The Beauty of Life

I have the good fortune to live in the most beautiful spot on Earth.  (Here is a local pic.)  I am blessed with relatively good health, a loving wife & daughter & a large number of friends.  Today I had the pleasure of spending time with a close friend that I haven't seen in a few months.  He recently had a family tragedy losing his daughter in law in a horrible accident.  I know that he has struggled but his resilience and love of God has been remarkable.

We took a long  along the waterfront in Morro Bay.  The weather was beautiful, about 60 degrees & foggy but clearing as we walked.  The beauty of nature was on full display.  We talked about his grief as well as some of the things that we usually discuss, mutual friends, local happenings, health, future plans, politics, current events etc.  We also walked in quiet peace enjoying the scenery and the comfort of the presence of a good friend.  As we parted, I grabbed lunch and visited my daughter.  We were fortunate enough to have each other's company as we hadn't seen each other since the COVID outbreak.  Being together & thinking of my friend's loss made me more appreciative of everything.  We spent a great hour + then it was time to get back to work.  Here I am, more grateful than ever yet fully understanding to take nothing for granted. 

Business is moving, are you?

There is no doubt that business has been tough over the last 6-8 weeks.  With the shelter in place orders that have been imposed nationally, many are out of work while many that are still working are facing drastic reductions in business.  There is a ray of hope! 

Over the last 10 days I have seen an uptick and have taken 2 new projects.  This would not have happened unless I continued to talk to my clients, my past clients and my prospective clients.  As a matter of fact, both projects are for new clients.  I have to admit that making the calls hasn't been quite as productive as I would like and it was easy to be discouraged with the lack of results but the efforts are beginning to pay off.  As I already know, nothing happens if I quit. 

Having said that, how is business for you?  Are you making the effort to speak to customers and past customers?  What is stopping you?  Call reluctance is a matter of attitude and sometimes you must do it even when you don't think you should.  Get started today.  Prioritize calls to your best customers.  Follow up with an email and either a note or an invitation to connect on LinkedIn.  Next, move to past customers and repeat the process.  Finally, target the prospective customers that you would most like to convert to customers.  Your message can be simple.  Hi, This is Tony with MRT.  I help companies like yours when they......  I hate making these calls right now but I know that things will return to normal soon and I would like to remain top of mind.  Do you need to (purchase my product or service at this time?)  {If they say no]  I appreciate that you took the time to speak with me and I look forward to speaking to you when things improve.

Good luck and good hunting!

Managing Your Career With Intentionality

We are experiencing some things that we have never encountered and now may be the time to think about how we manage our careers.  As we move through the Covid-19 crisis and navigate the financial landscape that will be left in the wake we must carefully consider our options.  I frequently hear from professionals when discussing career options that "I am happy."   When pressed about that usually I hear about nice people, good work/life balance and other things that may not be enough to sustain a career moving ahead.  Following are some things to consider.

1.  Is my company well positioned financially to weather the upcoming reductions in business?
2.  Where do I fit into plans?
3.  What areas of opportunity exist in my company?
4.  What areas can I help expand business currently?
5.  Am I proficient to step in and assist in those areas?  If not, how do I get where I need to be?
6.  What competitors may be better positioned to allow me to continue my career growth?
7.  What are the most valuable skills that I must learn that I do not currently possess?

Now is the time to be having some of these discussions with leadership at your firm.   Questions 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7 will provide a lot of necessary information to enhance your decision making and will also demonstrate a forward looking mentality that will benefit the firm possibly enhancing your value.  If your analysis is not in line with your long term goals it is time to consider other alternatives.   Don't procrastinate.  Start having the conversations immediately. 

How to provide additional value for your employer

Many of my business contacts share a career in sales or are involved in a leadership position that includes selling the services of their firm  Renowned sales trainer Tom Hopkins says that "Selling is the highest-paid hard work & the lowest paid easy work there is."  I saw Tom speak about 15 years ago and that phrase has carried with me ever since. 

For the early part of my career I was in leadership with a national financial services company beginning as a branch manager in Pittsburgh & eventually transferring to California as an Executive overseeing about 300 employees.  Our staff performed a wide variety of tasks including sales but one of the failures of our firm was to teach selling in a professional manner.  We talked about making solicitation calls, provided some basic scripts and rewarded success but very little in the way of professional level training. Moving to the mortgage industry I saw the same thing & selling became thought of as a profession for an outgoing person.  While that helps, the best sales professionals have been highly trained (usually seeking out the training on their own)  & have systems for everything that they do. 

I say this because we are in unprecedented times &sales skills will become an essential tool in remaining successfully employed in the years to come.  Yes, you must maintain your technical skills but companies will see the added value in a professional that aggressively promotes the growth of the firm. 

Do something to sharpen your sales skills starting today.   It will reward you handsomely.