Each day is full of little signals. Like Pavlov's dogs we are trained to react and often we don't even realize it. Peter Bregman wrote a book called 18 Minutes. He has a clever idea to manage your day. It's built around getting back on track when you drift off, and one trick is to have a trigger. In his case, it's the hourly chime on a wristwatch. When the chime sounds, it's your trigger to examine your day. Are you working on what needs to get done, on what you planned to get done?
I learned a trigger of my own, the hard way. In 2007, I was having a good time selling technology. I was doing well, but I wasn't satisfied. I wanted a different role in our company. I had to quit to get it (different story), and I did get the new role. I was determined to do it right. I sent 20 hand-written cards each day to prospective clients explaining how different I was going to be and warning them that I'd be calling in a week's time. It was a perfect plan. No pushy sales tactics for me. I worked very hard and after three months I had exactly zero to show for my efforts. Three months is key because the accounts receivable I had built up in my old role was gone. I was at zero.
The nice thing about having your back against the wall is you've only got to worry about one direction. Following the advice of my first sales manager, I got a haircut and decided something had to change. I purchased a large paper, fold-out map of Nebraska and circled every town with a hospital. I was selling to all the small hospitals in the state. The next day I rented a car and hit the road. I pulled up to the first hospital and sat in the parking lot. It was tough to get out of the car. That was my signal. That obstacle is the path I had to choose.
Ryan Holiday wrote a book called The Obstacle is the Way, and I found out my idea is very old. It happens to be a Stoic philosophy. I didn't know it at the time. I still use it every day. Whenever I feel the resistance, I know it's the direction to go. I know I need to act.
So that's why I had to give my name as Batman when Starbucks asked -- I felt resistance to the idea.
By the way, I met 7 people out of 9 attempts on my first day of no-notice visits. I was completely transparent. I'd simply walk in, find the receptionist, and say, "I'm a vendor from Omaha. I don't have an appointment, and if the IT manager isn't busy, I'd like to say hello." It worked nearly every time. But first I had to act.
