"Discipline Yourself"
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DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO SALES SUCCESS In this article
WHAT'S THE WORD? Recently, when I opened one of my training sessions, I asked the question, 'Can you give me a word that will enable you to out-think, out-perform, out-sell, and out-service your competition?' There were fifty people in the group, and no one knew the answer. I was intrigued that no one knew, so I did the same exercise in my next four sessions. Still no one could come up with the correct word. I had them divide into groups of five, and still, no success. THE WORD IS The word is DISCIPLINE. Webster Had It Right Looking in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, I found two definitions for discipline: 1. Control gained by obedience or training The second definition may be why many do not practice the first. We feel that we are being punished when we discipline ourselves to do the thing required. The word 'control' gives you the benefit of practicing discipline. If you practice discipline, you will have control over your circumstances, and your lives will be more orderly and successful. In selling, more than any other profession, discipline is required. Most salespeople are their own bosses - even if they work for someone else. Training allows a salesperson to know the rules and procedures, and discipline keeps the salesperson within bounds. Knowing the rules enables them to stay on the path that leads to success. START WITH THE BENEFITS Look at the benefits of practicing discipline: 1. There is satisfaction in doing something worthwhile. LISTEN TO POGO 'You have met the enemy, and he is YOU.' Many would like to see changes, but they are not willing to change the culprit - themselves. Practicing discipline is the key that unlocks the door to accomplishment. Vince Lombardi once said, 'The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything; it’s your mind you have to convince.' MOVE OVER ENRON Would you fly in a plane piloted by an undisciplined pilot, or would you have surgery performed by an undisciplined surgeon? How about turning your stock portfolio over to the head of Enron or Tyco? SUBMISSION TO THE MISSION How can you make discipline work for you, instead of against you? Learn to develop your mental sharpness, moral compass, and physical bodies to be your servants, not your masters. You will force them into submission by discipline.
WHAT TURNS YOU ON? How important is it for you to become a disciplined person? If you don’t consider something important, the odds are that you will not be motivated to perform the task. How would your life be different today if you had always had discipline in your life? Remember, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Touch a hot stove, and you will remove your hand quickly. Drop a marble, and it will head for the ground. Stop paying attention to the road while you are driving, and you may end up wrapped around a tree. In selling, it is a choice of disciplining yourself to make, or not make, calls. Make the calls, play the numbers, and you will reap the reaction you are seeking. ARE YOU LOST OR DISORIENTED? Pick a destination. Whenever my wife and I discuss going on a road trip, we head to the bookstore to purchase a road map and travel brochures. The map will give us direction, and the brochures will provide visual hopes. Define what success is to you. What are your career goals, and how will discipline help you to reach them? Determining those answers will enable you to visualize success and to give you a target to aim for. You will become more disciplined in your sales career, and it is your career that will pay the bills. THERE IS GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS Prospectors in the Old West disciplined themselves to pan for gold to get rich, not because they liked panning for gold. In his book 'Alaska,' James Mischner gave a vivid picture of the hardships that gold seekers experienced on their way to perceived wealth. The undisciplined died a quick and unmerciful death. What is the pot of gold waiting for you at the end of the rainbow? How much discipline is required of you to reach your treasure? CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN - MAYBE NOT Although there will be setbacks, the truly disciplined person views a setback as an opportunity. As Dr. Robert Schuler says, 'When faced with a mountain, I will not quit. I will find a way to go around it, climb over it, or tunnel underneath.' It takes discipline to make the journey around the mountain - it takes discipline to climb over the mountain - it takes discipline to tunnel underneath the mountain. What mountains have you been avoiding? How has it hindered your career? Perhaps, you need the discipline to read more books on selling or to make more cold calls? DO NOT GET WINDED IN THE WINDY CITY A few years ago, my daughter ran the Chicago Marathon. It took the discipline of months of training to run that race. My wife and I rushed from check-point to check-point to cheer for her and to encourage her. Each time that she passed a check-point, she had a confident smile on her face, until we saw her at the 23-mile marker. At that point, she had the serious look of a runner who had disciplined herself to finish the race. To us, it was three more miles to go, but to her, it was the culmination of months of disciplined training. She finished the race because she paid the price 'to gain control by disciplined training' - there goes Webster again! Are you willing to pay now, or to pay later?
© 2004-2008 Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc. |
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REPRINT info: Joe Bonura About Joe Bonura His background is unique. Joe owned and operated a highly successful advertising agency for 18 years. During that time, he found his advertising campaigns were more effective when he educated his clients in the areas of sales and service. He conducted training seminars for his clients as added value. Word spread that Joe was a quality speaker and more and more people asked him to speak. The demand became so high that he sold the agency to three of his associates to start his own speaking and consulting company, Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc. Joe is past President of the Kentucky Speakers Association and a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a prestigious designation earned by only 8% of the 3,600 member National Speakers Association. Joe presently serves on the board of directors of NSA. He is author of the audio learning systems "Three-Dimensional Selling®" and "Turning Customer Satisfaction Into Customer Excitement®." He is author of the book Throw the Rabbit—The Ultimate Approach to Three-Dimensional Selling. Click here TO ENGAGE JOE BONURA FOR A TRAINING SEMINAR AT YOUR COMPANY
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