Eight Habits that Will Guarantee Success
By John Milton Fogg
Habits are a fact of life and work. There are bad habits – ones that undermine and disable you, and there are supportive habits – ones that empower you and assure ongoing positive action and achievement.
Following is a list of eight habits you can do every day. They are not the only ones, but they’re proven practices that will contribute to your professional network marketing success – guaranteed.
1. Write Down Your Goals and Review Them Daily.
Successful people in all walks of life and work not only have goals, they also write them down and review them daily. Making written goals keeps the “why” of the business up in front of your face. Written goals assist in keeping you focused, help you get through difficult times, and are more “real” and concrete than dreams in thought. Knowing where you want to go transforms a “Sunday drive” into a purposeful journey. It is the key to creating success by design – the design you want – and not by luck or accident.
2. Listen.
How often are you more interested in what you have to say than in what the person you’re speaking with is saying? Do you have more answers than questions? Do you approach conversations with an agenda you want to “get” the other person to “see” or agree with?
Listening is a powerful ingredient for success, yet many of us are not good listeners.
The key to listening is this: notice when you’re thinking about your answer instead of listening; stop, focus on what the other person is saying and ask more questions. Kahil Gibran said that the true teacher does not bring you to the storehouse of his or her wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own. Giving people the right information is important, even empowering. Helping them discover what’s right empowers them 100 times more.
3. Acknowledge Your Actions Instead of Your Results.
Although many of us have been taught that it’s the result that counts, a focus on results may actually be counterproductive. What if, instead, we focused on our actions – and let the results take care of themselves?
For one thing, our actions create results. So it makes sense that continuous action – what we call being “proactive” – will generate more and greater results. By acknowledging our actions, we give ourselves – and others – positive reinforcement. We build a pattern of success.
Focusing on results tends to trap people into “doing it right,” rather than just doing it. That’s a sure set up for failure.
Remember, it took Thomas Edison 9,999 attempts (actions) to make a light bulb (the result). If he’d been preoccupied with the result, we might still be in the dark.
Consistent action – each one being able to be completed – generates momentum, the on-going power we need to accomplish our goals.
4. Say Only Things That Champion People.
“If you can’t say anything nice…” There’s more than enough negativity and criticism in the world. For every three good things being said on any subject, there are 33 bad comments whispering down the lane. Saying only those things that champion people, companies and causes generates positive word-of-mouth. In a predominantly negative world, this will attract people to you like a powerful magnet. When you find yourself engaging in negative talk, notice what you’re saying, stop, make a positive observation instead – or be quiet. Being known as a man or woman of your good word is something you can put right in the bank – and the interest it earns is both residual and powerful.
5. Make and Keep Your Agreements.
“Those people never return phone calls – they must simply not care… Tom said he’d send me literature, but it never came – he’s not serious about this business… We had an appointment at 3:00, but she never showed up, she never even called – I just can’t count on her.”
These conclusions may not be the truth, but that’s how people feel when you don’t return their calls, follow through and keep your agreements. Keeping your agreements in a timely manner is both professional and duplicatable – it’s the kind of action you want to encourage your distributors to model. Imagine how powerful your organization would be if everyone in it could be counted on to do what they said they would?
Most calls don’t get returned, letters don’t get mailed, appointments aren’t kept, because of “not enough time” or “not being organized.” Fact is, it’s really a lack of commitment to keep our agreements. Making that commitment alone is a powerful action.
Honoring your intention to make and keep your promises is an almost 100 percent guarantee of success.
6. Set a Limit On Your Phone Time.
As an overall rule and with specific calls, placing a time limit on calls increases your effectiveness and reduces your phone bill, too – a classic win-win. Communications experts estimate that more than 80 percent of what we say is not to the point. Even if you saved only 50 percent of your telephone time by making time-limit agreements, you’d have time for twice as many calls. Busy people appreciate being concise and to-the-point. It’s a habit they have. The telephone may be the most powerful business tool you have – but only if you’re actually using it to do the business.
7. Just Say “No”.
Building your network marketing business can be a very busy enterprise. Many of us have a tendency to over commit. One problem is saying “Yes” too often. Being all things to all people is a crazy goal. Can’t be done. Learning how and when to say “No,” isn’t a self-indulgent limitation. It is a solid expression of what it takes to run your business in the most efficient and effective manner. And, it will also help to promote your people rising up to take responsibility for their own success.
To start, set a simple goal of saying “No” three times each day.
Don’t make it arbitrary. Choose times and subjects where saying “Yes” doesn’t serve you or your enterprise. Say “No” when you really mean it. Say “No” when it serves everyone involved.
8. Do One Thing At A Time.
Focus is vital for your success. Many of us split our focus: writing notes or organizing while on a phone conversation, having two conversations at once, and the frequent trap of the home-based business person: being torn between family and work.
“Jack (and Jill) of all trades” is truly master of none. You’ve got to concentrate on the task at hand and give it your full attention to succeed.
Otherwise, you’re ripping yourself or others off. From paying full attention to the person on the other end of the phone, to scheduling your time so that you’re not torn between two concerns, the one thing at a time approach works best. If you find yourself looking up a phone number while writing a note to someone, stop, make a choice of one or the other, and complete one task before moving on to the next. Choice is the key. It leaves your mind free to be fully engaged in your action. Distraction saps your energy, leads to fatigue and a lack of productivity. Remember, producing predictable results is what you’re after. The ability to focus on one thing at a time will increase the number of wins in your day � and in your career as well.
These proven practices will powerfully contribute to your professional network marketing success – guaranteed.
John Milton Fogg authored the million-selling industry classic, The Greatest Networker in the World. You can receive useful tips, tools, news, updates, links and other resources to help you build a better network marketing business free from John on his website: http://JohnMiltonFogg.com Be sure to visit John’s weblog: http://TheFoggBlogg.com where (almost) daily he posts commentary and resources for authentic, intelligent, sincere and credible network marketing.
