A Quote from Lance Armstrong
“Time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action, and purpose.”
Lance Armstrong (1971 – )
American cyclist
7-time winner of the Tour de France
Cancer survivor
In 1996, Armstrong was 25 (and ranked the No. 1 cyclist in the world) when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to his abdomen, lungs, and brain. Doctors gave him less than a 50-50 chance of survival.
Two years later, after recovering, he got back on the bike but quit a race in Paris.
The following year (and the next 6), he won the Tour de France and retired as the only person to win it seven times. Last summer, in an effort to help promote cancer awareness, he got back in the game and came in third overall. His plans are to ride again in this year's Tour de France.
Lance understands that time is finite. He also understands to be successful you have to string days of action that produce superior results. For many of us, we have good days of prospecting, marketing and doing the actions that produce the results that we are looking for. Then, there are those “other” days. We waste time; we lack motivation and no wonder our income is like a roller coaster.
Status Quo or Making Significant Changes
For us to succeed in 2010 and into the next decade, we must acknowledge the changes that are happening in our profession and in our markets. At the New Year’s party I attended, I struck up a conversation with a financial planner, and when I told her that I was a mortgage banker, she then responded that many of her professional referral sources have left the mortgage business because of the changes in regulations were too much to handle. It’s not just regulations that we are dealing with. We are dealing with consumers that are much savvier with greater knowledge and want answers right away. Business now is conducted in the speed of thought.
Having a Meeting with Oneself
Are you totally satisfied with your 2009 results? Do you need to make changes in 2010? All changes come from a realization that changes need to be made both personally and professionally. For example, if you want to lose weight, you have to get the point of being sick and tired that you are out of shape and you make a promise to yourself that you will do something about it. The same is true with your profession where you will get so disturbed about your results that you make a promise to yourself and your family that you will turn things around. You set goals on prospecting, phone calls, networking opportunities, and have a follow up system that will take your C’s to B’s to Commissions.
Ask yourself this question: “If I don’t make changes in how I conduct my business, what’s the worst that can happen?” Look at your current pipeline of referral sources and lead opportunities. Will they give you the results that you are looking for? If the answer is “no”, then changes need to be made. The most important point to all of this is get disturbed with yourself, and start making the appropriate changes that will create the results you need to fulfill your goals and dreams in 2010.
Become the Master of your Profession
Top sales professionals have made up their mind that they would never again settle for ordinary because ordinary just won’t make it in this competitive, “knowledge at your finger tips” era that we are in. You will never be ready for “game time”, which is in front of the client if you don’t have superior knowledge. Do you want to gain confidence in your prospecting, calling on professional referral sources, calling on your past clients and sphere of influence---become a master of your profession by studying every day the changes in the market, stay on top of guidelines changes, read books on sales and marketing, and look to gain knowledge where ever you can. Top performers in sales, business and life are willing to practice the basics until they master them. They know their competition, they have a full understanding of their products/markets and they know what the customer is looking for.
Success Each Day
What is the dollar figure that you want to make this year? Let’s say that you want to make $200,000 and you want to take three weeks off for vacation and you are willing to work 50 hours a week to make the $200,000. Your hourly rate comes out to: $81.63. If you truly value your time, then focus on the actions, tasks and projects that will get you the hourly rate that you are seeking. My hourly rate is much higher than the $81.63 so for me to achieve the rate that I’m seeking, I need to speak a minimum of two times a month. I challenge you to create opportunities to speak for 2010. This one action will greatly increase your chances for success this year.
Final Thought
When you practice and apply the skills needed to be the top of your field, they become a real part of you. People will be more apt to refer their friends, family and co-workers because you are a “master” of your profession. Tim Sanders’ wonderful book, “Love is the Killer App” stresses that today’s “Killer Application” for success is first: gain knowledge—be a student in your field, second: be willing to share your knowledge with as many people as you can—the one who has the biggest network will win in 2010 and third: share it with compassion and with no strings attached. I wish you an incredible 2010!!
Tom Ninness is Vice President/Regional Production Manager for Cherry Creek Mortgage in Denver, CO. He is also the President of Summit Champions, Inc. and creator of the “The 90 Day Journey to Your Sales Success”, a powerful 90 day action plan for the sales professional. To learn more about The Journey and Summit Champions, go to www.90dayjourney.com, www.summitchampions.com or contact Tom at
[email protected] Office: 720-221-4396.
Tom Ninness, Vice President, CML, CMPS
Cherry Creek Mortgage Co.
Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist
7400 E. Arapahoe Rd. #303
Centennial, CO 80112
Direct Line: 303-389-5716
Efax: 303-380-5846
Cell: 303-877-4111
Mortgage Originator License #100018945
Email:
[email protected]
Website: www.tomninness.com
