May 12/19, 2014; Volume 27/Number 27
By Lisbeth Calandrino
I’m just getting home from Coverings and conducting training on the West Coast.
All I can think is, now what? Where do I start? I’m having my house painted and can’t find anything. When I got home last night my computer mouse wouldn’t work so at 6 a.m. I was off to Walmart to get a new one.
Thankfully, I have a list and some priorities. But I’m afraid as soon as the phone rings, my priorities will go out the window. I’ve often noticed if something more exciting comes along, I go right with it. Somehow at the end of the day I feel like I’ve accomplished nothing. A few days of nothing and I realize I’m behind the proverbial eight ball. A few years of nothing and I’m just plain old.
More than ever I’m aware if I don’t have a goal I’ll never get there. There’s something about knowing where you want to go that’s empowering. It doesn’t matter where; if you speak it and set your mind to it, it becomes important. It also becomes your history.
Talking about what I would like to accomplish doesn’t matter. What matters is having goals and making something happen. I feel better when I have goals.
So do you. If you’re planning on hitting that target, you had better know what and where it is.
Every minute of the day we’re all going somewhere. Even if we don’t plan it, we’re off on an adventure. Wouldn’t it be better if we knew where we were going and why? We can’t always predict the outcome, but we can get on the right road.
It’s a good time to organize those new contacts in your database if you haven’t already. Decide who is the most valuable and to whom you have made promises. If you’re like me, you have probably met numerous new people and have found many opportunities that need attention. My suggestion is you get to them immediately.
Most of us have a tendency to run after new customers. It’s so exciting when you meet an “unknown.” It’s like having the first date with someone you think is provoking. When things don’t turn out the way we want, however, we find ourselves going back to our old reliable customers. Don’t forget the loyal customers who stopped by to say, “Hi,” or ran into you in the hall. I had some dear friends come to one of my seminars at Coverings. I was so excited to see them but wondered why they had come; they are very successful and could probably teach the seminar. One said she came to support me. What a great feeling.
All of your customers are important, but the ones who know you will sing your praises to others. Don’t forget, 85% of your business comes from referrals.
Think about who you know. How many people really have goals or a target? Most people don’t know what they’re doing tomorrow and certainly not next year. I know many people who were so excited about retiring that now they don’t seem to have a purpose. When we stop working, much of our purpose is gone.
There are people who start new careers or take up a hobby; for them, life has just begun. There are those with no target who talk about the things they should do. Most everyone is talking about how they should clean out their closets or get rid of the junk. Isn’t that exciting? Do you have to retire to make that happen?
Isn’t it better to be old with something accomplished than with nothing?