From Good To Great – 1 Degree of Separation

Ok, you’ve conquered your self-doubt, you have ultimate confidence and no doubt you’ll succeed, but you still haven’t made that leap from good to great. Well, you’re 90% there, but ultimately, all the confidence in the world isn’t going to push you that extra 10% if you’re sitting on your couch playing video games all day (unless it’s the video games you want to become great at ). Confidence is that foundation, that support that every other aspect of your life relies upon to function properly. Confidence is fine and dandy, but you have to have other tools in your arsenal that you can use to really push yourself that last mile.

You see, most people get these two aspects of success mixed up. Most people work hard on developing what’s in their bag of tricks before they’ve worked on what’s inside. But that’s no different than trying to build a skyscraper in quicksand. You may make some progress at first, but in the end, you’ve sabotaged your efforts, and no amount of hard work and dedication is going to get you anywhere without a proper foundation.

That Bag Of Tricks Is Vital, Nonetheless

Like I said, your thoughts, your feelings, your beliefs about yourself and the world around you won’t get you all the way there. Once you’ve got the foundation, then, and only then, is it time to unleash the full spectrum of all those individual skills you’ve been taught your whole life, or career, or whatever.

My Bag of Tricks

For those that don’t know, I work in the mortgage industry. We recently set up a presentation with a sales trainer/professional coach named Mike. I’m not going to go into the details about who Mike is, but I am going to say that he’s been very successful and knows what he’s talking about.

One of the tidbits that Mike was trying to impart onto our relatively inexperienced staff was that in order to be successful they, as Financial Consultants, need to set themselves apart from all the other really good financial people out there. One of the things he mentioned was that there is really only 1 degree of separation between good and great. That one degree is so small that most people don’t even notice it; they just see an all-star and think, “Wow, he’s got something, but I have no idea what it is.”

Here’s what it is in my line of work. Telling clients exactly what you expect and exactly what they can expect from you. Nobody does this, especially in the mortgage industry. Homeowners call up and ask what rate your rates are. Most professionals give them a rough number and that person shops and shops and shops (which is actually counterproductive, by the way) until he or she finds the best rate possible, or so they think. If you follow the previous link you can find out why, but this is the most unproductive system in the world, but the only reason it exists is because mortgage professionals believe that if they try to lay some groundwork, some “rules” in the first couple conversations, they’ll lose the deal to someone who plays by the clients rules. Not true. Sure you’ll lose the occasional deal, in fact I may have lost one today because of that, but the fact is, you won’t spend your entire day trying to please a client whose entire understanding of the mortgage industry is not correct; all the while playing by the clients rules and making him or her think that their understanding is correct. The point is, setting ground rules isn’t a huge deal, but it will decide whether you spend your day helping clients who are only going to turn around and back out because they found someone who will refinance their homes for $100 less than you. Also, people respect you more when you lay ground rules because they know where they stand with you. Ultimately they’re much more comfortable with you because they know they’re making you happy and you know you’re making them happy.

The other tiny little, seemingly insignificant detail that Mike pointed out is so powerful, yet so underutilized is letting clients know upfront exactly how to reach you. I know, obvious right? Well, sort of, let me explain. I tell all my clients I can be reached at any time via cell phone or email and that I return all phone calls within 2 hours and all emails within 24 hours. And here’s the kicker…

I DO IT!

That’s right, if I tell my clients that I’ll return calls within 2 hours and I return a call after 3 hours, I’ve just shown them that my word means nothing, and in my line of work, and all business for that matter, trust is everything.

I know not everyone who reads this blog is in the mortgage industry, so let’s hear some things you all do to set yourself apart from everyone else. And if you’re not doing much and need ideas, ask a question and I’d be happy to share my thoughts!