When the news broke that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich had been arrested on charges of corruption, I was stunned at first by the audacity and greed of this public official. Can you imagine trying to “sell” the Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder? He was seeking money, favors, and even a high-paying job for himself and his wife. Apparently, Blagojevich felt these rewards were out of his reach through the traditional means of hard work, dedication, intelligence, and skill.
What Blagojevich has failed to understand is that there is no shortcut to success. You can’t skip key steps like hard work, motivation, dedication, and vision. People who attempt to do so end up with one of two results: either they crash head-on into a brick wall that prevents them from proceeding, or like Blagojevich, they rise to the top of a mountain and fall off the other edge because they weren’t properly equipped to plan the ascent.
I encourage you to take the time to map out your blueprint for success. Where do you want to go? What are the necessary steps to get there? What extra efforts do you need to make to achieve those goals along the timeline you have established? Then look at this plan and remove one step. What does it do to the potential outcome? Will it prolong the schedule? Will it reduce the results? Or, like Rod Blagojevich, will it place you in a position that leaves you on shaky ground?
Overnight sensations do not happen overnight. They may suddenly achieve the recognition for their efforts but I guarantee you they did not find some magic shortcut. That road is a dead end.
A newspaper reporter secured a private meeting with the devil. The reporter was especially curious about the misleading method around which the devil had built his reputation. What is the most useful technique you use to trick people, he asked? Is it Dishonesty? Greed? Lust? Jealously? Vanity? What do you do to confuse a person from reaching their maximum potential?
The devil chuckled and said, “All you have mentioned is of little consequence. The most useful weapon I have is Apathy.”
So there you have it, straight from the mouth of the lowest of the low, an “I Don’t Care Attitude” will strip life from the loftiest of possibilities.
Here is a barometer to judge your level of passion toward your career. I call it the “last minute, first minute, and every minute in between attitude.” If you arrive at the last possible minute, and leave at the first minute the clock strikes 5:00, having counted every minute in between until quitting time, you are involved in the wrong career.”
Jim Rohn said, “Average people look forward to getting off. Successful people look forward to getting on.” My personal credo is, “If you can’t get out, then you better get in, but if you cannot get in, then you better get out.”
So if you think I’m being hard on you today, just consider that every message cannot be easy.
So what’s the cure for the tough times, those periods when you experience the emotional roller coasters and challenges of selling? The remedy is MOTIVATION.
But how do you stay motivated? You’ve been to the seminar, listened to the tapes, read the warm and fuzzy feel-good books, but the moment the world and its real challenges hit you head on, your motivation diminishes or completely disappears. That, my friend, is because the motivation you have received in the past was outward motivation and designed as a temporary fix.
Outward motivation is the rah-rah, bouncing-around expression of feelings. True motivation is a result of an enhanced feeling of competency. Competency comes from having skills and being excellent at what you do. Closing-the-sale skills provide you with the competency to be excellent, the best in your field.
Closing, like any skill, can be learned, mastered, and internalized. When you finally apply the skills, your competency will increase. Increased competency leads to greater results and more production, and whenever you are producing results you are internally and permanently motivated.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting a sales career, understand there is no such thing as a natural-born salesperson. Rest assured, as the doctor delivered you at birth, she did not exclaim “Now here’s a natural-born closer!” Nor did the doctor make predictions to the parents of the Olympic athlete or the accomplished musician. Both athlete and entertainer achieve greatness by mastering their skills through practice, repetition, and application.
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Posted by Myers Barnes
