Independents: Todays Kudos & Encouragement (Monday 7-6-15)

Good Morning Independents,

In the Spirit of the 4^th of July and our recently celebrated Independence Day, I have taken this AWESOME article I found by Anthony Iannarino and tweaked it a little to focus in on our business. It’s a bit longer than normal, but that’s what happens when I’m given too much time off. (haha)

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

We may be free. But we still have to free some part of ourselves. Free the mental constraints that stop us from becoming all we can be. And no one can do it for us. Here are some examples of the beliefs that restrain us, and the causes that should impel us to separate ourselves from those beliefs. 

Fear: It is necessary to separate ourselves from the fear that prevents us from acting and going after the self-generated business we know we can get.  The fear that prevents us from living our purpose, that dissuades us from making our contribution and that keeps us from becoming the best version of ourselves. This fear has kept us from realizing our full potential.

Entitlement: It is necessary that we free ourselves from the sense of entitlement that would have us wait for someone to give us what we want. If we do not have enough business/appointments, then we must pursue them ourselves. This sense of entitlement has prevented us from doing what we should right now be doing.

Apathy: It is necessary that we stand up and walk away from the lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern that has kept us sitting on the sideline while our game is being played without us. This apathy has kept us from passionately engaging in activities that can change our family tree. Today we can separate ourselves from the part of us that we’ve allowed to be pessimistic or cynical and throw ourselves instead into that one thing that is our mission.

Victimhood: It is necessary that we separate ourselves from the belief that we are somehow a victim, that we are limited by whatever appointments are given to us. This victimhood has caused us to look outwards for excuses instead of inwards for answers. 

Learned Helplessness:  We must separate ourselves from our desire to believe that we are helpless; that we lack the power to bring our dream to life, that we lack the knowledge or that we lack the resources. Learned helplessness has provided us with excuses we have used to resist what is calling us.

Judgment: We must free ourselves from the fear of being judged by others. Many will oppose our freedom, believing we should know our place. Some will fear that our growth will mean that they will lose our love, our friendship. Some will take shots at us because our success can only remind them that they still haven’t separated themselves from their fear, their sense of entitlement, their apathy, the comfort of their victimhood, and the safety of their learned helplessness.

Dan Thompson

Floors By Tomorrow

Auth Rep of Empire Today

Sales Trainer

720-371-2000

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Social Butterflies: Todays Kudos & Encouragement (Friday 7-3-15)

Good Morning Social Butterflies,

The difference between a successful salesperson and a mediocre one often lies in the nuances of social behavior, while we may be adept at sharing our in-depth knowledge of our flooring, if we stand too close and invade our customer’s personal space, we may be perceived as pushy or creepy. Fail to listen empathetically to customers, and we could be perceived as egotistical. Lack enthusiasm in our voice and we’re lazy.

Are customers cutting short their interactions with us? Something about us may be off-putting. Maybe our personal agenda to sell is overpowering those around us and turning them off. Are we doing all the talking?  Entering into a conversation with anyone, be it a friend or customer, should resemble a game of backyard catch. Pay attention to how long we hold the ball, and then toss it back in their direction, which signals it’s their turn to talk. In time, they’ll toss the ball right back to us.

Asking, however, is only half the equation here. We must also listen. Focus our attention on the speaker and take in every word. Empathetic, active listening only raises our likeability factor in the eyes of the customer.  When we’re making a presentation, showing the “love” is easy. Start by maintaining eye contact and smiling— a genuine grin, not a grimace or some plastic version. Lighten up. Don’t focus so hard on the pitch that our face looks strained. Bring a little levity, interject some humor and get our customer involved by asking questions and expecting answers. Be prepared and rehearsed, so we can relax and actually enjoy the human interaction of the appointment. Customers will feel our authenticity.

Dan Thompson

Floors By Tomorrow

Auth Rep of Empire Today

Sales Trainer

720-371-2000

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Mall Walkers: Todays Kudos & Encouragement: (Thursdday 7-2-15)

Good Morning Mall Walkers,

Here is some perspective that might encourage us all today… Oh, by the way, did you know Thursday is the BEST day to prospect? (Studies prove it) … anyway, I was reading about those poor telemarketing/ cold call sales people, oh my gosh, talk about a rough job. We may feel like we have it rough some days, but those guys are REALLY beat up daily. We have it easy compared to them. So, I was reading about how they try to motivate themselves and found a couple of interesting bits that I think can help us also.

It can be tough to keep going when we have to continually be saying the same thing, performing the same routine, over and over again. One appointment fades into the next. We can start to feel like we're saying the same thing over and over again.  (heehee) Before long, we even get bored with ourselves -- and then start wondering if it's even worth it. That attitude doesn't help us or our customers.  Here are a couple of things  I've used to keep my sales productivity high.  Give ourselves challenges. Focus on accomplishing something we haven't yet. (window treatments?)  I do this all the time and it works wonders on my psyche. It helps keep things fresh and exciting. 

Try new things.  See if we can find more effective ways to get better results. If we feel like an appointment is going south, try a different closing technique.  Experiment with our approach. By doing this, we really get better at selling.  Work in bursts. Take regular breaks, not day long breaks, just in between appointments. If we have a little time, just pop into a Wal-Mart or a mall and watch how the other side lives. But don’t forget to bring some business cards with us, they live on floors that may need replaced also, walk around, clear your head. Then come back and throw yourself in for another appointment. This keeps our energy up and it's good for us!

“Where is your next self gen going to come from? The Mall? The Pet Store? The Proctologist? Or maybe even a customer you helped 6 months ago?” – Dan Thompson

Dan Thompson

Floors By Tomorrow

Auth Rep of Empire Today

Sales Trainer

720-371-2000

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Renew Your Mind: Todays Kudos & Encouragement (7-1-15)

Good Morning & Happy July 1^st,

Boy, time sure does fly when we’re livin’ the dream!! OK, by a show of hands, after these last 2 - 100 degree days, who is missing the rain? Anyone? One of my favorite things in the world is the summertime afternoon rain storm. 20-30 minutes of hard downpour and a big temperature drop. Love that stuff.  (sing along): Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens …  Believe it or not, this segues  into today’s Kudos. (not the WWII reference)

After working all month, selling our arse off and hitting our goal (or falling just a bit short), all of a sudden it is the 1^st of the next month and we etch-n-sketch the last month numbers and start all over again. To some it is just another day, to others, a fresh start to start working on the next $2000 bonus check. You know the old saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” – Henry Ford, for some of us that is a happy thought, for others, however, let’s just say, it is a chance to start a new “better” habit.  A chance to draw a line in the sand and say, “July 1^st is the day I started to really grow my business”. “I took control of my business and changed my family tree!”  A chance to follow up better, to send thank you cards/emails, show up at installs, self gen, ask for referrals at every appointment (sold or not).

The trick is … are you ready for it? … the renewing of our mind EVERY DAY!!

Every day, remember our successes, remember how it felt, remember what we did right … and do it again. But we have to remember and think about it. We have to take control of our conscious mind and feed it the memories we want it to dwell on. We cannot give in to “stinkin’ thinkin’”.  There are SO MANY things we can be thankful for, and though it gets hard sometimes with lifes attacks, we MUST be victorious over the battle of our mind. Do we listen to motivational tapes? Read motivational/success books? Have that one friend that will ALWAYS lift our spirit when we talk? Or maybe have that one motivational blog/email we read every day? (heehee) Whatever we do, we must do it every day!!

I know I’ve used this quote before, but it’s worth repeating:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” - Bruce Lee

Dan Thompson

Floors By Tomorrow

Auth Rep of Empire Today

Sales Trainer

720-371-2000

Submit a Successful Experience with Me & Empire

Connect with me online:

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