SELF IDEA

What is your ideal vision of the very best person you could possibly become? How would you behave each day if you were already that person? Asking yourself these questions and then living your life consistent with the answers is the first step to creating yourself in your ideal image.

Your self-concept is made up of three parts, each of which affects each of the others. Understanding these three parts enables you to put your hands on the keyboard of your own mental computer. When you learn to take charge of the development of a new and positive self-concept of selling, you can then control your sales destiny for the rest of your career.

Determine Your Direction

The first part of the self-concept is the "self-ideal." Your self-ideal largely determines the direction in which you are going with your life. It guides the growth and evolution of your character and personality. Your self-ideal is a combination of all of the qualities and attributes of other people that you most admire. Your self-ideal is a description of the person you would very much like to be if you could embody the qualities that you most aspire to.

Strive Toward Excellence

Throughout your life, you have seen and read about the qualities of courage, confidence, compassion, love, fortitude, perseverance, patience, forgiveness and integrity. Over time, these qualities have instilled in you an ideal to which you aspire. You might not always live up to the very best that you know, but you are constantly striving to be a better person in light of those qualities that you value so highly. In fact, everything that you do on a day-to-day basis is affected by you comparing your activities with these ideal qualities and striving to behave consistently with them.

Clarity is Essential

Successful salespeople have very clear ideals for themselves and their careers. Unsuccessful salespeople have fuzzy ideals. Successful salespeople are very clear about being excellent in every part of their work and their personal lives. Unsuccessful sales people don't give the subject very much thought. One of the primary characteristics of successful men and women in every walk of life is that they have very clearly defined ideals and they are very aware of whether or not their current behaviors are consistent with their idealized behaviors.

Set Challenging Goals

Part of your ideals are your goals. As you set higher and more challenging goals, your self-ideal improves and crystallizes. When you set goals for the kind of person you want to be and the kind of life you want to live, your self-ideal rises and becomes a greater guiding and motivating force in your life.

Your Future is Unlimited

Perhaps the most important thing for you to realize is that whatever anyone else has done or become, you can do or become as well. Improvements in your self-ideal begin in your imagination, and in your imagination, there are no limits except the ones that you accept.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, dream big dreams. Set big, exciting, challenging goals and ideals for yourself in every part of your life. Allow yourself to imagine a wonderful life ahead.

Second, think about how you would act if you were an outstanding person in every way. Then, practice being this person, as though you were acting a role in a play. You'll immediately notice a difference in your behavior.

BUILD YOUR BUSINESS ON SERVICE

I want to sing the praises of two local businesses. You
probably have similar examples where you live, but in
Eugene two local businesses dominate their markets not
because of what they sell, but because of what they give
away.
One is a golf shop called "Fiddler's Green." The story is
that Mr. Whalen had a heart attack and was advised to quit
his job, so he found some land and opened a store. Now a
few years later, they are one of the largest golf equipment
and apparel shops in the world! People drive from all over
to shop, and tourists make a point to stop at "Fid's".
Here's my story:  I bought a golf bag and used it for over
two years until the carry strap broke. I liked the bag and
wanted to buy another one. Instead, when I took it in, Al
cheerfully replaced it for free! Did he lose money on that
deal? Of course he did. Did he gain a life-time customer?
Yes, he did.
How about your local hardware store? Here in Eugene,
everyone shops at "Jerry's."  A few years ago, they drove
one large national chain out of town, and they still give
Home Depot a run for every dollar. How? Through service,
support, and experts to answer customer questions. Jerry's
hires dozens of retired plumbers, carpenters, contractors
and painters to answer customer questions. You can't beat
that!
Lots of places sell tools and plumbing supplies, but nobody
competes with Jerry's for service and support. Last
Saturday I actually had to wait to get into the parking
lot!
What's the point? Simply this:  We do business with people
we like, with people we trust, and with people who have
demonstrated a willingness to go the extra mile. That's the
value of providing great service!

THE VALUE OF DISCOURAGEMENT

Recently, I've received a number of emails from people
asking how they can motivate themselves and push forward
when they are discouraged. Sometimes the writer describes
it as depression, other times they use words like
frustration, or feeling "stuck" and they want to know how
to turn things around. That's a great question!
We all feel discouraged or frustrated or "stuck" at times.
Whether it's being at our "wits end" with our kids or being
scared that a business venture won't work out, or confused
by our own behavior about something we want but seem unable
to achieve, we all have these feelings!
Unfortunately, one of the first things I notice is that
many people ask themselves terrible questions! They ask
"Why am I so stuck?" or, "Why does this always happen to
me?" Notice the assumptions they make about being "so"
stuck and that this sense of discouragement or frustration
"always" happens.  With questions like that, no wonder they
stay stuck!
A much better question is, "How do highly successful people
handle these experiences and get back on track?"
Here are a few of my observations about how successful
people handle the roadblocks and frustrations of life.
1.  First, they acknowledge that what they are doing isn't
working, and they stop to catch their breath. They do NOT
beat their head against a wall! Take a break! Get some
objectivity and relax a bit. When you're discouraged,
frustrated, depressed or stuck, be honest enough to say,
"this isn't working" and give yourself a rest.
2.  Second, they get curious. They want to understand
exactly what's happening. Often, the first step to a cure
is an accurate diagnosis of the problem! There is a huge
difference between being discouraged (it may be time for a
vacation or a new perspective), verses depression (it may
be time to see a doctor or at least get some exercise).
Frustration, on the other hand, is the firm belief that my
goal is entirely possible, it's just not happening fast
enough!
3.  They double-check their values and highest aspirations.
Often we are frustrated because our goal is not consistent
with our values. Sometimes we sabotage or procrastinate
because deep inside we don't truly want what we say we
want. Human beings can achieve amazing results when they
are totally committed. Unfortunately, we are also capable
of fooling ourselves about this.
4.  They ask great questions. They ask, "What worked for me
in the past?" or "How have other people solved this
problem?" They consult with experts, read books, search the
Internet, and find answers that can help them move forward. 
If nothing else, they ask, "What crazy, off-the-wall thing
could I try just for fun?" 
5.  They take DIFFERENT action. After checking their
values, perhaps taking a short rest, and asking great
questions, successful people do something different than
what they were doing. They try another way. They hire an
assistant or a consultant. They develop a new strategy or
change their approach. 
I've come to believe that discouragement, a sense of
impending failure, and especially frustration are actually
very useful "early warning signs." They are the brain's way
of telling us our objective is reachable, but that we are
going about it the wrong way. These normal experiences tell
us to step back, get perspective, take a deep breath, and
think clearly! Strategize. Be creative. Ask better
questions.
And most important, clarify your values and be certain they
support you in achieving your goal. I think ambivalence is
perhaps the greatest source of discouragement. We want more
money, but don't want to be away from home. We want to lose
weight, but enjoy eating too much. Get clear!
When our values align with our goals, and we ask the right
questions, anything is possible! Use discouragement to your
advantage! It's your brain telling you to pause, develop a
better strategy, and work smarter rather than harder.

DEFY THE SUMMER SLUMP!

Recently, I've been reading an unusual number of stories
about how the economy remains slow, the recovery is
undermined by terrorism and debt, and most recently I've
been hearing about businesses "accepting the realities of a
summer slump." That's appalling!
Most IMPACT readers are either professionals or business
owners that provide goods and services people need all year
round. Why would any business "settle" for a slow season?
Yes, of course, both employees and customers are more
likely to take vacations, and of course there is the
"problem" of nice weather and summer travel. But people
still need legal and accounting services. And, all that
hiking, swimming and yard work increases the need for
Chiropractic services, and all that travel increases the
need for insurance, auto services and picnic supplies.  How
can your business capitalize on these things?
For myself, I've often scaled back a bit in the summer, but
this year I'm "rebelling" and will actually expand my
services a bit. I'll be doing more speaking than usual, and
even work with a couple more clients than in past summers.
Reach out to your audience, market in smart ways, provide
extraordinary service, and focus on the things your
customers really need. It gives you a tremendous edge!
While your competition is on vacation, why not gear up?
Review your plans, invest in yourself and your business,
and (along with taking some time off, and a getting bit of
sunshine) make this your most profitable summer ever!

THE INVITATIONAL CLOSING TECHNIQUE

Everyone knows that the Invitational Close is a simple, yet low-key, classy, and powerful way to conclude the transaction. But how do you do it well?

The Invitational Close is preceded by a Trial Close such as: "Mr. Prospect, do you have any questions or concerns that I haven't covered up to now?" Or, "Mr. Prospect, does this make sense to you, so far?"

Probe for Lingering Objections

You ask these questions to be doubly sure that the prospect has no final objections lurking in the back of his mind that would block the closing of the sales process. You then invite the customer to make a buying decision by saying, "If you like what I've shown you, why don't you give it a try?"

Invite the Customer to Buy

Inviting the customer to buy is very powerful. This is a gentle way of nudging the customer into taking action. "Why don't you give it a try?" If you are selling services, you can ask, "Why don't you give us a try?" If you want to be more bold and direct, you can simply ask, "Why don't you take it?"

Change Your Wording

One of my seminar graduates doubled his sales by changing his words in the endgame of selling. After his sales presentation he would ask the prospect if he had any additional questions or concerns. If the prospect said "no," he would then ask, "Well, if you like it, why don't you take it?"

He was amazed to find that many prospects could not think of a good reason not to go ahead with his offering immediately. Both his closing ratio and his income soared.

Action Exercises

Here is something you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

The next time you complete your sales presentation, simply issue an invitation to the customer to make a decision. "Why don't you give it a try?"

You may be surprised at your success.