fears you might have…especially when your phone starts ringing and the jobs start rolling in. Poof…Fear and doubts gone.

Speaking of action…

–Getting into the action habit

Getting into the action habit requires us to step out of our comfort zone and take action for what’ll effect our business in the long run.

Many times, people are paralyzed by the fear of action. The so called fear of making a mistake is a familiar one to all
of us.

And some folks fear what their efforts will produce. A good example is the few window cleaners who have told me over the years that they won’t do any flyer distribution because of the occasional complaint call they might get from a
homeowner. Now this is taking it to the extreme. So for every 2000 flyers distributed, we get a cranky fool who feels it’s their duty to call us because he/she has nothing better to do. No biggie. Think of all the customers gained from that flyer distribution and think of the smiles on their faces after we clean their glass.

Anyway…so what is the secret to curing the fear of action? Why the action itself!

It seems funny but once we actually start taking action to do something, we break the ice and things really get easier. I noticed this time and time again. Whenever I stayed home or got on the ‘ole pity pot in a prior business, not much happened.

But as soon as I took action, all kinds of great things happened. The phone is ringing, customers are calling, jobs are being booked, etc. etc.

So Action cures fear!

Once you start taking action, your mind subconsciously picks up the proper signals and you start finding solutions instead of excuses on how to look for solutions.

And your solutions start producing results.

Results and encouragement skyrockets your confidence giving you new strength and vitality which results in even better and more focused action.

A quick example of this is an email I received recently from someone who put out 400 flyers a few days ago. No calls came, so naturally there was some disappointment and perhaps some doubts, and he became a bit unmotivated. Understandable. But the very next day after he wrote me this email, bingo, 2 calls came in! It re-energized and re-motivated him to take further action. You can read the entire email and my response here.

Maybe you’ve heard the saying that success begets more success. Well…Action begets more action. And this action of course will give you the results you want in your business and you’ll end up giving procrastination a big ‘ole whap upside the head.

And here’s a great way to stay focused on your actions so you can get the results you want…

–Time management…creating a to-do list.

There are many, many books out there on time management, so I’m not going to go into detailed time strategies here. But I did simply want to touch on the basic "to-do" list.

This is something I would really recommend that everyone do if you’re not doing it yet. It forces us to stay focused on  the task(s) at hand. And when finished, it allows us to give ourselves a deserved pat on the back because we completed the tasks successfully. 

I used to write a whole bunch of things on my to-do list the previous night for the next day. But this just led to constant
frustration because I may have only ended up completing 2 or 3 of the tasks. So I learned to prioritize. My top 2 or 3 tasks received the most emphasis.

And since marketing is the most important thing we can do to grow our business, anything having to do with marketing were the most essential tasks for that day. So if I had inked into my schedule that I was going to distribute 500 flyers in Haile Plantation, then dad-gum it, 500 flyers would be distributed.

Yeah…I know. A to-do list is about as basic as it gets. But sometimes when procrastination rears its ugly head and we’re not taking action regularly, it’s good to get back to basics. A lot of distractions out there these days. So if we can force ourselves to accomplish our important to-do tasks by writing them down, then that’s a good thing.

–Consistency

I’ve talked about the importance of repetition and consistency many times over the years, but it’s a necessary component to our overall success, so I’ll touch on it again.

Let’s now take our above to-do list and apply it in a consistent manner. I’ve heard said that if you do something for 21 days straight, it becomes a habit. That’s why I’m constantly advising folks on the need to really get their feet wet and take solid action in the first 30 days of their biz. It just sets the stage for a solid and profitable business.

How hard would it be for Larry mentioned above to start a solid, consistent 30 day plan of action after being in the business a full 1 1/2 years already with just one display ad running? Much harder than the person fresh out of the starting gate.

Of course it’s certainly never too late, but it’s easier for the newbie. There’s no "history" for new folks entering the business. So if you’re new, make a commitment to a consistent 30 days of action. Put your fears aside (if any) and just do it. After the dust clears at the end of 30 days, you will look back and realize that you have a solid base to build from. And more importantly, you’ve eliminated any and all procrastination tendencies by taking that consistent action. You’re always one step ahead of it by the simple act of moving forward.

I like to think of "consistent" as being every day, but I know some folks are just getting involved on a part-time basis to start, so be consistent with action every 3 days or every 4 days. Just do it over and over again.

And finally…

Procrastination can really take its toll and become a habit that can drain our motivation and our self-confidence. Part of the formula that helps overcome procrastination habits is to change your perception about the future. Replace fear
with excitement. Exchange worry with curiosity. Ignore thoughts of failure and instead think about the outcome that you would like to see happen in your business. Just get excited! And then just take action using your excitement as motivation!

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance in your window washing business.

Best Wishes,

Steve
 
P.S. Bookmark my blog and stay connected. I make new posts regularly. And don’t hesitate to leave comments at the bottom of any post. I’m also looking for guest authors who would like to contribute a post or two every now and then. Please let  me know. Any contributions you make will come back to you in multiples. Karma is a wonderful thing. )  

Chow for now. And Happy Profits!