I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts when I came across an interview with Robin Waite, a career coach based in the UK. His insights during the episode left such a strong impression on me that I immediately decided to buy his book. It took me less than two hours to read, but the benefits I gained from it were absolutely incredible!

This is what I learned/liked:

  • “Life is constantly in a state of stress. But, if you just carry on doing the same old thing nothing is ever going to change.” – David
  • Read: Napolean Hill’s Think and Grow Rich
  • Before creating or fixing your business: Write a list of your one, three, five, and ten-year goals. No matter how big or small. But imagine where you want your life to be at each interval.
  • Find your why, determine your purpose, and how you will achieve your purpose
    • Example from Russ:
      • Why: Family
      • Purpose: Golf; talents, passion, expertise, and even Russ’ core values all based on the game of golf.
      • How: Get clients to turn up to every lesson and make sure they pay for them
    • My example:
      • Why: Family
      • Purpose: Business; I love anything related to learning or sharing about business stuff
      • How: Get clients to pay for my knowledge in business through mix of a one-time & subscription-based service models.
  • Life without a clearly defined goal is nothing more than meaningless actions with no clear sense of direction!
    • Jumping from one activity to the next in a random order with no real sense of direction is not ideal.
    • Ask yourself “Will this activity take me closer to my main goal?
    • Trust your gut feeling
    • Don’t procrastinate. If you make decisions quickly and get it wrong, you can pivot and pull yourself back on track.
  • Once you cut through the noise, it will be more easy to see:
    • What you goal is
    • How achievable it is
    • The activities required to achieve it
  • A goal must be EXPLICIT and measured over a given length of time
  • Sell a result not a product
  • You need to lead the client and also (depending on the situation) leave them homework
  • Your product must have a set of features which provide a guaranteed result for your clients
  • You need to deliver a specific result, over a defined length of time, and the only way to guarantee that is to focus on one aspect of the game
  • Why do clients want to focus on that area? Why they chose you?
    • Book example:
      • Because they want to enjoy the game more and get recognition for it
      • Because I can inspire them to drive to be the best golfer they can be. Show them what they can achieve.
  • Focus on what your clients want
  • You have to charge based on the value of the outcome you can deliver for your clients and incrementally add more value to provide a better-quality service and charge even more.
  • Commit to a price and make offer to ten people and see how it goes
  • Sign a contract that states each party’s responsibilities
  • Have a simple, ten or less points assessment at the beginning and end of the course
  • People can get to know you through videos, your website, events, and social media but they can’t like you or trust you until you have a 1:1 with them
  • During the discovery call, asking the right questions is vital
  • Once the product is delivered, you MUST have a follow-up process to ensure your client is happy for a period after you’ve delivered the product to them
  • For presentations… take three deep breaths and don’t hide behind props but use them
    • Remember, that this is not about you but your audience
  • Other resources on page 99
  • Recommended reading list found on page 101
  • These are my takeaways from reading this short book. As always, read it on your own to get a complete picture. 🍩☕

Cheers, Gaby