You Can Be a ROCKSTAR!

You Can Be a ROCKSTAR!

I know that it can sound cliché and somewhat juvenile to chant “Be a Rockstar” in order to motivate someone to excel, but over the past few weeks I have been developing an exciting new training program and while listening to lots of great background music it occurred to me that today’s rock stars are not unlike highly successful finance professionals and sales people.

Of course I have used the term loosely for many years to compliment people …. like a top performer in my office would be a “Rockstar” ….. or when my daughter would earn a great result on one of her school projects, we would proclaim her a “Rockstar”.

“Rockstars” are generally considered to be highly confident and talented people, who are adored by many, have reached the top of their industry, and live lavish lifestyles.

As Bankers, Finance Professionals or Salespeople I am sure you would like to be considered confident and talented, adored by customers and colleagues, regularly achieve top results and earn big rewards.

So of course we aspire to be “Rockstars” …. but have you ever considered what it truly takes to BE A ROCKSTAR?

You see not only do I love to listen to great music while I work, but I also enjoy watching great documentaries (during breaks) and I recently watched some fascinating shows about the rise of artists like Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger and more recently Ed Sheeran.

These highly talented rock stars were/are at the top of their profession, idolized by millions around the world and have achieved extraordinary success.

Queen have reportedly sold more than 200 million albums (140MM certified sales).

The ageless Rolling Stones have sold out stadiums around the world for over 50 years and their last 4 concert tours are ranked in the top 20 list of highest earning concert tours.

Ed Sheeran currently holds the record for the highest grossing world tour ever – having played 239 shows across the world in 2018-19 and earning $736 million – AND he currently has more than 165 million certified album sales. Now THAT’S a rock star!

These rock stars have achieved extraordinary success beyond any of our (or their) wildest dreams. But it didn’t come easily. And, as I learned from watching these documentaries, they were all very much “normal” people like you and I who simply pursued something they loved and enthusiastically performed the tasks needed to achieve their goals.

You see …. to become a “Rockstar” in your industry, the tasks you need to perform are in essence no different than what you need to do to become a real rock star.

1. You Must Practice

Many people believe that rock stars are born with this amazing talent. But most were normal people, living normal suburban lives, who simply developed their talent through years of practice and coaching.

Most were originally self-taught and were dedicated to refining their craft. Mick Jagger started singing in a school choir. Ed Sheeran also sang in a school choir and taught himself how to play the guitar at age 10. Freddie Mercury took piano listens at 8 and developed his voice singing along to vinyl records.

As a result of constant practice, each of these artists developed their “talent” to a level that became admired and appreciated by others. And even as they became more successful, they continued to seek ongoing professional guidance and coaching.

Ed purposely collaborates with song writers, musicians and producers from all over the world to further develop his skills. Freddie trained with vocal coaches to become an opera singer. And Mick Jagger’s famous swagger was taught to him by Tina Turner in the 60s, yet he still works with choreography coaches today to maintain his strut for tours.

Bankers, finance professionals and sales people are mostly self-taught when it comes to meeting customers to discuss their needs.

 It’s important however that you continue to develop and practice this important skill. Leverage team meetings for training and engage coaches/experts to help you develop this “talent” so you can be admired by more customers and achieve greater success.

2. You Need To Hustle

NO rock star would be successful or famous based on talent alone.

That may be hard to believe, but you would never have heard of Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger or Ed Sheeran or any other amazing rock star unless they hustled record company producers, bar owners, radio station announcers, promoters and other successful artists to listen to their music and let them play.

And by “hustle” I mean they wrote, called, showed up and did whatever it took to get a meeting. Then in that meeting they did whatever it took to persuade them to give them a chance. Then once they got a chance, they continually performed and produced more music to build and retain an audience.

And you may think that musicians are all extroverted and confident go-getters but most of them are not ….. and many fail because they are unwilling to hustle.

Freddie and Ed were famously shy introverts. But they recognized that in order to get more people to listen to their music (and become rock stars) they needed to get outside their comfort zone and take action.

They needed to try new things like cold calling, show up at local events, perform free gigs, and distribute their work to as many people as possible for review and critique. Plus many, many more. They faced their fears and exposed themselves to potential rejection.

In fact, many of the engagement, persuasion and retention activities that we perform as finance professionals and salespeople today are also performed by musicians to get their music listened to and become a success.

However, you will not impact MORE customers unless you are willing to try new things that are outside your comfort zone. You see …. if you do what you have always done, you won’t get the same results …. you will get less …. because your competition are willing to do things differently.

What engagement, persuasion and retention activities do you fear or find uncomfortable? How will you overcome your fear and are you willing to get outside your comfort zone to achieve greater success?

3. Make Your Own Luck

There are many people who believe that most rock stars simply caught a lucky break. They got lucky …. and their great success is simply attributable to this luck.

People think that many rock stars became successful because they simply were in the right place at the right time.

But how did they get to “the right place”? How did they get that “lucky break”?

They got there by steadfastly and confidently believing in their goal and their mission. They maintained a positive mindset and never wavered from this belief that they would be successful.

Freddie maintained an incredibly positive mindset throughout his career and right up until his death. He told his parents that he would become one of the biggest rock stars in the world – and he did. He also maintained a positive mindset throughout his illness, and despite his death in 1991, he firmly believed that this terrible disease will be overcome one day – and it has.

It’s important to remember that luck is absolutely subjective and is a reflection of your mindset. You define and make your own luck. And you will “get lucky” when you maintain positive beliefs and confidently take action.

Don’t maintain the limiting belief that you can only achieve extraordinary success through some silly notion of luck. Don’t dismiss other people’s success as something uncontrollable or fortuitous.

Consider all the wonderful things in your career and your life that you are grateful for. Now remember that you gained all those wonderful things because you confidently believed in your abilities and took action. That sounds like good luck to me … that you created.

And even if for some reason you are not currently achieving your goals, then just think about how lucky you are that you have the opportunity to learn from these challenges and now take different/better actions. Sounds like more good luck to me.

Rock stars make their own luck because they maintain a positive mindset and belief at all time …. and so can you. Stop wishing for luck. Go out there and make your own luck.

4. There Is No Such Thing As “Overnight Success”

Think about all the unknown artists you hear for the first time and then seemingly within a short period they are all over the radio, selling millions of records and playing sold out concerts. We tend to label these artists as “overnight successes”.

I certainly felt that way about Ed Sheeran who has achieved extraordinary success at such a young age.

But I am certain Ed does not feel that way. I was amazed to learn about how hard he has worked and how committed he was to achieving his goal of becoming a paid recording artist. I’m also amazed at how hard he continues to work – 239 concerts plus 2 new albums in 2 years.

And I am certain that every successful “new” artist will adamantly tell you that there is NO such thing as overnight success.

The amount of practice (training) and hustling (sales activities) required to get noticed by a wider audience (more customers) is significant and requires great commitment and perseverance.

It requires a consistent commitment of deliberate and determined action even when faced with objections, setbacks and competing priorities.

No excuses. No fear. Just action.

Without this commitment, Ed Sheeran would still be an unknown guy living in Framlingham, England.

And once YOU consistently make that commitment every week, month and year you too will achieve extraordinary results and your goals.

How many calls will you make each month? How many meetings will you have? How many times are you going to follow up that prospect?

So it’s important to define your desired goals and identify what “success” looks like for you.

Then develop a specific action plan that you can execute and review on a regular basis. Understand what may prevent you from executing that activity and take steps to overcome those challenges and remove those impediments (excuses).

There may be no such thing as “overnight success”, but I am confident that with deliberate and determined action over time you will develop an extraordinary career that will exceed your expectations.

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So if you have screamed into a toothbrush in front of your mirror to the tune “Bohemian Rhapsody” or danced around your bedroom to the cool beat of “Shape of You” or head-banged in your car to “Satisfaction” …. then clearly you have dreamed of being a “Rockstar”.

I strongly encourage you to now harness those dreams and become the “Rockstar” of your industry (….. unless you actually know how to strum a guitar or sing a note then who knows?!?).

I recommend you read the background story of your favorite artist or band. You will be fascinated by how they developed their talent, the type of hustling they did to get noticed, the relentless belief they had in their dream and their incredible commitment to achieving success. You will be inspired.

Cliché or not, the aim of this this article (analysis) is to inspire you to perform the activities required to become a success and achieve the life of your dreams.

Whatever that dream looks like for you, I assure you that it will only be achieved if you:

1. Continuously develop your skills
2. Try new things outside your comfort zone
3. Confidently believe in your mission
4. Deliberately and diligently take action each and every month

So now it’s time to stand up, pump that fist in the air and scream “Don’t stop me now, because I can’t get no satisfaction sitting here and simply thinking out loud. It’s time to take action and BE A ROCKSTAR!”*

{*If you’re a Freddie, Mick and Ed fan you will get the quote. If not … it still sounds pretty cool}

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Article written by Joe Micallef – Sales Strategist & Coach – Grow UP Sales. For more advice on how to become a ROCKSTAR please email joe@growupsales.com or visit the webpage www.growupsales.com

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