I spoke with another Sandler trainer while I was in Florida a while ago, and he shared something with me that I think is so crucial for growth-oriented professionals.
He had moved into a new office recently, and he gave me a tour of the place. There wasn't even any furniture moved in—just recently installed carpet. It was still very new.
While we were walking around the office, he was listing off what each room and area was intended for. He showed me which office was his, where the administrative assistant would work, and where the conference room was located.
I noticed at the end of the tour that there were two offices he didn't tell me anything about. I asked him about those two offices, and he said, "That's my birdcage. Those offices are for two sales associates, but I haven't hired them yet. I haven't even met them."
Now, the Sandler concept of a birdcage is a little bit of an odd one. You can think of it like this: let's say you bought a birdcage for your home and placed it in your living room, but you didn't buy a bird to go along with it.

Anytime you have friends or family over to visit, they're probably going to ask you about the birdcage. And one of two things will happen: either someone in your life will buy you a bird because they think you need one, or you will buy one for yourself because you're so tired of people asking about the empty birdcage.
The concept of a birdcage is a bit of a trick you play on yourself. You incorporate part of your future goals into your current space or activity, even before you're able to fill the space, and eventually either you will fill it or someone else will.
That was the Florida trainer's intention with his two birdcage offices. He knew that people would notice two empty offices in an upscale business suite. The clients and prospects he met with would ask him about it, and eventually he would either get tired of their questions and hire sales associates to fill the rooms, or one of his contacts would refer an associate to him who would be a good fit.
And as a matter of fact, he does have an associate in one of those offices now.
The birdcage concept means that you make space for your future goals. It might look like extra office space, or it might look different in your world. But typically, the birdcage eventually gets filled.
Crandall is the Principal of Sandler in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He works with business owners and motivated individuals to create and implement Professional Development Strategies to foster the growth of individuals, teams, and organizations.
