[Imc-chicago] Sales Muscle - Issue 107

[Sales Muscle]

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Sales Muscle - Issue 107
presented by Bolt from the Blue
www.boltfromblue.com

June 6, 2007
Author: Tom Richard
Editor: Gina Sares
Guest Author: Tracee Swank

Positive Thoughts Lead to Sweet Success
by Tom Richard

Enjoying breakfast with my young son one morning at a local restaurant, I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. I smiled as I watched him observe his surroundings, scanning the table and taking in all the sights. It’s such a refreshing experience to imagine yourself seeing this world again for the first time. 

Before pouring myself some water from a pitcher, I removed the lemon slice from inside and placed it on a small plate in the middle of the table. As I started to pour the water, my son grabbed the lemon slice and quickly put it in his mouth, taking a big bite.

The poignant look of pain on his face from the bitter taste of the lemon made me grimace. My mouth started watering aggressively as my eyes and nose scrunched into a tight knot. He immediately dropped the lemon and we both sat there with the exact same look on our face, wondering what just happened. We went from quietly sitting at the table waiting for our breakfast to arrive, to grimacing at the bitter taste of a lemon.

As I sat there still tasting a lemon, which had never touched my mouth, I finally understood everything I had been studying for the past ten years. I understood that our mind takes our thoughts literally. As my son bit into the lemon, I underwent the exact same physical reaction he did. My mouth watered, my face grimaced, and I could vividly taste the flavor of the bitter fruit in my mouth.

Before then, I had known the benefits of positive thinking, but I had never taken those teachings literally. At that very moment, I understood that our thoughts literally become things.

Whatever thoughts we feed our mind – whether it be of fear, wealth, peace or lemons – our mind will manifest. The results we see are in direct result to the mind’s response to the thoughts we feed it. Sure, I knew I wasn’t biting into that lemon, but it didn’t matter. My mind developed the experience for the thought I gave it. My experience was as real as if I had put that lemon straight into my mouth.

Until that moment in the restaurant, my goals were sunshine and bubbles on the surface, but beneath them there was a strong undercurrent of apprehension. I constantly worried about how I would accomplish something, instead of simply keeping my eye on the goal. Instead of grabbing hold of the situation I wanted with both hands and swallowing it whole, I kept a reserved nature about my goals buried beneath the surface.

The problem is, action follows thinking. You cannot achieve goals by acting alone. In fact, there is no amount of action that can sufficiently triumph over the thoughts you secretly harbor in the dark recesses of your mind. If your thoughts are apprehensive and mild, then your actions and results will be equally apprehensive and mild. 

Whatever your goal is – whether it be your own business, a brand new office, or more customers – think about the hidden thoughts that are hindering its realization. Is it fear? Is it worry? Is it doubt? Peel back the layers that hide these thoughts and shine a light on them. These thoughts, not just the ones on the surface, are creating the world in which you live. 

Goals can only be achieved by first taking control of your thoughts. All of them. Positive thoughts backed with worry and fear will not bring the positive results you desire. The only way of creating the world you desire is by filling your mind with right thoughts and simply leaving no room for wrong ones. Celebrate your goals and grab them fully, without any negative thoughts to weigh them down. When you stop thinking about the bitter, you’ll only taste the sweet.


Practice makes perfect business – period. 
by Tracee Swank

My husband of seven months celebrates a birthday this week. Since it is his first birthday with the elevated title of "husband," I thought I would do something special, something different than what I have done for the last seven birthdays we celebrated together.

I actually asked him what he wanted. 

Quite excited about the chance of getting what he wanted, rather than something I wanted him to have, he very quickly submitted his request: golf lessons. 

For some new wives, the fear of becoming a golf widow would severely outweigh the intended generosity of the birthday gift. I, on the other hand, have seen my husband’s game. Golf lessons it shall be.

Lessons commenced almost immediately. At the end of his first lesson, the golf pro asked my husband if there was anything specific he wanted to improve. What areas did he want to work on? How did he want to change his game? My husband stated simply, "I want to learn how to practice." 

The golf pro was speechless. No other student of the game had ever made such a request of him. It was an odd, but great, request. 

We have all heard the cliché, "practice makes perfect," but, really, only correct practice makes perfect. Once you know how to do something, like hit a golf ball, what else is there? Well, you must practice correctly in order to maintain consistent success in hitting the ball correctly. Practicing incorrectly will only teach you how to miss the ball.

As with golf, you can improve your business results by learning how to practice effectively. Every small business owner knows what it takes to be successful, but the reality is that many business owners fail to achieve their desired success because they set aside working on the fundamentals. Success is achieved from practicing and focusing daily on the things that repeatedly work and letting go of those things that do not. 

Are you actively engaged in a daily process or routine that challenges you to test and practice your business skills? 

How many times a day 
 

Do you get a chance to introduce yourself to a new client?

Do you get a chance to reintroduce yourself to an old friend?

Can you give your elevator speech?

Can you make a connection or referral by actively listening?



The list goes on and on. Maybe you think that these opportunities only come along when you actively look for them. When you know you need more clients in your contact list, or when you notice you are in a slump, then you go back to the fundamentals of running your business. Well, if you practiced your business fundamentals repeatedly and with great consistency, then these slumps or needs would be minimized.

You know your business better than anyone else. You know what works, and what doesn’t. By practicing and focusing on the things that create positive results, your attitude will shift. Instead of worrying where the next client or sale will come from, you will be looking for ways to improve and build on previous success. Focusing on success, rather than fear or worry, is a much better way to spend your time. Wouldn’t you agree?

Do you actively practice everyday doing those things that get results? If not, then I challenge you to begin a process that does. It is certainly okay to try new things or do something different to shake things up, but don’t ever leave behind the fundamentals that got you where you are today. 

In business, as in golf, success comes from knowing how to practice the fundamentals, then following through.
 

This message was sent by: Bolt from the Blue, 20 N. Third St., Waterville, OH 43566

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