What Being An Adult in Business & Sales Actually Means: The Art of Following Through

Technically, I’ve been an adult for a very long time. But just because I was paying my own rent and going to work every day didn’t mean I was really acting like a full-fledged adult. I became a real adult the moment I learned that follow-through, or actually doing what you say you’re going to do is what separates grown-ups from children. It also separates people who succeed from people who fail.

Here’s a quick anecdote. Early on in my career I was helping a client find an apartment to rent. He asked me to find him comparable lease information so he could be sure he wasn’t paying too much. That’s when I essentially lied in the lamest, most childish and most annoying way by saying, “Sure, I’ll send you that tonight!” The truth was I had no idea how to get that information and it was going to take some digging on my part. I went back to the office where I was immediately distracted by phone calls, meetings and other showings I needed to do. It was 9 p.m. before I finally remembered that I didn’t get my client the information I had promised him.

I didn’t touch base with him to let him know I was still looking or give him a half assed apology either. I just did nothing. Fast forward a couple of days and I finally find the information. I call him up and he tells me, “I already rented a place. I never heard back from you.” Oh shit. That’s when the big grow-the-hell-up lightbulb went off for me. I lost this client, and not only was it 100% my fault, it was 100% preventable. I didn’t follow through. I lost a sale, and even worse I made myself look like an idiot. Not following through was basically like wearing a t-shirt that read “I am a total amateur” in giant neon letters. And who wants to buy an apartment from an amateur?

I decided right then I wouldn’t be the kind of broker who hides behind excuses. That’s what ten-year-olds do! I was going to be the guy who follows through, the guy who can be counted on. Making this simple switch gave me a huge edge, because it turns

out that most people do not practice good follow-through. If you want to give your career (and okay, your entire life) a huge boost, follow-through like an actual grown up. From now on, before you agree to do anything for anyone ask yourself the following questions:

Do I have self-respect?

Your ability to follow-through is like a respect meter. Not following through indicates you do not care about anything or anyone (including yourself). If you can’t even do what you say you’re going to do, how can a client, friend or partner think you’ll do something they ask you to do? Imagine if every time you cancelled something, made an excuse or didn’t show up it resulted in you getting a bad grade as a human being – think likes and dislikes on social media. How many miniature thumbs up would you have? Be honest. What would it say in the comments? If the answer is “rescheduled seventeen times and never returns emails” then you need to up your follow through game now.

Am I setting myself up for failure?

It was dumb of me to promise to deliver something I didn’t know how to get later that day, and I learned a big lesson (the hard way) when I lost a client. I set myself up for failure by putting myself under the gun. If you are making promises that are impossible to keep, stop it now. You’re shooting yourself in the foot over and over again. There is zero point in making promises you can’t deliver. Before you blurt out a “Yes, I will have that twenty-five-page report full of statistics and impressive pie charts finished by this afternoon!”, stop and think. Is this actually possible? Or is this going to result in a crappy report full of mistakes? Set deadlines that enable you to do your best work.

Am I owning it? Or am I making an excuse?

Life definitely tosses us an occasional sucky surprise. Strep throat! Next level traffic! Or nearly severing your thumb while opening a bottle of champagne on stage in front of hundreds of people (this actually happened to me. Total blood bath). Humans get sick and injured, cars break, phones die. If there is an actual solid reason – not a lame excuse about why you can’t execute, chances are that if you communicate clearly, apologize sincerely and make a new plan of action then all will be well. However, if you’ve been stuck in traffic six times and oh, last week you broke all your toes at the gym and then your dog ate your iPhone – people are going to see right through your stupid excuses and ditch you to work with a real adult professional.

Ultimately, just because you technically are an adult doesn’t mean you automatically come off like one to the rest of the world. My team knows that failure to follow-through drives me crazy. It just screams, “I am unprofessional, and you should run to the nearest grown up now. Work with that person!” It is such a simple concept – yet many people fail to recognize how powerful it is. I’m not at the top of my game because I’m a natural born salesperson or because I’m some sort of real estate whisperer. I’ve gotten this far because I work hard, and if I say I’m going to do something, I do it! This golden bit of information is what pushed me out of the land of amateurs and into realm of sales professionals. And let me tell you something, the land of professionals is the land of promise. It’s where you need to be if you want success, opportunity, money, referrals, bigger projects, and new goals. Sound good? If you want to be here, all you have to do is follow-through. 

___

P.S. DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW ME ON: Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | Twitter