There's an entrepreneur/author I look up to, Jesse Itzler, and he’s been quoted as saying,

“I didn’t come this far to only come this far.”

It’s a great quote about continuously trying to better yourself. Jesse uses this in both his professional and personal life and it’s a quote I have begun to apply to my life. It’s a simple statement with a lot of impact and I recommend all business professionals utilize this mantra for themselves and their companies if continuous improvement is the goal. Let me share with you how it applies to three of your most important assets: your employees, your customers, and yourself.

You didn't come this far to only come this far...for your Employees

On a scale of 1-10, what overall score would you rate your current staff?

I get to ask this question to executives all the time and, of course, the answers vary. When the answer is a 6 or lower, it is clear to see that work needs to be done and it makes my job a lot easier. However, if the answer is 7 or higher, leaders tend to think that they are good to go and do not need to invest any additional training at the current time. In a polite way, I always ask “Why do you think that?” Now is the time to invest even more. Your employees are showing potential, they are engaged, and believe in your company. The need to continue their growth is now. Your employees didn’t come this far to only come this far.

You didn't come this far to only come this far...for your Customers

Think about how hard you have worked to win over certain customers. Some may take months or even years for you to get a shot at partnering up with them. After the initial transaction is complete, do you still invest the same amount of time and energy into that customer? My guess is majority of the time, no. This is when businesses tend to go from strategic behaviors to transactional ones. Businesses get comfortable. They spend their time and energy on new prospects rather than focusing on what they have. Ask yourself if you are crystal clear on all of your client’s strategic initiatives. More importantly, are you providing value at every touch point? Did you come this far to only come this far with your current clients?

P.S. From a financial standpoint, it is 6x-7x more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to expand a current one.

You didn't come this far to only come this far...for Yourself

The third area this concept applies is for you. Think of where you are today and how hard you worked to get here. Time and time again, I talk to business executives about their current state of business and their desired state. We start to uncover GAPs within the organization and most of the time, those GAPs start with them. When is the last time you invested in developing yourself (personally or professionally)? Why should your team invest in their improvement when you are staying status quo? Lead by example and hold yourself accountable for actively wanting to better yourself. Inspire your team, your family, your friends on bettering themselves…but it all starts with you. You didn’t come this far to only come this far.

I hope you take this concept and apply it in some aspect of your life whether it be personal or professional. At Butler Street, we believe “progressive improvement is better than postponed perfection” and every Butler Street training supports this philosophy. It is an integral part of our company culture, and words we each live by in our personal and professional lives. We are actively working to be better for our customers, each other and ourselves. If you’re interested in finding out how we can help you move forward, contact us.