To Think About...
pedaling quite a bit. I minced defini- tions, championing reasonable expec- tations and cautioning myself against the tyranny of arbitrary deadlines (ignoring the distinction between the arbitrary and self-imposed). Arriving at the airport, I knew that, if I didn’t get this work done today, I would have to have this discussion with myself again tomorrow. It was already tiresome, so I sat down at a quiet table, reminding myself that success is less a question of knowing what you want than it is of knowing what you are willing to give up to get it. What would I be giving up? What else could I be doing in the time before my flight that could possibly be more important than the preserva- tion of my self-esteem? Catch a bit of television or read the newspaper? Make a new list for tomorrow? I was kidding myself if I did anything other than what ought to be done, which was now not so much a matter of get- ting the work done as proving that I had control over myself. As an educator, I know that the abil- ity to concentrate is an acquired habit of mind. It is a skill, one that is learned but only you can teach to yourself. As with all skills, you get better with practice, and every practice session begins with one simple understand- ing: concentration consists of refusing all other options. Such clear-mindedness is easy when there is only one thing on your mind – in crises, for instance, or when falling in love, times when you know immediately and clearly what is most important and become blind to everything else. On most days, however, when nothing deserves crisis status and your love life is in a steady state, ordering your mind is an act of will, a test of discipline, an intentional allocation of energy, which starts with knowing what you want from yourself. The question is not whether we have ceaseless individual responsibil- ity for the decisions we make. We do. The question is how much energy we
are willing to put into those decisions to make them strong ones. It’s clear that we make no progress when we fail to acknowledge procrastination the first time we become aware of it. When you take a close look at dodges that allow procrastination to happen, it becomes simple: what’s at stake is your work, which means, for the thinking individual, that self- esteem is at stake. Excuses only use up time and make you not like your- self as much. You can also think of it this way: the next time you are putting off some- thing that could be done now, con- sider the verbs. If you want something
Excuses, excuses… only delude YOU!
changed, change it. If you have a deci- sion to make, make it. If you have a job to do, do it. If you have a life to live, live it. If you have a mind to use, use it.
CHECK OUT The Sales Closing Book
VIDEO: THE PHILOSOPHY OF MORE, WITH GERHARD GSCHWANDTNER
SELLING TIP Don’t Ask, Explain
According to industrial psychologist Jesse S. Nirenberg, listening skills often top the list of important selling tools. One listening tip that can help you increase your closing ratio: never ask a question without first explain- ing why you’re asking. Nirenberg said, “Just asking a question puts the listener on the spot; however, if you let him or her know why you’re asking, it makes the lis- tener a partner.
“People with a sales background often avoid asking questions because they think that the talker controls the conversation. That’s not true, be- cause the listener can always tune you out. In fact, you’d be surprised how often you’re talking to yourself during a sales call.”
– SELLING POWER EDITORS SELLING POWER MAY 2015 | 15 © 2015 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.
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