Being in the mortgage business for the last 3 years was like getting a masters in finance. I can not do anything without completely diving into it, and I learned a ton about business, markets, and financial institutions in general. On top of that, I discovered Robert Kiyosaki, Og Mandino, Marshall Silver, Tony Robbins, Donald Trump and a few other highly successful, inspirational authors. The information I learned will be cherished for the rest of my life, as any and every business can be helped by the lessons taught by those men.
One common main point they each touched on was….
Always put yourself first.
Believe it or not, this can be a tough position for many people, including myself. What happens is, we tend to concentrate on the here and now, especially if it is our own business. This means getting clients and treating them well. Most people starting out in a business tend to treat their initial clients like gold, and are on their beckon call. As long as they keep paying the bills, so be it.
But this is not putting yourself first. In business you have to always put yourself in the best position. Otherwise, you wind up feeling overworked & underpaid , plus you can even stunt your growth as a business. You see, when you cater to these clients, you put yourself in a bad position for two reasons.
One, you have created a relationship with a few clients who you now depend on entirely. You cater to them, which makes it impossible to have proper time for other, newer clients. In turn, your newer clients are put off, and your older clients get pushier than ever.
Two, you create an expectation for these clients. They now expect to be catered to, and anything less is unacceptable. People always like to blame the customer, but it is actually your fault. They are just following the boundaries that you set. It was never a problem before, why should it be a problem now?
In business, you always have to put yourself in the best position. The best position gives you a chance to make the most money, have time to do the best work, and have a life afterwards as well. In order to do this, you have to be disciplined. You have to believe in your success.
Here are 5 action steps to take in order to get on the right path:
- Make a plan of action for dealing with clients.
- Stick to that plan no matter what.
- Make a set way to do everything.
- Make sure that set way is completely to your advantage and no one elses.
- If it is your business, make sure you get paid before everyone else.
Now obviously, you can not completely ignore the needs of your client. But you have to set up a way where you meet all those needs….on your time. That is what is most important. On your time.
Don’t get caught up in overworking to just feel successful. Try working smart instead and be successful. Put yourself in a position to succeed and to make the most money possible. This will make you a stronger business person because it will give you the financial security needed to keep a clear head and do the best work possible. You can not accept settling for anything less. It would not only affect you, it would affect your work as well and what client wants that.
When you put yourself in a position to succeed, chances are, you are going to do it. Set the tone with clients early. Let them know exactly how you work, the system you have, and explain that is why you can do the best work.
Whether a mortgage business or a creative digital media company, it is all the same. In business, always put yourself first, pay yourself first, and understand that that is what every successful person does. Do not feel bad about it. It is okay. If you are out on your own taking a risk, then make sure success brings YOU the rewards. If a client has a problem with that, explain that it is because your systems allow you to operate in the most efficient manner possible. If a client wants different, then maybe you don’t want that client.
Money may solve some short term problems, but constantly ignoring long term growth means you will never get where you want to. Be strong. Get over the fear of losing some business, because some business you are better off walking away from, for yourself, and all of your clients as well.
