The 3-Minute Challenge

Larry Long Jr 🎤 volunteered as my co-host for my charity coaching cohort earlier this week, and he issued everybody a challenge.

"Every weekday, you pick someone in your network, and you do something to surprise and delight them."

It could be a LinkedIn audio message. Maybe it's a selfie video wishing them an awesome day. Maybe something as simple as a GIF that reminds them of the fun you had the last time you were together. It doesn't matter what it is. What matters is that you do it. If you don't have three minutes to do this, then in Larry's words, "Houston, we have a problem."

This is a valuable exercise, and it goes a long way past the endorphin rush that both you and the other person will experience through these random acts of kindness.

It's an opportunity to reconnect and rekindle something you've both moved on from. I've worked with hundreds of coworkers and colleagues over the years, and every once in a while, I'll think, "Hey, I should reach out to so-and-so." I usually don't, but sometimes I do. It's usually just a trip down memory lane, but sometimes something bigger comes out of it.

Recently, I got a chance to reconnect with my high school cross-country coach. He retired, and there was a surprise party to celebrate him. I started thinking of all the things I learned from him (and at such a pivotal age), and it made me think about how valuable that advice and those memories have been for me. I was able to connect those lessons to things I still do now, as well as some of the ways I currently coach my reps. It was a real full-circle moment, and it grounded me in the very best way.

If your network is your net worth, then what's your reputation in your network? Do people know you as a giver and a contributor, or are you just there to willingly receive referrals when they're passed along?

Someone who is constantly reaching out to brighten your day is going to be thought of much differently, and the people in your network often know each other, too. They're all going to look out for you and root for you, and there's a multiplier effect embedded in all of this- they're going to do so together.

Let's take this one step further. What if you focused three of those five workdays a week on your customers? In 9 minutes a week, you can reach out to 150 customers a year. Think about what that would do to your sales results.

I'm not talking about prospecting and cold outreach. I mean people who know you and would really appreciate a smile on a Monday morning. Would there be a benefit to getting a message from you, not because they just placed an order or needed an issue resolved, but because you were thinking of them for no other reason than you wanted to make their day? There absolutely would.

You and I both know it would also have an impact on their buying behavior, even if it wasn't immediate. It's the first Sunday of summer, and most of you are headed into the slow season in your business. This is a very good reason to reach out and touch someone without feeling like you're forcing a sales process. And who are they going to think of first when the purchasing process ramps back up again?

All it takes is three minutes a day. You reach out to someone with purely altruistic intentions, and they'll smile every time they think of you. Your brain chemistry, your network, and your business all benefit.

What else were you going to do, doomscroll on your phone?

Until next week,

JB

I'm Jeff Bajorek. Salespeople look to me to help them overcome mediocrity while selling with integrity. You never sell better than when you #SellLikeYou.

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