Road Improvements
Forced Reps
By Mark Matteson
When the current
Governor of Kahl-ee-four-neah won seven Mr. Olympia’s in row in
the 70’s and 80’s, he said, “Forced Reps” were the key to
his massive growth as a body builder. You see would work out
as hard he could on a specific lift and go to failure. Then
his work out partner would yell “Two More...push!” Those
last two reps were where all the growth and development came
from, forced reps. When preparing to run for Governor, he
remembered the metaphor of “Forced Reps.” One night working
past midnight with a political consultant, wanting to quit
for the day, remembering the lesson would say aloud, “Forced
Reps” and stay up another hour working with the expert in
California’s Environmental Issues. The next night the
subject was the 67% recidivism rate in California Prisons,
the highest in the country. He really did his homework. When
the questions came from reporters trying to stump him, he
knew the issues cold. Forced Reps.
Years ago Earl Nightingale wrote, “How much money you earn
is dependant upon “The Demand for what you do, Your Ability
to do it and The Difficulty of Replacing You.” (D x A x D/R
= $) He went on to say something that has truly stuck with
me all these years and changed my life and business:
“How Can I Increase The Quality and Quantity of My Service
To Others?”
In Seth Godin’s new little book (and $5 CD) The Dip he
challenges his readers to become best in the world at what
you are passionate about.
Many of us had to try many different jobs and careers to
finally find our bliss. However, having said that, it IS
possible to “Fall in Love With Your Job” and go to that next
level. I did it in my first sales job many years ago. To
quote Anthony Hopkins in the movie, “The Edge”, “What one
man can do, another can!” (Kill the Bear!)
This principle applies to all levels of any organizations:
Technicians, Sales People, Managers, Leaders, or Solo
Practitioners, Entrepreneurs.
Are you ready to raise the bar on yourself? Are you ready to
increase your service to others? Are you ready to learn more
to earn more? If so read on. If not, scroll down to the next
part of this e-zine.
-
Is there a Demand for your work, product or service?
-
How good am I right now at what I do, honestly?
-
Would I say I am World Class at my job or business?
-
Am I one the best in the country?
-
Am I the best in my State?
-
In my County?
-
In my City?
-
In my Neighborhood?
That begins with a decision, a goal to improve my lot in
life.
It doesn’t matter what your current position is in your
organization. This works for everyone. Take a piece of paper
and make a pie chart. Divide that chart into six pieces.
Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10, 1 being a slug and 10
being World Class. Let’s use Sales Skills as an example.
Rate yourself honestly in the following categories:
1. Product or Service Value Knowledge 1-10 ______
2. Prospecting Vertical Markets 1-10 ______
3. Qualifying (Relevant Questions &Active Listening) 1-10
______
4. Writing Proposals (A paraphrase of Understanding) 1-10
_____
5. Closing the Sale 1-10 _____
6. Service After the Sale/Asking for Referrals 1-10 _____
Now let’s assume you were honest in your personal
assessment. What do next? Let’s say your score when like
this:
With the above profile, it means you are a “Go Getter” and
have studied your product and service. You have tenaciously
gone after new business, cold calling like crazy and you
have seen a lot of people with your hard work and
enthusiasm. The problem? You are just not making very many
sales! Now how would we know if you are a “3” at Qualifying?
Simple. If your close ratio is 10-25%! That is what mine was
my first year in Sales. The good news that % is not fixed!
Once I decided to grow my Sales Skills, my close ratio my
second year jumped to 50%, the third year, 75%...and so can
you, if you are honest with yourself.
With this profile your shortcomings lie in your people
skills and not your desire or work ethic. So what is next? A
30 Day Test and commitment to grow that includes the
following:
1. Set a Specific Written Goal
(See the Special Report
“Dashboard Decree” at
Matteson Avenue like “I enjoy a
50% Close Ratio on $500,000 of Activity in 2008!”
2. Find a Mentor, someone who has done what you want to do
and been where you want to go. Look for at least three
people to develop a relationship with.
3. Begin Reading Books on your subject at least 20-30
minutes a day every day for 30 days (see the
Reading List
suggestions which will take you right
to Amazon.com.
4. Read Trade Magazines in your industry Rip and Read at
least five a month in your field one day a month including
the local papers. You are looking for trends, changes,
ideas, and people to assist you in your journey.
5. Take the time to sit with a cup of coffee three times a
week and write your goal down on a piece of paper or journal
and just Sit and Think. Yes just sit there....waiting. It’s
difficult. Most people won’t do it. George Bernard Shaw, the
great writer said, “I have become rich and famous by
thinking a couple of times a week.” Bill Gates has had the
radio disconnected in every car he has ever owned. From age
19 on, he would pose a question to himself, get in the car
and drive fast late at night and THINK!
6. Attend Seminars in your field or industry. The value
those gatherings are not just in the content of the speaker,
but in the collective knowledge of the attendees. Network.
Introduce yourself to others.
"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in
overalls and looks like work."
~ Thomas Alva Edison
~
To summarize, let’s say you want to improve “Service after
the Sale/Referrals” here is how it might work:
1. Your written goal might sound like this:
“I enjoy 5
referrals a month, every month. I am a referral generating
machine because I go the extra mile with my customers!” (Listing five reasons you want it of course!)
2. You take a mentor to lunch and he tells you,
“Ask for two
names after EVERY sale and one referral after every NO!” He
pauses to let you get caught up and concludes, “You always
send a thank you note. This is relationship business for the
long term.” He hands you a magazine he reads every month and
says keep it. Shocked you never thought of it, you write
that in your journal and begin doing it!
3. You begin reading Sales Books. In the book “The Treasury
of Quotes” by Jim Rohn, you find, “To succeed in Sales,
simply talk to lots of people every day. The good news is
there are lots of people!” and “Even if you are new in
Sales, you can make up in numbers what you lack in skills.”
And finally, “Practice is just a valuable as a sale. The
sale will make you a living. The skill will make you a
fortune!”
4. You read in Trade Magazine about an upcoming Trade Show
in Chicago. You have NEVER gone to one before. You take a
chance, use your frequent flyer miles, find a deal online
for a hotel and go. At the Trade Show you attend four
seminars....and you purchased a copy of the speaker’s book.
It was loaded with ideas...and from one idea you gathered
you tried something new and closed a sale! It more than paid
for the trip.
5. From your notes in the seminar, you go over all the
contacts you made, the ideas you wrote down that you are
going to try. You begin emailing some of the people you met,
one of the presenters, two sales people who are superstars
in your industry; you start to think about new ways to ask
for referrals. In your morning THINK sessions, you come up
with 10 new ideas, and one of them is a dandy. Call
customers six months after the sale to see if they are
happy. If YES, you ask for the sale, if NO, you solve the
problem and keep the customer! You close the biggest sale of
your career.
6. You realize in less than a month, one thing has led to
another. The Goal led to the mentor, who casually mentioned
the magazine which led to the Trade Show which led to the
seminar which led to books and more ideas....and one day six
months later you are 150% of Sales Plan!
15 Years ago, I heard a Speaker say if you want more money,
remember KASH:
K = Knowledge
A = Attitude
S = Skills
H = Habits
So if you want to earn more, you must learn more. There are
no short cuts in this area. We must pay the price in
advance. Life and business doesn’t just happens, it happens
just. Remember, Forced Reps...you don’t want to end up a
“Girly Man!” Do you?
Some Words of Wit and Wisdom on MONEY
“Money is a baffling subject. Time and again, it has proven
to be non-essential to happiness. I am referring of course
to confederate money.”
Gilbert Seldes
“Money talks, I’ll not deny. I heard it once, it said
goodbye.”
Richard Armour
“Money brings happiness. After a certain point, it just
brings more money.”
Neil Simon
“Money can’t buy friends but is sure brings a better class
of enemies.”
Spike Milligan
“The LOVE of money is the root of all evil.”
1 Timothy 6:10
“When I was young I thought money was the most important
thing in life; now that I am old, I know that it is.”
Oscar Wilde
“Money: A good thing to have. It frees you from doing things
you dislike. Since I dislike doing nearly everything, money
is handy.”
Groucho Marx
“I have been rich and I have been poor. Believe me honey,
rich is better!”
Sophie Tucker
“Money won’t buy happiness but it will pay the salaries of a
large research staff to study the problem.”
Bill Vaughn
“If a man saves $15 a week, and invests in good common
stocks, and allows the dividends and rights to accumulate,
at the end of 20 years, he will have $80,000. He will have
an income of $400 a month. He will be rich. And because
income can do that, I am firm in my belief that not only can
anyone be rich but ought to be rich.”
John J. Raskob, 1928
Book of the Month
The Dip - A little Book that teaches you when to stick and
when to quit. by Seth Godein. Only 86 pages. With cartoons! (By Hugh
Macleod). Chris Anderson, author of the Long Tail, called
it, "Utterly Delightful."
General George S. Patton (1885 – 1945) On Leadership
Here are some of his lessons and principles:
-
You young
lieutenant must realize your platoon is like a plate of
spaghetti, it cannot be pushed, you have got to get out
in front and pull it.
-
A leader is one who
can adapt proven principles to circumstances.
-
Generals must never
show doubt, discouragement or fatigue.
-
In cold weather,
generals must never appear to dress more warmly than the
men.
-
Your primary
mission as a leader is to see with your own eyes and BE
SEEN by your troops on the front lines.
-
We herd sheep, we
drive cattle. Lead me, follow me or get out of the way!
-
Always DO
everything you ask of those you command.
-
Never tell your
people HOW to do things. Tell them WHAT to do and WHY to
do it, and then get out of the way. They will surprise
you with their ingenuity.
-
You are never
beaten until you admit it.
-
If everyone is
thinking alike, someone isn’t thinking.
-
A good plan
violently executed right now is better than a perfect
plan executed next week. (Ready, Fire, Aim!)
-
Courage is fear
holding on a minute longer.
-
Better to fight for
something than to live for nothing.
-
Do not be afraid to
fail. Never take counsel of your fears.
-
Always do more than
is required of you.
-
The test of success
is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how
high you bounce when you hit the bottom.
Watch "The
Road" Buddy!
Matteson Avenue
has an archive of all the ezines of past.
Launch
new goals this year
Laugh more this year.
Check out my
movie list to
make you Laugh, Cry and Think
Learn more this year by reading a book a month on the
Reading List
Leave a legacy this year -
Freedom From Fear Forever
has a great message!
End Construction
Thank You again for your valuable time. We appreciate
you!
If you enjoyed receiving E-Zine Street, consider forwarding it to
a friend by clicking "Forward Email" below.
Join "The Road" to Continuous Improvement!