Hint: It has to do with choices…
The idea for this blog came to me this morning at precisely 4:44am. One of our Australian Shepherds, Bindi, decided that it was time to get up so she came to my side of the bed and attempted to get me up and going. I looked at the clock and determined that it was not time to get up—but that got me thinking.
If you’ve ever been around dogs, I know you’ve thought about what a great life they have. Probably occurred at a time when you were having to do something that you didn’t want to do, right? All they do is lounge around and nap all day. Their meals are provided for. They are taken for walks, they’re loved on, given free health care. Pretty good deal if you can get it, eh?
However, from 4:44 to 5:00 this morning, I realized that I’d really rather not be one of my dogs, and here’s why. If I were a dog, when I get up (and go out…) is determined by someone else. How often I get my beloved walks, where we go, how long they last— are all determined by someone else. What I eat, when I eat, how much I eat—all are determined by someone else. When I get to play, how long I get to play; whether I am scratched behind the ears or get a belly rub—I think you get the picture.
I’ve written before about how many of us consistently make our numbers and what to do about it if you’re not. As a sales professional, I believe it is totally up to you as to whether you do or not. Even if you’re working for an ogre, or selling something that is difficult to sell, how successful you are is totally up to you. That’s because where you work and what you sell, how you work, how long you work—it’s totally up to you. Fifteen years ago, I decided to stop working for someone else and start this business. My wife and I had a goal to move from the Dallas area to the mountains of western North Carolina. We made that happen five years ago.
Years ago, when I was working for Hewlett-Packard, selling computer hardware, I saw the proverbial handwriting on the wall. Quotas were going up every year, competition was tough, and the price of what I was selling was going down every year as well. I made the decision to move over to the software side of the business, where margins were higher (so I could make more money), people were still beginning to automate a lot of different things, and the software solutions hadn’t yet become seen as a commodity. Fifteen years ago, it became obvious that even the software side of high tech was beginning to be a mature industry. So, I again made a decision to make a change.
Here’s my point. The day this blog will be published will be July Fourth. It is a day to be thankful for the freedoms we have. One of those freedoms is the ability to control our own destiny—to make the decisions that will get us to the life we want. This past January, I republished four blogs that will help you set life goals and some practical planning tools to attain those goals.
If you’d like more information on why no team of sales professionals has ever failed to at least double the number of Initial Appointments they were setting after going through one of our programs, give us a call or drop us a line. We love talking about the challenges of appointment making!
Caponi Performance Group and Contact Science jointly market the telephone prospecting and cold calling solution called Coldcalling101™. It is the only comprehensive solution to solving the biggest barrier to success in most selling organizations—the inability to secure enough Initial Appointments to begin the selling process. We accomplish that through simultaneously addressing both the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. We can be reached at 817 224-9900 or at bcaponi@caponipg.com. You can also find answers to many of your challenges in our books: Contrary to Popular Belief, Cold Calling DOES Work! Volume I: Effectiveness, The Art of Appointment Making and Volume II: Efficiency, the Science of Appointment Making.
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