2 essential strategies for overcoming obstacles

We all know life throws obstacles at us. We either choose to absorb ourselves in them and become nonproductive, or we can choose to figure out ways to overcome them.

We also need to accept that we can’t get stale. If everything remains the same and you are not experiencing change, you are going to get left behind in this ever-changing world.

Here are two of the most important things I have learned during the past 25 years:

1. Learn to accept no one is you

a. Delegate — you cannot do it alone. If I didn’t have my two main assistants during the past three years, who had been with me 10 and 12 years, respectively, there is no way I would have made it through a very challenging part of my life. They were the glue that held the office together. I trusted them fully. My staff made things happen when I wasn’t able to do anything. Team consistency is critical, and the staff having unique and distinct roles works internally and externally.

b. Accept that mistakes will happen; all we can do is try to minimize them. But if you don’t have staff and let them run with tasks in your business, it’s impossible to move forward.

c. Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each member of your staff; exploit their strengths and try to minimize work to their weaknesses. You don’t want them to get frustrated with tasks that don’t work with their skill set. My assistant Stephanie, who also helps with marketing, was running illustrations for a while. I realized she was getting frustrated with that task, so I delegated it to an outside firm and reformulated that time into one of her core strengths like reaching out to clients via phone and email and eliciting positive responses.

2. Never let up on prospecting

a. Your radar has to be on. Not in an obnoxious way — just enough so you are aware of your surroundings and whom you are meeting or speaking with. It doesn’t mean you make an immediate move and be aggressive with that person, but put it in the memory bank for a follow-up at the appropriate time.

b. When you slow down with prospecting, it creates a drought months and months later. When I decided I would travel to Florida to visit and spend time with my dad 18 times between September 2014 and February 2015 when he passed, my business took a hit all the way through the spring of 2016, a good year.

c. Centers of influence are where 80% of my gross annual revenue comes from — outside advisors referring business to our firm. Catering to them, staying in front of them, and making sure I stay relevant to them is key. Some of my closer relationships I shared with them during my difficult years that I was struggling, and I needed their help with referrals. It was amazing how they stepped up.

David Eric Appel, ChFC, CLU, is a 23-year MDRT member from Newton, Massachusetts. Hear more in the July episode of MDRT Presents: