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!

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It’s not about just you

I had a salesperson that I just couldn’t seem to get her to work with more customers- being she was new, I would repeatedly emphasize to her to work with more customers, but when they would come in, she’d usually fall back & let another salesperson Up (catch) them. I couldn’t figure it out..she knew her product, she was technically sound, & she was used to competing against the boys because she came from a male dominated industry …so what was it? When asked, she responded, “Marsh, I don’t have a huge need- the other salespeople around me have to struggle to make a sale in order to pay rent & car notes- I don’t have a huge need so I don’t need to make much.” Leaning back I asked her, “So what’s your end game…” to that she told me that she planned on being in the car business a long time. “Then if that’s the case, you’re not doing yourself much good- here’s why…

First, you can’t teach what you don’t know & you’ll never know until you first do. In his biography, Arnold Schwarzenegger said the 3 keys to him becoming a 7x Mr Olympia, successful businessman, & one of the highest paid actors at the time in Hollywood were reps, reps, reps.”

Reps weatherproof your career. You’ve got to work with hundreds of experiences, objections, scenarios, & obstacles while fading & maneuvering through thousands of rejections not only so that you can learn, but so that you can pay it forward and help others succeed who are starting out as well. Reps also give your customers the needed assurances that you can help them with their current situation because you’ve helped other customers maneuver through similar circumstances as well.

“This brings me to my 2nd point,” I told her, “When you’re not working with enough customers, not only do you not possess enough of the necessary skills that they desire & deserve, but not working with enough customers means that you’re OK with them buying from an inferior salesperson- if you say that you’re here to help customers, then you’ve got to follow through with actions to those words.”

“Which brings me to my 3rd point,” I quipped, “Do you have kids?” She told me that she had a boy and a girl- Mason & Madison…”Do you want them to do well in life,” I asked knowing she’d say yes. “If you want them to do well, then be their teacher- set the example because they can’t be what they don’t see. The reason why so many struggle as adults today is because, no one played the part…no one showed them the pattern… no one chalked the outline, nor showed them what they could be because no one helped them see…no one showed them more so they’ve accepted less.”

You must do well…you must reach beyond your comfort zone…you must dig deep and get back up…you must set audacious goals & kick the door in when Life tries to slam it in your face…you must reach higher because this isn’t just about you.

It’s way bigger than that…

….but first you’ve got to set the bar.

I’ll see you on the Blacktop.

(Video) Be Dyslexic In Your Goal Setting: It was a German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche who said, “Many are stubborn in the pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in the pursuit of a goal.” The reason why you on accomplishing your goals is because you’re in flexible in your path, yet flexible when your goals. If you want to taste from the fruits of success, then you have to flip your inflexible/flexible mindset around. Let me explain more…

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

The Dyslexia Of Your Goal

“Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal.” Friedrich Nietzsche German Philosopher

How many times have you set a goal only to let loose of the idea the minute adversity hits you? As Nietzche relates, the reason why you don’t accomplish your goal is because you’re inflexible in your path yet flexible on your goal. For instance, let’s say your goal is to break out of your 8 car shell and sell 15 cars this month- a few days later you  find yourself backing back into your 8 car garage again. Like putting your hand on a hot stove, the reason why you’re stuck in your career is because you’re inflexible to your comfort zone-the minute you feel the discomfort,  pain, and setbacks, you immediately drop the notion of doubling your sales output and fall back into the warmth of familiarity.  

If you want the taste of success, then you must become dyslexic in the way that you eat it- flip your inflexible/flexible mindset around. Be tenacious and lock into your goal, yet remain adaptively flexible to the adversity that comes against you. Like everyone, you’ll have setbacks, rollbacks, turndowns, rejections, and misfortunes this month-every month for that matter, but what separates extraordinary salespeople from ordinary ones is that EXTRAordinary salespeople don’t allow adversities to have any permanence in their career. Ordinary salespeople hold onto unforeseen, uncontrollable circumstances-thus letting go of their goals and sinking their month, while extraordinary salespeople handle the adversities by learning how to manage the setbacks (flexible) while still moving forward toward their goal (inflexible).

Don’t adapt the goal to the path; adapt the path to the goal. 

I’ll see you next time on the Blacktop!

  

Emotional goal setting

We’ve all set goals based on our emotions- who hasn’t vowed a radical transformation at the dawn of a new year only to wind up reverting to our old selves weeks later?

Like recovering from a hangover-the kind where we find ourselves pleading with the porcelain gods that if we can only survive one more time, we’ll never drink again, we as salespeople eek out a month that had disaster written all over it. In the final few hours we plead to the car gods above to grant us just one more reprieve. In exchange, we vow to never wait until the last minute again; we pledge that if spared, we will attack the ensuing month with abandon.

As a new month begins, the dry erase boards that publicly noted our mediocre finish, are wiped clean-all of last month’s transgressions are now buried in the eraser. Staring down the long barrel of a 25 day work month, we sit back in our chairs and emotionally blurt out our piece of cake, walk in the park, no days off, bell to bell goal. Six rejections later, we reflexively jerk back into our old habits-delaying today, but vowing to come out swinging in the tommorow’s of the second half of the month. As the second half begins, we guiltily tread the blacktop feeling the car gods are punishing our work ethic by sending us bad credit and negative equity customers. “If I could only get a customer who could buy, I would sell them,” you bemoan. Now that no one is worth your time, you begin setting up your fantasy league team-waiting for the perfect credit, lay-down customer to come waltzing in. With the noblest of intentions you prophesy that the last week of the month, you are going to give it your all. You are right back to where the insanity all started- 6 days to make a month. Does any of this sound familiar?

Think of goal setting as weightlifting. If the most you can bench press is 135 lbs-no matter how emotionally fired up you may be-no matter how much adrenaline is racing through your veins, it would be impossible to walk into the weight room the next day and bench press 350 lbs. As crazy as that sounds, we as sales consultants emotionally set goals much the same way. If you’re averaging selling 6 cars per month, even though your sick and tired of being sick and tired, it’ll be nearly impossible to attain a lofty goal of selling 3x (18) as many cars the following month. Sure you’ll emotionally fire out onto the blacktop-working later and longer, grabbing customers you’d never dreamed of catching before, calling customers you haven’t spoken to in years, but the minute the numbers don’t work in your favor and the fueled emotion evaporates in the thick air of rejection, you’ll inevitably revert back to your old ways.

Strength is gradual-so too is success. Think of success as a series of stepping stones and defeat as a cliff (how far you fall depends on how fast you can reach out and grab your anchors in life). Will you ever be able to bench press 350 lbs-will you ever sell 18 cars per month? Sure you can..gradually. To increase your strength, you must gradually add more weight. As you add more weight, your body works through the soreness until a new normal is found. In much the same way, you must gradually add new weights of productivity to your daily regimen. (i.e. Old month: 6 cars per month x 25% increase = 7.5 new month sales. Old month: 6 sales @ 20% close ratio = 30 ups vs. New month: 7.5 sales x 20% close ratio = 37.5 ups. Can you find 8 more customers in 25 days?) During this process, your mind and body are going to go bonkers in an effort to seek comfort-your mind will tell you to relax and your body will speak through soreness to ease up, but if you are unyielding in your efforts (you only need 8 more customers!), a new normal will be found. Once the new normal is found, you must keep increasing the weight until you achieve your goals. (Achieved goal: 7.5 sales x 25% = New goal: 9.5 sales. That’s only 10 more prospects. You can’t find 10 more prospects in 25 days?)

Your goal should be just out of reach, yet still in sight so when you do hit a tough day or challenging week, you’re less likely to become discouraged and revert back to your old ways, because your goal is still within reach.

Averages were meant to exceed, not succumb to. Use your averages as the floor, not the ceiling. When you do, you’ll achieve lasting, elevating success. I’ll see you next time on the blacktop.