THE ONLY DIFFERENCE

“The only difference between where you are right now and where you’ll be next year at this same time, are the people you meet and the books you read.”

This quote comes from Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, author of Life is Tremendous.

There is a lot of merit to this quote but, in my opinion, you have to meet the right people and read the right books. Meeting people that are not in a position to help you or reading a book that does not have a message of support and help, is not going to get you anywhere.

Let’s talk about people: first, identify your target market and then make a list of people that are the most influential to your target, people that your target market respects and trusts and who they will listen to when they need a recommendation. Focus your efforts on meeting these people and developing a relationship with them.

Referrals are worth their weight in gold; and when a referral comes from a trusted source, chances are excellent that they will at least contact that referral.  Always ask yourself, “If I want to buy my own product or service, who would I ask for a referral?” Another good question to ask is: “Who are the most trustworthy people I know and why?”  Answers to these two questions will help you focus on who you should be trying to meet. I believe in the 80-20 rule when it comes to people, only 20 % of the people you could meet are in a position to help you get customers, so you might as well focus on them and forget the other 80%.

You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Most everything you need to know about growing your business or about getting inspired can be found in a good book. As you meet people, especially those that you admire and trust, ask them to tell you what their favorite book is and why. Getting into the habit of growing your library one good  book at a time, is a great habit to develop. Of course, you must  also read the book, not just keep in on your shelf to impress others.

When reaching out for your minimum two new contacts per week, take the necessary time to identify who that person is you want meet. If you don’t know the person you want to meet, reach out to your data base. It’s surprising how small the contact world really is.

Don’t stop because you’re tired. Keep going because you’re almost there.