How We Achieved Hyper-Growth (and you can, too!)

by Christa Spear

On the surface, our business success is not a story professors will require their graduate students to analyze and write a paper on. We took the age-old business strategy of identifying an unmet need and offering a service to fill the gap. So how did we achieve over 89% growth in just six months and “a down economy”?

Here’s how we did it:

• Marketing Strategy
  Objective: Understanding the needs of our customer, the market gap, and how to effectively use channels to increase awareness and engagement.

• Sales Strategy
  Objective: Outline the actions, decisions, and goals that led to acquiring new customers and consistent sales.

• Consistent & Persistent
  Objective: 80% of sales are made between the 5th and 12th contact. There is no room to NOT execute on your strategies.

• Team Efforts
  Objective: Corporate companies have hundreds working for them to achieve the above strategies. Let’s lay it all out here - most cannot achieve hyper-growth alone.

I bet this isn’t exactly the answer you were looking for, is it?

Maybe you were looking for a marketing and/or sales strategy written out step-by-step for you to achieve hyper-growth?

Wouldn’t that be nice… if one person had the answer for every. single. business owner?

We’re good, but not miracle-workers. In fact, a one-size-fits-all sales or marketing strategy simply does’t exist. Here’s why: YOU, as a business owner, are unique because your passions are unique. Which makes your business unique. Which makes your goals for your business unique. Which makes your target customers unique to YOU!

See where we’re going here? 

Among our growing client base and the more than 100 consultations we’ve hosted, the common denominator is not ONE business owner is like the other.

Because of this universal truth, if you are considering working with someone who tells you they apply one formula to address all customer business growth needs, run the other direction (we’re begging you).

Here’s what we’ve heard from almost 100% of our customers: I didn’t get what I paid for. I don’t trust promises made anymore. How do I know you are different and won’t be like the others?

Unfortunately we’ve heard some pretty heartbreaking stories:

• Paying thousands of dollars to a coach claiming to have all the answers for your business to succeed. They share a book of templates, challenges, strategies and happy customer testimonials then tell their customer to “go execute!”
  Does the coach know anything about their audience unless the customer pays for the premier 1:1 “VIP” level membership? Their target market? Achieving goals that can align with a full- or part-time job or a family of four? Seemingly not. Ultimately it leads

  business owners to burnout, frustration, feeling like a failure, and still searching for answers that can help them move their goals forward.

• Paying thousands of dollars a month in retainers to a freelancer without getting deliverables or any results. Only to hire someone else and find out that not even initial steps were done to create the foundation for what was agreed to in the retainer.

• Paying thousands of dollars to a consultant who claimed money revenue was the only goal worth considering, not customer satisfaction. Business owners are quite literally being told not to worry about clients with XYZ circumstance. It’s not your

  problem, they said. You need to prioritize a “money mindset”.

• Attending a masterclass valued at hundreds or thousands of dollars with “coaching partnership” defined as putting your questions in a Facebook group followed by a laundry list of to-dos that only puts more work on your plate without partnership along the way. This only leads to an identity crisis for business owners because they were TOO focused on sales OR marketing, versus of an integrated approach aligning with a passionate mission.

Hey, business owners! You have enough to consider without questioning if you're investing your very little discretionary funds into a person who only has a money mindset for THEIR own business. 

It’s not all bad news, however; there are also some truly incredible coaches, consultants, freelancers, and contractors who have a passion for locking arms with business owners to support and elevate their business goals and successes.

How can you minimize your chances of regret? Be prepared to ask hard questions and persistent in probing for answers that scratch below the surface. Here are our tips to make sure you choose wisely:

• Ask about THEIR mission, values and goals

• Have a clear idea of what strategies and tactical responsibilities you need support with and set benchmarks or clearly define what success looks like for you

• Review portfolios, customer reviews, success rates, and ask for references to validate customer satisfaction claims

• Ask scenario-based questions to measure experience required to meet your business needs

• Assess oral and written communication skills

• Have well-defined expectations during the onboarding process and schedule frequent check-ins to evaluate

Here at Iris Partnering, our team proudly identifies as your business “partners”. Yes, we consult, coach, and contract.

So, what’s the difference?

We’re a business consulting collective – offering a boutique of business partnership options to meet the individual, customized needs you have for the dream you’re bringing to life.

Our team approach offers a one-stop partnership. We take the time to learn your business, objectives, audience, and what keeps you up at night.

Our priorities and responsibilities flex and adapt to meet the changing dynamics of small business ownership.

A long-term partnership is what we offer – we like to think of it as building a culture of extended family.

It’s time for small business owners to have a corporate team; to achieve balance in their business and thrive in pursuing their passion – and get some much needed sleep.