Category: Motivating Sales Teams

Want to know an important secret? The most powerful technique to ensure your immediate and continued success is staying focused on what you want – all aspects of it – and not give in to worry, doubt, or to the temporary circumstances are happening right now in your life. I know this sounds simple, but most people find it extremely hard to practice.

While everyone understands the importance of goal setting, what usually happens after the excitement wears off is that reality sets in. You may have a goal to earn a certain amount of money, or drive a different type of car, etc, but after you receive a few checks that seem to be about the same, or after you get back into your old car for a few months, have you ever found that you forget about your goal and just start accepting that things are probably going to remain the same?

Or have you ever attended a motivational seminar or read a motivational book and been fired up for a while? Have you even taken some of the advice and written down your new goals or even taken some action and tried a new marketing plan or diet? If you have, then you’ve probably experienced the kind of let down that comes from not making progress fast enough and then laying in bed at night worrying about your income or about your future (again).

In fact, let me ask you right now: “How much of your thinking is about what you don’t want to happen or about what might happen if something you’re trying to accomplish doesn’t work out?”

The answer to that one question will always determine your ultimate success. You see, the secret to all success is to be able to stay focused on exactly what you want regardless of how long it takes, or what else is currently happening. It is this single ability to stay focused, committed and always trained on the end result you want – no matter what – that enables you to ultimately achieve any goal you set.

So how do you stay focused on what it is you want when so much seems to be contrary, or your mind constantly says, “Yes, but….”? Here are some tips that help me, and might help you as well.

I remember when I wanted to upgrade my Nissan Hatchback to a Mercedes. Well, at first I couldn’t afford the down payment, didn’t know how I was going to make the monthly payments, insurance, etc. Instead of trying to figure all that out, I started with the thought, “If other reps in the office drive nice cars and they seem to be able to write enough business to afford them, why not me?”

That basic belief was the core driving thought that I always went back to when I had a bad sales day or week. Whenever my mind started to go negative on me with the, “Who are you kidding? You a Mercedes?” And so forth, I would always reaffirm what I could believe in – “If others could do it, I could do it too!”

After that, I strengthened my vision by going to a Mercedes dealership and test driving the car I wanted; I had the sales rep at the dealership take pictures of me next to my ideal car (in fact you can see that exact picture by clicking here and scrolling down a bit). I brought all the brochures home of the car I wanted and kept them on my desk and looked at them often. And then I wrote an affirmation card and spent three to five times a day slowly visualizing how I felt now that I owned my dream car.

That combination – always combating any negative thoughts with a thought I could believe in – “If others could do it, I could as well” – along with constantly feeding myself the feelings of having accomplished my goal, enabled me to stay focused on what I wanted, rather than on what I didn’t have.

The result? Four months after writing up my affirmation card and making the commitment to owning the car of my dreams, I went back to the same dealership and bought the exact car I had been visualizing about.

So my question to you is this: What do you want, and what belief can you believe in now that can become your default self talk that will counteract any negative thinking? And then what kinds of reinforcement tools can you surround yourself with that will keep you focused on how you’ll feel once you attain your goal? These, coupled with an affirmation paragraph that you read and visualize several times a day, will keep you focused on what you want.

And once you do that, your goal will always become a reality…

Russell Wilson, the 5’11, 25 year old Seattle Seahawks quarterback who just won the Superbowl, loves to tell the story of how his dad pulled him aside when he was a kid struggling to make teams because he was so small. His dad would tell him, “Russ, you’ve got the talent, you’ve got the drive and the work habits, why not you? Why not you?”

Wilson says those words became the driving force that kept him competing for starting jobs on college teams and kept him working hard to get drafted in the NFL. On draft day, he watched as other quarterbacks got picked in the first round, and then the second round. The announcers who covered Wilson back then all said that if he were only 3 inches taller he would be a first round draft pick. Finally, with the 12th pick in the third round, the Seahawks drafted the undersized quarterback.

When Wilson showed up for training camp, it was almost certain he would sit on the bench behind highly prized free agent, Matt Flynn. Matt had been Aaron Rodgers’ back up in Green Bay and had a franchise record setting, 6 touchdown performance at the end of the previous season. Millions of dollars later, Matt was projected to be the Seahawk’s starter for years to come.

As Wilson started training camp, he heard his coaches say that the starting quarterback spot was open to the best player at that position.

“Why not you?”

These words rang in Wilson’s head again as he practiced, competed and performed during off season workouts and throughout the preseason. By the final game, Wilson was named the starter, and he went on to have an amazing 2012 rookie season.

As the 2013 season began, Wilson had a message for his team: “Why not us?” Every player bought into those words and that became their team mantra as they went on to a dominating 13-3 season. In February as they headed out of the tunnel to start Superbowl XLVIII, they all believed that no matter who their opponent was, there was no reason they couldn’t be hoisting the Lombardi trophy at the end of the game.

After all, “Why not them?”

As I read these stories throughout the season, I kept thinking about a similar mantra I adopted once I committed to becoming a top producer. I was struggling just to pay my rent at the time, but I’ll never forget looking at the top three producers and the porches they drove and the suits they wore and trips they won and thinking, “What do they have that I don’t?”

I realized they all were selling the product I was, had access to the same leads, the same sales scripts, the same amount of time in the day. What was different, I wondered? When I discovered it was only their commitment and ambition, I knew that I could do it too. And that’s when I developed the mantra:

“If they can do it, I can do it better!”

Once I made that commitment, I knew I could work harder and work smarter. I could learn all the top sales skills they were using, and I could perfect them even more. The old determination came back to me, and I suddenly remembered being in college. I knew I could get “A’s” there, too, if I was willing to commit, and I did. And if I did it there, I could do it here. After all, I had three role models who were doing it day in and day out.

“If they can do it, I can do it better!” That mantra drove me to succeed. I relentlessly listened to my recorded calls and committed to improving on the very next call. I learned how to qualify leads, and I learned how to listen (thank god for the mute button). I developed affirmations and began visualizing my success. And each and every day, probably a hundred times or more, I would repeat to myself:

“If they can do it, I can do it better.”

And I did. In 90 days I went from last place out of 25 sales reps to being #1. And I never looked back. Nine months later, I was the top rep out of 5 branch offices and won the closer of the year award. (That award, by the way, was a Corvette convertible. You can see a picture of me standing in front of it here – scroll down a bit).

I’m going to borrow a line from Anthony Robbins right now and say that I’m not telling you this to impress you, but rather to impress upon you that if YOU make a similar commitment, then YOU can also become a top producer at your company or in your industry.

And once you do this, entire world changes. Your family’s life changes. Your future changes. You sleep better every night and you don’t dread Mondays.

Once you become a top producer, you never go back and suddenly you know how to succeed in selling anything. I’m here to tell you, the freedom from worry, from debt, from the future is an amazing feeling and one you owe to yourself and to your family.

Now if you’re wondering if you can really achieve this kind of success in sales, I’ll borrow a line from the 3rd round pick of the 2012 NFL draft:

“Why not you?”

Now, let me just say for the record that I agree with a lot more than just these two things that Jeffrey says, but these are things I’ve known for many, many years. I hope they resonate with you, too.

So here’s the scene: Large corporate sales convention in the company’s training center, over 250 sales reps flown in from all over the country; Sales directors, V.P.s, sales managers all running around stressing over the schedule, quotas, current sales, etc.

I’m speaking to the entire group (owners, board members in the audience, too), and after the training portion of my presentation, I ask the question that gets the managers and directors to shift uneasily in their seats: “What are the two most important determining factors in making sales and exceeding quotas?”

The reps raise their hands and start firing away, “Leads,” “The economy,” “The price of the product,” “Territory,” they yell out. The managers and directors are now sweating, and the owners and board members look irritated and even a little angry.

“While those things all play a part, the problem with them is that you have no control over them. So for that reason alone, they don’t qualify as being the most important things.” I tell them.

“There are only two things you CAN control and those happen to be the most important factors affecting your success. And they always will be,” I say. And what are those two things?

Your attitude and your actions.

Everything else flows from those two things. And the good news is that both of those things are directly under your control and when you learn to develop and maintain an expectant and enthusiastic attitude, and you take smart, consistent actions, you will always get the results you plan for.”

After I delivered this (and the rest of my talk), the managers and directors, V.P.’s and owners were all smiles. And so were the Top 20%, because they know the truth.

Ask any top performer this question, and you will get the same answer, albeit, in a different way. Some will say it’s how hard they work; others will say it’s their mental preparation, and still others will attribute their success to visualizing a win. But it all comes down to the same thing.

A winner will always take 100% responsibility for their results, while the other 80% will blame it on things outside their control. And that’s why winners will always eventually win, and the rest of the players will lose and make excuses.

It’s like my friend Jeffrey Gitomer once said, “Your boss can’t stop you; your co-workers can’t stop you; your territory can’t stop you; the economy can’t stop you. Only YOU can permanently stop you.” (I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the gist of it.)

In today’s business environment of social media, product reviews, so many Internet options to buy, etc., it’s crucially important that you develop, feed, and maintain a positive, expectant attitude of success. No matter what you’re going through right now, circumstances will change, and they WILL get better. The question is, what extra actions are you taking right now to ensure your success? Are you working harder AND smarter? Are you coming in early and leaving late? Are you going that extra mile every day including Fridays? Are you visualizing your success?

The bottom line is that if you focus on and take care of the two things you can control – your attitude and your actions – then nothing will stop you from reaching your goals.

That was a message all 250 sales reps in needed to hear, and I know that 20% of them already knew it and were already practicing it.

How about you?

I’d like to thank all those readers who commented on the eZine article: “Using Bingo to Increase Sales.” I’m glad you found it useful, and I especially like how many of you sent in ideas and techniques of your own that you’ve used to motivate your sales team. One of our readers, Yvonne, sent in this technique called the “Turkey Shoot.” I think you’ll enjoy it:

“Mike, this reminds me of another way that we used to ‘get the job done.’ Perhaps you’ve heard of it, too.

We had a ‘Turkey Shoot’ so to speak: Across the top were number of days of the month (this was thought up during Thanksgiving season, hence the name). Down the side were listed all the items that you could do that would be considered “prospecting.” This actually was done per office, so some had a few items that another office might not. Be that as it may, handing out x# business cards, making 10 cold calls, sending __# mailers out, showing a property, writing a contract, and of course, the Biggie, getting paid!. Each item was given so many points (business cards 1 pt each, mailers 1 pt each, cold calls 5 pts, showing 10 pts, contract 20 pts, paid 25).

Each day, each person entered what he did for that day, and the squares would get filled in. Some agents did more than others, of course. However, even those who didn’t do much had done something, and they were inspired to do more when they saw the results of their fellow
agents.

The interesting thing is that it didn’t matter whether you were ‘an old hand’ at prospecting or brand new, as long as all the activities were done, there would be lots of winners. It seems like that would be a ‘duh!’ However, Thanksgiving and Christmas were always very difficult to get through, even for seasoned agents. So, when they came up with this ‘accountability’ grid, everyone profited. I’ve even used it around the house, whether for housekeeping, or for keeping the kids happy. There were always categories that would fit whatever the goal was, and the
results would always be the same: feeling good about accomplishing something that might have been a little ‘drab’ otherwise.

Thanks again.”

Yvonne
What I really like about this technique is that it can be adapted to any sales initiative you’re having, and it can be used to motivate just about any kind of behavior (I love that she used this at home with the chores). This just shows you how important having goals can be and how hard people will work for recognition.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and have a game, contest or way of motivating your team that you’d like to share with me, please do me a favor and email at: Mike@mrinsidesales.com. The more we can learn from each other, the more successful we all will be!

Let’s face it, sales can be a hard profession. If you’re on a commission only basis, then you know how easy it is to go from hero to zero at the beginning of each month as your quota starts over. You are constantly under pressure to make all kinds of numbers and metrics – number of calls, appointments, closes and revenues. If you’re in management, then you are also responsible for each team member and the goals of the whole department. If you’re an owner, then you often have the pressure of the board or the share holders to make your quarterly numbers or grow your market share.

What can make this profession especially hard is that it seems as if the battle to make all these numbers is fought one sale at a time, and each no you get takes a little bit from you and many no’s in a row can really bring your confidence down. So how can you stay positive and keep your attitude where it needs to be to keep picking up the phone, calling on those prospects and persevering to make a sale?

After years of struggling with these same challenges, I’ve found a reliable and consistent way to keep myself focused and smiling and dialing and contacting one prospect after the next. The great thing about it is that it costs no money, takes very little time, and I can do it anywhere and at anytime. It’s a method I never grow tire of, and, best of all, it always works to restore my attitude, my hope and my perspective. It’s called writing a gratitude list.

I was taught long ago that when things didn’t seem to be going my way, or if I felt like I wasn’t “getting mine” or if I began feeling sorry for myself, then it was time for me to stop and make a list of all the things I already had and to focus on how grateful I was to have them. I was told that many times we’re so focused on what we have to have next that we often forget to acknowledge and truly appreciate the things we already have and how fortunate we already are. Writing a gratitude list restores that appreciation and helps me to focus on the things that are truly important.

Writing a gratitude list is easy. You simply get a piece of paper, or make a list in a notes section of your smart phone or computer, and start with a number of things you’re going to list that you’re grateful for in your life. I’ve found that 25 items is a perfect amount for one sitting as it gets filled easily up to about 16, then I have to search deeper to find the other treasures in my life. If you think that you’d be hard pressed to find even 10 or 15 things you’re grateful for, don’t worry – once you get started, you’ll be surprised by how rich you truly are. Here’s a sample list to help remind you and get you started:

Often times I will break things down into categories to help prompt me. I always start with the most important thing of all, health. It’s interesting how I’m immediately grateful for the ability to walk, to see, or to do anything physical whenever I’m in public and I see someone in a wheel chair or disabled in some way. Instantly I’m reminded of how fortunate I am and of how I take such important things for granted. Spending a few minutes to really cherish my health has amazing positive benefits. I often list things like this:

1. I’m grateful for my total health today, and I’m reminded that as long as I have my health, I have hope. And hope is the start of everything.

2. I’m grateful I’m healthy enough to go to the gym, and that I can run, box, lift weights and get my endorphins going.

3. I’m grateful I can sleep at night and wake up without pain; that I am not enduring the challenges that a disease or diagnosis would impose on me and my loved ones.

4. I’m grateful that I can choose to eat a healthy meal; that I have food choices and abundant fresh water available to me and nearby whenever I want or need it.

5. I’m grateful for my Starbucks card :–)

As you can see, this can go on and on and sometimes does. Here are other categories in no particular order. Again, I use them as needed, and I expand and add to them regularly. Here is just a sample – by no means a complete list – of the things that might be included in each category. I’m sure that with just a little bit of thought you can add many of your items in each.

Work and opportunity:

6. I’m grateful that I have a job (or business) that gives me the opportunity to be of service and to make a living. If I’m in sales, then I have a company that provides me everything I need to succeed. They pay for the building, the rent, the products, the phones, the back office support, the training, the leads, etc.

7. I get paid to find people to be of service to! Wow, what an honor! My day always goes better when I remember that I’m here to find ways to help people rather than to get something.

8. Because I’m in commission sales, I can make as much money as I want! How fortunate am I? If I want a raise, all I have to do is find more companies or people who could benefit from my product or service and then meet them. Next year I could buy another home or car or move closer to retirement. Wow, I’m so blessed to have so much opportunity…

9. If I don’t have a job right now, then I have nothing but opportunity and I can do virtually anything I choose – the training, the colleges, the jobs, the opportunities are there for me to do anything I decide I want to do.

Family is always at the top of the list:

10. I’m grateful for my family and their health. I’m grateful for their love and support and the privilege I have to be in their life and the opportunity I have to add to their lives.

11. I’m truly grateful for the unconditional love I feel from my family.

12. I’m grateful for the opportunity to provide for them the life I’ve had or didn’t have and for the opportunity to share in their lives as their futures unfold.

13. I’m grateful for the family get together this Thanksgiving and over the holidays. Though I may not always like them all on the same day, I do love and appreciate them for who they are and for what they add to my life.

This category and the ones before it can be a list of 25 items by themselves as you can see. We truly have so much to be grateful for. Here are 12 other random items that can also be expanded. As you read them, you might want to make a list of others that you think of as you go through them:

14. I’m grateful for my love of photography and for the wonderful cameras, books, and programs available to me.

15. I’m grateful to be alive in the beginning of the 21st century! I love technology and all the wonderful things it affords me.

16. I love my new iPhone 5!

17. I’m grateful for God and for my understanding of and relationship with Him.

18. I’m grateful for having my own business and for the freedom I have to take an occasionally half day on Friday and sneak off to the movies to see the new James Bond film on opening day!

19. I’m grateful I have a roof over my head and that my family didn’t have to endure days and nights without electricity or suffer the loss of life and home as many others did during hurricane Sandy.

20. I’m grateful I can contribute to the relief effort simply by picking up my phone and texting to the Red Cross or by visiting their website: https://www.redcross.org/

21. I’m grateful for my goals and plans for 2013 and for the opportunities to achieve them.

22. I’m grateful for the wealth of great books, CD’s, and other programs that keep my attitude focused on what’s possible.

23. I’m grateful for the NFL! I can’t wait to be at our local sports bar cheering on my surprising Tampa Bay Buccaneers!

24. I’m grateful for the unconditional love from the pets in my life.

25. I’m eternally grateful that I have the awareness and ability to stop and write a gratitude list like this…

Now I don’t know about you, but I already feel So Much Better. And I felt pretty good before I wrote this list! For me, the real magic of writing a gratitude list is that it takes the focus off of “what’s in it for me” and “where’s mine?” and puts it back where it should be – on what I can do for you. You see, when I take just a few minutes to acknowledge how truly rich and blessed I am right now, it’s so much easier to want to share this attitude with others. It’s so much easier to truly want to help others rather than to get something by closing a sale. And developing an attitude of giving rather than getting is what makes everything I do so much more rewarding.

A couple of weeks ago I was flying back to Los Angeles from Chicago, long flight, late at night.  The good news about my seat was that it was an exit row (nice leg room), the bad news was that it was the center seat.  As I marched through the aisle with my carry on, I looked forward toward my seat and saw that I would be sandwiched between two, big guys.  Oh the joy of traveling… 

Luckily, once we got off the ground, the guy to my left fell asleep, and the guy on my right was busy finishing a detective novel.  Once he was done he picked up a new book that drew my attention.  It was called, “Younger Next Year” (See it here). As he turned the pages, I would scan the headings and look at the graphs, and by the end of the flight I was sold on what I saw.  When I got home I ordered it and am almost through reading it right now. 

So here’s the deal: the book tells you everything you probably already know but aren’t doing: that you should exercise more, eat well, etc.  But what makes it different are the reasons it gives for doing these things.  And more specifically, it makes a bold claim: 

That instead of getting older and losing strength, stamina and flexibility, you can actually reverse this and become “functionally younger” next year than you are right now.  You can actually change the decline curve that we all assume is true about aging and live the last half or last third of your life in better shape and with less restriction and disease than 90% of the population right now.  That’s significant. 

OK, so what does this have to do with sales?  Well, everything really.  I remember when I was struggling to make sales all those years ago, and I remember how my physical body mirrored my attitude and performance:  My diet was horrible (donuts, pastries and lots of coffee for breakfast), my lunch was the nearest Chinese restaurant for the luncheon special with soup, and for dinner I would have as many beers as courses there were on the menu… 

Exercise?  That wasn’t part of the plan.  As a result I was out of shape, low energy once the coffee wore off, and my attitude was pretty poor.  I was on the slope of decline the book talks about but I was only 29 years old! 

I’ve written a lot about what changed for me (learning and committing to using the right skill set, adopting the right mind set and using affirmations, etc.), but one thing that also made a huge difference for me was that I committed to changing my diet and to exercising five days a week.  I can’t tell you what a difference that made (and still makes) for me.  

If you are looking for some reinforcement to begin or resume an exercise program, then I encourage you to click here and read about this book: Younger Next Year.  It has given me a renewed focus and my energy level and attitude towards business, family and my future is off the charts again.  I can’t recommend it enough.  

Here are some key points as to why exercise is so important for you: 

* A man who is thirty pounds overweight, smoking a pack a day but exercising every day, has a lower statistical mortality than a thin, sedentary nonsmoker. 

* Nothing you are doing in the Next Third of your life (between 55 – 85) is as important as daily exercise. 

* Genetics are only 20% of what determines how you’ll age and what will happen to you.  80% is up to you! 

* We can prevent 70% of what we think of as the effects of aging and disease by simply exercising daily.  

There is a lot more in this book and regardless of your age (physically we stop growing and getting stronger around 29 years old and the decay starts then…) you will benefit from reading this book.  (Heck, it’s only $7.43 on Amazon.com!).  

And best of all, your sales will benefit as well!

Motivation seems to be one of the toughest areas to get a handle on.  Many managers tell me that some of their reps are already motivated and don’t need their help in that area (usually the Top 20%), but that the majority seem to need constant motivating, mentoring, counseling, or out right babysitting.  Sound familiar?

When asked what to do, I tell them there is only so much they can do because true motivation comes from within — in other words, each member of their team is already motivated.  There are, however, 5 things you can do to get the most out of your sales team and keep motivation and morale high.  Here’s what they are — 

#1) Make your monthly revenue goal, and each rep’s part of that goal, crystal clear.  I’m sure you have a monthly revenue goal, but does each member of your sales team know what their specific part of that goal is?  (Hint — it’s not all equal).  Recognize that some reps will produce much more of the overall goal than others, but also make sure each one is clear on what their part of that overall goal is.

#2) Individualize the bonuses or prizes.  The problem with most bonus programs is that as soon as they are released, over one-half of the sales team knows they can’t win so they are more discouraged than encouraged to produce.  Customize each rep’s bonus based on their individual production goal.  This ensures every body has a chance to win and thus will be motivated. 

#3) Get out of your office and close some deals.  Most managers are way too busy in meetings, or reporting, or just plain hiding out to be really effective.  Remember one thing — as the manager, you are the leader.  And leaders lead by example.  Want to motivate your team, make your numbers, and create real value for yourself?  Go onto the floor and close business for some of your sales reps and help them make their revenue goals.  This is the most important thing you can do not only for your bottom line, but for your team’s motivation as well. 

#4) Invest $100 in a couple of trophies.  The best money you’ll ever spend — make one a “Weekly most improved” or “Best effort” and hand it out each Monday morning.  Each winner gets to keep it on their desk that week.  The other trophy can be either “Most deals,” or “Most new clients” or whatever other category everyone has a chance to win (as long as it is revenue related).  Again, hand it out in your Monday morning sales meeting, and each week the winner gets to keep it on their desk.  Rule #1 in motivating: recognition among peers is almost always more important than money. 

#5) Have some fun!  Go to a toy store and buy one of those beanbag tosses, and after lunch on Friday make some teams and have some fun playing as a team.  Tack on $50 for good measure and watch the competition and fun build your team and dissolve stress.  This works – try it! 

So there you have it.  Inexpensive, proven techniques to build morale, motivate and make more money.

Want a bonus?  Invest in and give each member of your team a copy of my new CD series , “The Secrets of the Top 20% – How to Double Your Income Selling over the Phone.”  That alone will turn some of your sales reps into Top 20% producers and then they will forever be motivated from within — the ultimate motivation!

Forgive me in advance if this rubs a bit too close to the bone.

It’s not meant to be offensive, but it is meant to be objective. (I’ll explain in a second.)

1. You will break your resolutions by the end of January.

2. You will make the same amount of money as the average of your last 5 year’s total income.

3. You will gain 2 pounds of body fat.

4. You will struggle with the same habits, patterns, and behaviors that you always have.

5. You will get to the end of the year and have made very little progress in your life.

Why do I make these predictions?

Well, statistically speaking, that’s what will happen to almost everyone, including you.

So, it’s a safe bet that the same will happen to you this year.

That is, if you don’t make some necessary changes and STICK TO THEM.

I know … I know …

What nerve? Who the heck am I to say such things?

Exactly!

No one can make accurate predictions about an individual. Only about populations.

The fact is, it’s only the people who are outside of the “norm” that really do anything significant with their lives.

So, are those people made that way?

Is it just the luck of fate or genetics?

C’mon, both you and I know better than that.

In fact, I’d like to introduce you to someone that has a large volume of evidence that shows that exactly the opposite is true.

The fact is, success “can” be reverse engineered and reproduced.

You don’t have to accept what everyone else is getting but you MUST make a few new choices.

Suppose you decided today – right now – that you’re finally serious about making a REAL commitment to turning your dreams into actions… AND your goals into achievements.

And suppose you had more fun doing it than you ever imagined!

It can happen… but you need to be challenged and you’ve got to take the first bold step.

Is 2012 going to be the year you accomplish all you’ve dreamed of…forever?

You can do it, and I’ve found a way that will show you how.

Say hello to Gary Ryan Blair and the 30 Day – Got Resolutions Challenge!

This extreme performance acceleration program will be the kick in the behind you need so YOU can change your life for the better, and I mean MUCH BETTER!

All you have to do is say YES, I’m ready for a challenge, and Gary will show you how to make this the best year of your life!

I recommend the program, I recommend that you act quickly, and more importantly I recommend Gary as he is the BEST at what he does.

Click here to turn your dreams into reality.

You’ll love this very special program!

Mike Brooks
Mr. Inside Sales

P.S. Be sure to check out the video that explains the entire system. It’s a very unique approach with cartoons that is one of the best I’ve ever seen.

Go here now:

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This saying really resonated with me the first time I heard it. At that time I was selling over the phone, and I knew all about being driven by fear. I was afraid that if I didn’t make quota I would be fired. I was afraid that if I didn’t close any business before the end of the month I wouldn’t be able to afford my rent. I was afraid to cold call because no one seemed interested in what I was selling.

It was this fear that pushed me to show up. It was there in the morning when I awoke. As I laid there it overwhelmed me and pushed me out of bed. When I got to the office, and after I had procrastinated most of the morning away, it was there to push me to make cold calls. Later in the day it was there to push me to make closing calls. All day long (and the days turned into weeks and months) my fear of economic insecurity, of having made the wrong choices in my life, of what my future would be like, pushed me through my life as a salesman.

As I looked around my office I’d wonder what I was doing wrong and why others in my office looked and acted more confident and happy. The top producers driving the new cars and moving into their new homes didn’t look like they had much fear. The two bosses who owned the company didn’t look like they had the fear I had. In fact other producers who seemed to be trying hard and actually looked like they enjoyed the challenge and their successes didn’t seem to have the fear I did.

What was wrong, I wondered?

And then I heard the statement, “Fear pushes, Vision Pulls”. Someone asked me what my goals for the rest of the year were, and I couldn’t tell her. She asked me what got me excited in the morning, and I had to admit there wasn’t much. She asked me what I was looking forward to accomplishing in the coming years, and I didn’t have an answer. She asked me if I had specific goals in each area of my life that I could actually believe in, and I told her I didn’t. And that’s when she explained about the importance of having a vision for my life.

She told me that before I could have a dream come true I first had to have a dream. She explained that developing and having a vision that I could believe in was what made the tough times easier to bear and it made the good times more rewarding. She told me that it was easy to develop a vision and once I really believed that it could come true that it was then destined to manifest itself in my life.

After doing a lot of work with goal setting, affirmation setting, visualization and imprinting my goals into my subconscious, my visions did come true. Books like “The Secret” and “Beyond Positive Thinking” and “The Sermon on the Mount” helped me change my life and my thoughts, and I highly recommend books like these if you’d like to learn techniques and methods to help you manifest your dreams as well.

Over the years, though, what I’ve found to be important is that if I don’t keep painting a vision for my life then fear quickly sneaks back in to push me to take action again. While it works for a bit, it’s highly inefficient and it’s uncomfortable for me and for all those around me. When I’m driven by fear, my life quickly becomes unmanageable and I start asking myself all the old questions again. When that happens I know it’s time to create a new vision for my life.

What I’m doing right now is setting a two year vision for my life and just thinking about it has already rekindled the enthusiasm and spirit that were briefly missing over the last two months. Just mentioning this to my wife has invigorated her as well. Separately and then together, we are mapping out what the various areas of our lives are going to be like by the end of December 2013. We picked that date because it gave us enough time to get everything done and having that time is important to allow us to buy into and believe that it’s possible. That’s one of the keys manifesting.

The other key that has me so excited about the vision I’m creating is that it is balanced and includes all areas of my life – not just my business. I’m setting specific goals in terms of:

Health and fitness

Finances

Creative (in terms of books to write and publish)

Travel and fun!  There are trips to Europe, NFL football games, fall color tours and more

The vision includes daily, weekly, and monthly benchmarks, as well

And through it all I’m staying focused on exactly how I will feel when I’ve accomplished it all. I’ll tell you, I get excited just writing about it right now! I can’t wait to get on the phone! Over the last week I’ve woken up with a new energy and it’s the power of being pulled forward by vision.

If you’ve found yourself in a slump lately, or if you’ve detected some of the old fear creeping back into your life, then I encourage you to sit down over the upcoming holiday and write out some specific goals and to turn those goals into your vision. Read some of the books that inspire you to create the life you know you were meant to live, and share it with those who love you and whose lives will benefit from the dynamic and exciting vision you can create.

I guarantee you’ll feel better when you stop being pushed by fear and start being pulled by your vision…

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Do you have an underperforming inside sales team?  Talk to Mike to see how he can help you and your team reach your revenue goals.  To learn more about Mike, visit his website: http://www.MrInsideSales.com

Years ago I discovered a secret that has enabled me to create so much happiness and success, and the amazing thing about this secret is that it’s the exact opposite of what I had always been taught. You see, I was always told that if I wanted to BE happy or successful, then I had to Do things first that would enable me to HAVE something and then I would BE happy.

So I went about DOING a lot of the things people said I had to DO to be successful. For example when I wanted to become a Top 20% producer, my manager told me that I needed to cold call a lot, that I needed to give a lot of presentations, and that I need work harder, smarter, etc… So I did. But I didn’t become a top producer!

The reason was that the image I held in my mind was that of a bottom 80% producer who was trying to Do the things so I could HAVE the things I thought I needed to BE successful. And that image of me trying to struggle to become something I wasn’t (and that I didn’t see myself as) was the reason I wasn’t making much progress.

It was my self-image of not already BEING something (successful) that kept me from DOING the right things to BE successful. You see, I was still a pretender trying to be something that I didn’t believe I was. So I kept adlibbing it through my sales process, still wasn’t using proven techniques, and I still sent out unqualified leads, etc. So no matter how much more I DID, I remained a struggling rep still trying to get the things (to HAVE them) so I could BE successful.

It didn’t work.

And then I learned the secret. It was simple and made perfect sense, but it wasn’t that easy to do in the beginning. What I learned is that the image I have of myself, my self image or picture that I hold of myself, is what drives and ultimately determines all levels of success and happiness. And my number one priority was to first SEE myself as successful, in other words to BE successful in my thoughts and consciousness FIRST, and then I would Do (take the right actions) and HAVE success.

I learned that the way the world really works is opposite of the way I had been taught. All manifestation and results work like this: You first have to BE something in your mind (really feel it and believe you already have it) and then you imagine to HAVE the things you want and then it will be like you to automatically DO the things you need to do to get them.

And here’s how I now practice this “law of manifestation”:

1) First I identify exactly what I will feel like when I accomplish any goal I have. Exactly what it will mean to me to BE in that state of accomplishment and feeling. If my goal is to achieve a certain level of production and income, I then capture all the feelings and describe all the things I will have now that I’ve accomplished the goal. I do this in intimate and elaborate detail…

2) Then I write up an affirmation card that includes a paragraph that reinforces exactly how I’m feeling and what it’s like to BE at that level of accomplishment. I read and visualize that affirmation and imprint those feelings into my subconscious mind so that I can BE that in my mind’s eye. After a few weeks of BEING this in my mind, my self-image is changed and I have changed the picture of myself at my deepest BEING level.

3) All while this is happening, I watch myself as I begin making better decisions and as I begin getting (HAVING) different, more successful results in my life. And all this leads to me DOING things differently that support and reinforce and bring into reality the image that I now have in my mind (of how I am BEING).

The way this breaks down is that if my goal is to make more money in a month, I visualize what I feel like now that I’ve accomplished this, and then I watch as I naturally take better actions, and watch as more people, situations, and deals come into my life. I know this might sound magical and, well, it is. But it works…

If you find that you are struggling to achieve a certain result – whether it’s earn more money, get in better shape, improve a relationship, etc., then before you wait to be successful at it, why not start with the end result first? Try BEING the thing or state you are trying to accomplish first, and watch as what you HAVE begins to change and the things you begin DOING change to support that new image.

It’s how all long lasting change takes place, and it’s a lot easier than going about it the old way you may have been taught, too.

If you found this article helpful, then you will love Mike’s bestselling book on what it takes to become a Top 20% producer: “The REAL Secrets of the Top 20% – How To Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone.”  (Recommended by Jeffrey Gitomer!)  Get a Special Offer and read about it by clicking here: http://www.mrinsidesales.com/secrets_and_CD.htm

Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, works with business owners and inside sales reps nationwide teaching them the skills, strategies and techniques of top 20% performance.

He offers a FREE audio program designed to help you double your income selling over the phone, as well as an internationally acclaimed FREE Ezine. If you’re looking to catapult your sales, or create a sales team that actually makes their monthly revenues, then learn how by visiting: http://www.MrInsideSales.com