Pete is my brother-in-law.
When he was 25 years old, he decided that he was going hunting in a blizzard in Wyoming. He drove off the road and rolled his Jeep. Somebody saw him and called the police. He broke several bones, suffered a traumatic head injury and spent the next month in a coma.
Most of his family's in Massachusetts. So, they arranged to have him brought back to recover. His head injury is a disability, so he got on Social Security and he hasn't worked since. He's broken both legs twice, lost toes to diabetes and has dealt with several other health issues. He qualifies for medicare and Mass Health. So, all of his medical needs are covered. He's now 60.
There's more, but that's enough.
So, the past month Pete's been getting ready to have a cataract surgically removed. Had his physical. Got the green light. Washing his eyes. Taking his drops. Elaine is his ride into his 7 AM surgery. I have to (between phone calls) give him a ride to my house after his surgery. Elaine calls him at 5:30 AM to make sure he's up. He says, "Yup! Just finishing my breakfast." and then it starts. He didn't fast 12 hours. Is he cancelled or delayed? His excuse? He gets up and has breakfast. That's his routine. Surgery needs to be rescheduled. Physical has to be repeated. Prep meds and routine, yada, yada, yada and YOU have to pay for it. Worse. You're never gonna get a return on your investment. He doesn't do anything for anybody other than himself.
So, thanks for letting me vent, but I promised a sales lesson. Here it is.
Pete has a routine. He gets up and has breakfast. Routines are difficult to break. If Pete doesn't change his routine, he may wind up blind. You also have a routine. Is your routine holding you back? Have you been doing business, using the same processes for 35 years? Even 5 years ago, the world was a different place. Pete has a head injury and makes excuses. What is your excuse for not changing your routine?