When You Shoot for the Moon You’ll Never End Up with a Handful of Mud
If you are a new entrepreneur or a stuck one, committing to proven systems takes the guess work out of the business equation. Here’s a buffet of 9 ideas that work. Take a little or take a lot. Shoot for the moon or play a lesser game. Not an option for most entrepreneurs,
Over the years, I’ve asked office brokers and managers about strategies they’ve used to help agents, especially newer agents, to become successful faster and establish momentum. An answer I got from one very successful office leader was this advice to a new licensee when asked, “What do I do now?” Answer: Go out and buy a new Mercedes or BMW. After the dazed newbie agent had taken a deep breath, he responded with, “I can hardly afford Association dues, how am I supposed to buy an expensive luxury car?” The manager’s response, in essence, used the comparison about people being like tea bags. That being, “You don’t know how strong you are until you’re in a little bit of hot water.”
While I’m not suggesting financial irresponsibility, I am suggesting that if you see your business opportunity through the eyes of a small-minded person, you will automatically play a smaller game with those self-imposed restrictions. Myopia, a lack of bigger vision, can have you play it safe, use less of your talents, justify your fears rather than face them, be less generous and cause you to spend more time justifying your lack of progress, rather than being proactive and moving forward. Small mindedness causes you to TRY and trying is like being half pregnant. DO is better.
Your business will never grow more than you do. In order for it to grow, you need to grow. Changing your mindset, changing your habits, changing your attitudes, changing how you learn and perhaps changing your friends and those you draw on for support are some of the possibilities.
Here’s a checklist of good ideas. The goal is not perfection, but with these thoughts in mind, you’ll find yourself making better decisions. Goals are simply gauges to tell you if you’re on the right track. Enough good decisions during the day guarantee feelings of well being and usually more positive results.
9 new/not so new ideas to shake up your sales career
Shoot for the moon…why not?
- Set business goals high enough that when you attain them you feel you’ve done something worthwhile. Playing it safe and going for secondary goals will produce secondary satisfaction, like having an itch you can’t quite scratch. There are lots of itchy people out there. You go where you look.
- Back those goals up with a specific plan of action. What do you need to do each day? Show up, pay attention, take positive steps. Do your learning, practice role playing, paperwork/computer work, social media, etc., after people hours. Sales is pro-active. Talk to people in or out of your sphere of influence. Build your data base daily.
- Create a killer to-do list just before you go to sleep so that the following day is not a chaotic accident, but lived by choice. Know what you’re waking up to every day. Prioritize your list A, B, C so you don’t confuse activity with productivity.
- Execute. Go to work every day. Most don’t. It’s why the 80/20 concept is true. Showing up is half the process of success.
- As your business grows, learn to delegate. Oversee those to whom you delegate, and hold them accountable, but don’t micro manage. Respect them and manage your time. Treat your business like a business.
- Spend at least 30 minutes each day reading or listening to personal development. Other people have done the research and have already been down the road you’re on. Take notes on good ideas and implement them immediately. Waste less time. Copy success.
- Get a coach. This could be an office buddy or manager who is willing to actively listen and be honest in their feedback on a weekly basis. To go to the next level, don’t be cheap in hiring a coach. The cynic is the person who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Do trial coaching sessions with a few coaches so you’ll know how you work together sooner than later. Styles are different. Commit to a coach with whom you feel comfortable and respect. Accountability is a part of good coaching, but creating systems that move you forward is where the real value in coaching is. Don’t go for the rah! rah! cheerleader type. If you want a warm feeling, don’t hire a coach, take a hot shower instead.
- Get healthy. You can’t carry an active mind on a physically fatigued body. Make the time to exercise. Eat right. Get enough quality sleep. It doesn’t take much time to put together a great plan that will give you more vitality. Put these commitments on your to-do list and keep the appointment with yourself like you would honor and keep an appointment for business with others. “Don’t think–just do!” (Yoda, 1980)
- My list would not be complete without a mention about learning mental techniques that can help you learn and focus and achieve quicker and easier. The neuro-science concept of brain plasticity is about exercising the mind as you do the body to improve its functions. Self hypnosis is a mental exercise/discipline that will help de-stress, improve, energy, sleep patterns, decision making, goal achieving, assertiveness, self confidence, memory and also speed up learning (computer skills, language, presentation scripts, etc.), 2-5 times faster.