Optimal Options: Batter Up!

Opportunities

Chasing opportunities was where I started.

I used to think that it was my role to take a swing at every opportunity that came my way. Later in life, I realized that opportunities were like swinging at pitches. Somehow they were always appropriate to my skill level. We started at T-ball, then softballs. Later, to baseball. Some pitches fell outside the strike zone. And I would be swinging at those. As I got more experienced, I realized that sometimes, the right thing was to check and hold the bat. Good job.

“The last thing you want is regretting a job you have to finish."

Forethought is the key. Be clear of your responsibility and expected reward in advance. Once you are clear, move on it, one way or another. Once thought through, every situation boils down to “yes”, “no”, or “too hard”.

Clarity. Responsibility. Decisiveness. Commitment. The practice is obvious. Its optimal execution is rare.

After all, aren’t opportunities supposed to be the most valuable thing? Aren’t we all looking for a bigger, better deal than the one we have now? Admit it, when responding to an inquiry, aren’t you hoping that some form of windfall is coming your way? Only to find out it is someone trying to get something from you? Sometimes we move forward without all the details. You are their opportunity. Big fish eat little fish every day. And we settle for this environment as the status quo.

An alternative approach.

Observation first.

Leading with an agenda of opportunity is a distraction to the value conversation. We have all been on both sides of that conversation. Ask and you will receive. 

Bear with me a moment.

In a typical sales situation, it is the salesperson that is posing the opportunity to buy. What they want is the sale, as their reward comes from the buy. It is the sales person doing the asking. Isn’t the initiative in the wrong hands?

From the other standpoint. The buyer is almost always at a disadvantage. The idea of their desire looks like an inquiry. But to ask, you must already know what you will find. The buyer has to learn the entire market, before they can judge a good opportunity. Notice, they have not asked either. The initiative is a response to marketing, or worse, comparison to their neighbor

…and the rubber meets the road.

I return to the idea of affordable housing. Well intentioned as it may begin, affordable housing is an issue used by people trying to move an agenda. Seldom is it used by someone looking to buy what they can afford. Let us take a sober look at your position in the marketplace. Let us make shrewd and informed choices about real options.

The 1-3-1 method reapplied.

Dan Martell has a great technique he calls the 1-3-1. Give it a shot for yourself.

1) What is the problem that seems unsolvable? (Write it out. Trust me, it makes a difference).

3) What are your three major options?

1) of those, what is your recommendation and why?

Some suggestions to spur posing the problem.

• What do I want?

• How do I create an opportunity for someone I love?

• How do I transition equity-building momentum and maximize ladders of opportunity for others?

• How do I protect what I have built so far?

• How do I optimize what I control?

• How do I love my family in the longest lasting way possible?

• What is the highest and best use of the assets I hold?

• Can I achieve similar or better results with less effort or resources?

• Can I multiply what I have sooner, faster or better?

• How do I assemble clear agreements with all parties?

• How do I hold people accountable, and reward them well, for their contribution?

• What can I afford, and what am I willing to commit?

• Is my home buy, forever, for a while, or a step?

These should be good food for thought. My hope for you is that it will empower you to break through the obstacles of the marketplace. Share your ask, or feel free to comment.