Not long after I started my brokerage career, I had the opportunity to chat with a seasoned pro. This salesman had been very successful through the years and had built a strong presence in his niche. I was asking him about his time management philosophy.
“In my opinion, the single most important decision a salesperson makes—every day—is which opportunities to work on,” he said. “If you chase every deal that comes along, you’ll end up wasting so much time that you will never reach your potential.”
Even though I was new to the business, this guidance resonated with me.
I had already begun to sense how important it was going to be for me to qualify the opportunities that appeared before me. Eventually, this led me to creating a scorecard for myself. This scorecard led me to consider a handful of criteria (the attributes of an ideal opportunity) before I committed myself. Because I was taking a moment to evaluate the opportunity before I was embroiled in it, I could make a better decision.
I discovered two immediate benefits.
- I turned down deals that didn’t make sense to pursue.
- And when I decided to chase a marginal deal, I was making a conscious choice to compromise.
I reconvened with the seasoned pro later, and I told him how meaningful his guidance had been to me.
When I showed him my scorecard, he smiled and said, “This is good work. Making a clear decision up front about which deals to chase is the best way to be efficient. I’ve always felt that when you look at any 10 deals, there are three deals that no one can make, and there are three deals that anyone can make. Those four deals in between are where you reach your potential. Choose carefully. Greatness lies in the middle.”
I am so thankful that I was taught early in my career to qualify opportunities before I jumped in. I still use that philosophy today.
What about you? How do you choose among the opportunities that make it to your desk?
THE FUTURE IS NOW!
