Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Are You Focused On What's Important . . .
Or are you focused on the daily menu of distractions served up to you by your boss, your competitors, and your customers?
Focus is everything. Have it and win, lose it and get eaten alive by hungry competitors.
Twenty-seven years ago, so don't hold me to all the details, I remember reading a story about two lumberjacks who labored in Sherwood Forest.
These were two big guys with matching egos. Their physical size was enormous back in the 1400's. Once a year there was a face off, sort of like the Super Bowl for lumberjacks. Many would enter but only one would win.
These two giants squared off in the final two-some. They were to chop wood from dawn till dusk. The rules were quite simple. Whoever chopped the most wood would be declared the winner.
Both were perched a fair distance from each other - barely able to see the figure of the other person. The chopping commenced at dawn. From time to time they both took a look at the other to see how much wood was being chopped. By mid morning the contest was close.
One of the woodsman stopped for about 20 minutes. The other kept chopping to gain an advantage. During mid-day the lumberjack who took a break in the morning took another break.
I'm sure the other guy was thinking, "I'll get him now."
They kept chopping. In the middle of the afternoon, the break-meister took still another break. The other guy just kept chopping, just kept chopping.
When the sun had set, the woodsman who hadn't stopped once, looked at what he had chopped and felt he had the advantage.
He walked some distance to greet his opponent. When he had arrived - he almost went into shock at the sight of his opponent's chopped wood - which was substantially more than his own.
He grumbled, "How can this be? You stopped chopping three times for breaks and lunch, while I kept chopping. I just don't understand what happened."
In a soft and deliberate voice the winner said, "Yes I did stop three times - but you see, it was to sharpen my axe."
Abraham Lincoln was once said, "If I had six hours to chop down a big tree, I'd take two hours to sharpen my axe."
You don't have to be a lumberjack to sharpen your axe.
There are too many to count, impersonators out there - pretending to be professional salespeople. They are devoid of any selling skills and basic fundamentals.
Every day you'd better make it a priority to read books and articles, listen to CD's while driving from account to account, sharpening your axe, I mean your selling skills, improving your attitude, and developing mini-systems to out-fox your competitors.
The simple truth is, if you don't sharpen your axe, you're working your sales territory with a dull blade.
That's nuts, stupidity and the quickest way to sales mediocrity and the sales hall of shame. If that's what you want go for it.
On the other hand, if you want to sharpen your selling axe scroll down a bit for some axe-sharpeners.
One final thought - I have 16,287 active subscribers to these letters. From that number 2175 have purchased a book, CD, Audio Book, a sales manual at least once and I'm grateful for that.
From the remaining 14,112 I get e-mails saying how much you enjoy and how much value you get from my newsletters. But these letters don't cost you a copper penny.
Sure I would like it better if 16,287 of you ordered one of my Learning Tools (Books and CD's) today. But that's not the point.
If I knew that you were boycotting my products in favor of buying them from other sales trainers and selling GURUS I'd be ecstatic and here's why.
Because I couldn't help but take some of the credit for motivating you to sharpen your axe and to invest in yourself.
The sad truth is most salespeople have kitchen pantrys full of food and personal libraries devoid of any learning materials. One feeds your stomach and the other feeds your brain.
You know what the life span of food in your stomach is, don't you?
Have you ever thought about the life span of an idea you get from a book or CD?
Both are a necessity for you personal growth and development.
Forget about the old saying, "Feed a cold, starve a fever."
Feed your brain every day!
Focus on your self-development and make continuous improvement a personal priority.
Focus on what's really important.
Start selling more . . .
Jim Meisenheimer
Here are some axe-sharpeners for your business library.
PS - If you're new to sales and missed my Boot Camp last week - my biggest and best axe sharpener is my Boot Camp-In-A-Box. It's a 12 month program that covers all the bases for you.
Here's the information: http://meisenheimer.com/products/index.shtml
PPS - You'll kick your sales effort up a notch or two as soon as you get your hands on my Ultimate Brainer Selling Skills Manual Volume I - with Bonuses. Get your copy before your competitors do.
Go here now: http://meisenheimer.com/products/manual.htm
PPPS - If you're on a strict budget and don't want to give up your daily intake of Starbuck's Grande Cafe Latte or your Bottled Frappuccino, consider the smallest investment you can make in yourself for less than $20 bucks. The 12 Best Questions To Ask Customers is in its 4th printing.
This book is a winner and will help you close more sales.
Details here: http://meisenheimer.com/products/salesquestions.htm
PPPPS - for sales managers only. Articles in this month's newsletterfor Inner Circle Sales Managers include: Sales Call Reports, HirePeople Who Can Sell, and How To Sell Senior Management on Training.http://meisenheimer.com/sales_coaching/individual.shtml
Make sure your sales manager has this link:
http://meisenheimer.com/sales_coaching/individual.shtml
# posted by Jim Meisenheimer @ 3:20 PM 
