Today’s topic just poured out of me after 13 years of running The Repositioning Expert and working with Founders of every size of business from developing to very successful, very large ones. These CEOs all want one thing for their company: to be bigger. Many are growing slower than they’d like or stuck at a certain level, and there’s a very good reason. I used to think it was pride stopping them from doing what’s necessary for growth. But after investing over $200,000 in mindset coaching and diving deeper into human patterns, I’ve discovered the real culprit. Let me show you if this is you.

Five Telltale Symptoms

First, you’ve never gotten a client except through word-of-mouth. I meet large, successful businesses incredibly proud of this fact – yet they’re attending my roundtables, watching these videos, and booking sales calls to figure out how to grow. Second, you’ve never called a prospect you weren’t personally introduced to by someone you know – always keeping it safe, safe, safe. Third, you keep hiring sales and marketing staff hoping their rolodex and experience will solve your growth problem, throwing money at headcount instead of doing it yourself. Fourth, you’ve attended training, hired coaches, joined CEO peer groups, and read books – but nothing has changed your sales numbers. You blame the economy, the environment, the coach, the program, lack of support, or being too busy. The impetus you’ve invested on hasn’t worked.

The Neurological Truth Behind Resistance

“Nobody but a wet baby likes change” as my mentor Marg Hache (of Groyourbiz) always says. And it’s true. Your subconscious beliefs were set between ages 0-7 when you were a sponge absorbing your environment without analysis or editing. You learned to avoid shame, humiliation, rejection, and unpleasantness at all costs. Here’s the problem: your subconscious controls 95% of your thoughts, behaviors, and actions (only 5% is creative decision-making). It rejects any action that won’t keep you “safe” – meaning stuck at your current level. This creates what my coaches David Naegel and Chris Kenney call “rational lies.”

The Rational Lies Keeping You Small

Listen to these excuses: “My business is different – this won’t work for me.” “My clients come before new business development – I have to pay the bills.” “The market is bad right now” (while in the same year, I’ve had some of my best sales numbers!). “People aren’t buying right now.” “Buyers hate being sold to, hate newsletters, hate cold calls, hate direct mail.” For example, I once had a client who was completely against sending newsletters because he himself hated receiving them – yet newsletters are statistically one of the cheapest ways to generate marketing ROI. Another example is door openers. Clients agree to send door openers like puzzles, t-shirts, toasters etc. get appointments from corporate buyers while those who say “it’s too silly” or “we don’t know where the buyers work” stay stuck.

The Neuroscience That Changes Everything

Here’s fascinating research: neuroscientists conducted brain studies where they’d ask subjects to think about their worst day, watching which brain parts lit up and what hormones cascaded into the body. Then they’d ask about their best day and observe completely different activation patterns. The breakthrough? They separated mind from brain. When scientists touched a brain part that automatically raised an arm, the awake patient would say “You’re making me move my arm, aren’t you?” That awareness proved the mind is separate from the brain. The brain is just a doer – your mind gives it instructions. You can tell your brain what to think, changing your feelings, behaviors, and outcomes.

The Truth: You’re Not Too Proud, You’re Too Scared

Underneath what looks like pride is deeply buried fear manifesting as rational lies programmed into your subconscious to protect you. Once you recognize the negative thought, understand where it comes from and why (it’s trying to keep you safe), you can identify it as the lie causing your business to stall. Then you can tell yourself a different truth. Your brain will listen and execute the right activities, beliefs, thoughts, and feelings to grow your business. The next time a limiting belief surfaces, stop. Tell your brain to think differently. That’s when real growth begins.

Want to reposition your messaging to grow your leads? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, watch my Podcast onYouTube or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk.