Without a doubt, there are few people in history that affect others like Michael Jackson did and still does. While there are people who idolize him, there are others who are sickened by the sight of him or the mention of his name. His passing probably only strengthens how each camp already sees him. That is the challenge when talking about Michael Jackson.
So I'm going to ask now that, if you don't like him, set that aside for a few moments, however difficult that maybe. It will be worth it to you. Cool? Alright. Let's go. Because, what you must accept, embrace and keep in mind for the rest of your life is that every single person you meet, see, hear or read about can teach you important lessons... lessons on what to do or say, what not to, how to improve and become more successful or happy in life. And Michael Jackson, for all of his problems, like everyone else, he can teach us all lessons about success in any area of life. Those lessons can change you for the better... forever. Now, unlike the hero-worshipper types, I personally was just fascinated by how effortlessly he moved, how he danced as if floating above the ground, and how he could sing practically any style of music. Until the mid 1980s, when I didn't yet understand what it took to be successful at anything, I'd see talent like that and, like many other people, assumed that it was all God-given and that all came so easy to those like Michael Jackson and other accomplished, successful people. I never looked beyond the performance and asked, "How did he gain those skills?" But a few years after "Thriller" (the best selling album of all time) came out, I saw a news story about him. In interviews with him and those who knew him well, I learned that he had been dancing and singing and entertaining sincehe was a very young child, for some 18 or so years before"Thriller" was released. He told of the years of constant practice it took to be able to move and dance and sing the way he did. Years and years of daily practice. Oh sure, he obviously had natural talent, like all of the most successful people in any field do. But talent alone is never enough. It cannot take you veryfar. All of have something that we could be great at. But sadly, few ever develop their talents to any degree. So talent alone won't take you anywhere unless you are ready,willing, and able to put the time and effort in to develop it.
So I started watching closely the most successful people in every field. It became an obsession. I read about them, listened to them, and pondered their thought processes concerning the areas of life where they were most skilled. Business, entertainment, sports, fitness, social skills, politics, academia... it didn't matter. Successful people share a few definite traits that make them successful. They work at it. And more, they love it...Love what they do so much, they're willing to invest their time. And like anyone whose ever studied success like I did, it became clear to me that I could change my life 180 degrees if I could just commit myself to excellence and went and working toward some meaningful, worthwhile goals.I thought, "If I could get myself to learn and study and practice the profession of sales, I could become successful at anything. I came to believe that if I could learn to motivate myself, to ignore temptation, to ignore people who wanted to keep me down, to keep my eyes on my objectives, then I could literally be anything I wanted to be. That is what I convinced myself of. And like Michael Jackson, I practiced with purpose for many hours each day, becoming among the best in the world in that one skill set. And it all started with watching someone who seemed to float over the ground, as if he wasn't even touching it. You see, with practice, we can all accomplish amazing things.The key is to be able to gain a high level of control over your mind. Do that and I don't care what your disability, or what excuses you've ever had for your failings or your emotional breakdowns... when you can gain control over your thoughts and emotions, you are in the driver's seat of your life. The event that first grabbed me was seeing Michael Jackson float on air. After that, there were many other people whokept me convinced that with a powerful mind and trained skills comes success. Now, no one will ever gain complete mastery over their minds. But the good news is, you don't have to. You just need to control it enough to keep yourself, confident, motivated, facing in the right direction and to never quit. That is all successful people do. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The hare had the most God-given talent, but he didn't stay focused. The tortoise was slow, but he stayed focused on his goal and didn't quit. So he, not the hare won the race. That is so simple to understand...But how many people do meaningful work they love, master it and develop their talents like they expect others to do? Not many. If most people did, the world would be a much different place.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
THE DEATH OF MICHEAL JACKSON
Fans were planning to go London to watch Michael Jackson perform soon – since I was a kid, it’s always my dream to see him live but I could never afford it.
Unfortunately, Michael has now left us all forever, however, his music will continue to live.
Regardless of whether you like Michael or not as a person, we cannot deny that he has touched millions of people all around the world.
If you think an actor has done a good job entertaining people, then Michael would be #1.
And whether you know or not, Michael’s movement like “Heal The World” concept has created awareness of saving our planet and humanity– because he has so many fans, they’re willing to hear Michael’s message. Lastly, I believe Michael has helped to raise fund for many non-profit and charity organizations all around the world.
Now, not everyone likes Michael Jackson and that’s understandable.
Today, when Michael left us - many of us suddenly remembered him. And I believe (I could be wrong), even those who ridicule him will stop.
His music will be ‘alive’ again.
BUT WHY WAIT TILL SOMEONE DIES TO BE APPRECIATED?
If you want to treat someone well, treat him/her now.
If you want to stop ridiculing someone, stop it now.
If you want to stop being angry with someone, stop it now.
If you want to appreciate something, appreciate it now before it’s gone.
If you want to make someone happy, do it now.
Heck, if you want to make yourself happy, DO IT NOW.
Even if nobody dies, time passes so fast and within a blink of an eye, everything changes. I know, it’s scary so don’t take things for granted. I’m not just telling you, I’m telling myself because I’ve been taking things for granted too.
Michael Jackson, rest in peace. You have my respect for your talent, contributions and your heart to ‘heal the world’.
Unfortunately, Michael has now left us all forever, however, his music will continue to live.
Regardless of whether you like Michael or not as a person, we cannot deny that he has touched millions of people all around the world.
If you think an actor has done a good job entertaining people, then Michael would be #1.
And whether you know or not, Michael’s movement like “Heal The World” concept has created awareness of saving our planet and humanity– because he has so many fans, they’re willing to hear Michael’s message. Lastly, I believe Michael has helped to raise fund for many non-profit and charity organizations all around the world.
Now, not everyone likes Michael Jackson and that’s understandable.
Today, when Michael left us - many of us suddenly remembered him. And I believe (I could be wrong), even those who ridicule him will stop.
His music will be ‘alive’ again.
BUT WHY WAIT TILL SOMEONE DIES TO BE APPRECIATED?
If you want to treat someone well, treat him/her now.
If you want to stop ridiculing someone, stop it now.
If you want to stop being angry with someone, stop it now.
If you want to appreciate something, appreciate it now before it’s gone.
If you want to make someone happy, do it now.
Heck, if you want to make yourself happy, DO IT NOW.
Even if nobody dies, time passes so fast and within a blink of an eye, everything changes. I know, it’s scary so don’t take things for granted. I’m not just telling you, I’m telling myself because I’ve been taking things for granted too.
Michael Jackson, rest in peace. You have my respect for your talent, contributions and your heart to ‘heal the world’.
BUILDING LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS
If you could take everything we know about communications, put it all in a large pot, boil it and distill it down into its critical essence, it is about the importance of relationships in successful selling. Building and maintaining long-term selling relationships is the key behavior and skill of the top ten percent of the money earners in sales, in every field, selling every product and service.
The Reason for Success
Most of your success in life will depend on your ability to get along well with other people, and on the quality of your relationships. Psychologist Sidney Jourard, found that 85 percent of a person's happiness in life comes from happy interactions with other people. The reverse holds true as well: 85 percent of a person's unhappiness or problems in life comes from difficulties in getting along with others.
Sell to Lots of People
Anyone can sell to a few people, some of the time. But only the very best human relations experts can sell to a wide variety of people, and sell to them repeatedly. The only way that you can make the kind of big money that you are capable of is by selling more easily, and more often, to the prospects you talk to, and by having those prospects open doors to others through testimonials and referrals. All top salespeople build and maintain high quality business relationships with their customers and sell to them repeatedly year after year.
Decide Emotionally, Justify Logically
We are all sensitive to the quality of our relationships with other people. We are primarily emotional and we make most of our decisions on the basis of how we feel inside. We may carefully consider all of the logical and practical reasons why or why not with regard to buying a product or service, but in the final analysis we tend to go with our gut feeling. We listen to our inner voices. We obey the dictates of our hearts. We buy on the basis of how we feel about the relationship that we have with the other person. Where there is no relationship, there is no sale.
Focus on the Key Variable
Everything that you ever learned of value in the profession of selling, regarding your product or service, or personality, is only helpful to the degree to which it contributes to the building of high quality relationships with customers.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, become a relationship expert in sales. Focus first on the relationship, above all, and the sale will take care of itself.
Second, take care of your relationships once you have built them. Never take them for granted. Tend to them as you would to a flower garden.
The Reason for Success
Most of your success in life will depend on your ability to get along well with other people, and on the quality of your relationships. Psychologist Sidney Jourard, found that 85 percent of a person's happiness in life comes from happy interactions with other people. The reverse holds true as well: 85 percent of a person's unhappiness or problems in life comes from difficulties in getting along with others.
Sell to Lots of People
Anyone can sell to a few people, some of the time. But only the very best human relations experts can sell to a wide variety of people, and sell to them repeatedly. The only way that you can make the kind of big money that you are capable of is by selling more easily, and more often, to the prospects you talk to, and by having those prospects open doors to others through testimonials and referrals. All top salespeople build and maintain high quality business relationships with their customers and sell to them repeatedly year after year.
Decide Emotionally, Justify Logically
We are all sensitive to the quality of our relationships with other people. We are primarily emotional and we make most of our decisions on the basis of how we feel inside. We may carefully consider all of the logical and practical reasons why or why not with regard to buying a product or service, but in the final analysis we tend to go with our gut feeling. We listen to our inner voices. We obey the dictates of our hearts. We buy on the basis of how we feel about the relationship that we have with the other person. Where there is no relationship, there is no sale.
Focus on the Key Variable
Everything that you ever learned of value in the profession of selling, regarding your product or service, or personality, is only helpful to the degree to which it contributes to the building of high quality relationships with customers.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, become a relationship expert in sales. Focus first on the relationship, above all, and the sale will take care of itself.
Second, take care of your relationships once you have built them. Never take them for granted. Tend to them as you would to a flower garden.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
SELLING TO TODAY'S CUSTOMERS
What is selling?
In its simplest terms, selling is the process of helping a person to conclude that your product or service is of greater value to him than the price you are asking for.
How Markets Work
Our market society is based on the principles of freedom and mutual benefit. Each party to a transaction only enters into it when he feels that he will be better off as a result of the transaction than he would be without it.
The Three Options
In a free market, the customer always has three options with any purchase decision.
First, the customer can buy your product or service.
Second, the customer can buy the product or service from someone else.
Third, the customer can decide to buy nothing at all.
Convincing the Customer
For the customer to buy your particular product or service, he or she must be convinced that it is not only the best choice available but he must also be persuaded that there is no better way for him to spend the equivalent amount of money. Your job as a salesperson is to convince the customer that all these conditions exist and then to elicit a commitment from him to take action on your offer.
Customize Your Sales Presentation
The field of professional selling has changed dramatically since World War II. In a way, selling methodologies are merely responses to customer requirements. At one time, customers were relatively unsophisticated and poorly informed about their choices. Salespeople catered to this customer with carefully planned and memorized sales presentations, loads of enthusiasm and a bag full of techniques designed to crush resistance and get the order at virtually any cost.
Treat Them With Respect
But the customer of the 1950s has matured into the customer of the 21st century. Customers are now more intelligent and knowledgeable than ever before. They are experienced buyers and they have interacted with hundreds of salespeople. They are extremely sophisticated and aware of the incredible variety of products and services that are available to them, as well as their relative strengths and weaknesses of those products. Many of them are smarter and better educated than most salespeople and they are far more careful about making a buying decision of any kind.
The Need For Speed
In addition, they are overwhelmed with work and under-supplied with time. Because of the rapidly increasing pace of change, down-sizing, restructuring and the competitive pressures surrounding them, customers today are harried and hassled. They are swamped with responsibilities, impatient, suspicious, critical, demanding, and spoiled. To sell to today's customer requires a higher caliber of sales professional than has ever before been required. And it is only going to become tougher and more complicated in the months and years ahead.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, think continually about how you can convince your customer that your product or service is the very best available. Why does he buy, or refuse to buy?
Second, upgrade your knowledge and skills every day so you can sell more effectively. Remember, your customers only get better when you get better.
In its simplest terms, selling is the process of helping a person to conclude that your product or service is of greater value to him than the price you are asking for.
How Markets Work
Our market society is based on the principles of freedom and mutual benefit. Each party to a transaction only enters into it when he feels that he will be better off as a result of the transaction than he would be without it.
The Three Options
In a free market, the customer always has three options with any purchase decision.
First, the customer can buy your product or service.
Second, the customer can buy the product or service from someone else.
Third, the customer can decide to buy nothing at all.
Convincing the Customer
For the customer to buy your particular product or service, he or she must be convinced that it is not only the best choice available but he must also be persuaded that there is no better way for him to spend the equivalent amount of money. Your job as a salesperson is to convince the customer that all these conditions exist and then to elicit a commitment from him to take action on your offer.
Customize Your Sales Presentation
The field of professional selling has changed dramatically since World War II. In a way, selling methodologies are merely responses to customer requirements. At one time, customers were relatively unsophisticated and poorly informed about their choices. Salespeople catered to this customer with carefully planned and memorized sales presentations, loads of enthusiasm and a bag full of techniques designed to crush resistance and get the order at virtually any cost.
Treat Them With Respect
But the customer of the 1950s has matured into the customer of the 21st century. Customers are now more intelligent and knowledgeable than ever before. They are experienced buyers and they have interacted with hundreds of salespeople. They are extremely sophisticated and aware of the incredible variety of products and services that are available to them, as well as their relative strengths and weaknesses of those products. Many of them are smarter and better educated than most salespeople and they are far more careful about making a buying decision of any kind.
The Need For Speed
In addition, they are overwhelmed with work and under-supplied with time. Because of the rapidly increasing pace of change, down-sizing, restructuring and the competitive pressures surrounding them, customers today are harried and hassled. They are swamped with responsibilities, impatient, suspicious, critical, demanding, and spoiled. To sell to today's customer requires a higher caliber of sales professional than has ever before been required. And it is only going to become tougher and more complicated in the months and years ahead.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, think continually about how you can convince your customer that your product or service is the very best available. Why does he buy, or refuse to buy?
Second, upgrade your knowledge and skills every day so you can sell more effectively. Remember, your customers only get better when you get better.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
THOUGHTS ON JUMPING OUT OF PLANES
Did you see that last week George Bush, the elder (President 41, as he's often called), jumped out of an airplane to celebrate his 85th birthday? I thought that was remarkable and appreciated his comment that he did it to remind all of us to stay active and keep doing new and interesting things. I like that! I understand he plans to do it again on his 90th birthday, and that challenged me to wonder what I might try in the next five years. How about you?What will you achieve, learn, start (or stop) in the next five years?There's an old quote that, "five years from now you'll be exactly who you are, and where you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read." I always like to add that there are more ways to grow and change, but the point is well taken. Getting older is automatic; growth is a choice.Many years ago, William Glasser wrote a wonderful little book called, Positive Addiction. Glasser has written many books and my impression is that this one sold fewer copies than his others, and that's a shame. There are "positive addictions."Glasser talked about being addicted to exercise and fitness, or to the joys of relationships and creativity. I want to propose that personal development fits in that category. It's a good thing and like most addictions, it begins with a few clumsy or uncomfortable experiences, until it gradually becomes a core part of who we are.Why not choose to be addicted to positive things? I know people who are positively addicted to saving and investment. They get a thrill from adding to their savings every paycheck. They watch their investment balances go up and up. To relax on Saturdays, they look at investment properties or read annual reports, looking for the next opportunity. Now, obviously, any positive addiction can go over-the-top and become a destructive obsession. Many years ago I loved running to the point that I gave myself a stress fracture--broke my leg--from running through pain! That's not good!But here are some positive addictions I encourage you to consider:
1. Reading. Books open the world to us. Through books we get to know the most famous, creative, powerful and interesting people who ever lived. We can travel to other galaxies, expose ourselves to the past, and the future. We can experience other cultures and learn skills. We can "try on" ideas--and lives--we will never experience any other way. Read!
2. Exercise. I'm talking about fitness and health and movement and fun, not Olympic championships. For most of us, exercise is about play and being alive. It's about tennis or golf with friends, or basketball with our kids. It's about climbing a mountain, hiking on a beach, or a long bike ride on a Saturday morning. Exercise may add years to our lives; it definitely adds life to our years.
3. Ponder. Long ago a philosopher said, "the unobserved life is not worth living." I'm not sure I would go that far, but taking time to observe, to wonder, to contemplate and take notes definitely makes things better. Keep a journal. Pray or meditate. Enjoy moments of solitude. A great life doesn't happen by accident. It's the result of the careful, thoughtful choices we make.
4. Save money. Brian Tracy once said that "if you cannot save money, greatness is not in you." Again, that might be a bit extreme, but money is a representation of our lives. It's the result of the work and skill and contribution we make in the world. Saving creates opportunities and opens doors. It's insurance against misfortune and a source of self-respect. An addiction to saving definitely beats an addiction to spending!
5. Be curious. One of the most important traits of high achievers is their eagerness for new ideas and new skills. They are always "beginners" in at least one important area of life--willing to be clumsy or make mistakes while they learn new things. I'll go so far as to say if you aren't willing to be a clumsy beginner, you are refusing to grow and that's a terrible thing. Try stuff!You don't have to jump out of airplanes to prove your positive addiction to growth, but it is one way to do it! Be addicted to exploring your life and becoming all that you can be. Whatever calls you, explore it! Whatever challenges or excites you, pursue it and see where it takes you. Jim Rohn observed that the vital importance of goals is not what we get from achieving them, but what we become in the process. Choose your addictions wisely, then invest in them and see where they take you.
Quotes of the Week
"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." -- Beverley Sills
"Never accept failure, no matter how often it visits you. Keep on going. Never give up. Never." -- Dr Michael Smurfit
"I hope I have convinced you -- the only thing that separates successful people from the ones who aren't is the willingness to work very, very hard." -- Helen Gurley Brown
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." -- Theodore Roosevelt
1. Reading. Books open the world to us. Through books we get to know the most famous, creative, powerful and interesting people who ever lived. We can travel to other galaxies, expose ourselves to the past, and the future. We can experience other cultures and learn skills. We can "try on" ideas--and lives--we will never experience any other way. Read!
2. Exercise. I'm talking about fitness and health and movement and fun, not Olympic championships. For most of us, exercise is about play and being alive. It's about tennis or golf with friends, or basketball with our kids. It's about climbing a mountain, hiking on a beach, or a long bike ride on a Saturday morning. Exercise may add years to our lives; it definitely adds life to our years.
3. Ponder. Long ago a philosopher said, "the unobserved life is not worth living." I'm not sure I would go that far, but taking time to observe, to wonder, to contemplate and take notes definitely makes things better. Keep a journal. Pray or meditate. Enjoy moments of solitude. A great life doesn't happen by accident. It's the result of the careful, thoughtful choices we make.
4. Save money. Brian Tracy once said that "if you cannot save money, greatness is not in you." Again, that might be a bit extreme, but money is a representation of our lives. It's the result of the work and skill and contribution we make in the world. Saving creates opportunities and opens doors. It's insurance against misfortune and a source of self-respect. An addiction to saving definitely beats an addiction to spending!
5. Be curious. One of the most important traits of high achievers is their eagerness for new ideas and new skills. They are always "beginners" in at least one important area of life--willing to be clumsy or make mistakes while they learn new things. I'll go so far as to say if you aren't willing to be a clumsy beginner, you are refusing to grow and that's a terrible thing. Try stuff!You don't have to jump out of airplanes to prove your positive addiction to growth, but it is one way to do it! Be addicted to exploring your life and becoming all that you can be. Whatever calls you, explore it! Whatever challenges or excites you, pursue it and see where it takes you. Jim Rohn observed that the vital importance of goals is not what we get from achieving them, but what we become in the process. Choose your addictions wisely, then invest in them and see where they take you.
Quotes of the Week
"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." -- Beverley Sills
"Never accept failure, no matter how often it visits you. Keep on going. Never give up. Never." -- Dr Michael Smurfit
"I hope I have convinced you -- the only thing that separates successful people from the ones who aren't is the willingness to work very, very hard." -- Helen Gurley Brown
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." -- Theodore Roosevelt
Friday, June 19, 2009
COMMITTMENT TO BALANCE
It is so important to be living in prime time, rather than watching TV in prime time. On your way to success make certain you grow friendships, not just bank and mutual fund accounts.
Life is a collection of memories, not of material things. The Egyptian pharaohs were buried with all their treasures, and were mummified in hopes that they could enjoy their bounty in the next life. But we are only caretakers of possessions.
There is a big difference between standard of living and quality of life. Standard of living is based on income earned. Quality of life is the enjoyment of the millions of minutes in between accomplishments.
Having money is only one aspect of wealth. To the sick person, wealth is health. To the lonely person, wealth is someone to talk to and share with. To the estranged person, wealth is hearing words of love and forgiveness.
Borrowing the free verse style from Brother Jeremiah's classic poem, I'd Pick More Daisies, here are a few things I'd do, the second time around.
I'd laugh at my misfortunes more. Spend more time counting my blessings than my blemishes. Spend more time playing with my children and grandchildren and less time watching performers in the arena. More time enjoying what I have, less time thinking about the things I don't have.
If I could live my life again, I'd walk in the rain more without an umbrella and listen less to weather reports. I'd spend more time looking at trees and climbing them, less time flipping through magazines made from dead trees.
I'd spend more time fully involved in the present moment, less time remembering and anticipating. I'd smile more, frown less.And most of all I'd be more spontaneous and active, less hesitant and subdued. When some spur of the moment idea came up to go hiking, playing Frisbee, coloring Easter eggs, singing in a chorus, going kayaking, or watching an eclipse, I'd be less likely to sit in my chair objecting, "It's not in our plan."
I'd be inclined to jump up and run out the door next time and say, "Yes, we can!" Although I can't live my life again, I'm still going to live the new way every day any way. I'll never have all the moments I've missed, but I do have all the time remaining.
Action Idea - Choose one activity this month that you really want to engage in, but that you have been putting off because it isn't a priority. Schedule that activity in your planner, as if it were a "must do" business or financial commitment.
When you have done it, while you are still feeling good, schedule one for next month, and do it as long as you live.
Life is a collection of memories, not of material things. The Egyptian pharaohs were buried with all their treasures, and were mummified in hopes that they could enjoy their bounty in the next life. But we are only caretakers of possessions.
There is a big difference between standard of living and quality of life. Standard of living is based on income earned. Quality of life is the enjoyment of the millions of minutes in between accomplishments.
Having money is only one aspect of wealth. To the sick person, wealth is health. To the lonely person, wealth is someone to talk to and share with. To the estranged person, wealth is hearing words of love and forgiveness.
Borrowing the free verse style from Brother Jeremiah's classic poem, I'd Pick More Daisies, here are a few things I'd do, the second time around.
I'd laugh at my misfortunes more. Spend more time counting my blessings than my blemishes. Spend more time playing with my children and grandchildren and less time watching performers in the arena. More time enjoying what I have, less time thinking about the things I don't have.
If I could live my life again, I'd walk in the rain more without an umbrella and listen less to weather reports. I'd spend more time looking at trees and climbing them, less time flipping through magazines made from dead trees.
I'd spend more time fully involved in the present moment, less time remembering and anticipating. I'd smile more, frown less.And most of all I'd be more spontaneous and active, less hesitant and subdued. When some spur of the moment idea came up to go hiking, playing Frisbee, coloring Easter eggs, singing in a chorus, going kayaking, or watching an eclipse, I'd be less likely to sit in my chair objecting, "It's not in our plan."
I'd be inclined to jump up and run out the door next time and say, "Yes, we can!" Although I can't live my life again, I'm still going to live the new way every day any way. I'll never have all the moments I've missed, but I do have all the time remaining.
Action Idea - Choose one activity this month that you really want to engage in, but that you have been putting off because it isn't a priority. Schedule that activity in your planner, as if it were a "must do" business or financial commitment.
When you have done it, while you are still feeling good, schedule one for next month, and do it as long as you live.
Monday, June 15, 2009
YOUR ATTITUDE - YOU CHOOSE
There are lots of things in this life that we don’t get to choose. On the other hand, there are lots of thing in this life that we do get to choose. Our attitude is one of the things that we get to choose. Nobody else lives inside our brain. Nobody else controls what or how we think. It is up to us, moment by moment, to choose what our attitude is. It is up to us to determine how we will look at and perceive the world around us. It is up to us to decide how we will react to our world around us.
My advice? Choose a positive, optimistic attitude! Here are some thought on choosing your attitude.
We cannot choose our circumstances. For the most part, this is true. We cannot control if someone around us gets ill. We cannot control how another person will treat us. We cannot control the global economy. We cannot control the direction our society as a whole will go. For some, this may seem scary. For me, it is freeing. I don’t have to control my circumstances. Running the whole world would be a big responsibility. It is good to know that I am not in charge of, or in control of all of my circumstances. This dose of reality frees you to focus in on what you can control – your attitude.
We can choose our attitudes. That’s right. We get to choose what our attitudes are. Here is the definition of attitude: “The feeling or opinion about something or someone, or a way of behaving that follows from this.” We choose how we feel about others and situations. We choose our opinion about people and situations. We choose the way we will behave in relation to other people and circumstances. We choose it. It doesn’t have to be bad. It doesn’t have to be anything but what we want it to be. We have the option.
The choice of a right attitude will significantly determine new circumstances. Choosing to have the right attitude will change the world around you. This isn’t any sort of magic; it is just how the world works. Now, don’t get me wrong. It won’t cure everything and turn your world into a virtual Shangri-La, but it will significantly improve the world you live in. For example, let’s say that every day you go into work and you gripe about life and work from the moment you get there until the moment you leave. Will others want to be around you? Will others ask your opinion? Will others like you? Will others ask you to join them for lunch? Probably not! But what if you come to work every day and you are the positive optimist of the crowd? Will everybody love you? No, but significantly more people will than if you are the office pessimist! Your choice of attitude will determine what kind of circumstances you get!
Ultimately, it is our choice on what we have as an attitude. Nobody else can force you to have a bad attitude. Nobody else can force you to have a good attitude. It is simply a choice you make.
Where are you with your attitude? Do you have a good one? Why not sit down and give it some serious thought? Then, no matter where you find yourself, decide to take your attitude to the next level! If you have a really bad attitude, decide to take it up a couple of levels!
Your attitude. Your choice. Choose wisely.
My advice? Choose a positive, optimistic attitude! Here are some thought on choosing your attitude.
We cannot choose our circumstances. For the most part, this is true. We cannot control if someone around us gets ill. We cannot control how another person will treat us. We cannot control the global economy. We cannot control the direction our society as a whole will go. For some, this may seem scary. For me, it is freeing. I don’t have to control my circumstances. Running the whole world would be a big responsibility. It is good to know that I am not in charge of, or in control of all of my circumstances. This dose of reality frees you to focus in on what you can control – your attitude.
We can choose our attitudes. That’s right. We get to choose what our attitudes are. Here is the definition of attitude: “The feeling or opinion about something or someone, or a way of behaving that follows from this.” We choose how we feel about others and situations. We choose our opinion about people and situations. We choose the way we will behave in relation to other people and circumstances. We choose it. It doesn’t have to be bad. It doesn’t have to be anything but what we want it to be. We have the option.
The choice of a right attitude will significantly determine new circumstances. Choosing to have the right attitude will change the world around you. This isn’t any sort of magic; it is just how the world works. Now, don’t get me wrong. It won’t cure everything and turn your world into a virtual Shangri-La, but it will significantly improve the world you live in. For example, let’s say that every day you go into work and you gripe about life and work from the moment you get there until the moment you leave. Will others want to be around you? Will others ask your opinion? Will others like you? Will others ask you to join them for lunch? Probably not! But what if you come to work every day and you are the positive optimist of the crowd? Will everybody love you? No, but significantly more people will than if you are the office pessimist! Your choice of attitude will determine what kind of circumstances you get!
Ultimately, it is our choice on what we have as an attitude. Nobody else can force you to have a bad attitude. Nobody else can force you to have a good attitude. It is simply a choice you make.
Where are you with your attitude? Do you have a good one? Why not sit down and give it some serious thought? Then, no matter where you find yourself, decide to take your attitude to the next level! If you have a really bad attitude, decide to take it up a couple of levels!
Your attitude. Your choice. Choose wisely.
Friday, June 12, 2009
THE PLANS OF TOMORROW
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." - James 4:14b
A group of workplace believers meet at my office every week for fellowship, study, and prayer. One man attended our group for several years. Jim was well liked and in good health. One Thursday he showed up as usual. The next morning I received a call, "Jim is dead! He died in his easy chair last night!" Jim had no prior problems and there was no indication he was about to go be with the Lord. Naturally, it came as a shock to us all.
Whenever things like this happen close to home, it brings us face to face with our mortality. A friend of mine said he was challenged by someone to do an experiment. He challenged him to live his life for one year as if it were the last year he would live. He responded to the challenge and did as proposed. It changed his life forever. He began to focus on different priorities and people when he viewed life in these terms.
James gives us a perspective on viewing tomorrow.
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:13-15).
Life is fragile. Consider where you are investing your time and energies. Someone once said they had never heard anyone on his deathbed say that he wished he had made more money in his lifetime or he wished he had made a certain deal. Usually it is something like, "I wish I had spent more time with my kids." Ask the Lord to give you His priorities for your life.
A group of workplace believers meet at my office every week for fellowship, study, and prayer. One man attended our group for several years. Jim was well liked and in good health. One Thursday he showed up as usual. The next morning I received a call, "Jim is dead! He died in his easy chair last night!" Jim had no prior problems and there was no indication he was about to go be with the Lord. Naturally, it came as a shock to us all.
Whenever things like this happen close to home, it brings us face to face with our mortality. A friend of mine said he was challenged by someone to do an experiment. He challenged him to live his life for one year as if it were the last year he would live. He responded to the challenge and did as proposed. It changed his life forever. He began to focus on different priorities and people when he viewed life in these terms.
James gives us a perspective on viewing tomorrow.
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:13-15).
Life is fragile. Consider where you are investing your time and energies. Someone once said they had never heard anyone on his deathbed say that he wished he had made more money in his lifetime or he wished he had made a certain deal. Usually it is something like, "I wish I had spent more time with my kids." Ask the Lord to give you His priorities for your life.
USING FAILURE TO FURTHER YOUR FUTURE
"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." Margaret Thatcher
Failure. Even the word sounds bad, doesn’t it? That is because since the time we were just young children we were taught that failure was bad. But is that true? Is failure bad? Let’s consider some things.
I like a baseball analogy. Do you know what the record is for a season batting average (That means how many times the batter successfully hit to get on base)? It is a gentleman by the name of Ted Williams and his season batting average was .406 one year. That means that out of 1000 times at bat he would get a hit 406 times. That is considered by baseball fans as one of the greatest records ever. There are players making millions of dollars who hit .280!
But what does that stat also tell us if we flip it around? It tells us that the best season any batter ever had in the major leagues was a FAILURE RATE of .589! Even the best fail on a regular basis!
What about the richest people on Wall Street? Do they fail? Of course they do. They pick the bad stocks sometimes, but they cut their loses and learn from their failure.
Did Michael Jordan miss shots? Over 50% of them!
So what about all this? What does this mean for us? The fact is, I think we can learn a lot about failure that will actually make us a great success. So here are some thoughts to help you use failure to further your future!
Failure is inevitable if you are trying for greatness.
Failure is something we must accept as a part of the road we travel to success. This is a very important item and number one on the list because a lot of what stops people from pursuing success is their fear that they may fail and not reach their destination. When we embrace the fact that we will fail, and that is okay, then we have nothing to fear anymore. Instead, we keep our eyes open and pick ourselves up, adjust from the failure, and move on.
Failure is never failure unless you fail to learn something from it.
That’s right, we ought to stop calling these bumps in the road “failures” and start calling them “Learning Experiences!” When you fail, the first thing you should think is “What can I learn from this?” If you can pull just one idea out of that question, then the experience was worth it.
Sometimes failure is a blessing in disguise.Just ask the 3M Company. They were looking for an incredible adhesive and actually got a sticky paste that held, but not permanently. What a failure! No, instead, they spread some on the back of little sheets of yellow paper and called them “Post-It Notes.” Have some? I’m sure you do. The 3M company thanks you for rewarding their “failure.”
People won’t think poorly of you if you fail.This is perhaps the biggest myth, and the one that causes us to never attempt our dreams. We don’t try because of what Aunt Martha may say about us at the family reunion. The truth is, however, that people will actually respect you for trying. The only thing I have found that people think poorly about you is if you handle yourself badly when you fail. Sore losers get the bad press, not people who attempt great things!
Failure isn’t the end but the beginning.
One of our greatest fears is that our whole world will collapse if we fail. Or at least the project will. The truth is that that rarely happens! Most of the time we can pick back up again, make some adjustments and be on our way! This is a new beginning. Now there is no need to go down the road you have already taken, so there is one less option you have to try on your new journey.
Sometimes we miss out on success because we quit in the middle of a problem and it becomes a failure instead of an obstacle we could have persevered through.
When people encounter trouble they have a tendency to quit. And then they see themselves as having failed. My question is this: What if they would have kept on going – persevered? Perhaps they would have struggled a bit and then broke free again. The failure happened only because they quit! So don’t give up – keep pushing – and perhaps you will see yourself through to victory!
The greatest thing to overcome is the fear of failure.
Most of the battle is right between our ears. It has been said that “we have nothing to fear but fear itself,” and that is true because in most of our “failures,” the end result is usually much less than we feared it would be. Yet in giving into fear and not trying, we suffer the ultimate consequence – no success! So begin to tell yourself the good stuff! Change the direction of your thinking and begin to see the possibilities of success, not failure.
Remember, properly looked at, failure can help you further your future!
Bonus:
Questions to ask yourself when you “fail”:What can I learn from this?What did I do right in this?Where did this go wrong?How can I start again?What resources do I need to make sure this doesn’t happen again?Then use the answers to these questions to plot your new course.
Failure. Even the word sounds bad, doesn’t it? That is because since the time we were just young children we were taught that failure was bad. But is that true? Is failure bad? Let’s consider some things.
I like a baseball analogy. Do you know what the record is for a season batting average (That means how many times the batter successfully hit to get on base)? It is a gentleman by the name of Ted Williams and his season batting average was .406 one year. That means that out of 1000 times at bat he would get a hit 406 times. That is considered by baseball fans as one of the greatest records ever. There are players making millions of dollars who hit .280!
But what does that stat also tell us if we flip it around? It tells us that the best season any batter ever had in the major leagues was a FAILURE RATE of .589! Even the best fail on a regular basis!
What about the richest people on Wall Street? Do they fail? Of course they do. They pick the bad stocks sometimes, but they cut their loses and learn from their failure.
Did Michael Jordan miss shots? Over 50% of them!
So what about all this? What does this mean for us? The fact is, I think we can learn a lot about failure that will actually make us a great success. So here are some thoughts to help you use failure to further your future!
Failure is inevitable if you are trying for greatness.
Failure is something we must accept as a part of the road we travel to success. This is a very important item and number one on the list because a lot of what stops people from pursuing success is their fear that they may fail and not reach their destination. When we embrace the fact that we will fail, and that is okay, then we have nothing to fear anymore. Instead, we keep our eyes open and pick ourselves up, adjust from the failure, and move on.
Failure is never failure unless you fail to learn something from it.
That’s right, we ought to stop calling these bumps in the road “failures” and start calling them “Learning Experiences!” When you fail, the first thing you should think is “What can I learn from this?” If you can pull just one idea out of that question, then the experience was worth it.
Sometimes failure is a blessing in disguise.Just ask the 3M Company. They were looking for an incredible adhesive and actually got a sticky paste that held, but not permanently. What a failure! No, instead, they spread some on the back of little sheets of yellow paper and called them “Post-It Notes.” Have some? I’m sure you do. The 3M company thanks you for rewarding their “failure.”
People won’t think poorly of you if you fail.This is perhaps the biggest myth, and the one that causes us to never attempt our dreams. We don’t try because of what Aunt Martha may say about us at the family reunion. The truth is, however, that people will actually respect you for trying. The only thing I have found that people think poorly about you is if you handle yourself badly when you fail. Sore losers get the bad press, not people who attempt great things!
Failure isn’t the end but the beginning.
One of our greatest fears is that our whole world will collapse if we fail. Or at least the project will. The truth is that that rarely happens! Most of the time we can pick back up again, make some adjustments and be on our way! This is a new beginning. Now there is no need to go down the road you have already taken, so there is one less option you have to try on your new journey.
Sometimes we miss out on success because we quit in the middle of a problem and it becomes a failure instead of an obstacle we could have persevered through.
When people encounter trouble they have a tendency to quit. And then they see themselves as having failed. My question is this: What if they would have kept on going – persevered? Perhaps they would have struggled a bit and then broke free again. The failure happened only because they quit! So don’t give up – keep pushing – and perhaps you will see yourself through to victory!
The greatest thing to overcome is the fear of failure.
Most of the battle is right between our ears. It has been said that “we have nothing to fear but fear itself,” and that is true because in most of our “failures,” the end result is usually much less than we feared it would be. Yet in giving into fear and not trying, we suffer the ultimate consequence – no success! So begin to tell yourself the good stuff! Change the direction of your thinking and begin to see the possibilities of success, not failure.
Remember, properly looked at, failure can help you further your future!
Bonus:
Questions to ask yourself when you “fail”:What can I learn from this?What did I do right in this?Where did this go wrong?How can I start again?What resources do I need to make sure this doesn’t happen again?Then use the answers to these questions to plot your new course.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
SKILLS OF EXTRAORDINARY LEADERS
What? You don’t think that you are a leader? You are! Everyone influences others to some degree. Now, you may not be a very good leader… but that is altogether a different story! Even if you are in need of some help in the leadership department, and we all are, here are some skills you can work on immediately to help you become the leader you want to be. Then you can influence those around you like never before!
1. Good Communicator. Extraordinary Leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internal, and own. Then, and only then, can they carry it out! So focus on speaking and writing more clearly, and with the passion that you have for the vision you have. Use different ways of communicating, including different ways verbally and non-verbally. Above all, communicate often!
2. "Sees" the End Result Long Before Others. I think the greatest compliment on my leadership skills I ever received came from a gentleman who told me that “you see things about 6 months before the rest of us.” Without tooting my own horn (okay, a little bit maybe…), that is a skill of a leader. They are always looking out ahead of themselves and their situations. Followers are worried about what happens today, while leaders are thinking about and strategizing about what they see for tomorrow. Be constantly looking ahead. Practice making projections. Get good at “seeing” the future. When you can do this better than others, they will look to you for leadership!
3. Ability to Define Goals for Self and Others. Do you know what your goals are? Can you define them? Can you articulate them clearly (see number one)? Can you do this for those who follow? Can you define and set their goals? A Extraordinary Leader works at clarity and definition of goals so that they can be internalized and acted upon by others. Work hard at this skill and others will follow!
4. Ability to Set Strategy and Course of Action. What will you do to reach the goal? Many people can say where we should go, but it is the Extraordinary Leader who can lay out a plan for everyone to get there! Work at laying out a plan for you and your followers. Remember that there are people with different skill and passion levels, and take this into account! Get good at this and when people want to get to their goals in a hurry, they will call on you to lead!
5. Ability to Teach Others. One of the greatest leadership development companies in the world has been General Electric. This is because their CEO, Jack Welch, has always emphasized the need for current leaders to teach others. He himself spends what others would consider an extraordinary amount of time in the classroom teaching. But remember, he is an Extraordinary Leader and he is developing Extraordinary Leaders to follow behind him. Work hard at your teaching techniques, and be sure to use as many situations as possible for the opportunity to teach those who would follow.
6. Ability to Inspire Others. You may have a great goal, but if you want to be an Extraordinary Leader, then you will have to put a little oomph under your followers! This is the ability to inspire! Work at helping them to see the big picture, the great end results, and how good it is going to be for them and others. Above all, make it exciting. If it is a good goal, it should be exciting. If it isn’t exciting, then dump it and get a goal that others can get excited about! (See the next article, the MFS Classic, for more on inspiring others)
7. Delegates. An Extraordinary Leader is rarely a person who is doing everything him or herself. Extraordinary Leaders get there job done through others. They figure out the way, communicate the way, and inspire the followers to go that way, and then they get OUT OF THE WAY! Delegate to your people. Empower them! Set them free to soar! This is what an Extraordinary Leader does. Leaders who do it any other way are just extraordinarily tired at the end of the day with very little to show for it!
1. Good Communicator. Extraordinary Leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internal, and own. Then, and only then, can they carry it out! So focus on speaking and writing more clearly, and with the passion that you have for the vision you have. Use different ways of communicating, including different ways verbally and non-verbally. Above all, communicate often!
2. "Sees" the End Result Long Before Others. I think the greatest compliment on my leadership skills I ever received came from a gentleman who told me that “you see things about 6 months before the rest of us.” Without tooting my own horn (okay, a little bit maybe…), that is a skill of a leader. They are always looking out ahead of themselves and their situations. Followers are worried about what happens today, while leaders are thinking about and strategizing about what they see for tomorrow. Be constantly looking ahead. Practice making projections. Get good at “seeing” the future. When you can do this better than others, they will look to you for leadership!
3. Ability to Define Goals for Self and Others. Do you know what your goals are? Can you define them? Can you articulate them clearly (see number one)? Can you do this for those who follow? Can you define and set their goals? A Extraordinary Leader works at clarity and definition of goals so that they can be internalized and acted upon by others. Work hard at this skill and others will follow!
4. Ability to Set Strategy and Course of Action. What will you do to reach the goal? Many people can say where we should go, but it is the Extraordinary Leader who can lay out a plan for everyone to get there! Work at laying out a plan for you and your followers. Remember that there are people with different skill and passion levels, and take this into account! Get good at this and when people want to get to their goals in a hurry, they will call on you to lead!
5. Ability to Teach Others. One of the greatest leadership development companies in the world has been General Electric. This is because their CEO, Jack Welch, has always emphasized the need for current leaders to teach others. He himself spends what others would consider an extraordinary amount of time in the classroom teaching. But remember, he is an Extraordinary Leader and he is developing Extraordinary Leaders to follow behind him. Work hard at your teaching techniques, and be sure to use as many situations as possible for the opportunity to teach those who would follow.
6. Ability to Inspire Others. You may have a great goal, but if you want to be an Extraordinary Leader, then you will have to put a little oomph under your followers! This is the ability to inspire! Work at helping them to see the big picture, the great end results, and how good it is going to be for them and others. Above all, make it exciting. If it is a good goal, it should be exciting. If it isn’t exciting, then dump it and get a goal that others can get excited about! (See the next article, the MFS Classic, for more on inspiring others)
7. Delegates. An Extraordinary Leader is rarely a person who is doing everything him or herself. Extraordinary Leaders get there job done through others. They figure out the way, communicate the way, and inspire the followers to go that way, and then they get OUT OF THE WAY! Delegate to your people. Empower them! Set them free to soar! This is what an Extraordinary Leader does. Leaders who do it any other way are just extraordinarily tired at the end of the day with very little to show for it!
Monday, June 8, 2009
FOUR OBSTACLES TO CLOSING
Fear of Failure
There are several other reasons why the end game of selling is stressful and difficult. First and foremost is the fear of failure experienced by the prospect. Because of negative buying experiences in the past, over which you could have no control, prospects are conditioned to be suspicious, skeptical and wary of salespeople and sales approaches. They may like to buy, but they don't like to be sold. They are afraid of making a mistake. They are afraid of paying too much and finding it for sale cheaper somewhere else. Fear of Criticism,They are afraid of being criticized by others for making the wrong buying decision. They are afraid of buying an inappropriate product and finding out later that they should have purchased something else. This fear of failure, of making a mistake in buying your product, is the major reason why people object, hesitate and procrastinate on the buying decision.
Fear of Rejection
The second major obstacle to selling is the fear of rejection, of criticism and disapproval experienced by the salesperson. You work long and hard to prospect and cultivate a prospective buyer and you are very reluctant to say anything that might cause the prospect to tune you out and turn you off. You have a lot invested in each prospect and if you are not careful, you will find yourself being wishy-washy at the end of the sale, rather than risking incurring the displeasure of the prospect by your asking for a firm decision.
Customers Are Busy
The third reason why the end of the sale is difficult is that customers are busy and preoccupied. It isn't that they are not interested in enjoying the benefits of your product. It's just that they are overwhelmed with work and they find it difficult to make sufficient time available to think through your recommendations and make a buying decision. And the better they are as a prospect, the busier they tend to be. This is why you need to maintain momentum throughout the sales process and gently push it to a conclusion at the appropriate time.
Inertia is Hard to Break
The factor of inertia is the fourth reason that can also cause the sales process to come to a halt without a resolution. Customers are lazy and often quite comfortable doing what they are currently doing. Your product or service may require that they make exceptional efforts to accommodate the change or a new way of doing things. They perhaps recognize that they would be better off with your product, but the trouble and expense of installing it hardly seems to make it worth the effort. They see no pressing need or urgency to stop doing what they are doing and start doing something else with what you are selling.
Everyone Buys at the Same Time
The good news is that everybody you meet has bought and will buy, new products and services from someone, at some time. If they didn't buy from you, they will from someone else. You must find the way to overcome the natural physical and psychological obstacles to buying and then hone your skills so that you are capable of selling to almost any qualified prospect you speak to.
Action Exercises
Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, recognize the normal fear of making a buying mistake experienced by the customer. Give him every reason you can think of to be confident in dealing with you.
Second, accept that everyone you talk to is busy and you are interrupting. Always ask if this is a good time for him to give you his undivided attention. If not, arrange to see him another time.
There are several other reasons why the end game of selling is stressful and difficult. First and foremost is the fear of failure experienced by the prospect. Because of negative buying experiences in the past, over which you could have no control, prospects are conditioned to be suspicious, skeptical and wary of salespeople and sales approaches. They may like to buy, but they don't like to be sold. They are afraid of making a mistake. They are afraid of paying too much and finding it for sale cheaper somewhere else. Fear of Criticism,They are afraid of being criticized by others for making the wrong buying decision. They are afraid of buying an inappropriate product and finding out later that they should have purchased something else. This fear of failure, of making a mistake in buying your product, is the major reason why people object, hesitate and procrastinate on the buying decision.
Fear of Rejection
The second major obstacle to selling is the fear of rejection, of criticism and disapproval experienced by the salesperson. You work long and hard to prospect and cultivate a prospective buyer and you are very reluctant to say anything that might cause the prospect to tune you out and turn you off. You have a lot invested in each prospect and if you are not careful, you will find yourself being wishy-washy at the end of the sale, rather than risking incurring the displeasure of the prospect by your asking for a firm decision.
Customers Are Busy
The third reason why the end of the sale is difficult is that customers are busy and preoccupied. It isn't that they are not interested in enjoying the benefits of your product. It's just that they are overwhelmed with work and they find it difficult to make sufficient time available to think through your recommendations and make a buying decision. And the better they are as a prospect, the busier they tend to be. This is why you need to maintain momentum throughout the sales process and gently push it to a conclusion at the appropriate time.
Inertia is Hard to Break
The factor of inertia is the fourth reason that can also cause the sales process to come to a halt without a resolution. Customers are lazy and often quite comfortable doing what they are currently doing. Your product or service may require that they make exceptional efforts to accommodate the change or a new way of doing things. They perhaps recognize that they would be better off with your product, but the trouble and expense of installing it hardly seems to make it worth the effort. They see no pressing need or urgency to stop doing what they are doing and start doing something else with what you are selling.
Everyone Buys at the Same Time
The good news is that everybody you meet has bought and will buy, new products and services from someone, at some time. If they didn't buy from you, they will from someone else. You must find the way to overcome the natural physical and psychological obstacles to buying and then hone your skills so that you are capable of selling to almost any qualified prospect you speak to.
Action Exercises
Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, recognize the normal fear of making a buying mistake experienced by the customer. Give him every reason you can think of to be confident in dealing with you.
Second, accept that everyone you talk to is busy and you are interrupting. Always ask if this is a good time for him to give you his undivided attention. If not, arrange to see him another time.
Friday, June 5, 2009
GET CUSTOMERS TO SELL FOR YOU
Why People Buy
Fully 84 percent of sales in America take place as the result of word-of-mouth advertising. Some of the most important sales promotion and sales activities are those that take place between customers and prospects, between friends and colleagues, in the form of advice and recommendations on what to buy, or not buy, and who to buy from.
Join the Top 10%
The only way that you can be among the top ten percent of salespeople in your industry is by having your existing customers selling for you on every occasion. Because of the importance of mega-credibility in selling, your customers must be happy to open doors to new customers for you wherever they go.
Never Prospect Again
All top salespeople eventually reach the point where they seldom have to prospect because their customers do much of their selling for them. When you live your life consistent with your personal and business mission statements, both fitting together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, your sales career will soar, as will your sales results and your earnings.
Be Clear About Who You Are
One important point with regard to vision, values and mission statements: be gentle with yourself. It has taken you your whole life to become the person you are today. If you are like everyone else, you are not perfect. You have lots of room to grow and improve. There are many changes that you can make in your character and personality in the course of becoming the excellent human being that you aspire to. But change in your personality will not come easily, and it won't come overnight. You must be patient.
Persist Until You Succeed
The reason that people grow and become better and better over the course of time, is because they persist gently in the direction of their goals and dreams. They don't expect overnight transformations. When they don't see results immediately, they don't get discouraged. They just keep on keeping on. And you must do the same.
Put Your Ideas Into Action
Once you have a clear idea of the person you want to be and the kind of life and career you want to create, just take the first step. Read your mission statements every day as you go about your activities, think of the different ways that you could practice the virtues and qualities that you are in the process of incorporating into your own personality. Remember, it is only your actions with regard to other people that really demonstrate the kind of person you have become. And if you persist long enough, you will eventually shape yourself into the exact person that you have imagined.
Action Exercises
First, treat every customer as if he is going to be a great source of word-of-mouth advertising for you. Remember that every person knows about 300 other people.
Second, resolve to become better and better in your dealings with others but be gentle with yourself. Behave every day in every way the best you can be and you will be sure to get results.
Fully 84 percent of sales in America take place as the result of word-of-mouth advertising. Some of the most important sales promotion and sales activities are those that take place between customers and prospects, between friends and colleagues, in the form of advice and recommendations on what to buy, or not buy, and who to buy from.
Join the Top 10%
The only way that you can be among the top ten percent of salespeople in your industry is by having your existing customers selling for you on every occasion. Because of the importance of mega-credibility in selling, your customers must be happy to open doors to new customers for you wherever they go.
Never Prospect Again
All top salespeople eventually reach the point where they seldom have to prospect because their customers do much of their selling for them. When you live your life consistent with your personal and business mission statements, both fitting together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, your sales career will soar, as will your sales results and your earnings.
Be Clear About Who You Are
One important point with regard to vision, values and mission statements: be gentle with yourself. It has taken you your whole life to become the person you are today. If you are like everyone else, you are not perfect. You have lots of room to grow and improve. There are many changes that you can make in your character and personality in the course of becoming the excellent human being that you aspire to. But change in your personality will not come easily, and it won't come overnight. You must be patient.
Persist Until You Succeed
The reason that people grow and become better and better over the course of time, is because they persist gently in the direction of their goals and dreams. They don't expect overnight transformations. When they don't see results immediately, they don't get discouraged. They just keep on keeping on. And you must do the same.
Put Your Ideas Into Action
Once you have a clear idea of the person you want to be and the kind of life and career you want to create, just take the first step. Read your mission statements every day as you go about your activities, think of the different ways that you could practice the virtues and qualities that you are in the process of incorporating into your own personality. Remember, it is only your actions with regard to other people that really demonstrate the kind of person you have become. And if you persist long enough, you will eventually shape yourself into the exact person that you have imagined.
Action Exercises
First, treat every customer as if he is going to be a great source of word-of-mouth advertising for you. Remember that every person knows about 300 other people.
Second, resolve to become better and better in your dealings with others but be gentle with yourself. Behave every day in every way the best you can be and you will be sure to get results.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
IGNITE YOUR LIFE!
Where have you come from in the last year? What have you accomplished? Don’t like the answers? Wish you had better ones, more fulfilling ones? You can - just one year from now!
You have within yourself the power to decide that when someone asks you just one year from now, “What did you accomplish in the last year?” you will respond, “Let me tell you - I was on fire!”
You aren’t getting any younger, and neither am I. If nothing changes, next year you will be one year older and still stuck in the rut wondering when you will achieve your dreams. But you can change!
Here are some thoughts to apply so that you can take control of your world and ignite your life!
Decide what you want over the next year.
What is it - exactly? You will never pursue it, nor get it, if you do not know what “it” is. Crystallize it in your mind. See it. Know it.
Put some sort of physical reminder where you will see it every day.
Maybe you want to lose weight. Put a picture of someone who looks the way you want to, or perhaps a picture of yourself from when you weighed what you want to weigh again. This will keep it in your mind each and every day.
Increase your positive self-talk.
Stop telling yourself negative things, and I include thoughts, not just verbal talk. Instead, start telling yourself positive things. “But Chris, those thoughts just run around in my head. I don’t put them there!” Well, catch them. Take them captive and throw them out! When you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, stop and ask yourself what the exact opposite would be. Then begin to think it. Let the positive thought expand and take over the terrain of your mind the same way the negative thought would have before you ran it out of town!
Act.
Yes, act. I don’t mean join a theater group. I mean get some action going in your life. Want to get out of debt? Ask the boss for 5 hours of overtime a week. Over a year that would be 250 hours (I give you two weeks for vacation. Aren’t I nice?). If you normally make $15 an hour, you will make $30 (or something like that - go with me here). $30 multiplied by 250 is $7500. Your action will move you toward your goal. Worrying about money won’t. If you want to lose weight, go to the gym on a set schedule. Whatever you do - act! Just make the action something that will propel you toward your goal.
If you do the above - if you decide what you want, put a physical reminder of it where you will see it, increase your positive self-talk and take actions that will propel you toward your goals, you will ignite your life! And next year when someone asks how you have been your eyes will light up and you will boldly say, “Man, I have been on fire! Let me tell you all about it…”
You have within yourself the power to decide that when someone asks you just one year from now, “What did you accomplish in the last year?” you will respond, “Let me tell you - I was on fire!”
You aren’t getting any younger, and neither am I. If nothing changes, next year you will be one year older and still stuck in the rut wondering when you will achieve your dreams. But you can change!
Here are some thoughts to apply so that you can take control of your world and ignite your life!
Decide what you want over the next year.
What is it - exactly? You will never pursue it, nor get it, if you do not know what “it” is. Crystallize it in your mind. See it. Know it.
Put some sort of physical reminder where you will see it every day.
Maybe you want to lose weight. Put a picture of someone who looks the way you want to, or perhaps a picture of yourself from when you weighed what you want to weigh again. This will keep it in your mind each and every day.
Increase your positive self-talk.
Stop telling yourself negative things, and I include thoughts, not just verbal talk. Instead, start telling yourself positive things. “But Chris, those thoughts just run around in my head. I don’t put them there!” Well, catch them. Take them captive and throw them out! When you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, stop and ask yourself what the exact opposite would be. Then begin to think it. Let the positive thought expand and take over the terrain of your mind the same way the negative thought would have before you ran it out of town!
Act.
Yes, act. I don’t mean join a theater group. I mean get some action going in your life. Want to get out of debt? Ask the boss for 5 hours of overtime a week. Over a year that would be 250 hours (I give you two weeks for vacation. Aren’t I nice?). If you normally make $15 an hour, you will make $30 (or something like that - go with me here). $30 multiplied by 250 is $7500. Your action will move you toward your goal. Worrying about money won’t. If you want to lose weight, go to the gym on a set schedule. Whatever you do - act! Just make the action something that will propel you toward your goal.
If you do the above - if you decide what you want, put a physical reminder of it where you will see it, increase your positive self-talk and take actions that will propel you toward your goals, you will ignite your life! And next year when someone asks how you have been your eyes will light up and you will boldly say, “Man, I have been on fire! Let me tell you all about it…”
Monday, June 1, 2009
HOW TO ACHIEVE THE SUCCESS YOU ALWAYS WANTED
It seems to me that Americans are deeply unsure of our ability to create the life we actually want. This confusion afflicts others around the world, but I suspect Americans feel it specifically and acutely.We've long battled over "nature vs. nurture." How much of our life is "born into us" or genetically controlled? And, how much of life is shaped by our parents, our childhood, our schools and training, our personal choices? We love the quote that "it's never too late to become the person you always dreamed of becoming." But we also know the quote, "There are no second acts in American life." We remember, "You can't teach and old dog new tricks," and contrast it with Robert Schuller's more hopeful, "We become what we think about all day long."Perhaps the most painful conflicts are from our personal experience. We have all changed in major, dramatic and permanent ways. We learn new skills or have an "Aha!" moment and we are never the same. Sometimes one new piece of information or key idea changes everything! One brief conversation, and sometimes it's not even a conversation but a phrase, a picture, or a word, and our lives change. It happens and we know it!But we also know that "old habits die hard." We make New Year's Resolutions until they've become a sad joke. We read books, set goals, take classes, get coaching, and still old habits haunt our lives. We over-spend or over-eat. We exercise too little, save too little, give too little. We chronically "over-schedule" our time and wonder why our lives are stressed, hectic, busy and unfulfilled, complaining that we "can't change."So, how about it? Do people change? Of course we do! All the time and in many, many ways. And, sadly, of course we do not change. We plow blindly ahead and become the "Fast Food Nation" immersed in foolish debt, or the person who dies with "their music still inside them."What are the key pieces that allow some people to "invent themselves?" Some people "invent themselves" over and over, moving from one achievement to another, learning the skills and living the life of their dreams. I think there are four absolute fundamentals. These are key essentials that I look for in every new client I agree to coach because I am convinced they determine our ability to change and grow in the ways we desire.
1. First, an absolute sense of Positive Self-Direction. This is partly confidence (sometimes almost a sense of cockiness) that "I can and will change." Some people doubt they can change, believing other people, or something outside themselves is running their life. I look for a positive, active, eager sense that "this is my life and I'm in charge," an attitude that says, "It's my life and I will do this."
2. Second, knowing precisely WHAT they want. Many people seek changes that are vague, unclear or general. They want to "feel better" or "have more." People change when they quantify and measure the outcome (results) they seek.
3.Third, knowing HOW to do the thing they desire. Living well is a skill. None of us were born knowing how to drive a car, make love, raise kids or build a business. Some of us think we know "how" when in fact we're still using old, failed or ineffective strategies and hoping that somehow, someday, we'll get "lucky." Successful people seek out the best teachers, models, coaches, and classes. They constantly seek new skills and better tools because "success leaves clues." Winners are the world's best "copy cats." They do what other winners have done to get similar (or better!) results.
4. Fourth (and most important), winners use SYSTEMS to make them do what they want to do. Most of us have "systems" that encourage watching television after dinner--perhaps after that extra desert! Many of us have "systems" that encourage us to dream but not to act. Winners are accountable to stockholders, a Board of Directors, a partner, coach or MasterMind team. They create schedules or other automatic SYSTEMS to help them focus, act and persist until new habits are firmly implanted.Can you make the changes you want in your life? Of course you can! You've changed in the past and you can (and will) change in the future. The keys to making the positive, powerful changes you desire are maintaining a sense of Positive Self-Direction, deciding WHAT you want, learning HOW to do it, and creating a SYSTEM to get there. It can be done and you can do it!
Quotes of the Week
"The thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint the canvas of our lives." -- Louise Hay
"A moment of choice is a moment of truth. It's the testing point of our character and competence." -- Stephen Covey
"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." -- Zig Ziglar
"Trust that still, small voice that says, This might work and I'll try it." -- Diane Mariechild
1. First, an absolute sense of Positive Self-Direction. This is partly confidence (sometimes almost a sense of cockiness) that "I can and will change." Some people doubt they can change, believing other people, or something outside themselves is running their life. I look for a positive, active, eager sense that "this is my life and I'm in charge," an attitude that says, "It's my life and I will do this."
2. Second, knowing precisely WHAT they want. Many people seek changes that are vague, unclear or general. They want to "feel better" or "have more." People change when they quantify and measure the outcome (results) they seek.
3.Third, knowing HOW to do the thing they desire. Living well is a skill. None of us were born knowing how to drive a car, make love, raise kids or build a business. Some of us think we know "how" when in fact we're still using old, failed or ineffective strategies and hoping that somehow, someday, we'll get "lucky." Successful people seek out the best teachers, models, coaches, and classes. They constantly seek new skills and better tools because "success leaves clues." Winners are the world's best "copy cats." They do what other winners have done to get similar (or better!) results.
4. Fourth (and most important), winners use SYSTEMS to make them do what they want to do. Most of us have "systems" that encourage watching television after dinner--perhaps after that extra desert! Many of us have "systems" that encourage us to dream but not to act. Winners are accountable to stockholders, a Board of Directors, a partner, coach or MasterMind team. They create schedules or other automatic SYSTEMS to help them focus, act and persist until new habits are firmly implanted.Can you make the changes you want in your life? Of course you can! You've changed in the past and you can (and will) change in the future. The keys to making the positive, powerful changes you desire are maintaining a sense of Positive Self-Direction, deciding WHAT you want, learning HOW to do it, and creating a SYSTEM to get there. It can be done and you can do it!
Quotes of the Week
"The thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint the canvas of our lives." -- Louise Hay
"A moment of choice is a moment of truth. It's the testing point of our character and competence." -- Stephen Covey
"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." -- Zig Ziglar
"Trust that still, small voice that says, This might work and I'll try it." -- Diane Mariechild
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