With College graduation fast approaching I came across a really great article that every needs to read whether you are graduating now, a recent graduate, or someone who needs a fresh reminder of what it takes to be successful in today’s fast technological economy. I hope you really take to heart what Dennis Waitley has to say here. Let me know your thoughts.
The acquisition of knowledge, which is the new global power, is a life-long experience, not a collection of facts or skills. Not long ago, what you learned in school was largely all you needed to learn to secure a career. With knowledge expanding exponentially, this is no longer true. For example, hundreds of scientific papers are published daily.
Every thirty seconds, some new technological company produces yet another innovation. Your formal education has a very short shelf life. Life-long learning, once a luxury for the few, has become absolutely vital to continued success. Continue gaining expertise and avoid thinking like an expert.
In a world of e-mail, fax dispersal, voice mail, sound bites, concise reports, business plans, and meeting briefs, the individuals who can articulate their goals, substantiate their claims, and support their visions, will own the future. In the 21st Century, literacy will be the major difference between the haves and have-nots.
Why do fewer than 10 percent of the public buy and read nonfiction books? One reason is that many would rather get home than get ahead. They are motivated to get by and get pulled along by the company, the economy, or the government.
Another reason is that many individuals believe that information found in books, computer programs, and training sessions has no value in the business world. How self-deluding!
Action Idea – Increase Your Reading, Writing and Vocabulary Proficiency. One of the most important qualities of successful leaders is an ability to express thoughts and knowledge. Research by management and human resource experts confirms that no matter what the field of employment, people with large vocabularies – those able to speak clearly and concisely, using simple as well as descriptive words – are best at accomplishing their goals. Well chosen, carefully considered words can close the sale, negotiate the raise, enhance relationships, and change destinies.
— Denis Waitley
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With college graduation approaching it reminds me of a time in my life where I had no real clue as to what I was going to do after I graduated. Up until this point I had a goal of being the first person in my family to graduate college. I was stoked that I had just finished an internship at the Cooper Fitness Center and was now ready to graduate and head into the real world. The only problem I was not sure if I wanted to work with athletes or wanted to do personal training. As you know by now I went the personal training route; however, when I first started I had no plan. It was not until I read Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” that I started to plan. Also, I wrote a post awhile back titled “The Fastest Way to a Six Figure Income, which summarizes the study conducted by Harvard and showed the power of planning. I suggest you read it and see for yourself the remarkable results. Okay Dave, if planning is so important show me what I need to consider for my individual plan.
A.) Yearly – You need a plan for the entire year and the following should be included:
B.)Monthly
Last week I started a serious called the “Five Steps to Successful Selling” and wanted to continue this week with step number two. Step two is about the “Necessity of Prospecting.” In this step we will break down the difference between prospect vs. suspect. Also, we will talk about the prospecting/sales ratio. So without any more delay let’s get our teeth around step number two.
A.) Prospect vs. Suspect – What is the difference between the two?
Prospect – someone who may be a potential client.
Suspect – someone who you have an 80% chance to close on.
The difference here is that a prospect is all the available people who you can market to and a suspect is someone who is pre-qualified and someone who is already in the behavior mindset to buy training. Focus on suspects!
B.) Prospecting/ Sales Ratio
1.) poor sales ability – numbers game. If you are willing to continously try and determine who is a prospect or suspect and market to them than you can be great.
2.) great sales ability – if you can identify a suspect and close then you will be successful at sales. You need to measure your closure rate to determine if you have a great sales ability.
In order to be successful at sales you need to know the difference between a prospect and a suspect. Make sure you close on every suspect you come into contact and try and increase your closure rate on prospects. Also, if you don’t track or measure your closure rate you will be unable to determine whether or not you have a good or poor sales ability.
I wrote the other day about how important it is to master the art of sales and I said I would share with you in more detail the 5 steps to successful selling that I adapted from Zig Ziglar. So let’s tackle the first step. The first to step to successful selling is the importance of Personal/Professional development. Okay, let’s get started.
A.) Personal
B. Professional