Do You Watch “The Apprentice”? [Jan 29 e-column]

So last week I was watching “The Apprentice”. The challenge was, which of the two teams could sell the most steak/food at a football game. The one team had hundreds of people crowded round, cheerleaders, an eating competition, a money grabbing game tent – lots of fanfare, lots of people. The other team didn’t. But they won by a big margin.

Why? How? What made the difference?

The answer is a big business lesson. And good for job hunters too. Team 2 stumbled on to something. They made an almost accidental discovery that just made all the difference. And here it is:

They discovered that people in the football crowd would buy food if it was delivered to them. The food had to come to them. They didn’t want the hassle of queuing, leaving their seats and friends. And they’d pay a premium for it.

And isn’t that a key to success in business? Give people what they want. Help them get what they want. It’s a guaranteed success formula. In your job too – want a promotion? Solve your employer’s problems. Want a job? Find a problem and come up with a way to solve it.

If you develop that kind of mindset, y’know …

“how can I make things better, faster, more profitable – or whatever”

… then you’ll always be sought after (as long as you’re also smart about marketing yourself). Sometimes the answers will be obvious. Sometimes you’ll have to search long and hard. Sometimes you’ll ‘stumble across’ what it is that is needed. Sometimes it’ll be the strangest things – people get hired for all sorts of reasons – from having good legs (hey, girls!) to being able to create space and peace for your boss (like a PA for eg.) It’ll be hard skills – like being able to develop a new software program – or soft skills – like being able to sell and persuade – or just having the kind of personality that ‘fits’ in the team.

Some of these things you can do something about, others you can’t. That’s the job market. But if you’re always looking to see how you can make things better, looking for a need to fill, a problem to solve – as opposed to looking just to sit in your chair, do your job and collect your pay cheque – then you’ll find you’re in much more demand.

And think deeper, ok? Don’t just think, “well a business needs an Accountant/whatever”. It’s true but it’s not all. What kind of Accountant does it need? What style? What’s that something extra that could make the difference? Does THIS Accountant just balance the books, OR does she ALSO discover where money can be saved, inefficiencies in how much stock is being held, or expensive but non-profitable areas of the business?

See the difference?

Going back to The Apprentice: both teams had it right – the crowd wanted food. But only one team discovered that they wanted food more, if it came in a certain style. Delivered to them. The team adapted their offering – and they won. In every other way the other team was better. But they didn’t have that something extra – what the crowd really wanted.

So like them, you may also ‘stumble’ across an idea that just rockets you to new heights: earnings, job offers, promotions, even ideas for a new business you can start. Make sure you keep looking.

And Now, Check This Quote:

“You must begin to understand that the present state of your bank account, your position at work, etc is nothing more than the physical manifestation of your previous thinking. If you sincerely wish to change or improve your results in your physical world, you must change your thoughts and you must change them immediately.”
- Bob Proctor, “You Were Born Rich”

This is not smoke and mirrors advice. It’s as real and true as the blood rushing through your heart right now. Unforeseen events happen. True. Bad things happen – quite by chance – to good people – that also true. But for most of us, the quote above says it all. Are you ready to make a change?

The entire book “You Were Born Rich” is available to Members of the Career & Success community. Wanna join at R30 pm? It’s easy. Go here and get the mindset – www.careerandsuccess.info now.