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Secrets to Success
Deborah Cole Micek |
How to stop ‘busy-ness’
from killing your businessHave you ever wondered how an artist can transform a rectangular block of marble into a beautiful statue?
The stonecutter might hammer away at that block 100 times without a crack showing in it. Then, at the 101st blow, the exact piece of stone that the artist wanted to remove will fall away. The result wasn't gained from that last blow alone; it was the cumulative effect of the hundred blows that went before it.
Most business owners, if they were stonecutters, would be running around that block of marble hammering madly away, then standing back at the end of the day, wondering why all they have is a dinged-up piece of stone.
The reason this happens is because entrepreneurs confuse action with transaction. They think if they're busy, then their business must be growing. But action does not necessarily produce desirable results. That comes from transactions.
Level playing field
Understanding the difference between action and transaction puts you on a level playing field with the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. The marketplace doesn't care how intelligent you are. It doesn't care how much time you invested in creating a system for service. And it doesn't give a rip about how much money you spent developing a product. The only thing the marketplace will reward, recognize and pay you for is results.Take Realtors for example. Their performance isn't measured in hours, the number of clients they've met with or the number of listings they have. The top performers in that industry gain rewards and recognition by the number of transactions completed.
This is a pretty exciting strategic advantage when you think about it. If you can intentionally structure your time so that each day is focused on transactions instead of actions and activities, then you'll gain the profits, recognition and market advantage that you want.
Three steps
So how can you begin to apply the strategy of transaction-based activity in your daily routine? Here are three simple steps to get you started:1) Sit down and review in advance all your planned activities for the day/week/month, and answer this question for each: What is the result/reward that I will receive for completing this?
2) After answering this question for every activity you planned on doing, eliminate or delegate all activities that do not give you, your clients or your family a measurable return on the investment of time that you will be making.
3) Block out time on your schedule each day so that at least 25 percent of your working hours is spent on high-leverage activities, working on your business instead of in it.
The next time you sense that your day is slipping away, ask yourself right on the spot: Why am I doing this? What's the result or reward that I'll get when this is done? With each strategically considered and successfully completed transaction, you'll create your own masterpiece.
John-Paul Micek
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John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach at RPM Success Group Inc. Reach him at JPM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.
Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach and life strategist. Reach her at DCM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.
Access an expanded version of this article at www.GetCoachedforFree.com.