To Change It, Start By Measuring It

About three years ago, for reasons that still escape me, I stopped getting on the bathroom scale every morning. Over the following six months, I went from 175 pounds of lean, mean cycling machine, to 200+ pounds of flab that totally demoralized me every time the cyclists with whom I ride dropped me like a rock at the bottom of the first hill.

On June 6 of this year, I finally got fed up with myself, so I started getting back on the scale every morning and recording what I weigh. (Note: That is the ONLY thing I measured.)

Here are the results of those weigh-ins:

Week 1: 204, 202, 202, 201, 200, 199, 201
Week 2: 200, 200, 200, 200, 198, 197, 196
Week 3: 196, 197, 196, 196, 196, 195, 194
Week 4: 194, 194, 194, 194. 194, 195, 193
Week 5: 193, 194, 193, 193, 192, 193, 193
Week 6: 193, 192, 192, 192, 191, 191, 191
Week 7: 191, 190, 190, 190, 189, 189, 188
Week 8: 189, 189, 188, 187, 187, 187, 188

I know as I face my food and exercise choices today, I also face the reality that tomorrow’s weigh-in will be the direct result of today’s choices. (Note: Cindy and I had pizza last night, hence the 188 this morning.)

This same measurement concept, by the way, applies to prospecting, marketing and selling. For example, to improve your sales funnel, add this one measurement to your funnel tracking:

• The prospect is in your funnel if, and only if, your name is in his calendar at a future date and time.

Look at your current sales funnel, paying particular attention to your next appointment date with each prospect. If it says "call sometime Thursday" or "touch base in a month," you may be selling, but that prospect is not buying. (When you know you don't get to count a prospect as in the funnel unless your name is in his calendar, you will naturally start asking for specific appointment dates -- and you'll start getting them.)

If you want to change something measure it objectively. Then make the choices today that will positively affect tomorrow's results.

And don't ever stop.

--
Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association