Ready for habit change? 

Maybe thinking about revisiting resolutions and desired change for 2020?

I have read about people making changes in life that were great. I have applied the following to myself and achieved good results. 

However, changing a habit is not an easy task. Changing habits requires a lot of attention and requires replacement of the old habit. Just changing a habit does not always work, it needs to be replaced

Make changes that help you move forward in your life’s work, goals, and ambitions.

Here are 4 items needed to make habit changes:

1.     You must first decide a change is needed. Sounds like a basic no-brainer, but you need first decide it is needed. Admit change is required and stop denying a problem exists. Take responsibility for making the change. Ask yourself – Is this activity moving me forward toward my goals and desires in life?

2.     You cannot break old or bad habits. You can only replace them. The process is not necessarily fast. It may require a year or more. Commit to the long haul and you will eventually be glad you did.

3.     Get up and get going on the new habit every day. Daily routine will eventually become second nature. Make a list of the benefits your new habit will bring. Review the list often to stay motivated.

4.     Having changed the habit — stay away from the old habit. If you do slide back into the old habit, do not allow yourself off easily.  Say “I’ll start over now and I’ll be strong enough to get it right”. Keep moving forward toward your goal.

Do not let the past control the future. Keep reminding yourself that learning and repeating new behaviors can change your habits for life.

Make changes for your personal growth!

Let me know your thoughts.

Halfway through third quarter of 2020. 

Many, including myself, still working from home.  This may be a “real” new normal for a lot of us.  It has taken a while for my wife to get used to me being home, especially having me home most days for lunch.

Resetting the way work is done and meeting on platforms like Zoom is getting easier every day.  I have reconfigured my daily work process and seemingly getting faster and better.

Here are five tips on working from home:

1. Maintain Regular Hours. Set a schedule and stay with it.
2. Create a Morning Routine. Get ready for the day.
3. Set Ground Rules with People around you.
4. Schedule Breaks and take breaks.
5. Leave Home from time to time.  Take a walk or a drive.

Do these things and when normal is back you will be ahead of the game.

Stay Safe!

Great Quote____________________________________________________________

“You Don’t Have to Be Great to Start, But You Have to Start to Be Great.” – Zig Ziglar

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I have been practicing banjo and relearning guitar during the pandemic.  I am posting on YouTube check out the progress.  http://bit.ly/RFryYT75  

I have written and talked about daily sales behaviors for many years. 

In my view continuous training and reinforcement there is a basic requirement of doing daily behaviors, tracking them, and being held accountable to perform. 

Easy!

As Zig Ziglar said “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.”  In my view this same philosophy applies to continuous sales training and reinforcement.

In the point system I use there is a daily regimen of Sales and prospecting calls, face-to-face selling, and other contacts (email, letters, brochures, etc.). 

I have constructed and require salespeople working with me to use a tracking system consisting of 7,500 points per year. I know that if a sales person does the behaviors consistent with Prospecting, Telephone, Email, and Face-to-Face customer contact at a rate of about 36 points on average for 230 working days per year, can bring in $3,000,000+ in sales bookings for the company. It is a proven process, that works.

Many salespeople will not do daily behaviors. Doing and tracking is hard. 

A lot of salespeople get little or no training in selling behaviors. I have met, hired, and fired salespeople who are afraid of the accountability a system creates. 

The system can be set up for the entire year. Think about that. Set up your sales schedule for the next twelve months, do the daily behaviors and watch your income go to where you want it to go and no excuses.

POWERFUL STUFF!

Contact me for a free coaching session “Grow your business now!”  

I will also direct you to some good sales training to go with it.

How many emails do you get starting —? “I know you are busy, could I have 10 to 15 minutes of time to explain how our company can help you?” 

These types of emails come in over and over. Always assuming I want to give the time without having heard anything about who they are or what they do. Then, maybe a few days later or a week, I get a follow-up email asking if I saw the first one and would I give them my time. 

This type of selling effort never has worked but has been used forever. We need to change this type of sales canvassing and learn to approach the new realities of selling. We need especially to understand the new realities of selling that CORONAVIRUS has presented to us. We are going to need to learn new methods and procedures. 

We are not going to be able to have as many face-to-face meetings. We need be better at remote presentations and offering true value to our products.

I am learning new presentations and follow-up techniques. I am getting ready to start video emails. I will let you know my early results.

Feedback is welcome. What are you seeing?  

As a Salesperson, Marketing manager, Sales manager, President and CEO of various companies during my career, I am finding an unusual and disturbing phenomenon happening in sales.

There seems to be an unusual emphasis on salespeople demanding attention, without providing a reason. 

Widespread use of Email marketing is causing an assumption of readership and expected response.  I get more or less belligerent, sometimes even harsh emails telling me I need respond or give them another person’s name in my company.  Many incoming emails state that I must have missed the last email sent – respond to this new one. — BUT — They fail to give me information why I should respond. 

Salespeople are using the faceless system of email to demand action.  I find this sad. 

I would respond to emails that give me useful information or have a compelling body of information and a call to action, if I see a need for the products or services.

Many, many emails start with – “I know you are busy, could I have 10 to 15 minutes of time to explain how our company can help you.”  From my perspective they have not told me what they do and they assume I am waiting by the inbound email just hoping to have someone help me.

We are not teaching good selling. 

I have spent many years trying to get away from the mentality that selling is “Trickery” and worse selling is looked at as “The slick used car salesman” ready to do anything to get a sale and commission. 

What are you seeing?  I welcome feedback. 

We are certainly in some interesting times.  Your sales may be and are probably down.  You may be laying off employees or you may have been laid off.  You may be figuring out how to work effectively from home, etc., etc.  I hope for the best for us all. 

Now is the time to Think, Plan, Act and Do.  Make time to see where you were in the economy, where you are now and where will you position yourself for the future.

The following two lists, not totally all-inclusive, present the Symptomatic mindset of how bad it is and the symptomatic mindset of staying the course and making things happen.  Where are you?

Do you have the following thoughts or symptoms for your current state of affairs? 

1. Do you blame the economy?
2. Do you have a well defined marketing plan?
3. Did you experience fluctuations in sales even before this economic situation?
4. Do you know who your top customers are?
5. Do you regularly communicate with customers?
6. Are you looking for and introducing new products and regularly?
7. Are you actively pursuing referral program?

Salespeople and companies thriving and surviving are doing the following:

1. Looking for new markets to expand their product line.
2. Reviewing changing as needed and updating marketing plans all the time.
3. Building customer loyalty through good on-time consistent service.
4. Forming strategic alliances with other companies and competitors.
5. Know their customers and have regular communications with them.
6. Communicate and work on a referral network all the time.

Get going and make the remainder of this year go really well. 

There always have been big ups and big downs and there will be more to come. 

Where do you plan to be when this economy turns the other way?

Good Luck!

I hope all Dads and non-Dads have a great day!  It’s not necessary to recount our pandemic disruption.  However, having us all recognize a good holiday FATHER’S DAY has to be uplifting.

My kids and grandkids have been checking in all morning. 

The DFW area is having some much-needed rain.  We still look forward to a great outdoor dinner later this afternoon.

I received my worst joke of the day:  “Why don't you see elephants hiding in trees? Because they're very good at it.”

And here is a quote for the day: “My father didn't do anything unusual. He only did what dads are supposed to do—be there. ” – Max Lucado

Happy Father’s Day!