Agent Academy: 1440 Paradigm

Yes … they all had accomplishments that fundamentally changed the world.
Yes … they all had an impact that improved the environment around them.
Yes … we all experience the positive benefits of their successes in our lives every day.
However, they all have one commonality that is critical for us all to understand; they all had 1440 minutes in the day. The same amount of time that you and I have today. The only difference is what they accomplished with their 1440 minutes. Where they chose to spend their TIME.
The playing field of time is equal for all of us. None of us have the deck stacked in our favor when it comes to time. It’s just that those who change the world, make it better, improve it choose to use their 1440 minutes more effectively and efficiently than those that simply “get through their day”.
Theophrastus said that “Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.”
Yet, think about your day today. Did you “spend” your greatest asset wisely or did you squander it on things that neither moved you forward nor improved the situation for you, your family, your team, or employees?
One of my mentors once said, “If I followed you around all day with a yellow note-pad and simply wrote down everything that you did, what amount of your day would I find that you were engaged in income generating activities and how much time would I find that you spent on things that really didn’t matter.” (By the way… this “Time in Motion” study is something I always do with coaching clients who are “challenged” to manage their day effectively). So, I ask you the same question, “What would I find if I followed you around for 7 days?” Typically, when I do this with my clients, we find that 30-40% of their day is spent on non-income generating/unimportant activities.
Fun but scary fact: The average American spends over 3 hours a day on social media according to Facebook (and some sources report the number to be as high as 6 hours). Scrolling, engaging in social voyeurism, zoning out, tuning out, and checking out. I don’t have a beef with social media. It is a great tool to market, drive brand, and stay connected with individuals; however, I do have a challenge when we steal time away from family, business, and ourselves being a “social media zombie”. You may be thinking “Not me Pipes” but I invite you today and tomorrow to simply be aware of just how many visits into the world of social media you take per day. I think you will be extremely surprised.
Want to have some fun? Let’s do some simple math. 3 hours (spent on social media) a day times 365 days in a year equals 1095 hours. 1095 hours divided by an 8-hour workday equals 136 additional days. 136 additional work days divided by 5 days (days worked per week) equals 27 additional weeks of work (and this is just from social media…imagine if you filled some of the other “dead time” that you have).
And how many times have you said this year, “I simply don’t have enough time!” Sorry, I have to call bullshit on that one. Is it that you don’t have enough time, or that you are not being intentional with the asset of time that you have?
What could you do with an additional 27 weeks (and it doesn’t have to be business)?
Imagine if …
- devoted it to prospecting for new business.
- Spent more time with your family and loved ones.
- Learned to play an instrument.
- Learned a new language.
- Practice your sales dialogues and master them.
- You could read 78 books (it takes 13.9 hours to read a 500-page book).
- Devoted it to volunteering for your favorite charity.
- Spent more time pouring into your team as a leader.
The options are endless.
A couple year ago there was a great movie called “Limitless” with Bradley Cooper. If you saw it, you’ll remember that his character came across a pill that he could take that would open up the brain and allow one to use 90% plus of the brains capacity. Well, my friends, you don’t need a magic pill. Your magic pill is called…use your time more effectively and efficiently on the things that matter. PERIOD!
So, here are some pro-tips and hacks that I have found to move from Unintentional to Intentional with your day:
- Calculate out just how much you make per hour based upon your goal for income this year (simple formula: Your Income Goal divided by 2080 hours). Then before you engage in any activity ask yourself this question, “Is this activity in line with what my hourly rate is?” If not, then you don’t do it or you delegate it. Awareness my friends is the first stage to transformation.
- Take 15 minutes every night and simply write out the tasks that you need to get accomplished the next day. Then assign a priority to the tasks (AAA-do first thing the next morning, A-get done by noon, B-get done by the end of the day, C-who cares it doesn’t matter, D-this should be delegated). Then assign a time block the next day to get it done. For every minute you spend in planning you will save 7 to 8 in implementation.
- Take on the “Time in Motion” study and track exactly what you did in 30-minute blocks for two weeks (you’ll need 10 work days to have enough data to analyze). Then daily look at how much time was income generating, income servicing, or simply wasted.
- Identify the major distractions in your life and work through (or with your coach) on what you can do to preemptively make sure that they don’t come up. These could be email, social media, even people.
- Be urgent but at the same time have patience. This will not change overnight. You are building a new habit and that takes at least 67 days according to the University of London. Focus on progress over perfection and that you are progressively getting better at your focus on time every day.
We may not be up to the massive change that Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Steve Jobs, or Thomas Edison had in their sites; however, we each can impact the lives of the people around us positively just like they did if we choose to allocate our time to what matters.
1440 Minutes…the clock is ticking…once that minute is completed you don’t get it back…gone forever. Treat every minute for the blessing that it is; respect it, savor it, and make it count.
bout sales, and how having a strong foundation is essential to success. So, here’s what I learned about sales from the Eiffel Tower, and how you can apply these principles to your own business!
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, is over 1000 feet tall, weighs 7300 tons, and is one of the most iconic structures in the world. It’s a symbol of strength and resilience, two essential qualities for any successful salesperson. The tower was built on a strong foundation, which is essential for any structure – if the foundation is weak, the whole structure will collapse. In the same way, a salesperson needs to have a strong foundation to be successful. Without a strong foundation, your sales career will collapse.
The Eiffel Tower is also a symbol of perseverance. It took over two years to build and was initially met with criticism from the French public. However, the builders persevered much in the same way that all great salespeople do if they simply stick to the foundations and cornerstones of their business. Your success won’t always come overnight, it will take long hours of practice and may feel like a failure; however, every failure gives you a learning lesson, and when you take that lesson and change you improve and are more prepared as you move forward.
We know the foundation for the Eiffel Tower was very important, but what exactly makes up a strong foundation? For the architects, it was enormous mason blocks measuring 16.3 meters that were precisely calculated to manage the load based upon the varying geology around the river Seine. For salespeople, there are a few key things we need to have to set ourselves up for success:
A positive sales mindset
A willingness to learn
A willingness to practice and build your skills daily
A coach or mentor to guide you
A strong follow-up and conversion
A disciplined daily schedule
A commitment to a minimum of one hour a day prospecting
A desire to serve people
If you have these eight things, you are well on your way to building a strong foundation and your success and career will shine the way the Eiffel Tower does over Paris. A sight to truly behold.
What do you think makes the Eiffel Tower so special and unique? Let us know in the comments below! And don’t forget to share this blog post with your friends if you found it helpful! 🙂 Until next time, happy selling! :
If you’re looking for more information on how to build a successful sales career please visit www.agentacademy.com.