In the new Expert Insight Interview, our guest is Crista Grasso, a lean business consultant, and the creator of the ‘Lean Out Method.’ She believes that simplicity and focus are the keys to crafting a superior business. She is going to present her strategy for growing a business that doesn’t result in being overworked and overwhelmed.
In this interview we explore:
- Lean out method
- Targeting the right customers
- Finding the role in the business
Lean Out Method
The goal of this method is to make you smarter and more intentional with your time. It helps accelerate turning visions into reality in a way that avoids burnout. When starting a business, people often try and do as many things as they can, and it quickly gets overwhelming. If you want to grow, you can’t maintain that, and you also don’t want to continuously have to sacrifice other aspects of your life.
The first step in this process is called lean strategic planning. The focus is on getting very clear about your vision and what kind of future you want for yourself, your business, and your customers. Then, take that image and systematically break it down into smaller goals. All your day to day activities should be in support of it.
Who Is Your Ideal Customer?
In the beginning, people tend to take any customer they can get. It can be very dangerous since it can make you stray out of your vision and lose focus. In those early stages of business, every decision you make has to be directionally aligned. Determine whether the specific customer is the one you would want to work within the long run, or is it just a stepping stone to get to your ideal customer. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice the short-term for the long-term. That is how you build sustainable success in your business.
Role In The Business
Play to your strengths, and hire out to your weaknesses. Focusing on the things that are working and the ones you are good at will accelerate your success. Thanks to the gig economy, it is easier than ever to find resources to help you with the tasks that are not your strength. Get clear about the things that are most valuable to your customers and most profitable for the business, and eliminate the rest of them. Your vision will help you to know whether something is right for you. Setting goals in 90 days time block can help you to see if something is right at this moment.
Business is always about the short-term vs. the long-term. Pivots and shifts are sometimes necessary, but it’s about directional alignment. Make a short-term decision that won’t hurt you in the long-term. Make sure that all the things you are working on are bringing you closer to your goal, but also that the goal is realistic.
Our Host
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
Comments