Tweet

Small Steps add up to many Kilometres

Written by: Ian Keightley

Article Overview: Ian produces a weekly sales tip which has a huge subscriber list. Here is a typical sample

Small Steps add up to many Kilometres

Hi and welcome to your Weekly Salestip from Ian Keightley @ Salescoach for Monday 21st July 2008

Small steps add up to many kilometres if you take enough of them
Sometimes when you haven't seen an old friend for a while you get a big surprise when you get to meet them again after a gap of several years.

Because of the reach of our database now, we often receive calls from old friends who touch base with us again because someone has sent them one of our Weekly Tips or Newsletters. Last week I had a call from an old school friend who suggested we catch up. I hadn't seen Bruce for about 15 years and last time I saw him he was about 150kg. I was not expecting to meet the "new" Bruce - in fact I almost missed him because he had changed so much.

He was looking very fit and trim - said he now weighed about 73 kg. Bruce told me he had run 2 marathons and was now working on his swimming and cycling and planning a triathlon. When I last knew Bruce he hated walking - and now triathlons!

Bruce told me his story - high blood pressure, sore knees, mild heart attack - all the usual warnings and after seeing the likely path his then lifestyle was taking him, Bruce decided to change. On day 1 Bruce walked to the 10th power pole from his letterbox and back again. After a week of this, he added a power pole a day until he was walking 10 km. He then started to jog the first 10 power poles and the last ten on his 10km walk. Each day he added another pole until he was jogging the whole 10 km. Bruce had also changed his diet - not in one big turnaround - He started with healthy Monday's and over a period of 3 months added a day every two weeks until all 7 days were healthy.

When he started Bruce had no intention of running 1 marathon, let alone 2. In fact if Bruce had thought then that he would be doing these things and now be this weight, he probably wouldn't have started at all. Bruce did however take the first step and then another, then another. Rather than making a wholesale change that was both physically and mentally impossible for Bruce, he made small changes every day and the result is HUGE.

Business is a bit like that - this is a market that is demanding change - asking more of us - challenging our traditional activity and thinking. Changing everything all at once could mean no business at all. Making small incremental changes every day may be the best way to make a huge difference. Take a look at your business and see what you can change today, no matter how small, and make another small change each day this week. Watch the changes compound for you. The risk is that if we don't see the change as big enough we may make no change at all, when in reality the sum of the small changes makes a huge difference.

Quote for the Week

"Things do not change. We change"

Henry David Thoreau

Related Articles
  Small Steps to Reduce Climate Change
  Dig hard for those valuable tax receipts and reap the rewards!
  Parallel Synchronized Randomness
  Small Wins, Quick Success
  Take Time To Celebrate Your Achievements In Your Computer Home Business

Article Tags: 21st july, change tha, gap, heart attack, high blood pressure, kilometres, letterbox, marathons, mild heart attack, old friend, old friends, old school, power poles, school friend, small steps, sore knees, triathlon, triathlons, turnaround, wholesale change



Related Forum Posts
Re: Drop out Billionaire - I reveived Bill Bartmann's DVD "9 Steps To Achieve Any Goal" as part of my monthly pack from Success University a few months back. It is a great presentation. I've watched it several times but not for a while so I'll view it again in the coming week. He is one of the greats. Like the best success mentors, he speaks with authority because he has come through much tribulation. His program sounds like a great bargain at $100 a year.
These maybe the coldest franchises out there: - Here are the worst 15 performing franchises in regards to having the highest Small Business Administration (SBA) loan failure rates. The list is dotted with sub sandwich shops, fitness centers and car shops. WORST FRANCHISE LOAN FAILURES Failure % 1 OBEE'S SOUP SALAD SUBS 55.56% 2 LADY OF AMERICA 41.94% 3 COUNTRY CLUTTER (BED & BREAKFAST) 41.18% 4 COPY CLUB 36.36% 5 ALL TUNE AND LUBE 35.71% 6 PICKERMAN'S 35.71% 7 PHILLY CONNECTION 35.59% 8 ROLY POLY ROLLED SANDWICHES 34.78% 9 COTTMAN TRANSMISSION 34.48% 10 HAIR COLOR EXPRESS 33.33% 11 LEE MYLES AUTOMOTIVE TRANSMISSIONS 33.33% 12 GODFATHER'S PIZZA 33.33% 13 SMOOTHIE FACTORY 33.33% 14 BLIMPIE 31.39% 15 GOLF U.S.A. (RETAIL GOLF EQUIP.) 30.77% Source: Small Business Administration, SBA Loan Performance Within Franchise Code for the Period of FY 2001 - 2005
New Guy Here - Automobile Industry - Hi Everyone, My name is Ray and I work as a sales trainer in the automobile industry. I have just completed a new training curriculum for automobile salespeople in the industry. It is called The Baby Steps of Selling Automobiles. I am beginning my marketing efforts through press releases and seminar formats. I joined the community due to my continued desire to work independently creating my own happiness and growth. Thank you for having me and I look forward to more correspondence in the future.
Re: Biz Plan Competition - i just wanted to say that posting Small Business Events on CanadaOne is a great resource. Thanks Julie!
Blog pinging - Thanks Martin - yes, I do ping and it has been very effective. I'm currently on the first page of Google for Mastermind Group and on the second page for Selling to Small Business.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Sales Flubs

What is an Adaptive Organization

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.