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Competitive
pressures, persistent negative perceptions of the industry, and the
difficulty gaining access to qualified buyers all can wear you down over
time. Even the best producers are experiencing difficulty in their
marketing and prospecting activities. The consequences of this
relentlessly stressful environment is a waning enthusiasm to grow your
practice. It is often far easier to rest where you are now than it
is to push yourself to the next level. We all know that
complacency leads to mediocrity, which almost always leads to disaster.
We've seen evidence of this not only in the financial services industry,
but throughout corporate America. Thus, the challenge that you
face is how to keep yourself responsive, resourceful, and recharged in
today's difficult marketing and prospecting environment.
Prospects and clients are influenced and affected by your enthusiasm
or lack thereof. In fact, recent surveys indicate that 64% of
small business owners say that the positive, enthusiastic fervor of a
financial services professional is one of the key reasons they would
want to do business with them.
Studies indicate that even though you feel you can mask your lack of
enthusiasm about the business and the stress that you're having, it is
visible in many ways. People can detect your mindset based on
several things:
* How you feel.
The emotions that you exhibit during the prospecting and sales process
clearly communicate your passion or lack of passion for the business.
* The way you
think. Your opinions and convictions clearly mirror whether or
not you are worn down and are not fully charged and enthusiastic about
the process that you're recommending.
*
By your actions. Your behavior and your disposition
prove that actions do speak louder than words.
To rekindle your
enthusiasm and prevent yourself from becoming worn down by the
difficulties and chaos facing you and the industry today, here are seven
tactics that have made a difference in my life and my business that I
know will work for you:
1. Practice self-discipline versus self-indulgence.
Self-indulgence is thinking about how you feel at a given moment, then
deciding what action, if any, to take and worrying about the
consequences later. Self-discipline is thinking first about the
consequences (if you do or if you don't), taking the appropriate action,
and feeling great about doing the right thing once it's done.
Self-indulgence tends to build guilt after the fact which, in turn,
reduces your enthusiasm for yourself and the work that you're doing.
2. Remember the difference that you make in people's lives.
The financial services industry certainly has unlimited income
opportunities and most discussions are about how much money can be made.
However, the real measure of your success is the difference that
you're making in people's lives. Having been orphaned at the age
of six, I know what the consequences are of my father not having any
financial plan in place and no life insurance. These are
consequences that no one should suffer. My brother, my sister, and
I were split up until we became adults and were able to find one another
and re-unite. I lived in 19 foster homes by the time I was 18
years old and went to 11 different schools. The great passion I
have for the industry in my speaking, seminars, and consulting is driven
by my own life experiences. By marketing yourself effectively and
prospecting consistently, you can reach more people and make a
difference in their lives. You must never forget that the great
reward of this industry is not just the money that is made, but the
difference that is made in their lives.
3. Avoid negative self-talk. It's so easy today to
get caught up in negative self-talk and tell yourself all the things
you're not doing right and all the things you need to improve on, and
all the things that you are not good at. However, there are enough
card-carrying members of the cold water committee that you don't have to
throw cold water on every one of your ideas and on yourself as well.
Each day focus on and write down three actions you've taken that have
had a positive impact on your business and personal relationships.
4. Listen to one motivational or inspirational message each
week. In today's contentious society, it is difficult to
continue to be enthusiastic and fervent on a daily basis and stay
"up." Without recharging yourself, it's impossible to
recharge others. Whether this message comes from your religious
affiliation or simply from motivational tapes or messages such as those
you receive from MDRT and NALU, etc., it is vital to realize that by
renewing yourself, only then can you renew others.
5. Read books by and for successful people. It is
said that the average agent only reads one book a year. Of course,
that's exactly why they're average. The importance of reading is
that it not only develops your logic and understanding, but it also
develops your verbal skills and gives you exposure to new ideas that you
can use to build your business and your relationships. I spend a
few minutes each day reading scripture so that I have an opportunity to
renew my thoughts and my mind.
6. Focus on your long-term vision versus the short-term.
Roger Crawford (author of How High Can You Bounce) tells us that
"People without vision perish." Clearly that's true.
People get bogged down by the short-term happenings as opposed to what
they value for the future. When Helen Keller was asked what was
the worst thing about being blind she replied, "To have sight, but
not to have vision." Take the time to renew your goals weekly
so that you're focused on the long-term and there is not as much impact
from the negative things that happen in the short-term.
Ask yourself:
-
How serious a
setback to my life goals is this situation?
-
How serious is
this situation when compared to what others around me are facing?
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How disturbed
will I be about this one month from now?
What is one good thing I can find in all of this?
Keep things in
perspective.
7. Manage yourself wisely. Recharge or renew yourself
and then put in enough effort to get to where you want to be, not just
enough to justify where you are now.
By utilizing these seven proven, practical tactics to renew and recharge
yourself, you'll be able to re-engineer your approach to the market,
re-think the processes necessary to be effective, and re-energize your
clients and prospects. |
