Looking for proven systems to emulate? Talk to peers (similar to what these dealers are doing at the InSight 2013 Shaw Flooring Network Convention held earlier this year) and find out what makes them successful. Emulate what they do to keep their business in the black, and throw out what doesn’t work for you. Don’t be afraid to try new things, but once you arrive at a system that works consistently, do not deviate from it.

The fact is most businesses fail. Sorry to say, the odds are not in favor of the typical new business owner. Want-to-be entrepreneurs decide to open a business because they usually are good at doing a particular saleable task, i.e., installing floors, selling floors, etc. They are usually good at doing the type of business they open, but oftentimes they are not so good at running it. Ironically, entrepreneurs who know nothing about the business they open, opting instead to buy established franchises, succeed at a significantly higher rate (90% are still in business after 10 years, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) than those who know how to do the saleable task well. How come?

Research shows that the number one cause of failure in life or in sales is poor use of time.  My first thought is that some must work harder than others. After all, some people are lazy, resting before they even get tired. Yet when comparing two people working equally as hard, we will find that one may produce significantly more results than the other in the same amount of time. Or we find two students with the same IQ, studying the same amount of time, earning significantly different grades. How come?

How is it that some salespeople seem to be naturally born? They get consistent results in many different selling situations. If you were to ask them why they are so consistent, they could not say because much of how they sell is unconscious. They are what we call “unconsciously competent” in selling. Bottom line, whatever they sell, they consistently produce results. How come?

These are all important questions we each should ask ourselves. I believe the answer as to why some people are consistently more successful than others in whatever endeavor chosen can be found in Aesop’s Fable of the Tortoise and the Hare. The hare is faster, smarter and more brilliant; he should win every race and out-produce the tortoise in every way.  But the tortoise always wins the race. Why?  Consistency. Consistency will always win over flashes of brilliance. Some entrepreneurs will run their business well at times; some people manage their time well occasionally; some students study well and earn A’s at times; and some salespeople do incredibly well… at times. But none are consistently producing results.

It comes down to being dedicated to a proven system or process that is used consistently over and over. The system or process acts like a recipe. If you follow the recipe, using the same ingredients, following the same steps, you will get consistent results. Closely following a proven selling system, whether a business system, a learning system, a time management system, a CRM system or an accounting system, will generate consistent results. I’m reminded of Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If you dedicate yourself to a process, a recipe or a system that works and you follow it religiously, you will get consistent results.

When Ray Kroc purchased McDonald’s, he wasn’t buying a burger joint; he was buying a business system that could be prototyped, with results that could be duplicated over and over again. The system turned McDonald’s into a predictable moneymaking machine. That’s why McDonald’s looks the same in Atlanta as it does in Moscow. It’s why McDonald’s produces double-digit net profits for a franchisee employing 16-year-old kids and a 300 percent annual turnover in workers. The system is the solution. It eliminates the need for extraordinary people. Ordinary people can follow the system and get extraordinary results.

Research is clear: If you want to duplicate the results of highly effective people who produce the results that you want, do what they do. If you want to be rich, do what wealthy people have done to acquire riches. If you want incredible relationships, do what others do who create relationships worthy of emulation. Commit yourself to a system that works, then trust the system; follow the recipe. Dedicate yourself to a system that will generate the results you desire in every area of your life.

You can control your actions in life, but you cannot control the consequences.  Consequences are governed by natural law. You can feel safe yielding to a system that is based on natural law, and it’s not hard to find those systems. There is evidence everywhere of entrepreneurs, students, salespeople, etc. who produce extraordinary results. Study what they do. Replicate their actions. If you find other tactics or strategies that work better, implement them. Always be fine-tuning your system.

Good systems provide direction, set expectations and build momentum. They provide structure for tactical strategies, metrics and learning. If you want to make an incredible meal, find an incredible recipe. Then follow it consistently. Don’t deviate.

If you want to improve your productivity, find a good time management system. I know they work. Good systems will help you manage appointments and commitments so that you will always be prepared and you will never forget them. The system will not allow you to forget. A good system will help you create a vision, keep you organized, help you plan and most of all will help you execute; so take action.

Research indicates that naturally born salespeople, the top one percent, do whatever works, over and over again. Their selling systems are based on the natural laws of influence and not manipulative sales techniques. The top one percent build customer relationships that pass the tests of time.

Businesses that consistently produce results have systems that include policy and procedure manuals, job descriptions and standards, employee handbooks and subcontractor agreements. Systems are never fixed in stone. They are dynamic. When a better recipe is found, throw the old one out. Customers change, products change, marketplaces change; so systems change.

You can create your own systems if you want. But if you follow the systems possessed by the highest-achieving men and women in our society (or any society), you will soon begin to get the same results they do. You will probably be looked up to and honored like they are. Remember that the tortoise, following a path built on natural law, will always win. So will you.

Sam Allman is president of Allman Consulting and Training. He is an internationally recognized motivational speaker, consultant, trainer and author who delivers inspiring programs in areas such as leadership, customer service, management development, team building, retail sales and personal quality management. He has developed many audio and video programs and has created hundreds of training and educational learning systems. 

(770) 425-2142 sam@allmanconsulting.com.