Savvy Sponsoring Strategies | Issue #51 | April 2nd, 2008

Personal Note:

I’m sure that if I were to ask you if you had control over other people, generally the answer would be, “No.” The truth is, no matter how much we try, the only person we can really control is ourselves.

And yet sometimes getting ourselves to do what we need and want to do is tough. I know. I’ve recently added yoga and meditation to my life. I could practice my yoga on my own, but I find it tough.

I could also practice my meditation quietly on my own. All I have to do is sit still and be quiet. But I don’t.

Sometimes “getting to the cushion” is the toughest part, regardless of what your “cushion” might be. I find it enormously helpful to put whatever I’m practicing into play, when I know that others are going to be there at a specific time and place. When I commit to a group, I show up.

There is something else that happens. I practice longer, harder get more out of myself when I’m in a group. It’s that energy thing and the encouragement, the support and the motivation that a peer group offers.

Are you setting yourself up in your business “to get to the cushion?"

Warmly,

Jillian Middleton, Head Coach
Contact Me

PS: Last call for the new Savvy Sponsoring program.  Click here for details!

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Featured Article:

 

Points = Possibilities +
Proficiency = Profits

 

 

 

Too often we have our attention on things we have no control over; specifically our results. We focus our attention on what the other person is going to do. Yet, we have absolutely no control over them.

It’s true we have control over what we say, do and how we act. But as good as we might be at those things, it is not a good indicator of what someone else might do. You can be the most eloquent. You can be a master at enrolling. You can have the best opportunity for someone to make a change. But if they aren’t motivated, none of it will happen.

If we stay focused on things we can’t control, it doesn’t take long for anxiety, disappointment to take hold. Then the resistance to continue sets in.

What should we be focused on?

Only what we can control. Ourselves. How does that make for a robust, financially sustainable business? Because by doing the action we have control over we create possibilities. Think about that for a minute.

You make a call to someone who may be thinking about starting their own business. Did you create a possibility? Sure you did. You created the possibility they may say “No” or may say “Yes” to you. Do you have control over what they say? Nope. But you do have control over how many possibilities you create.

How do you get proficient?

Ever hear the joke about the guy who stops someone walking by and asks, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer is “practice, practice, practice.”

But that’s really only part of the answer. If someone was practicing the violin daily with all the focus they could muster, but didn’t understand music would they get to Carnegie Hall? No of course not. The adage practice, practice, practice means, “Improve what you do and how you do it.” If you keep practicing the same thing the same way but expect different results, it’s not to Carnegie Hall you’ll get!

How do you get better and better at what you do? You pay attention. You take a few minutes after each possibility you create and ask yourself questions like these:

• How did I do?
• Did I feel comfortable throughout the conversation?
• Did I listen more than I talked?
• Did my questions help to me understand what they really wanted?
• Did the person I was talking to appear comfortable?
• If not, did it change during the conversation?
• What was my reaction to their change?
• Did I check out if they changed, or ignore it or simply change my approach?

In my coaching practice I call this debriefing. Taking a few minutes after each call, or event, or activity will give lots of insight into how you might want to change or strengthen your approach.

And read and then read some more. Ask questions of those who know more than you. Join a mastermind of your professional peers. Hire a coach. Go to business seminars. (If you would like to be more proficient in your business in, consider our upcoming Savvy Sponsoring program.)

As Michael Gerber says in the E-Myth Revisited, “…people who are exceptionally good in business aren’t so because of what they know but because of their insatiable need to know more.”

Why keep track of the points?

How many people do you need to talk to before someone says, “Yes, I’d like to start a business? How many people do you need to talk to before someone is willing to meet with you? Or, host an event for you? Or, buy from you.

Having a good working knowledge of these details in your business is known as your “ratio of success.” It’s tough to run a business if you don’t know how many calls it takes before someone says, “Yes, I’ll listen to you.”

The only way to determine your ratio of success is to keep track of what you do. When you first start out you’ll take a guess at what you think. But the only way to know for sure what kind of activity you’ll need to generate, in order to get the results you want, is to determine your ratio of success.

Goals don’t have to be tough or a guessing game.

Even though you have no control over the people you’re talking to, you do have control over how many possibilities you create.

• You determine the work you do.
• You determine how many calls you make.
• You determine how many real connections you make at any event.
• You determine when you do your follow-up.

I’m sure you’re getting the picture. As soon as you know how many times you need to repeat an action before you get a desired result, you now know your ratio of success.

Your business and the money you make is not a
guessing game.

It is really straight forward.

Make your calls. You create possibilities. Get better at what you do and you get proficient. The more points you get, the more possibilities you create. The better you get at creating possibilities the more profit you make.

Not hard. Simply, straight forward good business foundations. If you would like to be more proficient in your business, apply straight forward good business foundations to your business.  If you don't know how or simply aren't doing what you know you should, ask for help.  Go public.  Put yourself on the spot.  You could even hire a coach  (Our new Savvy Sponsoring program is all about giving you the tools you need and keeping you accountable.)

It is easy to keep score.

Check out our Points = Possibilities + Proficiency = Profits tally sheet.

You will be amazed at what this simple tally sheet will tell you about how you’re spending your work day.

Warmly,

Jillian

Comments? Leave one here!

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The Savvy Coach's Corner

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Savvy Sponsoring Store:

No More 3-Foot Rule: What To Do Instead
Includes Class Notes in PDF format plus a 90 minute instructional audio on CD and MP3.
The 5-Steps on CD w/Jillian
Norine & Rick Includes a 60 minute audio on CD and Mp3
Getting Over Frontloading
How to build your business for stability rather than speed. 90 minute audio MP3
Volume 1: Setting up Store Hours
This practical nuts-and-bolts Module is specially designed to help you 'get back your time' so your life and business work for you (instead of the other way around).
Volume 2: Design Your Calendar
This practical nuts-and-bolts Module will help you design a calendar that allows you live now, yes right now, not sometime in the future. (And yes you can build a strong sustainable successful business at the same time.)

Visit our online store for much more!

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Savvy Sponsoring Coaching Programs:

Are you ready to really take control of your business, leave your job behind – way behind - and create the lifestyle you’re dreaming about? Get all the tools, resources and support you need to make it happen in our 6-month Savvy Sponsoring Coaching Program.

Upcoming Classes:

• Savvy Sponsoring 6-month Coaching Program Click Here!

Interested in a class for your company? Feel free to contact Jillian direct at 781-599-0604 or via email.

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RECOMMENDED READING:
Andrea J. Lee, Tina Forsyth, Money, Meaning and Beyond
W. Timothy Gallwey, The Inner Game of Work
Tim Sanders, Love is the Killer App (How To Win Business and Influence Friends)
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink
Covey S (1999), The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Simon and Schuster, London.
Michael Gerber, The E-Myth
Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist, Harper Flamingo (Jan 1998)

I encourage you to share, replicate or forward this newsletter or article as long as the subscription, author links, and copyright information are kept intact.