PEER POWER & OSMOSIS… when raising children we pay close attention to who they are "hanging out with". History has shown that youngsters can be significantly influenced by association. If they are spending time with the right people, it rubs off on them. Clearly the opposite is true and that's where our concern comes in. Bad company spells trouble. It seems to happen by osmosis. The dictionary describes osmosis as "a process of subtle influence". It is clear that the impact of our associations does not stop after a certain age. Your peers will always have a significant influence. Jim Rohn was often quoted as saying, "Your income is the average of the earnings of the five people you spend the most time with". Makes you think, doesn't it? Here's a great line I picked up from Tony Robbins recently… "Most people's lives are a direct reflection of the EXPECTATIONS of their peer group". If your associates expect you to succeed, you probably will. In other words, from a Salespersons point of view, this means your sales results will be significantly affected by who you spend time with. Robbins goes on to say that "Your peers are anyone that you CARE what they think about you". Clearly you want to use this type of osmosis to your benefit… not your detriment.
Here is your ACTION STEP… if the people you are associating with are "out of sync" with your vision of who you are (and who you want to be), one of three things are going to happen:
#1. You are going to lower yourself to their level
or #2. You are going to have to raise them up to your level
or #3. You are going to have to find new peers
Bottom Line… be very careful who you spend time with. Those that you associate with on an ongoing basis have a significant impact on who you are, how you think and… how much you earn! Be very careful who you give that power to. As the expression goes, love your family and choose your friends. One final thought: considering what Tony Robbins said about the expectations people have for us… maybe you should also look at the Customers you are calling on. Are they the right people to get you where you want to go? Are they in a position to make buying decisions from you at the price point and the volume you need to make your business grow? If they are, expand that Sphere… ask for referrals every chance you get. If not, start calling on better Prospects. Move up the ladder. NO Excuses.