What Worked So Well You Stopped Doing It?

Pretty much every week one of my referral coaching clients tells me that in their early days they had good (even great) results doing a certain specific thing and then ‘joke’: ‘It worked so well I stopped doing it!’ Yet they hardly ever resolve to start doing it again!

All I’d like to suggest this week is that you ask yourself these four questions and think them over when you’re driving somewhere. We spend so much time looking forward that we forget there is wisdom from our past that we’re ignoring because we never think about it!

1. What activities did I do a lot of when I first started out that got me good results?
For many people they were more assertive with their prospecting and all the action they took paid off.  Look back at the number of phone calls you made and coffee meetings you had. How was your motivation level compared to today? Look back at the amount of networking you did. What about your persistence pursuing business?

2. How did I run my meetings differently?
I’m guessing there are many things you do better now because of your expertise. However, when you’re starting out, sometimes you are more attentive to details and niceties such as offering coffee or water or having materials all laid out in the most professional manner. Maybe you were more organized and now you wing it more because you can get away with it. Were there questions you used to ask that you don’t delve into anymore? Did you make more effort to find referral opportunities for other centers of influence?

I’m embarrassed to say that when I trained as a coach 7 years ago, there were a couple of specific things that I used to do that definitely enhanced the feel of meetings. One of those things was taking time to acknowledge clients for the positive actions they had taken – my step one in the 6 Steps to an Effective Referral Conversation. Because I am now thinking about this topic, it is something I want to go back to doing because people like it and it’s a great skill to be good at! I just got out of the habit of doing it since it wasn’t essential, it took extra effort and it didn’t come naturally to me. Chances are high there are things like this that you might want to reintroduce.

3. What did I do to motivate yourself?
There was a nervous energy when you were new, right? I remember being so excited/nervous that not being able to sleep at night was quite common. What did you do better? Maybe you read more professionally, not least because you knew you didn’t know much!

Did you write out your goals every day? Have a picture board version of your dreams or the picture of a cool house, car or vacation destination on your fridge or bathroom mirror? Was there a book or audio program you loved back then that you haven’t touched in years? Maybe you had a routine that got your head in the right place quickly so your week was productive. It’s time to do what worked well again!

4. How did I think differently?
This question tends to stump people because it requires some thought (!) For me, I saw almost everything I did as a frequently nerve-wracking opportunity. I felt like I was having to act like someone I had never been before and it was all out of my comfort zone. It ranged from intensely stressful to invigorating and exhilarating. Tony Robbins talks about this in one of his audio programs and says that often when successful entrepreneurs plateau, it’s  because they have slowly become too comfortable and have stopped taking any risks – that what made them effective they’re not doing any more.

Mull it over and if you can’t think of anything you used to do better, think harder! Some of those actions and habits are worth resurrecting and will make you more money.

Who else might appreciate this reminder? Please forward it on and share the wealth!