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BE AN EXPERT

VOLUME 7
AN I N S P IR ATI O N A L G UI D E
BY S P E N CER LO D G E 1
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How to stand out from the crowd and use your

knowledge as a powerful driver for success...

In order to make it as a successful sales-professional

or any other kind of professional, it’s imperative that
you’re an expert in what you do. It will require time and
a great deal of effort but most people can become an
expert in their field if they really want to. All that’s
standing in the way of achieving this is your drive and
your desire to succeed.

BE AN EXPERT
If you want to earn the respect of your clients
and colleagues then it’s time to get serious
about your career.

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In the movie The Karate Kid, the protagonist’s first lesson

is cleaning and waxing his master’s car. You may remember
the line “wax on, wax off”. Although I didn’t have to wax any
cars at the start of my career, I had a great mentor that bore
many similarities to Mr Miyagi. Every day I had to knock on
one hundred doors and get one hundred introductions. If I
didn’t get exactly that number I wasn’t allowed to come back
to the office. Once I had collected those numbers, I had to
call all one hundred of them. This was my daily routine.
NO ifs, NO buts, NO maybes.

LEARN FROM
THE KARATE KID
At the time, I didn’t see the point of these activities but
subconsciously my boss was teaching me some very valuable
lessons. He asked me what middle aged senior executive
would trust me, a twenty-one year old kid with their life
savings? He said of course none of them would. He gave me
a box full of financial services books and every night I was
tasked to go home and read them.

I studied these books for months, until I knew the subject

better than anyone else did. It was only then that I realised
that my prospective clients were slowly starting to trust my
knowledge. It felt really good that people trusted me because
I had become an expert in what I was selling. Don’t forget
that trust is earned just like expertise.
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JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES,
MASTER OF NONE
We’re all familiar with the figure of speech used in
reference to a person who has many skills but no
sole focus. You’ll find that there are an increasing number
of ‘Jack’s’ these days, but if you were sick, chances are you
wouldn’t go and see a doctor who wasn’t qualified. You
would want to see a doctor who was a professional and an
expert in medicine.

Whilst it is possible to be knowledgeable in more than one

thing, it’s important to master one thing at a time.
Take time honing your craft. Read everything that you can
get your hands on that deals with your subject of expertise.
Then once you’ve mastered one subject, you can move
onto the next.

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The only person responsible for your

development and growth is you!
If you’re truly dedicated to your career then you’d be
reading at least one book a month, and spending every
chance you get to further your knowledge. Oprah Winfrey
credits books with much of her success, stating that books
were her pass to personal freedom.

For four years of my life I listened to ‘Get the Edge’ by

Anthony Robbins on audiobook in my car, and those four
years happened to be the most instrumental years of my
early career.

YOU ARE
RESPONSIBLE
FOR YOUR OWN
DEVELOPMENT
Do courses, go on seminars, find a mentor and make a
concerted effort to keep nurturing your mind. When you
stop doing these things and you become complacent,
your development will stagnate as will your credibility.
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Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and

Mark Zuckerberg all have something in common.
Despite being extremely busy, throughout the duration of
their careers they’ve all set aside at least an hour a day (or
five hours a week) for activities that could be classified as
deliberate practice or learning. This phenomenon is now
also referred to as the five-hour rule.

The five-hour rule can be grouped into three different

segments: reading, reflection, and experimentation.
These five hours are outside of your normal work routine
and require complete dedication and concentration.
Most professionals in the workplace tend to focus on
productivity and efficiency, not on improvement. But with
the five-hour rule you set definitive targets to improve
yourself and your expertise. As a result, just five hours of
deliberate learning a week can set you apart from others.

THE FIVE-HOUR RULE

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The world is changing. And unfortunately if you don’t keep up

with the times and developments, you’ll be left behind.
The sales industry isn’t what it used to be. A sales-professional
from the eighties wouldn’t cut it today- He would be a relic.
With the Internet at our fingertips, people don’t just accept
everything that they’re told. It takes a lot more than reciting a few
lines to win people over. In order to be successful in what you
do, you need to know your subject inside out. And if you don’t,
chances are you’re going to be caught out. All that your client has
to do is a basic search on Google and they’ll be able to know
whether or not you know what you’re talking about.

EXPERTISE IN THE
DIGITAL AGE
Use the Internet to your advantage. Read about all the latest
trends and how they relate to your industry. By doing this you’ll be
able to provide your clients with case studies and a tailor-made
solution that best suits them.

A great story of how you can use the world of digital to your
advantage is The Dollar Shave Club. Founder and CEO,
Michael Dubin didn’t reinvent the wheel. He simply created an
affordable solution to a real, relatable problem shared by men
everywhere. What started as a comedic video posted online of
him selling his product has now grown to include 1.1 million
subscribers, a whopping $615 million valuation in 2015, and
most recently a $1 Billion all-cash acquisition by Unilever.
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In order to be taken seriously, you’ll need the right qualifications.

You wouldn’t hire a lawyer who hasn’t passed the bar would
you? So make sure that whatever field you’re in, you have the
right credentials to back you up. I’m not saying that practical
experience doesn’t count, but since I’m a firm believer that it’s
never too late to learn something new and to further your studies,
I’d encourage you to invest in the right training programmes and
institutes that will give you the edge.

HOW TO SPOT
A BLUFFER
Contrary to popular belief, sales professionals aren’t just born.

They’ve received a lot of training…

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NEVER STOP
LEARNING
The only person that you’re competing with is the person you were
yesterday. By committing to being a lifelong learner, you commit
to bettering yourself and your work. Step outside of your normal
routine and challenge yourself daily. For me it always comes down
to goal setting. Where do you see yourself in one year
from now? Five years from now? What will you be doing
ten years from now? In my personal opinion if a person is
dedicated, it’ll take them three years to become an expert and five
years to become a master.

It’s up to you where you go from there.

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“SUCCESS OCCURS WHEN

YOUR DREAMS GET BIGGER
THAN YOUR EXCUSES”
SPENCER LODGE

services and sales industry, with over 23 years of experience.

He has personally trained over 500 people during his
career and has helped build some of the largest and most

for clients and investors from all over the world.

Find out more » hi@make-it-happen.com

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