Budgeting

I’ve got a budget.

Who doesn’t, right?

But more than knowing where my money goes, I’m talking about the budgeting of time.

I was in a dealership last week, doing what I do, and one of the things I was talking about is how you need to budget your time. This might seem like an obvious concept, but the most successful people in the world bring it far past just budgeting your time in the office.

I was speaking to one sales rep in particular who was struggling a little bit in his career, so after our day was done I took him aside to have a one-on-one. I asked him to take me through his day, beginning to end, and understandably, he started with “Well, when I arrive at the dealership…”

I stopped him right away. The problem had just presented itself, and he didn’t even realize it!

Next, I asked him how long his commute to work was, and he figured it was somewhere between 45 minutes and a full hour. I told him that was awesome.

Needless to say, I got an interesting look, but let me explain why it’s awesome.

I asked him what he typically did during his commute, and whether he listened to anything. He said “Oh yeah, of course!” and told me about his Sirius XM radio.

Don’t get me wrong, we all like to jam out behind the wheel sometimes. Some days you need that energy boost, and there’s not a thing wrong with that. But I found it very interesting that this same individual who had told me earlier that he just didn’t have the time to absorb all of the resources and training he was offered had essentially two free hours a day.

Now, I’m not suggesting he sit in traffic and read a book cover-to-cover between moves. But I did want to bring to his attention all the ways he could be learning during that time, and you’ve heard me say it a thousand times – the more you learn, the more you earn.

So I told this individual that we were going to do an experiment. Before we got into any other aspects of his career, before we got to selling process and lead generation and all those wonderful things – for the next seven days, the only thing I wanted him to change was his commute.

I gave him a short list off the top of my head of some of the most valuable audio resources I could remember. Audiobooks, lectures, tutorials, podcasts – all focused around sales, success, and finance.  He looked a little dubious, like he wasn’t sure how much value that was going to bring just driving to and from work, but I reminded him that his commute eats 10 full hours of his life every week.

If he were offered 10 hours a week of direct mentoring from some of the best salespeople in the world, would he still be doubtful? Of course not – and that was exactly what he was getting. Just because it was taking place in his vehicle instead of a boardroom didn’t make it any less valuable.

Another principle that is so important to understand is that the mind attracts what it dwells upon. If you are going to be effective in your career, ridiculously successful, pumping out a multiple six figure income, then you must budget your time accordingly.

We all have the same amount of time. The difference between elite performers and those who just talk about becoming one “someday” is that those who are there are accountable for their time. They treat it as more valuable than gold – because it is. The wealthiest people on the planet will tell you without hesitation that the one thing their money cannot buy is time.

So, to get you on the right track coming into next week, I want to give you a short list of how you can begin. Change doesn’t have to happen overnight, so let’s start small.

What time are you getting up every day?

No doubt with enough time to shower, shave, and get out the door. But think about whether you’re putting yourself in a position to rush. Do you have time for breakfast? Time

to gather your thoughts for the day, and prepare your mind for success?

What is your goal this week?

Are you shooting for a five-car week? Have you spent time today breaking down how you’re going to do it? The industry closing average in the automotive sales industry is 20 percent, so speaking to 25 people a week, 100 people a month, is how you’re going to guarantee your week. Are you budgeting enough time to get those leads and prospects lined up?

If you map your entire day like this, and commit for just one week to follow it consistently, I guarantee that your mind is going to be blown – because you will accomplish more in that week than you have in the last 90 days.

Take inventory of your time – it’s infinitely more valuable than your money that you’re currently budgeting.

Start budgeting both, and you’re going to experience a drastic uptick in your performance levels, and your paycheck!

-Alan

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#MakeItAGreatDay ♠️