For those of you overworked and underpaid, not yet ready to acknowledge that you can’t keep doing the same things and expect drastically different results… the following will hit you as obnoxious.
For those of you ready to break free of what has been holding you back, the following will be an “Ah ha” moment.
For those of you selling a lot or with successful businesses, the following will evoke “ ain’t that the truth.”
A number of coaching/training experiences reminded me of these key rules. First the rules, then the experiences.
1. Model those already successful at what you want to accomplish.
2. What works may not be comfortable for you or consistent with what you hope to work.
3. The latest “great idea,” “hot thing” or popular thing to do will not usually deliver the success you seek.
4. The more you vary from what the successful people do, the less likely you will be successful.
5. There are no shortcuts.
People really choke on #5.
Why do I share this with you?
– Because of the benefits consultant in Canada who stopped, started, hemmed, hawed and resisted changing his prospecting approach for 6 months, not adopting stuff that works because it was different and he was uncomfortable. Finally frustrated with lots of work and little results he just did it for a week. Got a meeting with a highly qualified prospect. Closed on the 2nd meeting. Cashed a $15,000 commission check. His question to me? Why didn’t I just do this in the beginning?
– Because of the financial services rep in CA who has talked with me off an on for more than a year. Great guy with superior skills. Vaporized frequently because of “busyness” and running around doing stuff his bosses thought were great ideas (which were actually pretty dumb and doomed to fail) and now finds himself with little sales and now knowing that in the past year he has wasted oodles of time with busyness, yet spent no time laying the true building blocks for his success.
– Because of the highly talented appointment setter in Madison WI working on a set fee for each appointment basis who was banging her head against the wall. Financial necessity dictated drastic changes so she fought her boss to change list selection and the calling process. It was a real fight because the boss just wanted to her to call the same people over and over again and not change the call process. Bottom line. 4 meetings this week and $2,000 earned. She insisted on doing what worked, rather than what was comfortable or easy, and she won. It could have happened a lot sooner.
Big picture. There really are no shortcuts. Sorry to deliver the news.
If it only takes a month to do it right and lay a solid foundation for future success, then your “too busy” excuse as to why you can’t do the things you really should be doing, seems pretty silly after 3 months, 6 months or more of no true progress or results.
When you stay congruent with the behaviors used by those already successful, you walk a straight line to the success you seek.
When you vary here, change that, substitute the latest hot idea for the tried and true… your road to success has many twists and turns and no destination.
“No shortcuts” doesn’t have to mean it takes a long time. In the setting sales appointments world it takes about 10 days to get setup, 10 days to ramp up, then 10 days to layer in the advanced strategies.
30 days or less to start meeting more qualified prospects. To have a solid system. A process that works.
If you would like to be guided along the fastest road to prospecting success, call me at 978-296-2700 to discuss some options.
