Years back in South Africa, my sales team would advertise my public seminars with huge, oversized posters / signs that they would attach high up on poles and trees along roads and highways – just high enough to make it hard for the municipality morons to get them down. Of course, they would be pulled down, since they were all illegal, but for the while that they remained in position, they filled the seats and we all made money.
When I took a salesman on, here was my pitch: “You pay for the signs, you print exactly what I tell you to put on the signs, you include your cell phone number on the signs, you put your signs up every week, you never turn your cell phone off except during my seminars, you take the calls that result from your signs, you book the seats, you pay your share the rental of the room where I present the weekly seminar, and you get five thousand bucks for every business I sell to the people you brought to the seminar as a result of your signs. OK?”
My Salespeople Earned Lots of $$$ – But if they didn’t remain consistent, they were Fired
My salespeople all earned between 5,000 and 10,000 per month in commissions. If they didn’t put up enough signs or respond properly to calls, if they didn’t show up in a suit and tie at every event, they were fired. There were two different responses to my pitch:
- “I haven’t got money to pay for the signs / I haven’t got time to put up signs / I haven’t got a car / I haven’t got a suit / I’ll try / I hope / What if it doesn’t work? / How much money can I make? / What if nobody buys?” These people were chased out of my office immediately.
- “What is the limit on my earnings? Can I put up more signs than anyone else? Can I put my signs higher than the others? Can we have more than one seminar per week? Can I start right away? Can I recruit more salespeople and get an override on their sales?” There people started work immediately. If they had a job, I made them quit it.
There is always a reason to do something and there is always a reason not to do something. To me, it’s black or white. If you’re not making money, stop sleeping and work longer hours. Put in double the effort. If you can’t afford it, sell your TV set, your Xbox, your toys. Borrow the money. Stop making excuses, because the more excuses you make, the less I trust and like and respect you. I don’t believe or accept your excuses, anyway.
Losers Always Have An Excuse At The Ready
Losers always leave the back door open. “If this doesn’t work, I’ll get a job again.” That attitude GUARANTEES their failure. They make excuses in advance: “IF it doesn’t work / I’ll try my best / I can’t FORCE people to buy / I GUESS / I HOPE / I can’t guarantee anything / the weather / the economic situation…” Winners never doubt that they will succeed, because doubt is poison. Would you drink a little poison every morning? Mixing with losers is poison. Following losers is poison. Belief and positive expectancy is rocket fuel power.
I know what you believe and who you are by what you DO, not by what you say, your promises, hype and B.S. I look for consistent actions – I don’t even hear your words. The reason why people succeed is that they expect to succeed, and they will do whatever it takes 24/7/365 to make their dreams come true. They are fearless warriors who never quit, never make excuses, and never lie or steal. With a winner, what you see is what you get. Winners are fanatics. I had one salesman, Colin, who heard from someone that his eyebrows were too thick, so he shaved them right off! When he walked into my office the next morning, I laughed so much, I nearly wet myself. But my respect for Colin went through the roof, and in spite of looking like a Martian, he doubled his sales that month.
Be Serious, Dedicated and Fearless
Be a fanatic about your work, and you simply can’t avoid succeeding. Paul J. Meyer said, “Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon, MUST inevitably come to pass.” Believe and achieve!
