10,000 Steps a Day
What Commitment Can You Make to Better Your Life & Business?
Beth Standlee
By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment
If you follow me on Facebook, you know I’ve been having a walking party every day by challenging myself to walk 10,000 steps per day for 100 days.
I knew I needed to set a goal that would create real lasting success. You see, I’ve started and stopped every fitness program known to woman. It was important for me to pick something that could fit into my busy schedule. I figured I could walk no matter where I was, especially since I travel a lot. So for me, walking became the lowest common denominator when it came to exercise. All that was left once I made the 100-day, 10,000-step commitment was to prioritize getting those steps in every single day.
That got me to thinking about other ways to apply that kind of commitment. I began to consider what the lowest common denominator is when we think about sales.
What rings true for me is that the more people I talk with, the more sales I close. I think it’s true that human interaction is very important when we’re selling things like events, birthdays, cars and homes. When it matters, people want to buy from other people.
If we look at the lowest common denominator with our sales coaching clients, we find the more time the salesperson spends creating opportunities to really connect with a potential customer the better. Real connection makes it easier to get to the next step with a potential buyer.
By “next step,” I mean the seller sets an appointment to talk to a decision maker, sets up a tour of your facility with the buyer, or puts a proposal together in order to complete the sale. Of course, closing the deal and booking a party is also a great next step!
I know you’ve closed the sale many times when you were able to talk face to face with a guest. We’ve found that creating those personal connections, along with a great sales process, often leads to booking on the spot. So in thinking about setting long-lasting commitments for booking more events, the lowest common denominator of sales may simply be the number of people with whom you interface daily. How many people are you getting in front of you on a day-to-day basis? Do you have a target?
Listen, my walking-10,000-steps-a-day commitment, as far as exercise was concerned, was the lowest common denominator for me. I knew I could put one foot in front of the other on a daily basis. I’ll admit that 10,000 steps a day was a pretty tall order, and that it was difficult at times. In fact, during those first 30 days I got very sore. I also had to take lots of little walks to get all 10,000 steps in each day. It was aggressive and I did it. I kept that commitment and found new strength about other ways to manage goals and commitments.
With business in mind, I want to ask you this: If you were going to make a commitment of the lowest common denominator about talking with others in order to create new business for your center, what kind of commitment would you be willing to make and follow through on? Such a commitment means you’ll do whatever it takes to talk to the number of people you promised you’ll talk with each day.
Think carefully about that number. If you work an eight-hour shift, would it be one person an hour? Could it be 10 a day? Maybe it’s three or five people you can absolutely count on talking with.
Now let’s imagine you have a 50% close rate and you said, “No matter what, I’m going to talk to eight new people per day.” Over five days, that means you’ll talk to at least 40 new people a week. With your amazing close ratio, you book 20 new events!
That’s a big deal because I’m not talking about people who are calling you, I’m talking about your commitment to create new business with people you’ve never talked to before. I know what will happen: You will acquire new confidence in you and your ability.
This is not simply a challenge to help grow new business for your center. The personal growth that comes from declaring you’re going to do something, sticking with for a significant period of time like 100 days, and then doing it, is a formula for real success. There is a confidence and strength in saying I’m going to do this and then doing it.
So what is it for you? Can you commit to really engaging with three new prospects each day until the end of November? Is it two, eight or 10? Make a choice. I promise the results will have you partying everyday.
Make a choice, commit, prioritize that commitment, and then do whatever you’ve got to do to make it happen.
Beth is the CEO of TrainerTainment LLC, a training company devoted to the family entertainment and hospitality industries. Beth and her team are focused on helping the companies they serve make more money through sales, guest service, leadership and social media marketing training. Training products and services are delivered in person, through books and DVDs, and virtually with e-learning courses, webinar development and 24/7 online access. Visit her company’s website at www.trainertainment.com.
