Don’t Wait For Your Pants
Some time ago I was chatting with a guy who wanted to pick my brain for loan officer tips. “What’s the biggest reason loan officers fail to reach their full potential?” he wanted to know.
This was only the 200th time I’d been asked that question, so I had a ready answer.
“That’s easy,” I said. “They’re waiting for their pants.”
I’ll be honest. I enjoy the shock and confusion on people’s faces when I use this line. But what I like even better is when the light bulb goes on in their brains after I explain what I mean.
We’re All Masters of Task Avoidance
How many of us know what we need to be doing, yet we just don’t do it? In fact, we do anything but the thing we should be doing. The fancy term for it is “task avoidance behavior,” and it’s not just for loan officers. Every human does it. Kids, teenagers, adults—all of us.
You don’t want to clean up your Legos, so you start playing with your trucks instead. You don’t want to study for your math homework, so you watch a YouTube video instead. You don’t want to fill out that paperwork, so you clean out your desk instead. You’ve been there, right?
It can also be called procrastination, stalling, delay tactics. Sometimes we try to make it sound better and say we’re “getting ready” or “making sure we’re prepared.” But we should call it what it is.
Just Do the Thing Already
Let me share a personal example. I was talking to a new loan officer who wanted some expert advice. I gave him some scripts to get referrals from real estate agents. These scripts are foolproof. One hundred percent of loan officers who use them get referrals. They flat out work.
A week or so later, I asked him how things were going with the scripts.
“Oh,” he said, “well, I haven’t started yet. I’m waiting for my pants.”
“Waiting for your pants?” I said, eyebrows raised. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“Well,” he said, “I want to make a good impression during the face-to-face meetings, so I need to look the part. I bought some slacks, but they were a little long, so I’m waiting for them to be hemmed before I head out to get the referrals from the agents.”
Can you say delay tactic? He was spending all this time “getting ready” to meet with the agents and no time at all making actual calls. All he had to do was pick up the phone and call the agents, using the proven script. That’s it. Remember, 100% of loan officers get referrals this way, even from people they don’t know.
But he was scared to make the calls, and he was stalling. It’s far less intimidating to buy new pants than it is to just pick up the phone. It’s easier to “get ready” to do the hard thing than it is to actually do the hard thing. At least that’s what we tell ourselves.
Are You Waiting on Your Pants Right Now?
How many things on your To Do List are you waiting to start until you “get your pants?” Things that could:
- improve your life financially
- make your business more successful
- bring you more happiness in life
Why are you still “getting ready” instead of taking the critical action steps to make those things happen? Why are you waiting for your pants before you dance?
Three Simple Steps to Taking Action
Here’s a simple (but powerful) 3-step process that will help increase your productivity:
- Identify the end goal you want to achieve. Then make a numbered list of every step required to achieve it.
- Go through that list and eliminate every step that is not absolutely essential to achieving your goal. Be ruthless in deleting every single “getting ready” stall tactic.
- Work backwards from the end goal, and find the first thing you can do right now. Even if it feels hard or it’s outside your comfort zone.
Follow this system, and you will be amazed at how your achievement cadence quickens. You’ll catch yourself when you start to fall for delays or distractions or task avoidance behavior. You’re going to feel that adrenaline rush of actually taking action.
No more “getting ready.” You were born ready. Take that step. Move your feet, and move that needle. You don’t have to wait for your pants until you can dance.
Just dance!
***
If you’re ready to dance, let’s chat! Click here for a FREE Loan Officer Strategy Call. You bring me up to speed on what you have going on, and I’ll help you take action in the right direction. I’ll also GIVE you one of my proven loan officer scripts with no strings attached. Don’t wait for your pants—call TODAY!
