On My Mind: What’s Next?

Thoughts from Coach Rob Shore about the art, science and lifestyle of wholesaling, for wholesalers and their leaders.

This episode: What’s Next?

The Precious Present by Spencer Johnson M.D.

What’s on your mind? Email me at rob[at]wholesalermasterminds.com

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Transcription:

What’s on my mind is this notion of this business that we’re in. I call it a “next” business.

We are so focused as wholesalers on what’s next.

What’s the next appointment I have to schedule?

What’s the next travel arrangement I need to make?

What’s the next dinner reservation I need to handle?

What’s the next literature order I need to take care of?

What’s the next presentation I need to practice?

What’s the next product I need to learn?

What’s the next advisor I need to call and say, “Thank you,” to?

What’s the next COI I need to schedule to stay in their good graces?

Next, next, next, next, next.

Next can be, at some point, debilitating for a couple of reasons.

Next doesn’t necessarily allow you to be reflective because as soon as you walk out of an appointment, your focus shifts to what’s next.

When I do my live presentations, I ask folks to take a 60-second challenge with me. I’m going to share it with you.

The 60-second challenge is super easy, but it is only 60 seconds.

When you walk out of an advisor appointment, take 60 seconds after you clear the threshold of the advisor’s office, before you get in the car, before you get on the train, before you get in an Uber, however you’re making your way around your territory, large or small, take the 60-second challenge.

Take 60 seconds and think to yourself, “Man, that appointment was one of the better appointments I’ve done this week. What was it that made that appointment so good?”

Maybe you walk out and say to yourself, “What in the hell just happened in there? That was horrible.” Take 60 seconds to figure out what was it that made that appointment so bad that you made that comment, 60 seconds to be reflective and catalog and think.

The other place that next becomes injurious is an area that I frankly suck at, and I’m going to be honest with you with that. I’m going to tell you I suck in this area, and it’s the area of presence.

What if we spend so much time not just thinking about the next meeting, or the next schedule, or the next travel arrangement, or the next dinner reservation, or the next material order, or the next COI, but what if we spend too much time focusing on next when it comes to our lives.

What’s the next car I want to buy because the car I’m in is not satisfying me?

What’s the next home I want to own because the home I’m in is not satisfying me?

What’s the next job I want because the job I’m in is not satisfying me?

What’s the next thing after this thing?

One of the things that got me thinking more deeply about this … I don’t know if you happen to be a Veep fan or not or an Arrested Development fan or not, but Tony Hale, Tony Hale, who’s Gary in Veep and Buster in Arrested Development, was on a podcast I was listening to, and he was talking about his own challenges with presence, and I just related to what he was saying, that he is focusing on, and I’d like to do a better job focusing on, and maybe you need to do a better job focusing on what’s happening right here and right now without thinking about the next.

Your full attention is on the advisor during the appointment without your brain drifting off to what’s next.

Your full attention is on your partner without focusing on the what’s next in your job, let’s say.

Your full attention is on your kids without thinking about [fill-in-the-blank here] of what’s next.

There’s a book that was written about this. Maybe you’ve seen it. It was all the way back in the early ’80s that the book was written.

It’s called The Precious Present.

It’s a book worth reading. It’s a very short read, but it helps reinforce this notion of staying present.

I need to do a better job at staying present. Maybe you do, too.

I thought I’d share this with you and tell you what’s on my mind and ask you what’s on yours.

Let me know. Email me. Rob[at]wholesalermasterminds.com.