You have to want to succeed

Last we introduced the ADMIRE model and how the first element attitude determines our approach to selling.

The second element of the ADMIRE model is DESIRE. This is about having purpose, about having targets to achieve, goals, objectives, call them what you will.

Can you, if asked, explain to someone succinctly what your key goals are for the next month, the next year? If you can then well done – you are in a tiny minority of people who have thoroughly thought through and planned goals. Less than 5% of sales people have written down goals that are regularly updated to reflect the latest achievement.

What are your personal earning goals for this year, next year?

Having the “right”ATTITUDE and combining this positive way of thinking with a set of written down, achievable goals that you strongly DESIRE is a very, very powerful combination.

We have already talked about habits in previous blog posts. Over 95% of what we do is habitual – managed and controlled by your subconscious without you thinking about it. Think about it  – you walk, talk, eat, drive, without thinking too much about it. You have programmed your mind and body to work together to make these every day things just happen. Yet to achieve these everyday things we are using less than 10% of the capacity of our brain.

Just think of what you could achieve if you used some of that untapped potential in the 90% of your brain you hardly use, if at all.

Here’s a conundrum for you. Why do you have to really concentrate to do some things yet others, just as complex, you can do literally with your eyes closed.

Try this; close your eyes, now clap your hands together very quickly. Easy and nimble, eh?

Yeah, that is because you can do this through your subconscious, you don’t have to think about it, you just know how to do it. Now use your conscious mind to do something quite dextrous, I don’t know, how about writing the alphabet with your “wrong" hand. You have to focus more, you have to take your time – it is much harder. Your subconscious mind can do the clapping bit thousands of times faster than your conscious mind can write the alphabet with your non-writing hand.

Now here is a really great thing – your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between a real and a desired event that is really vividly imagined. Now I don’t know about you but I reckon we could use that to help us develop and achieve our goals.

Lets make it simple. Write down your goals in a really, vividly imagined, positive format.Have a look at the table below, We have based it on something non-work based that we want to achieve this year

Goal Setting Table

Start date and Title of Specific Goal	Date and description Be specific & define timeframe	Date and description Make it measurable and have a timeframe	Planned Completion Date
EXAMPLE – I am working on achieving a 16 handicap at my Golf Club. Beginning 01/09/10	I have booked 6 lessons, I play at least one round each week	I am committed to practicing every weekend during the winter at the range and on the golf course	It is June 1st 2011. I am a 16 handicap golfer, playing every week at my golf club. I am regularly congratulated on my game. I am happy, very happy

NOTE:-

1. Review progress regularly. Adjust as necessary, habitually review every Saturday morning
2. You have to believe they are really achievable and worthwhile
3. Acknowledge wins as you go and reward your self, e.g. moving from 20 handicap to 19

So what does this all mean? Well in terms of achieving something you really want to do it gives you a structure, it gives you a set of achievable but stretching goals. It launches you forward towards a time in the future, one you have already vividly imagined, one where you are happy and have accomplished what you set out to achieve.

Now you could say "what about if I encounter problems on the way?" Well, guess what? That is the subject of next week's blog. It will be entitled "How to LEAP over obstacles" where I will show you a simple model for overcoming all of those nasty conscious and sub conscious thoughts and attitudes that mentally get in the way of achieving something worthwhile

We have identified a number of techniques that you can use to help you plan your goals and use your DESIRE. We will share some of these thoughts on our LinkedIn group Selling - Keeping it simple and effective which you can access if you click here

If you do not ADMIRE yourself who else will?

Last week we talked about the fact that "you own the solution to all your problems". So what did we really mean by that?

Over and over, when we have assessed sales people we have noticed that many lack self confidence, even those who are fairly successful.

To understand how you can overcome your lack of self confidence, we have created a model that will help you. It is called the ADMIRE model

Over the next few weeks we will reveal all.

This week the focus is on "A" the first letter of the model. A in this instance stands for ATTITUDE.

The “right” positive mental attitude is the primary reason why some people appear to be more successful than those whose mental starting point is one of a half empty glass.

Earl Nightingale said that Attitude is the single most important word in our language. It is the starting point for every action we take. Attitude drives the way we think. People that think positively, with a can do attitude, are more likely to succeed.

The Quality of your Thinking determines the Quality of your Life

You may not be what you think you are but what you think, you are

“There is nothing either good or bad but only thinking makes it so”

Shakespeare

So if thinking is so key to our success then it follows that “better” thinking will lead to better results and outcomes.

Stephen Covey said that everything is created twice – first in the mind then as an action. If you have “good, positive thinking” then you will be more likely to have good, positive outcomes.

Being positive about yourself, your life, your work, your goals is not easy for everyone. You may need to join your own personal “mental gymnasium”. Just as you have to work your body to improve your physical health, so you have to work at being mentally strong – both in terms of how you exercise your mind and what mental diet you follow.

The great guru of positive thinking was Earl Nightingale. Look him up on You Tube. Simple to understand, easy on the ear, he describes the “Strangest Secret” which is that “we become what we think about most of the time”. If we believe we can do something we are more likely to achieve it than if we start negatively with a belief that it is beyond us. Optimism and pessimism have a very powerful effect on our success, our results, our outcomes, our lives.

Emotional Intelligence is key here. It does not matter from which social or educational background you are. What we are talking about here is that positive attitudes are absolutely vital to our emotional wellbeing and our success irrespective of where we come from.

We have identified a number of techniques that you can use to boost your self esteem, whilst avoiding becoming "boorish" about your success. We will share some of these thoughts on our LinkedIn group Selling - Keeping it simple and effective which you can access if you click here.., and would like to hear how you ensure you think positively about what you can achieve.

Next week we will look at the D of DESIRE!

We look forward to hearing from you