Who's your enemy?
We're down to the final month of 2020. Saying 'what a year' is likely a gross understatement. And hoping the year as you know it ends in 31 days we all know is a fallacy. 2021 is just 2020 + 1 afterall. No matter what's dished out, it's up to you to make the most of it. Some draw the winning lotto ticket, and life serves up roses while others must work these fine Meyer lemons into some amazing lemonade. If you're reading this you have drawn a winning ticket even if it's not the one you want. Create that life from here. Either way, I go back to resilience and mindset. This isn't some self-help crap that's gone in 60 seconds. It begins inside. Inside of you. This week I talk about your enemies, being an askhole and simple math to hit your goals.
You need an enemy
Hollywood has this down. The story of David and Goliath, good triumphing over evil. We're compelled to watch. To root for the underdog. It gives the lead character focus and drive. And leads to a resolution, that in true Hollywood fashion, results in a win for the underdog. Why can't that be you? What if you viewed your life as a movie filled with obstacles and hurdles you're trying to overcome to win? Imagine how that would focus you on what matters to your success. Imagine how that would motivate you to persevere. To get creative at problem solving so that you vault over any obstacle between you and that success.
If that's not you now, then you need an enemy to fight. You need something that you can take on and win. The evil you yearn to slay. This enemy can be anything that stands between you and success. It could be time. It could be self-esteem or fear. Or a big brand. The key is getting laser focused on who your enemy is. And then relentlessly pursuing it.
Pick one. Name it. Give it a personality. If it's a thing, anthropomorphize it. There. Now you have your enemy. Go after it.
What's your circle of competence?
As you fight your enemy, you need to know your limits. How large is your circle of competence and where? This is the area in which you have deep knowledge. You've spent years building this up. And it's an area in which you know what you don't know so that you can find the answers.
Outside of your circle of competence you don't know what you don't know. You don't always know what questions to ask or where to look for answers. You might flail about. You might think you know. But more than likely you're scratching the surface. Knowing your boundaries allows you to make better decisions.
Within you circle of competence is where you have advantage and leverage. It takes time to build. And you must nurture it to keep it relevant. Knowledge evolves and so should you. Never get complacent or you'll fall behind. Yet staying current is a matter of staying curious. It's your area of expertise after all.
If you don't know your circle of competence, stop right now and assess your skills. Assess what you're good at. What people come to YOU for. Those are the clues.
Because you can't be good at everything, you need to cultivate relationships with people you trust with competencies in areas of importance. Think a 'competence mastermind'. Know enough about these areas so that you can know whether someone has domain expertise.
Ask them what questions you need to ask. Get good at the art of asking questions. If at first you don't get the clarity you seek, ask again. Or find another who's competent in the area. Don't worry about asking dumb questions.
Over the years some people have been annoyed that I ask too many questions. They wonder why I don't trust them. They feel it's an attack on their intelligence. It's not. I'm just curious and want to know. I want to understand the 'why' behind the answer as it helps me connect the dots.
I now let people I'm asking many questions to know that I do this. And that it's not about questioning their competence, but in service of getting to the root of a thing. I don't worry about someone thinking I'm an askhole. Nor should you.
When it comes to circles of competence, put aside your ego. Those who are overconfident or fear not having an answer for everything are the ones who'll come up short handed when push comes to shove. The ego can work against you. Don't let it win. Celebrate what you're good at. Celebrate others for what they're good at.
Simple math to get to goal
I spend a lot of time on lead generation. The digital world gives us so many wonderful tools to track and measure lead flow. Whether via Google Pay Per Click, or Facebook ads (another world entirely) or through an event, you can measure conversion rates, test offers and headlines and pictures and pretty much any aspect of an ad. The science is quite clear. Yet so is the humanity as I talked about last week. Always remember that behind every lead is a human.
If your goal is to get a job, you know you need to talk to many companies before you get an interview that turns into an offer. If you are seeking clients, it's about how many people do you need to talk to before one buys.
The better you know your target customer, and their habits, the better your conversion rate will be. That goes for both finding a job and finding clients. The better your conversion rate, the fewer you need to talk with to hit your goals. Sounds obvious, right? Yes, but. . . most of us don't break it down that way.
We merely say we want 5 new clients. Or $20,000 or $20,000,000 in revenue. Whatever your goal, if you break it down into what is required to get there, the more apt you are to reach it.
If your goal is 5 new customers and your conversion rate is 3%, then you need to talk with or engage 170 people. If it's 15% then you need to only talk with 34 people. It all depends on what you're selling. Is it simple or complex? Do they buy when they first encounter you or do you have to court them? If the latter, than you likely need more than your minimum target because you would ultimately convert off a proposal. You'll have a raw conversion rate and an 'aligned' conversion rate. You need to know what your metrics are.
You can then break down how many people you need to talk with in a week. For example, if it's 5 clients in 60 days, at a 15% conversion rate than you need to talk with 4.25 people per week. The .25 is darn fickle so round it up to 5 people per week.
In these terms it doesn't feel so daunting does it? It hinges on your ability to execute consistently. When you know what's required it's easier to put a plan in place you'll actually do. It's tangible. And we humans like what we can see and touch.
What are you waiting for?