I read all kinds of really poorly written, overly hyped, crap. I literally mean it is crap and that I should wipe my ass with the book after I've finished reading it. There are so many promotional con men writing books on sales that I get nauseous reading them, and feel the need to burn the book afterwards. But why are these people successful? Why are people reading this BS? The answer is simple. Because we need outside motivation. Because we want someone to hand us a key that says "do this and you'll be successful." Because we want it easy...isn't that it?
I was driving last week and listening to sports talk radio when I passed from one area of the state to another and the station changed and I ended up hearing a business program on an entirely different station. Apparently the guest on the show was some wildly successful sales expert who I had never heard of before, and I was intrigued. I listened to this person speak for a while about HIS life experiences and how great a person HE was, and how inspirational HIS kids were, and how wonderful HIS wife was, and what a great life HE had, and I realized this guy is truly self motivated.
HIS enthusiasm for HIS life is what he transfers to people who listen to him, and who need motivation. He is so excited about how wonderful he thinks he is, that people are drawn to him. Why? I could hear right through all the baloney he was doling out, but I'm sure most of the listeners were so enthralled by his enthusiasm that they ignored the lies. And I kept thinking, why is he successful? Because he's motivated by money and only money, and people believe if they adopt his philosophy they'll be just as successful. He's not selling a sales system, he's selling HOPE. HOPE that if you follow HIS system, HIS ideals, and HIS philosophy that you'll end up successful just like him.
The market for self help books in this country is $13 billion. That is a lot of HOPE being sold in the market place. And this person who was selling HOPE on the radio was worth about $100 million! I'm in the wrong business. Instead of selling medical supplies, I need to start selling HOPE, because it's worth a lot more to people than their health. I was shocked! First of all, because he's a snake oil salesman and an idiot, and secondly because people are obviously buying his pitch. So I am going to give you some very simple advice for free, here on this blog so you don't have to go out and buy a system of CD's to listen to in your car while driving to appointments, or spend $25 on a book which you might read half of and then fall asleep from boredom. Here is some free HOPE for you and anyone else you might know:
1. Anything Is Possible - Despite my being a shameless curmudgeon , I believe that anything is possible and anyone can be a success. There are success stories out there every damn day! I see people who are wildly successful and I think to myself, "That guy is a total dork, who can barely read, is a complete nut, and yet he is successful." And yes I am referring to Tom Cruise by the way, who is dyslexic, a crazy Scientologist, and yet he is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood! Despite his crazy antics on "Oprah", he still has legions of fans and people flock to see his movies. Why? He wanted it and that's all he wanted. He was focused, his sister read him the lines, and he learned to act...and it didn't hurt that he was good looking too. I've seen men who run businesses that had me fill in the checks for them to sign because they couldn't write, and yet they were successful. People with disabilities running companies is commonplace nowadays where years ago they would have been locked away. Keep in mind that like Tom Cruise's career, anything is possible...yes even for you.
2. Make A Decision to ACT For God's Sake! - If you're young or old, there's always confusion about what you want out of life. Some of us already have kids, we are married, and we feel trapped. We can't just drop everything and go do what we want. It's called duty, or loyalty. However, we can make our lives better, by doing things for us, while not forgetting about everyone else. It's a little thing called R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
One thing I cannot tolerate is people who just bitch. Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, and then do absolutely nothing...except bitch. It drives me crazy! They talk about how their job sucks, or how this or that is keeping them from doing anything, but they won't make a decision to ACT! If you are suffering, the worse thing for you to do is sit there and wallow in self pity. That accomplishes nothing, and you never feel better, only worse. If you're going to change your life for the better you have to decide to ACT. If you don't make a decision, nothing will change and you'll remain miserable. Hoping for a better life is not enough, you need to get off your ass and stop eating potato chips on the couch, while watching Lifetime, AMC, HBO or Spike TV. Wishing your life were better is not the same as making your life better.
3. Gain Support From Family And Friends - The worse thing that can happen is you make a decision to act, and you have no support from anyone. If you have no friends, then I hope you don't own a handgun because you're a perfect profile for a serial killer, and please don't act on any insane impulses you might have because they won't make your life any better, just worse.
Yet despite having no friends, you may have family and they are just as important in your decision. So maybe you don't get along with them, but you should still consult them for feedback on your decision. The best thing I ever did was ask my parents if they thought it was a good idea for me to pursue a career in professional soccer. My mom said, "Why don't you try a summer in club or senior level soccer and see how you do?" I did this, and I got a rude awakening...I wasn't professional material. Despite my size, and speed, I just hadn't developed the fundamentals at an early age to be a great player, and I was getting embarrassed daily. I worked at it for a while but realized I just wasn't good enough. I was glad my parents didn't keep goading me to follow my dream because it wasn't going to happen, and in the end I was going to be crushed.
If you have family or friends, solicit their advice on your decision, just to be sure you're making the right one. And be mindful of blind devotion. Many parents today will just encourage their kids to pursue their dreams despite the fallacy of them being fulfilled. You can't be a football star if you're slow, short, and not athletic. You can however play on the practice squad in college and get the shit kicked out of you daily; remember "Rudy".
4. Be Honest With Yourself - The worst thing you can do when making a change in your life is to delude yourself. If you haven't ever painted, don't change your career and become an artist...despite the fact that there is a lot of crap being made in the art community. It's seems that it's more about marketing nowadays then talent.
If you have a decent singing voice but not great, then don't try out for "America's Got Talent" because then you'll be made a laughing stock on national television. Focus on what you're good at and make a decision to be great at it. If you're a good salesperson, then focus on becoming a great salesperson, or even a great sales manager. If you're great at numbers, become a mathematician or an accountant. Keep in mind, that these are perfectly respectable careers. Not everyone can be a rock star, television star, or movie star.
It's funny because people always get mad at me because I am never impressed by celebrities. Well living in California you run into celebrities all the time, and years ago a friend and I were in the VIP section at Coachella Music Festival when Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz walked right past us. She gushed and she was freaking out while I just said, "That was really cool".
She was extremely excited and shouted "We almost ran into them! Why aren't you excited?! You're always to cool for school. It's annoying."
I responded, "A celebrity is just another person who is doing their job just like the rest of us, who happens to be famous. They are no better or worse than anyone else and they're going to die like everyone else. There is no VIP section you're assigned to after you die. I admire them and respect them but I don't worship them...sorry"
If your dream is to be famous and you've got talent then go for it, but I would respect you just as much if you were a dish washer, a musician, an actor, or a plumber. Be honest with yourself and make your success a goal which is attainable.
5. Motivation Doesn't Come From A Book - I may be repeating myself, but I have always told my sales students that motivation comes from within. You can't get motivation from a book, and you can't buy it. It has to come from YOU!
Years ago I had a sales rep who was lagging well below his numbers and he said to me, "I need you to motivate me. Get me going. I'm flat lately and I need you to motivate me. Why don't you try yelling at me or something?"
I laughed pretty hard and then I responded, "I can only affect your level of motivation. I hired you because you were motivated, but something's happened to change this, and that's up to you to figure out. But I'll try and help you." And we worked together to find a new level of motivation...he became a sales trainer. It was a new goal and he was motivated to be the best trainer we had at the company. It wasn't that he needed me to motivate him, he needed himself to motivate him. Only you can prevent or invent your own success.
You can buy all the HOPE in the world and read as many books on self help to improve your sales, but if you don't apply what you've read or what you've learned than it means nothing. You have to stop reading and start doing, and only then can you truly have HOPE.
Have a great day selling!
-M
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