Fear Factor

Fear is everywhere. It is the basis of most advertising campaigns these days. It can run, and ruin your life. It can nullify all of the skills you have accumulated. And it can be used to catapult you to success…

A friend of mine is an aspiring MMA fighter. We train together on occasion, and he is exceptionally skilled. He has the stamina, strength, technique, and drive that every fighter needs to succeed. He has a problem though, and we have been working on it together for some time now. So what takes a guy like this, an absolute beast in the gym, and turns him into just average in competition? In practice, he could take on the world. In training the kid is nails. In his own words, “J. I get so nervous I can’t think. The crowd, the lights, everything. The other fighter is just icing on the cake. I kind of forget about him because everything else is just so blinding. I feel like I have to throw up before I walk to the ring every time!”

You may not be a fighter. You may not contend with an individual across the ring from you ready to knock you out, but you may still experience that fear. A big presentation, a conversation you need to have with your spouse, the bills, the kids, your boss; the cause doesn’t matter. We have to change your relationship with fear. Fear is NOT a bad thing. Fear can make you sharp. Fear can be a tool, but you must learn how to operate that tool.

So here is the drill. The next time you feel that feeling of fear, you must affirm to yourself that it is useful, and a good thing. Say something like, “I feel nervous, and that is good. I am not afraid, I am excited because I know that what is about to happen is going to be great!” Maybe you have a mantra or affirmation that will work better for you and your situation, but you must turn your fear into excitement. Once you are able to channel all of the energy running around in your body into something positive, that energy will make you sharp and effective at whatever the endeavor happens to be.

Until next time…

Goals or Plans?

This morning I was conversing with a collegue and, as things have a habit of doing, the subject turned to business philosophy. His assertion was that a goal is fine, and should be set, but that the plan to achieve that goal is more important than the goal itself. He said that your goal must be so set as to every detail, so you know exactly where you are going. Well, I disagree…

Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until I hit them in the mouth.” I tend to see a lovely application of Iron Mike’s philosophy to business and life in general. If your plan is set in stone, what are you going to do when a situation hits you in the mouth? If your plans carry no flexability, how are you going to recognize a wonderful opportunity that perhaps doesn’t fit within your well defined reality? In a fight, there are two reactions a fighter can have to being hit. One is to slink away and accept defeat. The other is to regroup and deal a blow twice as powerful as the one he just took. See my point?

Life, business, relationships, anything else you want to list, are all going to hit you in the mouth at some point. Don’t let a plan that you devised as perfect stop you from regrouping and fighting back. Don’t let that same plan give you tunnel vision to the point that you miss something great just because it was a little bit outside of your plain of view.

There is nothing wrong with planning, but leave some details out. Leave some flexability. The most important thing is to have a goal, and do something everyday to acheive that goal. You will get there in due time, just make sure you learn how to duck when life takes a swing.

Until next time…

Finding a Balance

Work. Home. Chores. TV. Sleep. Repeat…Sound familiar? Trust me, I know the feeling. There is nothing worse than the feeling of being trapped on a treadmill of menial tasks ad nauseum. Realistically though, bills don’t pay themselves, work doesn’t get done on its own, and kids aren’t fed by a kitchen fairy.

So what is the answer? You are thinking, “J, I know this already, and I take the time to smell the roses every now and then. So what are you trying to say?” Whoa, back the bus up that just ran over my legs; I am not talking about taking the time to unwind. I’m not talking to you about a hurried long weekend full of dread over the impending Monday. I am talking to you today about mindfullness.

Everyday we wake up, we go to work, and we repeat. We often do all of this without thinking, in auto-pilot mode, and with constant worry that something is being forgotten. Stop, relax, breathe, and be aware of the moment. Everytime you experience something and your mind is occupied with the thoughts of “what’s next?’ you are doing yourself a disservice. Allow yourself time to enjoy the moment you are in. Whether you are working with a customer, making breakfast for your family, eating lunch during a workday, or driving to work. All of these moments are the moments of your life, and, if allowed to pass without mindfullness, are wasted.

Here is a simple and easy mindfullness excercise to get you started. Sit down for a meal, and eat with mindfullness. Turn off the TV, the radio, the phone, and any other distraction. Smell the food. Bring the food to your mouth and chew it with intent. Notice the flavors. Notice the textures. If thoughts creep in your mind about what you have to do after eating, notice them, and let them go. Be mindfull of one thing, this meal, this food, this moment. You may find you taste your food, really taste it, for the first time.

If you want to learn more about mindfullness, stay tuned to the blog. You can also read the following book, a review of which is coming soon.
Wherever You Go, There You Are (ROUGH CUT)

Until next time…

Recommended Reading for Closers

I wanted to give a few more books the thumbs up for all the sales people out there. I am not going to review each of these as I normally do, but I do give them my whole hearted recommendation. Each of these is less motivationally based, and instead dwells in the realm of technique and principle. Here they go, in no particular order:

The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, New Edition

Cold Calling Techniques: That Really Work

Secrets of Question Based Selling: How the Most Powerful Tool in Business Can Double Your Sales Results

If you aren’t reading and expanding your skill set constantly, is your competition getting ahead? Probably, so make a change! I’ve done most of the leg work for you.
Until next time…

Book Review: The Little Red Book of Selling

All right sales people, author Jeffrey Gitomer says it’s time to listen up, and evaluate yourself against his 12.5 principles of sales greatness. Throughout this book, Gitomer uses a .5 listing style to make things stand out, and makes no effort to spare your feelings along the way. His in-your-face style will be a welcomed one to anyone trying to succeed in the business of sales. Let’s face it, nice guys don’t always finish first in selling.

But that is not to say that Gitomer is training scheisters. He emphasizes integrity, a friendly attitude, building relationships, and giving value to the customer. He advocates a “Yes” attitude(which happens to be the title of another of his books), and references the work of Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, Dale Carnegie and others, to drive his point home.

The best points made in this book are those that revolve around Gitomer’s idea that the “work day starts the night before.” He is a strong proponent of working hard, turning off your TV(maybe that’s why I like him), and always continuing your own education through books, seminars, and audio courses. If you are in sales, you need this book, and you need it now. It is a fun read, it is a small book, and it is worth your time. I suggest you click below and get it.

Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness

Until next time…

Brand YOU!

This week, I will be speaking to the sales professional. Most of my work is with sales professionals in one form or another. Some of the items to look forward to this week include a few book reviews that are just for closers, attitude adjustment and commissions, motivating others(for the sales managers out there), and maybe a bit more. Today though, I want you to brand yourself.

Do you sell products or services, or do you make it easy and enjoyable for your customers to buy them? Are you a fast talking Glen Gary, Glen Ross kind of sales person, or do you have the ability to “make a friend in a minute?” This is what you must ask yourself in order to build your personal brand, that is, brand you. All right, time to get interactive! Grab a pen and a pad right now and do yourself a favor, I can wait. Got it? Ok, we are going to take a quick “values inventory.” First we need to determine what motivates you most. Put the following in order of importance to you:

Spiritual Growth, Financial Gain, Family, Professional Achievement, Professional Advancement, Recognition, Philanthropy, Making Others Better, Status.

Now that you have identified your primary motivator, underneath this list write out your personal sales philosophy, or mission statement. Make it brief, three to five sentances maximum, and make sure it agrees with what you determined was your prime motivator.

Now you have a simple affirmation that you can use every day. Set it as a reminder in Outlook that pops up twice daily, and when it does, repeat it. Ultimately, this will help you develop relationships with your clients. At the end of the day, you must successfully market yourself, not your product or service. It is the relationship that will win the deal. It is the professional friendship that will make you a closer. Sales are down? How many friends are you making on your sales calls?

Until next time…

Trial and Success: A Simple Shift

Trial and error, the virtues of which are written about and spoken about everyday. One of the most famous examples given is the story of Thomas Edison. He failed thousands of times before succeeding in producing a working light bulb. In his own words, “I didn’t fail at creating a light bulb. I had discovered 10,000 ways not to create one.” A brilliant thinker for sure, but was it trial and error, or is it safe to say trial and success? Is it even safer to say trial until success?

All of us have trials, set backs, and roadblocks. All of us have endeavored at a thing, only to ask ourselves, “Is this what I should be doing? Or is something or someone trying to tell me something?” Well the answer is a resounding “YES!” Too many people take these setbacks and roadblocks to mean they should give up, and start something new. I believe that most of the time these set backs are telling, perhaps commanding, you to continue. The object of your focused desire will be much sweeter if you have to climb a mountain to get there. If it’s too easy to accomplish your goals, you didn’t aim high enough.

So here is your homework. Next time a situation you feel is a problem say to yourself, “I have a problem…That’s great!” It let’s you know you are aiming high enough. Then sit in a room, tune everything else out, focus intently on all angles of the issue, and start writing. You will be amazed at what your subconscious mind throws forward on the page. No TV, no music(except classical), no distractions. Congratulations! You have a problem, but the solution you have may be the best moment of your life…

Until next time…

Book Review: The Success Principles, By Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, the award winning and best selling co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, lays out his method for success in the excellent, The Success Principles. Jack compiles lessons learned from a lifetime of success and failures, research of, and conversations with successful people, and his usual style of adding anecdotes and stories to convey a lesson.

He details 64 lessons that will “Get you from where you are to where you want to be.” Some of these lessons include personal responsibility(absolutely critical in today’s world), persistence, goal setting, affirmations, wealth building and spending habits, and much more.

One of the more successful features of the book, is the inclusion of hundreds of inspiring and pertinent quotes throughout the writing. It bridges certain gaps, so the reader knows that this is not simply Jack Canfield coming up with some crazy idea. Rather, it is time tested, and affirmed by many well-known high achievers.

If you are ready to begin a path to a more fullfilling life, please read this book, and then read it again, and then apply what you have learned. Knowledge is only as good as the action that accompanies it. If you would like to purchase a copy, as always, just follow the attached link.

The Success Principles(TM): How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Until next time…

Informed or Overwhelmed?

I have made the decision not to participate in this so-called recession. I know what you are saying to yourself, “J. what do you mean “so-called”? Don’t you watch the news or read the papers?”

Well, the answer is no. I have cancelled my subscription to The Wallstreet Journal. I no longer turn on CNN. In fact, the only thing I allow myself is Sportscenter on ESPN. I have done this for two months in a row, ever since President Obama was inaugurated, and I am all the better for it!

So now you are saying, “J. that’s great for you, but I need to be informed.” I have no issues with staying informed. But are you informed or overwhelmed? I stay informed because the people around me bring things to my attention. If they are worth my energy, I may research them further, but I refuse to be bombarded with a constant flood of bad news.

Instead, why not try filling your mind with positive information. Read an uplifting book. Study a subject you have been wanting to learn about, but convinced yourself you haven’t the time. If you cut out the time in your day that you would normally spend “being informed,” I bet that you will find you have at least 15-45 minutes of extra time to make you life better. When the collective “we” begins to embrace the concept of not participation in the so-called recession, and refuses to be filled with negativity, we will pick ourselves up and face a future of our own positive creation.

Until next time…

Book Review: The Power of Body Language, by Tonya Reiman

 The Power of Body Language, by Tonya Reiman, is designed to increase the readers’ awareness of self, and self-carriage, as well as key the reader into subtle clues that will make interacting in business and social venues easier. Reiman outlines and details the basics of body language, such as hand gestures, facial expressions, posture and body carriage, spacial arrangement, and more. She expands in chapters that include details on dating, how to spot a liar, first impressions, and how to build a rapport in seconds.

This book will be very useful in the business world where any clue into the inner workings of the mind of the individual across the table could yield an advantage.

While the business set will find it very useful, it will be an invaluable guide to those of us both in relationships, trying to find that special someone, or just playing the dating scene. Reiman’s insights into the difference between the signals put forth by men and women are brilliant, and a simple first reading is enough to make the reader notice how valid her insights are.

All in all, the delightful writing style, and information that is useful in the boardroom, bar room, or living room, earns this book  this authors full endorsement, and if you would like to own a copy, just follow the link below.

The Power of Body Language: How to Succeed in Every Business and Social Encounter

Until next time…