From Knowing To Doing

From Knowing To Doing

This article originally appeared in Amalgamate: A Mix of Ideas for Your Business, Summer 2015

“Eat foods in close to their natural state.”

“Get 60 minutes of vigorous activity a week.”

“You need a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night.”

It’s one thing to know what to do and another to consistently do it. Listening to Alex Goldfayn (author of The Revenue Growth Habit) tell it, the bridge between Knowing and Doing is Discipline. The willingness to hold yourself to a standard.

With that in mind, consider this.

Referrals and Client Testimonials are a business development best practice across multiple industries and disciplines.

Much like the 3 pieces of advice used to open this article, in order for your junior partners to get referrals and testimonials consistently, it requires them to put forth a consistent, disciplined effort.

Just before I heard Goldfayn make his points, I was listening to Dr. Martin Seligman discuss the concept of well-being. In his talk he mentioned the VIA Survey of Character Strengths. What his research found is that one way for us to consistently exhibit the behaviors that lead to our well-being is to identify our particular Strengths and apply them to high-gain tasks. Especially those tasks that we know we should be doing, but can’t seem to get started on or consistently complete. A way to be more disciplined.

You can find the free strengths test here: https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/testcenter

If your junior partners struggle to consistently ask clients for Testimonials and Referrals, apply Dr. Seligman’s advice. Have them take the test, review the results and brainstorm ways to apply their particular strengths in order to consistently ask for referrals and client testimonials.

Then sit back and prepare to reap the rewards next year.