Shelley Mann was a polio victim, but that did not stop her desire to be a world champion. At the age of five, she started swimming to regain strength. It was because of her desire to succeed that she went on to become a world record holder at three events and even won the gold at the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne.
It was the desire to win that made a paralytic, Wilma Rudolph, the fastest woman on the track at the 1960 Olympics, winning three gold medals.
In his book, The Path of Least Resistance, Robert Fritz highlighted how we get what we desire. “When we have a desire for something, and what we have at present is different from the fulfillment of that desire, there is a natural tension that develops. This tension is subject to the natural law that tension seeks resolution. Picture a stretched rubber band. The tension in that rubber band acts almost as if it wants to relax, to resolve the tension and go back to its resting state. And so it is when we desire something we do not have. There is a tension, stretched between our current condition and the desired condition that seeks to be resolved. The bigger the desire, the greater the tension.” The only way to get what you want is to act on your desire. To desire anything without backing it up with action, will amount to daydreaming. Remember, to know what you want is to know what you will get; therefore, be certain of your desires.
We sell our colleagues, friends and family relations on doing things with us, like going to cinema, eating in a particular restaurant, etc. Parents sell their kids on believing in themselves – and on going to school, eating properly, sleeping at the appropriate time and even cleaning their environment. Individuals, companies and agencies sell ideas, concepts, thoughts, opinions, and feelings. Teachers sell knowledge and discovery. Every business, career, occupation, enterprise of any kind, is sales. In fact, every interaction you have with all of the people you come in contact with each day is sales.
These days, people tend to look at salespeople as those who do the dirty job. In fact, any vacancy that advertises for a marketing position stands the chance of not having the best brains. But the truth of the matter is that we all sell. It was Jay Abraham who observed: “The fact is, everyone is in sales. Whatever area you work in, you do have clients and you do need to sell.”
To succeed in selling, there are several things one will have to take into consideration. Here are a few of them. First, attitude is everything. Secondly, you must be enthusiastic. According to Harry Banks, “A sales man minus enthusiasm is just a clerk.”
Thirdly, appearance matters. Ken Kerr pointed out: “Up to 70% of people make buying decisions based primarily upon the visual.” Also, you constantly have to improve on your communication skills. Steve Brown hinted: “Talking is the train that carries the product to the market.”
Beloved, you and I are always selling. So, be conscious of every interaction with people. Exactly why Emerson said everybody makes a living selling something. Remember, the most important sale of the day is what we sell to ourselves.
Harry Winston, a New York diamond dealer, heard about a wealthy Dutch merchant who was looking for a certain kind of diamond to add to his collection.
Winston called the merchant, told him that he thought he had the perfect stone, and invited the collector to come to New York and examine it.
The collector flew to New York and Winston assigned a salesman to meet him and show him the diamond. When the salesman presented the diamond to the merchant, he described the expensive stone by pointing out all of its fine technical features. The merchant listened and praised the stone, but turned away and said. “It’s a wonderful stone, but not exactly what I want.”
Winston, who had been watching the presentation from a distance, stopped the merchant going out of the door and asked, “Do you mind if I show you that diamond once more?” The merchant agreed and Winston presented the stone. But instead of talking about the technical features of the stone, Winston spoke spontaneously about his own genuine admiration of the diamond and what a rare thing of beauty it was. Abruptly, the customer changed his mind and bought the diamond.
While he was waiting for the diamond to be packaged and brought to him, the merchant turned to Winston and asked: “Why did I buy it from you when I had no difficulty saying no to your salesman?”
Winston replied: “That salesman is one of the best men in the business and he knows more about diamond than I do. I pay him a good salary for what he knows. But I would gladly pay him twice as much if I could put into him something that I have and he lacks. You see, he knows diamonds, but I love them.”
Beloved, do you have passion for what you do? Like Harry Winston, do you love what you do? Can you effectively communicate what you do to others? Positive answers to these questions can take you to the next level.
Shalom!