Leaders Never Stop Learning

September 7, 2015 By

This time of year there is a buzz with back to school and back to business, like the beginning of a new year.  As you probably know the school year was established around the harvest season, yet it has not changed as our country has evolved into a more industrial age.

Watching successful sales leaders, one of the first questions I ask is “What books have you read recently?”  There is never a hesitation to share a title or author.  Every day delivers an opportunity to learn something new if we have the Wonder.  The Wonder is the first step of change.

We have to ask ourselves, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Commitment, Potential, Questioning, Technique

Self-forgiveness Begins with Others

August 15, 2015 By

Jack was playing center outfield during the third game of the season. He’ll be 10 this year and is starting to refine his baseball talents. It’s his favorite sport with football a close second.

In the fifth inning a pop fly was hit in his direction. He got under it, adjusted his stance, focused on the falling ball but couldn’t hold on to it and dropped it. He grabbed the ball and threw it to second base. The batter was safe.

He had a tough time letting that error go. Jack is one of the better players on the team. He commits to keeping his skills sharp with additional practices in the off season and learning by watching professional MLB players on television.
Baseball player jumps high to catch a fly ballDuring the ride home, Jack was silent, though his team won. His father asked him what’s wrong. He just kept repeating he should have caught that pop up in the fifth. He couldn’t forgive himself.

His father reminded him of a last game they played when one of Jack’s teammates, Taylor, missed a pop up, causing the team to lose the game. Jack criticized Taylor all the way home and blamed him for losing the game. “Perhaps the withheld forgiveness that Jack held towards Taylor is the same withheld forgiveness Jack feels towards himself,” his father thought. He shared that thought with his son. Then he thought about it in his own life. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Failure, Potential

Disappointment and Forgiveness

February 17, 2015 By

Last week someone I have a great deal of respect for let me down. Their actions disappointed me. If the feeling had a flavor, it tasted like the color gray. This was hurtful. But the real disappointment came with my belief in this person.

The unfortunate fact is people will disappoint us throughout our life. Our strength will come when we forgive them. And I will grow to forgive them, too. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, News

Who Defines the Marketplace?

January 22, 2015 By

Remember your first day at a new company? Maybe you started the company and were so excited you can hardly sleep. There was an unstoppable ambition fueled by a desire to succeed. Do you still have that desire? What changed?

A successful life is built on a daily commitment to optimism. Optimism has two parts. The first is maintaining a hopeful outlook before a decision is made; the other is dwelling on the most positive aspects of a decision afterwards. With all the life changes we experience, voluntary and involuntary, we must be optimistic. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Hiring, Prospecting, Questioning, Technique

The Most Important Question You Could Ask a Prospect

December 1, 2014 By

Seems like the greatest competition we face is not another company targeting our prospects in a shared marketplace, rather prospects deciding to do nothing or to take on doing the task themselves.  Unfortunately, untrained salespeople that love to talk and demonstrate how much they know originate the option of doing it yourself (DIY) in the prospects mind.  This does a strong disservice to them, because the salesperson is suppose to know more than them, so they get hired.  Or the salesperson makes the buying process (i.e. making the prospect chose from too many different options) so difficult to understand, the prospect’s frustration cause them to stall in moving forward with the project. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Featured, Prospecting, Questioning, Technique

Three Questions Begin with One Answer

July 15, 2014 By

Starting a journey begins with a desire of wanting and believing you deserve more or you decide to no longer accept the current status of your life.  Some steps will not be easy and you will often be tested and challenged.  Growing takes a strong commitment; enough to overcome all adversity.  A determined focus will prevent distractions from your goal.  As you begin this quest, ask yourself the following three questions. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Featured

Start or Wait…What should I do?

July 8, 2014 By

The summer of 2010 I took the StrengthFinders™ test and found my top strength was Learner. This means I feel strong when I’m learning (I also have Responsibility, Intellection, Empathy and Connectedness). As a Learner, I enjoy reading business and self-development books and have found a conflict in the advice from two positions. The conflict is in the mixed message of “Taking Action” and “Delaying Gratification.”

One position is taking action and getting started.  This has always been my axiom from Og Mandino as he stresses it in Scroll IX, “I will act now” from his book the “Greatest Salesman in the World.”  Supporting this position is David J. Schwartz in his book, “The Magic of Thinking Big” as he writes in chapter 10; “The way to combat any kind of fear is action.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Failure, Potential

7 Assumptions – Which Ones to Make and Others to Avoid

June 24, 2014 By

We define our reality of a situation based on our past experiences, judgments, internal beliefs and bias. All mixed together and weighed differently, we create our perception. No two realities are the same.

But is our perception of reality true? It’s real? Yes. No one can take away your reality. But what’s real, may not be true. That is the questions we need to consider as we encounter new situations.

Below is a list of assumptions that may be part of our reality, and should be given a second thought to determine if they are true. Be conscious of them as we engage with others.

1) Prospect will only buy from me if I have the lowest price. If the prospect is making their decision on the lowest price, and not dealing in commodities, they are probably not talking to a salesperson, they are probably buying off the Internet. Salespeople add value to the purchasing process. And that is a benefit salespeople often forget when fighting a prospect on price. Prospects mask their vulnerability and lack of knowledge by putting up a front of buying on price. Prospect are guarded and their own skepticism and misconceptions prevent them from being open-minded and learning more about what makes a product different and the impact of that difference to them. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Price, Prospecting, Questioning, Technique

Who Knows More About the Problem

April 12, 2014 By

Last week’s post, Whose Eggs are They? (https://mnsales.com/eggs/), generated a common perspective of the interaction between a prospect and salesperson.  Below is the comment with my reply.  If you’d like to comment, I welcome your perspective.

“I would recommend just a bit of twist on this analogy to really make it stick.  I think the comment of “we have to help our customers find their eggs” is just a slight bit off.  I think the customer knows where their eggs are most of the time, we as professional sales people have to help them feel comfortable in revealing their eggs (problems) to us!  It is human nature to hide or mask any weakness or mistakes. We know where they are most of the time. We don’t need help finding them, we need help in admitting to the problem and in guiding our customers to a better way.  I also would not start with the consequences for not buying from me.  I would start with connecting with the customer so they know and understand that I am competent and that I have character.  Once this is established, they will trust me and as we all know, you have nothing without trust.  My two cents!”  – Rob

Thanks Rob for your comment and sharing your perspective.  With your two cents, I see two areas I’d like to touch on.  And thank you again for submitting your comment.  I’m grateful and welcome your response. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, News, Price, Prospecting, Questioning

Believing Can Come True if You are Involved in the Believing

March 17, 2014 By

“Believing can come true if you are involved in the believing.”

I cannot remember where I heard this quote, but it stuck with me because it reinforces the axiom that your beliefs determine your behavior and your behavior (daily habits) determines the results you receive.  If you are not receiving the desired results in life, no matter the role you are playing, change begins with determining what you are doing and not doing (behavior) and then asking yourself why.  “Why am I doing this”? or “Why am I not doing that?”

Are your beliefs a choice?  Good question.  I guess now that I’m thinking about it, I would have to say YES.  We consciously decide what is true and what we want to believe as fact.  True would mean the means (behavior) justify the desired ends (results). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Failure, Potential
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