I do not have the legs, face or body to be a model—wiggling, jiggling and giggling to make a buck—but I do have the drive, brains and passion for excellence to be a modeler—and so can you. So what is a modeler, and why should you become one? Modeling in a business context is the ability to reproduce excellence and successful outcomes. Want to see faster growth and make the Inc. 5000 list, hear customers say you are the best and rave about your service, feel great, improve cash flow and achieve the highest earnings in company history? Whatever your goals are, modeling is the fastest way to get there, to put your company ahead of your competition and rapidly improve individual and team performance in areas such as:
- Sales
- Marketing
- Business process design
- In service presentations
- Documentation
- Patient compliance
- Recruiting and hiring top performers
Modeling will help you to learn far more quickly than if you attempt to learn without the modeling framework. It will also dramatically reduce the time required to train an individual to reach peak performance and meet your company goals and objectives.
I believe that you, like me, know that if someone else can do something than we can do it too. Just as we said as kids, "anything you can do I can do better." This is the fundamental belief system and underpinning of a Modeler. Let's use an example I am sure you are familiar with. Ever go on a diet to lose weight? Of course you have. A diet is a model—one that if you follow will give you a successful outcome—you will lose weight. As a matter of fact if you stick with the model and make it a way of life, you will reach your ideal body wait and keep the weight off. Now, you already know this. When you go on a diet program, whether it is Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach or simply reduce calories and increase exercise—what happens? You start losing weight almost instantly. (Assuming you really did follow the plan.)
I love models because they give you the specific actions to take in order to achieve a successful, desired outcome. A model gives you the confidence that if you execute the model and its strategies, you are guaranteed to achieve the outcome you are looking for. When you apply the modeling strategy to your business you will see predictable and repeatable successful outcomes in every area. I have modeled the modeling process for you, so simply follow and execute each step:
1. Define Your Outcome
Napoleon Hill said it best, "Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement." The first principle of success is defining your desired outcome from the modeling project. It is important to be specific and have a stated goal that you can measure. For instance, each rep opening up five new accounts this month, increasing cash flow by $20,000 per week, reduce picking errors by 5 percent this quarter, etc.
2. Find a Model
A model is someone who is excellent at something you want to excel at and is achieving the exact outcome you are looking to replicate.
3. Observe
Observe the model doing the task you want to learn. This is critical to getting a precise model. Most people who excel at something are not fully aware of exactly what they are doing at certain points in their process. Make sure you record specific behaviors. When, how and why do they do what they do? How do they prioritize their day and tasks? When do they start, stop, and take lunch and breaks? You want the model to be as accurate as possible.
4. Frame Your Workspace
Find out specifically how the model sets up their work environment and what specific resources they utilize. Look at everything and record precisely! Do they use headsets, what computer programs do they favor, how do they monitor and track progress and results?
5. Think Differently
Find out the model's internal process such as their attitudes, values, belief systems, thoughts and feelings about the task they excel at. This is a critical step and you will find that that successful people think differently, which is the magic to the model's outstanding performance. You are looking for the "difference that makes a difference." How they think directly impacts their behavior and actions, which produces their outstanding results.
6. Refine
Train, implement and use the new model yourself or appoint someone in your company. Utilize the model's strategies that you have learned and keep refining them until you are able to replicate or improve on the measured results that the model achieves.
7. Train Others
Once you have proved the model and have successfully demonstrated that you can transfer the skill, train other people on your team to adopt this model and see, hear and feel the difference with everyone improving their results and performing at the highest level!
For those of you who read my cover article last month, "Creating Sales Magic," you know that I modeled top performers to develop my 7-Step Sales Process that has helped thousands of sales representatives around the world sell over one billion dollars. (To read the article, visit homecaremag.com/operations-sales-strategies/september-2015/creating-sales-magic.) I also have used modeling to see and achieve great results in every aspect of my life. You do not need to wait or learn from trial and error. Get modeling and see exponential growth and improvement both personally and professionally.
Mr. Hill—who by the way wrote Think and Grow Rich, the single best-selling business book of all time, a great model for achieving wealth—was also famous for saying, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve." When you decide pursue excellence and define exactly what you want, with modeling you can feel 100 percent confident that you are not wishing, you are on your way to accomplishing your goals.
So now I challenge you to take action right now! Pick the biggest area of improvement you want to make for yourself or your company. Pick a model, reproduce their excellence and start performing like a super star! If you need any help I am a phone call away.
