Laying new floor! So what? What’s the difference?

My latest Facebook Live video had to do with laying new flooring in our house. We are about to put our house up for sale and build a house so we are starting to do some things to spruce it up a little. Now, there’s not much wrong with our house since it was built in 2011 or 2012 but sometimes you have to change some things in order to get the most out of it while possibly changing someone’s perception.

Now, laying down flooring can be somewhat expensive and labor intensive so why would we decide to do this particular upgrade before selling? Well, for starters our house had a lot of carpet and we all know that carpet doesn’t take long to get dirty especially if you have children or pets. So, if there is dirty carpet in the house that could immediately change what people perceive the house to be while walking through the house especially if they think that the first expense they will incur would be quite expensive. So, many times just putting out a little money in advance and investing it in replacing the flooring could make a huge difference in one’s buying discision. Painting could also help which we are doing as well.

What is my point you might ask? Well, much like changing the flooring in a house could change someone’s perception and possibly add value, changing someone’s perception of you could come by just changing something small about what you do or possibly change a characteristic about yourself through effort! It may take some time to change someone’s perception of you but you have to start somewhere. If you’re known as a liar then stop lying! If you are known as dishonest or a thief then stop stealing! It’s that simple! Many times you start doing things every once in a while because you get away with it then before you know it that becomes a habit and then you’re doing it all the time.

I know what you might be thinking! You’re thinking that you don’t care what people think about you! I think that in itself is a lie because most people want to be liked and respected but let’s say that’s not the case for you. If you’re in commission sales of any sort you must care about what people think about you because nowadays you are not the only game in town or in the area like you may have been 10 or 20 years ago. Today a customer can search, price and compare a few different business and sales people online without leaving their house and much of what they find online can determine where they do business! If they search and see that your place of business has a bunch of 1 star reviews doesn’t that affect you if you work there? Sometimes it might affect you directly or indirectly but you must do all you can to change their perception even if you’re not named in the review or source.

The moral of this short lesson is to make sure that what people think and say about you is mostly positive because that could make the difference in your future business! It may not 100% affect you right now but it could catch up with you down the road maybe with your current place of business or possibly a new place that you’re looking to apply. Remember that even business owners and managers may search you online before they make that final decision whether to hire you or not because ultimately your online presence is your new resume whether it’s good or bad!

Lawn Care and the Car Business?

Today I trained on the lawn care business. Yes! The lawn care business! My first question was "has anyone ever cut grass or do they have a person cutting their grass?". Of coarse everyone raised their hand. I'm sure, especially in smaller cites and rural areas, that most people cut their own grass or have someone else do it. Then, I asked them to list all the equipment that a Lawn Care professional would need to use. They said things like a mower, weed eater, trimmer, edger, gas, trailer, truck and I added insurance. So, needless to say, they see the expense that is involved in running a small business and the amount of initial investment they have even when they don't know the ultimate outcome or results.

Next, I talked about how most lawn care people have certain strategies or methods in order to get each lawn done and one may vary to the next depending on the terrain and the amount of yard to be done. Some cut in a circle or at angles or even a back and forth method to make it look like lines in the lawn. They have to know the different kinds of grass and how it grows. They have to know how each one of their customers prefer to have their yard cut in order to keep them happy.

Then the question was asked how do they remain relevant with so many companies and individuals doing it now and how they can separate themselves? I then pointed out that unless all the grass burned up, we built so many buildings that covered all the grass or if everyone bought their own equipment and cut their own yard that there will always be a need for lawn care people. But staying ahead and relevant in that business can be difficult. They must keep a good name and good reputation in order to accomplish their ultimate result which many may think of money but I say is growth. You must continue to get better and more relevant in order to continue to grow. Granted, some lawn care professionals only want to get so big because of added expenses but you get the point. But growing any business is important whether you're growing in size or relevance and reputation.

What does this have to do with the car business? Simple, people in the lawn business and the car business both have to be able to sell themselves and their work in order to grow. Also, they must both keep and maintain a good reputation in order to stay needed and relevant. A few mishaps on a mower can lead to a seriously depleted customer base. Likewise, a few bad car deals can keep you from getting repeat business and maybe even new business if it gets online. You must, in either business, continue to do good work and keep improving in order to keep growing the standard.

What does the lawn business have in common with the car business? Other than the need to keep a good name and good reputation there is a need to get a result. Now, in the car business, the ultimate result is delivering a car to get paid but my point is that both business have a result that needs to be accomplished. The main point, of this topic, being that there is usually a common result that is desired in any business but there may be different ways to accomplish it. In other words all lawn companies don't do exactly the same things in order to have a satisfied customer but that is still a result. Likewise, not all salesmen or women have the same strengths or weaknesses but ideally they still want to deliver a car or a product. So, the commonality is they both are working for a positive result/reward!

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!

#thefistpumpguy #lawncareandthecarbusiness #getresults #buildingyourreputation

Field of Dreams!

Last night I watched a good movie that I haven't probably seen in 20 years or so and that was Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones. Both are good actors and have been around for a long time. "If you build it they will come" is probably one of the most famous movie quotes of all time even if you have never seen the movie itself. It may not be one of the greatest movies of all times but it was definitely a good baseball movie and had a good story line.

What does the movie Field of Dreams have to do with the car business or sales? Well, I used it, in the meeting, to show that you must be investing in something mostly yourself in order to grow. In the movie, Kevin Costner, had to build a baseball field in his corn crop which was his lively hood. He stepped out on a limb when everyone else was laughing and ridiculing him even though he had no idea why he had to do it or even what the ultimate outcome would be. He basically cost himself time and money in order to invest in a future that was uncertain.

 I believe, in sales, we must do the same thing. We have to invest in ourselves and our business in order to try and get a good long-term result even though we don't know what that future may hold. Not everyone has the same thinking or even the same things that they feel need to be invested in but it still has to be done in some aspect of your business.

Time is the thing we have the most of that is of value. How are you investing your time daily? Are you using your time wisely in order to reach a goal? If you utilize your time you can and will get results. Let's say you work in the car business for a minute and you have a product that needs selling. Of coarse you need to have the appropriate approach to learning the product though knowledge of the vehicle is only part of the business. You also have to learn how to sell and what to say and what not to say. You have to use whatever tools that may be at your disposal and maybe even some that may not be. Doing videos of the product or yourself are a good use of your time as well as using social media to get you and your business out to the masses.

Investing in the internet part of your business is very important too. It can be expensive depending on how far you want to go with it but ideally you can get a substantial foot in the door on the internet with little or no money. Using Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram are just a few that can assist you in your progress. And the only thing you are investing in when you use these is your time. It's pretty easy to invest in this part of your business because you can shoot and post a simple video in a matter of minutes. So, make sure that you are utilizing these tools to expand especially since, as of now, they are free for the most part.

To make a long story short, make sure that  you are investing in yourself and your business. You can be somewhat successful nowadays without investing much but you have to look long-term. You don't want to be just a flash in the pan. You want to invest in yourself as much as you can even though you may not know what it will bring or what or where the future may lead you.

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!

#thefistpumpguy #investinginyourself

Personal Assessment and the 5 As

Today's training was a continuation of yesterday's topic on Personal Assessment. If you want to learn more about that topic just read the post from yesterday. Otherwise, I am just going to post the notes from the meeting. Ideally, these things are important to know and understand if you want to do an effective Personal Assessment. If you can't or won't do these things then you are already perfect and don't need help of any kind. You are the master that needs no teaching.lol.

So, here they are in order. The first one makes the rest tick. If you can't do the first one then you probably don't need to read any further!

ACKNOWLEDGE - accept or admit the existence or truth of or recognize the fact or importance or quality of

-Admit and accept your faults and build from there

-Recognize you may need help and that you must get better in order to grow and to succeed long term

ABSORB - take in or soak up (energy, or a liquid or other substance) by chemical or physical action, typically gradually or engross the attention of

-Soak in all the training possible and use what is beneficial to you and your business

-Read and take notes from successful authors/speakers

ADAPT - make (something) suitable for a new use or purpose; modify or become adjusted to new conditions

-morph into what you need to be in order to continue growing

-Phonebooth salesman

-Think of the amount of college athletes that went to the pros and played a different position so that they would have a better chance to succeed long term

ADJUST - alter or move (something) slightly in order to achieve the desired fit, appearance, or result

-Alter your schedule to accommodate your new goal even if it is just a small change

-Change usually starts small

ADVANCE- move forward, typically in a purposeful way

-Always continue moving forward... if you're not moving forward you're moving backwards

-It's a lot harder to drive in reverse than in drive

-Small advances are better than no advances

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!

#thefistpumpguy #personalassessment #the5As 

The ABCs of Selling!

Today I trained on a topic that is essential in any kind of sales industry especially in the car sales industry. It's pretty simple to understand the basics of this topic but it's also very important to understand these points in order to make yourself relevant. In an ever growing digital age it is very important to make sure that you are growing in your craft no matter what type of sales you currently work in. The following steps will help you become a better you.

Give yourself

A Better Chance

By looking for

A Big Clue

And

Always Be Collecting Data

While

Always Being Consistent

But 

Always Be Careful

That

All Bases are Covered

So that you may

Always Be Closing

Essentially the whole point is to make sure you are giving yourself A Better Chance to be successful by setting yourself up for that success. At the end of the day you must Be Closing in order to hit your goals and to stay relevant and grow your Reputation! 

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy Out!

#thefistpumpguy #abcsofselling