I Recently gave a talk on this at a Motivational Conference called I’ve Decided in Peoria, IL and I had a lot of people tell me is was a great topic and they wanted a copy of the presentation. I do not claim to be the expert on Success and I am still learning myself. However I have had the opportunity to spend time with Key People of Influence who are experts. They helped guide and coach me on an amazing journey that started in 2016.
Most of the material I’ve learned was from the Original ABC Shark Kevin Harrington and his book Key Person of Influence which is co-authored by Daniel Priestly. Not only have I used the steps from the book, I tailored it for me and my own experience.
I had already started my own journey 5 years ago before meeting any influencer. In December of 2015 I made a decision to level up and meet with Kevin Harrington. The steps he shared matched up very well with what I was experiencing in product development. It validated that there is a process and firmed up areas I was unfamiliar with. Here is what I learned and can be summarized in 6 Steps.
1) Identify Your Niche…For me I had spent years in Business Development, Sales, Started my own businesses, worked for Fortune 500 Companies and had invented my own product. So what were my Talents and Skills out of all of this?
You have to be able to identify what you enjoy doing the most. I came to the realization that I was good at arranging meetings. In all my ventures this was the common factor for me. After looking back and reviewing everything I had done I learned that I had arranged over 25,000 sales meetings from the beginning of my career to date. This was my niche. But let’s look further.
Then you have to determine of the skills and knowledge what people need and what are they willing to pay money for. I know that every sale starts with a meeting. And I know that all businesses need a good Sales representative. But not all Sales people end up being a good fit for a company or they move on to a better opportunity. So there is high turnover. I am not talking about ecommerce or retail Sales. I am talking true B2B Sales. This is my aha moment. People will pay for arranged meetings.
I tested this model for the last 8 years as a Business Development Contractor for Prairie Technology Alliance. That is my specific duty…to arranged business sales meetings and introductions. I have arranged nearly 3,000 meetings during this time. Does this make me an expert, let’s see.
The Definition of an Expert.
- Webster’s Definition: Having, involving, or displaying special skill or knowledge derived from training or experience.
- Researcher K. Anders Ericsson Argued that for someone to become an Expert in their field, they need at least 10,000 hours of practice.
2) What Is Your Why? ...You must have a why. It could be for money and of course money is good. But what drives you to go through all the hard work, long days and rejection. Do you have a cause or have you experienced a hardship in life or a maybe it’s for your family. I am Leveling up to leave a Legacy for my daughter and sons. That is my Why! I want to show them that if I can do great things so can they. Discover your “Why” before moving to the next step. Be serious with yourself and do not pass this step.
3) Publicize Yourself… Now you have to publicize yourself and to become a Key Person of Influence which is part of being successful. This can be a very difficult stage and always is. Some people will view you as arrogant and be turned away by the attention and not know how to deal with it. You should be confident but it is only because you know what you want.
Here is where I made a decision to accelerate my profile and back it up with proof. I made a decision as part of leveling up and started writing my first book January 1st 2016 and was finished by March 2016 with over 62,000 words and a 232 page manuscript. I have never written anything of this caliber in my life. I got it published in June of 2016 and started promoting myself and my book. I wrote more blogs than I ever have in my life in 2016. I read more books by influencers and coaches than I ever have in my life. I got published in magazines and went on Local TV interviews and my product was also airing on National TV. I even ended up winning the 2016 Best New Business Book by Richter Publishing.
I started doing FREE Sales Training workshops for all of the Chambers of Commerce in my area. I volunteered my time to do more workshops than I ever have in my life. I started working hard on my social media accounts like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn building followers and connections and creating content. I focused on getting endorsements and recommendations and secured more written recommendations last year than I have my whole career. I even went the distance to secure 3 written recommendations for my new book “Nothing Happens Until The Meeting Is Set” by The Original Shark Kevin Harrington, the Co-Founder of Priceline .com Jeff Hoffman and the Director of Dale Carnegie Training in Central Illinois Steve Grant, all of this in 2016. To top it all off I build two new websites geared at marketing my business, my book and new ventures.
This is the type of action it takes and I am setting the bar real high for myself. Even if I fall short I will still be way ahead of the normal me. I recently heard an Oscar acceptance speech by the Hollywood Movie Star Matthew McConaughey. He talked about a man who asked him who his hero was and he said let me think about it and get back to me in two weeks. Two weeks go by and the man asks him again did you decide who your hero is? He responds saying “Me” my hero is me in 10 years. Ten years go by and the same man asks if he is a hero he said “No” It will be me in another 10 years. His point is that he will never reach his hero status, but that is OK. It keeps him reaching and chasing. He knows he will never reach his hero. I am nowhere near where I want to be but I have no intentions of ever giving up. I even made it a point to meet and talk with as many Key Influencers as I can as well.
4) Perfect Your Pitch…Perfecting your pitch is what will separate you from everyone else. I always give an example. If asked what it is that I do I could say I am a Business Development Contractor. And that is OK. However aren’t there thousands of Business Development Professionals? Better said, it would go like this: “I specialize in connecting People, Businesses and Products through paid arranged meetings using my own proven system that saves you time and money.” This is something you would remember.
Any business owner can craft a pitch specifically to what it is you do that is unique. Create a short meaningful but memorable pitch.
5) Surround Yourself With Like Minded People…Surrounding yourself with Key People and Experts will force you to Level Up. Everything you do should always be a notch above and keep you reaching. I mentioned this earlier; how I went out to meet Kevin Harrington. Then I made my way to meet Jeff Hoffman Co-Founder of Priceline .com, UFC Legend and TV Actor Ken Shamrock, Businessman and Visionary Des Woodruff and Wealth Coach JT Foxx. I did not stop there. You have to keep growing your circle of influence so I reached out to more Key Influencers offering to create a value add proposition. That opportunity led me to communicating with LightSpeedVt Founder Brad Lea, Influencers from Huffington Post, iHeart Radio personality Brandon Rimes, Expert Publisher Tara Richter and TV Producer of Ambitious Adventures and Author to Key To Crowdfunding Brandon T Adams.
Surrounding myself with these experts keeps me pushing the envelope for myself. I always say in idle time what would they do. I know the answer, but it helps drive me. Now I stay busy and if I do have extra time I end up writing blogs like this one or creating new content. I hope that it can possibly help someone else see the possibilities of becoming successful.
Surrounding yourself with Key People does not mean you shouldn’t have friends and family. That would be silly. But it does mean is that those around you should realize your potential and the journey you want to take. If they care about you they will see it as a good thing and support you. You just do not need anything that will bring you down.
6) Always Give Back…I have always wanted to donate my time to something greater than myself. All great people of influence give back to their communities and to the world in one form or another. You cannot just take, take and take without giving back.
For as long as I can remember I have always made it a point to donate my time. I have served for years as a volunteer for a local Hospitals, Churches, and Charities and now as a Score Volunteer Mentor I can help coach others for FREE. Score is a perfect outlet for me because business is what I know best.
I encourage you to find something that you can do to serve others and donate your time.
These are the 6 Steps and One Way Route to a Success Model that I use. Please Like and Share.
If you would like more information on my Sales Workshops, how to Meet with Key People of Influence on demand or Speaking Opportunities please contact me directly at: john@business453.com. I am also on LinkedIn and Twitter as JohnMcKee453.
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