I was recently swayed by what Greg McKeown calls the practice of essentialism – splendid read. And more than that, it struck two pensive thoughts in my mind – do less, but do better; and excision of unimportant work is the chief attribute that distinguishes the ordinary from the genius. In today’s hard-pressed work culture and never-dying to-do lists, the only way to protect yourself being in the hallucinations of busyness, is to focus and pursue the more of less.
So what is the more of less? Well, it could be many things for many people; but for sales professionals, it is being laser-like focused on making that one chief skill better – even if it not that essential to your job. Let’s say, it could be writing cold e-mails; or speaking to hot prospects the first thing in the morning even before you have earned that brewed cuppa; or networking on LinkedIn and connecting with your dream clients; or reading your industry articles. The point is anything, but anything of that something should render as a feat of mastery in you. While the role of a generalist isn’t dying, the specialist is evolving – and will stay for the coming generations (until, of course, we find a blend that can work for today’s crazy-busy people).
And with doing more of that one thing, you become more intuitive, more aligned with your long-term goals and a better professional. Sometimes, it is not always how much you can spread; it is how much you can stick and then be unstoppable in that quest to reach out to your universe. No, I am not being counter-intuitive; the point is – you have to find your 100 times multiplier. That one multiplier which will yield you professional and personal success. Don’t be a yes man; be a crude minimalist – in terms of finding and executing the most important priorities for the day. Perhaps choosing top 3 priorities that are relevant for the ‘moment’ should be your goal – the ones that define success. Relevance for the ‘moment’ versus relevance for the ‘day’ is huge challenge for sales people and sales marketers, however one has to straddle depending on the context.
And while this seems to a tough feat, it will pay off 1000X times if you are just focused on your one ‘100 times’ multiplier. Let’s elaborate a bit more on how does this work – say if you are just good with writing e-mails (evoking a passion conversation with your prospects), you will no time see the responses that help you simplify your sales process! (Perhaps some kind of spill-over effect.) That one skill can land you into more sales meetings, better conversations – and also in better closures! Reminds me of S Anthony Iannarino’s The Sales Blog, More Is Not Better, Better Is. Focus on less and get more!
Not that you should ignore your sales process, but start getting better at each to increase your results. By leveraging your one skill, you can set a precedent for yourself to get better in others.
So what is your 100 times multiplier? Let me know!
