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WARNING: This Monday’s message can be one of the crucial highly effective hacks you’ll ever combine into your life—as a result of it’s easy, simple to place into follow, and it really works. It has the potential, over the course of time, to vary all the pieces for you.
It’s the BTN methodology, and I discovered it from a pal of mine who fully remodeled his life and his habits by mastering this one straight-forward tactic.
Forgiving Your self When You Get Off Monitor
In James Clear’s guide, Atomic Habits, he talks a few technique for making a behavior stick: by no means miss two days in a row.
In different phrases, in the event you mess up on Monday—in the event you skip your exercise or drop the ball in your new behavior—you give your self permission to let it go.
However get proper again on observe by Tuesday. You by no means miss two days in a row and permit these errors to pile up and push you proper again into the unhealthy behavior you are attempting to vary.
I like this recommendation as a result of it reminds us we’re all human. We’re going to slide up. Life occurs—youngsters get sick, you get sick, purchasers name with emergencies, your boss piles additional duties in your desk, or your flight is delayed and also you’re stranded in an airport— typically you’ve simply should eat that piece of cake.
James Clear’s strategy is, when this occurs, to present your self a break. It’s okay that you simply tousled as soon as. Forgive your self however simply don’t let it spiral downward by stringing collectively a number of days of misses collectively. It’s an awesome strategy.
However there may be one other technique that works even higher for staying observe, makes it simpler to bounce again, nonetheless means that you can be human, and over time yields much better outcomes. In the event you actually wish to construct unstoppable gross sales habits and supercharge your efficiency you’ll love this strategy.
The BTN Secret
A couple of years again, I used to be assembly a very good pal of mine for dinner. We hadn’t seen one another in a few years.
He’s the CEO of a big firm—continually flying everywhere in the world, coping with high-level negotiations, board conferences, you title it.
I do know from expertise that this type of schedule can wreak havoc in your weight-reduction plan, your sleep, and particularly your train routine.
When Chris walked into the restaurant, I used to be shocked. He seemed unimaginable—like a very totally different individual.
He’d misplaced a bunch of weight and was in incredible form. As we sat down at our desk I couldn’t assist however blurt out, “Dude, you look unimaginable, how on earth do you handle to search out the time to train and deal with your self like that together with your insane schedule.”
The reality is that on the time, I used to be actually battling my very own well being. I’d been touring and not using a break and gained far an excessive amount of weight. I felt unhealthy. And though I knew I wanted to do one thing about it, I used to be wrestling with the standard excuses: busy journey itinerary, consumer dinners, lack of time within the mornings for an actual exercise, late nights in airports, and exhaustion.
Chris checked out me, smiled, and mentioned, “I exploit the BTN methodology.”
I immediately reached for my cellphone to Google “BTN” as a result of I assumed it was some new, miracle exercise program and I used to be searching for something that might assist me get my well being again on observe.
Chris simply began laughing. “You’re not gonna discover that on Google,” he mentioned. “BTN stands for Higher Than Nothing.”
Why Doing “Only a Little Bit” Issues Extra Than You Assume
Chris defined his philosophy: Regardless of the place he’s—regardless of how jam-packed his day, regardless of how exhausted he feels—he refuses to let a single day move with out performing some type of train—regardless of how little.
On a very good day, when he has time, he does an intense 45-minute exercise. But when he doesn’t have time, if he’s been in back-to-back conferences from daybreak to nightfall, then he’ll at the very least drop down on the ground in his lodge room and do 5 push-ups, or 20 leaping jacks, or a two-minute plank. One thing. Something. Simply not nothing.
He defined that 5 push-ups is best than none and over time all of it provides up. That’s the BTN methodology—One thing is Higher Than Nothing.
The Psychological Hurdle
One massive cause most of us haven’t adopted the BTN mindset is that it feels too small to matter. In the event you’re used to a 60-minute exercise, you may assume, “Ten push-ups? That’s ineffective. Would possibly as nicely not do something.”
The reality is that doing something is infinitely higher than doing nothing due to the cumulative influence of doing a bit of bit each day. For Chris, the months and years of by no means lacking a day fully remodeled his well being.
Plus, BTN retains you tethered to your routine, your self-discipline, momentum, and your sense of identification as somebody who follows by and by no means misses a day.
Making use of “Higher Than Nothing” to Prospecting
In my guide Fanatical Prospecting, I speak about how prospecting is a type of non-negotiable actions it’s essential to do each single day to maintain your pipeline full.
But, if we’re sincere, no person actually likes prospecting. We’ll dream up any excuse, and I imply any excuse to place it off: proposals that want writing, admin duties, emails, that one massive consumer who calls for your consideration 24/7, conferences, the boss, it’s Wednesday, a full moon or perhaps simply the attract of one other cup of espresso within the break room.
In fact there are actual, official points that influence how a lot time you’ve for prospecting throughout your gross sales day.
I do know you’re busy. You will have fires to place out. Huge displays. And a packed schedule of demos, discovery, and shutting conferences. On as of late when your schedule is that packed it’s commonplace to roll a zero and skip prospecting altogether. It’s not such as you did it on function.
However that’s a giant downside as a result of these zeros add as much as zero. The primary cause for failure in gross sales is an empty pipeline and the primary cause why you’ve an empty pipeline is since you did zero prospecting.
The Legislation of Cumulative Influence
A zero day is a day whenever you do completely nothing towards your objective. In health, meaning no motion, no push-ups, not even a single squat. In gross sales, it means ignoring prospecting totally.
Zero days are the true enemy as a result of zero days compound your inaction resulting in crash and burn failure.
Against this although, whenever you undertake a one thing is best than nothing mindset and decide to by no means rolling a zero, you’ll accomplish greater than you ever thought potential since you faucet into the regulation of cumulative influence.
The Legislation of Cumulative Influence states that small, constant actions, when repeated frequently over time, add as much as produce huge outcomes.
In different phrases, even seemingly insignificant efforts—like making just a few prospecting calls or doing a brief exercise—result in main transformations in efficiency, well being, and private development over time.
One thing is Higher than Nothing
Some days you’ll knock out 50 chilly calls. Different days you may solely handle to make 5. That’s okay! As a result of the final time I checked, 5 is best than zero.
By repeatedly stacking small wins, you harness the compounding impact and much exceed what might be achieved with occasional bursts of excessive effort adopted by lengthy stretches of inaction.
- Doing 5 push-ups each single day for a 12 months accumulates to just about 2,000 push-ups. That’s going to tone your higher physique, construct endurance, and hold your metabolism buzzing.
- Doing 5 calls a day is 25 calls every week, over 100 calls a month, and nicely above 1,000 calls a 12 months. That’s an enormous chunk of pipeline-building exercise from “simply 5 calls a day.”
The bottom line is permitting your self to be happy with these micro-wins. You’re aiming for progress, not perfection. And the times when you are able to do extra—incredible. However on others you must settle for that doing one thing is a win as a result of it’s higher than nothing.
Greatness in gross sales comes from constant day by day effort. The pipeline is at all times flowing since you by no means cease feeding it. The “Higher Than Nothing” strategy ensures you’re at all times including logs to the hearth—perhaps just some some days, perhaps an entire bundle on others, however by no means letting it burn out fully. Over time, that’s the way you create unstoppable momentum.
Placing the BTN Technique Into Motion
Listed below are the keys to placing the BTN Technique into follow in your gross sales day and life.
- Undertake “No Zeros” Mindset: Get up every morning telling your self that you’re a one who by no means has a zero day of prospecting—regardless of how swamped or frazzled you are feeling. Say it out loud.
- Plan for BTN Actions: Establish the only duties you are able to do in the event you’re pressed for time (like calling 5 leads or sending three emails).
- Fill the Gaps: At all times carry a prospecting checklist with you. That method you’re at all times ready. At any time when you end up with a tiny window—perhaps somebody cancels a Zoom assembly or you’ve 20 minutes between appointments—use the hole to make just a few calls. No chunk of time is just too small.
- Rejoice Small Wins: It would really feel foolish to fist-bump your self for simply doing one thing, however that psychological reinforcement works. You’re rewarding your self for no zeros.
And bear in mind, this doesn’t simply apply to prospecting. By no means let a day go by with out some type of progress towards your gross sales objectives. 5 minutes, ten minutes, one micro-task—it’s at all times higher than nothing.
Whether or not it’s your first 12 months in gross sales or you’re a seasoned veteran, our FREE Aim Planning information provides you confirmed ideas, instruments and ways for growing a profitable sport plan to attain your greatest objectives.
