My friend, Darren, taught me the test that will cut down on any workload.
You probably have this happen to you also. Some friend will come up with a request for help. They want some help on a project. This project will be complicated and require a lot of work. The project has not started. The first step is fairly simple. The first step is not easy; it is just simple. Your friend wants you to do the project for them.
The first step either involves some monetary commitment on your part or your friend wants you to do the work for them.
My friend, Darren, merely gives people that ask for his help a simple test and that eliminates most of his worries. His type of work requires a big time commitment and lots of study. He generally charges $500 for the course he teaches. He found out that instead of arguing about the cost of his course or the time required, he could give a test to find out if the people would take his course.
He actually gives away some of the course. He can get you started without you spending $500. He weeds out lots of people with his simple test. He tells these prospective students to buy a $10 book. After they read the book, they are to call him and he will get them started on the project. This free start is helpful and greatly speeds the student on completing the project.
The amazing thing is hardly anyone will buy the book.
People that have asked him for help never call back. The people that bought the book and read it call back and have started on the project. He gives them some help and they are on their way. Most of the people read the book, start the project and happily pay for his course. That first step test is the hard part.
Another friend of mine fishes every Saturday morning. He almost always catches his limit of fish. He gives a test that is even easier. His test is merely show up at the boat landing at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. That’s all you have to do. The 6 a.m. slows down most people. He claims that anyone that can get to the landing at 6 is almost always serious about fishing. He said he would be glad to take people fishing.
He just wants to make sure they want to go. There is no use in him waiting until ten in the morning for someone who might or might not come to the boat landing. Most people that have to wait until ten in
the morning don’t want to fish all during the afternoon.
If they fail the test, so much for fishing with him.
My mortgage broker friend doesn’t even give a test. He starts people out on their first task. He makes it looks like a test. He doesn’t waste any time trying to explain. He has clients that come in to get financing for a house. If they want to buy a house this year he makes it easy on them.
“Just save $400 a week and at the end of the year you will have enough money for your down payment.”
Now they can either say they already have the down payment saved or they are so shocked by the test that they start reconsidering.
Ah, suddenly it all seems so clear. If only we could get a test before every project. Think how much time we could save not having to struggle through all these first steps only to realize that we really didn’t want to get involve in this project. Think of all the money and time we could save.
I’m looking for little tests that will keep me from getting started on some of my silly projects that I end up quitting because I didn’t have a test to let me know I couldn’t complete it.
I just started a new project. I passed the first test and I found out that this is a really hard project. Maybe I should look for a second test.
