Have you ever run into the same business challenge repeatedly and you just couldn’t get past it? If so, you are most likely on a production plateau and in need of a tool or technique to create a transformational moment. In other words, you need a Game Changer! 
 
Mickey Mantle, who had an impressive 536 home runs during his baseball career, said, “It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing all your life."

Let’s take a look at a few Game Changers that can have a lasting impact on your business.

Game Changer #1: Master Your Mindset

Everything starts between your ears! Your mindset can make or break you. One of the hardest things for advisors and agents to do is to stay positive all of the time. And, if you don’t have strategies to do that, external events will always shape your internal state of mind.

Kevin J., a thirty-year veteran financial advisor-client of mine had all the makings of a bad day. He got up late for work, had a flat tire and when he did finally get into the office he received a call from an angry client who blamed him for having negative returns in his portfolio during a Bear Market; all of this occurring before 9 a.m. 

Luckily, we had a coaching session soon after all of this happened. I recommended that we focus on a three-step formula, 1. Identify the challenge 2. Determine the solution 3. Discuss the tool or technique that he would need to apply to get desired results. 

He admitted that the challenge was that everything had gone wrong that morning and that it had affected him, but that he wanted to not be so internally reactive in the future.

That’s when I recommended that he use a tool that I created called Conquering the Inner Dialogue Exercise, which helps someone identify a negative inner dialogue, question its validity and create a new thought using positive counter statements. 

Kevin quickly embraced the exercise and within a couple of weeks, he had turned this process into a habit. As a result, he is now more in control of his daily mindset! 

Game Changer #2: Conquer the Fear of Rejection

Your relationship with rejection can make or break your business. In other words, if you view rejection as a natural part of the sales process then you don’t care if you are rejected and you keep on prospecting. However, if you take rejection personally then you stop prospecting because it’s too painful. I can teach you all of the tips, tools, techniques, strategies, and solutions for prospecting but if you don’t conquer your fear of rejection, you will never make the calls.  

Take Terry H., a fifteen-year financial advisory client of mine who was on a production plateau because he wasn’t prospecting. We identified his challenge, that he had a fear of rejection. We discussed the solution; conquer his fear of rejection by changing his perception of rejection. 

Finally, we used a technique that I created called The Art of Rejection Perception in which I asked him if he really wanted rude prospects to become his clients. He admitted that he didn’t. So, I helped him create a mantra every time he was rejected and he was to say this mantra every time someone hung up on him or was rude while prospecting.

A week later Terry informed me that he was having fun prospecting and that he was also excited about the people he had accepted into his pipeline. In other words, he had conquered his fear of rejection!

Game Changer #3: Mastering Motivation and Momentum

Oftentimes, rookies and veterans alike would rather procrastinate until they run out of time than take consistent action. 
 
Sean K. was a rookie advisor client of mine who started in the industry just four years ago. When I began coaching him we quickly identified his challenge, lack of motivation to prospect and the solution, and having a process for motivation and momentum. 

This technique is a four-step formula that I call The Strategic Motivation Process: 

1. Diminish the perceived pain by asking yourself, “What’s the worst thing that can happen if I take action right now?”

2. Increase the pleasure by having a reward for taking action. “When I finish I will reward myself with ___.”

3. Know that action alleviates anxiety by stating, “When I finish, I will feel ___!”

4. Know that success breeds success by stating, “I will be closer to my goals!”

Sean quickly applied the process and got motivated to prospect on a daily basis. As a result, he gathered more assets in the first year of being coached than he had the previous three years.

Why Creating Business Game Changers Works

The reason why creating business Game Changers works is that it’s a step-wise approach to conquering common challenges. When you use all three of the aforementioned strategies along with another seven that I explain in The Advisor Solutions Podcast Episodes #32 and #33 (The Top Ten Business Game Changers), you can’t help but succeed and it won’t take long before your winning is just a natural part of playing the game of business!

This content comes from NAIFA partner, Advisor Solutions. You can read the original article on their website.