Chess Anyone?

Happy Monday!   I used to play a lot of chess with my kids when they were growing up.  They are smart...and very competitive.   Of course, their young minds were no match for my superior intellect (plus they were just learning to play!).   To get into their heads even further, I would ask them, "Do you want me to play like a first-grader...or frustrator?"   Depending on their answer, I would play at their level or I would give them my Fischer...my Kasparov.   Kind of like choosing your level against the computer.  You can dial in whether you go for simple (level 1) or world-class (level 10).   After a few times of getting beaten by the frustrator, they would invariably ask me to play like a first-grader.  As a good father, I would comply and they would win...   Everyone wants a chance to win.   If only life would allow you to "dial in" the level in which you play it...right?   It does.   Think of the levels as income possibilities.  We all get a chance to come in at "entry-level" income.  To get to 6-figures we have to work our way up through the levels.  The only way for us to go to higher levels is with the 3 Ingredients;   1. Margin - The Profit 2. Core Compentecy - The People 3. Strategy/Tactics - The Process   Most sales people and business owners have products and contracts to sell products that would allow them to be profitable - check   Most sales people and business owners have the Core Competencies (gifts and skills) necessary to make a go of it - check!   What keeps their business struggling is a lack of effective strategies or the tactical will to do what is necessary to grow...or they don't have strategies and tactics to begin with.   A sure recipe for remaining in first-grade...or getting frustrated.   Sales is like chess.  You have to know the value of each piece (margin), what each piece can do (core competency) and you have to put it all together to play effectively (strategy/tactics).  The better your strategy and the better you execute the tactics of that strategy the more effective you will be and the higher you will go.   Do you have a business or marketing plan?   When you wake up each day do you have a preset agenda or do you just "go with the flow"?   Have you evaluated your portfolio of products and figured out the best strategy to distribute them?   Sure there a lot of moving pieces (pun intended!), but all of them are necessary to make your business work.  My kids used to think that pawns were not valuable...until I turned mine into queens!  Every tool you have can be used effectively if you look at it differently...strategically.     "These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess." Kobe Bryant     The best people in your industry are playing chess.  I challenge you today to get better strategies.  Once you outline that strategy, implement the tactics then measure, monitor and manage them until you climb through the levels and become a world-class business.    Everything you need is around you...step up to the table and challenge yourself...   Chess Anyone?   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!