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 

Personal Assessment

Today I trained on doing a Personal Assessment and why it is important. In any business venture, that you may be in, it is very important to evaluate yourself. It is so easy for us to look at others and evaluate them and their habits but when it comes to evaluating ourselves we tend to shy away. There can be many reasons why you think that is but I will share with you what I think the answer to that is in a minute. Doing a Personal Assessment can hurt and be very eye opening if you indeed do it honestly and with the hope of truly correcting or improving your situation.
Why is it important to do a Personal Assessment? Well, I'm sure there may be many answers out there that people have concluded but I want to sum it up in one word and that is "GROWTH". Yes, I said "GROWTH". We are living in the most competitive and ego driven society that has ever been spawned. Nobody wants to be wrong and most people think they never are. They want to believe that they have the best way or the best product available. They may indeed but when I say to GROW you must do a Personal Assessment. That means everyone. No matter your profession or walk of life at some point you must look at yourself and see what direction you are going and what direction you actually want to be going. Sometimes we may be headed in a direction that looks right but indeed it could be the wrong direction. So the primary reason I think one must do a Personal Assessment is so that they can continue to GROW. If you're not growing, especially in sales, you are dying.
Now, the question might be "What gets in the way?". I'm sure you and everyone across the world may have their own answer or opinion on this one but my answer is it's because people are too full of Pride. Now, I'm not talking about the kind of Pride you have in a job well done or a good decision you made. I'm talking about the kind of Pride that is deadly. Many people, especially in the business I am in, are very Prideful. Everybody thinks they know everything and no one wants to admit they don't. Nobody thinks they need help or that they need to learn anything hence the blank stares when I am training. I mean let's face it, if you can't do something as simple and basic as coming to work on time then you probably need more training than anyone.....I'm just saying. Besides, you should definitely have enough respect for yourself, not to mention the company you work for, to at least want to try and grow and get better. I see it all the time that people think they are owed something and therefore don't try and learn and grow. They don't believe in hard work anymore. It's all about how to get something for nothing and without working for it. So, look at yourself honestly, do a Personal Assessment. If you need help with something or need help learning something, ask someone or pick up a book. There are many resources out there that can help you get to the next level and to help you not be so Prideful.
Now, a quick list of things to look at when doing a Personal Assessment.

Attire - How you look and present yourself says a lot about you and how much you care. Are you lazy and unorganized and therefore don't have time to iron your clothes? A very serious thing to look at. Remember, first impressions say a lot.
Verbage - Kind of like Garbage.... what you say says a lot about who you really are. Be careful with your speech and look at what comes out of your mouth regardless of who you're around because not everyone wants to listen to the garbage and nonsense.
Knowledge - What you know and what you want to know makes the difference. Always be willing to get better and eager to learn from those that are more knowledgeable than you. You never know where that will lead.
Attitude - I  could talk for a long time on this topic but to make it short.... how is your attitude towards yourself and those around you? Is it easy to see how your day is going when someone looks at you? Are you easy to upset? How are you about life in general? Very important to know these especially in any sales position.
Ethics - How honest are you about things? Are you willing to overlook dishonesty especially when it benefits you? Do you stand up for what is right and ethical or do you fall suspect to those around you that suck you into their dishonesty? Do you allow your children to be dishonest? If not, why not if you are being dishonest?
Setting Goals - It's very important to set goals. No matter what you do for a living or what you want to do in life it is very important to have an objective. No objective means no direction. Which way are you headed?

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!

#thefistpumpguy #personalassessment #pridegetsintheway