5 ways sir richard branson has nailed success.
by rob nixon
if you want to run a thriving accounting business you need to need to change the way you think.
more on strategy: accountants are the last trusted advisors | how much should partners make? | be a history maker | experience doesn’t mean what you think it does | why ‘steady as she goes’ isn’t enough | boost efficiency and your bottom line | marketing must generate leads | be an ‘object of interest’
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
how you think and what you think about is crucial to your success. i meet many accountants who have low self-esteem.
it’s my belief that the “order taker” and “clock watcher” mentality drives a level of thinking that is not conducive to business success. self-esteem plummets
- when you don’t have to work that hard for new business (the government changes the rules and you get some more),
- when 90 percent of the revenue comes in every year regardless of what you do and
- when you are not required to market, sell or build client relationships – they still keep coming back!
with low self-esteem, accountants tend to talk a lot at clients – telling all the time rather than asking and listening. it’s like you have been taught to bamboozle clients at accounting school with fancy terms so that you look good in front of the client.
low self-esteem also drives accountants into the most arrogant activity of all – prejudging what clients will or will not do. i have heard partners say, “don’t send them the newsletter – they’ll never read it.” and, “they will never turn up to the seminar.” or, “they will never buy that service.”
how dare you prejudge a client’s future!
i also hear, “we can’t find any good people.” are you sure? there are thousands out there, they just don’t work for you! or this one: “we don’t have any clients who will buy that.” how do you know that you don’t have the right clients? have you asked them all? and when a good idea is presented that has worked in countless other firms before you, i get this one: “we could never do that.” hmmm.
this level of stinking thinking is driving down business performance and eroding self-esteem.
you have to change your attitude and mindset to one of abundance, confidence, self-belief that you can do it, belief that you are worth more and belief that if you get out of your comfort zone, learn from others and be proactive you will get different results. once you change your thinking you will start to run a better business.
here are two great quotes that i live by and teach my clients to live by as well.
“whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe he can achieve.” – napoleon hill, author of the best-selling book “think & grow rich,” 1936
and
“if you think you can you can. if you think you can’t you can’t. either way you’re right.” – author unknown
in june 2010 my wife, natalie, and i had the privilege of spending four days with my favorite entrepreneur and business hero, founder of the hugely successful virgin group, sir richard branson. the reason i got to spend time with sir richard at his private retreat in morocco was because the previous year, for my 40th birthday, natalie bought me a ticket into space on virgin galactic. there were 12 “future astronauts” (as i shall be called from now on) and their respective partners at the gathering and we all had a blast (pardon the pun) trekking, cycling, eating, partying and generally hanging out together. after reading about his entrepreneurial and adventure exploits for years i was very excited to spend some quality time with richard – so much so i compiled a list of questions to ask him! i wanted to know how he worked and how he thought. on the first morning i changed my mind and decided to toss the questions in the trash can. it felt too contrived. once i relaxed and got into the groove i was quite surprised to learn how he ticked. over breakfast one morning i even witnessed a fellow entrepreneur pitch his idea to richard. after four days, my synopsis as to what makes this man any different from all us mere mortal entrepreneurs is fivefold:
- he thinks much bigger than anyone else i have ever met.
- he has bucketloads of courage and self-belief.
- he surrounds himself with the best people – and lets them get on with it.
- he chooses high-volume business vehicles.
- he always takes calculated risks and as he frequently says he “protects the downside.”
how big is your thinking? are you limited by negative self-talk and limiting beliefs? is your potential stymied by the people you associate with and the information you are putting into your mind?
when i ask accountants to change one of the most basic of business tactics – price up front versus price in arrears – i am typically met with fear and trepidation. what will the clients think and how will they react are the typical thoughts. when they finally implement the change it is never as scary as they thought and the client acceptance rate is close to 100 percent.
you can reprogram your thinking and your self–belief system. you must first want to. there are thousands upon thousands of books, articles, stories, learning programs, seminars and courses that you can attend and absorb. become a student of business and personal development. i was fortunate that at the tender age of 17 i got into self-help material and over the years i have amassed an impressive library of knowledge in many formats.
remember this. you will become the person you want to be by the people you associate with and the material you absorb. someone in the world has done what you want to do – seek them out and learn from them.
let me leave you with a little saying that i heard recently:
“watch your thoughts, they become your words.
watch your words, they become your actions.
watch your actions, they become your habits.
watch your habits, they become your destiny.”