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Why M&M’s will kill your business

November 18, 2016 /0  Comments / in News / by Rob Sperry

Why M&M’s will kill your business

“I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal. People know me. I’m very important.” – Ron Burgundy, Anchorman

No one likes melted M&M’s but selfish people just don’t get this basic concept! Most people love talking about themselves. If you are trying to expand your network and build meaningful relationships, do you think you should spend more time talking about yourself, or asking questions so the other person is talking about themselves? I know that is a common sense question but even though most of us know this we rarely focus on how much or how little we dominate a conversation. You want to make the other person feel special, so ask lots of questions and listen to what they have to say.

A SIMPLE BUT HUGE TIP THAT WILL HELP

One thing I’ve noticed is that people love giving advice. You should ask constantly for advice.  Not only do you make others feel important, but you learn more.  Nobody wants to be around the person who thinks they know it all.  It is okay to be assertive and confident, but you should always seek different perspectives. Melted M&M’s are Me Monsters who are all about THEMSELVES. Learning to not be a Me Monster forces you to focus on others and evaluating your ROI (Return On Investment).

Johnny Appleseed 
For many, he was a great American folklore hero.  Today, I regard him as one of greatest pioneers of networking. Johnny Appleseed is a great example of longevity. Ten years is the average amount of time it takes for an apple seed to become a fruit bearing tree, and that includes Johnny Appleseed’s trees.  As a boy, I remember reading about him.  The legend had him dressed in ragged clothes, wearing a tin pan for a hat, talking with animals, and planting apple seeds everywhere he traveled.

Born on September 26, 1774, Johnny Appleseed’s real name was Jonathan Chapman. Though he did not wear a tin pan, he often wore ragged clothes and carried around a leather pouch full of apple seeds.

Each day, he walked for miles on dirt roads in search of one thing–fertilized land.  It was the absolute key to becoming successful in his industry.  And so, Johnny’s networking would begin with a simple door knock.  He was a man of enthusiasm, sincerity, and charisma.  At times, his reputation preceded him, but more often than not, Johnny had to build rapport with complete strangers in a matter of minutes.  He simply had the “likeability” factor. It never took long for landowners to trust Johnny and catch his vision.  His intentions were clear, his character shone through, and most importantly, both parties benefited, not just him.

Upon reaching an agreement, Johnny would take the reins from there and begin the hard work of fencing in the land with fallen trees and logs. Following that, he prepped the soil and then sowed the seeds.  Once Johnny was finished, he was off to the next city, leaving the care of the seedlings in the hands of the landowner.  Every year or two thereafter, he would then return to help tend the nursery and divide up the profits. 
Over the period of fifty years, Jonathan “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman accumulated tens of thousands of acres.  His fortune was built seed by seed, apple by apple, and tree by tree–all because of his ability to properly network.  Even until the day he passed away, his friendships and relationships remained intact.

I often wonder if we will see the fruits of our networking the same was as Johnny Appleseed did?  Are we ourselves willing to plant seeds today that may not be fully appreciated until weeks, months, or even years from now?   If the answer is “no,” then I’m afraid we don’t understand the value of networking, nor do we truly understand how to properly network.  We may be looking at the individual seed and failing to see the potential of apples and orchards.  As Alan Collins, the author of “Unwritten HR Rules” once said, “Pulling a good network together takes effort, sincerity, and time.”

Focusing on others will help you to avoid becoming a melted M&M (Me Monster). Once you learn that by focusing on others you will not only help them but you will help yourself, everything becomes more clear.

ROI

An ROI is a Return On an Investment. Quite literally, it allows you to evaluate whether the time or money you are investing into something is worth it based on the return you are or are not receiving.  As you sit down to read this book, you are making a decision that learning how to grow and maintain your network will have a positive ROI on your life. My network has helped me in so many ways that I can’t possibly list them all, but I do my best to share lessons I’ve learned over the years with you in this book. Sometimes measuring an ROI can be about how you feel, and sometimes it can be statistical. Most people and companies, however, are unable to fully assess a true ROI.

I worked for a company for a long time before deciding I wasn’t receiving a good ROI and decided to move on to something else.  I provided this company with a lot of value and we parted on good terms. Because of the way the company pay structure worked, I thought that meant I would continue to get paid on any residual sales that were generated through my services. I had made it a point to keep my new business venture separate from my affiliations and contacts associated with this company. However, they decided to stop paying me. Them paying me wasn’t a tremendous amount of money to the company, but the fact that I was now having success with a different company compelled them to stop paying me.

This same company had former employees in other competitive companies, and continued to pay them residuals.  The money wasn’t the issue for me; it was more the principle.  This is a very large company, and I believe the return on their investment for continuing to pay me would have had huge benefits for them in the long term.  Instead, for a very little amount of money, their pride got in the way.  What good did they really do by discontinuing their payments to me?

On the flipside, they could have created a ton of goodwill.  I have had many referrals since then that I could have, and probably would have, sent their way had they handled things differently. However, I don’t want to send people their way not believing they will be taken care of.  It’s easy to let pride set in, but you always need to look at things long term and think, “What’s the true ROI?”

Connections Count

Another way to look at this is to ask yourself the question, “Will this benefit me now, or over the long run?” The rich think long term while the poor think short term. Invest into your friendships and relationships with no expectations of getting something in return. The fruits will pay out dividends for years to come. Typically, things that benefit you now and not over the long run are things you want to avoid. Many jobs that pay a flat wage are only beneficial over the short run. You show up to work, clock in, get paid, and then walk out. You are not building any assets by doing that, and you will not be paid any residual income for that work but there still can be great value. Instead of solely focusing on the short term benefits of a job remember that the long term benefits are the relationships. Even at a dead-end job you can be very profitable in the long term because of one simple networking concept. Connections count! You never know who you will meet. You never know what ideas they will give you. You never know who they know and what connections they can help you with. You also should always think bigger than just the connections. Nothing is more important than collecting more lifelong friendships. Your next connection could have huge upside and that upside may have nothing to with money.

Don’t be a Me Monster. No one likes melted M&M’s.

Return on Investment goes hand in hand with long term mentality. As I said earlier, “begin with the end in mind.” A long-term mentality is especially important when it comes to building your network. Eddie Cantor said it best when he stated, “It takes 20 years to become an overnight success.”

Focus on:

Talking less and listening more
Asking for advice
Consider potential R.O.I from the right perspective

Why M&M’s will kill your business

November 18, 2016 /0  Comments / in News / by Rob Sperry

Why M&M’s will kill your business

“I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal. People know me. I’m very important.” – Ron Burgundy, Anchorman

No one likes melted M&M’s but selfish people just don’t get this basic concept! Most people love talking about themselves. If you are trying to expand your network and build meaningful relationships, do you think you should spend more time talking about yourself, or asking questions so the other person is talking about themselves? I know that is a common sense question but even though most of us know this we rarely focus on how much or how little we dominate a conversation. You want to make the other person feel special, so ask lots of questions and listen to what they have to say.

A SIMPLE BUT HUGE TIP THAT WILL HELP

One thing I’ve noticed is that people love giving advice. You should ask constantly for advice.  Not only do you make others feel important, but you learn more.  Nobody wants to be around the person who thinks they know it all.  It is okay to be assertive and confident, but you should always seek different perspectives. Melted M&M’s are Me Monsters who are all about THEMSELVES. Learning to not be a Me Monster forces you to focus on others and evaluating your ROI (Return On Investment).

Johnny Appleseed 
For many, he was a great American folklore hero.  Today, I regard him as one of greatest pioneers of networking. Johnny Appleseed is a great example of longevity. Ten years is the average amount of time it takes for an apple seed to become a fruit bearing tree, and that includes Johnny Appleseed’s trees.  As a boy, I remember reading about him.  The legend had him dressed in ragged clothes, wearing a tin pan for a hat, talking with animals, and planting apple seeds everywhere he traveled.

Born on September 26, 1774, Johnny Appleseed’s real name was Jonathan Chapman. Though he did not wear a tin pan, he often wore ragged clothes and carried around a leather pouch full of apple seeds.

Each day, he walked for miles on dirt roads in search of one thing–fertilized land.  It was the absolute key to becoming successful in his industry.  And so, Johnny’s networking would begin with a simple door knock.  He was a man of enthusiasm, sincerity, and charisma.  At times, his reputation preceded him, but more often than not, Johnny had to build rapport with complete strangers in a matter of minutes.  He simply had the “likeability” factor. It never took long for landowners to trust Johnny and catch his vision.  His intentions were clear, his character shone through, and most importantly, both parties benefited, not just him.

Upon reaching an agreement, Johnny would take the reins from there and begin the hard work of fencing in the land with fallen trees and logs. Following that, he prepped the soil and then sowed the seeds.  Once Johnny was finished, he was off to the next city, leaving the care of the seedlings in the hands of the landowner.  Every year or two thereafter, he would then return to help tend the nursery and divide up the profits. 
Over the period of fifty years, Jonathan “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman accumulated tens of thousands of acres.  His fortune was built seed by seed, apple by apple, and tree by tree–all because of his ability to properly network.  Even until the day he passed away, his friendships and relationships remained intact.

I often wonder if we will see the fruits of our networking the same was as Johnny Appleseed did?  Are we ourselves willing to plant seeds today that may not be fully appreciated until weeks, months, or even years from now?   If the answer is “no,” then I’m afraid we don’t understand the value of networking, nor do we truly understand how to properly network.  We may be looking at the individual seed and failing to see the potential of apples and orchards.  As Alan Collins, the author of “Unwritten HR Rules” once said, “Pulling a good network together takes effort, sincerity, and time.”

Focusing on others will help you to avoid becoming a melted M&M (Me Monster). Once you learn that by focusing on others you will not only help them but you will help yourself, everything becomes more clear.

ROI

An ROI is a Return On an Investment. Quite literally, it allows you to evaluate whether the time or money you are investing into something is worth it based on the return you are or are not receiving.  As you sit down to read this book, you are making a decision that learning how to grow and maintain your network will have a positive ROI on your life. My network has helped me in so many ways that I can’t possibly list them all, but I do my best to share lessons I’ve learned over the years with you in this book. Sometimes measuring an ROI can be about how you feel, and sometimes it can be statistical. Most people and companies, however, are unable to fully assess a true ROI.

I worked for a company for a long time before deciding I wasn’t receiving a good ROI and decided to move on to something else.  I provided this company with a lot of value and we parted on good terms. Because of the way the company pay structure worked, I thought that meant I would continue to get paid on any residual sales that were generated through my services. I had made it a point to keep my new business venture separate from my affiliations and contacts associated with this company. However, they decided to stop paying me. Them paying me wasn’t a tremendous amount of money to the company, but the fact that I was now having success with a different company compelled them to stop paying me.

This same company had former employees in other competitive companies, and continued to pay them residuals.  The money wasn’t the issue for me; it was more the principle.  This is a very large company, and I believe the return on their investment for continuing to pay me would have had huge benefits for them in the long term.  Instead, for a very little amount of money, their pride got in the way.  What good did they really do by discontinuing their payments to me?

On the flipside, they could have created a ton of goodwill.  I have had many referrals since then that I could have, and probably would have, sent their way had they handled things differently. However, I don’t want to send people their way not believing they will be taken care of.  It’s easy to let pride set in, but you always need to look at things long term and think, “What’s the true ROI?”

Connections Count

Another way to look at this is to ask yourself the question, “Will this benefit me now, or over the long run?” The rich think long term while the poor think short term. Invest into your friendships and relationships with no expectations of getting something in return. The fruits will pay out dividends for years to come. Typically, things that benefit you now and not over the long run are things you want to avoid. Many jobs that pay a flat wage are only beneficial over the short run. You show up to work, clock in, get paid, and then walk out. You are not building any assets by doing that, and you will not be paid any residual income for that work but there still can be great value. Instead of solely focusing on the short term benefits of a job remember that the long term benefits are the relationships. Even at a dead-end job you can be very profitable in the long term because of one simple networking concept. Connections count! You never know who you will meet. You never know what ideas they will give you. You never know who they know and what connections they can help you with. You also should always think bigger than just the connections. Nothing is more important than collecting more lifelong friendships. Your next connection could have huge upside and that upside may have nothing to with money.

Don’t be a Me Monster. No one likes melted M&M’s.

Return on Investment goes hand in hand with long term mentality. As I said earlier, “begin with the end in mind.” A long-term mentality is especially important when it comes to building your network. Eddie Cantor said it best when he stated, “It takes 20 years to become an overnight success.”

Focus on:

Talking less and listening more
Asking for advice
Consider potential R.O.I from the right perspective

These four tips are great, and they will work, but true knowledge requires application. That’s why the first two tips are action steps. If you know everything and do nothing, then you know nothing!
Make sure your chief aim, your deeper purpose, is written down and make it a practice to read it out loud EVERY DAY. Be deliberate and methodical and help your brain decide to commit. Compensation always catches up to skillset and effort, but it’s almost always massively delayed! You need your brain to understand that it is a done deal…you just have to give it the time necessary for the compensation to catch up to you.
You can make excuses, or you can make money, but you can’t do both. Get out there and make it happen! Use these tips to help yourself or anyone on your team get out, and stay out, of “no man’s land.”
We cover this topic (and many more) inside the TGON Nation course, where I, along with several million dollar earners, give our unique perspectives and tips for success every week. Unfortunately, TGON Nation (www.tgonnation.com) is currently closed, but I will keep you posted as to when it will reopen.

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