Recently I had a successful business owner ask me, "When do you know when your business has finally arrived?"

I had wondered the same thing for many years. We all are waiting for that day when the business runs itself. We wonder, "When will I have enough business and repeat customers that I can take a breather and relax a little?"

It's going on eight years since I first opened the doors of my training center on Sept. 10, 2001. I had no clients, no name recognition, and no revenue stream. On the first morning the telephones were hooked up and I was making cold calls.

That was then, and now, all these years later ... I am still making cold calls, but not as many. In the early days, cold calls were a necessity. Today, cold calls are a choice, but proactive prospecting isn’t.

Don't forget work in the trenches I recently attended a Chamber of Commerce breakfast networking program. I was surprised to see the manager and five producers of a local independent insurance agency in attendance. I had rarely seen anyone from their company attend these functions.

What prompted their attendance? It turns out that some of the top producers had recently left the organization to start their own company. And they took a share of clients with them.

Now, the remaining producers, venturing out of their comfort zones, were doing what they should have been doing all along: engaging in proactive activity to identify prospective clients. I was attending the event because part of my prospecting plan is to attend one networking meeting each week, regardless of how many prospects are in the funnel.

The point is, remember what made you successful -- all that work in the trenches. As success blesses your business, your most formidable enemies are not your competitors, but your ego and complacency.

You may receive recognition and achieve financial reward for your efforts. You may be asked to speak to others and relate your formula for success. All deserved and all fun. However, these events have the potential of inflating your ego to the point where you believe you can leave the trenches -- now that you've achieved some success -- for loftier activities.

Coasting kills momentum Complacency is just as dangerous. When you are new in the business, you follow every lead, call every referred prospect, and never miss an opportunity to make a pitch to whoever is willing to listen.

Now, blessed with some success, it is easy to sit back and relax. However, it's vital to remember today's success is fleeting, and what are most important are the opportunities in your pipeline that will ensure tomorrow's success.

You must always be engaged in activities that are uncovering new selling opportunities and driving them closer to completion. That means performing on a regular basis, the business development activities -- networking, cold calls, trade shows, referral generation ... whatever is appropriate - - that help you get to where you are, regardless of what your ego is telling you about those activities or the "relax, take it easy" messages being whispered in your ear by the devil of complacency sitting on your shoulder.

Your business is always facing change -- new products, new markets, new competitors, changing customer needs and tastes, changing market trends, political pressures, economic pressures, legislative requirements, technological innovation, and the list goes on. Some will present threats; others will present opportunities.

So, in an ever-changing landscape, when will you finally arrive? I don't know. Maybe never!

Keep it up But, here is what I do know. We should never stop being proactive in seeking new customers. We may need to adjust the mix of prospecting activities we use or change their frequency, but we should never stop. If we do, we can stop worrying about when we'll arrive ... because we will have already taken our first departing step.

Joe Marr is a public speaker, sales and management consultant and trainer, and runs Sandler Training - Ann Arbor. For information on how to take a systematic approach to selling call 734-821-4830 or visit his website at www.sandlerannarbor.com