With these lessons, you too can move toward working less and earning more:

1. Start with a vibrant vision of your desired future.

That vision will turn into systems, and those systems can lead you to Top of the Table production. We’re going to start with writing down your goals in all the areas of your life.

My vibrant vision has goals in the areas of:

• Spiritual growth
• Physical (health and exercise)
• Family
• Business achievement
• Educational
• Financial
• Lifestyle and aesthetics

When I first wrote down the goal to become a Top of the Table member, I had no idea how I would achieve that goal. People frequently will avoid writing down a goal simply because they don’t know how to achieve it. But if you already know how to accomplish your goals, then those goals are too small. Write down the really big goals. Just the act of writing something down — even if it seems too big or seemingly crazy — makes an imprint on our brain and causes our subconscious mind to look for ways to eventually achieve those big goals.

2. Significant growth goals must be planted with seeds of good habits.

There are dozens of books on habits. However, one of the best statements that I’ve heard outside of a book is from Pastor Craig Groeschel. For years and years, he’s said the following: “Why do habits matter? Because successful people do consistently what other people do occasionally or maybe not at all.”

What kind of habits can bring super success? I practice the habit of waking up a few minutes early in order to give myself at least seven or more minutes of prayer each morning. For you, this could be when you do some inspirational reading or practice meditating. I am also in the habit of going to the gym regularly to stay healthy, and I’ve even hired a physical trainer to push me into making some additional progress. I also am in the habit of not eating or drinking anything with sugar unless it is the rare or special occasion. These are all habits that help me sustain my vibrant vision for my personal life.

I also have habits that I practice with my business. I have the habit of delegating everything I possibly can, which gives me the opportunity to focus on what I do best, which is to see more people. I also set “focus days,” wherein I only focus on seeing more people. To increase our referral business, we have the habit of doing something for our top 25 clients every month. To foster a team-oriented workplace, I am in the habit of allowing my staff to reward each other with “Above & Beyond Certificates,” which include a $25 company-paid gift card. This practice stimulates great service and team appreciation. We also start each work day with a short team meeting, a habit that helps us communicate urgent issues and adhere to the daily disciplines of what to do and what not to do on our most productive days.

3. Let who you are guide what you do.

When I was new in business, I was told that in order to be successful, I had to do things that I hated. For example, I hated the one-card system (which is the same system that has helped so many others).

The one-card system required me to:

1. Dial the phone 21 times each morning
2. Keep calling until 10 would answer the phone
3. Push, cajole or manipulate seven of those to schedule an appointment, even though they didn’t want to meet me
4. Hope that four would actually show up to meet with me
5. Hope that three would actually “open a case” with me
6. Pray that two would actually become clients each week

Ugh! What a grind that was for me.

As I said, this system is great for some producers, although I’ve only met one person at Top of the Table that used this kind of numbers system. The reason it didn’t work for me is because I hated dialing the phone and talking to strangers! I hated coming in early and dealing with stacks of papers and prospecting records. My great mentor and study group buddy, Don Speakman, loves closing sales and is a master at using strong closing techniques. But I was not as good at being a strong closer.

I didn’t know who I was or what my gifts were. I didn’t do better if I went in early; I’m not an early morning performer, while others are.

4. “You don’t rise to the level of your goals,you fall to the level of your systems.”

Having a vibrant vision and goals alone do not get us to the end we desire. Instead, the systems we put in place determine our successes.

When I discover a new selling or software system, my team and I will fly together on several trips per year to learn the systems, implement the systems, practice the systems and work to rehearse and perfect the systems to obtain outstanding results.

I don’t only want to systematize my work. I also have a system in regard to getting to my trainer at the gym. I used to be borderline obese, so I follow a system to avoid getting fat. I have a system to follow when I read the Bible. I have a system so that I am free from work for five months each year. Everything that you want to accomplish you can accomplish by being deliberate about your systems. I even have systems to avoid ruining my life by things that are bad for me (e.g., Facebook is bad for me).

5. Find the power of goals focusing on who you want to become.

What are the goals that you have? I want to lose 18 pounds. I want to qualify for Top of the Table. Whatever the goal, you don’t just have do goals. What I want you to do now is first start with the identity and ask yourself, “Who do I want to become?”

Write down:

• What are you really good at?
• What would you really like to improve on?

I want to be a man who looks for the best in other people. I want to be a person who helps people do more and accomplish more. I want to be a man who loves to give and leaves one heck of a legacy.

When people describe you, what do you want them to say?

6. Always be looking for your next mentor.

I often say, “I’m looking for a good person of integrity who makes a million dollars more than I do, so I can learn from them.” And I’ve met most of those people right here at MDRT.

At my second MDRT meeting, I heard John Savage teaching in the hallway. I bought his videos on his selling system, and I watched and rehearsed them again and again and again. Like an actor, I practiced my lines. My business tripled in the next two years, enabling me to reach Court of the Table. Then at my fourth MDRT meeting, I saw longtime Top of the Table member Lee Johnson. Although I was afraid to speak to him, I sheepishly walked up to him and said, “I see you’re a Top of the Table producer; if I buy you lunch, will you tell how you came to reach Top of the Table?” And he said, “Sure.”

Lee became my mentor for many years after that, and even though we worked with different insurance companies, I visited his office, and eventually my staff knew his staff. That mentor-friendship showed me how to reach Top of the Table status within two years. Years later, when Lee was in a business life change, he flew to my office to get some ideas from me.

7. Leap ahead through investing in people.

As an investor, I have invested millions in people and also in investment products. Investing in people, however, creates leverage and allows you to duplicate yourself and become far more successful.

I have a fun and interesting assignment. If you get paid for productivity, then this should be fun and easy:

1. Write down one thing for which you are paid really well. This one thing should be something you really enjoy doing. For some, the thing for which you get paid the most is closing the big sale. For others it might be opening the sale. For some, maybe it’s getting a referral or prospecting. Regardless, write down the things that you really enjoy doing.
2. Write down how much money you made when you did this one thing. Now figure out how long it took you to do this thing for which you are paid extraordinarily well.
3. Do the math to determine how much per hour you are earning when you are doing your most valuable job. Years ago, the first time I did this exercise, I averaged $6,000 commission for three visits that took about two hours each. That works out to be about $1,000 per hour. Find your hourly earnings for doing only the one thing that pays you the best.
4. Then ask yourself if there are other things you do for work that pay you less (the obvious answer is yes). Then ask yourself if you can hire others to do that work that currently pays you less. In other words, I asked myself, “Can I find somebody to do this task that would cost me less than $1,000 per hour?” If yes, then hire others to do the things that pay you less than your hourly value.

8. Work much less, earn much more!

After I went to my first workshop with the Strategic Coach, I took his guidance. He said to categorize all days as one of three types: Free Days, Focus Days and Buffer Days.

The Free Days are 24 hours long wherein I don’t read business journals or go to the office or make any business phone calls. Twenty-four hours with only friends, family, rejuvenation and fun. Sort of like an act of faith, I followed his lead to take 155 free days each year. That is the equivalent of 22 weeks not working. Days with nothing connected to business. I was told that with that much time free, I would work to make sure that the other days left for working were really productive and profitable.

I did just that, and as the Strategic Coach predicted, I earned more money than before. This was not just because I worked smarter and more focused, but also because I hired people to do things when I was gone, and I strived to hire those who were smarter and more capable than I am. Don’t just free yourself up from the office; free yourself up by hiring others to be in your business doing what you used to do. Why? So that you can do what they cannot do, which is see the people, serve the clients with integrity, and build relationships. Love people, and you will love this great business that you’re in.

Paul S. McCready, CFP, RFC, is a 33-year MDRT member with three Court of the Table and 25 Top of the Table qualifications. Working with a team of 10 employees, McCready emphasizes values of integrity, care and competence to build and protect wealth for his affluent clientele. He specializes in systems and delegation to give him lots of free time to pursue his passion of helping people in the Third World. He is an Excalibur Knight of the MDRT Foundation.