Do you ever find yourself reading this publication wondering if you’re really getting the whole truth or is there something more you’re just not getting? For years, I too would be at home reading article after article in countless magazines. Each one seemed to hold some bits of truth, yet I felt something was missing.

Well, I’m here to tell you that there is something missing from all those articles, and you’re about to discover what it is! You’re not going to be too thrilled about this little secret at first, but bear with me because you’re going to love it once you see how much of an impact it can make on your business in just 7 days!

Do you love the phone? I mean how do you feel when I tell you that you’ve got to grab the phone and make some calls to people you don’t even know? If you’re like most people, you probably cringe! And like most people, you’ll probably find countless other things to do first before you can get on the phone and make even one call in an entire day! I know because I used to be that way too.

Let me share a story with you about a time when I first learned the lesson of the telephone. It was back in 1986 when I was working as a corporate photographer (my first professional career) for a defense contractor in New York. (This was before I got into marketing.) My photography career was about to end and move me into something new, only I didn’t know it at that point in time.

I was out of work, the bills were piling up and the unemployment checks had run out. I’d circulated more than 1,500 resumes with barely an interview to show for it. When the pressure of the situation got to the boiling point, I decided that I would grab any job that would come up. After all, I had to eat and I could always quit once that perfect job showed up. (By the way, it never did!)

I hunkered down early one Monday morning with the classified section from Sunday’s paper in one hand and a phone in the other. I dialed one number after another. I didn’t ask for a job, I didn’t ask if they were hiring, I simply asked to set up an interview.

Before lunch, I had secured interviews with more than 14 companies – more than I had been able to secure in the past 90 days! I didn’t care what the position was, how much it paid, all I knew is that I wanted to work and nothing was going to stop me from finding work!

As you can imagine, by the end of the week I had several offers. I took the one that seemed the best paying and was back to work the next Monday. It was not the ideal job, but it enough to get me back in the game. One week after making the decision that taught me a lesson I have never forgotten – a lesson I am about to share with you.

You (and you know who you are) tell me you want more business. I tell you to take action. You tell me your web site is not selling. I tell you to take action. Weeks go by, months go by, and you call me again to inform me that nothing has happened. I ask you, did you take action? You tell me you were too busy, you had all these e-mail messages to answer, the kids, the dog, and on and on. Does this sound familiar?

Right there, at the point that you are making these excuses, is the key to your continued lack of success. Listen, I made a job appear out of nowhere, not just once, but many times throughout my career. And each time I did, one thing always remained the same. I took action consistent with what my outcome was at the time.

I made contact with people. I sent mail. I went to networking events to meet people. I stood up in front of the room and spoke. I did whatever it took to make it happen.

You, my dear friend, MUST do the very same thing. You have no choice but to take action if you want your business to grow. Why in the world would you let a few e-mail messages, a barking dog, or a dirty car (great excuses to stay away from the phone, but alas, they are nothing more than excuses.) stand in the way of your unimaginable success? Some people where I live won’t let an earthquake stand in their way of success!

Last week I had a client call complaining about his lack of business. When I asked him what action he was taking, he told me that he got his e-mail program to do some really neat stuff, he fixed that strange buzzing noise the fridge in the office was making, and that he managed to reply to a number of the jokes his friends had sent him that day.

How many times did he pick up the phone? None. How many people did he speak to? None. How much business did he close? You guessed it, none.

The very next day, I told him he had to make no less than 10 calls to past clients. He did. And on the second call, he closed $7,500 worth of business, paid all his bills for the month, and had plenty of cash left over to take his wife out for a fancy dinner – several times! (think of the fringe benefits!)

Listen, if you sit back and wait for business to find you, it’s not going to. If you make some waves, something is going to happen. If you make bigger waves, even more is going to happen. Either you are going to get some business or you’re going to learn a lesson. No matter which one it is, you still win!

So over the next 7 days here is what you are going to do for yourself to create near instant success in your life. On day 1, you are going to make a list of everybody you can think of that could possibly use your products or services. Think long and hard. Preparation is key.

On day 2, you are going to contact as many of them as possible, no less than 10. For the following 5 days, you will continue to call at least 10 people a day and follow up with those you have not been able to speak to when you first called.

I won’t make you any promises, but what I can tell you is that you are going to like the outcome. How can I be so sure? I’ve done this little exercise more than 100 times in my own business and have never once been disappointed! Each and every time, I have been able to secure double the business (or more!) than I predicted.

People will do business with you if they know what you have to offer, so tell them! Don’t you owe it to yourself to dedicate just 7 days to your success?


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