How to Increase Will Power - Learn to Say No and Mean It

I feel that learning to say NO is a test to our will power and commitment to success. There is always someone or something that wants our time to help them achieve their goals and objectives. It can feel good to say yes at the time but when we are faced with not meeting our goals and objectives we ask ourselves. What did I just do?

Over the past six weeks I feel into the trap of not being able to say no. To my readers you will have noticed I have not published an article in over a month. It is due to a couple of things. I took a weeks vacation sailing with family and friends but I also over committed to some volunteer work. The unfortunate part about all this is I knew it each and every time. I felt the burning desire to help someone else who was in need. I broke my own rule of saying yes before I thought it through. When we over commit, it impacts many things both personal and business. We hear the term "Life Balance" It's not a myth. I understand life balance to be a good split between ones personal life and ones business life. When we over commit the time has to come from somewhere. Saying yes without clearly understanding the impact is dangerous. When busy people like myself do this we end up doing less than 100 percent of what is required to meet our own goals and commitments. It's that simple.

We also have to be careful of what I call time wasters. We get busy doing "Stuff" further down the list of "have to do". I feel this is really disguised as procrastination. We have friends and colleagues who drop into our lives venting about things that are not going well in their lives. Friends and family looking for some help or assistance in one of their projects. Saying no to friends and family is the toughest of all. I personally find the best way to say No, is to say. "I would love to help you. I am in the middle of a project with a close deadline right now that needs my full attention. I could give you a hand later in the week or for an hour on Saturday morning." Look at it this way. Your friend needs help right now. You do not have time right now. If they value your friendship they can wait until you see yourself clear to give them a hand.

Saying "No" takes will power. Saying "No" and meaning it, is a learned experience. Saying "No" and clearly explaining why builds your credibility. Saying "No" with compassion and understanding is an art. When we do say "Yes",we know it is for good reason and it has meaningful results for all.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6445450

Sell Like You Don't Need The Money

Selling is more than just an art. Selling is about listening. When we listen opportunities often present them selves. More importantly your potential customer knows when you are rushing to close the sale. They can sense when you need the commission. This is a terrible position to find yourself in because the transaction becomes about you and not them. Your deal is toast. When you sell like you don't need the money it becomes about the value in what you are proposing.

Why is it that some people are better sales people than others. Of course the reasons vary on this. Many books have been written on the subject and I expect many more will be written in the future. Once again there is no single solution that works for all. Companies Like Sandler, Xerox, Miller Heiman and Dale Carnegie all have succesful programs that will help you close a higher percentage of sales due to their proven sales formulas. If you have never taken a professional training session you should understand that two things are certain. You have to have a system and you have to present yourself as being credible.

I was a certified Miller Heiman sales trainer for a large corporation. It was not the full Miller program but adapted to their Conceptual Selling studies related to the Office Products Industry. I traveled the Eastern US and Canada presenting the Conceptual Selling system to the companies sales teams. What I saw in the field amazed me. So much of the training was about products and not about how to create loyalty and respect. I can tell you when it's about products the next place the customer goes is price. There is no loyalty in price, so get over that notion. Your only as good as you last quote when it's about price. Selling like you don't need the money makes it about them and helping them purchase the product adverse to you selling the product or service.

There is a sales tactic made by many sales people in the financial industry that sends me over the wall. They often open the appointment ask, stating they would like to get together and go over your financial needs and make an assessment of your current state of affairs. What I hear in this situation is this. Tell me everything about your finances and I will find something to sell you. Your prospect feels uncomfortable sensing you are trying to sell them something. You must find a way to be unique in your approach and make the ask related to a benefit for them that is not painful.

All the best closing techniques are useless if your prospect senses you need the money.

Selling like you don't need the money says several things.

• The customers best interest are at hand.
• That you are knowledgeable and confident your product or service fits the need.
• The process is a shared experience and no one is in complete control.
• The solution takes into account the long term benefits and not just the immediate requirement.
• You don't need this sale to make your car or mortgage payment.

Selling like you don't need the money has benefits for you to.

• Your creating life long customers.
• Business finds it's way toward you, I call it pulling business instead of pushing business.
• Your income will become more even.
• Your existing customers will provide you with referrals.
• You don't have to sell the product twice because it was sold(purchased) right the first time.

There is nothing like good old fashioned respect and self confidence as a good starting point. All the best sales people out there make it about the customer. It's your role to help your potential customers and prospects make an informed consenting purchase to their customers benefit.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6277652

When Life Gets You Down - Do Something That Makes You Happy

Learning from your mistakes and using that experience to propel you to better outcomes is part of what defines successful people. Understanding that we did not like that negative experience of not winning that big deal is one thing. Shaking off the negative effects of that setback is another. There is one saying that I absolutely can't stand and that is when people who bounce back are referred to as "survivors". My vision of a survivor is someone who is hanging onto a life raft after a ship wreck. I prefer to admire people who can rebound after a setback. It shows their level of commitment to success.

Early in my sales career we were taught to believe that each "No" is just one step closer to a "Yes". So keep pressing on. Keep pressing on no matter what. I believe that the no matter what is another matter all together. As they say." timing is everything". Should we be making calls to book appointments when we are as angry as a bear? No we should not. Should we be prospecting on days when we are as angry as a bear? Absolutely. What comes out of our mouth can be exactly the same when we are in an up mood or a down mood. What is different is how we say it. Do the tough meaningful stuff when the odds are better and you are in a proper frame of mind. Do the easy stuff when we should not been seen or heard in public. I caution you not to let this be a procrastination device. I keep bringing back my philosophy. " Find success by turning the daily have to things into choose to things".

So why is this so important to do something that makes you happy after a setback

• It's gets us past the negative feelings faster.
• People want to be with and do business with happy, bright and content people.
• It gets you back into a positive frame of mind quicker
• You realize that what just happened is just a bump in the road and not a life altering experience.
• Being happy helps eliminate those nasty limiting beliefs about our abilities.
• You become a role model for your friends and family.

The most important thing is to be conscious of your thoughts. Keep that powerful word perseverance in your mind. You should make every effort to push back those limiting beliefs that can linger for days. Take a few minutes to write down all the wonderful things in your life. Better still write them in your gratitude journal. Today's thoughts usually end up being tomorrows actions. In short, focus on things that ultimately make you happy. Planning and working toward that end is both pleasurable and rewarding. When we go to bed happy we are more likely to wake up happy.