This week’s episode of SUCCESS Line covers a struggle that so many entrepreneurs deal with. I talk to Sasha, a mother of four and real estate agent who is looking for tips to grow her sphere and meet new clients. We all want to grow our sphere of influence. But how?
Much of the work happens before we take any outward action. You need to win the battle in your mind first. Decide to dominate and commit wholeheartedly to your vision for the business. Results are simply the byproduct of action (or lack thereof), and action starts in our mind.
If you’re ready to increase your influence and grow your business, read on for the top three commitments you need to make.
1. Commit to lead generation.
Lead generation is the No. 1 problem for all entrepreneurs and business owners. If you can drive leads, everything else in your business will take care of itself. Decide right now that lead generation will not be the thing to hold you back.
How to do it? The key lies in your relationships. Sasha had already started building out her network, finding referrals through her son’s baseball coach or her church group, but she needed to do more of it. I coached her to approach new people as if she is telling a friend about her new favorite movie: “You have to watch this movie. It is so funny, moving, romantic, etc.” You would tell your friend about that movie because you want to improve his or her life, and you would tell them about it enthusiastically. You need to think of yourself and what you do for people as highly as you do that movie.
Decide you are a master of lead generation. When you make that decision, the effects will roll forward and solve everything else.
2. Commit to affirmations.
Sasha came on the call battling three limiting beliefs:
- I didn’t grow up around here
- I’m one of the younger agents
- I’m one of the few people of color, and I don’t want to make people uncomfortable
Her first step, before she can achieve anything else, is to unpack those beliefs.
All limiting beliefs are as real as we allow them to be. As humans, we don’t deal in a world of truth. We deal in a world of repetition. Whatever you tell yourself most often is what will become true for you.
In Take the Stairs, I wrote a chapter titled, “Creation Principle of Integrity,” in which I discuss the simple structure of creation. All creation starts in our mind: You think it, you speak it, you act and then it happens. If you are constantly thinking and speaking limiting beliefs, that is the truth you will believe and the reality you will act upon.
But there is good news: changing these beliefs is as simple as changing what you say to yourself about yourself. Our brain is a computer and we can reprogram it through affirmations. I can turn any belief that feels disempowering into an affirmation. The crazier the affirmation feels, the louder and more frequently you need to say it—say it as many times as you need for it to become the truth.
For Sasha we could turn her limiting beliefs into, I attract leads effortlessly, or, I have more clients than I can handle. If she allows herself to stay stuck in her earlier beliefs, she will stay a helpless victim in a world she has set up against herself. Take control: You have the power to reprogram your mind and design the world you’d like to live in through daily affirmations.
3. Commit to introducing yourself to new people.
So you’ve committed to lead generation and daily affirmations—now you need to go out and make it happen. Resolve to be great at meeting new people and promoting yourself and your business.
Come up with one great line to break the ice—ideally a question—and one great line to transition into your business. For Sasha, we came up with, “Are you new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” This line leaves the door wide open for a conversation to begin. Another wonderful conversation starter I’ve used for years on airplanes is, “Are you leaving home or going home?” Remember to focus on being helpful and valuable before you try to sell anything to the person you are meeting.
Hone your opening line and start introducing yourself to strangers. You can’t generate new business if you don’t meet new people.
The SUCCESS Line is no longer releasing new episodes on the SUCCESS Podcast Network, but you can still listen to the full conversation below.
