From the book: The Four Pillars of Sales
Too many people die young — even before their physical death. What I mean is that we all have dreams, but unfortunately some let those dreams die… and with them go their hopes, ambitions, and minds. That is a tragedy.
Those who follow through with their great dreams see not only benefit for themselves, but for others as well. You should know that everything you do or say in life will affect other people. That effect may be positive or negative. My hope is that you will be among those who pursue your dreams in a positive way and find joy through the accomplishment.
The realization of your dreams will in turn fuel your innermost drive, and from there you can and will accomplish more. Never stop dreaming and never take those dreams lightly. Reach down deep inside and begin to ask yourself questions that will give you the success you most desire.
What is it you want to achieve in your sales career and your life?
If you view life as a game, where would you rather be: in the bleachers watching, or on the field playing the game? Generally speaking, the ones on the field are earning a whole lot more than the spectators.
So what is your dream? What is it you expect to accomplish in your sales career? I know you’re searching, or you wouldn’t be here with me.
Asking Better Questions
Asking better questions is a call to action. It takes your dream from inside your mind, out of the bleachers, and on to the playing field. It gets you smack dab in the middle of this game of life. For any question you ask your brain will provide an answer… so it’s imperative that you’re asking the right questions.
Banish thoughts like: “Why does this always happen to me?” Instead ask: “How can I turn this situation into a positive experience?”
Instead of telling yourself “I’m such a loser, I never get it right,” ask, “What can I learn from this experience that will make me better?”
If you dream of becoming the top sales professional in your company, then stop asking yourself, “Why do I always have bad months?” and instead affirm, “Every month my sales will get stronger.”
We don’t have an owner’s manual for that runaway computer inside our heads, so we must be careful what we ask it! At first, your brain may give you only negative answers since that is the outcome you have trained yourself to expect. But your brain can also give you the positive outlook you’re looking for, if you just start searching in a different direction.
To consistently find answers that will drive and motivate you, begin phrasing your questions like: “How can I accomplish that goal?” and “What steps do I need to take to close that account?”
Framed in this positive approach, your new questions will instantly move you beyond the “I hope I can do this” hurdle. “I will” goes much further than “I hope.”
The new questions will have brought you to a place where your mind springs into action and gives you the answers you require to physically pull off whatever task or challenge you’re facing. Wouldn’t you agree this is a much better starting place than “Why does this always happen to me?” or “I hope I can do it”? I think so, too!
In his book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill introduced the power of auto-suggestion. Auto-suggestion implies that by writing down positive thoughts and affirmations and repeating them daily, they will cause you to believe in yourself, and in turn, others will believe in you also.
“Like the wind which carries one ship East and another West, the law of auto-suggestion will lift you up, pull you down, according to the way you set your thought.”
Hill goes on to quote Walter D. Wintle’s poem, Thinking, to demonstrate the power of auto-suggestion.
If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don’t,
If you like to win, but you think you can’t
It is almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!
So don’t be afraid to dream. Follow those dreams by asking yourself the questions that call you to action. Nothing will happen in your sales career — or in your life — until you take action.
You have everything to gain and a lot less to lose!
“Never give up, never slow down…and never ever die young.” ~James Taylor
Summary
Everything you do or say in life will affect other people.
Asking better questions is a call to action. It takes your dream from inside your mind, out of the bleachers, and onto the playing field.
For any question you ask yourself, your brain will provide an answer… so it’s imperative that you’re asking the right questions.
Follow your dreams by asking yourself those positively framed questions that call you to action.
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