Your friends bleeding you?

At some point in your life I’m sure you’ve washed clothes if you’re old enough to do so. In doing so I’m sure that at some point you’ve washed some that’s bled on others in the wash. It’s very frustrating for this to happen especially if it’s happened on more than one occasion!

As a young man, as I was learning life, I had this happen on a number of occasions. Most of the times it either involved darker towels that bled on each other or even jeans that bled on other clothes. It’s definitely a costly lesson to learn. It’s a little frustrating to pull out what was suppose to be a white towel or T-shirt that is now pink or or blue or black. 

Why did this happen though? Well, in my case, I was usually a little lazy and just threw everything into one load and the new towels would bleed onto whatever else was in there. So the problem lies in the fact that I didn’t separate the clothes. Sometimes it’s necessary to separate the lights and the darks or the clothes from the towels to make sure nothing is ruined during the wash cycle. 

What could happen when you don’t separate the clothes before you put them in the wash? Well, for starters it could cost you money. Often times once your clothes got stained or bled on by other colors you would either trash them or they turned into yard working clothes or something like that. The second thing that might happen is you might feel a little heartbroken if your favorite shirt or pair of pants became discolored while in the washing machine. You might often also end up throwing them away. One thing is certain though and that is if you were to have these things happen then you would likely learn your lesson and not let it happen again because it could become costly. 

What does separating clothes have to do with anything?

It’s a simple analogy actually!

Let’s apply it to life in which I think many of you will be able to relate!

Have you often times had to fight many battles that you thought might be unnecessary? Have you been in constant struggles that you feel there is no way out from? Have you been placed in difficult situations which required difficult decisions? Have you possibly had problems trusting people or maybe even landing the job you want? 

If you have then you may need to evaluate the people you are around or hang around on a regular basis!

The reason I say that is the fact that often times, though you don’t intend it, the people you hang around have a tremendous effect on you and many times it isn’t a good effect! Often times they are bad influences whether it’s a friend, family member or even a coworker. It could even be someone you grew up with or maybe even a mentor that has been a bad influence on you and because you were close to them you couldn’t see it.

I want to submit to you why I think that you must separate yourself from those same bad influences and what may happen if you stay in their company.

1) They can hurt your reputation because often times we are guilty by association. Somebody may see us with a certain individual and just assume we are doing the same bad things they are. It’s unfair seemingly but it definitely could happen! So, the next time you miss a promotion or don’t get the job you wanted you need to look at your center of influence and see if there is someone there that is affecting your reputation and contributing to the downfalls or shortcomings in your life!

2) They could be costing you money! Ever seem to go through your paycheck faster than you thought? Ever run out of money after the first weekend after you got paid? Do you seemingly support someone else’s habit?   Do you end up paying every time you and your best friend go out? Yes?! Then chances are you have someone in your life that is taking advantage of you and costing you money!  I’m not saying this happens in every case but in my case this was a big indicator. You may need to have a separation!

3) They could cause you to have trust issues! This could come from family or friends that’s maybe taken advantage of you or hurt you in someway. In many ways this one will hurt more of your future relationships than any of the others and is often times the hardest one to fix or get over. If you constantly have someone in your life that is taking advantage of you, lying to you or maybe even hurting you in some way then it may be that you need to separate from that friend or family member.

4) They could be keeping you surrounded by the temptations that you are trying to get away from! This one is also tough and dangerous. It could be a variety of things that this one covers from drugs to theft but whatever the vice or addiction it doesn’t help to stay around the people that possibly helped you start your habit in the first place and these are also the ones that are usually enticing you continuously! You need to separate yourself and not allow them to dictate the direction of your life through temptations!

All 4 of these things come down to the fact that often times these people that are causing these things in your life are really just trying to hold you down and hold you back. Many times they aren’t going anywhere in life and they just want company. They are usually the ones complaining that they have no money and no one will give them a job. They are often the same ones asking you to front them some money or wanting you to take them out so you can pay. It’s easy to see them if you’re looking for them! I didn’t use to be able to see them when I liked their company! 

If you are constantly struggling in certain aspects in life then you may need to evaluate your company. It may not always be the people you’re hanging around but definitely could be. If it turns out that you have bad influencers in your life then it may be time to separate the laundry so they don’t bleed you anymore!

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!

Listening to your customers!

I recently went into an eating establishment to order some food. Now, I go to this place regularly and usually don't have many issues if any at all. I went in this particular morning and ordered my usual breakfast and then the young man, taking my order, asked me if I just wanted the sandwich and drink to which I replied no I'd like the meal. Then he repeated my order and then inserted "medium Coke" to which I replied no a "medium coffee". Now, I really don't get upset or frustrated about things like this because I usually use them to train on. I usually try to use them to apply to what I do for a living.

The first thing I noticed about the young man is the fact that he is "training" and probably hasn't been doing it long. And I for sure will agree that working in fast food is definitely not easy especially when you are busy and getting backed up and everyone is staring at you wondering when they are going to get their food. So I definitely wasn't going to get mad. I automatically thought of the sales industry, auto sales in particular, and how often we do this same exact thing.

We have a particular process we use at our dealership and train everyone to follow it. It begins with the meet and greet and then goes into the interview process. Now, these two steps are vitally important to any sales position because this is where you learn about the customer and start to find out what you need to sell them. If you are not really "listening" to them at this point you could lose a deal whether it's right away or at the end. If you are not really paying attention to them you could miss important information that could lead to you putting them on the wrong product or showing them the wrong item.

You might ask "Is that really that big of a deal if I show them the wrong item or product?" to which I would respond "YES". I answer the question that way simply because a customer looks at you as the professional and they expect you to have all the answers even if you don't know all the answers. They look to you to show them what they need instead of showing them the wrong product altogether. Sometimes you lose trust and credibility and sometimes it blows over and is no big deal. But why must you risk the possibility of losing a customer because you were too busy or not interested enough in them to listen to what they want and what their concerns are? Keep in mind that you may even sale the particular customer but do they send you referrals and do you get their repeat business? Both important questions to note.

If you don't "listen" to your customers and "hear" what they are saying then you could also lose vital time. If you want to sell more than one car a day, for example, then you must be able to utilize your time and that includes being efficient with each and every customer and opportunity that presents itself to you. If you don't then you could find yourself spending way more time on a deal than you probably need to and if you do end up selling the customer you may not leave yourself time to do much else that you need to be doing. Now, when I'm talking about time you must be considerate of the customer's time as well. It's not all about you. If they come to see you then you must be prepared to handle the customer in an appropriate amount of time so you definitely must be able to "listen" and pay close attention to each and every opportunity.

I could write much more on this topic but the whole point is that if you want to be successful in sales, not short term but long term, you must be able to listen to every customer and apply what they say to your process so that it'll end with the results you want it to. If you can, listen to everything that is going on around you too. Who knows?, you might even pick up something from someone else that may help you grow in your craft.


Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy Out!

Blank stares in the room!

One thing that always seems to amaze me, when doing any kind of training, is the amount of blank stares or the noticeable lack on interest. I always wonder what are people thinking. Are they thinking "I don't need this", "I already know this" or "I am so good that I don't need anymore training"? I could think of other things if you gave me time but it would take up too much of your precious time.

What's funny about this whole thing is that most of the people that have "checked out" need the most training, I don't care what title they hold. Are these guys so comfortable in what they think they know that they don't absorb any kind of training or are they selective in what they want to pay attention to? Is it because that they have learned sooooo much that their brains can't handle any more? Is it because they think that the topic at hand doesn't pertain to them? In this world of constant change do they think that they have a secure lock on their position? Have they had a moderate amount of success and they think that what they currently know will continue to sustain them? These are all seriously vital questions that need to be answered simply because, in today's day and time, no one's job is safe.

I mean, think about it for a minute. If you had a job that you've had for a long time and the company sells out to a larger corporation and they decide to "clean house" and bring in all their own people, where do you go at that point? If you've had no extensive training and are too comfortable in what you think you know then what kind of job do you think you are going to be able to do? If you don't have enough knowledge in order to carry you to another company then what are you going to do? Have to start over? Yea, I guess you could find another job doing something similar but may not be as successful.

Ideally, no one wants to think they need to learn anything which I guess could explain people dropping out of school. Nonetheless, learning and growing is essential especially in this present world that changes from day to day. It's been hard for me as well especially with the technology part of it because it seems like everything has gotten harder since the invention of all this new technology. I'm sure it was put in place to make things easier and in some aspects it has done that but some of it I just don't get.

I guess the moral of this post is if you want to grow in your business and become more successful then why wouldn't you think that you could use new training? even if you have heard it before or you are better at it than others around you. Also, if you are in a "leader" position then you have to be the example! You have to show that you want to learn and that you are interested in learning. If you show that you don't care then those "subordinates" under you will NOT care. If you don't stress the importance in improving then they will NOT improve. Sure, they will make you money for a while but once the newness wears off then that will slow as well. What are you going to do at that point? Get rid of them and start over? Why, because you didn't do what you should've done and train them right to begin with? It's easier for some to start over with new people because they can program them but wouldn't be much easier training people the correct way from the start and keep it up instead of yelling at them and tearing them down because you didn't do your job and train them right to begin with? I think you can see the answer!


Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!

#thefistpumpguy #blankstares #lackoftraining

The 6 Ps of Sales

Today I trained on a topic that I thought would be important to people in the sales industry. Now, there may be a different version of this taught but this is the idea that I came up with that would actually kind of add to the other teaching and that is my 6 Ps of Selling.

People -      you must have clients/customers to work which you get by Prospecting. You can't sell anything without having someone to sell to

Process -     you must learn the process that your company has come up with that they feel is most efficient in order that you might be more Proficient in the Procedure

Product -     you must be knowledgeable in whatever product you are going to be selling so that you may Permeate Perfection to your Prospects

But it starts with

Potential -    you must know or at least think you have Potential and then you must Practice until you reach your goal and then set more goals

Professionalism - is accomplished through Practice to learn the skills necessary to be considered a true Professional in your field

Patience -    you must be patient until you reach your goal. It doesn't happen overnight. But you must Practice Patience through Persistence. In other words you must always be moving forward toward your goals. If you aren't moving forward you are moving backwards


These are just some ideas I had come up with. I'm sure you may have your own but the idea is still the same. Have a goal to shoot for even if it seems out of reach. If your goal is easy you aren't going to work and strive as hard. But if you don't see your own potential to do it then it will be very difficult to even set a goal!

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!

#thefistpumpguy #the6psofselling

There's no Participation Trophy in car sales!

One thing I think has hurt the way our children act and the way many people act is because of their sense of entitlement. What I mean by that is that many people, including kids, have developed the sense that they deserve to get something they didn't earn. It happens everyday in this country and it's only getting worse. Also, when we are talking about kids, giving them a trophy for participating in a sport or something like that doesn't really help them want to do better and practice harder. If they already know that they are going to get a "prize" at the end then what is the point of them even trying or developing skills that can carry them further in the real world. Now, granted, I am not talking about everyone or every situation but you get the point.

Now, I need to tie that into the car business for a minute (you probably knew I would)! In this line of sales, and many other sales positions, you don't get paid unless you make a sale! That's where I am going with this and that is that in many sales positions you don't get a Participation Trophy just for "trying". It is very discouraging sometimes but that's part of the sales industry. I know, you might say, "well, if you don't like it then change jobs". In which I would reply, "It's easier said than done". Number 1, and foremost, sales jobs pay, on average, more than most other jobs, unless of course you have some type of fancy degree and even then you might be in some type of sales position. Number 2, depending on the area you live in there may be a scarcity of jobs that will pay you what you need to make or think you deserve. So, running out and finding another job is really out of the question unless some great opportunity just falls in your lap. Besides, I actually like what I do though I do have bad days, weeks and months from time to time.

Now, having said all that, I would like to make a point that is of vital importance to me and many others in this position. That is the fact that if you know someone or are friends or acquaintances of someone in the sales business please do your best to give them your business because, as I said, we don't get a Participation Trophy at the end of the day. Every time I see someone I know come into the dealership and someone else is selling them I get a little aggravated especially when they know I work here.(It's hard not to know where I work with the amount of stuff I have online) Yea, I know, not everyone that you know wants to deal with someone they know and I get that but you must understand the way I take it. I look at it as you are taking money straight from my pocket and handing it directly to someone else kind of like how you pay out taxes. And usually it doesn't affect anyone but one person and that's the one that didn't get the sale. I'm not saying that I "deserve" everyone's business but I'd at least like the opportunity. Listen, if you work for an hourly wage or if you even have a salary or retirement coming in then you may not get what I am saying and I get that but don't take those in the sales profession for granted. Yea, I know, many are not honest and like to deceive people but that's not all of us. It really helps that if you are use to dealing with someone or have bought from someone in particular in the past that you try to get up with them first. There is a big turn over in the this business but it doesn't hurt to ask if "so and so" still works here.

So, in closing, I'd like to reiterate the fact that there isn't a Participation Trophy in the sales industry. Yea, there may be some great opportunities that may come about through sales but the fact of the matter is that we don't get paid unless we sell. So, do me a favor, if you know someone in the sales industry do your best to do business with them. A familiar face is always easier to deal with than someone you don't know.

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!

#thefistpumpguy #noparticipationtrophieshere

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 

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

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 

Importance of Building Your Reputation

I currently work in a field that doesn't have the best reputation or track record. For years, and still today, car salesmen have taken a bad wrap for being dishonest or thieves. Granted, back in the day and even some today, deserve to have that stigma but not everyone does. Back in the older days there was much more emphasis on word of mouth business and that is also mainly how one's reputation got around. Today it is bigger than it has ever been when it comes to getting the word out about a person or a business.
Today, we are in a very technological world that depends highly on electronic gadgets to just get by day to day. I am a firm believer that some of these same gadgets have actually made us dumber since we don't have to remember things as much anymore. But that doesn't change the fact that they are here and here to stay. There are so many ways to get information nowadays from phones to tablets and watches and it's still growing. You may be asking yourself "where in the world is he going with this?". Well, my point is this, if there is so much technology out there and every person has some form of it just about then why wouldn't someone be concerned about their reputation? If any person at any given time can do an online search and find out just about anything about anybody then why wouldn't you be concerned about what they might find?
Now, granted, there are many jobs that one may have that may not be affected so much by a good or bad reputation but that's not the majority. Even if you are job hunting your reputation can either help or hurt you. If you are trying to grow a business with new business it can too be affected by a good or bad reputation. So, I am always baffled when I here someone say "I don't care what people think about me" or "I'm not concerned about my reputation". Ideally, just about everyone has some feelings about what people think about them. They try and play it off like they don't but they really do. I'm always amazed at the amount of people that walk around with a chip on their shoulder because they can't find a "decent" job and they like to say that they are being treated unfairly. There may be some times that they may be treated like that but a lot of times they have just had a bad reputation following them. Whether they are a job jumper or they don't come to work on time their reputation follows them. Most of the time it's their fault and they like to blame others.
Ideally, in order to be truly successful, you need to have a very favorable reputation. Whether it's looking for a new job, or trying to excel in your current job, having and building a good reputation is vitally important. If you are trying to get ahead at work by hard work then you want to be known as a hard worker and someone who can get the job done. If you are applying for a new position or a new job then you want that same reputation to follow you. Let's face the fact that many businesses search potential applicants online to get more information. You can lie or stretch the truth a little on a application and get away with it but it's hard to get away from the published truth online so you need to make a valiant effort to be reputable online.
 Search yourself online and see what you find. Do you find good or bad things about yourself? Do you find anything at all? Because not finding anything can be bad at times too but we will talk about online presence at a later time. Make sure you are being noticed but that you are being noticed for the right things.

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!

#thefistpumpguy #buildingyourreputation #getsresults

Fishing with the wrong bait?

Many know that I have been training on Building your Reputation and how important it is in any kind of sales position. I have been tying in different topics to try to show you how to build your reputation effectively. Today I am going to briefly talk about the topic I trained on yesterday in the meeting that I am certain is vitally important in sales but especially in the car business.
Selling cars can be easy and hard at times but far too often salespeople make it harder than it needs to be especially new salespeople. It's made hard by a simple mistake and that is they might be Fishing With The Wrong Bait. What do I mean by that? I will tell you in a second. But let me ask you something first. Have you ever spent an excessive amount of time on the lot showing a vehicle, or multiple vehicles, and get the customer inside and they do not close? There can be a few different reasons why they don't close but many times we blame it on the price or they may even say it's the price. The fact is that many times, though we or they might say it's the price, we are on the wrong product/vehicle.
Fishing With The Wrong Bait means you are trying to sell them the wrong product/vehicle. If you haven't gone through the correct steps and asked the right questions then you can find yourself trying to build value in the wrong thing. That's not to say that you should always give too much credibility to all they say they "want" as I said in my last post but that you should listen and then follow their request with "what about this particular vehicle are you attracted to?" or "how important is this feature to you to be on your next vehicle?". These are just examples of coarse but you do need to know why and what they really need so that you make sure you are showing the right thing because you don't want to be on too much vehicle but you also don't want to be on too little vehicle. You can also ask them "what do you like most/least about your current vehicle?" or "what would you like to have on your new ride that you don't have now?" and other questions like that but you also have to take into account what their budget may be if you know because too much vehicle will blow them out to another dealership, probably to buy the exact lesser model car you are trying to switch them back to.
Another important step to make sure you are on the right product/vehicle is to model up/model down them. This means that you need to either show them a model up from what they are wanting to look at or show them a model down or maybe even do both. The reason is because that it helps you build more value in what you are really trying to sell them or it helps you find out what is really important to them, based on what they told you they wanted, and it sets you up with a switch vehicle or two just in case the payment is too much or the money isn't right for them then you can say something like "you remember that other model I showed you? It would be closer to your range/payment than this model is". This will help you close them on the car they are in finance on or it will help you switch them to the car you probably thought they should've went with in the first place. Either way you do two things, you find out what is really most important to them and you build an extreme amount of credibility and value in yourself which is also highly important in any sales position which ultimately leads to building your Reputation and gives you more/higher Results/Rewards.
My ending thought is this, make sure you are asking the right questions and showing the right amount of interest in your customers. If you actually listen then you will have an easier time distinguishing what they really need and an easier time picking out the right product/vehicle. Remember, you are the professional so act like it. They look to you for answers many times and you need to be able to solve their problem and answer their questions. Many times the customer needs to be led, if not every time, because all too often they do not even know what they want or what's best for them. It's up to you to make the difference which is why it's so important to make sure that you are Fishing With The Right Bait!

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!

#thefistpumpguy #fishingwiththewrongbait #buildingyourreputation #getsresults #followthefistpumptoenterprise

Pleading Your Case

I have recently been training on building your reputation and how it important it is especially in the sales industry and how it leads to Results/Rewards that you desire. I also trained on the ability to adapt or change into what the customer needs you to be through The Phone Booth Salesman. Then I trained on QDR which was Toyota's focus when they started building vehicles and continues today and how using these same guidelines to show people your Quality, that you are Dependable and that you are certainly Reliable.

Yesterday I fed off of these training topics and taught on Pleading Your Case to the customer. Much like how an attorney gathers the facts and is able to build a story to convince a jury or a judge we, in the sales industry, must be able to do the same. We start off by greeting the client/customer and then gathering facts by asking questions and finding out what the customer's true needs are and not necessarily their wants. It's fine to listen to all of their wants and desires but sometimes they aren't necessarily things they MUST have and it's our job to find out what they need instead of all they want. Simply put, if a customer comes in and says " I want so and so fully loaded" doesn't always mean they want the top of the line. They may just mean they want alloys and leather which may be on a lesser priced vehicle. It does no good to try and build value in something a customer doesn't need unless, of coarse, it's the only one you have and then you need to exceed the value. This is just an example of coarse and I'm just using it to show you what I mean. 

My whole point is that in order to build value and sell a car you must be able to Plead Your Case about whatever vehicle you are showing and in order to do that effectively you must ask the right questions and gather the correct facts. If you don't gather the right facts then you may be wasting your time and therefore you may be Pleading Your Case on the wrong item. If you are able to put them on the right item and then Plead Your Case effectively it will eventually end in a deal and therefore it will build your Reputation and Respect because, sometimes, those are more important than the monetary Reward/Result. 

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!

#thefistpumpguy #buildingyourreputation #pleadyourcase #getresults 

The Phone Booth Salesman

When I came up with this training title I was telling myself how dumb it may sound to the sales staff. I was thinking that they would think I was some kind of idiot.....though I think I am a little. I think many of them tune me out anyway so I decided to train on this topic regardless.
I am a huge Superman fan. He was always my favorite superhero. I was always amazed at how he was able to keep his identity a secret but yet able to change into his superhero dress while needing little time or cover to do so. This is where I came up with the idea of The Phone Booth Salesman.
You might be asking "what in the world is he talking about?" a Phone Booth Salesman? Yea, I know, it sounded a little dumb to me when it was running through my head as I came up with the material to cover in the meeting under this title. But I started to think what this could mean in the sales force. Superman was able to step into a phone booth and change in less than a few seconds....in the older episodes anyways. He was able to change when there was trouble or someone was in trouble. He was able to "adapt" into what people needed him to be.
That's what I think is necessary for the sales force, especially in car sales. We are approaching a time when the majority of any kind of sales will be done online, at least the searching part anyways, and it will be necessary to stand out and be noticed. As I've discussed before, building your reputation is very important and can lead to you being needed in sales. So, being able to adapt to a customers needs or being able to adapt to a different time is very necessary now for sure.
What do I mean by being able to adapt? Well, for starters, we must adapt to the times. In a growing age of technology we have the opportunity to be lost in the chaos. It's becoming less of a face to face business and more and more of a face to screen business but no matter if you are on the other side of the screen or if you are the one on the lot you need to make sure you have a good reputation and you are relevant. Being able to adapt helps make you both. If you are able to answer all questions and handle all issues you will be needed. If you are able to show that you are the one to call when a customer has a problem or if you are simply there to set an appointment for them you will be needed. In the past these things weren't necessary but now they are very necessary,  especially in the automotive business. If your service dept can't figure out a problem on a car then you want them to be able to call you for the solution. Who knows?....you might even pick up a customer in the process. Whatever is going on you need to be involved and you need to be able to adapt to that situation. It will only make you more needed and wanted. You need to make yourself a necessity and not a liability, no matter what your chosen profession or job happens to be.
I see, especially today, that many people don't want to change. I get it. I didn't either. I am older than I once was and I for one can see how much technology has actually hurt how we live but that doesn't change the fact that it is here and we must adapt to the situation. Much like how Superman was able to change into his superhero dress we must be able to change into what the customer needs us to be. It may be hard to even want to change but there's a time coming when you need to make sure you are different and indispensable.
At the end of the day you want the customer/client to think of you with all of there automotive needs, or whatever your job is, no matter if you are able to directly help them or not. Adapt and succeed or don't and eventually fail. We all miss it sometimes and fail but you must always continue pressing forward towards the results/rewards.

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy Out!

#thefistpumpguy #phoneboothsalesman #buildingyourreputation