Yesterday I talked about ten things that I would do differently if knowing what I know now I returned to that start of my financial planning career in 2007.
Today I would like to talk about ten other things that I would do differently:
1. I would strive to have a meeting by 10am every Monday morning in my schedule. I don't mean set a meeting at that time, what I mean is meet a prospective client. I think that this is a great way to start the week and gives you momentum of the rest of it. Most people are busy at this time preparing for the week and having meetings etc. I think if I had this meeting then I would know that the prospect is half interested and I may be onto something.
2. I'm learning at the moment that I can start up conversations with total strangers. It is all about noticing something about them. Being observant and commenting on it. This goes back to that rejection things that we talked about yesterday, they might not want to talk to you but that's fine. You tell yourself that they maybe are having a bad day or are concentrating on something and it's got nothing to do with you. It is amazing how many times you start talking to someone about something relevant and their face lights up and you can't stop them. It is because you made the effort. As a salesperson you have to be talking to everyone, no matter how grumpy they look.
3. I was told early on, that sales is about scripts. You can't fly by the seat of your pants. You have to have some kind of prepared speech that you use in your sales call. I knew this but I never did actually write down my scripts word for word or in fact practice them. You know those standup comedians who sound as though they are just having an ordinary conversation with the audience, well in fact they have been practicing that for months. My friend told me about Jerry Seinfeld's first six minute appearance on the Johnny Carson show. Apparently Seinfeld had been practicing for six months. The rest now is history. What is he worth now? About $800 million?
4. I think I would watch my weight more closely. I don't think that it is a big thing because I know of some morbidly obese salesman who do OK but sometimes with some people it is a problem and could affect your sale and at the end of the day you are looking after yourself. What is more important than your own health?
5. I would spend a set amount of time each week to learn the products. I mean really learn them. Not the half-assed way that I did. (Here we go again, here is that half-assed theme again.) I found out that during initial meetings with prospective clients that you would get asked questions about what have you got. These initial meetings are not just about collecting information so you go back to give them a presentation next time, they were sometimes giving them a presentation straight away because you may not get a second meeting. You had to have all the toys before you arrived in other words.
6. I believe in 2012 that your use of social media for your marketing is another must. I never worked that out properly how you do that but I did write a blog etc but like everything in my life it was a half-assed. (I've said it once I'll say it again, are you sensing a pattern here?) The use of blogs, Facebook, Twitter is very useful in today's age but it shouldn't just be your be all and end all. It is just part of your marketing system.
7. They say you only have one chance to make a first impression. One of the important things in a sales job is your dress. I spoke with a financial planner in Palmerston North who dealt with a lot of farmers and he told me that if he turned up to a sales call in suit and tie, he would be kicked off the farmer's property as people want to deal with people who are similar to them. In saying that, in Tokyo you have to turn up in suit and tie. That is the uniform for men in that city and anything else is displaying your personality which you don't want to show until you know the person you are calling on.
8. I believed that there were markets outside of Tokyo that were good prospects for the services I was offering. I did have a couple of areas in which I could have done something in and I had the help of people that were going to help me which was great. I believe that is the value of networking in which you meet people and if you make the right impression then you can call upon them on a later date. So, if I were to start again I would investigate those markets and make a concerted effort to enter them. This is another half-assed thing that I did.
9. I think if I was to start again I would make the whole job a game. I'm not being frivolous when I say that but I would make sure that I do the required amount of activity before I went and had a beer for instance. Don't get me wrong, I think that I progressed as a person greatly during those five years, both socially and intellectually. However, I was too eager to have a beer when I should have been doing some work, or should have done work that would have made me deserving of that beer.
10. I would try to improve my sales skills on a regular basis. About three years ago, my friend and I started an activity which we still do to this day. The who idea was to read for an hour a day in your field. The idea been with the knowledge that you obtain with your reading that you become an expert. I think that I would concentrate on sales skills and financial literacy. In the past I have read other subjects, which is fine, but I need a concentrated burst of reading on those subjects.
There you go, part two. Tune in for part three tomorrow.
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