Potential or Productive?

I meant to post this earlier this week while it was still fresh in my mind. I was watching the 2nd half of the Monday Night Football game (Steelers vs. Bengals).

Jon Gruden, NFL Analyst for MNF and former NFL head coach, said something very profound that relates directly to business people as well as athletes. He and his colleagues were discussing how a team like the Bengals, one year removed from sweeping games from their division rivals, can now be so bad. Ron Jaworski stated that the Bengals have so much potential with great players on their team.

That's when Gruden chimed in, "You know what potential really means? It means you haven't done squat! The Steelers are full of productive NFL players and the Bengals are full of potential."

I think the same can be said of business people and it is demonstrated in their networking efforts. I know quite a few people who could be so much more successful if they would just go the extra mile to actively engage their network, help others selflessly, spend time thinking how they could contribute more to their networking groups, etc.

So the question is, "are you full of potential or are you a productive networker?"

Perseverance is Key to Success

I woke up today thinking, "what a lucky guy I am to have the life that I have!" I've been blessed with a wonderful wife, good friends, family, and a business that I love to run every day. I also started thinking about what things have enabled me to be successful in my business thus far.

The #1 reason is that I have followed a process consistently that has delivered results. Too often we give up before we ever see the fruits of our labor. This made me think of an incident that happened to me when I was about 12 years old.

Every summer during my youth I spent a good amount of time fishing and camping with my family. On one of our camping trips, I spent an entire afternoon fishing off the end of a dock. I patiently watched the bobber at the end of my fishing line for at least a solid 2 hours with nothing to show for it, not even the slightest nibble.

During that same time there were probably 4 or 5 others fishing off the same dock, but after 20 minutes of inactivity, they all left. I sat and waited, and waited, and waited...

All of a sudden the bobber disappeared underneath the water's surface like someone had attached cinder block to the end of my line!! I jerked the line to set the hook and began reeling in whatever was on the other end. At the same time I began yelling for my Dad to come down to see what was happening.

I reeled in a "Channel Cat" (catfish) that was one of the largest fish I had ever caught, weighing about 10 lbs. and almost 30 inches long. When everyone in the campground area heard me yelling several made their way down to the dock to see what the commotion was all about.

Next thing I knew, there were about 10 other fisherman on the dock casting their lines into the water. Funny thing is, I don't remember if any of the others caught any other fish that afternoon.

What happened to the Channel Cat? I took him home in a very large bucket of water. Later that same day I delivered the fish to our neighbor next door, an old man who lived by himself by the name of Seif Friend. Dad said he loved to eat catfish and would really be surprised so see what I had brought to him. I'll never forget how his eyes lit up when he saw what was in the bucket!

The reason this story is relevant to me is that it is a perfect analogy to why some people are successful following processes and persevering, while others give up too soon. Whenever I get the least bit discouraged about business or networking in general, I remind myself to persevere just like I did that afternoon on the dock with my fishing line in the water.

Long term success in networking and business comes from following processes that work and not giving up too soon.

Wrong Number, Right Mindset

I have a story to share with all of you that perfectly illustrates how to 'think outside the box' when it comes to inviting guests to chapters. Congratulations go to Daniel Barker with ACS Title and also a member of the Towne Centre Chapter for this success story.

Daniel was attempting to text someone and inadvertently sent a text to the wrong number. After a few minutes both parties realized it was a wrong number. Instead of simply apologizing and exiting the conversation, Daniel invited the person as a guest to the Towne Centre Chapter.

Shawn Cromartie was the guest invited and owns MSC Contruction & Design. After visiting 3 times, Shawn submitted his application and was voted in as the newest member. Shawn has already engaged at least 3 members of the chapter to use their services in his business.

Had Daniel not been 'thinking on his feet', that opportunity would have been lost. He was definitely 'thinking outside the box' on this one! This should serve as a great reminder that we all need to be aware of the opportunity in every conversation and interaction we have with others!