A Shortcut to Great Success in Your Business
A Shortcut to Great Success in Your Business
I made the mistake of not discussing my challenge with anyone else. I felt the problem was something I should have known the answer to, so I didn't really feel comfortable talking about it to others. Wow, did I learn the value of having a mentor. I have probably lost 18 months of productivity simply because I wouldn't ask for help.
How often have you said to yourself, "I wish I knew then what I know now."? I have a number of people that I use as mentors, but I have said it a few more times than I would liked to.
It takes a long time to become successful. Along the way there are many pitfalls. Each time we encounter one we learn something, regardless of the outcome. This means that if you make a point of getting advice from someone experienced in your area of interest, you can probably avoid most of the common mistakes and often you can find short cuts to success by following the advice you get from the voices of experience.
No matter who you are and where you are in your career, finding yourself good mentors can be invaluable. I like to have different mentors for different aspects of my life, both business and personal.
There's lots of research on the value of mentoring relationships. It almost always shows that the person being mentored finds lots of value in it.
I believe that a lot of my success today is due to some important mentors in my past.
In my first real job I was a medical technologist working in the local medical school. Here I learned the value of delegating tasks and letting people run with them and not interfering. Although I was only 18, my boss kept testing me by giving me ever bigger challenges, letting me make my mistakes and helping me learn from them. From my very first managerial position, I have always tried to manage people this way. Managing people like this helps the eagles fly, but the mediocre players flounder.
In another position, I learned that simple tasks are not simple unless you understand the secrets. I was struggling as a novice salesman. My boss was an expert salesman and sold almost effortlessly by asking a series of questions. To the uninitiated, this simply looked like having a nice chat and being inquisitive.
It was only once he started explaining the strategy to me that I discovered he had an overall game plan. He used a sophisticated technique comprised of four different types of questions that yielded very different results depending on how and when they were used in the conversation. He also showed me how to use questions to build trust, to understand needs, to handle objections and even to close the sale.
To this day I still sell this way. I have literally made hundreds of thousands of dollars with this one technique. I got it free, but in retrospect I would have paid many thousands of dollars to learn it. In fact had I not learned to sell this way, I think I might have had a very different career.
I have never again assumed that what looks simple is really simple.
Most people underestimate the complexity of even simple subjects, assuming that by casually observing, they can see all there is to know. Take direct mail for example,. I often hear people say, "Direct mail doesn't work in my business". With a little probing, it usually becomes apparent that even the most basic rules of direct mail were ignored.
The person concerned thought; "I can write a letter, what can be so difficult about a direct mail piece?" People with this view fail to recognize that experts spend a lifetime studying this one subject; learning how to get letters opened, learning how to get letters read and how to get people to take action on their letters. (See article, "6 Simple Rules for Creating Direct Mail That Gets Your Phone to Ring".)
Many of us become satisfied with a certain level of performance, assuming that it is enough. We become satisfied and complacent with our level of performance and stop looking for answers. This often cheats us, we miss the opportunities for growth, not realizing that some simple changes can turn a project from a failure or marginal success to a runaway success with no extra cost and often no extra effort.
You may not know what you need to learn to make the next leap in performance and skill. But the great thing is; there is no subject you need to learn that you can't find out about from someone else who has been there and done it successfully before. One of your goals should be to find people who can help you move forward. It will accelerate your results and make a big difference in your performance.
How do you find mentors?
First off, you should write down the goals you want to achieve. Then decide where you need help. Once you have that list, look around in your industry for people who are successful. Ideally try to find people who have retired recently. They are often at loose ends; bored with doing nothing and willing to help. Also, if their retirement is recent, they are still current, which is critical. Another source is subject matter experts in the field you need to learn about.
The easiest way to reach these people is to write them a short letter, expressing admiration for their careers and achievements. This must be sincere as any insincerity will be immediately recognizable.
Ask for the opportunity to meet with them over lunch and outline the area or issue on which you are looking for advice. This first meeting should be exploratory. You need to know if you get along, and understand what this person can teach you. You also need to find out your potential mentor's level of interest in this kind of role. You also need to understand what he or she wants in return and what each of you expects from the relationship. I would not discuss compensation until you are sure you want to work together.
Some questions you should have in the back of your mind include:
• Is this someone you can trust?
• Is this someone you can confide it?
• Is this someone who can give you relevant advice, feedback and support?
• Is this someone with sufficient technical knowledge to be able to help you learn what you need to learn?
Be prepared to pay top dollar for this kind of help, after all these people can help you accelerate your progress dramatically and you can learn from every mistake they have made. Imagine what it would have been worth to me to have solved my problem in a matter of days or weeks instead of years! But don’t pay more than you are comfortable with. Follow your instincts.
Before each meeting decide what you want from the discussion and outline this before you begin. This also will give you a measure of success. When working with your mentor, it is important to keep track of your progress so that both of you can see the benefits of working together. It will also be important to let your mentor know what you are learning as you progress through the relationship.
I believe in multiple mentors. I like to choose people with different skill-sets and perspectives. This not only gives me depth in the chosen area, but also the opportunity to compare different perspectives where appropriate.
Sometimes the people you would like to have as mentors are already in the business of giving advice. If this is the case, respect that. This is how they earn their living, don't expect them to do something for you outside of what they normally do. If you need their skills and can afford to pay them, often this is a great way to accelerate your success.
A Shortcut to Great Success in Your Business - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Hepworth's Website.
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I woke up on this morning with a revelation about my business. It was so simple, I couldn't believe it had taken me 2 years to figure it out. The interesting thing was that despite huge amounts of time thinking about this challenge, the actual answer came to me in a split second. I was reflecting on a discussion with a successful business person while at gym the day before. He didn't give me the answer but his insight pointed me in the right direction.
I made the mistake of not discussing my challenge with anyone else. I felt the problem was something I should have known the answer to, so I didn't really feel comfortable talking about it to others. Wow, did I learn the value of having a mentor. I have probably lost 18 months of productivity simply because I wouldn't ask for help.
How often have you said to yourself, "I wish I knew then what I know now."? I have a number of people that I use as mentors, but I have said it a few more times than I would liked to.
It takes a long time to become successful. Along the way there are many pitfalls. Each time we encounter one we learn something, regardless of the outcome. This means that if you make a point of getting advice from someone experienced in your area of interest, you can probably avoid most of the common mistakes and often you can find short cuts to success by following the advice you get from the voices of experience.
No matter who you are and where you are in your career, finding yourself good mentors can be invaluable. I like to have different mentors for different aspects of my life, both business and personal.
There's lots of research on the value of mentoring relationships. It almost always shows that the person being mentored finds lots of value in it.
I believe that a lot of my success today is due to some important mentors in my past.
In my first real job I was a medical technologist working in the local medical school. Here I learned the value of delegating tasks and letting people run with them and not interfering. Although I was only 18, my boss kept testing me by giving me ever bigger challenges, letting me make my mistakes and helping me learn from them. From my very first managerial position, I have always tried to manage people this way. Managing people like this helps the eagles fly, but the mediocre players flounder.
In another position, I learned that simple tasks are not simple unless you understand the secrets. I was struggling as a novice salesman. My boss was an expert salesman and sold almost effortlessly by asking a series of questions. To the uninitiated, this simply looked like having a nice chat and being inquisitive.
It was only once he started explaining the strategy to me that I discovered he had an overall game plan. He used a sophisticated technique comprised of four different types of questions that yielded very different results depending on how and when they were used in the conversation. He also showed me how to use questions to build trust, to understand needs, to handle objections and even to close the sale.
To this day I still sell this way. I have literally made hundreds of thousands of dollars with this one technique. I got it free, but in retrospect I would have paid many thousands of dollars to learn it. In fact had I not learned to sell this way, I think I might have had a very different career.
I have never again assumed that what looks simple is really simple.
Most people underestimate the complexity of even simple subjects, assuming that by casually observing, they can see all there is to know. Take direct mail for example,. I often hear people say, "Direct mail doesn't work in my business". With a little probing, it usually becomes apparent that even the most basic rules of direct mail were ignored.
The person concerned thought; "I can write a letter, what can be so difficult about a direct mail piece?" People with this view fail to recognize that experts spend a lifetime studying this one subject; learning how to get letters opened, learning how to get letters read and how to get people to take action on their letters. (See article, "6 Simple Rules for Creating Direct Mail That Gets Your Phone to Ring".)
Many of us become satisfied with a certain level of performance, assuming that it is enough. We become satisfied and complacent with our level of performance and stop looking for answers. This often cheats us, we miss the opportunities for growth, not realizing that some simple changes can turn a project from a failure or marginal success to a runaway success with no extra cost and often no extra effort.
You may not know what you need to learn to make the next leap in performance and skill. But the great thing is; there is no subject you need to learn that you can't find out about from someone else who has been there and done it successfully before. One of your goals should be to find people who can help you move forward. It will accelerate your results and make a big difference in your performance.
How do you find mentors?
First off, you should write down the goals you want to achieve. Then decide where you need help. Once you have that list, look around in your industry for people who are successful. Ideally try to find people who have retired recently. They are often at loose ends; bored with doing nothing and willing to help. Also, if their retirement is recent, they are still current, which is critical. Another source is subject matter experts in the field you need to learn about.
The easiest way to reach these people is to write them a short letter, expressing admiration for their careers and achievements. This must be sincere as any insincerity will be immediately recognizable.
Ask for the opportunity to meet with them over lunch and outline the area or issue on which you are looking for advice. This first meeting should be exploratory. You need to know if you get along, and understand what this person can teach you. You also need to find out your potential mentor's level of interest in this kind of role. You also need to understand what he or she wants in return and what each of you expects from the relationship. I would not discuss compensation until you are sure you want to work together.
Some questions you should have in the back of your mind include:
• Is this someone you can trust?
• Is this someone you can confide it?
• Is this someone who can give you relevant advice, feedback and support?
• Is this someone with sufficient technical knowledge to be able to help you learn what you need to learn?
Be prepared to pay top dollar for this kind of help, after all these people can help you accelerate your progress dramatically and you can learn from every mistake they have made. Imagine what it would have been worth to me to have solved my problem in a matter of days or weeks instead of years! But don’t pay more than you are comfortable with. Follow your instincts.
Before each meeting decide what you want from the discussion and outline this before you begin. This also will give you a measure of success. When working with your mentor, it is important to keep track of your progress so that both of you can see the benefits of working together. It will also be important to let your mentor know what you are learning as you progress through the relationship.
I believe in multiple mentors. I like to choose people with different skill-sets and perspectives. This not only gives me depth in the chosen area, but also the opportunity to compare different perspectives where appropriate.
Sometimes the people you would like to have as mentors are already in the business of giving advice. If this is the case, respect that. This is how they earn their living, don't expect them to do something for you outside of what they normally do. If you need their skills and can afford to pay them, often this is a great way to accelerate your success.
A Shortcut to Great Success in Your Business - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Hepworth's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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