CHAPTER 4 Categories and Avatars That Create Focus

By the time she felt a tap on her shoulder, Susie had listed over 75 people. She couldn’t believe it. Highground must have read her mind again.

“Told you so,” he said.

She removed both earbuds and stood up. “Incredible.”

“You’ll have your 250 easy with a little more work,” Highground assured her.

“Ready for lunch?” Paul asked.

“Famished.”

As they walked toward the restaurant, Susie asked, “What do you do, Paul?”

Paul glanced at Highground with a grin and answered, “I’m in the business of being comfortable with who I am so I can help others achieve what they want to get—and get where they want to go. Our Mr. Highground here says that I’m relational-business. I’m with a tremendous dealership that sells and services what I consider some of the best automobiles in the world, and it’s through this company that I have made thousands of people smile the day they said yes to me and our sales team.”

“Paul manages new car sales at the Rancho Benicia Luxury Auto Park,” Highground added.

“I certainly do and I love it.”

Susie was taken aback by the whole exchange. Suddenly, this man did not seem so short or average looking. The confidence this man projected made her stop and rethink her earlier opinion of him. She could only wish for such confidence in her own elevator speech and sales presentations, and she heard herself blurt out, “Where does your confidence come from? It’s infectious.”

Paul laughed, affectionately clamping a hand on Highground’s shoulder. “When I was at my own crossroads—or as Highground likes to say, ‘on the mantel’—this man came to me through a friend and spent time coaching and helping me as no one else ever had. He was the first to tell me that I didn’t have to imitate anyone else, that the unique talents I had been given at birth were more than enough for me to succeed if only I would trust and exercise them and be consistent in doing so.

“I spent several days, just like you are doing, with Highground’s concepts,” he went on, “and it opened my eyes to a better and more simple way of doing things. I learned firsthand how not to put my business and my personal needs before my relationships with others because when I did, people could see right through me. They saw the dollar signs across my forehead and automatically pushed away. And,” he added, “I learned how to stand in front of clients or a group of salespeople and enjoy being me, a short, plain-looking relational-business type of guy who is authentic, transparent, and extremely successful at managing and selling.”

“Yes,” Highground added with a grin, “you certainly are.”

“And proud of it. This all happened for me, Susie, when I followed our Mr. Highground’s little process and trusted it to produce all the results I need. I am ‘doing business from the high ground,’” Paul added, with a nod toward David Highground as they walked. “That’s a little phrase a few of us coined in honor of your work with us, David. The high ground is where we all want to be strategically in business, but more importantly, it’s synonymous with the ‘high road.’ You know, always trying to do the right thing.”

Highground smiled. “Thank you, Paul. I appreciate that.”

They had arrived at the restaurant door, and Paul gallantly held it open for them.

When they were finally seated in the elevated half-booth section, with a full view of the harbor and the bluff, they could see on the horizon a freighter steaming out to sea.

Susie watched a few seconds; then she looked across at the intuitive David Highground and finally asked what she’d been wanting to ask all day. “Mr. Highground, I asked Sheila Marie about being ‘relational-relational’ and she said it was one of the foundational pieces that changed her world. I would really like to know what I am.”

Nodding affirmatively, Highground turned his gaze to the freighter for a moment; then he said, “First thing, Susie, call me David. Second, I want you to know I’ve been helping folks for as long as I can remember, and I finally concluded that it is futile to try to change people into something they are not. Since God provided all of us with our unique individual gifts, what I should do is meet people where they are at, and then help them be more of what and who they are. Someone said that we are all three types of individuals—first, the one we are; second, the one others see; and third, the one we want to be. By taking the time to look at ourselves and asking others who we trust, we can identify who we really are and how others see us. And by doing that, along with being willing to change a few habits, we can actually become our authentic selves. When we move through time and space based on who we really are, people are drawn to that authenticity.”

Paul looked up momentarily from his menu. “And we can stop wondering what ‘personality du jour’ we need to put on to ‘make it.’ Hmmm. Look at the soup du jour—Boston clam chowder. I think I’ll have that.

“While you both decide what you’ll have, let me explain what my biggest hurdle was,” Paul continued. “Interestingly, my biggest hurdle was that I was a relational guy. I met lots of people, and I did not always invest my time with the right people—until I took the ‘high ground’ and started using this philosophy and process to build a database, ABC it, know who my Perfect Client Avatar is, or as I refer to it my PCA, and strategically lay out a plan the right way first, so I wouldn’t have to do it ever again.”

“ABC it? Perfect Client Avatar or PCA? I recognized ABC in the principle and David mentioned Perfect Client Avatar earlier. I’m still confused.”

“No worries. Both of those terms will be revealed to you in rich detail right after we finish lunch. Now, let’s eat!” Paul demanded.

 

The three finished lunch and only Paul ordered coffee. “The main thing I want you to know before we start,” Paul explained to Susie, “is that because you were referred to me by Highground, I am at your disposal.”

“And with that, I’m going to leave you two to chat,” Highground said, getting up. “I’ll be back.”

“When?” Susie asked, wishing he wouldn’t keep disappearing when the new lessons began.

“Oh, I’ll know when to come back,” he said with a polite smile and a slight nod. And he was gone.

“A great guy, eh?” Paul said. “Well, he asked me to explain Principle 2, help you identify your own strengths and ultimately the characteristics of your Perfect Client Avatar, and so I shall. I’m going to help you start to find your authentic voice and show you how to do business only with the people you want to and on your terms! Sound good?”

Susie smiled. This man was warm, but he was also very businesslike when it came to specifics. She liked that. “So, you’re relational-business. I wonder if that’s what I am,” Susie said.

Paul smiled as well. “Susie, from the moment I met you, you carried and presented yourself professionally, very businesslike. From my first-impression perspective, your first word on how others see you in business relationships is ‘business.’”

Susie looked down, blushing a bit. “Do you really think so, Paul? I mean that is the demeanor I am most comfortable with, what I had hoped I would be. I just don’t want to be perceived as trying to portray something I’m not.”

The coffee came and Paul took a sip. “Absolutely. Highground, Sheila, and Bennie agree.

“I understand how you feel. When I first grasped that I was relational-business the funny thing is although I have ‘business’ tacked on to my trait, I did not always execute in a businesslike manner. It’s not that I didn’t know how; I just didn’t have a process in place.”

“But you seem very businesslike to me.”

Paul gave her a nod. “Well, thank you. But I had to work at keeping focused, let me tell you. Basically, it’s not easy to call up a client you leased a car to three years ago and expect to start up where you left off at the close of the sale. In the auto business, salesmen become like your new best friend during the sale, but it’s hard to keep up that relationship afterward. That’s why only a select few in this business are able to acquire a high referral base of business. Unless you have a process and philosophy that works even when you don’t want to, it just won’t happen.”

Susie then asked, “But what about my second word—my natural tendency in business relationships?”

Paul broke into a small smile and said, “Susie, the fact that you are so concerned about others and your interactions with Bennie, Highground, Sheila Marie, and now me points to only one word, and that’s ‘relational.’”

A bit uncharacteristically, Susie raised her voice a bit and clenched her fist. “Yes, I thought that. I really did! I like that!”

Again, Paul smiled, “Okay, Miss Business-Relational, are you ready to talk about Principle 2 and Perfect Client Avatars?”

“Let’s see.” Susie flipped through the notebook. “Here it is. ‘Build a database and ABC it.’” Noticing the image titled ‘Your Perfect Client Avatar,’ she said, “Now I’m starting to get it, you’re going to tell me what it means and then talk about the characteristics of my dream clients?”

“Sure am. I’m going to cover both. First I’m going to show you how to rate and communicate with your entire database and what happens when you do! Got your notebook? Turn to your 250 by 250 list. Let’s take a look at how you are doing with your list.”

She obeyed and pushed it toward him.

Paul looked it over. “Looks good. Now, Sheila Marie helped you understand the power of your database—that’s what this list is, a database. What I want to share with you is how to invest your time to make it work properly. The one precious commodity we all need to protect is our time, our personal bandwidth. To best leverage your time you have to ABC your database just as Highground taught me to do.”

“ABC it,” Susie echoed.

“That’s right, ABC it. Highground also convinced me that I needed a full-time assistant to help me follow up. That sounded like a very big commitment starting out. But when you get to Principle 4 and understand how easy it is to contract a virtual assistant, you’ll see how that might sound feasible to you, too. Even if it sounds crazy right now.”

Susie frowned.

“Okay, let me see if I can put it into an image.” Paul thought a minute. “Do you have certain people that are absolutely your cheerleaders, ones that would stand up and speak a good word about you, ones that feel so strongly about you and your products and services that they would refer you right now? These are the ones that have referred you in the past or you know without a doubt would refer you if you simply asked them to do so.”

Susie perked up. “Sure, I’m thinking of several right now, several who already have, multiple times.”

“Fantastic,” Paul exclaimed, beaming. “Those are your As, your power base. Your As are the ones that are most likely to refer you. They are your advocates, your champions, your raving fans. You will find that, on average, your As will account for about 10 to 12 percent of the people you know. They are the easiest to identify as they will jump off your list and say hello to you like an old friend.

“Now, who are your Bs?”

“That’s my line,” Susie said.

“Oh, right. Excuse me.” Paul laughed.

“Okay, well, your Bs are individuals that you think can champion your cause as well as refer you if you educate them about how you work. The idea is to learn more about them, be proactive in building a better relationship. If you keep in good, consistent contact with them and follow the process, many will become As. Your whole focus with Bs is to move them to As. This group is a bit more difficult to identify. You will find that your Bs will account for about 15 to 20 percent of those you know.”

“And the Cs?”

“In the C category are people you are not sure about but still want to keep communicating with. Perhaps you have just met them or have been briefly introduced, but because you exchanged business cards you have been given the right to communicate. You are not even sure whether they’ll champion your cause or refer you, even after proper communication and education, but you hope that they will.

“The last category is almost as important as the first. This is the one that actually gives you the ability to control your business to some extent. That is the D category. The D category is synonymous with ‘delete’ or ‘defer.’ These are individuals you are certain that you do not want to work with.”

“You’re kidding. I get to choose?”

Paul smiled wryly. “There’s an old saying that we are judged not only by the people we do business with but also by the people we choose not to do business with. So, yes. It’s a no-thank-you list. An I’d-rather-not-do-business-with-you list.”

“Wow.”

“Nice thought, isn’t it? To be able to say no?”

“Nice? It sounds impossible,” Susie marveled. “But how do you set this all up? What do you say? How often do you say it, and what do they say in response?”

“Slow down,” Paul laughed again. “We’ll get to all those good questions in due time. This is a step-by-step process. Besides, Highground has already figured out all of that and made it easy to implement.”

“Really?”

“Really. It’s why we are sitting here. He’s saving the best until last.” Paul opened his briefcase. “Now, I’ve got something to show you. I brought along a printed copy of my database separated into As, Bs, and Cs.” He pulled a stapled printout from his briefcase and handed it to Susie. “You see Susie, the process is very simple. It’s all about moving your Cs to Bs and Bs to As.”

Susie studied the document a moment and said, “Wow, Paul. You certainly have fewer As than I would have expected.”

“That’s by choice, Susie. The most precious commodity we all have is time, or as I like to say, bandwidth. I communicate in writing and, in many cases, personally each month with my As. I am very careful who becomes one of my As. They must have demonstrated the ability to champion my cause as well as refer me and be a power advocate for me. These are the people I spend most of my time and marketing dollars on. I also have another group of business owners, professionals, and service providers that I assign an A to. These are people who make money when I make money.

“Make money when you make money?” Susie interrupted.

“Correct, Susie. These are the people connected to you in your business process. For me, they’re our local suppliers, our insurance guy, the owner of that car wash across the street that details all our cars, et cetera. These people are part of my referral team. I believe Highground has you set up to visit Philip Stackhouse tomorrow. He will explain it in detail.”

“Okay,” Susie said, “but what type of database do you use? What should I use? I’ve heard all this hype about CRM software—I think that stands for ‘customer relationship management,’ right? Should I incorporate automated e-mail responders, and what about all the social media platforms?”

Paul held up his hand and smiled, “Whoa, kiddo. Like I said, all in due time. I do want you to know that there are a number of great programs available. Big companies use big CRM solutions, and smaller firms use much smaller applications that act as online contact managers. Simply go online, do a bit of research, and select the one that you’re most comfortable with. The main thing is to pick one and use it. The only prerequisite is you must have the ability to set up custom fields for your As, Bs, and Cs! Sara Simpson will share more about CRMs and referral management applications.”

Paul set down his briefcase. “Before I incorporated Highground’s philosophy and process, I was letting business happen to me instead of doing business in a proactive, relational way. Now I actually train all the new sales and customer service people in our entire auto group how this philosophy and process works. I get a real kick out of helping people get over the biggest hurdle in business and fill their biggest desire—finding new pre-endorsed, qualified, referred prospects to do business with regularly. And I’m not talking about ‘spray-and-pray marketing’ anymore.”

Susie shook her head. “Thank goodness. I detest that.”

“Me, too. What I’m referring to is having the opportunity to meet the type of potential clients who can afford our product on the strong recommendation of their friends and associates—and to do so regularly. Just like you were referred here to me by Highground. He spoke highly of me, didn’t he?”

“Sure did,” Susie confirmed.

“By the time I walked up to meet you, I was already delivered to you on a pedestal, wasn’t I?” Paul asked.

“Well, yes. He couldn’t say enough nice things.”

“And that’s a nice pedestal to be on, even if I have to make very sure to do my work in an excellent way so I don’t tumble off it. That’s what this process is all about. When we really think about our past, haven’t all the significant relationships—business or personal—for the most part come from a referral? A middle person building you up without you having to do that yourself?”

“Absolutely,” she again confirmed. “It’s not what you say about yourself that people believe anyway; it’s what others say about you that they believe.”

That made Paul laugh. “My goodness, Susie, you sound like Highground! You’re getting it! So doesn’t it make sense to have a process in place that will allow you to do that every day? That is what ABCing your database will do for you. It will give you the ability to be proactive with all the people you know now and all that you will meet in the future. Now you will look at each of your friends and business acquaintances as a lifelong relationship. You will no longer feel rushed to push your business at everyone you meet other than the ones it makes sense to.

“Now, let’s talk about your Perfect Client Avatar.”

Susie smiled quizzically. “When I first heard that term, it sounded like an icon I might use online?”

Paul smiled back. “Not exactly, but this is huge. It will make a big difference in your business results. The simple definition of ‘avatar’ is the embodiment or manifestation of a person or idea. For our purposes it is a combination of the best characteristics of the best clients you serve, your dream clients.

“Your Perfect Client Avatar is made up of the characteristics of your best clients. To let others know specifically who to refer to you, you first have to let them know the characteristics of the people you want them to refer. Make sense, Susie?”

“Sure does.”

Paul continued, “For me it was someone that owned a successful business or earned more than six figures annually and was normally older than thirty-five, someone that could afford a luxury car.

“By understanding the characteristics of your PCA, you can better educate others as to who they should refer to you. And, as importantly, it will help you develop better marketing because you have them in mind when you create or approve your marketing components. Creating the characteristics of your Perfect Client Avatar is an easy process. Just visualize your best two or three clients, identify their characteristics, and list them, just like I just did.

“Here’s the thing, Susie, your PCA is simply your primary target market with extreme focus. You also have secondary and tertiary marketing targets; however, you should always focus on your PCA. When writing marketing copy or choosing the right restaurant to hold a client appreciation night, you need to keep your Perfect Client Avatar likes and dislikes in mind. When citing a case study during your sales presentations, always include an example that most closely matches your PCA. You get the point. It’s how you educate the people in your database to keep their antennas up for the prospects you are interested to meet.”

“Wow!” Susie blurted out. “So simple, but it really brings a laser focus to who I need to get in front of.”

Paul responded, “Super, so we are all clear, Susie?”

“All clear, Paul!”

“Did Paul teach you a bit about yourself, your ABCs, and the value of identifying your Perfect Client Avatar?” It was Highground. He was back, standing by their table.

Highground looked at Paul and said, “Remember I mentioned that I might ask you to share with Susie, if you had time, how we helped you increase the size of your database by ‘adopting’ a list of your dealership’s past clients? Can you do that?”

“No problem, HG. Miss Business-Relational is good to go on ABCs and her PCA,” Paul fired back. He turned to Susie. “I was light on names in my list, Susie, so our Mr. Highground here had me ask the owners for a list of past clients. I developed a letter that the owner sent out to these past or existing clients that basically said how much he appreciated their business and how he wanted to follow up to see if they had any questions or needs he might address. Then I had the owner, in the letter, ‘introduce’ me as the manager and the key contact if they had any questions. After a few days, I followed up by calling them all to answer any questions they might have and also to ask whether it would be okay if I kept in touch personally with them. Worked like a charm. I ‘adopted’ over seventy-five new people into my personal database and started to communicate immediately. I have leased or sold a new car multiple times to almost everyone on the list and have received countless referrals. I brought a copy of the letter, written to a couple named the Tureks, for you to take with you.”

Paul handed the letter to Susie.

“That’s incredible, Paul,” Susie said after she scanned the letter. “I could easily apply the same process with the company I represent.”

Paul looked at his watch. “It’s three o’clock, already? Where has the time gone? Susie, I have a little sales meeting in fifteen minutes. We thought you might enjoy being there. I’m training some new people that have joined our company—giving them an overview of the philosophy and process. Want to join me?”

“Sounds great.”

“We thought you’d say that,” Highground said. “Shall we go?”

For the next hour, Susie sat next to Highground, mesmerized by the confident Paul as he talked to seven new salespeople about the dealership, about their opportunity to make a fulfilling career, and about the personal and business value of putting relationships first instead of commissions—leading with a helping hand and understanding that the by-product is a successful career.

Now Susie was getting excited. She could taste it. That would be her in front of her future prospects as soon as she could get the philosophy and process in place.

After the session, Susie asked for Paul’s card and put a big A on the back so he could see it. Then she smiled, shook his hand, and thanked him for a personally revealing and informative afternoon.

Highground and Susie walked down the street toward the coffee shop where her adventure had begun.

Susie had a million questions. “Paul said you had everything planned out—when to do what, how to do what, and all that. Is that true?”

“Well, yes it is.” Highground smiled. He always enjoyed watching the light go on with his protégés. Susie looked and acted completely different from the way she did the morning before. She was starting to get the vision, and he instinctively knew the time was right to unpack the universal truth of why the process works.

“What I do for folks like you is give you a powerful business process and plan based on one truth, the great commandment. The fruit that it bears is the golden rule: treating others as you want to be treated. Incorporating this truth into your daily actions will allow you to never doubt yourself or your decisions. Susie, I mentioned the golden rule when we started.” Pointing to his head and then tapping his heart, he said, “You have to work at this process every day, Susie—I’m talking about putting the needs of others first, putting relationships first in your business. I’m not touting we live and work in a Pollyanna business environment. The truth is we don’t. In reality, we both know we are not wired. It’s natural for all of us to think about our own needs first.

However, like many others I have worked with, you can be different. You can be a light in a not-so-bright place when you work to incorporate this process every day, I mean really think through it and keep focused on it. If you do, Susie, I guarantee you will experience a deep satisfaction that will surpass all understanding. You will experience fulfillment in your work, God’s joy will be in you, and your joy will be complete. You will be respected by everyone for your authenticity and your integrity—and I do mean everyone.

“It’s a bit overwhelming at first,” he said, again pointing to his head and then tapping his heart. “When you combine both your head and your heart on a daily basis—by loving God first and then those you serve—good things will happen for you and your business. By living out the great commandment and trusting the God-given gifts you possess, you will speak with authenticity and authority or, as I shared with you earlier, with your ‘authentic voice.’

“I see it in your eyes and have watched your interactions with others, Susie. Like many others I have coached, you already possess what it takes to be a success with this process.”

Momentarily mesmerized by the depth of what Highground just shared, Susie nodded in agreement and said, “I get it, Mr. Highground. Thank you, I get it.”

“Good, I know you do, and the name is David.”

Susie smiled. “Right, David. I get it, thank you.”

Highground smiled again and said, “And remember, on the day-to-day operational processes, with the ease of technology and outside virtual services, you don’t have to do it all yourself. You can get outside contractors to help. But that’s jumping ahead to Principle 4.”

Moving back into business mode, Susie pulled her notebook from her satchel, flipped to the right page, and read. “Let’s see. Principle 4: Communicate consistently, personally, and systematically.”

Highground grinned from ear to ear. “That’s right. But before we can get there, we have to learn what to say when we do try to stay in touch, don’t we? That’s the next principle.”

Susie flipped back a few pages and read to herself, “Principle 3: Just Let Me Know. Educate your clients about how you work and your value to them through regular, tangible actions performed.” She looked up at Highground and sighed.

Highground cocked his head toward her, understanding everything she was feeling. “Susie, what I would like you to do is go to a quiet place tonight and think about the day. I have given you a little outline for some goals. You’ll find it in your notebook. Continue the exercise tonight and journal your plans. And I’ll see you at eight sharp tomorrow morning. Philip and Sara will be teaching you the next two very important principles. And don’t worry. They do a super job.”

“I want you to know how much I appreciate your help,” Susie said.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Highground said with a smile. “I believe you have experienced several lightbulb moments today, and that’s a good thing. See you in the morning.”

Susie started to walk away and turned to mention one more thing, but Highground was gone—again. She smiled and shook her head. Who is this guy anyway? What a day, she thought, what a day!

At home that night, she sat down, opened her notebook, and found her assignment in a section marked “Goals.” Attached was a little note from Highground:

Dear Susie,

 

By now, you have started to grasp your own God-given abilities and inherent talents as those of a smart, engaging young professional businesswoman. You are very articulate, Susie, and at your stage in your career, you match up well to the very best I have worked with in my long career. You have now found out that you know a lot more people than you thought you knew. You’ve begun to grasp the power of this process and the 250 by 250 Rule of Principle 1. You also know that having a list is not enough. You know Principle 2 and that the list has to be ABCed to make it work for you. You know now how much nicer and easier it is to be pulled in by your clients instead of pushing your way in. You also understand how to identify the characteristics of your Perfect Client Avatar.

Before we go on, here’s your assignment. I’m a big believer in the power of visualizing completed goals to make things happen.

So we are going to create some goals, short ones that will help identify the right road for you. Long-range goals are great for seeing the big picture, but short-range ones get things going.

On the next two pages are two sheets designed to get you going. Changing your perspective is helped by imagining yourself already putting these principles into action in your life.

First, identify and create your Perfect Client Avatar. Then postdate Goal 1 for two weeks from today. Postdate Goal 2 and Goal 3 for eight weeks from today. And then put on your best imagining cap and project yourself and where you’d like to be on those dates.

Don’t be bashful. You have what it takes.

Good luck!

Best,

 

David Highground

 

Susie turned the page, found a form with blanks all set up, and began to write. This is what her Perfect Client Avatar and first three goal pages looked like after she was finished: