The Rollercoaster Can Reward You

Is your stomach still moving? The market opened yesterday with the Dow dropping over 400 points as everyone in the world worried about the economy. Let’s set the record straight. The economy is in trouble for a number of reasons and the only way you are going to fix your economy is to select better target customers and maximize your selling skills. The great thing about this time is that fear (one of the five Dominant Buying Motives) is on everyone’s mind and since that is already established you can use it to your advantage. Don’t worry we aren’t going down the tube like the pessimists say. We’re just paying the price for several years of “Stinkin Thinkin” to use a Chuck Berry-ism. Your job as a provider for your family is to stay on track and focus on the game’s fundamentals. When things start to go the wrong way in anything the champion takes it to another gear. If you don’t believe me just watch Tiger Woods. If you want an example of a champion’s heart (attitude) stay tuned to him. Winning is about overcoming even (especially) for the great ones. Unfortunately many who could have won so much more gave up on the game when the winds of destruction blew. Decide now – I’m not going to be one of them.

We as salespeople are one component in our advanced industrialized culture that can bring this recession out of the abyss it finds itself in. Some of the best money I’ve ever made in my lifetime has been during economic downturns like this one or even worse. If you are too young to remember the late seventies than go back and see what we went through. We got it back together then just as we will now. But the question for you is; “Are you going to prosper while so many around you are floundering?” I’m not just talking about salespeople here but companies too. We all aren’t in the same boat even though our psyche would like us to think so but we are fighting the same financial wind and sea. Winning while riding the rollercoaster means keeping a firm grip on the handle (of your attitude) and securing your feet to the floor (the fundamentals) for safety. If the ride gets too rough for you in places, and it will, focus on these two by looking down at the fundamentals until the fear wanes.

One thing you can do that is profitable for your selling expertise right now is to read and become more astute in your craft. Today more than ever before your customer seeks and appreciates a salesperson who understands the psychology of buying and not just the harsh persuasion often associated with selling. (Please note the distinction.) One has professionalism draped around its shoulders while the other is raw and lacks understanding. The great ones have always had to learn how to overcome no matter what their game. You to have to overcome for if you will set your heart to the task you will succeed and come out the other end having become a better person, a better husband or wife, and a champion salesperson for the rest of your life.