You’ve heard the old Boy Scout axiom about the importance of always being prepared. It is often the difference between success and failure. Learn this and practice it and you will see a significant difference in the results you get. Let’s see how you can put this to work for your success.
Stand out from the crowd: get ready
There is nothing less impressive to others than being unprepared. Think of the last time someone wasn’t prepared and mumbled excuses as to why he wasn’t prepared. How did that impress you? Not much is my guess.
Most people shoot from the hip. They think they know enough to impress others with lots of words and lots of excuses. They use what they know and ignore what they don’t know. They don’t prepare properly because it takes work to prepare and people are naturally lazy.
If you take the time to prepare and stay on top of things, you will always impress others and look much better than your competitors who are groping their way. It is much more impressive to be well prepared and do an outstanding job than to fall down and apologize for poor preparation.
Ten common ways to be prepared
1. Know what you are expected to do in each situation. Read as much as you can about a situation you will encounter and talk to others who have been there and know what to do. Know ahead of time what you’re likely to be asked and be prepared with the answers. Every time you say you don’t know or you’re not sure, you’re not impressing anyone.
2. Know your audience. No matter who you’ll be talking to or writing to, you need to know who your audience is, what they expect, what they already know, and what they want to hear. This requires some preliminary work. On average, if you’re doing any kind of presentation, you need to spend at least three hours preparing for every hour you’ll speak. Use all the sources of information you can find to familiarize yourself with the topic you are talking about and the audience you will be addressing.
3. If you’re interviewing for a job, you’ll want to do as much research as you can about the company you’re interviewing for. Search their website and learn as much as you can about the organization and its key people. Find out what their successes are and what their problems are. The more homework you do and the more prepared you are, the more you will impress your prospective employer. Many of your competitors applying for the same job will do little or no preparation. You have a great opportunity to distinguish yourself by being different.
4. If you are presenting a product or service to a new potential customer, the more you know about that customer’s preferences, needs, and experiences, the more effective you can be in persuading them. Do your research and learn as much as you can about your client, their business, and their problem. Work on proposed solutions to your customer’s problem and you will rise far above the typical salesperson.
5. Stay on top of current affairs. Spend a little time each day reading newspapers and good blogs in the field you are working in. The more you know about contemporary controversies and issues, the more “with it” you seem to others.
6. Don’t live a one-dimensional life. Pursue diverse interests and hobbies. The more interesting your life is, the more interesting you are: other people like interesting people and are more likely to buy and hire them.
7. Find out what mistakes other people have made in trying to do what you are trying to do now. Learn from those mistakes and don’t repeat them.
8. Find out what has been successful in the past and, where possible, duplicate the success in your own approach. Learn to model the approaches that work. Learn to avoid those who fail.
9. Keep a journal of what works and what doesn’t. Don’t just trust your memory. As you progress down one path or another, your notes will become your guide to keep you going in the right direction. Check them often. Refine your approach as you learn more and use what you learn. Devote yourself to continuous improvement and self-development.
10. Be willing to teach others what you have learned. The more you demonstrate your success to others, the more effective you will be. Repetition improves skill and perception. The best way to really master something is to teach it.
Follow these steps to be prepared for every important situation and you can avoid failure and embarrassment and stand out from the crowd. It is a sure path to success.