Can I have some guidance on business process visualization and skills acquisition please?

[TomTrepreneur]

Should I only work on developing skills that I am going to use this very day?


A while back I heard MJ talk on the forum about someone who will be really successful in the future because of the entrepreneurial skills he is developing and/or has already developed.

And a quote from Dan Kennedy “if you want to be valuable, you must deliberately set out to develop skills that are difficult to develop, and to delegate the easy skills.

Since hearing these kind of comments, I have always been wondering what kind of skills should I be practicing every day, “even if I am not going to be using them right away”? I’m just thinking, is there a particular skill that I should be working on every day, so that I can have some value to give in many different situations? I mean just one, a most important skill alongside each day to day skill that I will be using right now?



If I cannot identify a niche and demand for a product properly, should “research” be the only type of skill that I focus on developing (and do it like 20% learning and 80% action), ignoring everything that is not required right now? For example, the 20 + 80 rule can’t possibly work if I am learning how to sell or to write copy, but have nothing to sell. On the other hand, maybe, communication skills would be worth studying every day for even just 30 minutes, alongside the skills that I will be using to build the business today. This would definitely be something that I will be using every day even if not directly related to business.

The reason for asking is because for the last few years I’ve been doing nothing but perpetual learning, and of everything I have learned, all I remember is a big load of generic info, where I have no real value to contribute to anyone.




And secondly, based on the idea of process (strategic) vs. events (fantasy). When people talk about this, do they mean the entrepreneur has the entire process mapped out in their head before they begin, with how they will do it fully understood and visualized, or do they learn what needs to be done as they go along?

I mean, I have no idea how I will source products, or how I will sell them (not much money to build a website or buy products, whether I’ll have to start with drop shipping etc…), I don’t know what type of marketing I’ll use (I know this one may not matter at all because every market is different)… But in general, are these all things that I should be giving zero attention to right now, and only move to them once that step of the process arrives?


I think it’s possible that what Dan Kennedy was talking about is that “when the time comes”, learn the difficult skill yourself and delegate the rest, but the way he talks about copywriting, it’s as though no matter where you are, you must learn it. For the record I do know that Dan does sell a ton load of copywriting courses, so I think he would be a bit biased toward it.



And forgive me please, I know there are other threads about developing skills, which I have read. I just need a bit of personal guidance. I know one answer suggested to learn the skills as and when they are needed, but I’m just trying to determine really, should I focus on “anything” that I’ll not be using for a while (just to have myself prepared for when an opportunity may arise or perhaps some kind of skill that I can fall back on and actually have just in case the things I’m trying right now don’t work out.)

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Mattie]

Skills can mean many different things. First you have to figure out what you want to do. No one can really tell you that. There has to be something you gravitate towards or you're interested in exploring and building off of that vision. If you don't have any idea, do some research for some ideas.

You then have to set some goals.
Educate yourself in the area and apply what you learn every day.
What skills do you need for a business?
Writing
Communication
Presentation
Mindset has to be in the right place
Handling stress, anxiety, fears, etc.
All of those areas have multiple skills you need to focus on.

 

[Mattie]

 

[TomTrepreneur]

Skills can mean many different things. First you have to figure out what you want to do. No one can really tell you that. There has to be something you gravitate towards or you're interested in exploring and building off of that vision. If you don't have any idea, do some research for some ideas.

You then have to set some goals.
Educate yourself in the area and apply what you learn every day.
What skills do you need for a business?
Writing
Communication
Presentation
Mindset has to be in the right place
Handling stress, anxiety, fears, etc.
All of those areas have multiple skills you need to focus on.

Thanks Mattie. Well, I have been learning a bit lately about building an eCommerce business. And the first primary goal would be to own a business where I am earning about 10,000 dollars per month, and I imagine that the way I will be able to visualize my progress toward the end goal once I start selling, will be based on the initial research I carried out at the start when assessing the size of the market and how many customers are spending money and how many I would need. And so, is using the niche research I do probably the best way in this case to create a measurable goal?


Based on the video below I think the process is to just learn how to find the niche and then move onto how I can source or create the products etc...

I have heard people say that drop shipping with other peoples products doesn't cut it today, and that I will need to be creating my own, which right now I feel as though I don't have the resources to create my own, I don't have enough money to buy a significant amount of inventory etc... but are these all things that I shouldn't even be thinking about right now, at least until I know what products and market I have chosen?


Another thing is, I often hear about setting one primary goal and 6 or so subgoals (which is probably the main reason I am always trying to figure "everything" out before I get started) because I can't visualize those subgoals if I can't see the entire process. Since I have never engaged in the process of building an ecommerce business and don't fully know the process that I will be engaging in, in x number of weeks time, no way of visualizing exactly what success will look like, how long the next process should take etc... because of so many variables, I can't visualize whether I will be taking too long to achieve something, am I doing it right etc... All I know is that in 6 months time, earning 4,000 per month would be a major achievement and certainly would be me moving in the right direction.

Does it matter that I can't visualize the exact process goals? I know I am going a bit extreme here, but I hear it too often that successful people know exactly what they want, which is why I put so much energy into trying to visualize the entire road. But when they say this, are they just talking about the lifestyle they want? Is it just about knowing what I want to earn and setting the subgoals "as I go along"? And maybe in the future when I have gone through this process many times, then I could set all of these goals right from the start?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Mattie]

Does it matter that I can't visualize the exact process goals? I know I am going a bit extreme here, but I hear it too often that successful people know exactly what they want, which is why I put so much energy into trying to visualize the entire road. But when they say this, are they just talking about the lifestyle they want? Is it just about knowing what I want to earn and setting the subgoals "as I go along"? And maybe in the future when I have gone through this process many times, then I could set all of these goals right from the start?

I think you're getting caught up in overthinking.

Just set daily tasks and goals, weekly, monthly. Achievable ones you know you can finish. Exact process isn't going to come until you're trying different things and see what works and doesn't work. I have a vision of what I want to achieve. I visualize myself doing certain tasks getting there. That doesn't mean I have every detail wrote out, or every move from here until the end of the year. It doesn't usually work that way. I learn something, apply it, pay attention to the feedback or in some case no feed back, improve things, try it again. It works differently for different people. Some like to write out everything in detail and obsessive about organization and scheduling. It doesn't work for me that way, or else I get overwhelmed looking at it all. I keep it in simple steps each day, and each month.

Overthinking is looking to deeply into it, and probably a bit of perfectionism in there thinking you have to do things perfectly. So, you kind of have to stop thinking so much about it, and just take action and do things. I used to do the same thing, but you really have to stop yourself from overthinking it. The life style isn't the goal at this point. That is a side effect of being successful.

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

When I was ready to finally start my first real business I did a little exercise that created a very clear path for me.

I knew what kind of business I wanted to be in and then I wrote down the skills I thought would be necessary to succeed. Right next to the skills I wrote down my level of skill in those areas. The areas where I was strong in I would write notes by them -- something along the lines of "Good, but keep expanding", or "Great, but can reach the next level."

And then there were a few areas that had "Bad, no experience" or "Not great, needs improvement"

One of the largest skills I didn't have much experience in was sales. I needed to learn how to communicate an offer effectively and show why it made sense for someone to give me money for it.

So at 19-20 it felt pretty clear that I needed to pick up a sales job that was practically commission-only. Bought every sales course and book I could find and then studied for a full year. Became the top salesman in the state (selling cell phones believe it or not) and then quit the job to open the business.

DURING that time though I made sure I was doing activities daily that improved the other skills.

I had a goal to open my doors before my 22nd birthday and so I really worked on those skills to make it happen.

So if we're to break it down into steps:

1. decide what you want to do
2. figure out the skills you need to improve upon
3. go find a way to get those skills
4. set a deadline to achieve it by (whether you're "ready" or not)

Seemed to work well for me. Simple is better. Don't stress out about it.

 

[DrJake]

IMO, try not to focus so much on "skill acquisition". Focused execution and a trust in the process will show you what skills you need to learn. When you need to develop a certain skill, YOU WILL KNOW.

Constant learning is important, however. Especially when it comes to things like sales. So if you're wanting to learn SOMETHING, you can start with that. One book that really gave me momentum is Making Ideas Happen. Just don't be one of those bookworms who always plans and never executes.

Remember that MJ didn't pick up a bunch of books and learn to code. When he ran into a problem, he would literally GOOGLE UNTIL HE FOUND THE ANSWER! Then it was on to the next problem, or the next step.

Read this thread:
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/new-guys-save-yourself-years-of-frustration-–-it-worked-for-me.63673/#post-496659

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Delmania]

If I cannot identify a niche and demand for a product properly, should “research” be the only type of skill that I focus on developing (and do it like 20% learning and 80% action), ignoring everything that is not required right now?

Well, you've identified a problem, you don't know how to get started. You've identified a niche, people like you who want to get started.

Solve that problem. Seriously. Your first business venture is going to fail. That's fine, accept it, and realize it fails because you're learning. So, think about the kinds of things you want to solve this problem and build them.

 

[TomTrepreneur]

Thanks again Mattie, and you're right, I've always been a very deep thinker and being told I think too much is defo nothing new to me One thing that probably didn't help was when I first heard about gurus who regularly read about 5 books a week... I was like how can I complete with that...

So, I actually kind of felt bad if I would just get a book and only read a few pages and take action on what I learned. And next thing I would have it organised into cheat sheets, notes all over the place, on and on...

But yeah I think I'll have to scale back and keep it simple because for me too, when I have organised everything, no matter how well, I just look and say... Now what???



That's a great story Steve, happy it worked out so well for you. I'll do my best to follow along that path.
Great process and simple. I will definitely just start out with the research part anyway, to me that doesn't seem like "doing" anything, because there is no creation involved, but it's certainly better than reading and reading anyway.

That's the other big thing that I am contemplating at the moment (a job). I am not employed other than some DJ gigs here and there, so technically I'm broke, and I defo need to establish some kind of downside for myself. No matter how determined I think I am to make this entreprenuerial dream come to life I think I need to be real and find at least some way to get consistent money coming in. And so I myself am not sure though what kind of job I should look for. I had been thinking of a sales job too but (without going into too much detail here) I'm trying to determine if it really matters right now what kind of job I get, or should I just be looking for anything just to get some cash).



That's a fanastic book DrJake, have just purchased it and I look forward to going through it, and yes I will limit the amount of time spent on it, unfortunately I am already a book worm, that's like a damn drug addiction. I defo need to get an action taking addiction somehow That thread is very good too thanks for sharing it.


Cheers Delmania, that's a good point. I'll see what I can do there. That's twice as good a reason to get started with it.

 

[Mattie]

Thanks again Mattie, and you're right, I've always been a very deep thinker and being told I think too much is defo nothing new to me One thing that probably didn't help was when I first heard about gurus who regularly read about 5 books a week... I was like how can I complete with that...

So, I actually kind of felt bad if I would just get a book and only read a few pages and take action on what I learned. And next thing I would have it organised into cheat sheets, notes all over the place, on and on...

But yeah I think I'll have to scale back and keep it simple because for me too, when I have organised everything, no matter how well, I just look and say... Now what???

Once upon a time I hated reading books. Refused to open the cover of my books my senior year in High School. I knew I could get away with it back then. Didn't learn much of anything in three afternoon classes, and thrived in Graphic Arts in the morning. Really, over time you just learn to read, and get faster and faster at it. Perhaps it's because you want to learn it. I suppose when you're ready to learn you're ready to do something different. It's a good habit, but can also take up to much time sometimes and not enough action. I'm a learning geek now. And I do have to tell myself to do stuff instead of learning something else time to time.

Deep thinkers, that seems to have been my biggest hurdle once upon a time. I wanted to dissect the world. I guess I did. lol Wasting time doing it, but than you run out of questions. And not so deep in thought once you understand many things. Now I just tell myself to shut up and get to work. Although I do have to many ideas for my novel and get frustrated with myself. How about write a series? That would solve the problem. lol

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[100k]

From the same team that created the recenty CENTS video.

MASTERY BY ROBERT GREENE | How To Master a Skill

 

[Supa]

When I was ready to finally start my first real business I did a little exercise that created a very clear path for me.

I knew what kind of business I wanted to be in and then I wrote down the skills I thought would be necessary to succeed. Right next to the skills I wrote down my level of skill in those areas. The areas where I was strong in I would write notes by them -- something along the lines of "Good, but keep expanding", or "Great, but can reach the next level."

And then there were a few areas that had "Bad, no experience" or "Not great, needs improvement"

One of the largest skills I didn't have much experience in was sales. I needed to learn how to communicate an offer effectively and show why it made sense for someone to give me money for it.

So at 19-20 it felt pretty clear that I needed to pick up a sales job that was practically commission-only. Bought every sales course and book I could find and then studied for a full year. Became the top salesman in the state (selling cell phones believe it or not) and then quit the job to open the business.

DURING that time though I made sure I was doing activities daily that improved the other skills.

I had a goal to open my doors before my 22nd birthday and so I really worked on those skills to make it happen.

So if we're to break it down into steps:

1. decide what you want to do
2. figure out the skills you need to improve upon
3. go find a way to get those skills
4. set a deadline to achieve it by (whether you're "ready" or not)

Seemed to work well for me. Simple is better. Don't stress out about it.

awesome!

 

[TomTrepreneur]

Yeah Mattie, well I definitley do like to learn, but that's also the biggest problem, I like it too much. What I really need to master is to be able to just read what I need, and the second I know what I need, drop the book and do what it said to do.

Well yeah I do ask far too many questions too. It's like one questions answer leads to another. I need to start loving action more than I love to learn. This all really started about 10 years ago when I first said I'd love to start a business and I got a book to learn how to do it, God I wish I just went out and tried to sell something I don't know if I would be a good writer myself, I would take far too long trying to make it perfect, like did I repeat myself, is it explianed enough, too much. We'll see anyway, maybe...


Nice video 100K. Will pick up those books soon too I think. I heard of them before just never got round to getting them.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[million$$$smile]

Your post header was "guidance on business process visualization".

Then in later posts you have shared that you are a bit of a bookworm and that you don't have a J.O.B.

May I suggest to you the following:

First of all, get a job. Create a basic stream on income FOR YOURSELF. Someone must be supporting you while your struggling to figure out what you want to be when you grow up. (No matter if your 19 or 49) Figure out a way to make enough money so that you are not dependent on anyone else. And really, for the time being, I wouldn't worry too much about what kind of job to get,
BECAUSE it isn't the kind of job that is so important, it's the OPPORTUNITY in the job, and what it can do for you in eventually becoming a producer....

Become a PRODUCER instead of a CONSUMER. You mentioned you went out and picked up another book to read. Rather than spend (waste?) any more time or funds on another how-to-process-becoming-that-person-you haven't-yet-morphed-into-yet, forgo the guidance from a book and DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE.

#1 Dump the 'book time reading' and go find 5 products (items) that are already laying around the house you live in and set one of them in front of you and ask yourself:

What would I do to make this item a better product?

• What would I change?
• What would I add?
• Can it be modified to be used for another function?
• What can be made similar yet different?
• Can it be simplified?
• Can it be modified for easier use for handicap, geriatric, young children, etc?

Don't stop until you have thought of three or four new and different uses or modifications for that one item. Then continue on repeating the 'process'
with each item or product.

Why? Because you need to exercise your own creativity and learn how to think for yourself rather than read a book and create a bunch of bullet points that haven't yet seemed to work in the first place! Otherwise you wouldn't be asking for your initial guidance.

You mentioned you are a deep thinker, so I would challenge you to think hard on simply learning to create something better out of 5 common objects that surround you. It takes concentration and focus. Much harder than curling up to a how to book on developing a million dollar plan for the next 10 years and ignoring the process of WORK.

Begin to design your life.

Without a paintbrush, you will never paint that masterpiece YOU were designed to create.

Exercise your own creativity. There are so many opportunities around you that it is just too easy to jump from one to another.
Become laser focused. Never stop trying to make 'it' a better mousetrap.
Don't puddle jump from one opportunity to another.

Finally,

GO OUT AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!

 

[TomTrepreneur]

Your post header was "guidance on business process visualization".

Then in later posts you have shared that you are a bit of a bookworm and that you don't have a J.O.B.

May I suggest to you the following:

First of all, get a job. Create a basic stream on income FOR YOURSELF. Someone must be supporting you while your struggling to figure out what you want to be when you grow up. (No matter if your 19 or 49) Figure out a way to make enough money so that you are not dependent on anyone else. And really, for the time being, I wouldn't worry too much about what kind of job to get,
BECAUSE it isn't the kind of job that is so important, it's the OPPORTUNITY in the job, and what it can do for you in eventually becoming a producer....

Become a PRODUCER instead of a CONSUMER. You mentioned you went out and picked up another book to read. Rather than spend (waste?) any more time or funds on another how-to-process-becoming-that-person-you haven't-yet-morphed-into-yet, forgo the guidance from a book and DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE.

#1 Dump the 'book time reading' and go find 5 products (items) that are already laying around the house you live in and set one of them in front of you and ask yourself:

What would I do to make this item a better product?

• What would I change?
• What would I add?
• Can it be modified to be used for another function?
• What can be made similar yet different?
• Can it be simplified?
• Can it be modified for easier use for handicap, geriatric, young children, etc?

Don't stop until you have thought of three or four new and different uses or modifications for that one item. Then continue on repeating the 'process'
with each item or product.

Why? Because you need to exercise your own creativity and learn how to think for yourself rather than read a book and create a bunch of bullet points that haven't yet seemed to work in the first place! Otherwise you wouldn't be asking for your initial guidance.

You mentioned you are a deep thinker, so I would challenge you to think hard on simply learning to create something better out of 5 common objects that surround you. It takes concentration and focus. Much harder than curling up to a how to book on developing a million dollar plan for the next 10 years and ignoring the process of WORK.

Begin to design your life.

Without a paintbrush, you will never paint that masterpiece YOU were designed to create.

Exercise your own creativity. There are so many opportunities around you that it is just too easy to jump from one to another.
Become laser focused. Never stop trying to make 'it' a better mousetrap.
Don't puddle jump from one opportunity to another.

Finally,

GO OUT AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Thanks Million Smile and everyone else who has contributed to this thread, this is the kind of pathway that I’ve been searching for, for a long time. And thanks for clearing that up about getting a job, it’s a thing that I’ve been heavily debating for quite a while and was even going to make a thread about it, because I have heard lots of conflicting advice from successful entreprenuers talking about how a job can dampen your prospects of ever making it as an entrepreneur, but I guess they mean (when you are actually in the game). A job would certainly be a lot more action than I’m doing now, so I will definitely go for one. Yes (admittedly – and defo not proudly) I am getting a little bit of social support, I am a DJ too getting gigs from time to time.


Great idea about the products, thanks, I got some other great advice on the thread recommended above by DrJake that goes really well with yours and everyone else’s here.


I can honestly say now anyway that I have read all I need for now. I was trying to figure out for a while how to do research online to find a niche, which I have acquired now. I know research can be an excuse for not getting started, but I will make sure to limit the amount of time doing it. I have to do something with all the stuff I learned but nonetheless I’ll follow along with what you said.

 

[Ubermensch]

Should I only work on developing skills that I am going to use this very day?


A while back I heard MJ talk on the forum about someone who will be really successful in the future because of the entrepreneurial skills he is developing and/or has already developed.

And a quote from Dan Kennedy “if you want to be valuable, you must deliberately set out to develop skills that are difficult to develop, and to delegate the easy skills.

Since hearing these kind of comments, I have always been wondering what kind of skills should I be practicing every day, “even if I am not going to be using them right away”? I’m just thinking, is there a particular skill that I should be working on every day, so that I can have some value to give in many different situations? I mean just one, a most important skill alongside each day to day skill that I will be using right now?

Without a doubt, you should develop the ability to sell products and services to both consumers and commercial businesses.

The economy has periodic ups and downs, vicissitudes that create opportunity in one context and destroy it in another. At different times in history, a particular market may prove "hot." Someone who knows how to sell can exploit any opportunity at any time.

If I cannot identify a niche and demand for a product properly, should “research” be the only type of skill that I focus on developing (and do it like 20% learning and 80% action), ignoring everything that is not required right now?

Focus your research in the direction of money. This is not college. You do not have pointless assignments to test "knowledge" that will evaporate from your mind months from the time of testing. In this game, the game of real life, you have to go for what works. No time for silly notions and ideas that don't work. F*ck the pie in the sky shit.

Research the hot companies in your area. Find out which ones are growing fast. Check the local list of top 50 fastest growing companies. Research the job ads posted on job recruiting boards and Craig's list. Notice any trends? Any particular type of company keep popping up? Identify a company you vibe with, do your research, and go after them with everything you have.

For example, the 20 + 80 rule can’t possibly work if I am learning how to sell or to write copy, but have nothing to sell.

That's exactly my point. You need something to sell. Don't mess around trying to "figure out" a niche.

A company hiring a sales representative is, by definition, filling a niche. They need salespeople to help them fill the niche. The right sales position should give you a shot at six figures within months, and seven figures within three years.

Learn by immersion. Start working with a hot company and you will see their copy up close. You will interact with their marketing people on a daily basis. You will hear their conversations about social media. You will hear the sales guys on sales calls, you will see the top producers close. This is how you learn business. This is how you learn to be successful, by emulating masters and mentors that naturally exist in the environment you FORCE yourself into.

On the other hand, maybe, communication skills would be worth studying every day for even just 30 minutes, alongside the skills that I will be using to build the business today. This would definitely be something that I will be using every day even if not directly related to business.

Practice your "communication skills" in situations worth communication. You obviously recognize communication as a key to making money (selling, closing), hence your interest in studying the subject. Your communication skills are defined by the response of your audience. If they do not feel you, if you do not connect in a real way, you will suffer the consequences: No $OUP for you!

Learn how to fight on the battlefield of business. Engage with prospects early and often. How will your communication skills improve as you turn into an unbeatable closer?

The reason for asking is because for the last few years I’ve been doing nothing but perpetual learning, and of everything I have learned, all I remember is a big load of generic info, where I have no real value to contribute to anyone.

I see. You're the learnin' type, huh?

How profitable has that been for you? How much money have people paid you to learn all of that information?

Time is a precious thing, and terrible thing to waste. Find something to sell. Make money, enough to start your own empire.

And secondly, based on the idea of process (strategic) vs. events (fantasy). When people talk about this, do they mean the entrepreneur has the entire process mapped out in their head before they begin, with how they will do it fully understood and visualized, or do they learn what needs to be done as they go along?

Sound strategic thought depends on the strategist's ability to see into the future. In Game Theory, the science of strategy, you draw decision trees that map out all of the logical permutations of action. Good strategists plan all the way to the end, and work backwards - step by step - solving for any potential problems beforehand.

This type of logic can be applied in a multitude of contexts. It can apply to a CEO mapping out the overall course of a corporation. It can apply to a sales manager guiding his salespeople in the right direction. It can apply to an individual sales rep thinking all the way to the end.

All that said, I think I know the spirit of your question, and I think it is best addressed by looking at the concept of outcome-based thinking:

I mean, I have no idea how I will source products, or how I will sell them (not much money to build a website or buy products, whether I’ll have to start with drop shipping etc…), I don’t know what type of marketing I’ll use (I know this one may not matter at all because every market is different)… But in general, are these all things that I should be giving zero attention to right now, and only move to them once that step of the process arrives?

What a dizzying array of skills and knowledge that you should've have to worry about right now.

Get a sales job. Find a product or service to sell, strike a deal, and start hammering the phone.

Let the company you're selling for worry about the drop shipping.

Let the company you're selling for worry about the type of marketing to use.

I think it’s possible that what Dan Kennedy was talking about is that “when the time comes”, learn the difficult skill yourself and delegate the rest, but the way he talks about copywriting, it’s as though no matter where you are, you must learn it. For the record I do know that Dan does sell a ton load of copywriting courses, so I think he would be a bit biased toward it.

You need to start making money right now. You can worry about developing other skills later. Make money now. Get yourself a nest egg, then use that a launching pad.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[TomTrepreneur]

Without a doubt, you should develop the ability to sell products and services to both consumers and commercial businesses.

The economy has periodic ups and downs, vicissitudes that create opportunity in one context and destroy it in another. At different times in history, a particular market may prove "hot." Someone who knows how to sell can exploit any opportunity at any time.




Focus your research in the direction of money. This is not college. You do not have pointless assignments to test "knowledge" that will evaporate from your mind months from the time of testing. In this game, the game of real life, you have to go for what works. No time for silly notions and ideas that don't work. F*ck the pie in the sky shit.

Research the hot companies in your area. Find out which ones are growing fast. Check the local list of top 50 fastest growing companies. Research the job ads posted on job recruiting boards and Craig's list. Notice any trends? Any particular type of company keep popping up? Identify a company you vibe with, do your research, and go after them with everything you have.



That's exactly my point. You need something to sell. Don't mess around trying to "figure out" a niche.

A company hiring a sales representative is, by definition, filling a niche. They need salespeople to help them fill the niche. The right sales position should give you a shot at six figures within months, and seven figures within three years.

Learn by immersion. Start working with a hot company and you will see their copy up close. You will interact with their marketing people on a daily basis. You will hear their conversations about social media. You will hear the sales guys on sales calls, you will see the top producers close. This is how you learn business. This is how you learn to be successful, by emulating masters and mentors that naturally exist in the environment you FORCE yourself into.



Practice your "communication skills" in situations worth communication. You obviously recognize communication as a key to making money (selling, closing), hence your interest in studying the subject. Your communication skills are defined by the response of your audience. If they do not feel you, if you do not connect in a real way, you will suffer the consequences: No $OUP for you!

Learn how to fight on the battlefield of business. Engage with prospects early and often. How will your communication skills improve as you turn into an unbeatable closer?



I see. You're the learnin' type, huh?

How profitable has that been for you? How much money have people paid you to learn all of that information?

Time is a precious thing, and terrible thing to waste. Find something to sell. Make money, enough to start your own empire.



Sound strategic thought depends on the strategist's ability to see into the future. In Game Theory, the science of strategy, you draw decision trees that map out all of the logical permutations of action. Good strategists plan all the way to the end, and work backwards - step by step - solving for any potential problems beforehand.

This type of logic can be applied in a multitude of contexts. It can apply to a CEO mapping out the overall course of a corporation. It can apply to a sales manager guiding his salespeople in the right direction. It can apply to an individual sales rep thinking all the way to the end.

All that said, I think I know the spirit of your question, and I think it is best addressed by looking at the concept of outcome-based thinking:

What a dizzying array of skills and knowledge that you should've have to worry about right now.

Get a sales job. Find a product or service to sell, strike a deal, and start hammering the phone.

Let the company you're selling for worry about the drop shipping.

Let the company you're selling for worry about the type of marketing to use.



You need to start making money right now. You can worry about developing other skills later. Make money now. Get yourself a nest egg, then use that a launching pad.

Without a doubt, you should develop the ability to sell products and services to both consumers and commercial businesses.

The economy has periodic ups and downs, vicissitudes that create opportunity in one context and destroy it in another. At different times in history, a particular market may prove "hot." Someone who knows how to sell can exploit any opportunity at any time.




Focus your research in the direction of money. This is not college. You do not have pointless assignments to test "knowledge" that will evaporate from your mind months from the time of testing. In this game, the game of real life, you have to go for what works. No time for silly notions and ideas that don't work. F*ck the pie in the sky shit.

Research the hot companies in your area. Find out which ones are growing fast. Check the local list of top 50 fastest growing companies. Research the job ads posted on job recruiting boards and Craig's list. Notice any trends? Any particular type of company keep popping up? Identify a company you vibe with, do your research, and go after them with everything you have.



That's exactly my point. You need something to sell. Don't mess around trying to "figure out" a niche.

A company hiring a sales representative is, by definition, filling a niche. They need salespeople to help them fill the niche. The right sales position should give you a shot at six figures within months, and seven figures within three years.

Learn by immersion. Start working with a hot company and you will see their copy up close. You will interact with their marketing people on a daily basis. You will hear their conversations about social media. You will hear the sales guys on sales calls, you will see the top producers close. This is how you learn business. This is how you learn to be successful, by emulating masters and mentors that naturally exist in the environment you FORCE yourself into.



Practice your "communication skills" in situations worth communication. You obviously recognize communication as a key to making money (selling, closing), hence your interest in studying the subject. Your communication skills are defined by the response of your audience. If they do not feel you, if you do not connect in a real way, you will suffer the consequences: No $OUP for you!

Learn how to fight on the battlefield of business. Engage with prospects early and often. How will your communication skills improve as you turn into an unbeatable closer?



I see. You're the learnin' type, huh?

How profitable has that been for you? How much money have people paid you to learn all of that information?

Time is a precious thing, and terrible thing to waste. Find something to sell. Make money, enough to start your own empire.



Sound strategic thought depends on the strategist's ability to see into the future. In Game Theory, the science of strategy, you draw decision trees that map out all of the logical permutations of action. Good strategists plan all the way to the end, and work backwards - step by step - solving for any potential problems beforehand.

This type of logic can be applied in a multitude of contexts. It can apply to a CEO mapping out the overall course of a corporation. It can apply to a sales manager guiding his salespeople in the right direction. It can apply to an individual sales rep thinking all the way to the end.

All that said, I think I know the spirit of your question, and I think it is best addressed by looking at the concept of outcome-based thinking:

What a dizzying array of skills and knowledge that you should've have to worry about right now.

Get a sales job. Find a product or service to sell, strike a deal, and start hammering the phone.

Let the company you're selling for worry about the drop shipping.

Let the company you're selling for worry about the type of marketing to use.



You need to start making money right now. You can worry about developing other skills later. Make money now. Get yourself a nest egg, then use that a launching pad.

Thanks very much @Ubermensch. This is perfect, and definitely a lot more pragmatic than trying to start from scratch on the internet, however, would you mind sharing a little more about the research phase please? I’ve done my best to figure this out myself, but research is something that I haven’t done much before, at least in a real strategic way.

About finding the fastest growing companies in a particular city. I have done some searches in Google, but I can’t find much in terms of lists of fastest growing companies. One of the results displays the top 1000 companies in Ireland, which includes Microsoft, Dell, Apple, Google etc at the top of the list, mostly all foreign conglomerates (which I doubt would be what I should be looking at). I’m guessing what I need to find are much smaller companies, probably earning less than 10 million per year, and are not as well known to most people, would that be right? I know there are exceptions of course, e.g. Virgin Media which is obviously growing.

Something else I found, which may be more relevant, when I typed in top companies in Cork, is a survey with the 50 largest private firms in Cork, and the details provided make it clear that they are or have been growing over the years, but then, all of the companies listed on this are all indigenous. Also, for a lot of the things I type in, the results I get are all about x number of jobs announced. And along with that, some lists of companies doing well are from previous years. Does that matter too much, is the main goal to just get a feel for what’s out there, and not to worry too much about whether or not it is trending real well right now?

Is this something that I should spend a few weeks on, and just go through anything that pops up, even if it’s just about job announcements and awards.


And when you say to research the job ads, do you mean sticking specifically to sales jobs or jobs of any kind. And is the point of seeing the types of companies that are advertising for jobs, to compare those with the companies that are doing well (as found in the company lists) and then try to spot any correlations, and conclude that those companies may need people for the same kind of sales positions?


Along with doing my own research on the internet, I am going to call around to business organizations like Chamber of Commerce, the Enterprise board and any other research organizations. And, so, would “fastest growing” companies be my main objective when talking to these people, and then to find out about which ones would provide sales opportunities, the types of products and services they sell, how they sell them etc… (either lists they can provide or just ideas they could give me to jot down). And then research a few of these companies in depth.


And then, when I drill down to research an individual company thoroughly, what then am I looking for? Things like, sales activity for the past few years, their success, what they sell, how they sell, where they sell, who they sell to, how they recruit new sales reps, key people in the organization, visions and goals etc… And is there anything else that I should be researching?


I realize how dumb these questions must sound, but honestly I am massively overwhelmed from all the book reading I’ve been doing for the last few years, I am also a fair bit analytical in case that wasn’t already obvious and so, getting reconnected to the real world is fairly challenging.


Thanks

 

[Ubermensch]

Thanks very much @Ubermensch. This is perfect, and definitely a lot more pragmatic than trying to start from scratch on the internet

Thank you. That means a lot.

, however, would you mind sharing a little more about the research phase please? I’ve done my best to figure this out myself, but research is something that I haven’t done much before, at least in a real strategic way.

MJ DeMarco rightly points out that research done in the field yields the best experience. You can only learn so much by typing phrases into Google and clicking. Indeed, you can get quite far, but if you want to be able to read between the lines you read in your research, you need to stop pussyfooting, stop dillydallying and perform a very specific set of actions that lead to immersion.

About finding the fastest growing companies in a particular city. I have done some searches in Google, but I can’t find much in terms of lists of fastest growing companies. One of the results displays the top 1000 companies in Ireland, which includes Microsoft, Dell, Apple, Google etc at the top of the list, mostly all foreign conglomerates (which I doubt would be what I should be looking at). I’m guessing what I need to find are much smaller companies, probably earning less than 10 million per year, and are not as well known to most people, would that be right? I know there are exceptions of course, e.g. Virgin Media which is obviously growing.

Something else I found, which may be more relevant, when I typed in top companies in Cork, is a survey with the 50 largest private firms in Cork, and the details provided make it clear that they are or have been growing over the years, but then, all of the companies listed on this are all indigenous. Also, for a lot of the things I type in, the results I get are all about x number of jobs announced. And along with that, some lists of companies doing well are from previous years. Does that matter too much, is the main goal to just get a feel for what’s out there, and not to worry too much about whether or not it is trending real well right now?

Is this something that I should spend a few weeks on, and just go through anything that pops up, even if it’s just about job announcements and awards.

Understand that I do not know the details of your particular situation, so I will speak in generalities, as if I am a salesperson.

As a salesperson, I know that even if I am a 16 year old kid in Hungary, a 25 year old on Hong Kong, or a 44 year old in the USA, I can use the phone, a laptop and the internet to generate six figures for myself in three to twelve months, depending on the gig.

As a salesperson, my research revolves around finding something to sell. I'm not trying to thinking of of a business idea. I am trying to find a business that is growing (fast), and clearly has already thought of a business idea.

Key distinction, a distinction that can save you weeks, months or even years of fruitless "thinking."

In the United States, numerous publication publicize statistics on successful businesses and successful individuals. Take a look at them, and let them bend your thinking. Train you mind's eye to look for these trends.

LIST: The 2015 Inc 5000
DESCRIPTION: Each year, Inc. ranks the fastest-growing private companies in America. See who made the list.
LINK: http://www.inc.com/inc5000

Note: The Inc 500 (simply, the top 500 on the list of the Inc 5000) is also a more finite list with the same data. You can search these companies quite easily, and find their contact information.

If and when you contact these companies, make sure you have something to say. 93% of Inc 500 Chief Executives describe themselves as "visionaries." The average Inc 500 company is growing at a rate of 1,700%+ annually.

Look at yourself as a station on a radio station that goes from 89.9 - 107.5 FM. You're station 102.5. Why will an executive at one of these companies listen to you? What makes you so special? What've you got to offer them? What have you got to offer them that other companies and individuals are not? Companies on the Inc 500 are often courted on a weekly basis by larger firms looking to do a merger, or an acquisition.

You have to take your message, and blast it all over WIIFM radio: What's In It For Me.

You can get CFO to tune in very well if you talk to him about revenue, about cost savings, about profit and loss, about asset value enhancement.

And when you say to research the job ads, do you mean sticking specifically to sales jobs or jobs of any kind. And is the point of seeing the types of companies that are advertising for jobs, to compare those with the companies that are doing well (as found in the company lists) and then try to spot any correlations, and conclude that those companies may need people for the same kind of sales positions?

Good question. Yes, you can certainly go about it in that way. I'll use an example.

The United States of America has fallen behind the rest of the globe in terms of scientific knowledge and the adoption of certain technologies. An example of this is the energy efficiency space.

If you peruse the fastest growing companies in America, you will see that many of them pertain to energy and energy efficiency. These companies service both residential and commercial customers across the nation.

If you look at sales job ads on Craig's list (and the main job boards as well, Monster, CareerBuilder, stc, particularly in Texas, California and New Jersey, you will see energy ads month after month).

There are always new energy suppliers and brokers coming into the business, hungry for business. They offer more competitive commissions and fees, and are more open to a negotiation. You can create a partnership with this type of business, as opposed to living under the jackboot of a sales manager at a large corporation. Or, you can contact one of the Inc 5000 and take your $HOT there.

Along with doing my own research on the internet, I am going to call around to business organizations like Chamber of Commerce, the Enterprise board and any other research organizations. And, so, would “fastest growing” companies be my main objective when talking to these people, and then to find out about which ones would provide sales opportunities, the types of products and services they sell, how they sell them etc… (either lists they can provide or just ideas they could give me to jot down). And then research a few of these companies in depth.

And then, when I drill down to research an individual company thoroughly, what then am I looking for? Things like, sales activity for the past few years, their success, what they sell, how they sell, where they sell, who they sell to, how they recruit new sales reps, key people in the organization, visions and goals etc… And is there anything else that I should be researching?

You have the gist. A few pointers:

If you can financially handle it, I would highly suggest a 100% commission situation. You only want to get yourself into situations that can produce six figures in six months or less, and give you a shot at something bigger. Look at the top producers in the company. It may very well be the CEO himself. Don't be shy about asking what his numbers are.

Negotiation. Your end game is to get a legal agreement. Generally, this agreement will contain a non-disclosure, which will prevent you from blabbing about business details to people who don't need to hear about them. Also a non-circumvent, which will prevent you from stealing the company's resources: employees, other sales reps, business processes, suppliers, clients, etc. You should also have a fee agreement. Some agreements may give you a % of the total revenue from what you close. Others will give you a % of the total profit from what you close.

$ituation 1: You sell for company A, which pays you 60% of the profit on a transaction. You sell a $500,000 transaction, which produces $500,000 in revenue. The profit is $200,000. Your take is $120,000.

$ituation 2: You sell company B, which pays you 3% of total revenue from what you close. Using the above numbers, your take for selling for Company B is $15,000.

The lesson here is that when negotiating with these companies, you should always have options. Just because they write X% in the agreement doesn't mean you can't negotiate X + $. When negotiating, keep the 20th Law of Power in mind.

As you can see by the above example - which is actually an example from two strategic partners of mine (one of which is on the Inc 500) - the compensation you receive (or, at least the compensation offered) varies widely from company to company. Hone in on the situation that will give you the most bang for your buck (time).

 

[TomTrepreneur]

Thank you. That means a lot.



MJ DeMarco rightly points out that research done in the field yields the best experience. You can only learn so much by typing phrases into Google and clicking. Indeed, you can get quite far, but if you want to be able to read between the lines you read in your research, you need to stop pussyfooting, stop dillydallying and perform a very specific set of actions that lead to immersion.



Understand that I do not know the details of your particular situation, so I will speak in generalities, as if I am a salesperson.

As a salesperson, I know that even if I am a 16 year old kid in Hungary, a 25 year old on Hong Kong, or a 44 year old in the USA, I can use the phone, a laptop and the internet to generate six figures for myself in three to twelve months, depending on the gig.

As a salesperson, my research revolves around finding something to sell. I'm not trying to thinking of of a business idea. I am trying to find a business that is growing (fast), and clearly has already thought of a business idea.

Key distinction, a distinction that can save you weeks, months or even years of fruitless "thinking."

In the United States, numerous publication publicize statistics on successful businesses and successful individuals. Take a look at them, and let them bend your thinking. Train you mind's eye to look for these trends.

LIST: The 2015 Inc 5000
DESCRIPTION: Each year, Inc. ranks the fastest-growing private companies in America. See who made the list.
LINK: http://www.inc.com/inc5000

Note: The Inc 500 (simply, the top 500 on the list of the Inc 5000) is also a more finite list with the same data. You can search these companies quite easily, and find their contact information.

If and when you contact these companies, make sure you have something to say. 93% of Inc 500 Chief Executives describe themselves as "visionaries." The average Inc 500 company is growing at a rate of 1,700%+ annually.

Look at yourself as a station on a radio station that goes from 89.9 - 107.5 FM. You're station 102.5. Why will an executive at one of these companies listen to you? What makes you so special? What've you got to offer them? What have you got to offer them that other companies and individuals are not? Companies on the Inc 500 are often courted on a weekly basis by larger firms looking to do a merger, or an acquisition.

You have to take your message, and blast it all over WIIFM radio: What's In It For Me.

You can get CFO to tune in very well if you talk to him about revenue, about cost savings, about profit and loss, about asset value enhancement.



Good question. Yes, you can certainly go about it in that way. I'll use an example.

The United States of America has fallen behind the rest of the globe in terms of scientific knowledge and the adoption of certain technologies. An example of this is the energy efficiency space.

If you peruse the fastest growing companies in America, you will see that many of them pertain to energy and energy efficiency. These companies service both residential and commercial customers across the nation.

If you look at sales job ads on Craig's list (and the main job boards as well, Monster, CareerBuilder, stc, particularly in Texas, California and New Jersey, you will see energy ads month after month).

There are always new energy suppliers and brokers coming into the business, hungry for business. They offer more competitive commissions and fees, and are more open to a negotiation. You can create a partnership with this type of business, as opposed to living under the jackboot of a sales manager at a large corporation. Or, you can contact one of the Inc 5000 and take your $HOT there.




You have the gist. A few pointers:

If you can financially handle it, I would highly suggest a 100% commission situation. You only want to get yourself into situations that can produce six figures in six months or less, and give you a shot at something bigger. Look at the top producers in the company. It may very well be the CEO himself. Don't be shy about asking what his numbers are.

Negotiation. Your end game is to get a legal agreement. Generally, this agreement will contain a non-disclosure, which will prevent you from blabbing about business details to people who don't need to hear about them. Also a non-circumvent, which will prevent you from stealing the company's resources: employees, other sales reps, business processes, suppliers, clients, etc. You should also have a fee agreement. Some agreements may give you a % of the total revenue from what you close. Others will give you a % of the total profit from what you close.

$ituation 1: You sell for company A, which pays you 60% of the profit on a transaction. You sell a $500,000 transaction, which produces $500,000 in revenue. The profit is $200,000. Your take is $120,000.

$ituation 2: You sell company B, which pays you 3% of total revenue from what you close. Using the above numbers, your take for selling for Company B is $15,000.

The lesson here is that when negotiating with these companies, you should always have options. Just because they write X% in the agreement doesn't mean you can't negotiate X + $. When negotiating, keep the 20th Law of Power in mind.

As you can see by the above example - which is actually an example from two strategic partners of mine (one of which is on the Inc 500) - the compensation you receive (or, at least the compensation offered) varies widely from company to company. Hone in on the situation that will give you the most bang for your buck (time).

Thanks again @Ubermensch

Well, one thing I noticed there, I have heard Dan Kennedy mention TRYFACTA before, and at the time I paid no attention to what it was, but the point is, Dan is ALWAYS on about all sorts of new companies and what they’re trying to do… So, maybe there’s a good reason he knows so much about these companies J It kind of makes sense to be interested in what other companies are getting up to anyway if I ever want to be a real entrepreneur


And so, in general, based on what you’re sharing here, should the type of sales job I search for, definitely not be something like a call center where you’re tied to the chair for the whole day, a door to door job (I have done this, and hated the intrusion aspect of it), or a retail job where I’m selling Dyson Hoovers, who have already happily entered the store? but rather something where I am totally free and almost 100% independent? I mean I definitely do want some bit of support (but, as you mentioned going for a commission only job).


I mean, I imagine those call center jobs are all passive sales, and what I would want is something where I would be setting up meetings myself, building my own relationships and so on, a lot of networking?



And finally should I be aiming to sell something that is a bit of a big deal, like you mentioned energy and efficiency, rather than some kind of gadget, and should I be more on the look out for B2B opportunities rather than B2C? I imagine the high commissions would come mainly from B2B and it would be a bit more serious.



When you mention publications in America, are you talking about the likes of Forbes, Business INSIDERS, Inc, Fastcompany, Fortune, entrepreneur magazine and so on? I’ll go through them for a while, I imagine it will be a lot more productive than sitting reading books.



Now that part about contacting the CEO is definitely going to require a major mindset adjustment and figuring out what exactly I can offer them, but that I think is another days work



The partnership idea with an energy company sounds pretty good, and also, just to clarify, since you mentioned, using the phone you can do business with any part of the world, are you saying that I should consider trying to get into business with a fortune 5000 company even though I’m living in Ireland?


To be honest, energy and efficiency kind of sounds like something that would resonate with me, I would probably enjoy figuring out how much money people would save, should I just go for something in that industry? I will of course search and do the research and learn about the trends, but energy and efficiency is definitely something that won’t be slowing down any time soon I imagine.


Should I have a good read of about roughly the first 20 companies in each major list I find, regardless of industry to get a feel, and for all the rest, just keep track of which categories pop up over and over? And then, within about 4 days of research, would a good aim be to have a focus on about 3 main industries in which I will then look for opportunities in the next few weeks?



Thanks a lot. That was a heck of a lot of value, I highly, highly appreciate the help from you and others on this forum, it also serves as a huge inspiration


There’s a lot of ideas in this that will take me a little while to get my head around haha, but definitely not something that I’m gonna turn away from. This post alone has me feeling like I’ve read about 5 books J a fairly big idea that I’m gonna have to work on.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Ubermensch]

Thanks again @Ubermensch


And so, in general, based on what you’re sharing here, should the type of sales job I search for, definitely not be something like a call center where you’re tied to the chair for the whole day, a door to door job (I have done this, and hated the intrusion aspect of it), or a retail job where I’m selling Dyson Hoovers, who have already happily entered the store? but rather something where I am totally free and almost 100% independent? I mean I definitely do want some bit of support (but, as you mentioned going for a commission only job).

You definitely want to avoid getting "tied to the chair for the whole day." You will not make much headway that way. You need an opportunity that gives you plenty of leeway, not an opportunity to make money today, and tomorrow see it fade away.

What does it say on your resume? If you have a track record of closing deals day after day, from Monday to payday. Private companies want a guy who can make prospects obey, who see the final agreement and have decision-makers sign away.

If you don't have a $uper $tar resume, try to become someone's protege, and get on that straightaway!

I mean, I imagine those call center jobs are all passive sales, and what I would want is something where I would be setting up meetings myself, building my own relationships and so on, a lot of networking?

And finally should I be aiming to sell something that is a bit of a big deal, like you mentioned energy and efficiency, rather than some kind of gadget, and should I be more on the look out for B2B opportunities rather than B2C? I imagine the high commissions would come mainly from B2B and it would be a bit more serious.

B2B can definitely be more serious, with enough $ potential to make you delirious.

By all means, swing for the fences. You want commission checks and deposits so big that they drive you senseless. You basically just have to pick up the phone and start dialing like that dude in the movie Limitless. You gotta be that guy who refuses to just take what life has been givin' him.

Before you move forward with any opportunity, do your due diligence. If an opportunity exists, discover the impetus.

 

[TomTrepreneur]

You definitely want to avoid getting "tied to the chair for the whole day." You will not make much headway that way. You need an opportunity that gives you plenty of leeway, not an opportunity to make money today, and tomorrow see it fade away.

What does it say on your resume? If you have a track record of closing deals day after day, from Monday to payday. Private companies want a guy who can make prospects obey, who see the final agreement and have decision-makers sign away.

If you don't have a $uper $tar resume, try to become someone's protege, and get on that straightaway!



B2B can definitely be more serious, with enough $ potential to make you delirious.

By all means, swing for the fences. You want commission checks and deposits so big that they drive you senseless. You basically just have to pick up the phone and start dialing like that dude in the movie Limitless. You gotta be that guy who refuses to just take what life has been givin' him.

Before you move forward with any opportunity, do your due diligence. If an opportunity exists, discover the impetus.

Well this is a nice excuse to watch a good movie it's been a while and I was meaning to see Limitless again. I don't remember the part you're talking about, curious about that now too.


Yeah well I definitely don't have a super star resume yet, so I'd say that would be a good start alright, Is that just pretty much like finding a mentor. And not something I would be getting paid for, and just be a learning experience? I'm assuming it's not an official job or contract, but just building a relationship with someone who is already in the game? Do I just find someone who is working in a company doing what I'd like to do and get in contact with them?

Thanks