Avoiding the phrase “I don’t have time…”, will soon help you to realize that you do have the time needed for just about anything you choose to accomplish in life.
-Bo Bennett
“While one person hesitates because he feels inferior,
the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.”
~ Henry C. Link
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
~ Winston Churchill
We have all been negative at one point or at least been around someone who was. It can spread like a disease and ruin a day, week, month or more. It can be devastating to a sales organization. It is the single most deflating force there is in business. It works its way into everything. It needs to be eliminated. I can be as drastic as letting an employee or manager go, it can also be as simple as having a meeting charged with positives. Sometimes, it will require both. One way or another, no business will survive in a constant negative environment.
There are all kinds of reasons for negativity. It comes from many different angles. Negativity can fester in an environment where there is unfair or perceived unfair treatment. It also flourishes in companies with unrealistic expectations or underpaid employees. It also comes from employees with an overall negative attitude toward everything. The bottom line is that wherever it is coming from it needs to be snuffed out. It is mission critical to have a positive outlook and environment.
I truly mean this when I say it has to be eliminated BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY. If firing the negative employee is the solution then do it. If paying your sales people a little more is the solution then do it. If changing the way you treat your employees is the answer then do it. A business can not survive with negativity. Period. Even the most positive people will be brought down by it if nothing is done about it. We all have our moments of negativity. It is up to us to find the source of that negativity and fix it.
Good selling,
Eric
We have a whole lot coming at us everyday in business. It can be overwhelming at times. Some issues are controllable and some aren’t but we have got to deal with them one way or another. It can be fun and challenging but it can also be almost unbearable too. It is probably the reason why most people run away from business and sales. It is also what gets some of us up in the morning. Though, even for those of us that thrive on the uncertainty of business and sales, it can wear us down. It is in the times when something just hits you between the eyes or knocks the wind out of you… an uncontrollable… that true business character is tested.
Controllable variables should never halt your business. If they do, you can only look inward and find a way to fix it. Controllable mistakes are what they are… controllable. Let yourself off the hook, fix what you have done and don’t do it again. Easy enough…. Mistakes are made by even the most seasoned business people. As long as we can recognize our mistakes and work toward a solution we’ll be fine.
Uncontrollable circumstances are a little different. Even the most prepared business people can be blindsided by the uncontrollable. All we can control in these moments is how we react. In the face of unforeseen problems we can cower or stand tall. It is much easier to cower and make excuses for why we can’t handle the issue. It is easy to say “There was nothing we could do. It was an uncontrollable.” Or “I didn’t see it coming and I had no choice but to give in.” It is much tougher to stand your ground and fight through the uncontrollable. You may be battle worn at the end but you’ll stand proud no matter what the outcome. It is about overcoming.
Business owners are a rare breed. Not because it is so hard to start a business but because of what sacrifices are made on the road they travel. To follow your dream requires grit and determination. It requires that you go it alone sometimes and it requires a strong constitution. To deal with uncontrollable negative events in an already tumultuous environment makes it that much harder, but for those who choose that path; it is par for the course. To all of the business owners that fight through battle after battle, you have my utmost admiration!
Good Selling,
Eric
Crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, that they force us to think.
- Jawaharlal Nehru
Honor in business… if you ask the average person if they trust sales people they will say no. Why? Well, because we all have been taken for a ride at one time or another by a sales person who got greedy. It is the general consensus that sales people are slimy and don’t care about the customer. I would hate to see a public opinion poll about sales people because it would not be pretty. Having said that, there are some very good sales people out there, who really and truly have the customer’s best interest in mind.
As in every other part of life (business or not) it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the pie. For this reason, we as sales people need to work even harder to be the honorable. We need to focus on going the extra mile and sticking to the right principles. It may mean losing a couple of sales (for the right reasons) in the process but it will all come back. It is our duty as sales people to make sure people are not buying the wrong product or service.
From a consumer’s perspective, I have been thoroughly impressed with the sales person that said “You know I would love to sell you this but, it is not the right solution for you.” They may have lost the sale for the moment, but I’ll buy from that person the second I get the chance the next time I need something.
A great example of honor in business came from a local tire sales office. An older gentleman walked into the shop and told the sales person he needed four new tires (keep in mind, he TOLD him he needed tires. He didn’t ask whether he needed them.). The sales person walked out to the gentleman’s car and took a look at his tires. The sales person then told his customer that he had at least another six months with those tires before he needed to replace them. I am sure the sales person would have much preferred to make a sale then to send his customer off for six months. I was so impressed with him that I have told everyone I know about this. Imagine how impressed the customer was and how many people he told!
The sale is not as important as the person. Honesty, integrity and character will keep customers coming back to buy from you. Honor is the key ingredient for sustained success in sales.
Good selling,
Eric
When you play it too safe, you’re taking the biggest risk of your life…Time is the only wealth we’re given.
- Barbara Sher
The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t.
~Henry Ward Beecher
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