5 Quick Tips from a Top Producer

I was wrapping up a meeting last week with a client of mine who has brought in over $80,000 worth of income for himself from referrals as a result of our work together in the past 12 months. I enjoy hearing how he thinks because he is so successful. Many top producers do not realize that they think differently about their business.

I asked Andy why he followed through on his Referral Action Plan that he and I create each meeting when so many people procrastinate and say they are too busy.

1. Think long term

“I look down the road at where I want to be and know that these actions will help me get there.” Clearly he has faith in the process and in the role models he chooses to follow knowing that he does not need to reinvent any wheels.

2. Find people who have been there and done that and only listen to them.

I asked him how he picked out who to listen to in his company. He said: “It was real simple. I looked at the top 2 or 3 producers in my company and learned from them.”

I was curious so I asked him: “So, are you saying you stopped listening to your manager?” He replied: “Right. After two months.”

3. Use pain and pleasure to get leverage on yourself to act.

Then I noted that people are motivated by pain and/or pleasure. I asked him whether he would feel badly if he didn’t follow through on his action plan. “I’d feel like a loser.” That’s good leverage when it helps you take positive action. I then said: “What about the good stuff? Do you get excited about the benefits of growing your business?”

Maybe it was a loaded question, but he said, “Oh, sure. There are lots of things I want to do in life.” So he has positive leverage there as well. It adds up.

4. Have a belief that empowers you about stepping out of your comfort zone.

Then I said, “But most people get comfortable and don’t like to do things that make them feel uncomfortable."That’s another reason why some of my other clients don’t always follow through." Andy responded: “I just know that if I only do what I’m comfortable with, I won’t get to where I want to go.”

I know this sounds so simple but, again, what Andy has here is a belief that empowers him to take action rather than doubt himself. It also helps him deal with rejection and failure because he’s built it into his equation of what he needs to do to succeed.

5. Show up

This was Andy’s final point. I asked him what he meant because this one sounded embarrassingly basic. “People in this office don’t have to be here. They’re not punching the clock. If they have no appointments, they’ll go home and either watch TV or take a nap. If I have a morning with no meetings, I come in anyway and get as much productive stuff done as I can. You have to take a lot of action!”

At which point I added that that was where your level of motivation also comes in.

How much do you want business success? Please share Andy’s advice with others as helpful reminders. We all need them and usually more often than we’d care to admit!