5 Ways to Make Opportunity Knock More Frequently

March 20, 2008 10:49 AM

CONSIDER THIS PHRASE: “Opportunity only knocks once.”

OK.

Now, let tell you why that sentence is a big, fat LIE.

See, opportunity knocks all the time. All day. All afternoon. All night.

THE PROBLEM IS: Most people don’t know how to SPOT opportunity.

And, as we all learned from GI-JOES, knowing is half the battle.

So, here are five practices to help make opportunity knock more frequently:

1. Look and listen. Adopt a more proactive, mindful and curious posture as you venture out into the world. This means combining any (or all) of the following sub-practices:

*Become a giant question mark
*Recognize when things go wrong.
*Study ordinary things intently.
*Find interest in almost anything.
*Actively seek out anomalies in the world.
*Operate on multiple planes of consciousness.
*Soften your eyes – see more by striving less.
*Listen to what the world is trying to tell you.
*Be not satisfied with what others take for granted.
*Grow your ability to detach and view an idea or a situation objectively.
*Break your patterns daily and critically evaluate everything your encounter.

(Got all that?)

2. ASK YOURSELF: Is this an opportunity or an opportunity to be used?

Sometimes it’s a hard distinction to make. Still, you must educate yourself on your boundaries. Because if you don’t set them, other people will set them FOR you. And then they will violate them. And that will set the precedent that it’s OK for others to do the same.

3. ASK YOURSELF: Who’s my perfect customer? (Or, if you’re single, “Who’s my perfect partner?”)

Start by making a bullet point list of 5-7 characteristics of this individual. Next, write it out on a little card. Laminate it. Carry it in your wallet. Then, read it to yourself every single morning.

See, when you focus your mind on exactly what you’re looking for, you will attract it that very thing. Or, at the least, you’ll recognize that opportunity when it crosses your path.

4. Separate Serious and Non-Serious Buyers. Fold a sheet of paper in half. On the top of the left column, write the heading, “Serious Buyers.” On the top of the right column, write the heading, “Non-Serious Buyers.” Then, consider all the characteristics, telltale signs, words, phrases, questions and actions of each type of individual.

This will do two things: 1) Speed up your sales cycle by making qualification a LOT easier, and 2) Focus your efforts on the right people, as opposed to wasting your time playing to the wrong crowd.

5. Develop and perfect your filter. It’s (really) easy to spot opportunities when your filter is on high alert. This filter is defined as, “the unique lens through which you evaluate and categorize the world.” So, remember to ask yourself these questions as you look around for opportunities:

*What does this have to do with me?
*How does this have to do with my expertise?
*How could I use this as an example in my work?
*How does this fit into my picture of the universe?

With these five practices, spotting opportunities will become a LOT easier.

And you’ll discover that it really DOES knock all the time!

All YOU have to do is answer the door.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How are you making opportunity knock more frequently?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Share your #1 best practice for becoming the luckiest person you know!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

No luck with leprechauns?