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SALES
-- March 2003
by Jeffrey Gitomer
Think You
Can?
In sales, attitude can be everything
It’s my birthday.
I’ve had more than 50 of them. Let’s just say that they’re
not as exciting to me as they once were. However, they are more thought-provoking.
For more than 50
years, my favorite book has been The Little Engine that Could. It’s
all about a train trying to make it up a hill. Others tried to discourage
her, but she had enough fan support, enough cheerleaders, to make it
up the hill using the timeless phrase, “I think I can, I think
I can.”
Naturally, my thoughts
turned to sales. Why not revive this 1930 classic with my version of
The Little Salesman that Could. It’s interesting to note that no
one ever wrote a book about the little engine that couldn’t. It’s
also interesting to note that in 1930, the author, Watty Piper, had
the foresight to make the little engine a heroine rather than a hero.
Here are elements
I challenge you to think about. These are not “how to” sales
techniques. Rather, they are “why I” elements of personal
development.
- Your total belief
system. The theme of the book is also the theme of your success; believing
that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. High self-belief
leads to high success. Medium self-belief leads to medium success.
Low self-belief…you get the idea.
- Belief drives
passion. Mediocrity stems from lack of belief more than lack of skill.
Passion is the intangible in a salesperson’s presentation that
makes the message transferable. Passion exhibited by the salesperson
creates a desire to buy in the heart and mind of the prospect.
- Have the attitude
of YES! “I think I can” is a ‘yes’ thought, not
just a positive thought. It is a positive determination with a positive
projected outcome.
- Invest your time
in things that will help you succeed. How many hours a day do you
spend in ‘non-success’ areas? Time wasters like TV, news
for the second time today, or someone else’s drama. What could
you achieve if you took half of that time and invested it in studying
about your biggest business obstacle or biggest business opportunity?
- Begin capturing
your thoughts, strategies and ideas in writing. If someone were to
ask me for one thing that I can pinpoint to my success, without a
nanosecond of hesitation, I would answer, “writing.”
- Take a course
in writing. Learning how to write will help you put words you are
thinking about into clear, concise, written thoughts and ideas.
- Take a course
in something you love. By learning more about what you love to do,
it will create a positive atmosphere and a positive mind set about
learning and achieving. The things you love to do, you do with passion.
The combination of learning, achieving, and passion can make for world-class
expertise in anything you think you can.
- Get so Internet
savvy that you can teach a 14-year old rather than vice-versa. Many
adult business people are functional computer illiterates. If you
don’t have your own Web site, and you don’t have your own
e-mail address, and you don’t access the Internet everyday, think
again.
- Begin clarifying
your ideas in public – and get known as a person of value at
the same time. After I began writing, people began to call and ask
if I would speak at their civic organization (Rotary, Kiwanis). It
gave me a chance to speak and listen to my written thoughts. Speaking,
like writing, is a barrier to entry in the world of success. Rather
than taking a course in speaking, you only have to join Toastmasters.
If you write your
thoughts down, speaking becomes infinitely simpler. Once you get past
a little bit of fear, it’s not only fun, it’s profitable.
It’s also an open door (and an open wallet) to anyone in your audience.
Jeffrey Gitomer
is the author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction
is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. He can be reached at
704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com.
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