Words

Sales Man Up

Words

You can change your world by changing your words...remember, death and life are in the power of the tongue. - Joel Osteen

Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.  - Napoleon Hill


Have you ever contemplated the power that exists within the words that we speak ?
Further yet, have you thought about how words can either make or break your business life or career ?  How important are words within our personal relationships? The right words can build and infuse hope and love, where the wrong words can cause hurt, pain, and separation. How many of us, as adults, remember good or bad things spoken over us as children ? The words we speak can open up doors of opportunity or cause slam them in our faces. Those that learn to use words wisely, crafting them with care and selecting them with watchful diligence ; can become skilled captains of their ship in navigating through the tempests of  the world and business alike.

As a sales professional, it is with our words that we literally feed our family . It is imperative that we learn to develop the habit of speaking life. How many opportunities do you think I would find if I showed up at a prospect’s office and said, “ I don’t have confidence in my company, my product will not perform and meet your needs, and you probably don’t want to buy from me anyway. “ ? The answer is “none”. If you don’t believe in yourself, your company and your product or service : then no one else will either. When we choose to speak life, we look for opportunities to encourage and build others up with our words. We search for the good in people and praise them for it. We commend someone when a job is well done. We look for the silver lining even if the clouds are dark. Positive people attract positive people. Positive people attract others who feel the need to receive the life and encouragement that flows from them.

As a parent or a mentor, how important is it to choose our words carefully ? My wife and I worked with a group of teens at a local church for a number of years. On one of our retreats, one of the young men did something very thoughtful and responsible, so I told him, “ Good job. I’m proud of you.” He walked away with a pensive look on his face. Later that evening, he approached me with tears in his eyes, stating, “ Mr. Hayes, my father has never spoken those words to me before !” My heart was broken. What a power that each of us have been entrusted with relating to the words that we speak - to build up or to tear down. This even applies to our self-talk.

How do you talk to yourself ? Do you encourage yourself, or do you tear yourself down with your words ? If you want to take the temperature of your self-talk, just try eighteen holes of golf. Years ago, I golfed with some clients in Tennessee at a course on Lookout Mountain. The vistas and scenes were spectacular. To my dismay,  I shanked the ball off of the first tee and hit the same tree… twice ! I had a few choice negative words for myself. Do you realize that if you tell yourself that you are bad at something enough times, you start to believe it ? Joel Osteen relays a story in his book “ The Power of I AM” about a friend that he played ball with in high school. Whenever he asked his friend how he was doing, his response was always “ old, fat and bald” . Of course this was meant to be a joke, but the irony was that, bumping into his friend ten years later in the mall, guess what ? Joel’s friend had become old, fat and bald ! We must be mindful of the things that we say to and about ourselves. Joel states that “ what we say will eventually come looking for us. “  I am not talking about living in a world of denial. We call things as we see them ; but I also think we are foolish if we dismiss the thought that what we say has no effect on our outcome or our destiny.

It is vital that we confess good things over our life, our home, our family and our business. Why not ? There’s enough negativity in the world. We choose what we will focus on in the course of our existence. We make the choice every day that we will work as hard on who we are becoming, as we do on our tasks. Sometimes we have to speak words in faith,and the actions have to follow later on. Choose life. Speak life over yourself and those around you, and watch your world change for the better.

Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It's Not My Fault

                                                    Photo: Courtesy of Pixabay.com

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It’s Not My Fault

“ You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” - Jim Rohn

We live in a culture that at times, seems to be deplete of individuals who are willing to take responsibility for their actions. That’s why lawyers enjoy a consistent stream of business. It’s always someone else’s fault. The “blame game” is almost as prevalent as Monopoly. We tend to be like Hans Solo on Star Wars, who seems to repetitively cry out in frustration over his spaceship’s malfunctions, “ It’s not my fault .”

When we fall into the blame cycle, we give someone else power over our lives, and this is not healthy. Personal ownership of our thoughts, words, and actions is true responsibility. Noah Webster writes that being responsible is, “ Liable to account, accountable; answerable...We are responsible for the talents entrusted to us by our Creator...able to discharge an obligation. “ Let’s face it , not many of us like to be accountable to anyone- not even ourselves. Yet, I find that some of the greatest areas of growth in my career as well as my personal life, have resulted from times when I was  accountable and answerable to myself or to others. Everyone answers to someone. It’s similar to establishing a monthly budget, and sitting down at the end of the month to see where the money went. The check book, the credit card statements, and the bank balance sheets don’t lie. Receipts reveal the undeniable truth. What ??? We spent that much money on …….( fill in the blank ) ?

One area of ownership for me, has been learning the daily discipline of recording my diet  in MyFitnessPal. Painful as it sounds, this  can be a revelation when you see with your own eyes what you have shoved into your mouth during the course of a day. For instance, I never realized that a Dairy Queen peanut butter milkshake was a whopping 900 calories, until I snagged one on my drive home one day, and entered it into my app !  Ouch. Oh, it was absolutely delicious, but that’s more calories than some people consume in an entire day ! I never would've come to that realization without some self-accountability. By accepting responsibility for something, we are given the power to change it. Accountability helps us to discover the “ leaks in the ship” , and develop a strategy to make positive changes - especially if we are taking on water and starting to sink !

Bad things occasionally happen to good companies and to good sales reps as well. Manufacturing issues can occur, shipping and freight delays can take place ; or credit problems can raise their ugly head, threatening not only the immediate sale but the long term client relationship as well. I even experienced a scenario one time, when my product samples actually fell out of the courier’s truck in transit, and were lost. Stuff happens.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I purchased a sectional from a well known retail store. After the delivery and installation, we started to notice that the so-called memory cushion was experiencing amnesia. This was a premium piece of furniture purchased at a high-end store, and frankly, we expected better performance from this brand. On contacting the store, my wife explained our situation, and within a few weeks, a replacement sectional was delivered to our home at no cost. This was a good company that ended up shipping a bad product ; but they made it right. They took responsibility with the goal to make the customer happy, and I can promise you that they achieved their objective! Will we go back to shop in that store again ? You bet we will.

I totally get that sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. Duly noted. Those are things that we have to mentally release. Fretting and worrying over things that we cannot control will only make us feel worse, and never change the situation for the better. But when it is within our power to change something for the good, we need to step up and take ownership of it. Whoever said that doing the right thing is easy? It’s not. Someone has to say, “The buck stops here”. Truth will always eventually yields dividends.

Sound character provides the power with which a person may ride the emergencies of life instead of being overwhelmed by them. Failure is… the highway to success. -  Og Mandino

Feast or Famine

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Feast or Famine

In order to be a great marketer, you have to be focused and intense and look at scarcity, urgency, activity and passion in the marketplace.
- Dave Ramsey

For me, the opposite of scarcity is not abundance. It's enough. I'm enough. My kids are enough. -  Brene Brown

Do you think that your business is scarce ? Do you live in fear that others will steal from you what is rightfully yours ? Webster defines scarce as “ not plentiful or abundant; being in small quantity in proportion to the demand.” Actually, I think it boils down to the territory between our ears, rather than the geographical market place that we work in. If we have the mindset that there is not enough business to go around, then our focus is on lack and scarcity. Why not redirect our attention and energy to finding the business opportunities that ARE available , and go after them ?

Great motivator, Zig Ziglar, liked to use the illustration that even during the Great Depression there were some people who drove nice cars, ate plenty of food, and went on vacations. Bottom line - we can always find a reason or an excuse for why the business or the sales are not coming in. Here are some of the ones I’ve heard or even said over the years : “ Well, it’s an election year, and things are uncertain, so people aren't spending money.” “ The real estate bubble popped and the market’s in the basement.” “ The stock market's down, so people just aren't spending.” “ The stock market’s strong, but people are spending money elsewhere. “ “ My territory is not as wealthy and affluent as other territories. “ And the beat goes on….

Speaker Earl Nightingale once said, “ Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitude and expectations. “ He also stated, “ We can let circumstances rule us, or we can take charge and rule our lives from within. “ If you are a sales professional, and optimism does not course through your veins, then you may want to consider another line of work. You have to see the glass half full instead of half empty. If you don’t, you will never make it through the barrage of rejection and conflict in order to survive and thrive. We need to be like the little boy that was tasked with shoveling out a barn full of manure, and when asked why he was shoveling with such passion and effort, he exclaimed, “ With all of this poop, there has to be a pony in here somewhere. “ That kind of attitude describes every successful sales professional that I know. They shovel every day and keep shoveling, knowing that their efforts will eventually pay off. The diligent hand shall prosper.

No one can get all of the business, but if you get some of it, will that be enough ? The fact is, I believe there are many more opportunities that I am not even touching because I haven't pursued them yet. That’s my issue, not the market’s. Those who ask, receive. Those who seek, will find. Those who knock, the door will be opened for them. In earth and in heaven. Those who focus on scarcity and circumstances , will get stuck in a rut ; and a rut is just a shallow grave.  There is more than enough business for those who are willing to go after it. Sometimes we have to release what we are gripping so tightly, in order to experience true abundance. We never truly own anything. It just passes through our hands for a season. Look for those opportunities and go after them today !

Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life. --Wayne Dyer

Talent is always conscious of its own abundance, and does not object to sharing.
-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

New Year New Day

Sales Man Up Blog

New Year New Day

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. - Benjamin Franklin

It may be childlike and simplistic, but I never cease to be amazed at the wonder of the rising or setting sun. My phone and IPad memory are full of sunrise photos. Even like the one I posted to accompany this blog, taken recently over Daytona Beach Shores on a weekend fishing trip with my wife; I find that every single event is unique and different. No two sunrises are alike. It’s as if God paints for us a new portrait in the sky every single morning and night. I don't know about you, but I draw inspiration from that ! Nature displays for us a powerful of truth of “ starting over “ every morning and evening.

As a business professional, and especially functioning in the role of a salesperson; a new year means new quotas, new forecasting, and new goals. No matter how good last year’s business was, we begin again. No matter how bad last year's numbers we're, we have the opportunity to begin again- a brand new day to prove ourselves once again. There is something exciting about having the opportunity of starting something new. I remember as a little boy, the positive anticipation of starting a new school year each Fall , when I was in grade school. The smell of my cigar box holding my pencils and erasers that were ready for action ; and the feel of my new clothes ; along with the fulfillment of seeing my friends again ; gave me confidence and joy. I loved learning, and I still do. A new year affords opportunities to learn and grow.

How many of us pause and take time during this season, to establish new goals and objectives , both personally and professionally ? I used to be skeptical of “ New Year’s Resolutions “ , but I have grown to appreciate the value in establishing plans and recording them. My greatest problem has resulted in doing a stellar job writing my goals down, but summarily forgetting all about them ! A wise counselor once shared with me that when it comes to our goals and our business, we have to “ Plan, Do, Review “. The review phase is the area that I constantly have to push myself in. The “ new “ part is the phase that gives us those endorphin hits to the brain, and those of us who are adrenaline junkies are always ready to drop what we are doing, and plunge ourselves into the next adventure. I have discovered that there is great virtue in checking my business vitals -  what is the temperature of my business ? How am I doing in relation to my business plan ? Am I staying focused on my key target accounts, or have I allowed myself to get distracted ? In which areas could I do a better job serving my clients ?What does my time allocation look like - am I staying on task, or am I letting the pressure of urgent things like texts or emails to derail my key objectives ? This is where the “ plan, do, review “ philosophy is applied. All of us can be distracted. All of us can procrastinate doing the tougher tasks, like cold calling, prospecting, or business development ; and substitute easier work , like returning emails, vacuuming out our business vehicle; or grabbing a cup of Starbucks.

Many of us set personal goals during this time of year. I break mine up into categories like : spiritual , relational, creativity and recreational goals, physical fitness; and vocational/ financial goals. If you have a desire to help inner city children or orphans in Honduras , then write it down. If you want to take an Alaskan cruise with your family this year, then record it. If this is the year to lose fifty pounds or be able to run that 5K or Triathlon , then put it down on paper. I have found that a universal law exists that many of us never recognize or tap in to. Not to go “ guru” on you, but I believe that we help bring things into existence by writing them down and by confessing them outloud. This is not magical, but from a reasonable perspective, understanding those things that we think on and meditate on the most, are the things that we tend to take action on the most. That’s where the “review” phase earns its wings. My wife and I even set household goals each year, and review them periodically. We both find ourselves amazed at how many of these recorded goals get accomplished over the period of the year. So… don’t just think about those goals, let me encourage write them down ! Does this guarantee that every goal will be accomplished ? No. But one thing is certain, the person who sets no goal will hit it every time !

Today is a new day. This year is a new year. The journey of a thousand miles does begin with just one step. We need not condemn ourselves for yesterday’s shortfalls or think too highly of ourselves for our past accomplishments. What matters is today. Today, we start over with a clean slate, a fresh start, and a new beginning. Start well, my friends, and finish strong !

Make New Year's goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an affirmation that you're interested in fully living life in the year to come. - Melody Beattie

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. - Helen Keller