It’s no secret that who you surround yourself with will have a direct impact on your life. The same is true in business. What’s more, if you surround yourself with people who can give you business reality checks, you’ll be more likely to succeed.
What are business reality checks?
Business reality checks are those moments when you realize you’re not living up to your fullest potential. It may be because you’re completely unaware of valuable information or because you have an internal struggle going on.
Here are some examples of reality checks from my own life:
- I recently had a reality check where an agent told me just how much money I should be earning from sponsored content and spokesperson opportunities.
- A mentor recently gave me a reality check about my techniques during sales calls.
- That same mentor helped me realize I actually provide a lot of value for clients and am undercharging.
- Clients and customers have recently pushed me to create better payment systems.
These are just a few examples of what I like to call business reality checks. Essentially, they are just learning opportunities where your eyes open up to something you were previously unaware of.
Why are reality checks a good thing?
The main reason why business reality checks are a good thing is that they can help you improve.
For example, once that agent told me that I was grossly undercharging for sponsorships I immediately raised my rates. When my mentor reminded me that I’m actually pretty good at sales, it gave me the confidence to sell my first group coaching program.
The negative business checks can help you as well. Had a client not told me they were having issues paying me, I wouldn’t have looked into offering different payment options.
Most of all, business reality checks are a good thing because they force us to take ownership of our own venture. Many people either get stuck in their own heads or they are quick to blame outside circumstances for their difficulties, but often times it’s the business owner who needs to take responsibility. Business reality checks give us the opportunity to take responsibility and change things.
How to react to business reality checks.
Although reality checks are a good thing, they can easily stir up negative emotions. I speak from experience, here. Part of my job in my business coaching programs is to give reality checks when warranted, and how a client reacts determines whether or not they ultimately succeed.
For example, if someone gives you a reality check that you’re under-earning, it’s easy to go to a place where we see ourselves as making mistakes. That isn’t really a bad thing. However, where it goes awry is when people stay in self-pity instead of taking action. This actually just makes you feel like you’re not good enough and can have stall your progress.
Therefore, the solution is as follows: don’t use business reality checks as an excuse to be hard on yourself. Just take the lesson for what it is, improve your business and move on.
