Listen, Learn & Live

Listen, learn and live seem like three normal everyday terms. If you were to take each word individually I'm sure that many could come up with the definitions relatively easily. I want to take a look at them as a whole and how they apply and effect each other. Now, of coarse, I am in sales but what I'm about to say about these three words can apply in life in general.

Let's talk about the LISTENing. Last week I did some training about how to listen to your customers in order to get them what they want. Apparently, most people weren't Listening. I am not saying that listening will get you everywhere in life but it can help, especially when paired with my other 2 words. Listening can help you learn what to do and what not to do. If you see someone doing something that seems wrong or hear someone say something wrong then you can decide that whatever they are doing isn't beneficial to you and be able to figure out what the right way might be. But, on the other hand, you can apply what you hear from more experienced salespeople that have come before you and apply what has made them successful and use it for your benefit. I think the main danger in this point is that there are a lot of salespeople out there that don't want to listen at all. They think they know it all and that there is nothing that anyone else can offer to make them better. It really amazes me, especially with today's competition, that people don't want to get better by learning as much as they can learn. I try to learn something everyday.

Which brings me to my next point and that is to take what you LISTEN to and hear and LEARN from it. Whether it is something positive or negative you can always learn something. Learning, in this business, is crucial in order to grow and mature. I will admit, that when I first started in the car business, that it didn't take me long to think I knew it all and that I didn't need to learn or listen to anyone else but once I matured a little I figured out that if you are not learning and growing then you are dying. It's frustrating for me to see new sales people come in, sale a few cars and then they think they know it all. I can't stress it enough......Learning is an essential part of any successful sales person, no matter what type of sales you happen to be in. It's very hard to learn everything there is to know in almost any sales business there is out there though many think they know ALL.

Now, we can talk about LISTENING and LEARNING but if you don't LIVE what you've heard and learned then you haven't accomplished anything. Remember back when I mentioned listening to or seeing what people are doing right or wrong and applying it for the positive in your life? That's what I'm talking about here. If you say that there is something you need to change in your life or in your profession and not do something to change then you are doing nothing but talking. If you are not taking some kind of ACTION then you are standing still or moving backwards. Don't get caught up thinking that you don't have to move because if you want to continue to grow and improve then you must take those things that you LISTENED to and LEARNED and now you must LIVE what you have gained from them. 

Never take life for granted. Nothing is guaranteed except death and taxes and that includes tomorrow. You can plan for tomorrow but you may never see it so learn all you can and apply it so that you can if you do make it to tomorrow that you won't have any regrets. It's always easier to say "I wished I would've done this or that differently" so why not go ahead and do it differently now!

Hope I was rambling too much!

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!!

#thefistpumpguy #listenlearnlive

The Dreaded Check Register!

I haven't written in my blog in a while so I figured I'd try to get back on the wagon. It seems like I haven't written in months. My motivation, for some reason, just hasn't been what it normally is. And it has truly shown in my production and my attitude, at least I can tell it even if no one else can.

I'm going talk a little about what I saw today. I went into a local bank to get a check register, you know those things where you deduct the money you've spent so that you make sure that you don't overdraw. They're just so much easier to keep everything lined up. For the past few weeks I have been using note cards to keep up with it but it just doesn't work the same. Anyways, I went in to the branch and a lady was standing up front and asked if she could help me. I replied to her what I needed and she said she would get me one. I then happen to look around the branch and noticed that there were quite a few people working in there and they all seemed to be busy assisting customers and such, which I was pleased to see. Now, normally I don't go inside this branch because it is usually so packed but today I decided to run inside real quick, since it was early in the morning, to see if they could help me with this, what I thought to be a simple mediocre task.

After the nice lady asked me what I needed and I told her she scurried off to take care of my problem. I then decided to try to catch up on some much needed reading on Facebook. Every few minutes I'd look up to see if she was back. I looked up and she was behind the teller counter looking with no luck. After another few minutes behind the counter she came out and then proceeded to ask everyone that works there if they had seen any check registers to what all answered "no". I am probably one of the most impatient people I know but I was really trying to understand and really did appreciate her time in checking on it for me.

Now, keep in mind, I never go inside the bank or even through the drive thru but today I needed something from the bank that I've used for quite sometime and they weren't able to assist me. They did offer to call me when the order of them came in and I declined and said that I would just check back in a few days. I left a little aggravated but not that big of a deal until I got to driving and thinking.

I then had a brief conversation with my oldest daughter about being successful in a job and in life. I basically told her that she needed to learn as much as she could about everything she could even if it didn't directly apply to what her chosen profession might be. I told her that she could never learn enough and that she should take every opportunity to learn something new even if it seemed very unnecessary to know.

All I could think about was the amount of people that I work around on a regular basis that were very content in not trying to learn anything new. Many of them aren't interested in getting better at their craft or trying to grow. Even after all I try to teach they still put forth little to no effort to do the extra unless of course the learning is turned into "Mandatory training".

I had a training class the other day that talked about "Mandatory" and "Voluntary" training and what the difference was and which one would be more beneficial to them as a professional and all of them answered that voluntary training would definitely be more beneficial and effective. But even with that being said I just don't see or notice the effort of the majority of them. I guess I just don't understand the mindset for the most part. Oh, I get it that many "sales professionals" say that you don't need to learn the product or that one doesn't need to do extra training as long as you're performing but what happens when or if they lose their job or get moved to another dept etc? I guess I think about what else I can do verses why do I need to do something. I know many of the people I work with look at me and talk about me behind my back when they see me shooting videos or investing in something that I hope will grow my business but I try to not let it bother me even if my idea doesn't have the effect I thought it should or hoped it would. I try not to give up.

The moral of this story is this, make sure that if you work in a business, especially sales, that you must learn as much as you can so you can know what's going on so that when someone comes in looking for something or asking about something, even if it seems like a small thing, that you can give them and answer and solve their problem. You'd be surprised at the amount of people that I work with that can't do simple tasks or answer simple questions from customers. If I don't know I find out the answer. It is very important for your reputation to be able to get and keep a customer's trust and gain credibility. Sure, you may not see the results immediately but they will come in some shape, form or fashion.

Thanks for reading!

FPG OUT!

#thefistpumpguy #learnallyoucanaboutyourbusiness #voluntaryormandatorytraining

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

Reasons to consider the Toyota Corolla

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

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

Buidling Reputation leads to Results!

This is the topic I trained on this morning during our sales meeting. Soak it in and allow it to help you no matter what type of sales you are in! Don't let anyone tell you that your reputation isn't important because everyone has one. You have to know if yours is negative or positive and how you can improve it in order to earn Respect and get Results!

Thanks for reading!

Fist Pump Guy out!
#thefistpumpguy #buildingyourreputation #getsresults #followthefistpumptoenterprise