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    While You're in a Traffic Jam, I'm Playing Golf!
    While You're in a Traffic Jam, I'm Playing Golf!
    While You're in a Traffic Jam, I'm Playing Golf!
    Ebook222 pages3 hours

    While You're in a Traffic Jam, I'm Playing Golf!

    By Simon Thompson

    ()

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    About this ebook

    How does one achieve balanced success in all aspects of life: career, business or financial results, family, health, spiritual, social, and personal development?

    As a developing business leader in the dynamic referral marketing industry, Simon Thompson explains some of the essential characteristics and qualitied necessary for success in your own business.

    With businesses in nine countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Hong Kong, China, Thailand and India, the author draws on 15 years of experience to relate success principles that can help you position yourself for business growth.

    In 21 engaging chapters, peppered with humorous anecdotes, he outlines practical ideas for someone evaluating or pursuing referral marketing as a vehicle to achieve his or her dreams and goals. This is not a book on the theoretical aspects of business, but rather a practical guide on the what's and how-to's of getting to the top.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXlibris AU
    Release dateOct 11, 2012
    ISBN9781477131787
    While You're in a Traffic Jam, I'm Playing Golf!
    Author

    Simon Thompson

    Simon's career started in the Australian Navy as a cadet midshipman. He eventually graduated BE from UNSW after a marathon six years. Having met his future wife Diana at university, his Naval career ended. He worked in the electronics industry for nine years, his last position being with an entrepreneur who ran a successful trading company. This in part fired Simon's aspiration to own his own business. Simon and Diana were on holiday in SE Asia, and observed the "Five Asian Tiger" economies starting to boom. They decided to move to Malaysia for one year, and start their own business. But what business? Just before leaving for Kuala Lumpur in 1992 they were introduced to referral marketing not for the first time, but the ninth! Simon travels and speaks through parts of Asia developing their business. In addition he enjoys being able to balance his time with Diana, their kids, developing his spiritual life and enjoying water-sports. One of his mottos is "Live Healthy to 100".

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      Book preview

      While You're in a Traffic Jam, I'm Playing Golf! - Simon Thompson

      Key #1

      Be Open-Minded

      "Intelligent people are always open to new ideas.

      In fact, they look for them."

      Proverb

      A Change of Paradigm

      There is no way that my wife, Diana and I could have achieved the level of success we have at this point, or even started on the path to success, if we did not have an open mind. I like the statement, The human mind is like a parachute—it only functions when it is open. It was the decision to live overseas for a year that prompted me to search for a business to own.

      When presented with a business opportunity by Craig Goulden (the ninth time we had been approached), it was the concept of a system that made me appreciate a different perspective of this industry. While evaluating the idea, my preconceived notions took a paradigm shift. I began to realise that the question is not Does referral marketing work? but rather, How does referral marketing work?

      Today, when I meet people who have seen some kind of referral marketing business and have their own opinions about the viability of the idea, I use this simple illustration to convey the concept of having an open mind.

      image005.jpg

      In the drawing overleaf, two people are looking at the same object—a credit card (in portrait orientation). As the two people are standing at right angles to each other, they have a different perspective of the card. I first ask both people: How high is the card? They both agree it is 8.5cm high. Then I ask each one separately, How wide is the card? One person says it is less than 1mm wide, and the other says it is about 5.5cm.

      Who is right, and who is wrong? Should we argue over this? Is one person less intelligent than the other because he sees it as being only 1mm wide? They need to shift their frame of reference to see the card from our perspective. Similarly, if we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, we would be able to see things from their point of view. This analogy applies to referral marketing because most people have previously been exposed to at least one aspect of this industry.

      Sometimes people ask me, how long should I persist with a prospect before I give up and move on to someone else? Well, to someone trained as an engineer, it is always useful to define the terms. What do you mean by a ‘prospect’? I define a prospect as someone with an open mind. If you make a reasonable attempt to expose this person to new ideas, but the person is determined to keep his mind firmly shut, then move on! Do not waste any more time. You will only frustrate yourself and irritate them. However, if their mind is open, keep feeding them with new information.

      Preconceived Ideas

      Remember to treat people’s perspective about this industry as valid. If their experience is failure, that would be their perspective. If their experience with referral marketing is getting hassled, hustled, front-loaded or conned, that’s their perspective. You are not going to change that. All you look for is an open mind, to give them an opportunity to put themselves in your shoes by evaluating things from a different point of view.

      Whatever their experience, we do not need to argue over it. An appropriate response may be, Is that the only perspective of referral marketing? Sure, you’ve had your experience, good or bad. You know what, my experience has been different. I would like you to see what I’ve seen, which is completely different from what you’re talking about. Your point of view is certainly valid. I’m just asking if that is the only possible point of view? So, if you have an open mind, come see what I’ve seen.

      Different Perspectives, Different Meanings

      Let us look at an example. What does the word ‘McDonalds’ mean to you? It means different things to different people, as shown below.

      1. Ray Kroc (his estate) = worldwide business, residual income, enormous asset.

      2. Franchisee = business opportunity with proven system and track record.

      3. Store manager = not just a job, a good career move in the food & beverage industry. Looks good on resume. Excellent training and systems.

      4. Staff = good part time job.

      5. Hungry kids = fast food.

      6. Nutritionist = don’t ask.

      7. Environmentalist = beef or rainforests?

      8. A four-year-old = Toys from Happy Meals (not the food)!

      9. A two—to three-year-old = playground equipment (no, not even the toys).

      10. Other family restaurants = really tough competitor, huge global brand and enormous advertising budget. To be feared!

      11. Advertising executive = huge client, would love to get their account!

      One word—McDonalds—to 11 different people, has 11 different responses and opinions. Why? Who is right and who is wrong? We should appreciate that the same thing, seen from a different perspective, can appear totally different.

      Many people tend to have a myopic view of referral marketing. Such short-sightedness is a common and costly mistake. Instead of thinking outside the box and ascertaining the real product or business concept, we limit ourselves based on our own ideas and previous experiences. We tend to focus on the immediate and the apparent, missing the main substance. For example, we often evaluate a restaurant based on certain criteria (me included):

      18098.jpg What do I think of the food?

      18103.jpg Do I like the service?

      18107.jpg Is it good value?

      18111.jpg Do I like the person who served me?

      These are questions from a customer’s perspective. Instead, our questions should stem from a potential franchisee or potential business owner’s point of view. We ought to be asking business ownership type of questions, rather than customer-related questions.

      Why do people fail to recognise a business opportunity? There are many reasons, and that is why it is not at all surprising if people need to look at the word McDonalds nine times before they get the point. "McDonalds? I know all about that, I’ve eaten

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