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Outdistance the Competition

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Learn from others. Strive to be a perfectionist. Believe in over-compensation. Never follow the line of least resistance. Practice the correct way, not the easy way. These attitudes overcome the opposition and bring victory.   - Frank Leahy To outdistance your competition, you must l earn more and better ways to out-serve them.  You do this by consistently doing the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, and always in the best interest of other people - those you serve. Out-serve the competition by demonstrating a genuine interest in your clients, their problems, concerns, and aspirations.   To gain the reputation of being a master sales professional, you must always be a master-servant. Study the master doctors of the world, the master lawyers, and master accountants. They are master servants, and this is true of every relationship of life. You can increase your power to serve to the satisfaction and profit of both the buyer and you.    Her...

"Remember who you are!"

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Compete, Don't Compare "Remember who you are!"   Janet Evans, one of the greatest freestyle swimmers of all time, owns 45 National Titles, four gold medals, and three world records. Just before the race for Olympic qualification on the Atlanta Team her coach, Mark Schubert, pulled her aside. Coach Schubert said to her, "Don't forget who you are."     At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Evans was surrounded by younger and perhaps hungrier swimmers. One said she thought the 24-year-old Evans was scared of the other competition. So as Evans walked to the starting blocks for the 400-meter freestyle, her coach took just a moment to remind his swimmer of her credentials. Don't forget who you are - compete, but don't compare!     Janet Evans went out and made her third Olympic team, winning the 400-meter freestyle in splendid fashion. Janet Evans, with Coach Schubert's help, learned that winning means excelling at being you.     The former Cleveland Browns'...

Make the Phone Pay

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Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman - not the attitude of the prospect. - W. Clement Stone There are four basic strategies on which your phone success depends - Have a reason for calling. Have something to discuss that motivates the person at the other end to want to listen. Be prepared to respond. Be mentally and physically "ready to strike." Follow a prepared script. Know what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. Your early words are critical to your success. Be brief and convey a certain sense of urgency. This you do by speaking a bit faster and louder than normal. Here are 12 proven ways to develop your phone effectiveness. Review these often: Maintain a positive attitude about using the phone. Choose a private place to make your calls. Organize your calls. Seek some common ground with the person at the other end of the line. Build and use a script. Introduce yourself, your company and state the purpose of your call immediately...

Shape Your Future

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Shape Your Future  Life is not so much a fight to be fought, a game to be played, or a prize to be won. It's more nearly a work to be done and a legacy to be left."   William Arthur Ward Leaders from all walks of life are forward-looking. They have a clear sense of where they are and where they are committed to going. Salespeople who reach the top rungs get there by first assessing where they are. Then they follow conscientiously and continuously their plan for shaping their future!   This type of strategy converts to responsible commitments. And making responsible commitments is the starting point for shaping your future in selling. Now is a good time to take a close look at your responsible commitments and how you progress toward their achievement.   We judge the major decisions for shaping your future to be the following:   1. What is your passion - long range?  Have you written out your Personal Mission Statement?   2. Are you excited about wh...
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You are the Firm! "I don't know what your destiny will be but one thing I know, the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve."   Dr. Albert Schweitzer Always be mindful of your aura of influence. Professionals in selling always identify themselves with their companies. They never say "the company," it is always "we." Prospects or clients cannot talk about your company without including you. You cannot refer to your company without including yourself. In your prospects'/clients' eyes, you do more than represent the firm --  you are the firm .   Here's a quotation we saw at the reception desk of a Dallas hotel some years ago. It describes the influence of a single individual.    "An institution may spread itself over the entire business community. It may employ all kinds of people . . . but the average person will almost always form a judgment of it through contacts with one indiv...

5 Housing Market Trends as of April 2020

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5 Housing Market Trends as of April 2020 : NAR’s April 2020 Realtors® Confidence Index (RCI) Survey shows the effect of coronavirus social distancing measures on the housing market. Here are five trends based on the data. 5 Housing Market Trends as of April 2020 : NAR’s April 2020 Realtors® Confidence Index (RCI) Survey shows the effect of coronavirus social distancing measures on the housing market. Here are five trends based on the data.

Believe in the Value of What You Do!

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                    Virtue is its own reward. There's a pleasure in doing good that sufficiently pays itself." It's too bad we can't all read our obituaries and determine how other people view our life. There is at least one exception to this and that is Alfred Nobel. Nobel was the wealthy Swedish businessman who established the Nobel Prize. He had invented dynamite and became one of the world's largest producers of explosives. When his brother died in a test of explosives, a newspaper mistakenly printed Alfred's obituary instead of his brother's. It read:   "The Merchant of Death is dead . . . Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday."   When Alfred read it and saw that his life amounted to so much destruction and killing, he was devastated. He decided to do something to benefit humanity, and he used his fortune to establish the Nobel Prize for ...