You know as well as I do that you feel better when you take a physical shower. Think about it. When you come home from the gym or work, there’s nothing like taking a nice hot shower. For me, it’s cutting the lawn. I have a pool in my backyard, and when the landscapers from our home owner’s association come into my backyard, they blow grass into the pool. I am a maniac about my pool. I simply couldn’t take it anymore so I posted a sign in Spanish that said “Stop. Do Not Cut the Grass!”
Now, I cut my own lawn, and there’s never any grass in the pool. My friend, Bob, assists me with the lawn and when I’m finished I am sweaty. My wife, Christie, says that I smell like a little stinky kid that just came off the playground and pretty much demands that I take a shower right away. The refreshing shower washes away all the dirt, grim and most of all the smell from the hard work.
On the other hand, when you see me speak live, I am always dressed sharp. People say, “John, you are always dressed to the ultimate. You are always one of the sharpest looking speakers or presenters”. Absolutely! I believe in dressing for success. I completely disagree when people say, “Well, you don’t need to dress like that to be successful”. Everybody has a right to their own opinion, but I believe a major strategy for success is to dress the role. Can you imagine if I just came in from cutting the yard in my old shorts, tank top and hat smelling all gross and went straight to a seminar to speak? That’s just simply absurd, right? Yet, many so-called sales experts enter the sales arena looking almost as bad.
Clean up your act. Men, go out and invest in some sharp ties. Buy some shirts with cufflinks. At the recommendation of one of my billionaire friends, I now get my nails manicured. Notice, I said BILLIONAIRE. If it works for him, then it will work for me too! Whether you believe it or not, people notice. The first impression is the most important impression. I usually let my wife handle the women’s issues with dressing for success but let me talk to the ladies for just a second. I will put this gently…You don’t have to bare all of your assets to make a sale. I didn’t say it. I’m just reiterating what my wife says, and I agree with her. Whether you are a man or a woman, make sure that you dress appropriately when you are in the sales arena. It will definitely have an effect on your sales presentation.
I disagree with a coach, who teaches success principles, and they look slothful. They don’t look cleaned up. They’re half asleep when they are talking to you, their clothes are wrinkled, and they are not dressed as a champion. It disgusts me when I see someone like that on stage trying to coach other people on success. Look at someone like Donald Trump. Donald Trump has a great wardrobe. You may not like what he says, but you can’t dispute the fact that he is always dressed to the nines. Don’t try to make the excuse that you can’t afford his clothes. It’s not expensive to look professional.
When you walk into a presentation, the first thing people notice is how you look. They notice if your hair is a mess or if you are not clean-shaven as a man, or if you are wearing a suit that is too short or if you just threw on some jeans instead of dress slacks. Being dressed professionally not only influences your potential business partner, but it also gives you more confidence. When you clean up, you feel better. If you don’t believe that, then don’t take a shower for two weeks and see how you feel. With that said, why would you walk into a business event where you can market your product or services and you do not look like a champion? You don’t look like who you know you want to be.
Make a decision today. Implement this strategy. For realtors or anyone that uses their automobiles to transport clients, make sure that your car isn’t a pigpen. If a potential buyer gets in your car and there’s garbage in the floorboards and it smells like three day old McDonald’s food, I doubt that they will want to book another appointment with you. They simply can’t get past your trashy car long enough to think about buying a house. I’m not saying that you have to drive a Mercedes, but your automobile does have to be clean so that your client is comfortable when they get in. I believe in cleanliness. I believe in excellence. I believe you should act and believe who you are.
Personal responsibility is the key. If someone is lazy and slothful, then they probably dress like a slob. If you consider yourself a business professional, then simply dress the role.
Champion Tip: Dress for success. Feel good about the way that you look when you present your business or product to a potential customer.
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Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Never Prejudge
Let me share with you what the word prejudge means. Prejudge means making a mental decision prior to even engaging in a sales conversation or presentation. In your mind, you're already saying “You know what? This person doesn't have what it takes to invest in this home. This person doesn't have what it takes to invest in this network marketing opportunity. This person doesn't have what it takes to invest in this product or service.” Never prejudge a potential client, customer, or prospect. This will be one of the worst mistakes that you make in your career!
Remember, I was never prospected for the industry of network marketing. No one ever prospected me. I was a stuttering twenty-four year old kid from Yonkers, New York that was simply not attractive to the average business builder. Here’s the kicker…If someone would have prospected that stuttering kid, they would have earned over $1.1 million off the business that I built. I learned the industry, and I was looking but no one ever approached me and gave me a chance to show my potential. Please don’t e-mail me and prospect me now, I earned my financial freedom many years ago and retired from network marketing. I still get prospected several times a day, but my answer will ALWAYS be no. Why? Because I respect the fact that many of my students are involved with various companies and I would never jeopardize those relationships by joining any company.
Back to the topic...people prejudged me. They looked at me and saw a 24-year old stuttering kid that worked for his successful family business and had a good education. They assumed that I was completely content with my great level of success. That mindset cost numerous people millions -- literally over a million dollars. What they didn’t see was that I was tired of working around the clock and was actively looking for another way of achieving financial freedom. I was hungry for change!
Think about it for a second. I lived in Yonkers, New York. I was often in Manhattan or Long Island. These are very heavily populated areas yet no one, no one, no one (I'm not stuttering) – NO ONE ever walked up to me and said, “By any chance are you looking to earn extra income? Do you love what you're doing? Do you want to be free?” Instead, people prejudged me. They walked by me every single day. It was definitely their loss!
Never prejudge. You must internalize this by saying to yourself, “I will NEVER prejudge someone in my business.” You never know where someone's coming from. Don't judge them by their dress, by the car they drive or where they live. You never know what's going on inside their mind. Most people who you think have money don't have it, and those you think that don't have it, have tons of it.
When you meet a potential client, have an open mind. This was one strategy that catapulted my level of success. I treated every single person that I showed my business presentation to like they were my next top business partner. When you walk into a sales presentation and you’re already saying to yourself, “I don't think this person has what it takes to invest in my product. I don't think this person has what it takes to get involved in this business”, you are wasting your time. I don’t care what you are selling - alarm systems, high-end art, furniture, kitchen cabinets, real estate, insurance, etc. If you prejudge that person before you even begin your business presentation, you are setting yourself up for failure.
Instead, enter the sales presentation saying to yourself, “I will show my product/business the exact same way to everyone with the belief that this person will become a customer of mine long-term.” Once again, you're walking in with the “Always Be Opening” mind set. I'm opening up a new relationship. I'm not prejudging this potential client, customer, prospect, etc. Your mindset going into it will allow you to do a better presentation, and allow your excitement, enthusiasm, belief, conviction, and commitment to flow through. That's what people buy! They buy who you are. They physically buy your product, but they were sold on you.
If you're in one-on-one sales or if you're in network marketing, the potential client buys into you. They have to believe in you. If you walk in with a mindset of “I don’t believe this person has what it takes to invest in this product or service”, then they're going to feel that. They'll feel your non-belief. I love walking into some of the snooty shopping areas of Palm Beach in my gym clothes. If the sales person judges me on my clothing and gives me an attitude, then I walk right out the door. I refuse to sow my money into bad ground. In other words, I ain’t giving my money to someone that treats me like garbage. That’s exactly what your potential client will be thinking in their minds too if you prejudge them. Don’t fool yourself to think that they won’t know. They will notice the minute that you walk into the room. They will feel your non-belief in them, and that will dramatically cut your closing ratio down by 80 percent.
As I'm writing this I'm in beat up sneakers, my workout tank top and my workout pants. If you looked at me during the day, you'd walk right by me and say, oh, “Who is he? He doesn’t have a job. Only a loser walks around in the middle afternoon with a hat on and unshaven.” You are probably smirking right now, because you know that you have prejudged someone that looks exactly like that for your own business. Little do most people know, I can walk around like that in the middle of the afternoon, because I am free to do what I want, when I want and with who I want to do it with. That’s far from being a loser! A prejudging mindset backed up with assumptions will cost you millions.
Allow EVERYONE the opportunity to own and take advantage of your exclusive offer to own your products. Enter every sales presentation with the belief that the person in front of you is your next big sale. I believe everyone has a champion inside them. Remember who I was and where I came from. No one ever prospected me. I had to answer an ad to get involved in network marketing and earn a million dollars. Isn’t that incredible? No one gave me a chance. Don’t you fall into that same trap of judging people. An open mind leads to a bountiful harvest!
Champion Tip: NEVER prejudge or assume a potential client, a customer or prospect will not be able to afford or need your product.
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Remember, I was never prospected for the industry of network marketing. No one ever prospected me. I was a stuttering twenty-four year old kid from Yonkers, New York that was simply not attractive to the average business builder. Here’s the kicker…If someone would have prospected that stuttering kid, they would have earned over $1.1 million off the business that I built. I learned the industry, and I was looking but no one ever approached me and gave me a chance to show my potential. Please don’t e-mail me and prospect me now, I earned my financial freedom many years ago and retired from network marketing. I still get prospected several times a day, but my answer will ALWAYS be no. Why? Because I respect the fact that many of my students are involved with various companies and I would never jeopardize those relationships by joining any company.
Back to the topic...people prejudged me. They looked at me and saw a 24-year old stuttering kid that worked for his successful family business and had a good education. They assumed that I was completely content with my great level of success. That mindset cost numerous people millions -- literally over a million dollars. What they didn’t see was that I was tired of working around the clock and was actively looking for another way of achieving financial freedom. I was hungry for change!
Think about it for a second. I lived in Yonkers, New York. I was often in Manhattan or Long Island. These are very heavily populated areas yet no one, no one, no one (I'm not stuttering) – NO ONE ever walked up to me and said, “By any chance are you looking to earn extra income? Do you love what you're doing? Do you want to be free?” Instead, people prejudged me. They walked by me every single day. It was definitely their loss!
Never prejudge. You must internalize this by saying to yourself, “I will NEVER prejudge someone in my business.” You never know where someone's coming from. Don't judge them by their dress, by the car they drive or where they live. You never know what's going on inside their mind. Most people who you think have money don't have it, and those you think that don't have it, have tons of it.
When you meet a potential client, have an open mind. This was one strategy that catapulted my level of success. I treated every single person that I showed my business presentation to like they were my next top business partner. When you walk into a sales presentation and you’re already saying to yourself, “I don't think this person has what it takes to invest in my product. I don't think this person has what it takes to get involved in this business”, you are wasting your time. I don’t care what you are selling - alarm systems, high-end art, furniture, kitchen cabinets, real estate, insurance, etc. If you prejudge that person before you even begin your business presentation, you are setting yourself up for failure.
Instead, enter the sales presentation saying to yourself, “I will show my product/business the exact same way to everyone with the belief that this person will become a customer of mine long-term.” Once again, you're walking in with the “Always Be Opening” mind set. I'm opening up a new relationship. I'm not prejudging this potential client, customer, prospect, etc. Your mindset going into it will allow you to do a better presentation, and allow your excitement, enthusiasm, belief, conviction, and commitment to flow through. That's what people buy! They buy who you are. They physically buy your product, but they were sold on you.
If you're in one-on-one sales or if you're in network marketing, the potential client buys into you. They have to believe in you. If you walk in with a mindset of “I don’t believe this person has what it takes to invest in this product or service”, then they're going to feel that. They'll feel your non-belief. I love walking into some of the snooty shopping areas of Palm Beach in my gym clothes. If the sales person judges me on my clothing and gives me an attitude, then I walk right out the door. I refuse to sow my money into bad ground. In other words, I ain’t giving my money to someone that treats me like garbage. That’s exactly what your potential client will be thinking in their minds too if you prejudge them. Don’t fool yourself to think that they won’t know. They will notice the minute that you walk into the room. They will feel your non-belief in them, and that will dramatically cut your closing ratio down by 80 percent.
As I'm writing this I'm in beat up sneakers, my workout tank top and my workout pants. If you looked at me during the day, you'd walk right by me and say, oh, “Who is he? He doesn’t have a job. Only a loser walks around in the middle afternoon with a hat on and unshaven.” You are probably smirking right now, because you know that you have prejudged someone that looks exactly like that for your own business. Little do most people know, I can walk around like that in the middle of the afternoon, because I am free to do what I want, when I want and with who I want to do it with. That’s far from being a loser! A prejudging mindset backed up with assumptions will cost you millions.
Allow EVERYONE the opportunity to own and take advantage of your exclusive offer to own your products. Enter every sales presentation with the belief that the person in front of you is your next big sale. I believe everyone has a champion inside them. Remember who I was and where I came from. No one ever prospected me. I had to answer an ad to get involved in network marketing and earn a million dollars. Isn’t that incredible? No one gave me a chance. Don’t you fall into that same trap of judging people. An open mind leads to a bountiful harvest!
Champion Tip: NEVER prejudge or assume a potential client, a customer or prospect will not be able to afford or need your product.
self help ebooks
self help motivation
Always Be Opening
I want you to lose the mindset of “Always Be Closing.” That’s ridiculous! I know that you are saying, “John, what are you talking about? You're losing your mind.” Yes, I lost my mind over 18 years ago and gained the mind of a champion. See, the average mind, which includes the average mind of the average salesperson, never succeeds. You must lose your mind and gain the mind of someone that has achieved what you want to achieve in order to succeed. On a serious side note - Don’t take direction from anyone that hasn’t done what you want to do in life.
Over a seven-year period, I built a direct sales organization to over 25,000 reps in 10 countries. I know how to close. I know how to make people take action. I know how to transfer property that I have to them for them to own and become a long-term customer. That’s why I have earned the right to teach you closing strategies. Once again, don’t take direction from someone that hasn’t done what you want to do in life. Okay, back to this teaching…
Lose that mindset of “Always Be Closing” and never find it again. What I want you to gain is this mindset of “Always Be Opening.” I prefer to call a sales presentation the sales arena, because it's a sport - the sport of sales and marketing. You are preparing to win the sport so why would you use the negative terms like “always be closing”. Think about the last time you went to a football game or watched any type of sports on television. Weren’t the athletes fired up to win? They didn’t go into the game with a negative mindset. It’s the same in the sales arena. You have to look forward to the presentation and enter the arena with a positive mindset and outlook on the situation.
How good will it feel when you walk into your next sales presentation and shake the potential customer’s hand with the mindset that you will know this person long-term. You believe that you will close the sale, but more importantly you will open up a life-changing relationship. Even if the product that you're marketing (e.g., insurance, real estate, products, services) is not for this specific individual right now, you have opened up a long-term relationship. You're creating a new contact and increasing your mastermind team. Right now, I want you to think about these three words: Your Best Friend.
Who is your best friend? Can you see his or her face in your mind? Now, just think at one time your best friend was a stranger. You had no idea who they were or that they would eventually be your best friend. At one point in time, you opened up a relationship with them built upon trust. You acknowledge and respect their opinion. That's exactly what you're looking to do every time you sit down with someone in a sales arena. You want to open a relationship. I’m not going to promise that every single person that you meet during a sales presentation will be your best friend or even someone that you want on your mastermind team, but it’s important that you enter that room with the “Always Be Opening” mindset no matter the person.
Just like when you open a window in your home and you let fresh air come in. I'm blessed to live in the Palm Beaches of South Florida. I open my living room door and the beautifully fresh air of south Florida blows in off the golf course. Any cobwebs, dust or dirt gets blown right out the door due to the cross ventilation from the front to the back of the house. It’s the same with your sales presentation. You open that door to greet your potential client with an always be opening mindset and all of the prejudgment and misconceptions go right out the window. Just imagine that the person could be your next best friend so treat them with that courtesy and kindness.
I have hundreds of thousands of students all over the world, and I always try to treat everyone of them like friend of mine. I will do whatever it takes to maintain our relationship and over-deliver. My mindset is under-promise and over-deliver. With an always be opening mindset, I will give you whatever I can to empower you to achieve greatness and go to the next level.
Why is the “Always Be Opening” so important? Let me ask you that question. Do you want to be closed? Do enjoy the feeling that you get from a pushy sales person that is just trying to close you? Of course, you don’t like that kind of treatment. If you don’t like it, then why would you think that your potential business clients would like it? Instead, create a comfortable atmosphere and keep the “Always Be Opening” mindset. You will notice that your demeanor as well as the demeanor of your potential business partner will radically change.
Here’s a great example. Let’s say that you’re a realtor. You show someone a home, but the home is not for that person. Two years later, they're back in the market for a home or have a friend looking for a home. Guess what? They call you. Why? Because you they remembered how you treated them. You had an open mindset and were looking to build a long-term relationship. Although, you didn’t sell the house the first time, you created a lasting bond with that person. Your level of confidence stuck out to that person and they want to work with you again. Just think about having hundreds of people that ultimately come back to you or refer others to you, because of your very first sales presentation with them. It’s realistic and completely possible for that to happen if you have the “Always Be Opening” mindset.
Champion Tip: It’s not “Always Be Closing”. Lose that mindset and gain the champion mindset of “Always Be Opening”.
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Over a seven-year period, I built a direct sales organization to over 25,000 reps in 10 countries. I know how to close. I know how to make people take action. I know how to transfer property that I have to them for them to own and become a long-term customer. That’s why I have earned the right to teach you closing strategies. Once again, don’t take direction from someone that hasn’t done what you want to do in life. Okay, back to this teaching…
Lose that mindset of “Always Be Closing” and never find it again. What I want you to gain is this mindset of “Always Be Opening.” I prefer to call a sales presentation the sales arena, because it's a sport - the sport of sales and marketing. You are preparing to win the sport so why would you use the negative terms like “always be closing”. Think about the last time you went to a football game or watched any type of sports on television. Weren’t the athletes fired up to win? They didn’t go into the game with a negative mindset. It’s the same in the sales arena. You have to look forward to the presentation and enter the arena with a positive mindset and outlook on the situation.
How good will it feel when you walk into your next sales presentation and shake the potential customer’s hand with the mindset that you will know this person long-term. You believe that you will close the sale, but more importantly you will open up a life-changing relationship. Even if the product that you're marketing (e.g., insurance, real estate, products, services) is not for this specific individual right now, you have opened up a long-term relationship. You're creating a new contact and increasing your mastermind team. Right now, I want you to think about these three words: Your Best Friend.
Who is your best friend? Can you see his or her face in your mind? Now, just think at one time your best friend was a stranger. You had no idea who they were or that they would eventually be your best friend. At one point in time, you opened up a relationship with them built upon trust. You acknowledge and respect their opinion. That's exactly what you're looking to do every time you sit down with someone in a sales arena. You want to open a relationship. I’m not going to promise that every single person that you meet during a sales presentation will be your best friend or even someone that you want on your mastermind team, but it’s important that you enter that room with the “Always Be Opening” mindset no matter the person.
Just like when you open a window in your home and you let fresh air come in. I'm blessed to live in the Palm Beaches of South Florida. I open my living room door and the beautifully fresh air of south Florida blows in off the golf course. Any cobwebs, dust or dirt gets blown right out the door due to the cross ventilation from the front to the back of the house. It’s the same with your sales presentation. You open that door to greet your potential client with an always be opening mindset and all of the prejudgment and misconceptions go right out the window. Just imagine that the person could be your next best friend so treat them with that courtesy and kindness.
I have hundreds of thousands of students all over the world, and I always try to treat everyone of them like friend of mine. I will do whatever it takes to maintain our relationship and over-deliver. My mindset is under-promise and over-deliver. With an always be opening mindset, I will give you whatever I can to empower you to achieve greatness and go to the next level.
Why is the “Always Be Opening” so important? Let me ask you that question. Do you want to be closed? Do enjoy the feeling that you get from a pushy sales person that is just trying to close you? Of course, you don’t like that kind of treatment. If you don’t like it, then why would you think that your potential business clients would like it? Instead, create a comfortable atmosphere and keep the “Always Be Opening” mindset. You will notice that your demeanor as well as the demeanor of your potential business partner will radically change.
Here’s a great example. Let’s say that you’re a realtor. You show someone a home, but the home is not for that person. Two years later, they're back in the market for a home or have a friend looking for a home. Guess what? They call you. Why? Because you they remembered how you treated them. You had an open mindset and were looking to build a long-term relationship. Although, you didn’t sell the house the first time, you created a lasting bond with that person. Your level of confidence stuck out to that person and they want to work with you again. Just think about having hundreds of people that ultimately come back to you or refer others to you, because of your very first sales presentation with them. It’s realistic and completely possible for that to happen if you have the “Always Be Opening” mindset.
Champion Tip: It’s not “Always Be Closing”. Lose that mindset and gain the champion mindset of “Always Be Opening”.
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