You have seen the agents (or perhaps even been one) who seem to always hang in the shadows and keep to the fringes of business success. Whether by fear, indecision or inexperience these individuals find themselves more stealth agent than sales agent.
So where do you stand? Skulking in the shadows or firmly in the light? While many may want to stop and deeply analyze what is keeping them from stepping up and moving forward, might I suggest a quicker approach? Not that digging deep to the root of problems is a bad thing, it is just that I have seen some agents spend entire careers at the 'University of You', painstakingly pouring over every dilemma and never taking that first step ahead. Take some great advice from a brilliant mind, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale: Change your thoughts and you change your world.
Too simple? Don’t be so quick to decide. If it is fear that keeps you rooted in mediocrity. Change your thoughts from fear to faith. Take "I can't" out of your vocabulary and understand that through moving forward, taking baby steps then big steps, we grow as sales professionals and more importantly, people. Fear is often based in the unknown, so get out there, have faith that anything is possible, change the way that you talk to yourself and get familiar with success
Indecision is another crippling quality that keeps us not only from career goals, but very often in a lonely place through much of life. One thing I learned very young was that the world was not going to wait for me to decide what I wanted, who I wanted to be with or where I wanted to go. The good news is that we are all human beings and, as such, almost expected to make mistakes. So, jump in, try life on for size, take a test drive, make a move. And if you make a mistake, don’t worry. Tuck it into your lessons learned department and see what turns up around the next corner.
Inexperience is a funny thing isn’t it? Remember applying for jobs fresh out of school with little or no experience and getting nowhere because every company you called required experience? How many of you ever thought, "How the heck am I supposed to get experienced if no one gives me a chance?" Here is where sales and running your own business is a plus. You have an opportunity to make your own experiences. It is true that we learn from book study and course study but more often, and more effectively, we learn from life. Don’t wait for experience to happen. Choose smart forward momentum by getting your feet wet and getting into the business. Find a successful mentor you admire and learn by their lead as well. Model their behavior, systems and high priority activities.
Now, armed with a thought provoking push onto the road of success, choose your roads from a place of certainty and integrity and build a book of business based on making friends first, and sales later. We call it a BusinessBASETM, which, unlike a mailing list type data base is founded in putting the influence into your sphere.
If your business foundation is built on making friends, then not one of those key shadow attributes should even rear its ugly head -- right? First, identify the 150 people that should be in your sphere of influence. Start with family, friends, neighbors, teachers, clergy, doctors, attorneys, CPAs, hairdresser, dentist, etc. Feel free to visit our website at prospectsplus.com for a FREE download of this powerful tool. It will walk you through a step-by-step process to first compile your list, then most importantly, how to earn the hearts, souls and business of these VIPs. Developed from hundreds of years of combined experience, we will even guarantee you six additional transactions in the first 12 months of using it! Let's see, free=6 commission checks. Now there is return on investment right?
Now add consistency to your system of influence by setting your book of business in forward motion. Each month ... EVERY month, you must stay in contact with your clients. Not in a send-send-send way which will keep you in a mailing list mode and never allow you to make friends. Rather a send-call-see approach which should take about an hour a day but will reward you throughout your career by putting you on the path to build your business to the point you could sell it when you are ready. You will find tips and hints for what to send, what to say and when to contact your customers in our download as well.
There is even a bonus! Consider as you grow in this business that you will have effectively touched the hearts, lives, family and futures of all your clients and even the people in their lives. You will have laughed with them, cried with them, helped them through tough decisions, tough markets, and joyful moments. You will also have built a career that will afford you a very good life for yourself and your family. Now there is a reason to come out of the shadows and celebrate the sunlight of success.
