Success is built on failure, but failure is only what you make of it. When the day's or week's calls are done, do you review your misses, as well as your hits? Do you analyze what went wrong, as well as what went right, during those calls? Do you record your findings in a well-indexed notebook? Do you check each and every sales transaction with the question, "Have I done my best to meet the customer's expectations?" If your boss considers you a failure – or success – do you know why?

"Every artist was first an amateur."

"There are three hungers that people are trying to feed throughout their lives. The first is to connect deeply with the creative spirit of life. The second is to know and express your gifts and talents. The third is to know that our lives matter. Fulfillment comes from feeding these three hungers."

"Life is like a 10-speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use."

Selling without targeting is like sailing without a compass. Generating leads is probably one of your highest priorities – as it should be – but beware the low-quality leads. These are the folks who are shopping without any real intent to buy (or worse, with the intent to buy from someone else). If someone is not likely to become a profitable customer, think before you invest more time in pursuing the lead.

Isn't it great to know that you cannot control your world from the outside? To try and control things on the outside feels impossible because it would take so much work, and in fact it is impossible according to the law of attraction.

To change your world all you have to do is manage your thoughts and feelings on the inside of you, and then your whole world changes.

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

"Life begins when you do."

"You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you."

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."

"Audiences forget facts, but remember stories. Once you get past the jargon, the corporate world is an endless source of fascinating stories."

Accepting blame is a great skill that can set you apart. That's because many people avoid blame like the plague. When something goes amiss on your watch, don't try to shift the blame or weasel out of it. Focus on what you can do to alleviate the situation. Concentrate on what happened and why and what action you expect to take in response. Say you're sorry, and sound like you mean it. That can go a long way toward demonstrating your sincerity and cementing the relationship.

"My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there."

Every single day, no matter who you meet in the day - friends, family, work colleagues, strangers - give joy to them. Give a smile or a compliment or kind words or kind actions, but give joy! Do your best to make sure that every single person you meet has a better day because they saw you. This might sound like it is not connected with you and your life, but believe me it is inseparably connected through cosmic law.

As you give joy to every person you meet, you bring joy to YOU. The more you can give joy to others, the more you will bring the joy back to you.

What should you do when a customer gets angry? Cool the temperature with patience and understanding. Explain the situation rationally, and slowly persuade the customer to go along with your fair resolution. Use specific words and phrases with which the customer can identify. Be the first and last person with whom the customer needs to speak. Usually these steps will help calmer heads prevail.

"Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people."

"The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win."

"To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you."

Mentors can be an invaluable help as you ascend life's thorny ladder. Many successful people will freely admit that they never could have accomplished so much without the guidance and wisdom offered by others who encouraged them along their paths to success. If you don't have a mentor, take steps to cultivate a new relationship. Find someone you know and respect who has achieved a level of success that offers a model for you. Get in touch with that person and see if he or she is willing to discuss a specific issue that's on your mind. Nothing asked, nothing gained.

"Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future."

"We must look for the opportunity in every difficulty instead of being paralyzed at the thought of the difficulty in every opportunity."

As a rookie salesman I had a very difficult time getting started.  However, once the ball started rolling, I enjoyed a spectacular four-year run of success.  This led to a career change and new job in New York City.  It was exciting and rewarding, but required that I leave home each morning before my two little girls were awake and most of the time when I returned at night they were already asleep.  I could not handle that style of parenting, so in just three months' time we moved back to Columbia, South Carolina.
I got into a promotional-type business and temporarily enjoyed some success which quickly evaporated.  At that point I stopped growing and started swelling, which led to sixteen additional job and career changes within the following five years.  I became a super-critic, a know-it-all, and a very difficult person to work with.  One of the companies I briefly worked for was an insurance company which had been in business for many years.  This astonished me because they were obviously way behind the times and I had some absolutely brilliant ideas which would revolutionize their business and expand their market share.  They rejected these very significant ideas.  I left in a huff, wondering how they would ever survive - which, incidentally, they did.

Complaints are often a refusal to accept responsibility. And guess what? You are ultimately responsible for your own success or failure – not your manager, your CEO, your friends, or your significant other. These people might have a great influence on us, but remember, when you feel like complaining about other people, you always have a choice about your role. If you choose to spend your energy complaining, know that you're choosing to spend time spinning your wheels.

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

Look for the gifts in everything, especially when you are facing what appears to be a negative situation. Everything that we attract causes us to grow, which means that ultimately everything is for our own good.

Adjusting to a new path and a new direction will require new qualities and strengths, and these qualities are always exactly what we need to acquire in order to accomplish the great things ahead in our life.

"You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind."

"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws. "

Do you make it easy for others to support you? One way of garnering more support is to show that you have the resolve to stick to your plans for success. People want to support those who are trying their best to win. When you feel like quitting, reach out to your supporters and express your desire to stay the course, even though you feel discouraged. Nine times out of 10, this is the best way to get a helping hand.

What are your career goals? It's important to identify what you want before you can develop the discipline to stick to those goals. Some people have a tendency to drop goals easily. Lack of personal commitment can lead to dissatisfaction. Get committed and learn to just say no to anything that doesn't support your career purpose.

Look for the gifts in everything, especially when you are facing what appears to be a negative situation. Everything that we attract causes us to grow, which means that ultimately everything is for our own good.

Adjusting to a new path and a new direction will require new qualities and strengths, and these qualities are always exactly what we need to acquire in order to accomplish the great things ahead in our life.

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

"Everybody talks bout wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. And that's a lot. Because if you can fix yourself, it has a ripple effect."

The human mind is truly amazing. Our brains can be compared to a cow's stomach: cows digest food in several different stomachs, while people digest in one. While cows seem to have rather simple minds and complex digestive systems, people have simple digestive systems and complex minds – complex because we can digest one real-life experience in seven different ways. What goes through your mind during the day? Make sure you're giving yourself pep talks, not negativity, to digest.

"Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; and the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself."

"A man does what he must -- in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures."

Positive thoughts can make a real difference in your life. When you listen to your own personal mental recordings that have accumulated over the years, you can fall victim to negativity. To counteract this endless recording, flood your mind with positive input. Listen to motivational, inspirational, and aspirational messages every day. Try podcasts, video, or live events. Get those positive thoughts moving.

"It's really important that you feel good. Because this feeling good is what goes out as a signal into the universe and starts to attract more of itself to you. So the more you can feel good, the more you will attract the things that help you feel good and that will keep bringing you up higher and higher."

"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's. And guess what they might have planned for you? Not much."

Decision makers don't care about your product's speed, specifications, or efficiency. They don't care about the wonderful methodology you use.
Your offering is simply a tool. They care only about the results your offering delivers for them.
Buyers are particularly attracted to phrases that are linked to their business goals and objectives. Start speaking in these terms and you'll definitely attract their attention:

• Increased revenues or profitability
• Faster time to market
• Decreased costs
• Improved operational efficiency
• Revitalizing the organization
• Enhancing customer loyalty
• Increased market share
• Decreased employee turnover
• Improved customer retention levels
• Increased competitive differentiation
• Faster response time
• Decreased operational expenses
• Increased sales per customer
• Improved asset utilization
• Faster collections
• Reduced cost of goods sold
• Minimized risk
• Additional revenue streams
• Improved time-to-profitability
• Increased billable hours
• Reduced cycle time
• Increased inventory turns
• Faster sales cycles
• Reduced direct labor costs

Can your business do any of these things? How about something similar? Perhaps you never really thought about your products or services from this perspective.

Stop reanimating the past; utilize your present potential! Reanimating the past means activating your weaknesses. You can't become successful by trying hard to eliminate your weaknesses, but you can become successful by increasing your strengths. One strength you may consider developing is accepting some of your weaknesses. It's easier to say, "I accept the fact that I had problems handling this prospect. I won't spend my energy putting myself down because of this experience. I'd rather use my energy to do an outstanding job on my next call."

"When we forget to use visualization and imagination, it is like not using our minds."

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you'll be a success."

“Oh, by the way®...I’m never too busy for any of your referrals.”
	“Oh, by the way®...if you know of someone who would appreciate the level of service I provide, please call or text me with their name and business number. I’ll be happy to follow up and take great care of them.”
	“Could you do me a favor? If you hear of anyone who is interested in buying or selling a home, can you keep me in mind?”
	“I’ve really enjoyed talking with you today. If any of your friends or family express an interest in buying or selling a home, it would be an honor to work with them. Just give me a call and I’ll be happy to follow up.”

"There are only four ways to create value (in a digital economy): information, entertainment, convenience, and savings."

"It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed."

It is important to remember that it is your thoughts and feelings together that create with the law of attraction, and you cannot separate them. Also remember that it's your feelings that are summing up your overall frequency and telling you what you are creating in this moment.

So how are you feeling right now? Could you feel better? Well then, do what it takes right now to feel better.

"My father instilled in me that if you don't see things happening the way you want them to, you get out there and make them happen."

All salespeople are given a plan, a quota, or some kind of “numbers” to achieve as a major part of their job requirement.
The key word is “part.” The plan or the quota is a SMALL part of the achievement process.
How the company and leader supports the salesperson and his or her sales effort is another part – the MAJOR part.
The tools, the training, and the encouragement to achieve will determine the salesperson’s ultimate belief, effort, and outcome. (AKA: Results)
Sales leaders will always make value judgments on their salespeople’s ability to produce numbers, but rarely will they step up to bat and self-evaluate their own effort to support and encourage their salespeople.
Sales leaders are quick to judge the capability of their salespeople strictly by the numbers. They get reports to keep accountability high. They get reports to check on activity. They get reports to check the numbers.
CLASSIC EXAMPLE: If the number each salesperson is to achieve requires cold calling as a major part of the sales function, more than 50% will NOT make the grade. They will become discouraged by a 95% or more failure (rejection) rate, be unhappy, feel pressure, most likely lie on their sales report, and ultimately quit (or be fired).
SALES REALITY: Most salespeople resent the fact that they are held accountable for certain numbers that don’t have anything to do with actually making sales. In addition, most salespeople resent the fact that their sales training is focused on the product rather than selling skills.
BIGGER SALES REALITY. Sales is not numbers, it’s a rhythm. Any kind of sales requires you to get into a rhythm, and that rhythm be consistent. It’s not the song, it’s the backbeat. Backbeat provides the glue to music. Bass and drums, not lead guitar or vocals. Consistent beat, not a one-minute solo.
BIGGEST SALES REALITY. In order for salespeople to feel “in the groove,” and get the sales rhythm, there has to be leadership support, and there has to be leadership encouragement.
Leadership has to change the word accountability to the word responsibility. The salesperson is responsible for himself or herself, responsible for their outcomes, and responsible to their boss and their company for productivity.
Once the salesperson becomes a responsible salesperson they are automatically accountable to everyone without ever saying the word “accountable.”
But the boss and the company also have their own responsibility to support that salesperson 150%.
Here are the 7.5 responsibilities sales leadership has to salespeople in order for them to make their numbers happen without ever saying the word “accountability”:

1. Impeccable company, product, and service reputation. This is foundational and fundamental to a salesperson’s belief system, and a prospective customer’s belief system. Belief fuels enthusiasm. NOTE WELL: Reputation arrives way before salespeople arrive.
2. Social media attraction. Active participation in social media is no longer an option; it’s an imperative. And active participation, including one-on-one communications with customers, creates attraction. Attraction is also known as leads.
3. On-demand, web based sales and personal development training. Salespeople need information and answers in order to make sales. The right training will both help the salesperson and encourage the salesperson. If they can access sales information on their mobile device while they’re waiting in the lobby for a sales appointment, salespeople will gain a new self-confidence that will help them make the sale. (Go to www.gitomerVT.com to see an example.)
4. An easy-to-implement philosophical approach to the sale. There must be an approach and a strategy to the sale that salespeople are comfortable with, and will employ during the selling process. One that takes the emotion of the selling process and converts it to a customer buying process.
5. The ability to differentiate FROM the competition. Salespeople need a value proposition, value-based statements, and value-based questions to genuinely engage any customer or prospect. And that value must be perceived as value by the customer.
6. Genuine, real-world, hands-on leadership encouragement. Salespeople want to feel the love and the support of leadership, not the pressure. Senior-level executives, and sales leaders, must be out on sales calls as often as possible. This way they discover the real world – the real world of making sales that will help them when they make the next sales plan.
7. A generous comp plan. When the comp plan changes, make sure the compensation goes up. Salespeople need a monetary carrot in order to perform at their highest level.
8. Internal harmony. Whatever your internal process is, there must be a harmony between sales, accounting, shipping, and any internal administration that deals directly with salespeople and/or customers.   

I’ve just given you the tip of the sales performance iceberg. Most of the iceberg is not visible if the salesperson is fighting market conditions, customers, and competition to gain a competitive and profitable edge.
NON-SECRET FORMULA FOR SALES SUCCESS: Give salespeople encouragement and support and they will give you sales.

"Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is."

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

Security - Who has it?

 

  Interestingly, even those who weathered the recent Great Recession relatively unscathed have mental and emotional scars that are impacting their vision of the future. For some, even though they learned how to stretch their dollars, there is residual anxiety about having enough, about saving enough, and about incurring future debt. In the article, they refer to this phenomenon as "The Great Insecurity."

 

I've long taught that the only real security any of us have is what goes on between our ears. Our knowledge, our continual commitment to growth and self development, and our abilities to control our thoughts are what make us secure. And, since we can't personally and directly make a huge impact on the larger economy of the world, it's wise that we focus on our "personal economy" and what we can do each and every day to make the next day better, don't you agree?

 

Surely you've heard that 'thoughts are things.' When you think fearful thoughts, you only increase your anxiety and stress. When you think about positive solutions, your body and mind both respond positively toward finding solutions. You sleep more soundly and awaken refreshed--ready to solve your way through another day.

 

So my wish for you is personal security. Be secure in the knowledge you have about your industry, your product, your selling skills, and your personal economy. Don't let worry take over your thinking.

 

Your thoughts manifest the words you use. The words you use create or destroy your confidence and cause you to take certain actions. Your actions help you develop habits. Your habits cultivate perseverance. And perseverance, more than any other trait, leads to the attainment of your goals. Habits are the tipping point. Are yours positive or negative? Your answer lies in how secure you feel each day.

 

Once you start paying attention to the results you're getting, you'll be able to backtrack to the cause and make changes for the better.

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."

"Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes."

"I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right upfront, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it."

It's human nature to avoid the tasks we must do but dread; however, don't stick your head in the sand. You won't be able to find the solutions there, and your problems will only grow over your head. Balanced self-observations about the unpleasant meeting with your boss or client will help more than will denying your actual feelings or escaping through such diversions as watching TV, drinking too much alcohol, or taking drugs. If you must unplug or take a break, be sure you engage in a rejuvenating activity and not an empty diversion.

"Speech is the mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so he is."

"If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence."

Your mental state has an enormous influence on your sales performance, not to mention your personal attitude and feelings of self-worth. Should you encounter a negative experience, don't try to play down your reaction as if it has no effect on you when your mind is really preoccupied by the past. Recognize your mental state. Awareness is the first step in changing a negative state of mind to a positive one.

"The best revenge is massive success."

"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work."