Reverse Thinking – Part 2: Critical Questions

a question mark made with light at the end of a graffiti painted hall

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In Part 1, we looked at the mindset of reverse thinking: looking at all of the obstacles that could get in the way of your success… Today we’re getting practical.

By simply removing any reason that would stop you from reaching your goals, you’re inadvertently making it easier for you to reach them.

So, when I’m working with my private clients and we begin looking at offering new products/services, buying new companies, or starting brand new initiatives, the first thing we do is “reverse thinking.”

There are 6 very important questions you need to answer:

  • What’s My Ultimate Objective?
  • When Do I Want To Have It Completed? 
  • What Is Everything That Has to Be True In Order for My Project to Be a Success?
  • What’s Every Reason That Could Prevent or Dramatically Slow Down My Progress?
  • Can I Identify a Strategy For Overcoming Each Obstacle?
  • What Action Steps Am I Committed to Achieving?

Take the time to answer each question. Don’t rush it, and answer them thoroughly. First, answer them on your own – then meet with your team and ask them to come up with questions you haven’t thought of yet.

Look, I know what it feels like to get so excited about a project that you just want to hit the ground running. Before you do, remember the tale of the old bull:

The old bull and the young bull were standing at the top of the hill overlooking a paddock of many gorgeous young heifers. The young bull said, “Let’s charge down the hill, knock over that fence and service one of those heifers each.” The old bull wisely replied, “Why don’t we saunter down the hill, open the gate, take a sip at the water trough, and then service ALL of those heifers?” 

Use that passion to plan… 

Look, there’s definitely credence to the phrase: “Fire. Ready. Aim.”  

I’m not telling you to spend weeks wasting time to get it perfect – but I am telling you that a certain degree of planning is well worth it. 

In fact, when I ran my algorithmic stock trading company, I hired many of the top traders to mentor me – and the most common phrase shared with me over and over was:

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

This can save you hours of wasted time, countless dollars, and increase your probability of success. It took me a long time to figure this out for myself – but once I did, the impact cannot be overstated.

For example, when launching the “LinkedLeadBuilder Done For You” service, one of the challenges we came across was that we wouldn’t get a positive result (or repeat business) if the client experienced a negative ROI.

Makes sense, right?

Our solution was to interview clients, determining the value of their average sale and close rate, to see if it made sense.

When we interviewed one of our newest clients, we discovered he has average sale of $25,000 with a conversion rate of 10%. That means that out of every 10 leads we bring him, he’ll make $25,000. Beta pricing is $2,000 a month. That’s a good ROI, and as long as we bring him enough quality leads, he’ll be a lifelong client.

Of course, that’s just the beginning. We needed to figure out every piece, part, and process that needed to function correctly in order to achieve the desired result – and create a plan for making it happen. Once we figured that out, the rest was much easier.

You’ll be amazed at what you and your team come up with once you take the time to do this planning.

We’ve done this planning for setting up referral systems, launching new businesses, kicking off new marketing campaigns, onboarding new clients, and so forth. It’s one of the core tools in our toolbox (and, perhaps, one of the most valuable).

I guarantee that planning (and the reverse thinking that helps you plan) will change your outlook and the results of your next project. Enjoy!

what now?

Continue reading for more resourceful information.

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