As an entrepreneur I have come to recognize how insidious fear can be at times. It approaches you quietly, subtly and faintly whispers in your ear – and you find yourself holding back without even realizing it.

I experienced this myself last week. I was having lunch with a business associate in LA and she mentioned the fear she had experienced prior to doing a pitch for a big project and how she allowed it to let her believe her competition were a better fit for the account that her. (The client didn’t agree – they hired her.) We laughed about it and toasted her success.

A few hours later I was thinking about a big project that I have in front of me which I have been wrestling with. I had put my foot-dragging down to having too much other work and other priorities that came first. But in a moment of clarity, I realized it was fear that was holding me back from jumping on this. Once I realized this, I wrote out a quick plan of action for the project, did those action items immediately and got the contract!

That’s the funny thing about fear – once you acknowledge that it is there and take action anyway – it loses its power to affect you. My challenge to you today: look at what you are procrastinating on in your life and take one action step to get it going. That is the best way to get fear out of your life.

There is lots of buzz out there about how you need to create a relationship with your customer (true) and that the key to successful selling is to be able to uncover their needs and provide a solution (true). Unfortunately some companies out there have implemented customer service training programs that have their staff asking customers questions to uncover needs and then ignoring what the customer says. Here is a couple of examples I heard about recently:

• A business associate got a call from his bank customer service representative, asking in a cheery voice if there was anything his bank could do for him. His reply – reduce the interest rate on my credit card. Her answer – no. His next request: was there a way to reduce his bank fees? Her answer – no. Why bother making this phone call – window dressing?
• A client of mine who has run a financially successful business for 5 years and is now expanding her business operation called her large global bank about getting a line of credit for the expansion. They told her it would be no problem – come in and see us and we will get it set up. She goes for the meeting and finds out they are happy to extend credit to her through a credit card with 29% interest attached! Needless to say she has moved to the competition.

In the Ghost CEO coaching program, we teach all our clients that Visibility, Credibility and Profitability are key to business success. Both of the banks above lost credibility by asking customers what they could do better without ever intending to deliver anything different.

If you want to succeed in business, mean what you say. If you genuinely want to find out what your customer wants and you are prepared to improve your product or service, then ask. If you are just doing it because it seems to be the thing to do, don’t bother. You’ll keep more customers and credibility that way.

I get approached by a lot of people asking when is the right time to get a business coach. Some of our Ghost CEO clients come to us in the startup phase; others start after several successful years in business. The common factor for all of them is that they realize there is a better way to build business. My partner and founder of the Ghost CEO Coaching Program, Chris Flett came up with this checklist:

Are you ready for a Ghost CEO?

• You wish you had someone objective and knowledgeable to talk professionally with
• You want a sober second thought when making professional decisions
• You want to move ahead quicker than you feel you are doing right now
• You want to start planning your professional future with quantitative results
• You are looking for an edge in business
• You are accountable, keep your word and want to work smart
• You are honest, open and interested in learning and trying new things.

If you find yourself doing the same things over and over in your business and getting lackluster results, that is a good indicator that you might consider working with a business coach. They will give you a fresh perspective and challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and do things differently.