Zillion Dollar Thought

A square foot of lawn has 3,000 blades of grass. A square foot of fairway has 4,500. A putting green has about 8,000. All grass everywhere…Zillions!

Will You Decide on Herd Mentality?

With less than a week, we will have a national election. Here’s today’s headline:

“This week unemployment has dropped from

450,000 to 434,000

…and that’s the good news.”

And, of course this has come on the heels of several weeks (in succession) of similar such good news. Overall, this is a dismal picture that we are supposed to embrace as progress [herd mentality] because it was not as bad as expected. But, this could be any news that is fed to us by some media chain that has its own particular reporting agenda.

Herds

Many of these news outlets are the venues for herd mentality. Their goal: to move the masses. It worked beautifully in the last general election, but with the above results…millions out of work and millions losing their homes. Will it happen again?

We will know next Wednesday. One thing is certain. We will have some changing of the guard at several levels (big and small). With that in mind, what do we do regardless of how it all turns out?

Keys

First time politicians [many times] are like teenagers who have just been handed the keys to the car. You hope all those years of wisdom, trust and promises will not suddenly dissolve as you see them backing down the driveway. It leaves you with a sinking feeling. After this election, you may get the same feeling. So, what do you do with your teenager and your politician as they move forward?

Antidote

Stay vigilant, consistent and responsive. Watch for the signs: votes, citations, grades, health, habits, news, relationships/associations, communications, respect for all the related authorities, attitudes…on and on. What better antidote to herd mentality could you employ than factual accountability for those you hired to work for you?

Another key to this methodology is to lay this all down in a written expectation to your teen and your politician. Since anything can go e-viral today, the threat to any politician is that if they go their own way, the world can witness it instantly.

Teen exception: There are more creative ways to amend behavior.

The Goal: Freedom

Since we cannot predict or command how these (and subsequent) elections will go, how should we respond? Easy, we respond as if this is a continuing event…because it is! To elect them is one phase; to live under a product of their vote and influence is something else. It’s not a one shot deal.

We have read repeatedly that the death of a blog is to target religion or politics. So, maybe I’m taking a risk? The bigger risk is that we lose the freedom to even have a voice (or a blog). This election could well be a turning point for political parties, but more importantly, for freedom itself.

Decide responsibility.

The Most Important Word in Recruiting (Anyone)

If you are a part of any form of recruiting, or you are involved as a link in a recruiting program, there is only one word that will determine your success. Now, just think of all the categories that require recruiting…for example:

Teams/Coaches
Players
Churches
Salespeople/All Categories
Clients
Professors
Students
Voters/Party Members
Military
All Others

As you have probably already concluded, the key word in recruiting is “commitment.” But, what many do not tend to think about is when the word is delivered and why that is important.

The important timing of a commitment is that it generally is a pre-agreement and not a post-agreement. Consider the marriage ceremony (still a recruiting issue), and the fact that the presiding official will always ask the obligating question (commitment) “do you take this man/woman to be your lawfully wedded…” before they are pronounced married.

Some commitments are more costly than others. Consider the military commitment…that agreement is often pledged with the ultimate cost on the line, and is generally accepted before any assignments are delivered. Point is, no commitment should be taken lightly, and they should be planned for very carefully.

If you live in the sales world, and you are recruiting clients, the same is also true. You will want to solicit all the valuable commitments you can get, just like a coach who is recruiting for the team.

With that as your goal, what is often missing in many selling presentations to buyers (or anyone else) is to formally target commitments. They work best when they are sequential. In the selling cycle, the order can go as follows:

Are they committed to the interview…the fact finding process…your USP…your product or service…working with you…going through all the requirements to complete a transaction…to name a few?

In other words, without timely commitments along your presenting and/or selling path, you can find yourself suddenly lost in the process and beyond repair. Of course, the best kept commitments are the ones that are sealed in writing. These are best suited to high value/costly issues (again, like the military), but they can be critical in a sales transaction where a large sum is at stake.

In all, there really is no substitute for a well positioned commitment. We are all selling something, and from this exercise, it seems that we may also be in the recruiting business. There is a verse that says:

“A fitly spoken word is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

If we substitute “commitment” for “word,” the weight and value of this premise becomes more reasonable.

Your First and Last Decision

What was your first decision?
What will be your last decision?

Like many, you probably cannot answer either of these two questions. One is a matter of memory while the other is an issue of timing. The more interesting question is that if you could answer both of those questions with certainty, how would that change your approach to decisioning…and even life?

Decisioning in the Now

The definitive position about decisioning is what is being made in-between these two questions…in the now. What is your effectiveness? How important is it to you? What are you doing to get better at it? Do you use any systems, techniques or guidelines? How do you measure your progress? What are you trends?

This subject is white hot for obvious reasons. You can use any search engine to find that millions of results will emerge from the subject word of “decisions or decisioning.” That is the rub. To much information causes overload, and with overload comes the tendency to become confused and then paralyzed about the subject.

Again, the reason and purpose of our ZDT Blog is to inform, motivate and encourage you to become activated and energized about decisioning where you are [in the now], and to transfer the same challenge to those around you.

Insert from the article:
How Important is Decision-Making?
by Moya K. Mason

“The first and most important component of decision-making is self confidence. The second element is the ability to be analytical. The value of analysis cannot be overstated because it allows a person to systematically break down a situation and see its individual parts. Thirdly, a major part of decision-making is the ability to think critically. The great value of critical thought can be traced all the way back to the philosopher Socrates (b.399 B.C.) of Athens, who advocated that critical thought and self-reflection are major components of what it is to be human.

The last two attributes of being a decisive person is the understanding of the value of research (due diligence) and the ability to manage conflict, within yourself and your belief structure. All these components make up decisive behavior techniques and flow out of an overall orientation toward action, and an assumption of risk. These components do encourage individual development through self-awareness, as well as skill acquisition and improved competence.

Possessing the right set of attributes and having the courage to make a decision, does not mean the work is all done. You should have your own decision-making process which must take your communication network, your staff, and your stakeholders into consideration.

There must be a set of steps to incorporate the above elements into a process. Of course, this can be tailored differently for each scenario, but it might work something like this: Research a situation thoroughly -- analyze all the components -- think of all the people who will be effected by your decision -- think everything through using innovative and strategic thought processes -- have the self-confidence to make a short or long term decision and the commitment to stand by it -- communicate it to your staff -- and have the ability to overcome the conflict that may arise from the decision. Never forget evaluation.”

ZDT Author’s Note:

At the end, when all you can do is to look back, you may confess that your first real decision may well have set the course of your entire life (for the good or bad), and your last decision may have had something to do with why you are now getting to look back.

Point is, decisioning is a critical function in everyone’s life and for all of their life. Hopefully, and with all of our new technologies, how you are deciding now is getting more effective than it was in the past.

We never know when a particular decision will be our last one.


*How Important is Decision-Making?
by Moya K. Mason

Full article and credits:
http://www.moyak.com/papers/leadership-qualities.html

No Selling in the U.S.A.?

Selling is one of the ultimate freedoms in America. We are all selling something. “Mom, I need this dress…and shoes. Dad, I need some money to go to…Baby, we need a vacation…We need cars, homes, businesses…on and on.” We must have sellers and buyers.

Selling is the genesis of entrepreneurship, capitalism and free market enterprise. It’s how we got here.

It is true that nothing happens until somebody sells something. So, let’s look around to see who’s selling what?

Politicians (and street walkers) are selling themselves. Glen Beck is selling information and gold. George Soros is selling currencies. BP is selling oil (and bad decisions). W. is selling books. NPR is selling out. Fox is selling “fair and balanced.” CBS is selling commercials. Everybody is selling something in our free society.

The opposite is also true. If we have no atmosphere for buying and selling, what do we have? Question: How could that happen?

Let’s look around again…The more we need these markets, the more it seems that they are being crushed…housing, cars, small business, travel and airlines…and more to come. Our manufacturing has gone to China, our decisions are going to the government, and our dollar is going to hell.

Some of the above is provable and some may be speculative, but I don’t think that there will be much push back about the potential for a melt down. So, what are we to do?

Here’s the opportunity: Sell logic…Sell solutions…Sell freedom…Sell constitutionality…Sell inalienable rights…Sell truth…Sell facts …Sell a positive and hopeful future…Sell responsible decisioning.

Don’t sell: fear…spin…lies…misspeaking…misinformation…miscalculations…speculations...wrong headed personalities...herd mentality… political correctness...lame thinking…misdirection…anti principles…anti business…anti states rights…thoughtless responses or intimidation.

As long as there is a sliver of freedom left in this country, we need to keep selling. Point is, let’s sell and engage on purpose…not by coercion or by accident.

Freedom is not free.

Your Digital Challenge

The little booklet The Common Denominator of Success by Albert E.N. Gray has been given away by agents, general agents and recruiting managers for years with the distribution easily in the millions. It plainly describes what traits an agent needs to have to be successful in the insurance business. It was razor edge sharp in delivery and description.

The secrets?
Simple message (designed for short delivery time and/or buy in)
Compact physical booklet (like a small gift)
Laser focused on key points to identify or eliminate a prospect
Ideal prospecting tool for the specific market of insurance agents
Transferable concept even to other issues and industries
The message stands the test of time (concept from a 1940 speech)
Challenge of a paradigm shift and habit change commitment
A call to action

These secrets, among others, are identifiable and career changing if adopted and exercised repeatedly over time. I would never challenge the impact and influence this one concept has had over the years. I personally handed out hundreds of them.

But now, measured from my own experience, and as great as this message is, I realize the absence of the purposeful decision that precedes and preempts this concept. And, here is the resulting mantra:

“Success is Relative…Decisions are Definable”

I too have recruited and trained scores of insurance agents over the years to learn that the decision comes before the habit change or paradigm shift.

Point is, in order to become successful (in any business) we need to pay strict attention to our methodology and the patterns/models that we used to arrive at life or career changing decisions. The bigger pay off is to continue to make sound decisions in all areas of our lives.

If we can define that model and transfer it, we can then influence others (clients, relatives and friends) to make difficult and challenging decisions in all the other areas of their lives (perhaps the decision to buy a product/service solution that had previously been stuck in “IWTTAI” (I Want to Think about It) land.

Here’s the challenge…In this digital community, it will be simple for you to publish your own (USP) digital booklet of what you believe to be the Common Denominator of Success in today’s economy and society. It will be revealing and insightful, especially to your own audience.

We have written one titled:
“The Common Denominator of Decisioning”

We will be glad to share it.

Your Decisioning Journal

Why not? Digital calendars, iPad forms, SmartPhone apps are everywhere. We could use them to find out something revolutionary…our decisioning trends.

Recorded on a frequent and consistent basis, charting decision results can yield you some valuable intelligence. We post and track appointments, errands, birthdays, occasions of every kind. Why not decisions? In reality, there is little that is more important than the collective decisions that you make.

One of my old sales managers famously quoted: “if they could do without what you are offering for 30 days…they could do without it forever.” In my selling career, that maxim has rendered essentially true. Once the buyer states…

“I want to think about it”

For a salesperson, the clock begins to tick, and you have less than 30 days to close the deal. In reality, the opportunity drops about 25% for each remaining week. We believe the same time frame is true regarding personal decisioning.

So, 30 days should be a good unit of time for this exercise. What you choose to track in this time frame is the key to making this an effective methodology.

For the next 30 days record these:
(Include any others that you feel are important keys for you)

Focus on only those decisions that involve money (measurable)
Outline circumstances, objectives and importance (big or small issue)
The time frame to make the decision (30 day window or under)
Outside pressures, other influences and obstacles (ownership)
Others:

Wait 30 more days and review the list to see what happened (consequences)
Permanently record any trends, models and/or revelations (paradigm shift)

ZDT Questions:
Will any new habits, models or systems be adopted as a consequence?
Was it a useful/effective test?
Will you share it with others?

We would welcome your feedback and experiences.

The Art of Decisioning

From the artistic side, I’ve probably rendered a few thousand paintings, drawings and graphic images over the years. What did all those impressions teach me about decisioning?

Art and Decisioning

Lesson: Deciding before you paint dictates what you decide while you paint. For example: Will the theme be Abstract or Realistic…Still Life or Portrait…Watercolor or Oil…Canvas or Board…Large or Small?

You can clearly see how this develops. If you start with a still life of a barn in a pasture, and then haphazardly change your thoughts and designs to portraiture, the confusion of messages will not lead to a successful painting.

Those thought patterns applied to decisioning should follow the same path. But, if you narrow your focus, categorize your thinking and stay consistent with your basic theme…that will keep you own track as you get deeper into the process. Oil painting will have one characteristic while watercolor will have completely different traits. So the decision of one over the other will tend to dictate the entire process that follows.

Point is that if you define and stay true to your basic beliefs, decisioning can and will be a much more efficient process.

ZDT Notes:

The objective (the painting or the decision) will be dictated by your POV (point of view). If you are agnostic, you will not frame your decision around Godly principles, and visa versa. If you are young, you will tend to decide with more limited experience because of age over the older “been there done that” POV.

Who would ever think about the artistic side of decisioning…ZDT.

Thank You Management

Some decisions in management do not have to be complicated. It was a few years ago, but this management principle still works in any economy (principles usually stand the test of time). Let’s start with a question:

“When was the last time you got a handwritten

thank you note from a salesperson?”

Consider the sales cycle: It begins with questions, is cemented by solutions and then sealed by signatures…lastly; it should be wrapped by a personalized thank you note. But, how often does that happen?

A few years ago, in a managers meeting, I laid down a challenge to the others that I could manage our sales group and the entire sales effort by monitoring just one category. I did not say at the time what that category would be, but I did get a few to take the bait with their own methods. We shook hands to return a month later and compare results.

The method was simple. I asked the salespeople to make a copy of each handwritten thank you note they were sending to clients and prospects, and drop it in my mail box. Again, considering the sales cycle, the note was the result of a completed transaction. Several transactions…several notes. No transactions…no notes, and everything in between.

I did tell them that I would make calls within the month to follow up on some of the notes, at random, to gauge client satisfaction (just in case). Of course they could see the method behind the madness, but I got to repeatedly use a favorite slogan from our Regional Director at the time:

“Don’t tell me about the labor pains…

just show me the baby.”

There is nothing more sobering in sales than to realistically face the fact that nothing happens until somebody sells something…especially when its you. And, this simple method puts the onus right were it has to be…Ouch!

So, at the next manager’s meeting, my job was easy…I simply held up a stack of thank you notes that told the entire story….winner.

There is a verse that says:

“The simple shall confound the wise.”

Here’s the really tough question: How many handwritten thank you notes are you sending out? The answer can be revolutionary to your practice.

How Rainmakers Make Rain

Definition of Rainmaker: An employee, producer or entrepreneur who creates a remarkable amount of new business for a company or institution. This term is often used in the context of the financial services, marketing/ advertising, and various other industries.

The decision to become a rainmaker is one of choice and not made by accident. Today, that decision can be timely and important given the climate of the economy and the hungry need of business for new sales. The list could be long as to why one would want to (or not) consider this road.

Clearly, the rewards outnumber the liabilities, but rainmakers know nothing in life is achieved without sacrifice [a price] to achieve extraordinary results.

Simply put, rainmakers generally have the following four traits in common.

1. They identify the problems. That means the buyer’s problems, the market’s problems, the economic climate problems, the product and service problems, the competition’s problems…in all; they are keenly sensitive and driven by the need of the problems and what it will take to solve them (even their own).

2. They are world class examples of commitment. In every sense of the word, they are committed to a solid work ethic, committed to integrity, committed to service, committed to excellence, committed to deliver results (even when excuses are common). In all, they are committed to “whatever it takes.”

3. They sell solutions. Products, services, plans, guides, webinars, graphics, books, magazines, mailings, digital apps…etc. are not stand alone objects. They are solutions to a problem. The rainmaker knows how to match the right solution to fit the correctly identified problem (due diligence and suitability). It is truly that simple, but how many really qualify for this rare membership?

4. They are driven into action. They realize that all the fantasies of success in this or any other field will not happen without specific, dedicated and focused action. They know the difference between the activity of the clown with the spinning plates versus closing the deal, collecting the money and leveraging that success to the next one.

In this economy, rainmakers are in hot demand. Their results are their resume.

Additional “Zillion Dollar Thoughts” of Rainmakers:

They know that it universally costs $450 to make a selling call. They know how many attempts (based on their product/service costs) that will invert profitability.

They dollarize everything.

They understand the maxim of “penny wise and pound foolish.”

They are married to a model (a transferable, repeatable and pre-planned format or system).

Zillion Dollar Thought

A person chews a piece of gum approximately 5,500 times before spitting it out. Chews since Adam and Eve...Zillions.

Is Due Diligence Biblical?

Due diligence is time consuming, hard work and vital.

In order of priority, due diligence is the first order of business once the problem or opportunity has been established. A mistake or omission at this point can spell doom to the overall effort. But, considering the repeatable negligence in decisioning that is taking place in today’s economy, one may think that this step had not yet been invented (BP; Fannie Mae; Corporate and Intuitional failures, Congressional lawmaking…on and on).

And now we are poised to elect a new regime. How much due diligence have we done?

Due diligence in a broad sense refers to the level of judgment, due care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person would reasonably be expected to do under particular circumstances. In corporate law, due diligence is the process of conducting an intensive investigation of a corporation as one of the first steps in a pending merger or acquisition. In a company acquisition, due diligence would include fully understanding all of the obligations of the company: debts, pending and potential lawsuits, leases, warranties, long-term customer agreements, employment contracts, distribution agreements, compensation arrangements, liabilities and so forth.

Due diligence is a process of acquiring objective and reliable information, generally on a person or a company, prior to a specific event or decision. It is usually a systematic research effort, which is used to gather the critical facts and descriptive information which are most relevant to the making of an informed decision on a matter of importance.

The Biblical principles of proving, studying and searching are in place to remind those who are believers to stay vigilant, and to those who would seek to fabricate and distort the original teachings…rendering them as “man-made” heresies.

Prove all Things

Herein is the caution, to prove all things. We must even put a burden on those who preach. We must not believe things on mere trust from the preacher, but try them by the law and the testimony. We must search the scriptures, to find what they say to be true or not (due diligence and discernment). We must not believe every spirit, but must try the spirits to see if they are from God or man.

“Everyone who labels themselves as Christian (76% of U.S. Population), has and ought to have, the judgment of discretion, and should have their senses exercised in discerning between good and evil, truth and falsehood” [Heb. 5:13-14]

1Th 5:21
Prove all things.

II Ti 2:15
Study to show thyself approved unto God.

Isa 34:16
Search the book of the LORD, and see what he will do.

Look up and beware of these:

Deceivers
False Witnesses
Charlatans
Opportunists
Liars
Fraudsters
Swindlers
Cons
Cheaters
Criminals
Crooks
Sharks
Fakers
Villains
Lawless

Decisioning begins with due diligence. It’s Biblical.

Salespeople: Deciding on a model

Today, even after all the current methods, systems and technologies, a simple and proven sales/marketing process is even harder to find and implement than ever before. Research shows that either one is too complicated and basically ineffective, or else it does not communicate logically and ends in frustration for the seller and the buyer.

If you are in sales, there are several reasons to consider adopting a model that is a tried, true and repeatable system. Among others, an effective model should include:

A documented and successfully proven system with years of success. If you have witnessed and/or have participated in other systems in the past...Do you use any of them today? Why...Why Not?

Works with both big and small situations and events...a universal system
You should not need to reinvent additional presentations or "shoot from the hip" which could question your professionalism

Requires interactivity, agreement, effective and decisive communication
Automatically deters domination of the seller and requires the buyer to become involved in the process (interactive vs. passive)

Contains a simple and transferable graphic element (e.g. triangle/pyramid)
Should be able to be sketched or transferred to most any surface and most anywhere almost instantly...Transfers the focus to a workable model

It is logical, "easily and quickly” communicated and it develops trust
"People in the dark are rarely cooperative...being enlightened ahead by a standardized model is vital before buy-in or action"

It is consultative rather than “hard selling” in delivery and presentation
It is provable that the general public has little appetite toward any high pressure techniques

It serves as a very early and continuing qualifier or eliminator
Consider the average in-person sales call costing $460, and this area becomes very quantifiable

It works across most any industry market, product or service
Once you learn and practice an effective universal model system...You may leave a product or service...You will always have a transferable model to take with you

It is the ultimate sales training tool because of the "accountability" factor
An effective model will allow you to track most and break down any sales or presentation problem or issue by analyzing each step and their requirements

It can work for tangible or intangible products or services
This is especially important if your organization is selling products and services...Again, you do not have to reinvent it over and over

It is a transferable concept and can even be understood by children
That should be the acid test of any selling system...Q. Could your young son/daughter or your mom/dad understand it?

The list can go on and on *(you will want to add from your own experience)

Most of these benefits can be calculated with a quantifiable monetary result in most industry sectors. The largest benefit is the one that answers the question: "Will I continue to use this system year after year?"

With any new or unproven concept (to you), each individual and/or organization will have to come to their own conclusion about the inclusion of a selling model. Once decided, I hope your experience will be as good as mine has been over 25+ years.

ZDT Author’s comment:

“We are all selling something.”

What are Your Commitments?

If you are the “seller?”

Regardless of the product or service, in the back of the mind of many consumers are questions about the seller’s trustworthiness. Once trust is established, the fear that encourages the “I want to think about it” response is substantially reduced. There is little substitute for having your commitments listed and professionally communicated. The following are some excellent samples of categories and descriptions of commitments (from the financial services sector) that you may consider adopting, or at least using as a reference to build your own list:

Fact Finding and Suitability: We will be thorough in establishing the facts of your case, and only when we fully appreciate your financial objectives and tolerance to the various types of risk will we suggest investments or a strategy that is suitable for you.

Due Diligence: We will perform thorough due diligence on any fund manager, company, person or investment strategy before recommending it to you. This will include past risk and return, analysis of the strategy, monitoring of fees, assessing the financial strength of the investment manager and any other significant risks unique to that investment. We will recommend only the most reputable of fund managers and service providers.

Specialists: We are considered experts in our chosen field. Our clients want and deserve experts, not general practitioners.

Confidentiality: Your business is your business, and we intend to keep it that way.

Cost Effectiveness: Our clients are in business to make money, and our job is to support that goal by staying focused on their budgeted projections.

Proactive: We believe that the proactive party has the advantage over the reactive party. Whatever the nature of the challenge, we will have a proactive plan.

Risk Tolerance: We will alert you of the risks involved in any strategy, in writing, before recommending that investment. We will offer a comprehensive financial planning service that takes into account personal investments, insurance, mortgages and debt management, estate planning and taxation.

Continuing Education: We will continue our professional development on an ongoing basis to keep our qualifications up to date…because laws, people and markets change.

Communication: We will communicate our investment strategy and the underlying principles of investment to you as clearly as possible. This will occur in numerous ways, including thorough discussion of investment strategies, at reviews, and through specialty seminars which we will host routinely.

Reciprocity: At all times we will treat you in the manner that we would like to be treated. We will be as careful in managing your money as we would be with our own money, if we were in your situation.

Professionalism: We are committed to a long term professional relationship based on a high degree of service, communication, reliability and integrity.

If you are the “buyer?”

“Buyer beware” has never been truer than in today’s digitally complex decision making environment. As a part of their selling model, exceptional professionals will demonstrate in written form their solemn commitments to you as a buyer. If not, then run the other way. And, the larger the cost of the purchase, the more vital this subject becomes.

Decisioning and International Implications

You never know when you may need a communication vehicle to bridge or advance a relationship. Please let me explain.

A few years back, I had the assignment and challenge of working with stockbrokers at a major firm as a financial and estate planning specialist. I was also required to gain the same training, license and position as the brokers. That was a very wise and insightful move on the manager’s part. He knew that I would be accepted more as a peer than as an outsider and would have much more credibility with them.

That said, I did have the opportunity to work with brokers and their clients in hundreds of interviews and consultations over the course of about 10 years. And during that time, I had the privilege of developing several personal relationships…many still remain today.

One of those relationships turned out to be highly unique. It was born from a model (The MODELTM System).

In most of the client interviews, I personally introduced the integral steps of our decisioning model. It was not Standard Operating Procedure for the company, but since it was generic in nature (and presented no compliance conflicts), I demonstrated it to allow clients to see how I would interact with them and to test their responsiveness. It also gave me a pre-qualifying look at them and their buy-in levels during this interactive interview.

I was also able to emphasize (again) the “due diligence” phase of this system that was always in the client’s and the company’s best interest. It never failed.

One of the brokers became very receptive to this approach, and he began to develop this method in his own practice. But, as fate would have it, his daughter won a spot in the Royal Ballet Co. in London. So, they pulled up stakes here and moved to London England. He got a full transfer to an affiliate branch in London.

When my friend was an individual retail broker here in the states, he had the ability to solicit individual and corporate business through most any legitimate channel. Once he transferred to Europe the only spot that available to him was as a Capital Markets Specialist (a major stretch from his prior job). Once he got settled into the new position and began to rub his hands together gesturing “let’s go get ‘em”…then he was quickly instructed that in his new role “direct solicitation in his territory” of new clients was not allowed…Help.

Being the new kid on the block with no friends in that office, he did not have a lot of allies in his camp to help him break the ice into the Capital Markets sector. So, I immediately got a call from him in London.

As we analyzed his situation, I asked him if he had shared our model with anyone over there as yet. It seemed that the established guys in the capital markets division had all the answers…except for one…they did not have a decisioning model system.

Once my friend had the opportunity to demonstrate how the system could work, even for them at their level, they enthusiastically embraced it. It became more of a communication “gift” that he now confesses created a jump start to his business in Europe. After that, the established brokers literally took him by the hand and were willing to “formally introduce” him to significant client prospects. The rest is history…great history.

What was that worth? He enjoyed a very successful stint in Europe, and fortunately for me, after a few years he came back to the states where we enjoy a great friendship to this day. He still remarks that he’s not sure what would have happened had he not had the model system to produce in that critical situation.

Key Point: Consider adopting a decisioning model system that is highly transferable to other brokers and/or clients more as a communication device than a sales effort. Calendars and ballpoint pens are beginning to go the way of the land line… In case you can’t find one, email me, and I’ll share ours with you.

efalkner@zilliondollarthinking.com
Keyword: “zillions”

Zillion Dollar Thought

The word Hallelujah is common to all languages...It has never (in a zillion years) been translated. Amazing.