For as long as I can remember, I've played this video on 9/11. Super Bowl 2002, months after the attack, our country was numb and jumpy.
Well before self-loathing americans started calling our movements in the middle-east "invasion" and "occupation", patriotism was on every street corner.
I remember that night; I remember seeing it live. I can't tell you the football teams playing, but I can say it was one of the deepest, moving TV moments, ever.
U2 - that Irish rock band, stood up on the world stage, honoring the greatest country on earth and her fallen citizens. Names float to the sky, as the rousing "Where the Streets Have No Name" beats on. The song, second of the half-time set, was written about a place without class stigma, where the distinction between religions and income are no more; a World Without Sin?
Bono ends the tune exposing the Stars and Stripes - Triumph.
Here we are, 15 years laters - The Twin Towers, replaced by that defiant Freedom Tower, slip deeper into fog with each passing 911. The threat remains the same, if not more pronounced.
Do you honestly feel safer now than you did that faithful day of empty skies, September 12, 2001?
Day of cogitation: What have we learned?
On this day of reflection, consider not only the ones who've helped you see who you are, but remember the hearts you've "imprinted"; son's, daughters, mothers, fathers, friends, lovers and ex-lovers, customers and co-workers.
Be gratified knowing you've changed somebody's life for the better - we all have.
Take time to remember those on the 98th floor, at 8:47 AM, sipping a Starbucks, considering a sales forecast or the regret of not saying "I love you, I always will..." on that morning, 14 years ago.
"We are made of matter and nothing more, just another tiny, momentary spec within an indifferent Universe."
Open your Eye.
Today, the sales profession drowns in self-help tomes, and big-tent evangelical, esteem-building events. From redefining selling, establishing social sales, and seeking disruption, the new professional is inundated with seemingly fresh advice.
Just like copiers, the books and classes are now, and always have been, the same; Universal. Everything has been said before.
Cutaway the self-indulgence, fluff, psychobabble, and nascent veneer, what's left is basic, simple core behaviors. First-rate selling approaches possess timeless notions.
Here are three:
Unchecked Ego is bad
Going with the Flow is good
Your Competition isn't Fear of Change or lower pricing
"Silence Your Ego..."
Ego -
Our manipulators bank on the thought of the Ego driving behavior. Why so many contests, glass trophies, stack rankings, and business plans? Every 'win' feeds the Ego - we need Ego, without it, we dry up, wither and fade. Sell more, no matter the cost to your pride, standards, or personal values.
Everybody does it. We sell answers, as long as the solution sports our logo. You know what I say is true.
Too much ego leads to unfulfilled expectations, and insecurity causing lives to "skyrocket downward"; long work hours, missed anniversaries and divorce. The experts don't tell you that, do they?
Can you be a successful selling professional and balance the ego? I say the Greatest Salespeople do.
Treat others nicely and be Polite...
Ask permission
Don't speak unless spoken to...You've got two ears, one mouth.
"You cannot beat a river into submission. You have to surrender to its current, and use its power as your own. "
We call it the Funnel, the Submarine, The Sales Process - and we fight it every, single day of the month.
"On the 1st we sell solutions, on the 15th, we're moving boxes..."
Yes, you are responsible for a projection and filling quota - you're compensated on hardware. Yet focusing on the 30 days, is like looking at life through a keyhole. Broaden your view.
I'm not advocating sacrificing the short term, I'd suggest expanding the view to include everything.
Be the river, not the stone.
Get to know EVERY lead in your territory. Own it through research, face-to-face engagements, and total immersion of the environment. Forget about networking groups like the chamber of commerce - you're not doing MLM, are you? Get to know the ebb and feel of how decisions are made inside your clients, prospects and even YOUR DEALERSHIP.
This is not easy. This is not taught. People will think you're crazy. This will elevate you over your peers and management.
Find the flow of your world then master the tides. It is not impossible.
Competition -
"All Things Age. All Things Die. People think in terms of good and evil...when really Time is the true Enemy of us all. Time kills everything"
Learning how to sell is complicated - systems, techniques, objections, rejection - all play a part, let alone talking to strangers who do not believe a word that comes out of your mouth.
It's a tough racket.
Our number one obstacle isn't an ornery gatekeeper, amorphous board of directors, aloof C-Level know-it-alls, or fear of change.
No.
Our enemy is Time. Time, both finite and infinite, consumes All. But like the river, we cannot overcome Time. Can you manage Time? No. Can Time be bent to our will? No.
We can control what we concentrate on during our stay on this plane. It comes down to qualification. Not just the qualification of your prospects, co-workers, colleagues, and bosses.
Who deserves your Time?
I say again, "Who Deserves Your Time?"
Dark Forces will beguile with unspeakable treasures.
Take heed, for many sorcerers hunger for the souls of the living. They will say things like, "It's a numbers game, kid." or "work the process, it's how this company was built" and "this is how we've always done it..." This is insidious. Inside each statement, shards of truth entice.
It is true that the more people you contact, the better chances you have of acquiring a client.
It is true that the process is proven.
It is true repeating a known and proven flow delivers results.
The trick is equilibrium, not resistance. Attend all the classes your employer will fund. Dutifully, jot down soon forgotten notes. Then go out into the world, discover something new and find problems to solve.
Beware. The imbalance will be your demise.
P.S.
There are three books about selling, I strongly recommend for beginner or seasoned veterans:
U2 - that Irish rock band, stood up on the world stage, honoring the greatest country on earth and her fallen citizens. Names float to the sky, as the rousing "Where the Streets Have No Name" beats on. The song, second of the half-time set, was written about a place without class stigma, where the distinction between religions and income are no more; a World Without Sin?
