Month: January 2024

At the beginning of each year, many people start out with great intentions of making positive changes in their lives. They are motivated and inspired. All that is fantastic, but motivation alone is not enough. In order to have long term success, you must be able to discipline yourself.

Self-discipline is the ability to push yourself forward, stay motivated, and take action, regardless of how you are feeling. There will be days when you just don’t feel like making it happen. Being disciplined has nothing to do with your feelings. It is self-discipline that makes you take action each day.

Disciplining yourself is different from self motivation or willpower. Motivation and persistence are all part of it. However, self-discipline is what gets you to a high success level.

I’ve heard many people say “I’d like to be successful but I just don’t feel inspired or motivated.”

The first step is to put together a big WHY.

There has to be a specific reason why you want success. Begin by choosing a goal that you want to focus on to develop your self-discipline.

As we talked about last Wednesday on keeping thr prospecting muscle strong, self-discipline is much like a muscle. The more you work on using it, the stronger it becomes.

Start out with small goals and, as time goes on, increase the level of challenge. The more you work at it, the better you’ll become.

Like we discussed on last Thursday post about overcoming obstacles we need to understand that obstacles and challenges are part of the process. You have to expect that. You need to identify the obstacles that you’ll likely face when working towards your goal. Put together a strategy for overcoming each one. This will allow you to be prepared when those obstacles do show up.

Disciplining yourself also requires breaking some bad habits. Learn to replace bad habits with something more productive. As you are working on disciplining yourself, monitor your progress. It’s a great idea to even keep a journal to write out your self-discipline goals, and to track your progress. This will allow you to look back and see the progress that you have made.

If you ask anyone who has achieved high levels of success, they will stress the importance of disciplining yourself. It’s the self-discipline that helps you to stay focused and to maintain a strong consistent work ethic.

The truth is that the key to success is disciplining yourself. Self-discipline allows consistent effort, goalsetting, and the ability to overcome obstacles and challenges. It helps to keep focused and teaches you to build the success habits necessary for long-term achievement.

Get motivated and get inspired, but understand that it’s going to take disciplining yourself to get to the success levels that you really want to reach.

The question is “How bad do you want it?”

This is your time! This is the beginning of something big! Now go out and make it happen!

Happy Selling,

David

Top performers just do things differently.  They have a very succinct strategy because the only day we can truly impact is today.

Yesterday has passed, and tomorrow is yet to come.  Today is for making a difference. As always in true David Letterman form…. 

From the Home Office in Uncertain, Texas Here are The Top 10 Way’s Top Salespeople do to Win

10. Attitude

Top performers don’t moan and groan when Monday rolls around. They’re excited, and seek to make Mondays absolutely successful. 

Mondays is without a doubt, the best day of the week because it sets the tone for the week. Top performers have an attitude of success and expectation of being able to influence and impact other people.

9. Routine

Have a routine and stick with it. That means every day: this is what it looks like. 

I look at many, many top performers and as I’ve studied their calendars, it’s amazing how every day at 9:00 is the same thing.

Whatever time your day starts, those first few hours are crucial for setting the tone and expectations for the day. 

8. Goal focused

They don’t deviate from their goals. Every day might not move them closer to their goal, but they know that every day they’re going to work on their goal. 

I set goals, and I review them daily. And all my activities that I’m doing over the course of the day are geared to help me achieve those goals. 

Are there some days that just don’t work out? Yes. But you know what? I know if I just stay focused and stay consistent, I’ll get there.

7. The 10:00 AM rule

Set your alarm for 10:00 AM because when it goes off, I want you to ask yourself, “What have I achieved of significance already today?”

Now let’s say from 10:01 on, your day falls apart. You’ve still had a great day because you accomplished something significant before 10:00 AM. 

If, on the other hand, you accomplish something significant and it doesn’t fall apart, guess what? You’re empowered. You’re feeling good, and it’s amazing how much more you do that day. 

Now, I get up around 4:30 in the morning, so if you’re an early riser like me, try an 8:00 AM rule. 

6. Clear objectives

I set my week, or my day with the objectives I’m going to accomplish. But what about those times that I may get to 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. and I haven’t achieved those objectives? I’m going to stay focused and get those objectives accomplished–even if that means staying up late. Sure, life happens. But when you set up daily objectives and you fail to achieve them, you’ve actually cheated yourself.

5. Expectation to win

There’s a reason why top performing teams win the close games, because they just have an expectation to win. Average people settle for average. “It is what it is…” 

Sure, the sun will come up in the morning, but I’m still going to figure out a way to win.

4. Gratitude

Absolute gratitude, thankful. One of the things that I do every morning is take a moment to be thankful. I have a quiet time where I’m reflecting on those who have impacted me. 

I’m thinking of those who I’ll be talking to over the course of the day, and I have a sense of gratitude.  Yes, I’m a very spiritual person. I love my faith and I spend time in gratitude for what I’ve been given.

3. Respect for others

You can’t demonstrate gratitude without having respect for others. When I have a respect for others, it’s amazing how doors just seem to open up. I can’t tell you the number of times when I’ve done some of the simplest things for others, and I don’t even do it with an expectation of anything in return. Stuff just happens!  

Just spend time listening to somebody and it’s amazing what you’ll hear. Respect changes what you think of yourself, and you realize that you can learn from every other person out there.

2. No flinching 

There are curve balls that are thrown at you, but no flinching. You just put it aside, and keep going. 

Look at a top performing athlete. They may miss a shot, or do something unexpected, but they put it aside and they power back up. I may have a call that doesn’t go the way I want it to, or something breaks or my computer dies, but I’m not going to allow it to take time away 

And the #1 Way Top Salespeople Win the Day is …..

1. They have unbelievable commitment

They are committed to their success, and that means soaking up all learning possible. Are you going to read this blog today and do nothing? Or will you find a golden nugget (or two) to apply this week, month, year? My all time favorite quote is from Tom Hopkins ” You are your greatest asset. Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming, and encouraging your greatest asset.”

So follow these 10 tips and apply them today, as I’ve said before, your future self will thank you. 

Have a awesome weekend,

David 

The number one obstacle to prospecting is not what you think it is. 

People always think they don’t have the right leads, or don’t have the right script. That’s not the number one obstacle. The number one obstacle with prospecting really comes down to your time and your mindset. Okay, that’s two. But they go hand in hand.

I find that people are using the lack of leads, CRM system, or time as an excuse because they can’t get their head wrapped around what they need to do.

Instead of excuses, try these three things:

1. Stop worrying, start doing.

We psych ourselves up that we can’t make these two, five or ten cold calls, whatever it might be. 

If every cold call takes perhaps 5-15 minutes and your goal is 2-3 call in that hour, But if you sit in your car and allow your mindset to go wonky on you, and spend all this time fretting, you’ll actually spend three, four times the amount of time it should take to make those calls 

That mindset impedes our time.

Break down the prospecting activity you need to do into very granular activities. The conversation might be only three minutes, four minutes, that’s it. 

2. Time block.

Set yourself up to say, I’m going to do this at an exact time. 

One of the things that highly motivated people do is regulate how they use their time. They time block everything.  The mindset drives the time set, and the time set drives the mindset. 

Create the dedicated time, and it will get done. 

3. It’s only a conversation. 

I’ve yet to see a headline where a salesperson making a sales call got maimed, stabbed, or lost an arm.

It’s just a cold call. And if you can’t make that, then maybe you should not be in sales. 

Instead, remember why you are in sales. Because you want to be able to help people! You want to be able to help people, and you know that you can. 

This is what drives me every day.

Happy Selling,

David

Are you dealing with some pretty flabby prospecting muscles? 

Prospecting is a muscle, and it has to be exercised daily. 

Recently I found myself not going to the gym for a couple weeks, and man, I was getting stiff. when I finally went it was ugly; it took me a couple of days to get back in the groove. It’s exactly the same with prospecting. 

Too many times we get caught up, or we think we just don’t have time to prospect. Then the prospecting muscle gets flabby.

Prospecting must be done daily. 

I know when I work out daily, I feel a lot better. I have a good friend who says, don’t use the excuse that you don’t have time to exercise. Exercise creates time because you feel better. I apply the same thing to prospecting. Don’t sit there and say that you don’t have time to prospect. 

If you make the time, prospecting can benefit you greatly. 

Prospecting creates sales for you because it gives you more opportunities to close. Prospecting increases your level of confidence, too. 

Why? You’re no longer looking at that one deal that you’ve got to close, and as a result, you make a deal with the devil to try to close it. When you’re not prospecting regularly, you wind up chasing things that you shouldn’t be chasing. 

Know your number. 

How much time are you allocating each day to prospecting? How many calls/emails  are you making daily? You have to set your own number—everyone’s business is different. For me, it’s just three. I know if I make three phone calls, three emails a day, my business is good. 

Now, I always try to go way over that, but I know that three is my minimum and I feel good when I hit three. 

Sometimes, just do it. 

Never stop and question yourself, or think, “I got to get more prepared.”  Just make the call. It’s no different than going for a run or lifting weights. Simply start. 

I want you to have a prospecting muscle that’s firm, tone, and that delivers leads for you. And that means you’re going to set a daily goal and work to achieve it. 

Set achievable expectations.

I’m not trying to set a marathon record every day. Oftentimes, people put off prospecting because they feel they have to be a machine and make 150 calls in a day. 

Do what you feel comfortable with, but do it deliberately every day to create a routine. And when you do that, it’s amazing how trim and firm that prospecting muscle will be.

Happy Selling,

David

All of us are born with different talents and abilities. What we do with what we are given is entirely up to us. I believe that success in life is a choice. I’ve heard far too many people say that

successful people are just simply lucky.

Sure, there may be some luck involved. For me, I have found that the harder I work, the luckier I become. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.The key is to be prepared when a great opportunity comes your way. A lack of preparation can cause you to either not recognize the opportunity, waste the opportunity, or refuse the opportunity all together.

Successful people that have made it big recognized an opportunity for which they prepared themselves, and made the very best of it. All of them will tell you that it took dedication, commitment and hard work.
Unfortunately, far too many people waste opportunities in life by refusing to put 100% into it. They may start out with their goals and work hard in the beginning and when they don’t achieve instant success, they let up on the gas. This is what we call wasting the opportunity. They procrastinate. They allow laziness to creep in. They don’t make a commitment.
When an amazing opportunity comes along, be prepared to take advantage of it. Acquire as much knowledge as you possibly can and make a 100% commitment to work hard at it.

Have faith that working as hard as you can and making that commitment will pay off in the long run.
It is very important to set specific goals so you know exactly what you want out of life. This way, when an opportunity comes your way, you can recognize that this opportunity is a vehicle that will help you achieve success. Having daily goals challenges you to go after your dreams.

When you have an incredible opportunity, it’s important to develop a routine and stick to it. Make a commitment to become organized. It all starts off by waking up early and having a good positive morning routine. Starting the day off right sets you up for success throughout the day. Having a routine and success plan will help you succeed in what matters.
Make sure you make every second count. Time is your capital, do not waste it. Start putting more value on your time.

This will allow you to be more productive accomplishing the things that are important to you. Do not let anyone tell you that there are no opportunities anymore. Do not listen to naysayers. We’ve all been blessed with great opportunities to have success. Understand that it’s going to take a true commitment and a lot of effort. Keep positive and no matter what, keep marching forward. Success is right around the corner.
Take advantage of your incredible opportunities.

Many years ago, one of my mentors said to me, “Opportunity is knocking. Don’t be caught in the backyard looking for four leaf clovers!”

You’ve been blessed! This is your time to go out and make it happen. Take advantage of your opportunity!

Happy selling,

David

It’s the start of week 3 of the new year and we need to start it off right. So grab your coffee, energy drink or whatever you need to get your day rolling and let’s read these 5 ways to ensure your week and every day starts off great. 

1. Celebrate your success

We all have successes each and everyday.  Some days the successes are huge, and other days they may seem small and almost trivial.

Regardless of which it might be, never allow yourself to end a day without celebrating by congratulating yourself on a job well done.

2. Support and refer others

Helping others is one of the best ways to help yourself.  In the words of Zig Ziglar, the best way for you to achieve your goals is by helping others achieve their goals.

3. Be proud of who you are and the way you help your customers

Successful salespeople are proud of the job they do. This isn’t boasting; it’s being confident and  positive.  When you’re positive, outgoing and confident, it is amazing how more responsive people are you come in contact with.

Customers aren’t looking to do business with negative people.

4. Make the tough call now

Putting off the tough call is one of the worst things anyone can do, because all it does is eat away at you and suck energy that should be used to go after building the business.

If you have a difficult customer who needs to be called back, don’t put the call off, thinking somehow it will go away.  Deal with it quickly. Not only will you feel better, but the sooner you deal with it, the less worked up the customer will become.

5. Associate with winners and other successful people

Your probability is going to be much greater to become a top performing salesperson if you associate with other high-performing salespeople.

Negative people suck life out of  those around them. They do this for one simple reason: It helps them feel good by bringing those around them down to their level.

There’s your list of the 5 things you can do today to not only make today a better day, but also to make every week a better week.

Plan for success! The way you do this is by positioning yourself for success by following the 5 steps listed above.

Happy Selling,

David

The first 12 days of 2024 has come to an end. How are you doing on your new years goals?

Let me share 10 things I will do this coming year.

From the Home office in ColdSpring Texas,

Here are the TOP 10 Things I Will Do in 2024

This year I will:

10.  Not set goals without also having a plan to achieve them.

9.  Spend more time learning, and most of all using what I learn.

8.  Focus not on what I wish I had done,  but on what I will do.

7.  Spend less time measuring trailing indicators and more time looking for leading indicators.

6.  Commit 100% effort to effectively use my time, knowing it is the only resource that is limited.

5.  Commit more time to influencing and impacting others in a positive manner.

4.  Challenge myself daily to be better than I was the day before.

3.  Invest more effort in my long-term goals rather than my short-term expectations.

2.  Deepen the relationships I have and also develop new ones.

And the #1 Top 10 Things I Will Do in 2024 is… 

1. Eliminate those around me who view themselves as a “victim” and are intent on pulling others into their “victim club.”

Most of all, I will spend the year regardless of the ups and downs always seeing the positive and viewing each day as a gift to be used to its fullest potential.

We’re standing right at the start of a new year, excitedly thinking about the year to come. Last year at this same time, we stood in the exact same place and said the same thing.

Much like spring is the time when vegetation returns to life, so too we have the same opportunity with the start of the new year.

My hope — or I should say, my expectation — is you will make the most of it by achieving what you didn’t originally believe possible, fully embracing each opportunity.

Let’s do this journey together.

Over the coming year, I’ll continue to share with you my ideas and I ask you to do the same.   By sharing our ideas, we’ll support each other, learn from each other, and most of all, help each other achieve our goals. Let’s make 2024 our best year ever, together.

Have a great weekend,

David