Tweet

Enjoy the Holiday Season... because Mayhem is Just Around the Corner

Guest post by: Brian Sullivan

Article Overview: Want to increase your profits by thousands in the new year? This is your guide to fufilling your resolutions.

Enjoy the Holiday Season... because Mayhem is Just Around the Corner

Okay, I had to go and ruin it didn't I. Can't I just get off your back and let you enjoy the revelry of the next few weeks before dropping the "reminder bomb" of the "life altering" resolutions that you will be forced to make in a couple of weeks. But wait! I guess if you are on a fiscal year that ends in the summer, than your "career resolutions" can wait another six months, right? I mean January really is like everybody else's August, isn't it? If your on this wacky calendar, you still have six months of blowing out of work early and walking passed door after door of possible clients. Or if you're an inside phone sales rep, you can still take twenty minutes to do meaningless paperwork after one halfway decent tele-sales call. Sure, don't sweat it. Get in a few rounds of golf or perhaps a little shopping and head on home and throw some burgers on the grill, pour yourself a glass of red and just put the old sales year on auto-pilot. Your change can wait a while. Whew!

Well, I hate to do this to you. Hell, I like a good round of golf and a glass of wine myself, but I just can't let you do it. You are in this thing with the rest of us. We are all going into 2011 together...as a bunch of crazy PRECISE Selling machines. Why? Because that round of golf and that glass of wine taste a lot better when you are on TOP. The feeling of accomplishment that comes from being "the" top sales performer in your company or industry is tough to beat. Think of the perks that come with being better than "everybody" at the "world's greatest profession." While I will promise not to sound like a late night infomercial promising lavish yachts, fast cars, and beautiful people falling at your feet, I will promise you this. You will feel like a champion. You will gain the respect of your managers and company leaders, and perhaps as equally important, your peers.

While I fully realize the thrill of a large commission check may be good enough for you, for most, the driving motivation is recognition and respect. Well, I want you to ask yourself a question right now. When was the last time you were publicly recognized by your company or manager? I'm talking about an award, a voicemail passed on about something extraordinary you did, or a posting of a customer testimonial about your amazing service. When was the last time somebody made you feel respected by asking your advice about how to "sell" effectively, how to overcome that common objection, how to get to the top! If you said six months, one year, or never, then things are about to change. In '11 you WILL be noticed. You WILL be respected. And you WILL be a top performer. It's time to become famous in your company and famous in your industry. But how?

While I can't give you the whole formula written in the pages of my book "Twenty Days to the Top," I can give you what I believe is crucial to having a "breakout" year. I believe Roger Staubach, former quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys nailed it when he said:

"In business or in sports, it takes a lot of unspectacular preparation and planning to produce spectacular results."

So let's make that one or our "career resolutions." And believe me, I am with you on this one. I do seminars on time management and planning all the time and frankly, Mr. Hypocrite can use a little "fine tuning" himself. So are you with me? Good.

First, I want you to grab a pen and paper right now. All right, so about 5% of you reading this just grabbed a pen. Let me try this again. I want you to grab a pen and paper right now! This will take three minutes and mean thousands of dollars to you. If you did what I said, 2011 is going to be a great year for you! Welcome aboard.

Now I want you to fill in the blanks to these questions and write them on that sheet.

Your PRECISE Objectives

I will make $______________ this year.

I will be rank #_________ in my company in sales.

I will close ________ sales a week.

I will make _______ calls a day.

I will "plan" _________ hours/minutes each week to plan.

Now take that sheet, or print out a "classy" looking computer version of it, and tape it on your forehead. But feel free to blow it out of the way from time to time so you can actually see your customers (and your loved ones). Okay, maybe I'm getting a little nutty with the forehead bit, but I want that sheet to haunt you until this time next year. If you make a commitment to look at that sheet every Monday morning and every Friday afternoon your rise to the top will begin. The more you look at those objectives, the more quickly you will become a top performer. You see, by keeping the "finish line" in front of you at all times, you will know exactly where to run. The target will be stationary, and a stationary target is much easier to hit than one that is moving.

And notice the last line of the PRECISE Objectives. You need to "plan" to "plan." (Trivia question-Who do I sound like?) This means that you need to pick a set time each week to map out your month. And during that planning time, DO NOT pick up voicemails, emails or put on your favorite rerun of "The VIEW." I like to plan my "high value" activities at least three weeks out. Try it.

My friend, I have my first prediction for 2011. If you are committed to improving your career, consistently focus on your PRECISE objectives, and schedule time each week to plan, you will get the recognition and respect that we talked about earlier. Your peers will want to be like you, your CEO will want to know your secrets, and you customers will want to fix you up with their closest relative (assuming your single). And next holiday season, as you review 2011 on your "easy chair" with that nice glass of red, you will be thankful for the commitments to excellence you made one year ago.

And lastly, as we talk about setting objectives, I will leave you with a quote that made an impact on me. It says:

"No amount of success at work can compensate for failure at home." -Patrick Morley

Have a great year-end and may God bless you and your family during this Holiday season.

Related Articles
  Christmas Carols can help you manage holiday stress!
  Creating The Perfect Holiday PR Pitch: Tapping Into The Billion $ Spending Season
  Wrapping it Up!
  5 Most Effective Holiday Marketing Ideas for Your Online Business
  Prepare Early and Make a Big Increase in Your Holiday Sales
  Email Magic: How it took Me only 1.25 Days to make a Month’s worth of Income
  Boosting Holiday Sales – 5 Mistakes to Avoid
  Enjoying the Moment
  Holiday Shoppers and the Economy
  The Gravity of Doing
  5 Tips to Get Your Relationship Through the Holidays
  Be Thankful For Holiday Spending?
  How Bright Lights and Dancing Penguins Reminded Me It’s Christmas!
  10 Tips for Coping with Holiday Stress
  5 Holiday Tips to Get Organized & Energized this Holiday Season
  2009 Hottest Christmas Gift Idea
  This Holiday Season - Heed MADD's Message
  What Does Christmas and The Holiday Season Mean to You?
  Happy Holidays!
  2011 Springer Turkey Challenge Feeds 10,000 in Sacramento Community This Holiday Season

Article Tags: career resolutions, communication skills, goals, insurance sales training, medical sales training, motivation, new year, objectives, plan, planning, plans, precise selling, resolutions, sales tactics, sales training



Related Forum Posts
The "Young" Apprentice - I think a cool new idea for "The Apprentice" would be to have all young contestants, rather than just selling sex (e.g. Season 6 in Los Angeles) or using celebrities for ratings. Maybe every applicant for the show would have to be between the ages of 15 to 18 or 18 to 22, since there've been seasons where younger contestants have been stereotyped and discriminated against for their age and limited business inexperience (e.g. Lee Bienstock in Season 5). So why not make the stomping ground fair? Why not have an Apprentice Season where only talented youngsters fight over a job with Trump? I mean, it gets kind of boring hearing the contestants say "I'm older and have more business experience than so and so.... and that's the reason you should hire me Mr. Trump." That's a ridiculous argument because many youths are smarter and more successful than people even twice their age.
Re: Moderators on vacation - This moderator is not going on Holiday. I am here
Re: Vacation for Evan - Have a Happy Holiday and have fun!
Apprentice - You're right Kevin - Season 1 was the best - but I'm a sucker for business television shows so I'll watch the next Apprentice!
Re: New Moderator Nominations? - Well, looking at the overall leaders I see OmnivoreInk and litekpr that have contributed a lot to this forum and are still pretty active. Perhaps one of them would be interested in taking on the Moderator position for "Inventors Corner." That would be my suggestion. Congratulations, Trent. It'll be great to have you as a moderator.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Resolving A Conflict Between Two Sales Staffs

Business Coach Explains To You How To Add Value

Is the Media to blame for losses in super?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.