<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=817262628318194&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">

Why I Never, Ever Eat Cucumbers

I don't eat cucumbers.

Haven't in years. Maybe the last time I had one voluntarily (that is, without someone sneaking it into some freaking 'veggie dip' recipe) was when I was seven.

According to my mom, it didn't start out that way. I had nothing against 'em.

But then my brother decided cucumbers were his favorite food.

And what does every sane older brother do when his kid brother likes something?

You hate it.

So I stopped eating cucumbers, and professed hatred. It wasn't that I hated the taste, or I was allergic, or anything like that.

Today I don't spew venom when the subject is brought up. If I'm tricked into eating a slice then I don't find it offensive. In fact, it doesn't seem to have much of a flavor at all.

Just don't eat 'em.

And here I am avoiding a food 40+ years later, all because of a decision I made when I had the mental prowess of a squirrel.

Why do we program ourselves this way?

Same thing happened when I started solo practice. I hated "sales". Sales is icky. And advertising (I was told) isn't what lawyers do. And besides, mom always said not to boast about yourself. So add that to the programming

So I didn't aggressively sell. And I didn't advertise. Or really ask for business.

Showed in my results, too. My first year - after deducting expenses - I took home a whopping $6,571.82.

Then I realized I needed to sell, and started doing it ... and making some money. But it still felt icky.

So the seven figure practice question is ... how do you sell without selling?

Two Words.

Referral System.

Done the Alchemist Raj’s way, you don't need to do icky selling. You don't need to do cold calling. You don't need to do public speaking.

You DO need to do the right things in marketing … and when you do, the phone starts ringing.

But here's the thing - the IMPORTANT thing - just doing a good job won't make the phone ring. You need to put in place a referral system, or referrals will (at best) be random. And a fraction of the number they could be.

Instead of hoping that a referral will call, you know your referral system will deliver them to your door, ready to hire you because your referral system nurtured them the right way.

Imagine that, no more icky selling.

Got a system? No? Get one.

Raj Jha