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!

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