Your “Can Do” Attitude

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Sean Moore | | 1 Comment

can doI know how challenging our world is today. Both our business endeavors and our day-to-day lives are quite complex, and we can often feel like there are more problems than answers. It can be so easy to fall victim to problems and to obsess about the challenges we face, making all things more difficult as we strive to find our way. 

Here’s the thing: every day, someone around us is dreaming about his or her goals, developing a plan to reach those goals, and achieving lifelong dreams. 

So why is it that some go through life achieving goal after goal, yet others get stuck in a rut and just can’t seem to move forward? I believe achievement starts and ends with a “can do” attitude. 

When faced with a departmental challenge a few weeks ago, I was reminded of the indispensable asset of a “can do” attitude through one of my colleagues. This particular colleague inspired me to write this post. Those with a “can do” attitude seem to approach every situation with an outlook that says no matter what the issue or challenge is—there must be way! When faced with a challenge or opportunity in life, do you approach it with a “can do” or an “I can’t” attitude? With a “can do” attitude, you can achieve your goals and dreams in life.

When it comes to being successful, I’ve noticed there are two types of people—those who believe they can and those who believe they cannot. The people in the first group always generate ideas and ways to achieve their goals, while those in the second group will offer only excuses for why the possible is really “impossible.” The “I can’t” folks remain in a state of continuous frustration and are always physically and emotionally drained.

After watching many people throughout my career, I have come to believe that the key to personal success is empowerment.  

I believe empowering ourselves into the “can do” state starts by getting into action. Being part of the solution instead of focusing on the problem will contribute to your ability to achieve your goals. Empowering others and ourselves gives us the freedom to try new things, to take risks, and to learn. Yes, we will make mistakes, and our solutions won’t always be perfect. We need to simply adjust, plan again, execute, and keep moving forward. Empowerment is allowing ourselves and others to bring a “can do” attitude to the challenges and opportunities we encounter.

In addition, this “can do” attitude encourages creative thinking and innovation! People with this type of attitude always believe they will figure out a challenge. The solution may not be readily apparent, but it’s bound to be there somewhere, and a “can do” person is determined to find it. This optimistic attitude is one of the attributes I consistently see in successful sales and marketing professionals. These people take on daunting challenges like it’s the norm. They are willing to do what it takes to figure it out. It’s like guiding a great big cruise liner into port.  Often a successful salesperson will start with a dream or an idea. One idea then becomes several ideas, and as these leaders implement their ideas, they take some risks, make some mistakes, and make adjustments. Not every idea is a home run, and they learn from their small wins and mishaps—but they are always moving forward, guiding their ships into the port of success!

I will leave you with the story of an incredibly inspirational man with a definite “can do” attitude. Maickel Melamed completed the Chicago marathon this past weekend. While there were thousands of runners who completed the race, Melamed’s achievement is significant, for he has muscular dystrophy. After running for nearly 17 hours, Maickel Melamed crossed the finish line. Listen to what this amazing man has to say about his achievement:

“Because I can do it! That’s the point. If you can do something, you discover you can do it, and then you have to do it.”

Join me next week as I explore three practical ways to implement a “can do” attitude into your career and personal life.

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Why “Maybe” Is a Destructive Word

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Sean Moore | | Leave a comment

maybeIf there is one word I hate, it’s the word “maybe.” It’s such an awful word in sales and is not really even a good word to use in our personal lives.  The word “maybe” is vague, indefinite, unsure, uncertain, nebulous, and, for those of us who make our living in sales, undecided and uncommitted.  It’s just an outright awful word that we should strike from our vocabulary.

You see, when we live in the “maybes” of life, we are stuck. We are living in what a good friend of mine calls “Hope-pa-Hope-pa Land.” Maybe means we are not moving toward what is directly in front of us, and we are also not moving toward anything else. Maybe always and only means we are moving backward.

Like many of you, one of the things I feared early in my career was being told “no.” I would take it personally, and it would affect my self-worth—when prospects would say “no” to my product, I heard them saying “no” to me. During a sales call, if I sensed that it wasn’t going well, I would go for the “maybe” to avoid rejection and ease the pain. My interpretation was that the “maybe” just meant “not right now,” and I would convince myself that I would eventually convince them to buy. This technique protected my ego, but it also negatively impacted my sales success.

Without a doubt, the best answer in sales is always an immediate “yes.”

But many salespeople think “maybe” is the second-best answer since this means the prospect might buy sometime in the future. Unfortunately, “sometime in the future” usually turns into never. Let’s face it: our potential buyers are people—and often very nice people.  They don’t want the salesperson to take a “no” answer personally.  So when a salesperson gets a “maybe,” it is almost always a stall tactic given out of a lack of courage by the prospect to say “no.”

After 15 years of sales experience and many successes and defeats, I would much rather get a quick “no” than the horrible “maybe.” You see, when you get a “no,” it allows you stop wasting your time with a prospect that does not plan to buy from you.  I can’t tell you how many times early in my career I would get a “maybe” and end up spending months chasing my prospect while he or she was continuously dodging me.  

I’ve heard that a successful salesperson is “professionally persistent.”  

Persistence is good when you are unyielding in the right areas.  When you are adamant about finding prospects with enough pain, enough money, and enough decision-making authority to buy your products, you will be operating in the sweet spot!  A sales rep that can’t go for the “no” ends up spending his or her time sending followup emails and leaving numerous voicemails that never get returned.

You see, when we go for the “no” instead of the “maybe,” it allows us to move on and allocate our time to finding good customers instead of focusing on prospects that will never buy from us.   This does not mean we forget about these prospects. Add them to your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system and occasionally call on them, watching for when they have enough need and money to buy your product.

Successful salespeople do not accept “maybe.” 

A “no” is fine. 

A “yes” is great.

But a “maybe” is just unacceptable.

So, in summary, to maximize your sales effectiveness, follow these steps:

  1. Find the prospects that have pain and need your product.
  2. Find prospects that have money to buy your product.
  3. Make sure these prospects have the decision-making authority to buy your product.
  4. And, most important, go for the “no” rather than a slow, destructive “maybe.”

In conclusion, the most detrimental part of “maybes” is that there is emotional energy tied up in any unmade decision, and you cannot accomplish great sales success with “kind of,” “sort of,” or “maybe” in your pipeline.  The unyielding “maybes” in your pipeline wear on you and take the fun out of sales.  Make a decision today to not live in the “maybe” realm—go for the “No!” Choose not to live in “Hope-pa-Hope-pa” Land!

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CRUSH IT!!

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Sean Moore | | 1 Comment

crush it effortAs we finish the third quarter and enter the last quarter of 2013, now is the time to accelerate our efforts!  For many of you, this is the quarter that maximizes this year’s comp plan, and you have an opportunity to take advantage of accelerated commissions.  Others of you have the opportunity to set yourselves up for a great start in 2014.  Either way, this is the time of year when we need to CRUSH IT!

So, how badly do you want to crush it?  Is it an all-consuming feeling?  Does it keep you up at night as you brainstorm ways to get the job done?  Are you willing to do what it takes to snag your big 2013 bonus check? 

Here’s the thing: we live in age where anything is possible. We possess unmatched opportunity—more than any previous generation.  The possibilities are endless for anyone with enough hustle, patience, and big dreams.    

This explains why Vince Lombardi said, “Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” Some people exhibit the habit of winning, and although we’d like to believe these people have a special gift, the reality is that they display unwavering and hardcore commitment to their goals. Winners exercise an impressive amount of self-discipline as they travel the path to the goals they want in life.

Crushing it does not involve a magic formula that equates to less work.  Reaching success isn’t dependant on circumstances; it’s dependent on our choices.

Finding new circumstances won’t make us successful, but making better choices will.  

Speaking of choices, did you give it your all today? This is a basic and very simple question we should ask ourselves every day.  If the answer is “no” and we could have given or done more, let’s not get down on ourselves—it happens.  Set a goal to do better tomorrow—to go harder, give more, and prove to ourselves that we are capable of achieving the greatness that is within all of us. Tomorrow is a new day; it’s OUR day to exceed all of our expectations.  Let’s tear off the roof and allow no ceiling to our success—only blue sky as we CRUSH IT!

So where do we start?  The important thing is to start where you are right now—and then don’t stop! We must dominate whatever it is we are doing.

What are you doing on Monday? Start by crushing Monday.  Make Monday the most productive Monday you have ever had.  Forget the “Monday Blues” and instead create “Monday Momentum.”  Create so much momentum that it spills over into Tuesday and Wednesday and the rest of the week! Before you know it, you will have had your best week ever, and that will turn into your best month and then your best year. 

Finally, don’t limit the amount of success you can have, as limitations are a recipe for disaster.  Really successful people know that their future success depends on more effort.  Success begets more success when effort is part of the equation. When a successful person’s desire for success ceases, so does his or her cycle of success.  Success is like breathing: your previous breath was important, but it is not nearly as important as your next one.

As salespeople, the last and final quarter of the year is always the most important, for it demonstrates our ability as a company to finish strong and set ourselves up for success in the coming year.  I hope you accept this challenge, no matter where you are in the rankings, to crush it this last and final quarter of 2013, and I mean CRUSH IT!  Good selling!

Crush it

 

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Successful People Embrace Change

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Sean Moore | | 1 Comment

 

Embrace Change

 

 

Views differ considerably when it comes to the debate over whether successful people should try new things versus doing only what they are good at or comfortable with. Some believe that people need to create their own niches in the world and stick with those niches; thus, doing things that are unfamiliar would be considered unprofitable. Others feel strongly that, in order to be successful, one must always be willing to try something new and explore other options. Both viewpoints are valid; however, I favor the latter idea: people who are successful are always trying something different and looking for a better way to do things. 

Last week I wrote about facing fear with courage, and we can continue the discussion by looking at it from a different angle.  The most impactful things I have done in my life and career were not the things I was comfortable doing; in fact, most of them made me quite uncomfortable.

Some of these things were big life-changing decisions, such as moving from British Columbia, Canada to Washington D.C., U.S.A. to become an Area Director for ConMed and manage its Southeast Region.  Throughout my career, many other things have made me feel uncomfortable—cold calling, meeting new people, conducting continuing education presentations for my clinicians—these things were all extremely difficult until I got used to doing them.

It feels good to be familiar with our surroundings; however, in my experience, successful people are willing to put themselves in new and unfamiliar situations. This doesn’t mean they are changing just for the sake of changing; however, they know that getting too comfortable can cause them to lose their drive.

Successful people try new things and take risks rather than only doing what they know how to do well. 

In fact, over the past 15 years of selling medical devices, I have observed that successful people love change, whereas unsuccessful people do everything in their power to resist change and keep it from happening.  To be clear: we never want to change things that are working well, but we always need to look for ways to improve things, including ourselves. When faced with these changes, successful people embrace them instead of rejecting them, for they are always examining themselves and their business, seeking ways to improve.  These successful people never rest on their laurels and past successes; they are obsessively impatient with results, and they always feel they could have accomplished more. 

Many of us are afraid of change. Salespeople often have a high need for approval, and we all want affirmations. It is easy to measure ourselves based on “what everyone else is doing,” but this mentality can keep us from spending the time and effort to push ourselves to be even better. I’ve been as guilty of that as anyone. I realize that my stalling points in my career and life came when I got comfortable and decided I “knew everything.” As Harry Truman said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” 

The first key to understanding Truman’s statement is deciding that you are never going to be a “know-it-all.” The second key may seem contradictory, but it is not: you must acknowledge that if you aren’t constantly trying to “know it all,” then you will most certainly fall behind.

In a previous post, I discussed Newton’s law of inertia, which states the following:

“Objects at rest stay at rest, and objects in motion stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.” 

In other words, we are either getting better or getting worse—but we never stay the same.

Successful people are continuously adapting. Change doesn’t scare them—it excites them!  They are willing to accept and embrace change, and this quality is one hallmark of a true winner!

It’s very difficult to embrace change when things are going pretty well, and it’s also hard to effect change when you don’t see an immediate positive result from your efforts.  The best way to overcome this resistance is education.  We all need to own our personal and career development.  Be proactive and prepare for change by maximizing your options and then take every opportunity to learn.   When we commit to be continuous learners, we prepare ourselves to react positively to whatever comes our way. Finally, be prepared to learn new skills, take advantage of new trends, and always remain flexible in order to adapt to unforeseen crises.   If you don’t, you’ll be left behind as the world changes without you.

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Fearless Versus Courageous

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Sean Moore | | 1 Comment

courage and fearI have written about fear in the past.  It’s a subject I continually reflect on, as fear is an emotion that is a double-edged sword.  In the absence of courage and action, fear can be the greatest inhibitor to our success.  Yet, fear can also be a great accelerator toward success if we stand up to our fears and respond with courage.

When we think about the word “courage,” we think about first responders who rescue during times of disaster, a mountain climber facing nature’s challenges in ascending Mount Everest, or a professional athlete pulling off a clutch win at the end of an important game. Courage is the characteristic that compels people to face dangerous or challenging situations in spite of fear.  People who are courageous take action regardless of their fears. Courage is not just about climbing a mountain no one has ever dared to climb, nor is it only about engaging in dangerous sports, risking life and limb in order to become a hero. Courageous people are not fearless; they do feel fear but simply release it by not dwelling on it.

Courage is not the absence of fear. In fact, courage requires fear. There is no need to be courageous if you aren’t afraid of something. There are plenty of things throughout the course of our careers and lives that we will fear. We wouldn’t be human if we did not experience the emotion of fear.

When you look at successful people who habitually face their fears, you definitely see an air of confidence about them. Courage comes to those who act—not to those who wait, or think, or wonder—but to those who act!  Like other skill sets, courage can be developed, but courage cannot be acquired by attending a seminar or reading a book. 

The only way to develop courage is by doing—by doing those things you fear. 

When you do things that scare you, you will grow, and those things will slowly scare you less and less until you wonder why they even scared you to begin with!

Fear is something we have all struggled with at some point in our lives. Throughout my career, one characteristic I have observed in the most successful territory managers is their ability to demonstrate courage in spite of fear.  These individuals are the first ones to volunteer to conduct a role-play in front of their peers during training sessions.  These leaders are always taking action to move their business forward, never hesitating to approach a surgeon, ask for a referral, and request the order.  It’s not that these salespeople do not fear things. It takes courage to be afraid and yet act.

You do not need courage when you sit down to have lunch because there is no fear present. It is when fear shows up that we have an opportunity to summon and experience courage within ourselves. I will say it again: courageous salespeople are not fearless; they feel the fear and simply release it by not focusing on it. They put their attention on more important things, such as their goals.

True courage demands daily practice. It requires us to reach deep down within ourselves and forget everything we have been taught, everything we know, and everything we fear in order to move forward toward our goals. Fear is a call to action.  True courage demands that we get out of our comfort zones—it’s about stretching ourselves and not letting our own emotions get in the way of reaching greatness and fulfillment.

Be courageous today!

Look fear in the eye and act.

Don’t let fear overtake and consume you.

Don’t let fear win!

As Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

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