Get Ready For 2008

Assuming (I know that’s a dangerous word) that you want 2008 to be a better year than 2007; you must plan it that way. Your planning should start with reflection, followed by contemplation. Reflect back on 2007 and identify the things you did that resulted in success. Reflect also on the things you did that resulted in failure. Past failures can lead to future successes when seen in the proper light.

 ”Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
-Albert Einstein

Contemplate what you will do differently in 2008 to make it a better year. Whatever you did last year got you whatever you got last year. If you truly want more next year you must do something differently. Decide the changes that you would like to bring about and then think about the behavior that will lead to those changes. Always focus on things within your control. You can control what you do and when you do what works best, you will get the best results.

Write Them Down
Most people go about this process in the form of making New Year’s Resolutions. Just about everyone makes New Year’s Resolutions, and then eventually breaks them. A good New Year’s Resolution to start with this year might be to keep the ones you make. Sticking to your resolutions and making changes can be difficult but not impossible.  
The American Psychiatric Association offers seven tips for attaining Your New Year’s resolutions. There is nothing on this list that you cannot do.

“Tick-Tick-Tick”

Time is your best friend or biggest enemy. It takes time to do anything, and time can do anything. That may sound like semantics, but it’s not. Little things repeated over long periods of time create massive achievements.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”
-Benjamin Franklin

Seconds become minutes, then hours, then days, months, years, and in the end a lifetime. What you do during those seconds will determine the quality of life you live. The time goes by regardless; it is either working for you or against you and it is what you choose to do that makes the difference.

Choose Your Path
It’s all about choices. As you choose the things you do, you are choosing the direction that your life will go in.
A little exercising on a regular basis will give you a fit body on a permanent basis. Eating good food every day will keep you healthy all day, every day. And yes, working fits in there as well. Good work habits will bring about a rich and rewarding career, regardless of the field you are in.

How Important is Selling in Retail?

How well do you know your job? Unfortunately the answer for many in the retail sector is, “Not well enough”. The sad thing is that they don’t know it. There is a belief that customers know what they want, will ask questions if they have them and seek help if they need it. All of these assumptions are wrong. Selling in a retail store is a trade that must be learned.

 Money Down The Drain

You cannot count the money that runs out of the faucet and down the drain when customers fail to get the information they need to make intelligent buying decisions. It is not enough to ask, “May I help you?” Your job is helping customers and you do not need to ask for permission to do your job.

If you work in a retail store and are certain that you have it all figured out, I suggest that you take this little quiz to find out. E-mail your answers to me and I will let you know how you did.

If you find yourself struggling for the right answers, get yourself a copy of RETAIL SELLING MADE  EASY today.

            It’s More Than A Day

Christmas time has some form of meaning to everyone. To some it is a religious celebration. The date and form of celebration varies from one person and religion to another.

“Political correctness” has caused many to change the name of this celebratory time to “Holiday Season”. I really don’t think the outward terminology matters as much as the personal feelings and beliefs that people have within them. Think for a moment how crazy it would be if all beliefs were as “correct” as the believers think them to be. 

To some, Christmas is a time for praying, to others it’s for family reunions, to some it is opening presents on Christmas morning, to others it’s just a great excuse to go shopping and selling, for others to take more time away from work, and from what I hear, to many it’s a big pain in the backside.

Whatever it means to you, I hope that you have a great one, and get from it whatever your personal ideals are. And, for those that would enjoy a really cool Internet Christmas card, turn your speakers up, click right here, and follow ALL of the directions.

 “Okay”, “Okay”, “Okay”, “Okay!”

We have all had the experience of sending e-mail out and then wondering if it was received or acted upon. Some people solve this problem by selecting the return receipt option on all e-mail they send. Many people find that to be an annoyance, and some fail to deal with or even open the e-mail simply because of it being there.

Many times you will send e-mail that does not require a reply, yet you still might like to know that it was received. Another annoyance is asking someone to do something, getting back an “okay” which is then responded to with another, and even another “okay”.

When writing E-MAIL ETIQUETTE MADE EASY I asked numerous people for their little “pet peeves” with e-mail. My favorite one came from Jerry Kohl at Brighton. He said, “You don’t have to be the last person to say, “Okay”. This all begins to sound like the proverbial catch 22, where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

I used to have a web master that had a great habit. Whenever I sent e-mail to Regis asking him to do something, I could count on a simple reply letting me know that the task had been accomplished. He would just say, “DONE!” That prevented me from having to keep checking to see if it was done or not.

It all comes down to that basic wisdom most of us had preached to us by our parents: “Treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself”. Don’t leave people hanging, yet on the other hand don’t bombard them with needless e-mail. Answer your e-mail promptly so that it doesn’t pile up. You will be amazed at the reputation you build for yourself in the process.

Creative, But Transparent

I have begun to save some of the blog comments I get that are obvious spam attempts to get published on this and other Blogs. It is almost humorous (if it wasn’t so irritating) to see how little the comment has to do with the post it was made on. It looks like they have some auto generated, generic comments that are supposed to look legitimate.

Sometimes they cut and paste a portion of my original post into the comment to make it appear authentic, but none of them are getting past me. I have the opportunity to approve, delete or mark as spam any comments sent. Once the comment is approved, the ads and links would appear in great volume on the Blog.

Here’s a list of some of the more popular comments, bad English and all, that I see all too often, and delete as spam. I will continue to add to this list as they come pouring in.

“Fine site!”

“Interesting”

“Cool”

“Good site!”

“Hello”

“News…”

“Hi this article is amazing. I will definitely read your site..”

“Dynamite review on To Succeed; LISTEN, and Pay CLOSE Attention! Thoroughly love this posts.”

“Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts !…”

“Great article. I am sure you’ll like our blog..”

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“Hey!…Man i just love your blog, keep the cool posts comin.. holy Wednesday”

“Cool message. I think you’ll surf on my website. Ciao”

“Hello webmaster Super arts about Intense Exercise”

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“Interesting - because that is the same thing I found out last Thursday.”

“Good comment. It brought light to an old idea I had.”

“Whatz up, what entice you to post an article on Ron Raw - $10? This article was extremely interesting, especially since I was searching for thoughts on this subject last Saturday.”

“I was searching for KEYWORD at google and got this your post in search results. Not very relevant result, but still interesting to read :)…

“I would like to see a continuation of the topic”

“I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read….”

“Hi there…I Googled for king college, but found your page about Community Spirit…and have to say thanks. nice read.”

“Hi the comment is delightful. I will definitely read your site. bye”

“Hey!…I Googled for brighton ski, but found your page about Grouse Mountain; Vancouver BC…and have to say thanks. nice read.”

“Hello I was doing a search for real estate sales training and found myself here. My family could read this blog, and that makes a change I can tell you. You are a great find. Informative too.”

“Hello webmaster…I Googled for brenda anderson, but found your page about Pool Anyone?…and have to say thanks.”

“nice read.”

“I am glad to find this forum!”

“Good stuff, very nicely done!”

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“Very good contents…”

“The Author, you - genius…”

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“I is pleasantly amazed! Thank!!!”

“Thank you! I delighted!”

“I was searching for \’Travel Honolulu\’ at google and got this your post (\’January 2008\’) in search results. Not very relevant result, but still interesting to read”

“Very nicely done forum.”

“Bonjour! j\’aime votre blog et High School Selling Class”

“Very good contents…”

“The Pleasing text and design!”

“Very good web forum, great work and thank you for your service.
Hi…I Googled for celebrity feet, but found your page about Customers – Employees - Rules!…and have to say thanks. nice read.”

“Excellent forum, added to favorites!”

“Your parents must be proud of you….”

“Very nicely done forum. Very good web forum, great work and thank you for your service. The Author, you - genius… I am glad to find this forum ! What beautiful text and visitors!”

“Excellent webforum!”

“Sorry but what do you mean about that? I cant understand really.”

“I was searching for \’Hawaii Cruise\’ at google and got this your post (\’Aloha Spirit\’) in search results. Not very relevant result, but still interesting to read”

“:) Alot of information, I have hever seen before a such useful thing. Thank you :)”

“Awesome opinion when it comes to Blu Light with Levulan. Your blogging is the reason I keep come back to website.”

“I couldn’t understand some parts of this article Morning Report, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.”

“This comment was posted automatically using Blog Comment Poster software. Would you like to make serious money in this way of advertising too? So start today!”

Aha! So, now I see where all of this crap is coming from!!! As irritating as it is, it is always nice to see creativity at work.

I am commited to keeping this Blog pure. If you ever see a comment, or post for that matter that you find offensive or not factual, please contact me and I will correct it immediately.

 Words To Live By
“The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotations.”
-Isaac D’Israeli

Timeless Wisdom
The right words at the right time can build your confidence while motivating you to strive for excellence. Others will help you overcome procrastination, become more responsible and demonstrate the kind of character that will lead to your ultimate success. 

“Seek and Yee Shell Find”
With just a little searching you can find the right quote at the right time for just about any situation imaginable. Embrace words and messages that have passed the test of time, and in time your own quotes may inspire those that follow you through this journey we know as life. 

 It’s You on You

At Success Dynamics we are dedicated to motivating people to try a little harder. Most people know what they are supposed to do, it’s just that sometimes they don’t, and for different reasons. The biggest thing that keeps people from reaching out is negative thinking.

Fear Paralyzes People
Fear of rejection keeps salespeople from talking to prospective customers. It’s human to dislike rejection, but in the game of sales it is a part of the territory. Sales is a numbers game. Stores and other businesses that do not require selling (or so they think) hire clerks and order takers. There is very little rejection at McDonalds or 
Starbucks. Very few customers get all the way up to the register and then say, “I’ll be back” or “I need to think about it.” True salespeople hear it all day long.

It’s Mental

Your thoughts can control your actions. In order to act in a positive manner, think positively. “Easier said than done” you say. Yes, sometimes, but there are things you can do to control your thoughts. Ask yourself to picture the best customer that you have had today or this week. Rewind the tape and re-live the sale. Remind yourself what was said, and what was purchased. It’s difficult to think of more than one thing at a time, so this positive picture keeps the potential negatives out. You bring about what you think about. Think about your successes, talk about your success, and expect more success and you will attract it to you. It’s Easy!

 Who Needs Them?

In professional football the best of the best play. In spite of this talent there are more coaches on the sidelines than there are players on the field. One might assume that highly “trained” and “gifted” athletes playing at this level already know what to do. Well, they have been taught what to do, but sometimes in the heat of the moment, past lessons learned are forgotten and they might make on the field judgments and decisions that could cost them the game.

The head coach never misses a down

As the ball moves down the field, so does the head coach. Imagine this; the head coach calls the team together before the game and says, “Okay guys, this is a big game. There is a lot of money at stake and we need to win. You have been practicing the plays all week and you know what to do, so get out there and win. I’ll see you after the game; I need to go to the bank” 

Travel - Meetings - Errands 

This sounds ridiculous, but it happens in retail sales. The manager (head coach) is oftentimes nowhere near the field (sales floor) during the game (selling time). Sales managers and owners have “other things” to do. They go on buying trips, sit in meetings and go to the bank. Too many times these “other things” are done when it’s “Game Time”. Some of these absences cannot be avoided.

Priorities Rule 

Retail salespeople do not have the advantage of a team of coaches watching their every move, listening to everything they say. Retail salespeople, are many times (too many times) left alone to do what feels right (or good) at the moment. When feelings govern behavior, something as natural as eating could take the place of customer awareness.

Accountability Works 

The answer to this apparent dilemma is results accountability. Owners and managers have the right (and responsibility) to expect, even demand results. When salespeople are held accountable to sales goals they make more money and the store is more profitable. Something as simple as expecting success can eliminate failure. The Success Dynamics Morning Report is the coach that never misses a down for hundreds of retail businesses in all industries all over the country. It’s all about making success easy.

 Set Goals - Start Early - Track Results

Life teaches many lessons to the willing participant. Some seem so basic that it is amazing we are not born with them as a part of us. The fact is that one must pay attention and learn from mistakes made along the way. Those that do that find their lives to be an enjoyable and successful event. Others live with needless, anxiety, stress and repeated failures.

Set Goals
A simple trip to Google searching for quotations on goal setting turns up 495,000 web sites full of smart things said by wise people about goal setting.

I have found that there are two types of people;
1.) Those that get what they want.
2.) Those that take what they get.
The first group enjoys far more success than the second, and it’s a fact that knowing what you want is a great place to start.
I use a lot of sports analogies when talking about success. How long would a group of adults bang their heads together on a football field if there were no goals to achieve? Too many people go through life senselessly banging their heads against obstacles without a purpose.

Start Early
I say in SUCCESS MADE EASY that one of the worst inventions ever created is the snooze button on alarm clocks. Procrastination is the enemy of success. Set your alarm for the time you need to get up, and when it sounds, get up an go. Develop the habit of arriving early for work or wherever else you need to be. The most important 10 minutes of your work day are the last five minutes before you start and the first five minutes after you start. Arriving early makes the trip stress free and you are prepared to do what you need to when the time to start arrives.

Track Results
I copyrighted The Boss© in 1966 and it appears in all five of my books. The Boss© is a simple graph that will keep you on track towards whatever you want to achieve. Seeing your progression towards a desired goal fills you with inspiration and motivation to succeed. Those are things you need when the going gets a little tough, and it will.

The Boss© is a scorecard. How long would 50,000 people sit out in the noon day sun watching a football game if there wasn’t a scoreboard to look at? I put The Boss© on steroids in 2002 when creating the Morning Report. Today it is responsible for the success of people in close to 500 locations, 28 states and two countries.  They know where they stand in their quest for success.

Set Goals - Start Early - Track Results

Be sure that all three of these elements are a part of your life. You will be glad that they are.