175. A number can numb or pump up a person

I often advise clients to monitor their performance (in their career or business) by focusing on a few key numbers.

Being able to objectively evaluate one's performance is key to success.

After all, this is how capitalism triumphed over communism: capitalism has a way of rapidly identifying underperformance and "correct" it as soon as possible. The indices of stock exchanges for example are flashed on TV screens every day, all over the planet. You know precisely which companies are doing well and which companies are not.

Of course, I realize there's a lot of hype and inflated market prices due to speculation and media spin, but over a certain period of time, you can see which companies are consistently building sustainable competitive advantages and getting further and further ahead of the competition.

But back to our numbers.

A number that you monitor (for example, the number of visitors to this blog, which you can see on the righthand side -- it's about 1240 so far) can pump you up and motivate you to perform better. Such a number is meaningful and emotionally empowering.

Oftentimes, however, numbers just numb people. For example, the number of resumes that a job seeker sends out to potential employers is quite irrelevant. There's is no strategy behind it, no intention to manage the specific sales process in regards to a specifically targeted employer, etc.

Here's what I consider to be somewhat of a success secret: "going from zero to one takes much longer than from 1 to 100."

For example, it takes a lot (I mean A LOT) of work for a new entrepreneur to get his first customer. But once he does, he could "clone" that customer and get more customers. (Cloning here means identifying people who have characteristics similar to the first customer; the greater the similarity, the greater the chances of getting that second customer).

Another example in a non-business context: once a man can seduce a beautiful woman, he knows for a fact that he can do it again. Of course, I'm not at all recommending serial romantic conquests! And I mean "seducing" in the sense that he truly cares about her and wants to draw her to him for the purpose of a meaningful relationship.

My point is that once you prove to yourself that you can do something, then you have the absolute confidence that you can do it again.

Sometimes, it's really hard to get that first success (i.e. getting from 0 to 1). But there's a solution for that: identify all the key success factors, and rate yourself on how well you perform on each factor.

For example, if you're looking for a first client (or employer, for new graduates), then the success factors could be:

1. Professional resume (10%)
2. Convincing cover letter (10%)
3. Performance at the job interview (20%)
4. Thoroughness and professionalism of the follow-up letter (after the interview) (5%)
5. Demonstration of job-relevant capability (20%)
6. Demonstrated understanding of the employer's industry (10%)
7. Testimonials from previous employers (5%)
8. Other factors (20%)

The percentages refer to the contribution that the factor makes to the probability that you will land the job. Of course, these percentages differ for each situation, but they give you a way of measuring your performance during the "HR seduction" process (Note: nobody "applies for a job" today; it's extremely competitive. We all have to seduce decision-makers in the most premeditated, strategic and foresightful manner).

For example, if you believe that you've got #1, 2, 6 and 7 covered, then your probability of landing a specific job is 35%.

("Other factors" refer to secret techniques that each careerist has. I call them "proprietary pitch technologies." Nobody is crazy enough to share their secret techniques, but you can be sure that your competitors have developed their own "unfair competitive advantages," which they use every time they get a chance.)

My point is simply that in today's hypercompetitive global economy, superior performance is critical. And to achieve superior performance, a person needs to focus (almost like a maniac) on the few key numbers that drive performance.