THE KEY TO LONG-TERM SUCCESS
TAKE PERIODICALLY AS NEEDED:
CREATING GRAVITY-
THE KEY TO LONG-TERM SUCCESS
G
ravity can be defined as “the
force that attracts a body
toward any other physical body.”
Synonyms include seriousness,
importance, significance, weight,
consequence, magnitude, etc. Gravity is
what keeps us all on this planet, grounded
and able to move about. It’s of the utmost
importance. Even its synonyms are big,
huge, important words. Without it, the
earth and all its inhabitants would spread
out randomly throughout the infinite
universe. It would be impossible to gather
anything or anyone together. The principle
of gravity applies directly to success in
business.
Witnessing random sales attempts or cold
“convince me” sessions—whether it’s calls,
stop-ins, or emails—for the last 15 years
has solidified my belief in the importance
of developing your own gravity prior to
reaching out for the elusive sale. Business
is hard enough to navigate, especially
when all of the potential customers in your
chosen industry are just floating about the
business universe with no reason at all to
be drawn to you. With a lack of gravity, you
spend countless hours trying to develop
some sort of statement or subject line
that might grab someone’s attention for a
moment. A moment just long enough for
you to try to convince them that you can
add value to whatever it is they’re doing.
How can you expect to possibly add value
without knowing their business or what it
is they are struggling with? You’ve earned
yourself a split second to pitch your wares
and hope that what you’re selling is exactly
what they are buying at that specific time.
8
Some businesses are built on random
pitches, but consider for just a moment
that there’s another way to do this. I’m
forgetting where I originally heard this,
but someone once said, “If you first love
your industry, your industry will love you
back.” In other words, stop trying to get
value and start trying to provide it. Provide
value as often and as much as possible,
with no expectation for return. This is
how you create your own gravity. If you
can find a way to become the answer to as
many questions or problems as possible,
you become automatically more appealing.
That being said, random attempts are a
waste of time and resources. Be extremely
clear as to what value you can bring to the
table. If you’re not sure, they won’t be sure
about you no matter how captivating your
opening statement was.
A strong gravity comes from a solid core,
and a solid core comes from good self-
awareness. Know what you’re good at and
stay in your lane. The more you dilute
yourself, the more you will be in unfamiliar
territory. Now, if you’re not certain of who
you are or what you’re good at, it could be
time for a “so-session.” A “so-session” is
an incredibly infuriating session in which
you try to illustrate clearly what it is that
you feel you bring as your core value
proposition to a good, honest friend. That
friend (if they are truly a good friend) then
proceeds to belittle that value proposition
by continuously hitting you with “So?” or
“Who cares?” It’s a blast, really. Eventually
you should find yourself emphatically
arguing your case and thus finding your
core value proposition.
Get clear on who you are and you’ll find
your gravity. The stronger your self-
awareness, the better you will be at voicing
your value and the more business you
can attract. This requires taking a real
step back from the daily grind, but it can
yield incredible results in the long run.
Eventually, you’ll be in the business of
adding value and your customers will have
to get in line to do business with you. You
can always continue to reach aimlessly for
stars millions of miles away, or you can
strengthen your core, create some gravity,
and the stars will come to you.
BY: RYAN FLEMING
DIRECTOR - HABITATIONAL GROUP
JGS INSURANCE
Ryan Fleming offers an understanding
and a refreshing change of perspective.
His 14 years of experience in the
insurance industry has allowed him
to understand business from many
different angles and in turn, provide
solutions to improve productivity.
Ryan has been speaking for almost
10 years on various topics, focusing
mainly on improving, staff mindsets,
industry
understanding
and
controlling loss.