#SoG126 - Create a pipeline 🔧
#SoG126 - Create a pipeline.
I did something different today. Even though I have quite a few things pending and open, I did not touch work. Rather, I wrote, read a book, thought about life, met an old mentor (he helped me learn about the business of communication). I did not meet my friends. I did not take calls. I did not reply to emails. I did not work on #book2. I did not work towards taking over the world. I did not think of an idea that I would share in the letter. I just plopped myself on a bean bag and like I said, read. And thinked. Think + ed. Not thought. But think + ed. I let my mind wander. This wandering in the mind is one of the most under-rated things of all time. I must do more of this. So must you!
At first, the idea of not working was discomforting. Thing is I come from that school of thought that believes that each minute you are not working, you are losing time and getting closer to obscurity.
Ok enough of the rant.
The thing of the day?
Pipeline.
Anyone who's worked on sales would know what a pipeline is. For the uninitiated, it is a visual representation of all prospects, all potential clients that you have, divided into various stages (there are multiple ways to evaluate these stages. The one I like the best is AIDA - Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action).
Why do I talk about it?
Thing is, luck is often a direct outcome of the number of darts you throw and your preparedness (with throwing those darts, target practise etc). And as entrepreneurs, hustlers, business managers, leaders, self-employed professionals et al, we ought to maximise our luck. Of course, we can never predict the outcome. Even Geeta said "Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kada Chana". But we then we have to do everything it takes to maximise the luck!
And the simplest way to do so? Have a pipeline.
Say you want to make films. Rather than getting stuck with one idea, getting obsessed about it, staying on it, how about opening more doors (each idea could be at a different stage of maturity)? And when you actually reach a point when a project requires your attention, you give it more focus. And if the project is at an early stage, you don't invest time in it. So on and so forth.
Say, you want to do a startup? How about you make a pipeline of all the people that you think can help you (with ideas, connections of capital). Approach them. Don't obsess over just one yes. Approach everyone and continue to open more doors. And once you know what is it that you want to work on, give it all you have!
You are a salesman of financial instruments? Have a large pipeline of prospects that you may want to sell to! Say one rejects. Don't fret over it. Approach the next person. And while you do these approaches, constantly grow the pipeline!
Want to write a newsletter? Rather than hoping for inspiration to strike you every day, have a pipeline of content ideas ready so that you don't panic at 10 PM and hope like hell that you find something to write about.
Get the drift?
What work do you do?
How can you make a large, sustainable pipeline?
Can I help?
Thank you for reading,
@saurabh
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Streak: 6
Tags: Blog, Personal, Sales, Hustle.
Further Reads
My personal blog is here. In case you wish to read. I've been writing since 2004. 15 years.