Mar 12
25
What are you afraid of?
Recently, I’ve taken a short sabbatical to rest and think. In this time, I’ve found that one of the biggest questions people ask me is “How do I deal with Fear”?
I decided to research this and to let you know what I’ve found. These results will be a personal reflection and an overview of the conversations that I’ve had over the last 120 days.
The results are heart wrenching, but very cleansing to the soul. I hope you will enjoy them.
We will add a topic each day for the next seven days for you to enjoy. Thanks for being a part of what we do here.
Have you ever wondered how many people achieve their sales goals and others don’t? It’s all about preparation and developing the routines and rituals that reinforce the actions that produce the goals.
The other day I was watching a golf tournament and I noticed something that reinforced my thoughts on this subject. The best players have a pre-shot routine that is unshakeable. They do the same things over and over again, each and every shot. Before the tee off, they go through their routine. When they get over the putt, they address the shot the same each time. We’ve all read the stories about the #1 golfer and the #100 golfer. The difference in stroke average can be very minor, but oh what a difference in the trips to the bank!
OK, so how does this relate to sales and my reaching my goals? It’s all about the preparation, the discipline, the ritual, and the action. You see, you must have a process that develops a ritual in your life and that ritual must be directly related to success. In order to do this, you must first:
- Have a clear and precise vision of your goal and what it looks like when you accomplish it. Remember, this is your goal and not someone else’s goal that was assigned to you.
- Understand why this goal is important to you. Again, goals are extremely personal and if you can’t get a clear picture of why this is important, then move on to your next goal.
- Develop a 5 step action plan for each specific goal. Be realistic about how the goal can be put into action. Some ideas might be adding a specific number of calls each day so I can grow my business. (If you don’t know your numbers, get your sales manager to help you. Knowing your numbers will give you a look at you and your business. Some examples are if I make 60 calls, it will result in 5 appointments. If I open an account, that account is worth $1,000 per year to me. You must know your numbers!) Other action steps could be I need to get to work earlier to get my day started. Another could be to vow to never eat alone or with a co-worker; always with a customer or prospect. (Read the book “Never Eat Alone” and get a real understanding of power networking.)
- Take your plans to your “Success Partner” and let them help keep you accountable. There is an old saying in sales management, inspect what you expect. Think of it this way. If you are not accountable to anyone, how hard will it be to change? If you went home today and your son said to you, “What did you get accomplished today that will insure that I can go to college”, what would you say? Get the accountability clear now!
- Go to work. Take action, massive action. You see, a little action is never enough. If a little action is enough, then redo your goals. Think of it as your personal “Presidential Campaign”. Make things happen or you are out of the race. Take massive action!
- Repeat your actions and commitments each and every day. Make the actions you do become rituals. Rituals make actions easier; not easy. Get there quickly and see drastic change in your life’s outcome.
Rituals and routines are a part of Becoming Deliberate. Deliberate actions are the cornerstone to building a selling machine for yourself and your team. Build your rituals and routines now and enjoy that extra trip to the bank.
As we go through life, we all remember those little voices in our head that we attached to a belief somewhere in our life. This article is about getting them under control.
We remember those beliefs as:
- Never ask anyone about money.
- Eat all your food. Kids are starving in the world.
- You will never be able to make that. You don’t have enough training.
- You don’t know enough people. You’re too new to this town.
- Never be a pushy salesperson. They make people mad.
- Don’t trust anyone. Everyone lies.
- Never talk about religion. (What do missionaries talk about?)
- Mechanics rip off women every chance the get. Actually, that’s not true.
- You’ll never amount to anything if you don’t graduate from college. Ask Bill Gates?
- Millions more from all areas of our lives.
Ever heard these from someone you loved and trusted? I must say that I am lucky because I never heard all of these growing up, even though some were around. I was encouraged to think past the small town in South Carolina that was my home but never forget my roots.
Let’s attack the premise of “Limiting Beliefs” head on. Here are some tactics you can use today to help put these beliefs out of your mind.
- Create a clear picture of the opposite of the limiting belief. Here’s an example. Never ask anyone about money. Well, if you are in sales or own a business, then you know that “Money” is the key to your success. Many salespeople hit a block when they get to the money questions. To overcome this block, understand what will happen if you do talk with them about money. You’ll know if they can afford you, if they will buy your product, or in a personal experience if they can pay their bills and buy food for the week.
- Make sure you have clear and unshakable goals. If your goals are specific enough and have passed the SMART test, then any limiting belief can be looked at as just a passing thought. They are only a blip on the radar; a mere thought distraction. Keep your focus on your goals!
- Think about the consequences of doing exactly what the “limiting belief” is telling you. Life is about you taking the necessary steps to achieve happiness. For a lot of us, that may be harder than others. But happiness is a personal desire: no one can define it for you. Will you be happy if you believe all of those sayings in your head? Probably not and probably never will. Eliminate or minimize them so you can get on with your life.
- Create an absolutely ethical life for you and your family. Nothing will ever defeat the beliefs quicker than living an absolutely ethical life. Be an example, and never ever reduce your standards to those of someone else.
Now, you may be saying easier said than done. Ok, I understand that. Try to eliminate one at a time over a period of a week. That way you’re never overwhelmed with the process.
Work with your success partner and get them involved in helping you eliminate these beliefs. Help someone else with a project or offer encouragement. By offering to help or giving encouragement, you can develop a positive attitude toward the things in your personal life that are affecting your success.
Now as always this step takes action. Big and bold action works best. Here is an example for you:
- There is a person that I know who is struggling right now through a job crisis. It’s gone on for nearly 2 years as his 6 figure job got reduced to a 5 figure job to no job. His spouse refuses to work or make the necessary sacrifices to life to survive. Every day, they fight and throw digs at each other. It’s gotten so bad that his son now joins in the battle with Dad.
- As the family struggles, the Dad is developing his passion and the family is getting better. Having the courage to develop his passion is the only thing that will replace the limiting beliefs for both the Dad and the family.
What will you do today to develop your passion? Will you take the steps necessary to eliminate those beliefs? We hope so, and are pulling for you.
Remember; take the first step to your new life TODAY!
Aug 11
30
On Target or Just Passing Through…
Every year, we work very hard in December and January to establish our goals for the year. Many times, we hire consultants to help us create elaborate plans to make the family members and our managers say “Yes, we love it.” Then struggles begin and the day to day part of life or work takes over and our great strategic implementation plan is out the window.
Yearly goals, New Years Resolutions, Tasks, and Exercise programs are the most likely items to be pushed to the wayside when challenges occur. Our recourse is to fight back and push through until we finish the tasks we need to accomplish.
Keeping abreast of where you stand and then maintaining focus on your goals is paramount to making any person or business effective. How do you plan your actions to make sure they are on target?
So with this, we’ll assume that you goals are written down and have been tested against the SMART questions that make them real goals; not just dreams. If your goals are not written out and tested, start with that process as the key action step for you.
Here are some action steps you can take each and every day that will help you get “On Target”:
- Make sure you understand very clearly the goal you’ve set for yourself and what that specific goal means to you. If you are not 100% clear on the result of the accomplishment of the goal, then step back and relook at the goal. You must be absolutely clear on the reason for accomplishing the goal.
- Make an assessment of where you are in accomplishing your goals. Are you 20% done, or more like 50%? Knowing where you are in the process is another key to affecting your outcome.
- Are there sacrifices that you must make in order to accomplish what you want? So many times we think we understand the sacrifices and investments we need to make but we clearly miss the boat. Look again at the sacrifices and investments you need to accomplish your goals.
- Do you have a Success Partner committed to the same outcome as you are? This is one of the most important items you can do in your quest for goal accomplishment. Pick this person carefully. I suggest that you find someone going through the same things you are and with similar goals and outcomes. They really understand the struggles.
- Plan each and every day to make sure you minimize distractions. The day to day stuff will never go away, but if you never focus on the important items in your life, how will you become satisfied and eliminate frustration?
- Commit, commit, and then commit. They are your goals so make it personal!
Now we have talked, written, evaluated, and discussed our goals. The next and final step is to take deliberate actions: massive deliberate actions and the accomplishments will multiply accordingly. Massive actions include 10 extra minutes of walking, making 5 extra phone calls to reconnect with people, or even talking to you mentor about being better.
As Nike says, “Just Do It”.
Jul 11
28
The Power of “NO”
The Power of “NO”
Ever wondered what would happen if we started using the “NO” more each day?
We could say NO to those annoying calls from people that just interfere with our workday.
We could just say NO to eating lunch with people that are negative about everything; you know the ones that are in the break room.
We could just say NO to that wonderful Danish and eat some fruit instead. Personally I prefer Danish, but my body does not.
We could make sure to say NO to our kids when they want us to do something that they clearly should have done.
We could say NO to Facebook. I think this is painful to my wife.
And, last but not least, we could just say NO to the TV. Try it for a week and you’ll be surprised how much you don’t miss it.
After all of these NO’s, just think of all the time you’ll have to read, play with your kids, exercise, and spend time with your spouse. Isn’t Life Grand?
Jul 11
22
Keeping Your Work Life Simple…
Sounds like a fantasy, doesn’t it?
Well it could be or it could become a way of life for you. Every day we hear of ways that we can improve our days through relaxation, more control through planning, saying no, and countless others. All have some impact on us, but more importantly, we must control our BRAIN to get what we want.
Here are some simple things we can do to help us control our mind:
Have a real plan for each day. If you are a salesperson and have to prospect, then what’s your plan for accomplishing that? If you are a customer service rep and get an irate customer, is worth the hassle of taking the problem personally? I don’t mean don’t fix the problem, but remember, you didn’t cause it.
Create a resting place at work. Make sure that there is a place where you can relax your body and brain. Take a walk, sit quietly, but you have to find that place to relax.
Exercise. OK, you’ve heard that before, right. It does eliminate stress in your life!
If you have the worst working conditions, either physical or full of abuse, get out. If you are a great employee, your boss will not let you leave. If he does, then someone is ready to find you, most likely a competitor.
I can only hope these items will help you simplify your work life. Let us know what works for you.
Feb 11
28
Enlarge Your Territory
Wow, what a thought. Only if we can do it?
Enlarging your territory is not a new concept. We’ve been talking about doing it for years. How can we get this massive task broken down into steps so we can our hands around it? Let’s start at the beginning.
What’s your greatest passion? What do you desire everyday in your faith, family, relationships, health, and more? Let’s get started with just one: relationships. This can be your model for the others.
Take a moment and develop a list of people that you want to start a relationship. Think about each one and then start listing why they would respond to you. Take a majical step forward and reach out to each person on the list. Explain to them why you are calling and ask them if they would be willing to start a relationship with you. It’s much like asking for a date, but without the romance. Keep your promise to them. Accept their decision to engage with you or not. Also remember, some will. some won’t. So be prepared. Make sure you can ask for help.
Good luck to you in this and keep asking.
Every once in a while, life slaps you right in the face. Reality sets in and it scares you into deep thinking. This week, I got a double slap!
It was a normal week as it started out; just working and making things happen as I always do. Then as the day continued it got worse. Through a network of people, I heard that 2 people had died earlier in the week. This was after a father of one of the kids on the soccer team I coach had died the week before. Isn’t it strange that more people seem to die around the holidays? My Dad died on New Year’s Day, a close friend died near Thanksgiving, and another person special to my wife died a week before Thanksgiving.
Ok, I’m not talking about mortality. I’m talking about relationships. I can remember when relationships were important and not so complicated. When we were a kid, we argued and then shared ice cream together. Today, this might not happen.
I’d tell you to think like this:
- If you are 50 years old, and you’ve move away from the town you grew up in, you may not realize that you have limited time to keep your relationships.
- If you see someone 1 time a year and talk to them very little, you have approximately 30 more times that you’ll connect with them. That is if you live to be 80!
- If you speak to your children each week just once a week, then that’s only 52 times a year. When they were younger, you may have spoken with them 52 times in one day. Step it up, it will make your life and theirs stronger.
- Use everything you can to make your relationships stronger. Facebook, Linkedin, and a thousand other things will work wonders.
I am trying to act as I preach so here are some items that you can do to change the relationships.
I have reconnected with 4 people from my high school class. It was a deliberate action that has made me very nervous. Guess what? It might make me a better person. It’s called walking slowly.
I am going to visit these people in the next 12 months. I have no idea what the outcome will be, but it will be start.
I have apologized to everyone I can if I have ignored them in the past. It gets a unusual response but it also helps bridge the gap.
Make today special; think about the number of times that you can do something with someone and commit to doubling the total times that you are together. Do it over and over again. Fill your life’s bucket and drink!
May 10
5
Finish Your Tasks Daily. Sure!
Ever wondered how they do it; those ultra efficient people who have 20 tasks to do each day and do most all of them. I know one thing; I battle each and every day to accomplish my 6-10 tasks. There are so many interruptions in my life that I have reduced my “must do’s” to 6 each day.
Here are some tips you can use to make sure that every important task is accomplished:
1. Decide what important means to you. If it’s not absolutely essential then is really important!
2. Prioritize your tasks for tomorrow today while each task is fresh in your mind.
3. Re-prioritize your tasks as you finish a task on your list. As you day progresses some other task may have more meaning to you.
4. Give yourself a moment of gratitude as you accomplish each task. Nothing is more fulfilling as a task completed to a task master!
5. If you fall short today, then move on to tomorrow. Never penalize yourself for being very busy.
6. Make your task list today for tomorrow. It is the sign of an organized person to have tasks identified for the month in advance. Then the tasks are just integrated daily throughout the month.
7. Most of all, work to accomplish most of your tasks. It relieves stress and will help you get closer to all of your goals.
Decide to be different each and every day! Have your goals identified and then assign the tasks required to accomplish those specific goals.
The future is yours: reach out and grab it!
Apr 10
26
Own Your Future Every Moment
This weekend in the South, we experienced a rash of tornadoes. Some 12 people were killed and hundreds of houses were destroyed. The Chief of Police in a small town in Alabama was trapped as his house collapsed in moment around him.
What’s this all got to do with your Goals and Dreams? Everything!
Think of it as a warning shot, a wake up call. If you are deliberate in all of your actions, what could you accomplish in your life? If you have no goals and just a few dreams that you’ll never act upon, why?
Clear your thoughts for a moment and focus on these tips to “Own Your Future”:
- Decide what is most important to you. Write it down and review it each and every day!
- Picture your happiest moments with what that is most important. Get clarity on what that looks like.
- Do everything you can each and everyday to enjoy the most important things in your life. Each and every day!
Get serious and live life to the fullest. The future will be yours!