Game Plan

One who hopes for the best will live to regret it.
Have a plan.
Have a contingency one.
Don't leave it to hope or chance.

This over-used statement still holds true:

"You fail to plan, you plan to fail".

Have a plan, and make it a damn good one!

Courage Under Fire

Worthy ideas stand up to criticism and the proverbial bucket of cold water.
Keep the fire burning.
Keep the flame burning bright and hot.
If your ideas are worthy, it will stand the test of time and tides, and emerge victorious!

Sell Every Day

Everyday I gotta sell. And so do you.

Selling is not a comfortable activity for most human beings though. It's easier for most of us to find something else to do. Something that is more pleasurable. Or something that gives our brain the illusion of "real work", when we're really just wasting time.

The thing is, when you have to sell, you can and you do. The resistance you may have at times, is just that: resistance.

The trick to selling faster is to move beyond the resistance. Or to ignore the resistance.
Or to acknowledge the resistance, and take action anyway.

You see, any resistance you might have, is all just in your head. We all make things harder than they should be at times for ourselves (and that includes me). If someone were to put a gun to your head, and tell you to go make some bucks, right now, you'd do it.

Your brain would tap your self-preservation instinct, and motivated by your will to live (and the fear of death) you would overcome all other fears and excuses and you would just do it. You would produce.

So what are you waiting for? Today the weather is bad, but so what. Does that really matter? You can come up with lots of excuses. Ignore the excuses your brain comes up with or acknowledge them, if that helps you, and then get busy anyway.

Move towards what your afraid of, and then move through it, and finally move beyond and past it. You'll be amazed at how well you can do, and how good it feels.

Sell with pride, my friend. See you at the top!

The Secret of Style

"Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style."

Matthew Arnold
(1822-1888)
English poet

Brand & Reputation

"A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hardthings well."

Jeff Bezos (1964 - )
CEO and cofounder
Amazon.com

Good Sales Person

Good Sales Person (by Ron White)

Last week I walked into a shop that sells Afghan rugs - and not some imitation but the real deal. These were genuine rugs hand made in Afghanistan. As I was talking to the shop owner, I was looking at five or six rugs that were all the same size and style - only the colors varied a little. I asked him, 'How much for these rugs?' Because I knew they were all the same price (and turns out that they were).

He could have said, '$190 each.' But he didn't, he did what I wish I could get more sales people to do and that is not get overly giddy at the first buying sign (questions are buying signs) and blurt out the answer. Instead, ask a question to allow the prospect to feel as if the buying decision was his idea. For example, this rug salesman didn't give me the price - he said, 'Which one do you like?' By asking this question he was:

1. Maintaining control of the conversation - if you give the price then they talk next about anything they want and you are not controlling the conversation. If you ask a question then they talk next about what YOU want!

2. Allowing me to feel as if I was buying and not being sold.

When someone says, 'Do you have this in red?' Don't say 'Yes!'. Instead, ask 'Would you like it in red?' I guarantee you my Afghan rug salesman would! Maintain control and let them buy. If you do, you are going to sell a lot of rugs (or whatever you sell). By the way, when he asked the question I laughed because I admired his style and, yes of course, I now have a new rug.

Ron White