Put two trains on separate tracks equal distance from a concrete barrier. One train has just a locomotive, but with a much larger and more powerful engine capable of producing a higher speed. The smaller locomotive has many rail-cars and a caboose (a complete train). It’s weight is much greater than the other train, but it’s engine is not as strong. My question to you is which train ends up going further down the track after impact against that concrete barrier? The locomotive with just a strong engine, or the complete train with four times the weight?
I’ve been a producer of revenue throughout my entire career. Come to think of it there has not been a month in the last 75 months that I have not been judged on how much revenue I have been able to produce for the company I was working for. I have seen many people come and go in my industry and some of those people were so good at sales that I would go to their desk to borrow a pencil and they would end up selling me an eraser and a stack of post it notes before I could say no.
I’ve seen many times over the years that it’s not just the force at which you hit an object, it’s the momentum created as a by-product from having a ‘complete train’. It’s not just the impact, it’s the follow through. The momentum you create as a branded expert in your mark etplace will always propel you further down the tracks than someone who comes along with just a big and strong sales pitch.
I’m sometimes told that the recruiting business is JUST a sales job, and you must make 100 phone calls a day, sell, and produce revenue. I’ve never believed that. The words SOUGHT OUT, EXPERTISE, NEEDED, ASKED and RELIED UPON have replaced those of solicit, harass, sell and bother. Recruiting is NOT just a sales job. I have no product to sell. I only have a promise I can fulfill. The only way to fulfill that promise is to follow through. That follow through creates the momentum that reinforces my brand, expertise and reputation.
Each search I complete is another rail-car I put behind my locomotive. The bigger my train keeps getting the more momentum I am creating for my brand. In business you will inevitably keep running up against shiny, new, larger-engined locomotives. When you hear the whistle for full steam ahead just remember you’ve been down those tracks before.
For related articles about personal branding and job search, review these articles:
Personal Branding Interview: How Mark Cummata Got a Job Through Twitter
What Should You NOT Do At a Networking Event
Your Professional Brand Pre-During-Post Interview
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