Terry E Thompson's Blog

Invictus

2011-05-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.

by William Earnest Henley 1849-1903

Warren Buffett MBA Talk - Part 1

2011-03-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

Ground Hog Day

2011-03-08T16:24:00.000-08:00

I get the chance to speak/work directly with some of you on a daily basis, and often when we are together, I think to myself.

“What daily action would I take now if I were in your situation?”

I do realize that not everyone is in the same situation in terms of his or her business; however, here is my answer to the question.

Building your pipeline is the most critical action you can take now, this way you would not have to relive the first 90 days on the job repeatedly.

The first 90 days on the job is often the hardest for a sales representative in the channel, because he or she usually does not have an account base that is buying enough products and services early on to earn high commission dollars. It does not matter how many years of experience you have the first 90 days will still be difficult.

Unfortunately, most sales people keep reliving the first 90 days over and over again, kind of like Ground Hogg Day. Pay the price once, not over and over again.

Every sales professional must constantly improve, and not relive the first 90 days repeatedly.

Pay the price once by doing the following:

Prospect until you drop for appointments and opportunities to sell yourself and your company by getting eight face-to-face calls weekly. Pay the 90-day price only once, and move on to earning commission dollars.

1.Get on the phone, calling your target list of accounts for a face-to-face appointment. At least 50 weekly, but no less.
2.Get on the phone or face to face with key vendor representatives sharing account list and targeting accounts for appointments.
3.Closing all business quickly and move to the next opportunity to close.
4.Spend your time looking for deals that have significant dollars revenue and gross profit. Too many sales professionals in the channel chase deals that will not help them achieve quota.
5.This is what you should spend every day, your first 90 days doing from 9am to 5pm, so that you do not have to do it again like so many sales professionals do month after month.

Comfort Zones

2011-02-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia describes the "comfort zone" as a behavioral state within which a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, using a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady level of performance, usually without a sense of risk (White, 2009).
This description would be fine if one is happy with his or her current level of performance, however most people are not happy with his or her current level of performance. We spend most of our lives moving in and out of our own personal comfort zones however, most of the time we make a choice to stay in our comfort zone.

Up to 90% of what one does day-to-day is within his or her comfort zone and determines how successful one will be at achieving his or her financial, career, health, relationship, and personal goals. However, most will continue to stay cozy and warm causing frustration in their lives and stay right where they are, comfortable. Most people would not admit to themselves, let alone anyone else that he or she is comfortable, but I am not asking you to do that, I am asking you to do something a little different.

Consider any aspect of your life, be it financial, career, health, relationship, or a personal and recognize (document) the actions you take on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. Once you have completed the task you will know exactly what your comfort zone is for that specific area of your life. For example, if you only exercise one-hour a week, notice it but do not judge it, just notice. This is your comfort zone for exercise. You may be a professional salesperson and you only make 10 new cold calls daily to set an appointment with new potential customers, again just notice it. This particular comfort zone (anxiety-neutral state) is not generating the results you desire yet you stay in your comfort zone.

Challenge yourself to move out of your comfort zone instead of exercising one-hour a week exercise two hours a week for the next 30 days. At the end of the 30 days, you will have expanded your comfort zone improving your odds of achieving your health goals. Complete the same step with cold calling, instead of making 10 cold calls daily, dial the phone one more time each day and make 11 cold calls daily. Do this for the next 30 days, and you will have expanded your comfort zone as it relates to your career and financial goals because more dials equals more opportunity to meet with a potential customer.

Expansion of your personal comfort zone is not easy, but it is not impossible. Most do not know where to start, and now you do, in fact you already have by reading this blog, my guess is you have not read my blog before. Take action now, expand your comfort zone to a steady level of performance, and expand your set of behaviors by increasing first the number of times you take a particular action be it health-related or career/financial. Stay tuned…..