Market Terms
By Wendell Cayton, MSFS
Get out your rally monkey! Just in case you missed it, the markets have moved off the bottom after executing a neat, reverse head-and-shoulders technical formation.
Oops--pardon my lapse into technical jargon. In case that really was too technical for you, I want to prepare you for the coming bull market on CNBC. Let's join two young buy side analysts discussing their day at the local coffeehouse . . .
"It's been tough out there these last few years--no more Goldilocks economy; too many leprechaun leaders," says one analyst.
"I agree," says his friend. "I have spent too many days trading QUIPS when I should be looking for a Bo Derek. But my boss keeps telling me to forget that and concentrate on Jennifer Lopez."
"Ha!" snorts the first analyst. "We'd probably both be better off chasing cats and dogs, although with our luck, we could catch a dead cat bounce instead! Think I'll stick to scripophily."
In the language of Wall Street and CNBC, our buy side friends work for a larger institution where they are tasked with buying large amounts of stocks.
Their lament over the lack of a Goldilocks economy refers to the latter half of the 1990s, when the economy was "not too hot--not too cold--but just right." Everything was fine, of course, until the three bears (or bear market) came home for breakfast.
A leprechaun leader is a corporate manager or executive who, like the fabled Irish elf, is a mischievous and elusive creature said to possess buried treasures of money and gold. According to Irish folklore, the location of hidden treasure is only revealed when the leprechaun is caught. In the case of a market leprechaun leader, the "buried treasure" is often not buried, but rather in a protected offshore account!
The second analyst is not a comedian; he is trading Quarterly Income Preferred Securities. QUIPS are an example of hybrid securities, combining features of preferred stock and corporate bonds. These hybrids generally pay a higher rate of return than preferred stock.
And no, these men are not fantasizing over beautiful women. A Bo Derek is a perfect stock, as in Bo, the perfect woman. An alternative to a Bo is a Jennifer Lopez, or a stock that is charting a nice rounded bottom. (I'll let you draw the analogy.)
Cats and dogs, in this conversation, is slang for speculative stocks that have short or suspicious histories for sales, earnings, dividends, etc. In a bull market, analysts will often mention that everything is going up, even the dogs and cats. When they do fall, the result can be a dead cat bounce, referring to a temporary recovery by a market or stock after a prolonged decline or bear market. In most cases, the recovery is momentary and the market will continue to fall. Think: "Even a dead cat will bounce if dropped from high enough!"
And scripophily is not a game--it's the avocation of collecting old, worthless stock certificates.
Finally, going back to my original terminology, head-and-shoulders is a technical analysis term used to describe a chart formation in which a stock, or the market, rises to a peak and subsequently declines, followed by a second and then a third rise that does not exceed the second. This signals that a major reversal has occurred. What's relevant is that when this formation occurs in the reverse, it generally signals the turning point from a stock or market going down to one that is heading back up.
That's where we are today, and that's why you need your rally monkey. (If you have no idea what a rally monkey is, ask a ten-year-old Anaheim Angels baseball fan.)
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How to Hunt Snipe
By Lawrie Livingstone, Senior Consultant
It usually happened your first time at summer camp--some of the older kids would say they'd take you on a snipe hunt that night.
"What's a snipe hunt?" you breathed excitedly.
"Well," they said, "A snipe is an animal that only comes out at night. We will be giving prizes for the person who catches the biggest snipe and the most snipes."
"Wow!" you said. "What do I have to do to get in the game?"
"It's easy. We'll give you a big burlap sack and a flashlight and take you into the woods where the snipes live. You'll wait in one spot and we'll head off into the bushes and drive the snipes toward you so all you have to do is catch them in the burlap sack. We'll also teach you the secret snipe call so the snipes will know where to go. There's nothing to it. In fact, we may have to give you two sacks, since there are so many snipes around here."
"OK," you said, positive you would win BOTH prizes. "Count me in!"
At the appointed hour, long after lights out, you were collected along with your fellow snipe hunters and taken out into the deepest, darkest woods. You were given a place to stand, far from the other snipe hunters, taught the snipe call and given a flashlight. And then off the older kids went into the night.
There you were, alone in the deep, dark woods, with your burlap sack and flashlight. Scared? Yep! Excited? Yep! And full of confidence that you would win.
Time passed.
You perfected the snipe call. You waved the flashlight. You clutched your sack at the ready to catch the snipes.
More time passed.
You made fewer snipe calls, sat down, and stopped waving the flashlight. You felt that if you caught just one snipe you would go back to the bunkhouse. The night got darker and colder.
Even more time passed.
Not a single snipe showed up. You finally decided to pack it in and headed back to the bunkhouse, secretly hoping you weren't the only one not to catch a single snipe.
When you arrived, there was a lot of hysterical laughter and excitement in the air. The older campers looked at you and the dejected look in your eyes and fell on the floor laughing. You were very confused.
Finally, they let you in on the secret: There is no such animal as a snipe. It was a big joke on you and all the other snipe hunters. Congratulations--you just experienced a rite of passage!
About now, dear reader, you are probably saying, "Nice story, Lawrie! But what does it have to do with the Bill Good Marketing System®?"
I would like to suggest that prior to becoming a Gorilla, you ran your business like you were on a snipe hunt. You believed what more experienced people said--it all sounded real and fun. You did what they told you to do--but nothing substantial happened.
After awhile, you knew you needed some real, proven help.
Somehow, you got on the Bill Good Marketing® drip list. And then at some point it all made sense and you bought the System.
Remember when you went to Gorilla class? Information overload! Then the System took over. You ran FTM, you got weekly phone calls from Marketing Support to help you plan your next move, you hired staff, you read Bill's book, you took the CO course, you found substantial assets that you didn't know your Clients owned . . .
In other words, you were plugged into the Bill Good Marketing System--another rite of passage. You weren't left to hunt snipe on your own! You had a viable business plan.
If you find you have drifted away from the System and are out hunting snipe again, it may be time for a tune-up. If you'd like to set up a free 30-minute telephone consultation with one of our expert staff members, call Gina Sandoval at 800-678-1480 x1296.
We'll have one of our top "snipers" get you back in the game!
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Attitude is a choice. Whatever happens, we have a choice as to how we are going to react. We choose to be either negative or positive. It's not what happens to us that counts. It is how we react that makes the difference.
Daily Planning
By Matt Hicken, Senior Consultant
When my family went on vacation, my parents had everything planned. My mother would let us know months in advance that we were going to go on a vacation. Then, a few weeks before we left, we would have a meeting to go over what was planned for us for every day of our vacation. We even had to plan time during the day to spend cleaning the hotel room! We would try to convince our parents that the housekeeping people would do that, but they still wanted us to work a little, even on vacation. The last part of each day would be spent talking about what had happened during the day to each family member. As kids, we almost dreaded vacations. We thought all this planning was holding us back from being able to freely choose what we did during the day. Now that I think back on it, though, we probably got a lot more done each day than we would have had we been left without schedules.
I have been to a few of your offices for consulting, and a lot of you obviously have not done the daily planning you should have. Just as my family planned everything before we went on vacation, your office team has to plan your week before it begins. You should do most of this with the whole team. There are plenty of documents on how the weekly planning meeting should be run, so I am not going to explain it here. Ultimately, this meeting should set your goals for the week. It should be positive and upbeat. Keep in mind that the temperament you have in the planning meeting will most likely reflect the type of attitude you have for the week. With the basic outline of the week set, your daily planning should be a little easier. Daily planning needs to take place before each day begins so you can start the day running.
The first thing you need to do is take all the papers off your desk and file them. If you need help, have your Service Assistant work with you when his/her tasks are done. Once all that stuff is cleared away, put together a planning notebook. Using a catalog rack (like the one to the right) is probably the easiest way to quickly find the documents you need. You should file a number of things in this rack to help you maximize every moment of your day.
Your CO should print this report on a daily basis. This report in and of itself meets most of the criteria for daily planning, including setting a list of people to call or meet, with an intended result written down. (I say it meets only most of the criteria because it won't have your whole day filled; plus, if there are any cancellations in your planned day, you need some back-up plans.)
This will help you see which areas of your database need work. You can learn more about how to use the stat report by listening to the BGM Internet Radio broadcast that discusses it. Click here to go to the BGM Broadcast Archives, then scroll down to the March 2002 section and select the March 19 "Open Mike" recording.
This report shows you what you have in your database with more of a marketing focus than the Database Usage Cheatsheet. It will show things like how many CGs you have in each zip code or how many CGs have an interest in growth.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. It allows you to see who has money coming due when. This report should be printed out weekly, before the staff planning meeting. After the staff meeting, place it in your rack.
You should also have a report of Clients and Prospects who have passed their 90-day no contact interval, and you may want to place a folder in your rack for every person you meet with each day.
The Finder screen is critical in your planning. If you are using the reports listed above, great. If you use the Finder as well, you can also see a lot of the report information in it. For example, you can find those with overdue no contact intervals just by clicking "Overdue No-Contact Interval-Client" or "Overdue No-Contact-Interval-Prospect" on the left side of the screen. Get to know your Finder. If you need help on how to use it, go back through the tutorials and review what can be done through the Finder screen. Using the Finder is a quick way to generate lists of people to call or meet, with an intended result written down.
In all, daily planning MUST be taking place. It is probably the easiest practice to implement, and it is also one of the more powerful parts of the System. I recommend that every member of your team run through some daily planning. Obviously, the planning for each position is different, but if you all plan out each day, you can make sure the team is working as effectively as possible.
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Becoming a "Pro-Reactive" Person
By Ben Quinney, Senior Consultant
I recently had the opportunity to go hiking on the San Rafael Swell in central Utah. The location known as The Goblin Valley is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Upon my arrival, I noticed rock formations I could never have imagined. There were thousands of sandstone rocks balanced on other rocks ranging from four to 20-plus feet tall. There were a number of buttes behind the valley.
On the afternoon of our first day of hiking, I secretly began leading the group to the top of the tallest butte.
We soon found ourselves in a precarious position. The majority of buttes have loose dirt that builds up on the bottoms and sides because of erosion. We decided to make a ledge along the side of a butte by digging in the dirt with our shoes and leaning against the formation. On this particular butte, the dirt was at a 65-degree slope. Our ledge was about 80 feet above the rocks below. We soon got to a point where traveling along the side of the butte was not an option. Going back was also impossible, because the ledge we created was torn up and no longer stable, and going down was even more dangerous. So we had to go up. Although I have gone rock climbing many times, this was my first attempt at climbing loose dirt at such an extreme angle without rope to secure me.
I reached up and made my first handhold, got leverage and placed my foot into a crevice I created with my boot. I pushed up with my legs, reached with my other hand, and found what I thought was a great handhold. My next step was to let go of my other handhold and pull myself up to the next handhold. As I reached, my supposedly strong handhold gave way. I quickly dug my fingers into the dirt and plastered my body against the wall. Quickly securing myself, I took a few short breaths and kept climbing.
When I got to the top, I was very thankful to be alive. As I looked out at the view, I felt it was worth the adventure and danger.
I did not know that my hold on the cliff was going to give way. As the handhold broke loose, I had a "pro-reactive" moment. I knew what to do as my handhold gave way because I had previously considered the majority of the outcomes as I traversed the ledge. I did not panic. The thought of dying did not cross my mind as the hold slipped. During that moment, I thought of recovery tactics I had learned previously. That preparation saved me a lot of pain and likely my life. As I look back at my near-fall now, my heart is racing and my palms are sweaty.
Trials, tough times and fear come into all of our lives. How we react to them is what makes the difference. Looking to the positive and making the best of situations is what I call "pro-reactivity." I believe you can be "pro-reactive" in dealing with what life gives you.
I derived this word from the terms reactive and proactive. I like to live my life in a proactive manner. But that is not always possible, as illustrated in my adventure to The Goblin Valley.
By preparing yourself for uncertainty, you can live each moment with confidence and without fear. I cannot guarantee that everything in life can be overcome with the right outlook. I can, however, tell you that a positive outlook makes things a lot easier.
So how do you become "pro-reactive"?
It starts with how you perceive yourself and others around you. Seeing life as an opportunity is the first key to becoming pro-reactive. Ask questions like: What can I learn from this? How can this make me strong and those around me better? Who can I help best with my understanding of life?
The next step to becoming pro-reactive is building a better you. This is done as "opportunities" come up in life. By making your experiences building blocks, you can become stronger. Dr. Abraham Maslow first propagated this kind of self-actualization in his Hierarchy of Human Needs. Self-actualized individuals accept themselves and are realistic, spontaneous, simple, natural, creative, other-centered, unflappable, sharing, friendly, and teachable, and they know what is right and what is wrong.
The best summary of all these attributes is self-exploration and action--finding out what you need to work on and acting to correct problems or deficiencies.
You cannot foresee all obstacles that come in life or in business, but you can prepare for the possibilities and decide that those moments will strengthen you instead of beating you down.
Life is an adventure. It might not always be fun. It might not always be exciting. But one thing is for sure . . . you need to cherish what life has given you. Life brings wonderful events like a baby's birth, graduation from school, promotion in the workplace, weddings, and for some, retirement. Life has hardships as well, like a downturn in the market or the death of a family member or close friend. You do not know what is around the corner. If you believe something cannot be done, it can't. My philosophy is to believe that everything is possible, and if something does not work, then something was learned.
It is a tough market. Clients are scared. Prospects are not coming on board like they did in the late '90s. You know what does not work, because you tried it--and something will work. How do I know this? Many of my clients are working hard and getting results. If you are having problems, give me a call. I can come out to your office and put together a strategy that will help you get the business you deserve, or if you feel overwhelmed with the System or need a pep talk, I can help you immediately.
Be strong. Hang in there. Things will get better, as they have in the past. Talk to your Clients and your Prospects. Find out where they "itch" financially. Once you discover where they itch, the next step is to help them scratch. Give them solutions to their problems. If your solutions do not resolve their problems, they will see you as a salesman; but if you resolve their problems, they will see you as a friend or a confidant. Be sincere and don't take rejection personally. If you strive to become pro-reactive, you can go forth and conquer!
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Editor's Note: Oldies But Goodies
From time to time, we republish classic articles that have appeared in previous issues of the Gorilla Times. This month we've selected two very popular pieces written by former BGM Consultants.
The first article is one Clients still talk about with our Consultants. "On Being Competitive" is from former Gorilla-turned-retiree-turned BGM Consultant-turned retiree again, Rod Roth. Rod was a million-dollar producer for several years before selling his book and retiring. Bill coaxed Rod from retirement and into consulting for BGM, where he provided valuable advice and direction for many Clients during his time with us. Rod has since hung up his Consultant hat in favor of surfing in his hometown in Florida, but his legend and influence live on. (You can find other articles written by Rod at the Bill Good Marketing website--just go to the Consultant's Corner in the Marketing Support section.)
The second is "You Can Still Count 'Em on One Hand: The Five Critical Elements of System Use" by Sue Edwards. If you've let the basics slip or just need a refresher on core System elements, read this article.
We hope you enjoy these "oldies but goodies" that still hold true in today's market along with the new articles in this edition of GT.
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On Being Competitive
By Rod Roth
We begin the new millennium with our industry facing the challenge of too much capacity. There are too many brokers, too many planners, too many institutions locked in mortal combat, fighting desperately for a piece of the investment pie. The great irony of our time is that the vaunted burgeoning demand for investments by the baby boom generation has been met by an even greater burgeoning of investment providers. The natural result has been a tremendous margin squeeze, exacerbated by the advent of Internet trading. I believe we now have to think about our business in terms of survival. I just don't think that having good people and a good marketing plan is enough. We need to develop specific plans for competing so well that we drive our competitors out of our markets.
We need weapons, fortresses and barbed-wire. We need killer instincts.
Assuming you have the basics of Gorilla-style marketing--a well-trained staff executing your Client and Prospect marketing campaigns impeccably--you should look to two other areas to gain a competitive advantage.
Weapon #1: Expertise in Your Field
You must deliver superior expertise in the investment areas in which you work. You must have deeper knowledge and more carefully worked out recommendations than the great bulk of what passes for "financial planning" today.
Education is essential--for both you and your Clients. Beyond your CFP credentials, you should spend a part of every year
involved in advance studies at places such as the Wharton School of Business. Bill Gates says we must have a commitment
to lifetime learning. Who's going to argue with Bill?
You should search for a mentor--someone who has something you want and is willing to share it with you. You should also seek to be a mentor, because to teach is to learn twice.
Beyond being thoroughly knowledgeable about general investments, you should develop a specialty. You should become an expert in an area in which there is business to be done and where not many competitors are competent. Paul DuFlo does this very well with his approach to philanthropy. If you weren't at the Users' Conference in September 1999, call BGM and order the tapes. Paul's presentation alone is worth the price of the set.
Weapon #2: Consistently Exceeding Your Clients' Expectations
Delivering perfect service is what you are supposed to do. If your organization serves your Clients flawlessly, you will get no special notice. That is what is expected. What you must do is see that your team goes way beyond providing what is expected.
When I do my field consulting, I emphasize the idea of being thoughtful. Listening to Clients and Prospects one at a time is how it starts. Get to know them. When people become aware that you know them, they really respond well. On a recent regional airline flight, the flight attendant memorized every passenger's name. She addressed each one of us by name when she came through with drinks, and she wished us each a good day, by name, as we disembarked. Mighty impressive, and completely exceeding my expectations!
Harvey Mackay, in his book How to Swim with the Sharks without Getting Eaten Alive, displays a 66-question profile form for Clients. Having extensive information about Clients and Prospects is extremely valuable. I have modified this form, getting it down to 37 questions. If you'd like a copy, email Gina Sandoval at natashab@billgood.net and she'll send you one.
The way to use this knowledge is to refer to it when writing or speaking to Clients. Nothing builds relationships better
than demonstrating to people that you have taken the time to get to know who they are and what they are about. (In the
current Gorilla System, the In-house Questionnaire is used for this purpose.)
And, above all, write to your Clients and Prospects. Drip letters, birthday letters, thank you notes, congratulations; any opportunity to drop them a line will give you the chance to set yourself apart from your competitors. Dave Ambrico, a Gorilla in Dallas, is on track to double his business this year. Dave follows up every conversation he has with a Prospect or Client with some kind of thoughtful note. If the discussion was extensive, Dave writes a summary of the discussion, together with his recommendation on how the person should proceed. This is a very powerful practice. Dave brings in a lot of assets this way, and says that people often comment to him about how thorough he is.
When Bill Good programmed Routine Letters into the System, it was to enable us to easily send lots of thank you notes, get well notes, and congratulation notes every day. "These are the letters your mother would want you to write," Bill says. Viewed in that light, sending Routine Letters is a chore. And I'll be the first to admit that it used to seem like a huge chore to me. My great discovery has been how satisfying it is to make somebody feel good by telling them in writing how much I appreciate them. It has become a joy to me to go through this exercise as often as I can.
I recently had laser surgery to remove cataracts, and afterwards I wrote the physician to tell him how much I appreciated the care he and his staff gave me. When I went for a post-op visit, the first thing the doctor said was, "Mr. Roth, I want to thank you for your kind note. I posted it in the staff lounge. We don't get many notes like yours." I was surprised at the last comment because he is the pre-eminent specialist in the region. The experience told me we should write to every person who does good things for us. When we can make people feel good about themselves, they like us. That's the beginning of a great relationship.
The ultimate competitive weapon is to be excellent. You should consistently exceed Clients' expectations and strive for the WOW! effect whenever any member of your team interacts with the public. And you should always be willing to give more than you get. Saying thank you in action and in writing, over and over again, is what it means to strive for and ultimately achieve excellence.
So if it's true that we can no longer just be in business, that's good news. When we make the commitment to become extraordinary advisors and deliver extraordinary service, both we and our Clients win.
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You Can STILL Count 'Em on One Hand:
The Five Critical Elements of System Use
By Sue Edwards
When I was a rookie consultant, way back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, I stumbled across an old BGM letter. The Head Gorilla himself, Bill Good, had written this letter, and its purpose was to remind clients of their contractual obligations regarding refunds. Basically, it said that in order to qualify for a refund, Gorillas would have to prove they had implemented five critical components for System success, but the System failed to produce the results that BGM promises: a doubling of production or the ability to work half as much at the same production within two years.
He's a very smart guy, this Bill Good.
I read the letter several times before the great wisdom of my fearless leader fully struck me. He obviously knew that if BGM clients would work to implement these five elements, they would easily succeed, and consequently never in their right minds request a refund. I realized then that these five items were the core of the System; every item on the 110% Chart revolved around them, supported their implementation, and/or were natural byproducts of them. This was quite an epiphany, and it revolutionized the way I taught my clients.
The Five Critical Elements of System Use are:
- Every contact with a Client or Prospect results in an updated record.
- Every Client and Prospect gets a letter every month on a topic of interest to them.
- Every Client and Prospect gets a personal contact from someone in your office at least every 90 days.
- 80% of Clients and 50% of Prospects have Opportunities (Funds Due) recorded in their records.
- Your prospecting strategy consistently produces 20-30 leads per week.
Remember, almost every one of the 123 items on the 110% Gorilla Chart either revolves around, is supported by, or is a natural byproduct of these five items. If you break each element down, it isn't difficult to see how this strategy works.
Every contact with a Client or Prospectresults in an updated record.
What is the point of having a huge, powerful database if you don't maintain accurate and current data? At the very least, every contact needs to result in some kind of note, even if it only says, "Tried to contact Velda; not home; left message." If you and your team are really on the ball, you'll constantly be adding and updating information on Interests, Investments, Muh-ney, children, birthdays . . . well, you get the point.
Updating is as simple as filling out RUFs (until your CO is fully trained), then moving on to marked-up reports, info sheets, Speedbuttons™, and ultimately, dictation cassettes. But in order to ensure that your System is being consistently updated, you must also pay attention to the 20+ other items on the 110% Gorilla Chart that are directly related to this component. Some of these items have to do with training your team. Others relate to ensuring that the logistical arrangements are in place to facilitate updating (i.e., making sure every team member has an "out basket" for RUFs, reports, etc.). And the most important component is a fully trained and certified Computer Operator working five days a week, in the afternoons.
Why is this critical? Simply put, when processing is not done on time (or is not done correctly), you won't have the information you need when you need it. That will eventually lead to a System breakdown.
Every Client and Prospect gets a letterevery month on a topic of interest to them.
In order to target your Monthly Drip, you first need to have current data in your System. Once you create and then maintain a database of current information, there is no excuse for not sending out mail that is timely and pertinent. When your mail is timely and pertinent, the response rate goes up because your mail is no longer "junk."
Response is what we're really talking about here, because, in addition to building and maintaining relationships, you're also establishing a mechanism for generating incoming calls from Clients and Prospects whose interests have been piqued. Wouldn't it be nice to always have a steady stream of incoming calls from interested people? That's what a targeted Monthly Drip will do for you. There are over 20 items on the 110% Chart that directly relate to this component.
Every Client and Prospect gets a personal contactfrom someone in your office at least every 90 days.
You can achieve this through the No-Contact Campaign. The fact is people like to do business with people they know. Regular personal contact from a human being in your office accomplishes several things. It builds and maintains relationships with your Clients and Prospects. It's a lynch-pin for your Client-Retention Strategy. It continues the process of gathering current information. It identifies small service issues before they become really big problems. It promotes referrals. It generates appointments. And it solves the #1 complaint people have about their financial advisors: "We never hear from 'em!"
80% of Clients and 50% of Prospects have
Opportunities (Funds Due) recorded in their records.
Consider two scenarios:
You print a list of Client and Prospect Contact Groups and start calling with an investment idea. It takes you three hours to contact 50 people. Ten of them really liked the idea, but only four had the assets available to take advantage of the opportunity. You set four appointments. Not bad for three hours, right?
On the other hand, you review your Opportunities Due Report and notice you have four people with assets available for investing in the next two weeks. It takes you an hour to contact them, and you set up appointments with all four.
versus
1 hour on the phone = 4 appointments
Hmmmmm.
If you call people when they have assets available for investing, your response rate goes through the roof. Even if you're a dyed-in-the-wool financial planner and know where all your Clients have their money (which, by the way, I promise you don't), you need to know where your Prospects have their money. How do you discover this?
You ask them.
And then you get that data into your database and start using your Opportunities Due Report! This is also another way to ensure that your contacts with Clients and Prospects are timely.
Your prospecting strategy consistentlyproduces 20-30 leads per week.
Sales is a numbers game. If you can generate 20-30 leads per week, roughly 1 in 5 will set an appointment right away. Assuming you do your job, you should be able to close half, right? Do the math: 20-30 leads per week equals 4-6 new Prospect appointments, which in turn equals 2-3 new households. That's over 100 new households a year, which is what you need to offset attrition and grow your business at the same time.
If you're in a market that's more resistant than others, you should expect that roughly 1 in 8 (and sometimes 1 in 15) leads contacted will request an appointment right away. If this is the case in your neck of the woods, you need to make sure your prospecting strategy is generating more than 20-30 leads per week. The point is this--you have to make sure your prospecting strategy is generating enough new leads per week to allow you to achieve your targeted number of new Prospect appointments every week.
Another very important thing to remember about setting up a prospecting strategy (and often something nearly everyone misses) is REFERRALS ARE PROSPECTS. As you plan your prospecting strategy, include methods for consistently and effectively promoting referrals.
So there you have the Five Critical Elements of System Use. Memorize them. Understand the logic behind them. Make them your mantra for success. Tattoo them on your arm. Most importantly, call Marketing Support for further help and instruction whenever you need it!
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© Copyright 2004 by Bill Good.
All rights Reserved.