Act As If
by Joe Bonura, CSP
Learn From the Masters
I want to share a story that I received from a friend and regular
reader of my monthly Action Power Memo. Ed Watson, known as "The
Ad Doctor," works at KAIT-TV in Jonesboro, Arkansas. We can
learn from the masters who have been in sales a long time, and Ed
is one of those masters.
You Are Never Broke
Many years ago, Ed worked with a brilliant man, John Wheeler, his
boss. John realized that Ed lacked confidence, so he suggested that
Ed remember the last time he was broke and could not buy a soda
because he had no money. Remember that feeling? To increase Ed's
confidence, John suggested to Ed to keep a one hundred dollar bill
in his wallet, and when he is broke and wants a coke, just remember
that he has that bill in his wallet, but he surely does not want
to break that hundred. Ed still carries the hundred dollar bill
in his wallet, and he comments to this day, "If there is one
single thing that I can hang my career on, it is that."
Walk the Walk - Talk the Talk
I call it the "Act As If" mentality. When I decided to
aspire to be the owner of an advertising agency, I imagined myself
already the president of an advertising agency. I began to walk
the walk, and talk the talk. And as with Ed, it worked. I ended
up owning the second largest advertising agency in my city.
The Eight Year Overnight Success
It did not happen overnight; once you begin the journey, it may
take some time to get there. Never give up and persevere even when
the going gets tough. I was 21 years old when I dreamed of owning
an advertising agency, and I was just shy of 30 when I actually
opened the doors to my agency. That was the goal, and I achieved
it because I was already the owner of an ad agency the minute I
made up my mind to act as if.
The Fosbury Flop
In 1968, Dick Fosbury set a new Olympic record for the high jump
at 7 feet, 4.25 inches. He took home the gold medal and coined a
new word for the event. His technique was called the "Fosbury
Flop." In an interview, he said that before every jump, he
would close his eyes and visualize himself clearing the bar. In
other words, he would act as if he had already cleared the bar.
Play In the Zone
Joe Montana, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the
National Football League, said that when he was playing in "the
zone," he visualized the play happening in slow motion. By
seeing the outcome before the receiver caught the ball, Joe was
acting in advance as if the play was a success. Joe Montana won
four Super Bowls in his NFL career.
A Perfect 10
In the 1984 Olympics, Mary Lou Retton captured the hearts of the
world when she was the first American woman to win a gold medal
in the women's gymnastics competition. What many people do not know
is that six weeks prior to the Olympics, Mary Lou had to have orthoscopic
surgery on her knee. The day after the surgery, she was back in
the gym preparing for the games which were a mere 42 days away.
Now that is dedication! Winning the gold came down to scoring a
perfect 10 on the vault. I remember watching her prepare to make
her run into Olympic history. She briefly closed her eyes, saw herself
sticking the landing, and scoring a perfect 10. She acted as if,
and the if became reality.
Just Imagine
What is your "act as if"? Before your next sales call,
close your eyes and imagine the successful outcome that you would
like to have. See yourself making the perfect presentation . See
yourself walking out with a signed contract. Act as if, and, like
Ed Watson, you will always have enough money in your wallet to accomplish
your goals and aspirations.
© 2014 Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc.
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