the watch of time

Many are the skills we can develop which help us to grow, making a positive ripple effect of our efforts on others, gradually wider and fuller.

Some aptitudes have wider applications than others – consider cooking versus negotiating skills.  The significance, the impact, of some talents may expand beyond the borders of their logical environments.

Take characteristics of time management and effectiveness, discussed in an ‘advice’ column in the March edition of The Insurance & Investment Journal.

Long-time speaker and advisor coach Jim Ruta examines how top life insurance producers maximize their business output, i.e. their sales success, by efficient use of deadlines and persistence in their practice.

For instance, what industry leaders do is, “They squish years of average advisor production into one”.  A major component in achieving this is adhering to creative, meaningful deadlines.

A good example of how having a deadlines mind-set is valuable is in connection with vacations.  Anecdotal evidence indicates that people accomplish more going into and coming out of vacations than if they’d worked straight through.  (I wish I had followed this adage more.)

Using his tips to advisors as guide, there are practices which can benefit many others in society, including…

• Address a high priority opportunity or issue each day
• Start each work day in front of an opportunity
• Establish limited time periods in which to accomplish basic requirements, such as administrative
• Bypass the basic ‘to do list’ concept, in favour of directly slotting in the activity in one’s calendar
• Record measurable achievements, and use them as implicit motivation to keep improving with higher numbers, on an ongoing basis
• Maintain using deadlines to getting things done in a quicker manner

Insofar as the precipitative ingredient of persistence, the value of this behaviour is illustrated in an anecdotal truism: sometimes prospects do a better job of selling ‘no appointments’ than advisors do in gaining appointments with them.  In that context, there’s a sale made in every such encounter.  This can be in part due to assumptions made by the advisors about the viability of eventually converting certain prospects.

As with other versions of fishing, a focus combining patience with persistence will periodically land a prize, perhaps even a big one.  The formula for advisors to absorb, namely a strong approach + inspiration + persistence = success, applies to those in the much wider ripple.

Opportunities to apply these techniques, be they relating to work, family, or leisure, are as discoverable as ever.