Who are your friends?
When I was younger I remember my mother saying "you are, who you hang around" being the rebellious teen that I was I did not do such a great job. Back then the stakes were low, hanging around the wrong people did not cost you income. These days the people I talk to on a consistent basis are typically much smarter than me at something. This is a unique industry in that the smart people are typically "google smart" for them to give away information could cost them money. While you can read books and join groups those have limited value. It is the trial and error that is where the gravy is at (or so I am told, my business model is not really google dependent). Most other businesses are similar though, even playing poker is similar, books and information can only take you so far, it will be that trial and error that will determine your ultimate success (and do not discount a little luck occasionally).
If you know me you likely know that I am a fairly talkative guy but I am also an active listener, especially when it comes to topics I know little about. I also really like to look at business models and see how they fit with completely different industries. For instance, I think the internet does a poor job of sales, if someone can crack that nut I think the road to riches will follow. Though customers on the internet do not want to be "SOLD", so you have to be fairly savvy.
The two best examples I have of seeking mentors is when I was in the car business and when I was in the mortgage business. In the car business I was very young and was just coming out of a failed business. I needed money bad. Almost from day one I started burning through "ups" (the term used for customers coming up to the door). On my down time I befriended the two most successful people in the store. Both were very forthcoming and both admitted that no one had ever asked them for help the way that I had. I spent hours with these guys learning what they did best. Both basically taught me the same message, get to know people on more of a personal level and slow down the sale, in fact, do not sell at all. I also learned that people did not call people back in the car business and even fewer could get customers in from a phone call. I learned both. If I spent time with a customer they got the same show whether they bought or did not buy because ultimately no one walks into a car dealership without a percentage of want to buy a car. The next business was the mortgage business, I did not need to go into the mortgage business but with the refinance craze it seemed like a good time. I also learned a style that was very mathematical. For many customers that I talked to I knew whether they should refinance or not within minutes. I already knew that giving my full attention was my best approach but I learned something else that really worked to my favor, convenience. You could do well in the mortgage business selling ten mortgages a month, so it occurred to me that going to where people are is awfully convenient. I sort of learned that on my own but I took that to the next level with a seminar that changed my life. The lead of the seminar was a guy by the name of Todd Duncan but none of the names were important. It also was not cheap but looking back if I had not gone my life would be quite different. That led me on a path of discovery that taught me the value of contact management and random gifting. Those things help a lot when asking for referrals.
I was very successful at both things because I knew to ask for advice and even pay for good advice. I read constantly, usually three books at a time just in case one or two are boring. Right now I get a lot of my advice from people much younger than I am. I am also very lucky to have very wealthy friends who find my lifestyle quite interesting. I bounce ideas off of them all the time. In fact, the other day I was talking to a friend of mine who has no idea about the internet or internet marketing but he was virtually finishing off my sentences as I explained to him one of my current problems. There really is not much in this world that has not been encountered by someone, so asking for advice is akin to not having to make mistakes.
If all of your friends are talking to you about how they have no idea where their next dollars are coming from, here is my advice, get new friends.
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