Grant Cardone - If You're Not First, You're Last - Sales Strategies to Dominate Your Market and Beat Your Competition

Get your head around the idea that any action is better than none and that the more action you take, the more solvent your economy will become. Then pack your calendar with efforts at production. You should increase activity at least to the degree that the economy has contracted (bear in mind, this formula does not apply in reverse). Time is indeed money here, and the way in which you utilize your time today will determine how much money you have tomorrow. You have to consider the long term at all times; there are no quick fixes.

There seem to be a lot of people who aren’t willing to expend energy without complete assurance of (usually immediate or short-term) payoff. An attitude like this only guarantees the demise of your economy. I then see others setting conditions on what they are willing to do and hear others say, “There is no way I am going to work any harder than I have been” or “There is no way I will work for that little bit of money.” Abandon this kind of outlook at once. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes, regardless of how much effort it takes or how insignificant the payoff seems to be. If I had to take a second job flipping hamburgers to take care of my family, I would flip burgers. If I have to wash cars to take care of my family, I will wash cars. Drop the arrogance, your old beliefs, and any limitations on what you are willing to do, and get going on producing your economy.

One of the most difficult things to do during tough economic periods is to keep your mental state and outlook positive and focus on spending your time wisely. Pessimistic thinking, a negative attitude, and the tendency to cling to old ideas can function as a cancer that destroys any chance of an improved future. When things become especially grueling, it’s that much more vital to make the most of every moment you have and be mindful of the positive. Consider the phrase I used before: “Time is money.” During economic contractions, business slows down so you should have more time. If business is off 20 percent, you should have 20 percent more time! Time actually expands during contractions, now the question is what will you do with more time. The way you choose to schedule this “extra” time determines how well you’ll weather the storm compared with others. Everyone has basically the same amount of time available, but the most industrious people do a better job of making the most of it.

Beginning each day on a disciplined schedule that keeps you busy and is filled with worthy actions is critical to keeping you focused on solutions. While the items on your calendar do not all have to be business related, they should all beget production of some sort. This could and should include spiritual, personal, and physical development; improving relationships with family, friends, and colleagues; volunteering; training; education; and the like. Starting each day with a workout and finding time to study are vital ways to make “downtime” more effective. I often say the following in my seminars: “The more you produce, the more you can produce!” Increasing your efforts in virtually any facet of your life will lead to enhanced performance in other seemingly disconnected areas. But without a plan or commitment to using time productively, you won’t be able to generate enough with the time you have.

When things at your company were moving along well, you probably claimed that you didn’t have time to exercise, study, or get involved with community affairs. Well, now you have the time. Even as a write this, I am reminded of other times in my life when things were not going well for me, and I implemented the use of this disciplined schedule strategy to get my head out of my backside. I increased my level of production in any area in order to get some momentum and get myself out of the hole I had dug for myself. Anytime I get into a period of low levels of production—a “funk,” as some call it—I tighten my schedule and get a bit more rigid about how I use my time.

The first thing I decide when committing to my schedule is what time I will go to sleep and what time I will wake. If you don’t control what time you go down, you will never be able to manage what time you wake up. Though we all have alarm clocks to get us out of bed in the morning, we usually lack a commitment to a strict bedtime. But establishing one helps us wake up feeling rested, focused, and prepared to produce. Sleep becomes the pivotal part of my work schedule; it provides the rejuvenation and energy I need to maximize the hours I am awake. Once you confirm your sleeping and waking times, you can then pack the rest of your day with production-oriented endeavors that add to your economy’s expansion, make you feel good about yourself, increase your understanding, enhance your attitude, and create opportunities for new income.

These activities might include making direct contact with clients and potential clients; sending out mailers and promotional material; marketing, planning, and surveying for clients; repackaging products; scheduling personal visits; making calls; cleaning files; conducting quality checks on services; redesigning slide presentations; working out; investing in study time; writing a book; eating healthy; rebuilding your Web site; and anything else you can imagine. Commit yourself to a schedule and include those activities that bring you personal pleasure, keep you busy moving forward, and are heavily focused on accessing opportunities. This last element is important; otherwise, you may find yourself engaging only in pastimes with which you are comfortable but that probably won’t produce revenue. For instance, most people take lunch every day of the week. That one hour is not the time to organize files or plan a marketing campaign, but it’s the perfect opportunity to take a client to lunch.

Next, figure out what percentage of your schedule puts you in front of people who can either purchase your products and services or activate others who may be able to do so. I would personally want to be in front of prospective clients more than 50 percent of the time. You may have to rework your schedule to hit your desired proportion. Don’t just plan busy time to have “something” to do; stay occupied with things that help you advance and conquer.

Once your power schedule is balanced, follow it and stay true to it! This is going to be a fun exercise in controlling your own time. For instance, if you’ve set lunch from noon to 1:00, then let everyone know that you have a packed day and must leave promptly at 1:00. Then move directly to the next activity on your schedule. If you have a marketing meeting with colleagues scheduled for 2:15, tell them exactly how much time you have for that meeting—and stick to it. You will give yourself and others the impression that you are busy, and because you put time limits on each meeting, you will find yourself getting more done in less time.

Now is the time to do more while others are doing less. Expand while others contract. Conquer while others retreat and surrender. There are hundreds of things that you have neglected over the years that you now have the time to do. You don’t do things like sleep, watch TV, complain, take long lunches and dinners, gossip, read newspapers, worry, or waste time because you are lazy. These behaviors are simply the result of a lack of commitment to a power schedule. When you have other places you have to be and don’t have time for these things, then you just don’t do them.

Make it clear to the world every day that you have “things to do and people to see.” Adopt this as your mantra so you can stay above the fray, free from the barrage of negativity, thereby ensuring the expansion of your bright and prosperous economy. Move fast—heck, even run—from one activity to the next. Increase your frequency, speed, vibration, and activities. Travel as though you have someplace important to go and something important to do, and both will come to fruition. Take this opportunity to gain control and make the most of your time. Use it to catch up on all the things that will make you more valuable to yourself and others.