So, what is the "And" Principle? This is a common question I am asked whenever I bring up the idea that anyone who wants to truly hit their goals can make it happen with a couple simple adjustments to their business and by applying the "And" Principle.
I was first introduced to this concept in the summer of 1991 when I was a college freshman. I had the great opportunity to run my own business with the Southwestern Company selling educational books door-to-door. During those college summers I was able to develop this mindset and thanks to a great mentor and friend of mine, Eric Plantenberg, over the past few years as a professional I have sharpened it and witnessed the effectiveness of this principle directly in my life and those of my clients.
You are probably saying "okay okay, tell me already!! Enough of this mystery introduction! I am interested, so just spill the beans!" Alright, here we go... But, before we jump directly into the principle and how applying it can guarantee you achieve success you must first understand and be willing to do these 3 things:
First off, you must have a clear picture of what you'd like to see happen in your business or personal life. In other words, how much money do you want to make? What is the ideal body you would like to have? Or, What trips do you want to take? Remember, as the late, great speaker Zig Ziglar says, "...The fact is that you can't hit a target that you can't see. If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.."
Secondly, once you have determined what you want, you MUST create an action plan to get it. Your action plan should include activities that will directly effect your ability to move closer to your goals. How do you do that? Well, start with creating a list. Lists are always a good place to start.
Lastly, after you have determined what you, created a list of activities that need to happen on a daily, weekly or monthly basis then you must take immediate and decisive action to achieve it. In Dustin Hillis' article Being a Problem Solver he shares some great insight into the value of taking action.
How to Apply the "And" Principle to Guarantee Success:
It's about time I get to the point of this article, right? Well, now that you've made the decision to take deliberate action let's talk about how you can maximize that action and create consistent success by applying the "And" Principle. This is simply a way of approaching goal achievement that the most successful professionals and top producing salespeople apply every day. It Includes these 2 steps:
Pick Most Important Activities - Earlier in this post you created a list of activities that you'll need to do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Focusing mostly on the daily activities for maximum effectiveness. Your job is to choose those activities that most directly effect your ability to hit your goal. For example, for sales people you may need to make a certain number of cold calls, meet with clients and generate new leads every day to achieve success.
Accomplish Each Activity AND the Next Everyday - When you have your activities chosen you MUST accomplish them EVERY DAY. In other words, if you have determined your formula for success is: 25 Cold Calls AND 4 In Person Meetings AND 2 Referrals every day then you will not finish your day until ALL three are accomplished. That means, if you hit your sales AND call goals for the day, but have yet to get your referral goal you keep going and don't stop until you have your referrals....... And bam!! That is the secret to guaranteed success in your business and personal life. Apply the "And" Principle AND you call almost write your check and will virtually assure your self of success!
Happy "AND"ing!!
