Communication Is Down...Now What?

Have you ever felt today was going to be a productive day and then something comes along and turns your plans 180 degrees upside? Today seems to be one of those days. I had a busy day scheduled, speaking with both potential and current clients, when all of a sudden my phones went down. "My world is over" was my initial thought until I thought about what could be done during this valuable time.

Through this experience I have realized we are so focused on instant gratification; I call someone, they pick up the phone and we talk, that simple. But through this lack of communication I see there are still productive things I can get done.

This "down time" gives me the chance to reflect on my life so far allowing me to self audit myself and look for improvements in my life. Life is a precious and valuable commodity that we get comfortable with and in time take advantage of. This is a time to really enjoy what God has blessed me with. You can't ever become successful unless you can be grateful for what has been given to you in this present moment.

Life is a series of small, precious moments strung together over time. It reminds me of the popcorn garland I used to make as a kid. You piece it together one at a time, and over the course of a few hours you have a nice ornament to decorate your tree. If we can begin to enjoy each moment we can than begin to enjoy our life. Many people think successful people have experienced great moments a majority of the time. That maybe true, it differs for everyone. The majority of people have similar experiences, the difference is the successful individual sees it as a learning and growing opportunity. For example, if you parked in a parking lot a mile from the store, the successful individual sees it as an opportunity to get in some needed exercise.

You've heard it said life is what you make it, I agree and would add, "and what you think of it."

Your Success,

Joel

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ACTION EXERCISE:

1. Take some time these next couple of days to reflect on your life and see what could be improved.

2. Be thankful each day for the circumstances and events in your life, good or bad. Remember it is how you look at them that make them good or bad.

3. Find a new appreciation for your valuable life and live each day to the fullest.

Sales Techniques-Tie 'Em Down 100% Of The Time

We are all afraid to be sold aren't we? We would prefer to be left alone to make our on decision or be sold by someone who we feel cares about us and has our best interest at heart, am I right? The previous two sentences were examples of what is called the Tie-Down.

What is a tie-down? Tom Hopkins says, a Tie-Down is "a question at the end of a statement that demands a yes, or isolates an objective." So the goal here is to get the other person to say yes as many times as you can before you proceed to the close. I want to make this point before I move on, if you decide to use this tactic it needs to be natural and in your own words. There is nothing worse than throwing up all over the other person. Sorry to be so graphic but that's what happens when you don't make it your own; you lose the person and you lose the sale.

Other examples of the Tie-Down would be "Can you? Aren't you? Doesn't it? Couldn't it? Wouldn't it? Shouldn't it? Isn't that right?"...and the list goes on. The goal is to practice and memorize all of them so this becomes second nature to you. The more questions you ask and the more "yes" answers you get, the better your salary will be.

So the goal for the next couple of days is to use this and begin to make it your own. The Tie-Down is a great tool to add to your bag of goodies and I know once you have this down you will feel the same way.

I will see you again soon where we will discuss another great sales technique, so until then...


Joel

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ACTION EXERCISE:

1. Write down as many Tie-Downs as you can find or imagine.

2. Memorize them until they become instinct to you and you can use them naturally.

3. Begin using them on a regular basis. If you want to be the best you have to do what the best do.

Self Auditing-3 Key Ingredients To Renewal And Self Growth

So the other day I was asked to give a sales training on the topic of my choice. Because of the short notice I was a little nervous about what I was going to speak about. Then I asked myself, "self, how can you contribute to the group?" I thought long and hard about what I do in my daily life and I realized I try and implement the concepts of "Renewal and Self Growth." I constantly find ways on how I can improve my spiritual, mental, physical and social/relationships (you can find out more about this through Steven Covey's - 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

This led me to the concept of "Auditing" yourself so you can constantly grow and educate yourself. I came up with three simple steps if implemented correctly can result in massive self growth. So here they are, no need to take notes.

1. Figure Out Where You Are: This step will help you understand where you currently are in your life. Start asking yourself the tough questions like "what books am I reading?", "what am I listening to in the car?", or my favorite "is what I'm doing now getting me to where I want to be?" The list goes on, this is just a taste of what we are looking to acomplish. These are some tough questions that need to be addressed before moving to the next step.

2. Figure Out Where You Want To Be: This step is important because it gives you something to strive for, something worth completing. These steps compliment each other very well. In order to figure out how to get to where you want to be you have to figure out where you are. Write out where you want to be in five years. Don't just think about it actually write it out, it implants our wants into our subconscious mind. Focus on what you wrote daily. Napoleon Hill used to say "What ever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve." Don't limit yourself.

3. Take Action: I say this quite often but this one is the most important. This is the step that will make it or break it for you. It comes down to the Law of Sowing and Reaping. It basically states that what you sow, you will reap; no more no less. What a wonderful concept.

As I look around I am constantly seeing people sowing other people's fields. The successful have learned to sow their own fields and reap the benefits. If you can do the same, you will reap what the successful reap.

There will not be an "Action Plan" today because this is the action plan. The only way to truly learn something is through repetition and application. So I encourage you to take this and start applying it to your daily life and you will begin to see yourself in a whole new light.