See What You Cannot See

Most high achievers are self indulgent. They think they are special and they intentionally behave in a manner that eliminates any doubt about their high self image. Good for them. A high dose of self esteem is required.

Most high achievers not only think a lot of themselves but they also have an attribute that separates them from their contemporaries. And this attribute is one of the most important qualities they have. They believe in the unseen! They believe in something bigger than themselves. This makes them vulnerable in the eyes of most people but it is this quality that separates them from everybody else and serves to make them special. In this respect, they really are different.

Whatever you are endeavoring to do, you must accept the reality that your actions, everyday, will have a compounding effect on the outcome. Even though you probably cannot see the results immediately, believe in the unseen by doing something productive on a day to day basis that will contribute to accomplishing your goals by moving the process forward, independent of the measure of achievement made. Rome really was not built in a day and you MUST believe that your actions, however insignificant they may seem at the time, are serving to building a momentum that is getting stronger and stronger. You cannot see the wind but you can feel the effects. Believe in what you cannot see and understand that dynamically the things that are required to assist you in your quest are lining up, in perfect order, and your success is not a matter of if but a matter of when and how much. Stay the course and believe.

Repetition

There were six wooden dining room chairs and all were lacking a cosmetic finish. These chairs were purchased without a finish so they could be customized with a unique finish. I had established a plan and a preliminary process. Each chair had to be sanded smooth, then stained with one shade, allowed to dry, then stained with another shade, then sealed with a clear lacquer. After the second or third chair, I had learned the parts of the process that were going to be more challenging. Sanding and staining between the slats that made up the back of the chairs was especially difficult and time consuming, therefore that is what I did first. Once I progressed to the sixth and final chair, I had the process down and was able to complete the last chair in less than half of the time it took to complete the first. The repetition had been a great teacher.

And thus it is in our business life of selling. Sales is a repetitive business in terms of acquiring and growing clients. This does not suggest that the same solution is the answer for every individual prospect or client, but the steps necessary to obtain new clients and grow business from existing clients, look very similar to the steps you have learned by "doing." Do the same things over and over and get better at mastering those critical-similar-steps, then increase the pace at which you take the steps and watch your business grow. Do the hard things first and then stay committed to the process that you learned by doing. Then, do it over and over and over and over again. The repetition is a great teacher and the key to increased production.

The chairs turned out beautiful!

Into the Wind

Airplanes take off into the wind and birds use the force of the wind, as they are heading into it, to
remain in flight with reduced effort. The wind acts as a lifting force for airplanes even though there is a substantial resistance moving forward. Every airplane consumes the greatest amount of fuel-per-foot-advanced during takeoff. It is the first advance, in getting off the ground from a stationary position, that requires the greatest amount of thrust from the airplane engines and effort from the birds resulting in the greatest demand for fuel! Once aloft, the issue is maintaining forward momentum and staying on course, but neither of those objectives are issues until the plane and the birds are off the ground.

What a great lesson this is. When we are embarking on either a large project or our daily plan, it is getting up and getting going that requires the greatest amount of emotional and focused commitment. You are going to be heading into the winds of the challenge on a regular basis and what will play a large part in your ultimate success, is your unwavering determination to get going no matter how strong the forces of resistance are. The very best thing you can do is to get going no matter what. Once you do, you will find that the task will become much easier to manage and you can see the end result more clearly the higher in altitude you climb.

Everybody is in Sales

Everyone in the organization is in sales. While most of the job descriptions in all companies do not specifically state that a required function of a job is to sell, the underlying reality is that if people don't sell they, nor the organization will not progress. Everyday we are in situations that require us to persuade others, either by actions or by words, to do something that will help. Everyone is constantly "selling" themselves or their desires or their ideas regardless of their position. This is accomplished either by example when they perform their duties well or by influencing others by their statements. One of the very important people that do much of the heavy-lifting setting the stage for indirect selling, is the individual that answers the telephone or greets people when they come in the office. An employee on an assembly line is selling the quality of the product when they make sure their work is of the highest quality.

Successful salespeople by definition are those determined individuals that proactively interact with clients and prospects in an effort to sell their products or services. But they are only going to be successful in this vital function, if everyone in the entire company understands, that without a team selling culture, the committed-sale is lost before the sales person walks in the door. Everybody is in sales!

Visit The Value

Value is a noun and it is essentially what you have to offer. Value, in reality, may be all you have to offer in the eye of the customer and prospect. Value is something that you can position as a unique "thing" in its entirety or in its' degree of differentiation. Perhaps you offer something so unique that no other provider can match your offering or perhaps you add a measure of difference significant enough to demonstratively separate your product or service from your competition. Your task is to know the value inside and out. Start by learning as much as you can because product knowledge is paramount to your ability to both position your value and overcome the objections during the sales process.

Value is the "thing" that demands continuos internal evaluation. Consider this: While you may not see anything that obviously needs improvement, you are typically not employing your value, with the same risks, the same way as your customers are. Each and every time your customers employ your value they are making a value-judgement and as a result are moving closer or farther away from your valued relationship and necessary commitment. The "Value" can be improved only by actively researching where the "Value" currently stands. Then you must define what needs to be done to measurably improve the "value". Always ask "why" first then move on from there. Visit the "Value" it is some of the most valuable time you can invest.