Back in my real estate days, I remember something that my broker told me.
I was new in the business, and I was spending time fiddling away on gathering phone numbers, getting neighbourhood maps, designing promotional materials, and basically everything other than actually talking with potential clients.
So he told me to get out there and start having conversations. He warned me that I’d hear “no” a lot, but that he wanted me to “get beat up a little”.
After that conversation, I stopped doing the non-productive stuff and focused instead on having as many conversations as possible with potential clients every day.
Like my broker predicted, I did hear a lot of no’s – but I also got my share of yes’s, and I’m grateful that I changed my approach.
Flash forward to now, and I’m passing that same advice on to the coaches that I’m working with.
Earlier this week I told one of my 1:1 clients that I want to see him “get beat up a little”, and I think I surprised him. I then told him the story from my past, and assured him that I didn’t mean that I wanted him physically beat up.
I’m convinced that most coaches are hanging back doing things to make themselves feel busy, but that aren’t going to ultimately get them business.
I can usually tell how well a coach is going to do by asking how many conversations they’re having with qualified prospects every week.
It’s all about putting yourself out there and having those conversations. If you can resist the lure of all the other busy activities and focus on that you’ll be ok.
The problem with putting yourself out there is it’s hard to keep yourself accountable. The little voice in your head will convince you that it’s a good use of your time to tinker with your website, to work on that PDF, or play with your spreadsheet.
That’s why I track what my clients are doing. If they’re screwing around, I’m there to get them back on the right path.
If you’d like some help getting beat up (in a good way), I’m opening up my next 10 Clients In 90 Days group program soon …
There’s still space available, jump into the ring here:
