“Momentary Lapses of Reasoning”
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, but the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
“Sometimes we have far greater faith in our problems than we have in our unique ability to no longer have our problems.”
“There are salespersons who believe they can overcome versus the salespersons who believe they can’t: Which one of these people is correct in their thinking?”
“The greatest detriment to tomorrow’s success is today’s success, and the greatest bar against our permanent best is our current good enough.”
“No excuses; no explanations. Either do or do not. There is no try. (“YODA”)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Food For Thought--By: Tommy Foster
“Tommy’s Food For Thought”
NO ONE on this planet knows enough to EVER be a pessimist!
Sell your cleverness, but then purchase some bewilderment!!!!
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, but the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
“Sometimes we have far greater faith in our problems than we have in our ability to no longer have our problems.”
“There are salespersons who believe they CAN overcome, & salespersons who believe they CAN NOT. Who is it that’s correct?” Why, both of them of course!
“Remember that our most unhappy customers & our most negative experiences in life are most often our absolute greatest sources of our growth & learning.”
“Stop hoping that things will just change for the better. Generally they will, but who knows when? Waiting it out is only a plan for much greater pain………Yours, by the way!”
“Make sure to stay away from anyone who is only willing to tell you that which is what you want to hear.” Keep an open mind with NO attachments!
“Lots of salespeople believe in luck; so do I. It’s strange how it just so happens that the harder I work, and the more prepared I am, the luckier I always seem to be.”
“Pain” is nothing more than the difference between the way things are, and the way we’d like them to be.
Pessimistic people see obstacles & objections as stumbling blocks, but optimistic others see them as simply stepping stones!
NO ONE on this planet knows enough to EVER be a pessimist!
Sell your cleverness, but then purchase some bewilderment!!!!
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, but the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
“Sometimes we have far greater faith in our problems than we have in our ability to no longer have our problems.”
“There are salespersons who believe they CAN overcome, & salespersons who believe they CAN NOT. Who is it that’s correct?” Why, both of them of course!
“Remember that our most unhappy customers & our most negative experiences in life are most often our absolute greatest sources of our growth & learning.”
“Stop hoping that things will just change for the better. Generally they will, but who knows when? Waiting it out is only a plan for much greater pain………Yours, by the way!”
“Make sure to stay away from anyone who is only willing to tell you that which is what you want to hear.” Keep an open mind with NO attachments!
“Lots of salespeople believe in luck; so do I. It’s strange how it just so happens that the harder I work, and the more prepared I am, the luckier I always seem to be.”
“Pain” is nothing more than the difference between the way things are, and the way we’d like them to be.
Pessimistic people see obstacles & objections as stumbling blocks, but optimistic others see them as simply stepping stones!
AHA! By: Tommy Foster
Tommy’s Tutorial: AHA! (Attitude—Humor—Action)
The following ideals are a combination of necessary elements that I’ve found to be very effective for success in daily sales. On the surface, they are very simple, and as applied in practice, even simpler. Each single element contributes to the greater whole, and is vitally linked to the other two. Applied by themselves, they’re very useful, but together they make sales a magical experience, and brighten our every moment.
The first ideal is a positive ATTITUDE. Your positive mental attitude is your driving force to any success you enjoy in every part of your life. Keep in mind this attitude IS NOT just a thought process; it’s a discipline and a commitment to live without attachment to negativity. Remember, you can’t give away what you don’t have. Each day you should wake to a rededication of being positive, simply by thinking and speaking positive thoughts. Remember EVERY action is preceded by a thought, so if you think negative, you speak and act negative, and you transmit what you have; negativity. NO ONE knows enough to be a pessimist! Our positive mental attitude is not something that comes and goes; it’s all consuming. It will make you feel good on the inside, even in spite of what may be happening on the outside. So “do what you ought, and trust what may be.”
The second ideal is HUMOR. By this, I don’t mean just being funny either. It’s how you see things, because humor is a perspective for effective living, and a successful sales career. Humor is your ability to make others laugh and feel good in your presence, and make people smile. Just to hear people tell you “I enjoy talking to you,” or “you make me laugh a lot,” or “you just made my day better,” inspires all of us. It makes others look forward to talking to you instead of ducking your call. It is medicine; sales medicine. Give away humor & kind thoughts & they’re what you get back.
The third ideal is ACTION. I like to think of action as “walking your talk.” When you wake each day to a clearly defined set of goals, you tend to act on the goals more often than not. Have a daily agenda for yourself and prioritize the agenda. Make that last call you’ve procrastinated on from time to time. Follow you own game plan for success, and do more than anyone else you know, so that you do enough to make you inspired to step higher each day. “Plan the work; then WORK THE PLAN!!” Keep in mind that when you talk prudence plus practice evasion, the sum is always ZERO. Remember always that TRUE NOBILITY is NOT being better than anyone else TODAY; it’s being better than YOU were yesterday!
The following ideals are a combination of necessary elements that I’ve found to be very effective for success in daily sales. On the surface, they are very simple, and as applied in practice, even simpler. Each single element contributes to the greater whole, and is vitally linked to the other two. Applied by themselves, they’re very useful, but together they make sales a magical experience, and brighten our every moment.
The first ideal is a positive ATTITUDE. Your positive mental attitude is your driving force to any success you enjoy in every part of your life. Keep in mind this attitude IS NOT just a thought process; it’s a discipline and a commitment to live without attachment to negativity. Remember, you can’t give away what you don’t have. Each day you should wake to a rededication of being positive, simply by thinking and speaking positive thoughts. Remember EVERY action is preceded by a thought, so if you think negative, you speak and act negative, and you transmit what you have; negativity. NO ONE knows enough to be a pessimist! Our positive mental attitude is not something that comes and goes; it’s all consuming. It will make you feel good on the inside, even in spite of what may be happening on the outside. So “do what you ought, and trust what may be.”
The second ideal is HUMOR. By this, I don’t mean just being funny either. It’s how you see things, because humor is a perspective for effective living, and a successful sales career. Humor is your ability to make others laugh and feel good in your presence, and make people smile. Just to hear people tell you “I enjoy talking to you,” or “you make me laugh a lot,” or “you just made my day better,” inspires all of us. It makes others look forward to talking to you instead of ducking your call. It is medicine; sales medicine. Give away humor & kind thoughts & they’re what you get back.
The third ideal is ACTION. I like to think of action as “walking your talk.” When you wake each day to a clearly defined set of goals, you tend to act on the goals more often than not. Have a daily agenda for yourself and prioritize the agenda. Make that last call you’ve procrastinated on from time to time. Follow you own game plan for success, and do more than anyone else you know, so that you do enough to make you inspired to step higher each day. “Plan the work; then WORK THE PLAN!!” Keep in mind that when you talk prudence plus practice evasion, the sum is always ZERO. Remember always that TRUE NOBILITY is NOT being better than anyone else TODAY; it’s being better than YOU were yesterday!
Act Your Way There
Act your way there
+++++++++++++++++++
How do you want to feel today? You can create whatever
feeling you choose, with your actions.
Your feelings are not imposed on you from the outside. They
occur because you exercise strategies to make them occur.
Yes, some of those strategies may include the way you choose
to respond to events beyond your control. Yet it is the
response, the chosen response within you, that creates the
feeling, not the outside situation.
So how exactly do you wish to feel today? Then act like it.
The actions you take will create the feelings you seek. If
you want to feel happy, and empowered, and fulfilled, then
go through the physical motions of being happy, empowered
and fulfilled.
It really is as simple as that. When you act like it, you
are.
+++++++++++++++++++
How do you want to feel today? You can create whatever
feeling you choose, with your actions.
Your feelings are not imposed on you from the outside. They
occur because you exercise strategies to make them occur.
Yes, some of those strategies may include the way you choose
to respond to events beyond your control. Yet it is the
response, the chosen response within you, that creates the
feeling, not the outside situation.
So how exactly do you wish to feel today? Then act like it.
The actions you take will create the feelings you seek. If
you want to feel happy, and empowered, and fulfilled, then
go through the physical motions of being happy, empowered
and fulfilled.
It really is as simple as that. When you act like it, you
are.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Top 10 Mistakes on Cold Calling
Top Ten Biggest Mistakes Cold Callers Make on the Phone And How to Avoid Them By Barry Caponi & Bob Howard We at ColdCalling101 eat, sleep and drink the topic of appointment making. As a matter of fact, our approach to the „Art‟ of appointment making, The Appointment Making Formula™ (or The Formula, for short) has become one of the most successful methodologies in the industry because it takes a holistic view of the entire process – e.g. it includes more than just converting more conversations into appointments. Over the years we‟ve seen lots of different approaches and talked to lots of people who make their living setting appointments over the phone or by canvassing. Therefore we‟ve been able to craft a methodology with techniques that truly work. We‟ve also seen many techniques that don‟t. This article covers the top mistakes that we see being made while attempting to set appointments. These mistakes are doubly painful as they not only drain away those precious few hours we‟ve got to make appointment making calls, but crush the spirit as well. Top Ten Mistakes Cold Callers Make
1. Believing the first (negative) response we hear is true and attempt to counter it with logic – suspects play by two ground rules that we must acknowledge or perish:
a. The rule of the „Status Quo‟ – our research indicates that less than five percent of our universe of suspects is currently in the market for what we sell when we call them… so they don‟t think they need to talk to us
b. The rule of „Workus Interruptus‟ – no matter when we call, we are interrupting that person from doing something…so they don‟t want to talk to us
Ergo, until we get them beyond the initial „conditioned knee jerk‟ reaction of saying anything (including lying) to get us off the phone, logic doesn‟t work as well as we think it should.
2. Tell the suspect all about what we can do for them – remember, they don‟t think they need what we‟re selling, so why do we think this approach will work? Instead we should tell them about the results someone else got from using what we sell. (All of us – ok, maybe just most of us - think that there are others who know some little secret we don‟t.)
ColdCalling101 is jointly owned by Contact Science and Caponi Performance Group, Inc.
1930 E. Rosemeade Parkway, Suite 206, Carrollton, TX 75007
214 483-5800p
3. Assuming we can help them do what they‟re doing better than they‟re currently doing it – “I can save you money over what you‟re paying today.” “I can make you more productive.” How do we know what they‟re paying or how well they‟re doing? For that matter, how do we even know they use what we‟re selling in many cases?
4. Not „owning‟ or internalizing our message so instead of sounding conversational, we sound like the proverbial telemarketer reading a script or delivering it in a monotone voice – only 7% of effective communications is derived through the words we use. The biggest percentage of effective communications on a phone call comes from tonality (38%). Therefore we must not only „own‟ our message, but we must deliver it with passion. You do believe in what you sell, don‟t you?
5. Winging it on each call so that our message is different each time – if we deliver a different message each time, we can‟t predict and control the responses we‟ll get, making the task of handling those negative responses even more difficult.
6. Asking leading questions – “You would like to save money wouldn‟t you?” If they don‟t think they need us and don‟t want to talk to us, this kind of question is offensive and does nothing but tick them off even more at the interruption.
7. Not leaving voicemails, or leaving long winded ones – the advertising industry says that it takes seven touches for someone to even remember our name, so why waste the effort involved in making the call and not leave a message? Leave well thought out, concise voicemails.
8. When leaving voicemails, not saying our phone number s-l-o-w-l-y and repeating it.
9. Not letting the suspect know when we‟re calling for the last time (in this cycle) – users of The Formula get more returned phone calls from a „Move On‟ message than any other. But in order to do that, we have to have a plan as to how many times we‟ll call, how often we‟ll call, and leave messages when we call.
10. Calling the same day and/or time of day over and over again, or calling the same person over and over again the same day – it just might be that we‟re calling at a time when they‟re never there! And with the advent of caller ID, do you really think they don‟t see that the same person has called multiple times today?
If you make any of these mistakes and / or would like to learn more about how we help companies and independent professionals address the entire spectrum of challenges of getting in front of more prospects effectively and efficiently, give us a call at 214 483-5800 or log back on to www.coldcalling101.com for more information. © ColdCalling101.com CC101 Top Mistakes Made by Cold Callers.doc
1. Believing the first (negative) response we hear is true and attempt to counter it with logic – suspects play by two ground rules that we must acknowledge or perish:
a. The rule of the „Status Quo‟ – our research indicates that less than five percent of our universe of suspects is currently in the market for what we sell when we call them… so they don‟t think they need to talk to us
b. The rule of „Workus Interruptus‟ – no matter when we call, we are interrupting that person from doing something…so they don‟t want to talk to us
Ergo, until we get them beyond the initial „conditioned knee jerk‟ reaction of saying anything (including lying) to get us off the phone, logic doesn‟t work as well as we think it should.
2. Tell the suspect all about what we can do for them – remember, they don‟t think they need what we‟re selling, so why do we think this approach will work? Instead we should tell them about the results someone else got from using what we sell. (All of us – ok, maybe just most of us - think that there are others who know some little secret we don‟t.)
ColdCalling101 is jointly owned by Contact Science and Caponi Performance Group, Inc.
1930 E. Rosemeade Parkway, Suite 206, Carrollton, TX 75007
214 483-5800p
3. Assuming we can help them do what they‟re doing better than they‟re currently doing it – “I can save you money over what you‟re paying today.” “I can make you more productive.” How do we know what they‟re paying or how well they‟re doing? For that matter, how do we even know they use what we‟re selling in many cases?
4. Not „owning‟ or internalizing our message so instead of sounding conversational, we sound like the proverbial telemarketer reading a script or delivering it in a monotone voice – only 7% of effective communications is derived through the words we use. The biggest percentage of effective communications on a phone call comes from tonality (38%). Therefore we must not only „own‟ our message, but we must deliver it with passion. You do believe in what you sell, don‟t you?
5. Winging it on each call so that our message is different each time – if we deliver a different message each time, we can‟t predict and control the responses we‟ll get, making the task of handling those negative responses even more difficult.
6. Asking leading questions – “You would like to save money wouldn‟t you?” If they don‟t think they need us and don‟t want to talk to us, this kind of question is offensive and does nothing but tick them off even more at the interruption.
7. Not leaving voicemails, or leaving long winded ones – the advertising industry says that it takes seven touches for someone to even remember our name, so why waste the effort involved in making the call and not leave a message? Leave well thought out, concise voicemails.
8. When leaving voicemails, not saying our phone number s-l-o-w-l-y and repeating it.
9. Not letting the suspect know when we‟re calling for the last time (in this cycle) – users of The Formula get more returned phone calls from a „Move On‟ message than any other. But in order to do that, we have to have a plan as to how many times we‟ll call, how often we‟ll call, and leave messages when we call.
10. Calling the same day and/or time of day over and over again, or calling the same person over and over again the same day – it just might be that we‟re calling at a time when they‟re never there! And with the advent of caller ID, do you really think they don‟t see that the same person has called multiple times today?
If you make any of these mistakes and / or would like to learn more about how we help companies and independent professionals address the entire spectrum of challenges of getting in front of more prospects effectively and efficiently, give us a call at 214 483-5800 or log back on to www.coldcalling101.com for more information. © ColdCalling101.com CC101 Top Mistakes Made by Cold Callers.doc
Top Ten Reasons
The Top Ten Reasons to buy toner from Cartridge on Wheels!
(1) We represent ALL brands of supplies, not just a select few
(2) We offer “Managed Route Services” from the first price quote.
(3) We have factory-trained service technicians
(4) Our Service Department is HP-Authorized
(5) We offer comprehensive solutions for equipment & supplies
(6) We carry both OEM & DI-Brand Cartridges
(7) All our products & services are 100% guaranteed
(8) We are locally-owned & operated Franchise Locations
(9) We offer free delivery for a 30 mile radius from the local location
(10) We participate in & encourage “GREEN” Recycling Programs
Call us today and arrange for a Franchise Owner to show you how we can save your business money and keep your output looking great!
(1) We represent ALL brands of supplies, not just a select few
(2) We offer “Managed Route Services” from the first price quote.
(3) We have factory-trained service technicians
(4) Our Service Department is HP-Authorized
(5) We offer comprehensive solutions for equipment & supplies
(6) We carry both OEM & DI-Brand Cartridges
(7) All our products & services are 100% guaranteed
(8) We are locally-owned & operated Franchise Locations
(9) We offer free delivery for a 30 mile radius from the local location
(10) We participate in & encourage “GREEN” Recycling Programs
Call us today and arrange for a Franchise Owner to show you how we can save your business money and keep your output looking great!
Be Careful With The Red Matter
Just Be Careful With the “Red Matter”
In the month of June, a new (and totally awesome) Star Trek movie came out, & in it the evil Romulan Nero decided to neutralize Spock’s home planet, basically due to a working relationship gone bad. Nero was bitter, & with good reason, but spent lots of time growling around in the time-space continuum, seeking vengeance through dispensing a red matter substance, which was cute & bouncy to look at, but one drop was apocalytically devastating. We have a similar substance floating around these days here on planet Earth.
The red matter in our industry (and life in general) always comes when all of the gloom-&- doom types see challenges as roadblocks and simply give up. Or even worse, when the alarmists of the world try & suck other companies into their own “black whole of doom and drama” with negative outlooks on anything and everything from industry collapse to civil war. The aftermarket recently witnessed a huge victory in the prebate decision for “Static Control” (HP) and against Lexmark. This decade long battle has surely changed the landscape of the aftermarket, but admittedly, for awhile it did look gloomy. Thank God WE NEVER bought into any of the drama, the negativity, or the doomsday prophets lies! Now, as evidenced by a million dollar month last month, it’s clear to see that our industry indeed does have a very bright future ahead.
Make no mistake about it, our economy’s still faced with high unemployment rates, & balance sheet numbers that still look like they did get hit with a Romulan onslaught. Yet despite all present circumstances we must press on toward continuing our daily business, and keep the faith that alls well that ends well. This daily business includes an ongoing choice of seeing these challenges in the MOST positive light. Companies can be encouraged by the prebate case, and can look at growth in the MFP and color segments as indicators things are still going to be okay. The evil Romulan Nero dies badly (as tends to happen to bitter, evil Romulans) & the red matter took hold as Nero could not find a bright side to his situation. Aftermarket folks don’t have to focus on naysayers out there. A dark outlook is the red matter we will get if we’re not making the best use of positive marketing practices every day. My red matter says “Live long & PROSPER”……………Tommy
In the month of June, a new (and totally awesome) Star Trek movie came out, & in it the evil Romulan Nero decided to neutralize Spock’s home planet, basically due to a working relationship gone bad. Nero was bitter, & with good reason, but spent lots of time growling around in the time-space continuum, seeking vengeance through dispensing a red matter substance, which was cute & bouncy to look at, but one drop was apocalytically devastating. We have a similar substance floating around these days here on planet Earth.
The red matter in our industry (and life in general) always comes when all of the gloom-&- doom types see challenges as roadblocks and simply give up. Or even worse, when the alarmists of the world try & suck other companies into their own “black whole of doom and drama” with negative outlooks on anything and everything from industry collapse to civil war. The aftermarket recently witnessed a huge victory in the prebate decision for “Static Control” (HP) and against Lexmark. This decade long battle has surely changed the landscape of the aftermarket, but admittedly, for awhile it did look gloomy. Thank God WE NEVER bought into any of the drama, the negativity, or the doomsday prophets lies! Now, as evidenced by a million dollar month last month, it’s clear to see that our industry indeed does have a very bright future ahead.
Make no mistake about it, our economy’s still faced with high unemployment rates, & balance sheet numbers that still look like they did get hit with a Romulan onslaught. Yet despite all present circumstances we must press on toward continuing our daily business, and keep the faith that alls well that ends well. This daily business includes an ongoing choice of seeing these challenges in the MOST positive light. Companies can be encouraged by the prebate case, and can look at growth in the MFP and color segments as indicators things are still going to be okay. The evil Romulan Nero dies badly (as tends to happen to bitter, evil Romulans) & the red matter took hold as Nero could not find a bright side to his situation. Aftermarket folks don’t have to focus on naysayers out there. A dark outlook is the red matter we will get if we’re not making the best use of positive marketing practices every day. My red matter says “Live long & PROSPER”……………Tommy
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Slaying the Dragon of Negativity: By Tommy Foster
“Slaying the Dragon:” The Complete Defeat of Negativity
This is but the second tutorial in a series on negativity; what I term as simply “the evil, corroding thread” of our society’s fabric. I would like to start off by saying that one can NEVER be too positive! I’d like to quote a famous prayer by Saint Francis of Assisi; an uneducated Catholic man who led the people in the positive way against the bloodiest “religious” wars ever, but that were known as “The Crusades.” The prayer simply says this:”Lord, make ME a channel of thy peace, that where there is hatred, I will bring LOVE; that where there is wrong, I will bring THE SPIRIT of forgiveness; that where there is discord, I will bring HARMONY; that where there is error; I will bring TRUTH; that where there is doubt, I will bring FAITH; that where there is despair, I will bring HOPE; that where there are shadows, I will bring LIGHT; that where there is sadness, I will bring JOY. The point I’m making here is if one is looking at this objectively, they will see clearly that Francis always brought the opposite of any negative to the presence of the negative. So what is the opposite of negative? It’s obviously “positive,” right? He never met hatred with hatred; he met it with love, as meeting it with hatred only breeds more hatred. He wouldn’t even say that he was AGAINST the Crusades; he would ONLY SAY he was FOR peace! Has anyone ever spent five minutes on the phone or even around a negative person? I get tired just listening to them! The way to deal with negative customers or negative people in general is not to try and convince them, but to bring positive influence to the very presence of their incessant negativity. Negative people are simply much less productive, much less healthy, much less happy, and much less prosperous than are positive people. Negative people live in darkness, and not much can grow in the dark, and positive thinking is the sunlight of our spirit. Here in Monroe, I have made it a point to hire and to train all our people in the POWER that comes from the positive spirit. We were not created by the Divine Creative Intelligence to be negative, as it goes against our very nature, and eats away at the “fruit of our spirit.” We are always looking to improve our franchise system by bringing on the most positive people with the MOST positive message to carry forward. Saint Francis would be happy to know this I believe. Let’s continue to keep growing in our positive spirits, and flourish!
This is but the second tutorial in a series on negativity; what I term as simply “the evil, corroding thread” of our society’s fabric. I would like to start off by saying that one can NEVER be too positive! I’d like to quote a famous prayer by Saint Francis of Assisi; an uneducated Catholic man who led the people in the positive way against the bloodiest “religious” wars ever, but that were known as “The Crusades.” The prayer simply says this:”Lord, make ME a channel of thy peace, that where there is hatred, I will bring LOVE; that where there is wrong, I will bring THE SPIRIT of forgiveness; that where there is discord, I will bring HARMONY; that where there is error; I will bring TRUTH; that where there is doubt, I will bring FAITH; that where there is despair, I will bring HOPE; that where there are shadows, I will bring LIGHT; that where there is sadness, I will bring JOY. The point I’m making here is if one is looking at this objectively, they will see clearly that Francis always brought the opposite of any negative to the presence of the negative. So what is the opposite of negative? It’s obviously “positive,” right? He never met hatred with hatred; he met it with love, as meeting it with hatred only breeds more hatred. He wouldn’t even say that he was AGAINST the Crusades; he would ONLY SAY he was FOR peace! Has anyone ever spent five minutes on the phone or even around a negative person? I get tired just listening to them! The way to deal with negative customers or negative people in general is not to try and convince them, but to bring positive influence to the very presence of their incessant negativity. Negative people are simply much less productive, much less healthy, much less happy, and much less prosperous than are positive people. Negative people live in darkness, and not much can grow in the dark, and positive thinking is the sunlight of our spirit. Here in Monroe, I have made it a point to hire and to train all our people in the POWER that comes from the positive spirit. We were not created by the Divine Creative Intelligence to be negative, as it goes against our very nature, and eats away at the “fruit of our spirit.” We are always looking to improve our franchise system by bringing on the most positive people with the MOST positive message to carry forward. Saint Francis would be happy to know this I believe. Let’s continue to keep growing in our positive spirits, and flourish!
Leadership: By Tommy Foster
Leadership: Adding or Subtracting Value?
I am writing this to all the Franchise Owners so that you can all rate yourselves as leadership or authority figures, instead of others rating you or you rating others. This concept is to be used solely and simply for self examination, not for the approval or disapproval of anyone else. By looking inward at how one leads, one can find his or her way along the path leading to the fulfillment of their own desired goals of coming together as a team.
The first thing we have to do is answer this critical question. Are you requiring results from others based on your “authority and position”, or are you asking them to follow the example you set on a daily basis? For a long while I believed my “position of authority” was adequate to lead. I could not have been more wrong. I was resented, scoffed at, and not very well received.
This brings me to the “law of addition.” Leadership shouldn’t ever be how far WE advance, but how far we advance others. This law of addition states that leaders add value by serving others, not bossing others. The retired General Norman Schwartzkopf once said, “When you help others climb a hill, you get much closer to the top yourself.” Ask yourself these few questions, and HONESTLY answer them to your innermost self: (1) Ever since I’ve been a leader, are things better or worse for MY TEAM, and not JUST ME? (2) Am I adding or subtracting VALUE from my “leading?” (3) Are my people better off because I’m a leader, and am I taking THEM to a higher level, or sinking them beneath me? Ask and answer this of yourself daily.
The next concept or law is the “law of the picture.” When I think of this, it says to me that “I can’t ask someone else to do something for me which I haven’t done myself hundreds of times.” It is always up to us to set a standard of behavior we would like others to follow. Obviously, as a leader I know that I DO NOT have all the answers. Sometimes we all face levels of uncertainty, and that doesn’t make us a poor leader. Increased responsibility means dealing with more and more intangibles (unknowns) and therefore much uncertainty, but we can not confuse uncertainty with being unclear. So a leader CAN afford to be uncertain at times, but can NEVER afford to be UNCLEAR. People will never follow “fuzzy leadership.” Remember followers are always watching everything we do as leaders, and still others are hoping we fail. So, it’s often seen that the temptation to TEACH others what’s right than TO DO what’s right is much more appealing, when the great fact is that this temptation will NEVER work out for the “leader.” It was author Norman Vincent Peale who said, “Nothing is more confusing than people who give GOOD advice, but set a BAD example. (Remember “Do as I say and not as I do?”) We all hated hearing that while growing up, didn’t we, and essentially it didn’t even make sense then when we were only tiny children. But there is absolutely NOTHING that is more convincing than people who give good advice but also set a good example for others. Personally, I made a decision a while back to NEVER try again to “teach people anything I wouldn’t be willing to live myself.” As it has turned out, it’s been one of if not the best decision I’ve ever made. I had to and still do have to work daily on changing myself before ever trying to improve someone else. The greatest danger to my personal leadership quest has always been the temptation to try and change others without first being willing to make a daily change in myself in everything I say and do. As a leader, the first person I must lead is ME, and the first person I must be willing to change each day is ME.
Obviously, the very first thing employees want is to be led by a leader whose beliefs and actions line up. They want good models who lead from the front. Remember the law of addition says leaders add value by serving others, so let’s develop a servant’s attitude. The law of the picture says “people do what people see,” so if we know these things and practice these principles in all our affairs, we will become the very best leader we can possibly be.
Remember this Tommy-Ism: “In business and in life, we NEVER attract what we WANT. We attract to us WHAT WE ARE! We NEVER get what we want as leaders either; we get what we REWARD. So let’s continue to attract others by our behavior, and reward others by their behavior!!!
I am writing this to all the Franchise Owners so that you can all rate yourselves as leadership or authority figures, instead of others rating you or you rating others. This concept is to be used solely and simply for self examination, not for the approval or disapproval of anyone else. By looking inward at how one leads, one can find his or her way along the path leading to the fulfillment of their own desired goals of coming together as a team.
The first thing we have to do is answer this critical question. Are you requiring results from others based on your “authority and position”, or are you asking them to follow the example you set on a daily basis? For a long while I believed my “position of authority” was adequate to lead. I could not have been more wrong. I was resented, scoffed at, and not very well received.
This brings me to the “law of addition.” Leadership shouldn’t ever be how far WE advance, but how far we advance others. This law of addition states that leaders add value by serving others, not bossing others. The retired General Norman Schwartzkopf once said, “When you help others climb a hill, you get much closer to the top yourself.” Ask yourself these few questions, and HONESTLY answer them to your innermost self: (1) Ever since I’ve been a leader, are things better or worse for MY TEAM, and not JUST ME? (2) Am I adding or subtracting VALUE from my “leading?” (3) Are my people better off because I’m a leader, and am I taking THEM to a higher level, or sinking them beneath me? Ask and answer this of yourself daily.
The next concept or law is the “law of the picture.” When I think of this, it says to me that “I can’t ask someone else to do something for me which I haven’t done myself hundreds of times.” It is always up to us to set a standard of behavior we would like others to follow. Obviously, as a leader I know that I DO NOT have all the answers. Sometimes we all face levels of uncertainty, and that doesn’t make us a poor leader. Increased responsibility means dealing with more and more intangibles (unknowns) and therefore much uncertainty, but we can not confuse uncertainty with being unclear. So a leader CAN afford to be uncertain at times, but can NEVER afford to be UNCLEAR. People will never follow “fuzzy leadership.” Remember followers are always watching everything we do as leaders, and still others are hoping we fail. So, it’s often seen that the temptation to TEACH others what’s right than TO DO what’s right is much more appealing, when the great fact is that this temptation will NEVER work out for the “leader.” It was author Norman Vincent Peale who said, “Nothing is more confusing than people who give GOOD advice, but set a BAD example. (Remember “Do as I say and not as I do?”) We all hated hearing that while growing up, didn’t we, and essentially it didn’t even make sense then when we were only tiny children. But there is absolutely NOTHING that is more convincing than people who give good advice but also set a good example for others. Personally, I made a decision a while back to NEVER try again to “teach people anything I wouldn’t be willing to live myself.” As it has turned out, it’s been one of if not the best decision I’ve ever made. I had to and still do have to work daily on changing myself before ever trying to improve someone else. The greatest danger to my personal leadership quest has always been the temptation to try and change others without first being willing to make a daily change in myself in everything I say and do. As a leader, the first person I must lead is ME, and the first person I must be willing to change each day is ME.
Obviously, the very first thing employees want is to be led by a leader whose beliefs and actions line up. They want good models who lead from the front. Remember the law of addition says leaders add value by serving others, so let’s develop a servant’s attitude. The law of the picture says “people do what people see,” so if we know these things and practice these principles in all our affairs, we will become the very best leader we can possibly be.
Remember this Tommy-Ism: “In business and in life, we NEVER attract what we WANT. We attract to us WHAT WE ARE! We NEVER get what we want as leaders either; we get what we REWARD. So let’s continue to attract others by our behavior, and reward others by their behavior!!!
Perfect Practice: By Tommy Foster
Tommy’s Tutorial: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect
On days one and two, there was an emphasis placed on cold calling, phone calling, and the entire appointment making formula itself. And this is rightly so, as these are the hallmarks of success in our business model. Many of you have been in sales before, but some have only had the “walk in” variety of sales exposure, and yet some others have been in some face to face, “outbound” sales, and maybe some have experienced a bit of both. Be that as it may. Whatever you’ve done, and wherever you’ve been, one thing will always remain constant, and that is that you will need to continue to practice everything that’s related to appointment setting daily, especially the things you feel you’re lacking at. The sad truth is that most people, and almost all salespeople, practice what they do BEST most of the time, instead of the doing the exact opposite. They should be practicing what they do the WORST, or the things they’re least comfortable with.
In the book “Outliers,” by Malcolm Gladwell, the author has a specific chapter dedicated to how the most successful people in the world at their specific field, such as Bill Gates, Bill Joy, The Beatles, & Mozart, weren’t necessarily the best at what they did, but they had practiced their passion for a specific amount of time that ensured they were to be the best. In fact, there was a “magic number” of hours of practice that absolutely guaranteed success. What is that number? A total of 10,000 hours of practice is the magic number needed to separate the average sales executive from the top performers in our profession, and in most all fields in general. So, exactly what is practice you ask? Let’s look at this picture a bit closer to get a better understanding of what we need.
Practice, according to THIS author, and for our business model, is “purposely and single mindedly cold calling, phone calling, & prospecting, with the sole intent to get better at effectively making appointments.” That’s it. And that is what all of us need to be doing daily. Personally, I have been in sales since college, and for an old guy like me, that was 30 years ago, so my 10,000 hours has been done for a while. If we look at this “magic number,” we realize that if we work 250 days a year, and can practice only 75% of our day, or six hours a day, for seven years, we will have had enough practice to be among the elite in our business. So, what are we waiting for? Some of you have been selling for years anyway, but just simply practiced what you were good at, and ignored your shortcomings. Will the sky fall because of that, or will the sun not come up again because of it; I really don’t think so. Let’s go forward, and press towards the mark, ok?
Now let’s examine the ingredients you will need to achieve a certain kind of practice; that being perfect practice. I was a very athletic youngster growing up, and played various sports, and thus had many coaches. Almost invariably, one would hear the famous mantra, “practice makes perfect.” I believed that mantra until I had the opportunity to play baseball for a coach that had played baseball professionally, & had enjoyed unparalleled coaching success year after year, and had coached many state championship teams. He soon dispelled this ‘rumor’ of “practice makes perfect,” and then refined it to the now famous mantra, “perfect practice makes perfect performers.” Makes sense to me! If we practice the things we do well all the time, we never get better at what we really need! Now let’s find out what we really need.
Our first great need is an action plan. Now you will begin to “plan the work, and then work the plan!” We must have a plan! But notice it’s an “action” plan. If we don’t “institutionalize” the process, and practice these principles in all our endeavors, nothing will change! I believe we should make a minimum of 20 face to face calls and 20 phone contacts every day of every single week. Nothing, absolutely nothing less will suffice for our success!
The second thing we need is passion, and it doesn’t grow on trees, and it’s not sold in stores. If we are painstaking at this vital “passion phase” of our development, we will be amazed before we’re halfway into the 10,000 hours. If you aren’t passionate about you, your present company & its product and service offerings, I suggest that you find a career where you can be!
On days one and two, there was an emphasis placed on cold calling, phone calling, and the entire appointment making formula itself. And this is rightly so, as these are the hallmarks of success in our business model. Many of you have been in sales before, but some have only had the “walk in” variety of sales exposure, and yet some others have been in some face to face, “outbound” sales, and maybe some have experienced a bit of both. Be that as it may. Whatever you’ve done, and wherever you’ve been, one thing will always remain constant, and that is that you will need to continue to practice everything that’s related to appointment setting daily, especially the things you feel you’re lacking at. The sad truth is that most people, and almost all salespeople, practice what they do BEST most of the time, instead of the doing the exact opposite. They should be practicing what they do the WORST, or the things they’re least comfortable with.
In the book “Outliers,” by Malcolm Gladwell, the author has a specific chapter dedicated to how the most successful people in the world at their specific field, such as Bill Gates, Bill Joy, The Beatles, & Mozart, weren’t necessarily the best at what they did, but they had practiced their passion for a specific amount of time that ensured they were to be the best. In fact, there was a “magic number” of hours of practice that absolutely guaranteed success. What is that number? A total of 10,000 hours of practice is the magic number needed to separate the average sales executive from the top performers in our profession, and in most all fields in general. So, exactly what is practice you ask? Let’s look at this picture a bit closer to get a better understanding of what we need.
Practice, according to THIS author, and for our business model, is “purposely and single mindedly cold calling, phone calling, & prospecting, with the sole intent to get better at effectively making appointments.” That’s it. And that is what all of us need to be doing daily. Personally, I have been in sales since college, and for an old guy like me, that was 30 years ago, so my 10,000 hours has been done for a while. If we look at this “magic number,” we realize that if we work 250 days a year, and can practice only 75% of our day, or six hours a day, for seven years, we will have had enough practice to be among the elite in our business. So, what are we waiting for? Some of you have been selling for years anyway, but just simply practiced what you were good at, and ignored your shortcomings. Will the sky fall because of that, or will the sun not come up again because of it; I really don’t think so. Let’s go forward, and press towards the mark, ok?
Now let’s examine the ingredients you will need to achieve a certain kind of practice; that being perfect practice. I was a very athletic youngster growing up, and played various sports, and thus had many coaches. Almost invariably, one would hear the famous mantra, “practice makes perfect.” I believed that mantra until I had the opportunity to play baseball for a coach that had played baseball professionally, & had enjoyed unparalleled coaching success year after year, and had coached many state championship teams. He soon dispelled this ‘rumor’ of “practice makes perfect,” and then refined it to the now famous mantra, “perfect practice makes perfect performers.” Makes sense to me! If we practice the things we do well all the time, we never get better at what we really need! Now let’s find out what we really need.
Our first great need is an action plan. Now you will begin to “plan the work, and then work the plan!” We must have a plan! But notice it’s an “action” plan. If we don’t “institutionalize” the process, and practice these principles in all our endeavors, nothing will change! I believe we should make a minimum of 20 face to face calls and 20 phone contacts every day of every single week. Nothing, absolutely nothing less will suffice for our success!
The second thing we need is passion, and it doesn’t grow on trees, and it’s not sold in stores. If we are painstaking at this vital “passion phase” of our development, we will be amazed before we’re halfway into the 10,000 hours. If you aren’t passionate about you, your present company & its product and service offerings, I suggest that you find a career where you can be!
Tommy-Ism's
More Selling “Tommy-Ism’s”
Absolutely NO ONE on EARTH knows enough to be a pessimist!
Attitude really isn’t everything; it’s simply the ONLY THING!
Always just do what you OUGHT, then trust what MAY BE!
If we ask NO questions, we ALWAYS get the wrong answers.
The toughest doors to get in are the ones our car keys fit into.
We don’t get great at selling in a day, but rather day by day.
Procrastination is SLOTH; we’re just saying it in five syllables.
When we talk activity + practice evasion, the sum equals ZERO.
Pain in life & in sales is totally inevitable; misery is your option.
Most aren’t willing to do the hard work that makes selling easy.
It’s the thoughts behind your words that create your attitude.
The toughest answers in sales are the ones we must give ourselves.
I’d love to say thank you to everyone who’s ever told me “NO.”
Our fear is VERY close to our passion; however, our fear of loss is signifigantly greater than our hope to gain could ever be! Sell that!
Let’s STOP & THINK! Our sales are in our heads, so it’s the MINDSET by which we approach our sales which will ALWAYS determine their outcomes; either positive or negative.
Absolutely NO ONE on EARTH knows enough to be a pessimist!
Attitude really isn’t everything; it’s simply the ONLY THING!
Always just do what you OUGHT, then trust what MAY BE!
If we ask NO questions, we ALWAYS get the wrong answers.
The toughest doors to get in are the ones our car keys fit into.
We don’t get great at selling in a day, but rather day by day.
Procrastination is SLOTH; we’re just saying it in five syllables.
When we talk activity + practice evasion, the sum equals ZERO.
Pain in life & in sales is totally inevitable; misery is your option.
Most aren’t willing to do the hard work that makes selling easy.
It’s the thoughts behind your words that create your attitude.
The toughest answers in sales are the ones we must give ourselves.
I’d love to say thank you to everyone who’s ever told me “NO.”
Our fear is VERY close to our passion; however, our fear of loss is signifigantly greater than our hope to gain could ever be! Sell that!
Let’s STOP & THINK! Our sales are in our heads, so it’s the MINDSET by which we approach our sales which will ALWAYS determine their outcomes; either positive or negative.
The Power of Now
Today's Treasure/Power of the Etenal Now
+++++++++++++++++++
Life comes to you in great abundance. There's no need to gulp
it.
Lovingly taste each moment as it comes. Take care not to
hurry past the richness that is already here.
Tomorrow's treasures can wait until tomorrow. Live today's
treasures while they are here.
Give yourself time to absorb the goodness of now in all its
bounty. Give yourself time to live with meaning, instead of
just rushing through.
There is more than enough available to you already. Instead
of striving toward what's next, make the most of what's now.
It is all here, now. Live the abundance in your own special
way.
+++++++++++++++++++
Life comes to you in great abundance. There's no need to gulp
it.
Lovingly taste each moment as it comes. Take care not to
hurry past the richness that is already here.
Tomorrow's treasures can wait until tomorrow. Live today's
treasures while they are here.
Give yourself time to absorb the goodness of now in all its
bounty. Give yourself time to live with meaning, instead of
just rushing through.
There is more than enough available to you already. Instead
of striving toward what's next, make the most of what's now.
It is all here, now. Live the abundance in your own special
way.
Monday, March 8, 2010
NO DAY IS WASTED
Living with purpose and clear focus helps you to understand
the value of being meaningfully focused. And aimlessly
wandering with no clear focus can also help you to
appreciate the power of a positive purpose.
Either way, life leads you surely, steadily toward your
purpose. Whether you experience the pain of losing touch
with that purpose, or the joy of living in harmony with it,
you grow in understanding and appreciation.
No day, no experience, no encounter is really wasted.
Through the ups and downs, in the good times and in times of
despair, you feel more intensely the longing to express who
you truly are.
The beauty of this day is not in its particulars. The beauty
is that you can take it all in, whatever and however it may
be, and add it to the substance of your being.
Whatever comes along, be thankful for the opportunity to
pass through it. Whatever is, go with it and grow with it.
Your purpose cannot help but become stronger, as each moment
passes. Feel that strength, and live it more fully, more
authentically, day after day........Have a great TODAY!.....Tommy
the value of being meaningfully focused. And aimlessly
wandering with no clear focus can also help you to
appreciate the power of a positive purpose.
Either way, life leads you surely, steadily toward your
purpose. Whether you experience the pain of losing touch
with that purpose, or the joy of living in harmony with it,
you grow in understanding and appreciation.
No day, no experience, no encounter is really wasted.
Through the ups and downs, in the good times and in times of
despair, you feel more intensely the longing to express who
you truly are.
The beauty of this day is not in its particulars. The beauty
is that you can take it all in, whatever and however it may
be, and add it to the substance of your being.
Whatever comes along, be thankful for the opportunity to
pass through it. Whatever is, go with it and grow with it.
Your purpose cannot help but become stronger, as each moment
passes. Feel that strength, and live it more fully, more
authentically, day after day........Have a great TODAY!.....Tommy
Managed Print Training
Hello everyone,
We will be implememnting our Managed Print Training very soon. As National Sales Director, I am acutely interested in the growth we can attain this year. We can achieve double git growth (or more) simply by grabbing a few of these deals per year. Listen up for the schedule as it comes available.........Tommy
We will be implememnting our Managed Print Training very soon. As National Sales Director, I am acutely interested in the growth we can attain this year. We can achieve double git growth (or more) simply by grabbing a few of these deals per year. Listen up for the schedule as it comes available.........Tommy
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