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5 Ideas for Eliminating Startup Funk

Startup FunkLet’s get real – startups are not for the faint of heart. With any startup, there will be plenty of triumphs and challenges along the way. Your biggest challenge might be not being overly confident in successful times, and not becoming too despondent when facing setbacks.

You’re bound to, at one time or another, get caught in the midst of startup funk. This usually occurs in times of uncertainty or indecision when meetings and planning take up the majority of your efforts. Being overly fearful of making a bad choice can cause decision paralysis, and as a result, harm your business. Below are a few suggestions of steps to take to help snap you out of a startup funk.

Make Note of Your Value

Set aside time to make sure that you understand and communicate just how much of an asset your product is to the people who use it. Getting to know your company in an objective way is important because you are more able to relate to what your customers are looking for and what makes them happy. And when they’re happy, they buy – which makes you happy!

Pound The Pavement

If you are ever in doubt, it’s a good idea to go on sales calls and interact with potential customers. Not only does this increase the activity of your startup, but it also helps you to gain a new insight. It’s not uncommon for the best sparks of inspiration to occur when a person is speaking with someone who will benefit from whatever it is that they are offering. Never exclude the idea of sales calls. Although cold-calling can be stressful and quite nerve wracking for many people, it’s a great way to discover your product’s features that are important, and which features aren’t as significant as you may have thought previously. The activity of interacting with clients, especially when you make a sale, will help you get out of any funk.

Utilize Your Own Product

There is a surprising number of people who are starting up, yet have virtually no experience or hands-on training with the product they’re selling. You’ve got to know your product inside and out. By doing so, not only are you able to answer questions properly, but you’ll also gain an understanding of what works and what does not work. When you feel confident about your product, you feel better about your business overall.

Talk with Your Customers

etting together with existing customers is so important. After all, these people have the most interest in you and your success. They often want to help improve your service or product by partnering with you. Too many times, companies get stuck in the rut of the salespeople being the only part of the team that gets exposed to customers. Why not get your R & D team out there so that they can witness first-hand how customers are using the products they’re creating, and if any improvements need to be made? Tweaking and improving – making things better – will help you eliminate startup funk through positive activity.

Get Shipping!

Whether your selling info products or widgets, not shipping your product (on time) could directly result in the downfall of your company. Nobody wants to order a product and end up having to wait far longer than necessary for it to arrive. Be disciplined by doing whatever is necessary to be efficient, but still provide quality work. Getting that product sent out on time feels great!

The only way to progress is to take action. That being said, your startup should be like a whirlwind of action. Leave hypothetical situations behind and plan based on facts. The bottom line is that if you’re in a startup funk, now is the time to take action!

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