The View From Your Windshieldstring(29) "The View From Your Windshield"

There is a reason why your windshield is larger than your rearview mirror. It’s important to have the clearest view possible of where you are going. As a result, your windshield is substantially larger than your mirrors.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to know what’s behind you and to learn from where you’ve been. However, if all you are looking at is your rearview mirror, it’s because you’re going backwards. When you do that in life, you are not living in the present and you are not aware of what may be ahead of you. The view from your windshield is the view to everything that is possible.

Know Where You Want to Go

Sometimes in life we do need to go backwards a little bit. However, as soon as possible, we need to put that car in Drive and move forward to our intended destination. To get to that destination, we should have a map or an app to take us where we intend to go. We set our goal and identify the route to reach it. Sometimes, we have to take an alternate route because of heavy traffic or accidents along the way (both good metaphors for life).  But in either case – you need to have a general idea of where you want to go. 

I know people who work hard, have a fast-paced life, and are always very busy, but they don’t set life goals (and some don’t even set business goals). From my perspective, most of these people are lost. They are lost because if you don’t know where you want to end up, going faster won’t get you there quicker.

Continue to Move Forward

Windshield wipers are another great metaphor for life. Sometimes the weather is so bad, you need something to help keep things clear. Other times, you need even more help than that. Years ago, I was driving with my family up to our lake house in Big Bear, California. Suddenly, we hit a patch of fog that was so incredibly thick, I could not see the road in front of me at all!  Worse yet, we were driving up a mountain and I couldn’t see anyplace that was safe to move the car off the road. So, I rolled down the window and stuck my head out and literally drove ahead looking down at the little white ceramic Botts’ Dots that are on so many highways throughout the country. [By the way, they are called Botts’ Dots after Elbert Botts who invented them in the 1950s.]  I drove very, very slowly staying in alignment with the Dots while my wife looked ahead to warn me if she saw the lights of any car ahead of us (thankfully, she didn’t). After a mile or two, the fog cleared enough for me to roll up my window and simply drive ahead slowly. 

To me, the metaphor for this is that sometimes we may need an assist to get where we are going. It may be our life partner or business teammates or a mentor who helps us see more clearly. The key is – we generally need to continue to move forward (safely – of course) in order to get to where we want to go.  

Remove Obstructions

One final observation – don’t let objects obstruct your view out of your windshield. There will be people in life that will get in the way of where you are heading. Don’t let them.  There will be people who want to stop you or keep you from looking forward. Don’t let them do that either. Keep the windshield of your life as uncluttered as you should keep the windshield of your car.

Your rearview mirror is to see what is behind you, what you already passed, and what is in the past. With the crazy times we live in, it is more important than ever to remember that your windshield is larger than your rearview mirror for a very good reason.

From this moment forward, know that it is the view out of your windshield that will take you where you want to go in life.

Don’t Write Off 2020string(26) "Don’t Write Off 2020"

Don’t completely write off 2020 and erase the year from your memory banks. There are many things we can learn from last year. Instead, recognize the things that happened and approach things differently in the new year. In this video, I share what I recognized from 2020 that has become valuable takeaways for me

Do not regret what you did in 2020. Instead, consider what you learned from last year and what your positive takeaways are from that experience. As you look back over the past year, recognize why things happened and approach things differently in the new year. You will be a better person for it.

New Years 2018

New Years 2018 Messagestring(22) "New Years 2018 Message"

For many cultures around the world, today marks the dawning of the new year.  People were up at midnight, full of energy, excitedly celebrating the clock striking 12:00 a.m.–the start of 2018. More importantly, it symbolizes the chance for people to start fresh and move forward in bigger and better ways. I would like to wish you a happy New Years 2018 with this personal message about setting both personal and professional goals and achieving them in 2018.

Every year, during the last week of the year, I take time off from work and Beth and I reflect on the passing year and strategically set new goals to accomplish bigger and better things with each coming year.

With 2018 having just kicked off today, it’s a whole new year and time to reflect and re-examine why you’re doing what you’re doing. Here are 4 Questions to Start the New Year off Right.

If you have not done this yet, take 30 minutes today to sit down and take stock of the good, the bad, and the ugly from the past year. Then, you can forge ahead in the new year with a fresh set of goals and a specific plan to achieve those goals.

You cannot hit a target you are not aiming at. So create those targets and work towards them.

Post a message here on my blog as to what your biggest goals are in 2018. I would love to read them.

 

Got Business Goals?–Connect with Those Who Can Help You!string(62) "Got Business Goals?–Connect with Those Who Can Help You!"

Last week I posted a blog on how to meet the right people and I focused on explaining how to meet people who serve the same professional client as you.  Today, I’d like to continue this discussion but I’d like to focus specifically on how to meet people who can help you meet your business goals.

Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

First off, if you haven’t set business goals then let’s stop right here–you need to make that your top priority this week!  If you do have business goals, don’t let them collect dust on your bulletin board or get covered up in your drawer.  Make it a point to review them each month.  Choose a goal.  The big question you need to ask yourself is “Who do I need to meet to help me accomplish this goal?”

It’s tough to make it alone in today’s competitive business environment.  Even the biggest sports stars or governmental candidates can’t reach their goals alone–so why should we try to go it alone?  Let’s say that one of your business goals this year is to write an article for a local paper.  How would you network your way to achieving that goal?  Well, first, you would start reading the paper.  You’d find out who writes the articles, who writes for other papers in your area, who the editors are, etc.  Then you would get the word out to your own network as there’s a fair chance it includes someone who could put you in contact with the right individual.  You would let it be known that you wanted to meet writers, editors, and others working for local papers so you could gain insight and knowledge into how they accomplished something you were aspiring to do–you would also let it be known that you were in no way intending to try to sell to these people.

You would also look for networking events sponsored by these publications.  You’d probably find staff members there providing support and you’d want to focus on meeting and speaking with the right people–professionals connected with the publication–again, with the intention of learning how to write an article for your local business paper.  No matter what your goal is, writing and publishing an article or otherwise, if you network with the people who have the experience and connections to guide you toward your goal, you will be well on your way to accomplishing it.

Another example of this strategy is to think of the people involved in the six degrees of separation study.  They had a goal to achieve . . . to get a package to a specific person whom they did not know.  I would venture to suspect that the successful people in the study began by scouring their network for the right people who could help them accomplish this goal.  Choosing anyone and everyone would have increased the links along the way . . . which was obviously the strategy of the 71% of the people who never connected at all.

In summary, remember:  When you’re considering asking someone in your personal network for a favor, ask yourself whether she’s simply a contact or an actual established connection.  Avoid the trap of having unrealistic expectations of your network, such as support that your contacts may feel you don’t deserve.  You have to earn the loyalty and engagement of your referral sources.  Your current goal has two parts: (1) to meet the right people, and (2) to develop deep relationships with them over time.

So, to help you pinpoint who you should be focusing on meeting the next time you’re at a networking event, make a list of the following:

  • 5 professions (other than your own) that serve your preferred client market
  • 2 business goals of yours
  • 2 individuals you might seek out for help in accomplishing goal #1 and 2 individuals who might help you meet goal #2

How do you feel about the list you came up with?  Do you find it helpful?  Does it give you a clearer picture of where you want your business to go and who you should focus on meeting in order to steer your business in that direction?  I’d love to get your feedback on this so please leave your thoughts in the comment forum below.  Thanks!

‘Mastering the World of Selling’string(44) "‘Mastering the World of Selling’"

When one of your business relationships passes you a referral, don’t assume that the prospect is ready to hear a presentation on your product or service. When an associate passes you a referral, say thanks . . . then start digging for more information.

You will want to determine whether what you offer is a fit for what the prospect needs.  Taking the time to do this upfront saves a lot of time and energy–for both you and the prospect. Exactly what does the prospect do? What products or services does he want from you? Will your offerings truly fulfill his needs? What is his behavioral style? What are his business goals? How large is his company?

Even with the referral in hand, don’t skip steps in your sales process. Before you approach the prospect, decide on a strategy based on whatever you can find out about him–the same as you would when preparing for any sale. Although the prospect was referred to you, all you’ve really received is an opportunity to approach the prospect with a favorable introduction. (This is not a bad thing–a single referral can open the door to a prospect it may have taken weeks, months or even years to connect with–if you even could at all.)  But whether the prospect becomes a client or not depends on how well you convince him that what you offer, at the price and under the conditions you offer it, will fulfill his needs.

It’s always a good idea to consistently hone your sales skills and strategies. If you need a good sales resource, look no further than Mastering the World of Selling.  It’s a brand-new book by Eric Taylor and David Riklan, and it contains one of the greatest collections of sales training wisdom for the 21st century that I’ve ever come across. It features sales strategies and advice from 89 of the world’s top experts including Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, Jeffrey Gitomer, yours truly and more. 🙂  To find out more about Mastering the world of Selling, click here.

Do you have any dynamite sales wisdom that you’ve picked up over the years?  If so, I invite you to share it here by leaving a comment–there’s no such thing as too much useful information.  Thanks!