In this Edition
1. 8 Key Disciplines for Being the Best You Can Be
2. 15 Thought Provoking Suggestions for Successful Selling
3. Inspirational Quotes
4. Recommended Reading
8 Key Disciplines for Being the Best You Can Be
Excellence is about discipline. Being the best you can be, I believe, relates directly to your ability to practice the following “self” disciplines that set you up for success.
1. Always believe in yourself. Be true to your principles and keep faith in your beliefs. Lead a life of integrity, true to your values and principles no matter what.
2. Take care of yourself. Don’t neglect yourself even in stressful times. Watch your diet, find time to exercise, and find quality time for your family, friends and your passions. Use positive self-talk. Read books or listen to tapes that will motivate and inspire you. Take a break at lunchtime; go for a walk, switch off, even if for only five minutes. Make it your time. You will be glad you did.
3. Be decisive. Don’t spend your time waiting for the perfect time to do something you want to do. There rarely is a perfect time to do anything, only a right time, and that time is now. There are too many people, dreaming of yesterday or worrying about tomorrow, instead of living for today. Seize every moment; squeeze all the joy and happiness you can from that day.
4. Take action. If there is anything in your life that you want to change, that is not the way you would like it to be, take responsibility for changing it yourself. Don’t blame other people for things you want to change or expect other people to do it for you. Step up to the plate and take action yourself.
5. Acknowledge those who contribute to your life. Never forget to acknowledge the people you work with, the people who help you along the way. It is so easy to forget sometimes or take for granted the people we admire, respect. We all have busy lives. But take that time to send that note, to make that call, to make someone in your life feel special and appreciated. You can never say thank you enough to people. Remember recognition is the number one value we look for in the workplace.
6. Be prepared to fail. Whatever you want to achieve in your personal or professional life, you have to be prepared to fail at first, to sacrifice along the way. There is nothing wrong in failure; failure is feedback, nothing more and nothing less. There can be no success in life without setbacks. Become a risk- taker, step out of your comfort zone. Remember, every failure brings you a step closer to ultimate success. As Henry Ford said “ Failure is just another opportunity to begin again more intelligently”.
7. Look past fear. Fear is ever present in our lives. There are all types of fear, for example, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, and even the fear of success for some of us. Fear can ruin your ambitions; even destroy your life if you let it. But, if you try to better understand your fears, if you confront your fears instead of running away from them, you will realize that fear is really a coward, more afraid of you than you are of it. In that moment a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities will open up. Remember on the other side of fear lies freedom, if we are only willing to take that all important first step.
8. Have confidence in your ability. Sometimes each of us underestimates our abilities. For whatever reason, you may not think you can do whatever is in front of you. You may not think you are clever enough, worthy enough to achieve something. We all sometimes listen to that little voice inside us, telling us we can’t do something. We need to listen more to our positive inner self, the one that is saying we can. Your first victory over self-doubt and negativity, your most important victory, has to happen first within your own heart. That is where your true strength comes from. Listen to your heart more. Trust it. It will not lie to you.
I would like to leave you with one final thought:
Never, never stop believing in yourself. You are meant to be, whatever you dream of becoming.
15 Thought Provoking Suggestions For Successful Selling
1. It is not about you…make the customer the star. Make THEM feel special, important and great. People do not care what is important to you in the world of selling, they care what is important to them and they truly want you to care about them and to have their best interest’s in mind at all times. Average and unsuccessful sales people do not get this one. The sales superstars do.
2. Be an exceptional listener.
3. Develop the skills to emotionally connect with the people you want to do business with.
4. Talk benefits and value always. Forget about the features. They want to know. What is in it for them. Period…
5. Come from a mindset and focus of serving and helping your customer or client at all times.
6. Build exceptional relationships. Selling is a person to person business. Always has been…always will be.
7. Face fear and rejection like a pro. It is going to happen, so deal with it and move on and never take it personally.
8. Be prepared to do what most sales people will not do: ask for the sale. Mind boggling, but true. Most sales people fail because they don’t take this integral step in the sales process.
9. Be meticulous and disciplined with your follow-up at all times; this will set you apart from the crowd. Most sales people are very poor with follow-up.
10. Be prepared to work very, very hard and unsociable hours. There is no easy way, no short cuts to sales success.
11. Look the part. Image is so important. Make a great first impression. You will only get one chance.
12. Be organized and prepared for every interaction. It is amazing what you can find out through the internet and other forms of research that makes you better prepared than your competitors.
13. Do not blame anybody else if you are not successful. You only have yourself to blame; there are no excuses.. If you are not doing the numbers or business, learn to better understand the sales process. Change what you are doing.
14. Invest in your professional development. It will be the best investment you will ever make. Read books, listen to tapes, attend seminars, subscribe to sales and customer service newsletters. Be prepared to learn from the experts. The best of the best.
15. Be persistent without being a pest!
GOOD LUCK AND SUCCESSFUL SELLING!!!!!
QUOTES
“Get knocked down seven times, get up eight times” Japanese Proverb
“Learning is not compulsory…..neither is survival” W. Edward Denning
“Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there is still time to change the road you’re on.” Led Zeppelin
RECOMMENDED READING
The Wealthy Speaker by Jane Atkinson
Have any of you been dreaming or are curious as to what it takes to launch a successful professional speaking business If so, this book is for you. It gives you everything you need to know in order to launch you speaking career. Jane Atkinson is one of the best minds at understanding the business of speaking. This book will answer all your questions and give you a dependable formula for building a successful speaking business. You can get your copy by clicking here: The Wealthy Speaker
101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life
Even if I wasn’t a contributing author to this wonderful new book I would be first in line to buy a copy. This book presents 101 great minds and experts sharing their wisdom and secrets in this valuable compilation of self-improvement teachings. You have the power to unleash and change your life for the better at any time. Make the investment and buy this book now with $1,500 of incredible value added bonus specials included. Get your copy and the limited bonus specials by clicking here: “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life”
Copyright
Permission is granted to reproduce this newsletter in whole or in part provided the following byline below appears along with the article and that a copy is sent to me after publication. Thank you: To check previous issues for publication, please go to www.cmarcus.com and click on articles/newsletters.
Charles Marcus is an international motivational speaker. To subscribe to his FREE success newsletter, please send an email to subscribe@cmarcus.com. An electronic copy will be sent out to you every month. For more information on how Charles, his book and his programs can benefit your organization or group, please call 905-847-2323. Toll-Free in North America at 1-800-837-0629, or visit his website: www.cmarcus.com
