June 2023 Newsletter Mastering the fundamentals will bring success

Mastering the fundamentals will bring success

If you asked me to name just one reason I have been successful during my 40-year career, I would tell you it was because I mastered the fundamentals. (By the way, that is a never-ending journey.) I didn’t do anything fancy or rely on special software or technology. I just focused on the old-fashioned basics and fundamentals.

“Success is neither magical or mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”

– Jim Rohn

When I started Deeb Realty (now Nebraska Realty) out of my 250-sq-ft basement, I focused on the core necessities of building a business and a career. (The fact that my drive, desire, and determination were off the charts didn’t hurt, either!)

I highly recommend writing down a list of the fundamental things you will need to do each day to accomplish your specific goals. If your job involves sales or service, your list may look something like this:

1. Schedule time to make calls to current customers.
2. Schedule time to make cold calls to prospective customers.
3. Write five handwritten notes.
4. Take ten minutes to learn something new in your industry.

Mastering the fundamentals is crucial for everybody, no matter what line of work they are in. The most successful people in the business world and in every other area of life never stop putting time and effort into mastering the fundamentals.

Just about every successful person I have ever met who is self-made like myself owes their success to constantly applying the basics and fundamentals.

When a TV reporter interviews a college football coach at halftime and his team is down by a few points, the reporter will ask him, “Coach, what are your plans for the second half?” The coach will say something like this: “We are going to get back to the basics and fundamentals.”

The same strategy applies outside of sports. In business and in life we are all going to have a bad day, a bad week, or a bad year now and then. Speaking from experience, I have learned that the best way to get out of that rut is to take a deep breath and go back to the absolute basics of what you need to do to be successful. If you have achieved your definition of success in the past and you want to get back to that same level, you will need to apply your drive, desire, and discipline to master the fundamentals.

“You can practice shooting eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and everything you do will rise.”

– Michael Jordan

I am very hard on myself. I never stop pushing myself to be productive every day and to do something good for someone else, for myself, and for my career. You won’t always be able to think of new and creative things to do each day. Sometimes you will just have to be okay with doing something that is routine but necessary. When you do this, you will feel good at the end of the day because you have been productive.

If you are gearing up to get back to the basics and fundamentals in your career, then you will LOVE my book Common Sense Selling. To get your own copy (if you don’t already have one), click on this link: https://vandeeb.com/common-sense-selling/ This very popular book will become your “go to” instruction manual whenever you need to be reminded of what you are capable of and to get more clarity on your goals.

“We talked about some of our experiences, focusing, hanging together down the stretch, important games. It’s not necessarily who has the most talent but what team sticks together and executes their fundamentals the best.” – Tony Dungy

To get from where you are right now to where you want to be in the future, I recommend doing these things:

1. Create a written game plan describing your goals.
2. Write down what you will need to do to make each of your goals a reality.
3. Read your game plan every morning.
4. Implement the plan at a pace that works for you. (Remember that this is not a race!)
5. Do something every single day that will move you closer to your goals.

If this process sounds simple, that’s because IT IS! When you get back to the basics and fundamentals in your career, you will be amazed at the measurable progress you will make… I guarantee it!