Tag Archives: reputation

Holding yourself accountable for greatness

25 Feb

Holding yourself accountable for greatness

OK I know this is a simple title but I am going to introduce an exercise that I really want you to take seriously.
We spoke previously about the Greatness that is inside of you. That leads naturally to addressing the task of getting that Greatness to the “outside”.

In terms of unlocking and performing at a level of Greatness , you will have to go through a cuople of tough exercises

1. Discovering your worth
what it is that you deserve, What are you working for? What are you worth …
*Step in front of a mirror ( preferably at home and when you have lots of time )
* Ask yourself ” What am I worth? “
DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO LEAVE THE MIRROR UNTIL YOU HAVE AN ANSWER IN MIND
(hint its not all about money)
NOTE –> This question isn’t for your spouse, its not for your boss, It is for you. This isn’t about any one’s opinion, assessment, or goal. This is about you
Your raw honesty, Your dreams, Your aspirations, The VALUE of your effort .

2. The Second question will come quite naturally ;
If I deserve these things, Why don’t I have them
No excuses, no blame, just raw honesty .What or who is holding you back? How many opportunities to improve have you missed? What obstacles have you allowed to stand in your way? what is keeping you from being great? IS IT YOU ?????

This is tough, but if being great was easy, everyone would be operating that way.

3. Develop a Plan of action
This isn’t a “resolution” to be lived a while and forgotten. This is a Life altering plan that will shape your future and it should be treated as such
– What needs “fixed”
– What will it take in terms of committment
– What will it take in terms of Work
– What is a reasonable time table
– Who can you lean on for direction and assistance
– Where is your passion level? ( Are you ready to do what it takes?)

Of course I do not have the room here to go much further into this but I think you can see the Path

Sell like your living depends on it
Donnie

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Sell like you mean it

23 Jan

“Give me 3 days and I will change your life…”

This is the Sales pitch I heard as I walked with two of my friends past the Paul Cummings booth at the RVDA convention in Louisville KY several years back.

I stopped , and listened as this dynamic Salesperson explained his program, handed me DVD’s and scheduled his follow up call.

A few weeks later I was in Georgia and they were delivering on the promise !!

No this isnt an ad for PDCWWE , although you would be well served to use them. It is however a great example of todays topic

Selling on purpose: Quality Sales presentations and Closing don’t happen by luck, chance, and fate. It is a practiced and reherarsed event.

Consider the example above :

1. He captured my attention
This almost Apostolic promise grabbed me instantly ! How could this stranger know anything about my life?
He obviosly had no previous knowledge of me, but he did have…
–> Confidence in his product and services
–> Energy and enthusiasm
–> The drive to present his product to every prospect

He was prepared for my interest
Ofen Sales people launch with out a plan, they hope to wing it on the off chance they can get someone to listen.
This Sales person was well prepared with product knowledge and materials needed to present his case. he had a plan, a goal, and a clear path to get there.

He Made the roles and terms clear
I was told at the very opening greeting, I would have to give of my time to receive the benefit of his service. The purpose of our interaction was not disguised. He didn’t attempt to bait me with ” consultancy” or “analysis” . He was there to sell me on his product, and I was there to buy . Our roles were established from the first handshake, and it came as no surprise that he asked me for my business.

Sell like your living depends on it..
Donnie

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It’s supposed to hurt

29 Nov

Setbacks hurt

Personal or professional, They tear at your gut

If your human you’ll suffer…                    You’ll cry

You’ll wonder what you did wrong

Why … What makes you deserve this?!

 

It is supposed to hurt, It is meant to…

It is you getting stronger.  Your emotional muscles are tearing, their shaping a newer stronger you, You’re growing

 

You need to set your Jaw.

Determine you will be better on the other side of this

Draw your plan

Set new goals based on where you are now, and what you MUST accomplish to regain the lost ground and gain new roads

Remind your self of the greatness within you

Do a self assessment. list your strengths !!   What makes you the best at what you do?  Where is your value and how can you increase it

Hold your head up high, failure isn’t a person it is just an event.  And events shape us, they make us better…

And  you are better for going through it

Don’t settle in !!   Get restless, get fired up, GET BUSY !!

Sell like your living depends on it

Donnie

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They’re looking to buy

9 Nov

Recently,  I heard something that left me completely speechless

A well meaning sales manager was counseling a new sales person about sales and made the statement that:

“All Customers were looking for a reason not to buy”  

 This statement is wrong on  many levels

please hear me on this…

1. Its a built in excuse

    When the customer doesnt buy it gives you the “easy” way out 

        ” I guess they found their reason not to buy .” 

2.   Operating on this premise will create combative sales interaction

    If you approach each prospect with the assumption that they are just looking for a reason to tell you no, you will sell in such a way as to combat the unspoken objections.  Your focus SHOULD BE on the many ways your product and service can enrich their lives. Objections will surface if they exist, but a good presentation will focus on the positives

3. This way of thinking is de-motivating and harmful to your production

    If you go into work every day convinced that people would rather tell you no , Where is your reason to get excited?   Why aspire to know anything at all about a product that no one really wants ?   The natural result of this type of thinking will be a drop in your confidence, and a constant stream of lost deals.

YOU SHOULD APPROACH EVERY PROSPECT AS IF THEY WERE WAITING FOR A REASON TO TELL YOU YES !!!!!!

why?

1.  Because it is true

           They stopped in because they have interest in your product or service.  They either want one today or they anticipate wanting it in the near future  THEY ARE SHOPPING !!

2. Because letting the customer BUY is the easiest form of selling

       When a prospect has a desire to own your product , and the opportunity to own your product , All you need to do is show them the advantages of making this purchase with you and your company

 3. Its a far better attitude

  I am certain that an Athlete enters a contest with the expectation of winning,   a Surgeon operates with intentions of a cure,

    and a Sales person should EXPECT a sale !!

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SUCCESS COMES IN A CAN

5 Aug

Success comes in a Can

                     An “I CAN “

 

I Can is a belief , A  commitment, A conviction, An obligatory condition

It is an inward motivator, and Outward instigator ,  a Trigger , and a Safety net

It is perhaps the most powerful two word combination that I know.

Consider Webster’s definition of the two :

I     : the one who is speaking …

Can   :a : know how to  b : be physically or mentally able to  c —used to indicate possibility   ; d : be permitted by conscience or feeling to  e : be made possible or probable by circumstances to  f : be inherently able or designed to  g : be logically or axiologically able to h : be enabled by law, agreement, or custom to

 
What a powerful set of words !!
 
I can  = The one who is speaking , Knows how, has the possibility of, and is inherently able to SUCCEED !!!!
 
 

   You CAN achieve greatness,

There really is nothing holding you back. 

Sell like your living depends on it

Donnie

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No one is dreaming for you !!

27 Jun

 

Upper management is not taking the time to dream for you !

                                                          Your friends aren’t dreaming for you

                                               The folks that supply your product aren’t dreaming your dreams

The competition couldnt care less if you have dreams

You have to dream for yourself !!

And it’s important. 

  I know mom told you not to be a day dreamer.   The teachers at school told you to be a planner not a dreamer.

Some Sales trainer that meant well, cautioned you to set REALISTIC goals , and forget the dreams.

But we need dreams, we need GREAT BIG WONDERFUL DREAMS !!!

Consider these fifty Quotes on Big dreams :

1. “It may be that those who do most, dream most.” – Stephen Butler Leacock

2. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

3. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau

4. “The future you see is the future you get.” – Robert G Allen

5. “Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing.” – Adolph Monod

6. “When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life.” – Greg Anderson

7. “Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.” – James Allen

8. “Follow your heart and your dreams will come true.” – Anonymous

9. “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” – Pamela Vaull Starr

10. “When you have a dream you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” – Carol Burnett

11. “What’s the purpose of living if you don’t go after your dreams?” – Samson Reiny

12. “Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.” – Dr. Dale E. Turner

13. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

14. “Capture your dreams and your life becomes full. You can, because you think you can.” – Nikita Koloff

15. “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” – Anatole France

16. “For those who dare to dream, there is a whole world to win.” – Dhirubhai Ambani

17. “No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big.” – Anonymous

18. “Not fulfilling your dreams will be a loss to the world, because the world needs everyone’s gift — yours and mine.” – Barbara Sher

19. “Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there’s a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living.” – Anonymous

20. “I have had dreams, and I’ve had nightmares. I overcame the nightmares because of my dreams.” – Jonas Salk

21. “Any dream worth dreaming, is worth the effort to make it some true.” – Evan Gourley

22. “Go for it now. The future is promised to no one.” – Wayne W. Dyer

23. “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”  – Lao Tzu

24. “At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable.” – Christopher Reeve

25. “This one step: choosing a goal and sticking to it, changes everything.” – Scott Reed

26. “Life is short, live bold! Be heard, be you, dream big, take risks, don’t wait.” – Misty Gibbs

27. “It’s better to have an impossible dream than no dream at all.” – Anonymous

28. “All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.” – Brian Tracy

29. “The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.” – Ben Stein

30. “Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable.” - Wendy Wasserstein

31. “If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more, to dream all the time.” – Marcel Proust

32. “Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream.” – Peter McWilliams

33. “Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the action stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.” – Anais Nin

34. “Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” – Napoleon Hill

35. “There is always a realistic way to fulfill any dream. There has never been a dream that you can’t have — at least, not the heart of it, not the part you love the most.” – Barbara Sher

36. “If you can imagine it, You can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.” – William Arthur Ward

37. “Have the courage to . It’s the first step towards attaining your destiny.” - Nikita Koloff

38. “Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.” – Tupac Shakur

39. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

40. “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” – Henry David Thoreau

41. “Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.” - Life’s Little Instructions

42. “You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.” – James A. Froude

43. “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” – Anonymous

44. “If I can dream, I can act. And if I can act, I can become.” – Poh Yu Khing

45. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

46. “Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.” – John Updike

47. “You can live your dreams if you can embrace change. It’s by taking chances that you’ll learn how to be brave.” – Nikita Koloff

48. “If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.” – Les Brown

49. “If you don’t have a dream, how can you have a dream come true?” – Jiminy Cricket

50. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. ” – Harriet Tubman

 

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A QUESTION OF WORTH

15 May

“Donnie I love selling!”

The eager newbie’s eyes are bright and full of genuine excitement as he opens his first commission voucher…

“WHA????? “ His face drops as his eyes settle on the bottom of the page.

“I really thought I had more commission than this, I worked that guy on numbers for hours  hammering out a deal . Why didn’t I make more money?”

“It’s a question of worth.” I respond.

“Not the product’s worth,

 or even the worth of the deal.

It is a question of how youseeyourworth.”

What keeps us negotiating to the absolute bottom of the barrel? What makes us willing to accept that we are not worth more?

  • Some would say it is the drive in us to get the “Yes”
  • Others would reason that it is just the reality of sales
  • Still others say “ Price is King”
  • I even heard it said that “ some of anything is better than all of nothing” ( and I am sure that’s true )

All of these are  reasons for accepting a lower price on a product, but that isn’t really the question I am asking .

I’ll ask it another way….

WHO decides what you personally are worth in the transaction?     YOU DO

  Very early in the process we begin to establish our personal worth.  

 If we are just someone quoting prices, and “What ifs” we are worth very little to our customers.

If however, we are an expert in our product, and we are able to demonstrate just how much value the unit will add to the Customer’s life, we have real worth to our customer

You see it is and will always be a “get what you pay for” world.  And Our Clients will pay for good service.

 SOME BULLETS FOR BUILDING YOUR WORTH IN THE MIND OF A CUSTOMER :

 - BE AVAILABLE - take the calls, return messages promptly, keep deadlines and appointments

 -   BE CLEAR  – No gimmicks, no fuzzy math, no hidden details – Just put it all out there

  -  BE GRATEFUL – Acknowledge early on that you need their business and are thankful for it

 -  BE POSITIVE -  It’s a highly competitive market , don’t go negative or combative, be positive

 -   BE OVER THE TOP -  Money follows service where ever it goes! ( quoted from Paul  Cummings)

 -   BE CERTAIN OF YOUR VALUE -  command a higher price, and be WORTH it !!

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Are you a builder??

15 Mar

A mentor of mine shared this little Diddy with me years ago

The Author is unknown, but the moral is timelessly true

Which Are You? 

I watched them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a heave-ho and a lusty yell,
They swung the beams and the side walls fell.

I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled?,
The kind you’d hire were you to build?”
He laughed and said, “Why, no indeed!
Just common laborers are all I need.
They can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken years to do.”

And I thought to myself as I went on my way:
“What part in the game of life do I play?
Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and the square?
Am I shaping my deed to a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the labor of tearing down?”

 

Sell like your living depends on it

Donnie

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Just DO RIGHT

8 Mar

So we have discussed the importance of honesty and integrity, But how do you keep your reputation and ideals in tact when surrounded by peers that don’t value the same things?

A.  Establish your boundaries early

  Use the probationary period ( usually 90 days)  to establish who you are.  No need for grandstanding here, just a pattern of standing for what is right.  Don’t engage in conversations that are in conflict with your values.   Very quickly you will be identified as a person that will not be easily swayed into bad activity.

 

B. Identify who is willing to cross the line

Hey,  separation is not a bad word here, you may have to work with these folks to achieve your goals, but you do not have to walk arm in arm into the abyss!!   You can maintain your personal path and work alongside those that don’t share your values.

 

C. Let your success do you’re talking

  You don’t have to launch a campaign, When your co-workers see you succeed they will naturally look closely to see where the differences are .  This is your opportunity to make a difference in the team as a whole.  “If you want to succeed like me, I will share my “secrets ” with you.”  

D. Pour positive ethical energy into the workplace as often as you can

     Bring in good books, CD’s and literature.  Leave them in common areas.  Offer your personal resources to the team for their use.   Demonstrate the principles you hold dear in the midst of real situations as they arise .

OK  I hear you , “lets cut to the chase here , What do you do when the dealer/owner tells you point-blank that they expect you to operate unethically to perform your job?”

1. RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE / SHARE THE BENEFIT OF YOUR VALUES

   Acknowledge that you realize they have built a business with these principles, but you offer real solutions that won’t leave them open to liability and a path to eliminate the impact of the negative reputation that they have undoubtedly earned

- They hired you for a reason, restate the obvious

- There is benefit to maintaining an ethical business platform – show them

- STAND your ground , demand  the respect you deserve for your your hard work and values

2. BE PREPARED TO WALK

   There is ALWAYS a place for people who are willing to do right.

If you find you are a part of a company that see’s no value in ethics and morality .  You are in danger of losing our personal reputation by continuing your affiliation with them. 

 And worse, the longer you stay the more “normal” this way of doing business will become.  You are in danger of losing yourself as well.

 

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