You got next

Graham Betchart a sports psychologist & mental toughness coach to professional athletes begins coaching his players w/ 3 plays. These 3 plays set the foundation toward continuous growth that you & I can use…the good news is we don’t even have to run sprints or stadiums to be one of the best!

• Play #1: W.I.N. stands for What’s important now? Simply controlling the controllables. You can’t control the ultimate outcome but you can heavily influence it. Outcomes can be influenced by the 3 things within your control: Attitude, Effort, & Focus. If your attitude is one where you’re walking around blowing your breath in big huffs- looking like a big ass eye roll emoji then you’re going to get back what you put out- negative results. But if your attitude is that of being open minded- in his book Principles, billionaire investor Ray Dalio calls it being radically open-minded, this mindset keeps the channels of your mind open and flexible. Look, things are going to ebb & flow- some things will bounce your way, other times, even when done perfect will not, but you’ve got to keep the attitude and keep plugging knowing things will swing to & fro. If you think about the times that you’re all pissed off, you usually have a rigid, closed mind, don’t you? You’re also in control of your effort- concentrate on giving full effort to each day, customer, & encounter. I find that when your attitude trails off you tend to be more me focused– worried more about what you’re getting & less of what you’re giving. You just give it all you got- you’ll get what you deserve. You also control your focus. Ask yourself, What time zone am I in right now? We live in 1 of 3 time zones: Past, Present, or Future.The only one that’s productively real is what’s happening right now. Stay local (not loco).
• Play #2: Be present. Graham says it’s reeeeel easy to play present when you’re winning and everything’s going right- but can you play when your in the shit spin cycle of Life…can you play present even when you’re in pain? Graham has a saying that I love & use that re-centers me back to the present when I feel like I’m starting to drift into the past or future, “Play where your feet are.” It’s an instant slap back to reality- where are your feet right now? Play there…
• Play #3 Next Play Speed: Athletes don’t have time to get hung up on a blocked or missed shot- Graham coaches his players to hurry up and get into the next play. This prevents them from getting stuck in an action that has already happened. Whenever I don’t do well with a previous customer, I try not to park & bitch about what I did or didn’t have/do- no, I quickly get back in the mix by looking for the next play- the next opportunity or activity that I can possibly capitalize on.

So that’s it! 3 plays is all you have to remember & run today. W.I.N. (What’s Important Now); Play Present, & Next Play Speed.

Blow the whistle- You’re in!

I’ll see you in the Sales Life!

⭐️⭐️Subscribe to my weekly podcast The Sales Life w/ Marsh Buice. You can find it on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Play

They’re Matters, Not Meaning

Showing up today matters.

It matters that you show up on time for work.

It matters-even if it’s 2 words or 2 sentences- that you find something worth writing down today that will help shape you into becoming better than you  were before you captured it.

It matters how quick and how many customers you are willing to get in front of today.

It matters that you are brave enough to pick up the phone and risk hearing a customer reject you instead of hiding behind a text message.

It matters that you ask your customer optimistic building questions instead of pessimistic, narrowing ones.

It matters that your customers demo the vehicle.

It matters that you write your customers up.

It matters that you persistently press forward beyond the 1rst, third, and 4th No.

It matters that you turn your customers over to let a fresh face help you.

It matters that you follow through after the sale-you not only need your clients to make your month, you need them to make your career.

It matters that you remain walking with your customers during the frustrating moments-the moments when the warranty they paid $2500 for won’t cover the repair.

It matters that you follow up and stay in touch with your customers’ lives not their wallets.

It matters that you help others regardless of what’s in it for you.

It matters that you’re willing to be a student of your profession.

You showing up today matters because everything you do (or don’t do) is significant to the outcome of your day, month, year, career, and your life.

(Yes, your life.)

What you do matters, but the emphasis of those matters have the wrong meaning.

When a customer hangs up on you…

When a customer won’t get out of the car and give you a chance to help them…

When a customer gets annoyed because you can’t tell them a price or tell them what their trade is worth in the first 30 seconds of meeting them….

When a customer won’t demo…

When a customer refuses to come inside “for your business card”…

When a customer  jumps across the street and buys from your competitor because you didn’t turn them over…

When a customer goes off on you because you dropped the ball while their car was in service…

When a customer won’t return your phone calls…

When a customer gets cold feet after agreeing to buy…

Failing matters, but it doesn’t give a meaning to what you are worth.

The ill moments-the moments when you screwed up, blew up, got yelled at, or were left standing alone should be tied to matters of the day not meanings of your heart.  What you do has to matter-showing up today, facing the giants in your life, has to be worth it…if it’s not worth it, don’t show up. Pivot and find something worth showing up for. What you do today has got to be so significant- so important to you, that the implications of what you do is higher than the outcome that it may produce. 

 

The outcomes only define how well you did something- they don’t define who you are or what you’re worth.  

 

Rejection is a lesson in self-education not self-worth. Use the losses, defeats, setbacks, and almosts as education to move forward not excuses to fall back. While circumstances are the banality of most, you forge ahead, working and reworking today’s defeats into tomorrow’s victories.  Sure rejection hurts- we don’t like the sting of hearing NO and the stains that it internally leaves behind;  we don’t like the fact that we poured out two hours of our best efforts only to have our customer go down the road to save a few hundred bucks. Rejection hurts, but you must not let it kill you.

Rejection has matter not meaning- the significance of what you do and how you do it matters. How much you’re willing to give to that matter is what has meaning.

I’ll see you next time on the Blacktop.

Licks Are Inevitable, Ticks Are Optional

The graveyard is full of people who sat around and waited for their opportunity-living a life of regrets instead of amassing a fortune through their failures. Standing at home plate, looking out into the grand stands of possibilities, their bats of action sat resting on their shoulders while waiting for life to throw the perfect pitch-yet it never came.

No one makes it to the halls by waiting on the perfect pitch, they make it because in the face of failure-with 3 balls, 2 strikes, and bases loaded, they would rather take the risk of swinging and missing than to have never swung at all. The difference between success and failure is razor thin, but the gap between those who are willing to risk failure in an effort to achieve ultimate success is vast.

Life doesn’t throw perfect pitches only imperfect ones, but it’s what you do with the sliders, knuckles, curves, heaters- even the ones that hit you that set the sail of your journey called destiny. Those optimals who choose to wait for conditions to be just right before taking action wind up becoming bedridden to risk, rejection, and failure. Because of their inaction, their minds and bodies become atrophied and are too weak to seize even the most perfect of opportunities.

Noah, a man who had never seen rain before, stuck to his assignment of building an arc that took 120 years to complete.  It took 40 years of wilderness experience to prepare Moses for leadership. Steve Jobs was ousted from his own company-only to later reemerge and snatch Apple from the jaws of ruin.  Coach John Wooden coached the UCLA Bruins for 15 years before winning his first of 10 NCAA Championships. It took 13 years of trials, embarrassments, and glorious failures-admonishments of, “it’ll never work,” before Greg Kaplan made Redbox DVD kiosk a reality revolutionizing the movie rental industry. Jack Nicholson was a journeyman actor for 15 years before landing the role in Easy Rider. With every lick, they ticked.

Everything you are doing-everything you are going through counts. Even when: it seems you are working with no end in sight, promotion is never coming, someone else takes the credit for your hard work, you seem to be amassing more loses than wins, they call you crazy for pursuing your ideas, or say you’ll never make it on your own-keep on going because with every lick you tenaciously get back up- ticking closer toward your noons of success. Success doesn’t come knocking-it merely reveals itself to those who are willing to dig deep and find it. Defeat is never permanent unless you quit.

Keep ticking…

What blueprints lack

Blueprints lack TBA’s, guesstimates, and areas of gray. If thoughts can’t be contextualized then they can’t be drawn; if they can’t be drawn, then it can’t be built. Buildings aren’t built by accident- neither is your success. If you want it, don’t try-the world is full of those trying. Be unique; be specific; blueprint it.

As we approach an up, we’ve all had a customer tell us they were a year out from buying. Instead of addressing their objection, agree with it! As a salesperson you’ve got to first establish yourself-your like ability and your credibility. Try this when hit with the “Year out objection.”

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

You Have Not Because You NO Not

Studies indicate that a child will hear the word NO anywhere between 140,000 to 200,000 times while growing up compared to only fractional amounts of hearing the antonym Yes. Today as adults, it’s no wonder why we will go to great lengths to avoid hearing the word No -particularly in sales. What air is to breathing is what No’s are to selling-the key to survival. Salespeople’s careers are becoming asphyxiated because we are terrified of hearing the word No. Instead of taking a chance and possibly making a sale, we avoid rejection-take the path of least resistance, bowing out graceful and broke. As a consequence to our fear, we perform the ancient ritual of Hari Kari, shamefully falling on our sword-disemboweling our career and becoming yet another casualty of the blacktop. If you are tired living up to your draw; if you’ve run out of Hollywood worthy stories of why you cannot pay your rent; if you’ve grown weary of parking your car in the service department, secluded from Rodney the repo man or if you’ve once again written the day care a check “from the wrong account,” take the path of most resistance and become a pro and hearing the word No.

• Become a rejection specialist: If your mama didn’t tell you Yes very often, why do you expect a customer to? In selling, No’s are professional, and never personal. If you want to hear the word Yes more often, see how many No’s you can grab today.  No’s are an indication of your work ethic. While most salespeople faint at the first sign of defeat, great sales consultants press onward.
• There really is safety in numbers: The #1 reason why most sales consultants do not perform to their ability is because they are not catching enough Ups. When a salesperson’s month begins to derail, they elect to sit instead of surge taking on the role of victim. Instead of surging ahead, vowing to working harder, increasing the amount of Ups-even in the face of more rejection, some salespeople take a back seat to their month, swearing they’ve become cursed by the bad credit gods, blame management for not taking a short deal, or sneer at the top producer for hording all of the House Cheese. Each month you stroke a check to your insurance company insuring your valuables in the event of a total loss. Similarly, if you want adequate coverage in order to safeguard your month from a total annihilation, grab the Up’s and enjoy the No’s.
• You can’t grow without the No: Walt Disney went bankrupt; Oprah was not “made for TV”; Steve Jobs was fired from his own company. In spite of failing miserably, successful people are dyslexic to the word NO. When successful people hear the word NO, they move ON because they know, you can’t grow without the No.  Success is uncomfortable; when something doesn’t work, learn from it and try another approach. Remember No is only temporary, never fatal.

Hockey great Wayne Gretzky advised, “You will miss 100% of the shots you never take.” On the blacktop, as well as life, you will receive everything you never ask for; work every deal, every customer as if they will say Yes, sometimes you’ll be right.

I’ll see you next time on the blacktop.

I love to eat and I don’t miss very many meals, but just because I can halfway cook, doesn’t make me a world-class chef. Similarly, just because someone has “Sales Consultant” typed on their business card doesn’t make them world class either. If you want to be world-class on the blacktop, you’ve got to think like a chef.

• Season:Chefs season to perfection-not too little, nor too much. To maintain consistency, they use exact amounts of seasoning. In sales, you must season your product presentation with product knowledge, 3^rd party reviews, as well as peppering in some real world experiences of customers who have already purchased their product from you. Not only does it give you credibility, but it will also make you more likeable.
• Set It: Chefs would never put a steak on a cold grill! They first get the grill searing hot. Through proper qualifying questions, you must find out your customer’s hot buttons and then market your presentation accentuating those key areas.
• Time It: Chefs are precise with their cook times. If overcooked, you will bore your customers and burn your chances in making a sale. Yet, if undercooked your customers are cold, unemotional and use excuses to leave. They use excuses saying they just remembered they have to have a lung transplant in 5 minutes. (At least they promise to return) Prepare your presentation with perfect timing; set your presentation between 3-5 minutes-more or less depending on your customer’s body language.
• Serve it: Last but most importantly, chefs know how to serve it up. Chefs are artists; their plate presentation is their canvas. Chefs prepare a meal-of-art appealing to their diner’s sense of sight in an effort to enhance their interpretation of tastes. You must make your product presentation visually stunning. Appealing to a buyer’s sense of sight triggers the emotions; when emotion trumps logic, you have the makings of a car deal.

Peter Drucker noted, “It takes less energy to go from very good to world class than it does to go from miserable to mediocre.” If you want to be the best of the rest, think like a chef. Season your presentation; find your customer’s hot buttons, don’t overcook your presentation; and serve it up with a visually stunning presentation. Enjoy your meal! I’ll see you next time on the blacktop.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

Like it or not, sowing and reaping is a real principle we all live by. Everybody on earth, every profession is under the law of sowing and reaping. The law of sowing a reaping can be either good or bad. For example, take the high school student who maintains a high GPA- staying up late at night in order to complete assignments and prepare for tests; that student will reap the benefit of being able to go to any school in the country on a full paid scholarship. Or take the athlete who, in the off-season, is working out-getting bigger, faster, and stronger while others rest on their past accomplishments; that athlete will reap the benefit of signing a huge contract. How about the top producers on the blacktop? Everyday they show up (on time), their attitude is optimistic and they sow a plan of action each day; they know the numbers and how many people they must get in front of each day in order to make a sale; they are disciplined and deliberate in their actions.  That salesperson will reap the benefits of a great month.

On the downside, when you sow the seeds of missed workouts and begin to eat fried foods and candy, you will reap the benefits of having to buy bigger pants to encompass your growing waistline. If you spend every dime you make and max out all of your credit cards, you will eventually reap bankruptcy. What seeds are you sowing on the blacktop? If you are sowing a negative frame of mind, show up late for work, shortcutting your deals, and shortchanging your clients, you will reap a poor month.

Sowing and reaping is a test of faith; what if you sow good seeds and your month gets wiped out-even though you showed up on time and were disciplined to work your plan? Think of the farmers who do everything right-they prepare the soil; sow the seeds only to see a flood wipe out all of their hard work. Farmers get back on their equipment, work the land, and sow the seeds once again, because they understand they cannot reap a harvest if they don’t first sow the seeds.

When you have a bad month, don’t check out and begin to look for another career. Look at how far you’ve come. When you got into sales, you had bad credit, you owed everybody, and you drove up in a hooptie with a cracked radiator-not to mention you were past due on your rent. Today, you’ve restored your credit and bought your first home; you have a nice car that you can now valet park and have a little money in the bank. Everything you’ve accomplished is not by accident; you’ve reaped a harvest because you sowed the right seeds. Even though you couldn’t see immediate results, you had faith to sow the seeds in hopes of reaping a turnaround in your life.

The conditions are perfect for you to begin to sow the right seeds and when the weeds of negativity and doubt begin to creep in, yank them up by the roots. Sow the right seeds with the right intentions, and reap the crop you deserve. I’ll see you next time on the blacktop.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

AutoSuccess Magazine Podcast

http://traffic.libsyn.com/sellingsuccess/AutoSuccess_228_-_Marsh_Buice.mp3

In this week’s podcast, we discuss how you can set yourself up for success on the sales floor. Sadly, selling has become a lost art-form. Many sales people approach their profession with a “just enough” attitude, giving very little to their profession. With just a few disciplines-along with a different mindset, you can learn to become superior in a talent pool of mediocrity. See you next time on the blacktop!

(or you can find it on www.autosuccesspodcast.com, or on iTunes by searching “autosuccess”)

AutoSuccess Magazine Podcast