You may not see yourself as a salesman but you really are. Don't see it as something manipulative or pushy. Rather, see it as knowing who you are, what you have as "areas of competence," and having the confidence that you are a worthy asset to any organization. Then you can hold your head high and move forward to higher levels of personal, business and financial success.
Be sure to read the article below on Making Money and Marriages. You may be surprised at the similarities.
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Check out all the events coming up here at The Sanctuary in the 48 Days Highlights.
And be sure to read the quotations at the bottom of this newsletter on "shared joy." Something there may prompt you to invest in a special relationship today.
********************************************* "Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." - Napoleon Hill
This concept comes from a story I read in the classic little book I Dare You. A professor once hit upon a great discovery while buttoning up his vest. Or rather, he hit upon the discovery because his vest wouldn't button up. His little daughter had sewn up some of the buttonholes by mistake. His fingers were going along as usual in their most intricate operations of buttoning a button, when something happened. A button wouldn't button.
His fingers fumbled helplessly for a moment, then sent out a call for help. His mind woke up. The eyes looked down a new idea was born, or rather a new understanding of an old idea. What the professor had discovered was that fingers can remember. You know how automatic things can become, riding a bicycle, using a keyboard, or even driving home from the office.
Then the professor began playing pranks on his classes, and he found that the answer was always the same. As long as they could keep on doing the things they had always done, their minds wouldn't work. It was only when he figuratively sewed up their buttonholes, stole their notebooks, locked the doors, upset their routine, that any thinking was done.
So he came to the great, and now generally accepted, conclusion that the mind of man is "an emergency organ." That it relegates everything possible to automatic functions as long as it is able, and that it is only when the old order of things won't work any longer that it gets on the job and starts working. Keeping things the same may be keeping you stupid.
Maybe that job loss is an opportunity for your brain to wake up and discover meaningful work rather than just a paycheck.
Maybe having the bank refuse your loan application will prompt your brain to come up with a better solution.
Maybe that flat tire will trigger a great invention that will make you a millionaire.
Maybe the warning about high blood pressure will wake you up to better health and richer relationships.
So my advice is this: Sew up some buttonholes in your life this week. Drive a different route home from work. Read a book you would not normally read. Write your name with the hand opposite your normal dominance to see how it wakes up your brain. Take time to stop to help a stranded motorist. Volunteer to help on a community project. And welcome the unexpected "closed buttonholes" this week. You may be surprised at having your brain turn on. Who knows what creative ideas or solutions you may discover.
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Get $5.00 off No More Mondays this week. Use coupon code 203628
Here is the sequence for successful selling of anything.
Developing rapport and trust 40% of the process.
Identifying Needs 30% of the process.
Product Presentation 20% of the process.
Closing 10% of the process.
I see people coming in to 48Days.net and immediately blasting multiple blog posts with their greatest MLM company that you just must join. I see people wanting jobs who simply walk in and tell the manager they need a job. I see car salesmen who grab a customer and walk them right over to the Chevy Tahoe because that's where they make the most commission. I see pastors who scream that their listeners are evil and must change their ways.
These are all examples of inexperience and missing the critical first two steps of selling. With no trust and no identification of the need, there will be no sale.
Years ago, on the first day of my sophomore year at Ohio State University, my friends and I were watching the new batch of freshman girls arrive. Upon seeing Joanne (17 and gorgeous), I quickly asked for someone who could introduce me a trusted friend of hers. While walking with her briefly I noticed she was struggling to hold her books while putting a notice on the community bulletin board. I offered to post the notice and saw that she was asking for a ride to school from her home on the other side of town. I kindly offered to supply that ride just for a couple of days until she found someone to bring her regularly (ha). Six months later, having charmed her with my simple farm boy ways, I asked her to marry me.
On March 23rd we will celebrate 41 wonderful years of marriage. I'm glad I understood the process of effective selling. I developed trust and rapport, identified multiple needs, presented the product (me) and closed the most important deal of my life.
Only an idiot would walk up to a girl and begin the conversation by asking her to marry him. You have to go through the process of selling. In the same way, no one who understands selling would blast masses of people with some business deal without first understanding their needs and desires.
If you need a job you have a product to sell (you). If you are starting a business you have a product or service to sell. If you have a job and want to keep it you have a product to sell (you) every day! If you want to find a mate, you have a product to sell.
Understand this process of selling and you can transform your success in any area of your life. It's not manipulation or deception, just common sense finding a need and filling it.
Each week I create a new online radio podcast - that you can hear in iTunes or at the 48 Days Online Radio Show link below.
This week's podcast has a rich variety of questions -- covering finding jobs, staring businesses, and dealing with "unfairness."
Hi Dan, my name is Ingrid, I work as loan officer at a bank, also I'm bilingual (English/Spanish) and love to help people. With the mortgage industry crash, I'd like to start a company to clean foreclosure houses. I know a lot of people I can hire, but I don't know where to start to look for leads, and I will need some money to start my company. Can you guide me please?
There doesn't seem to be anyone addressing the situation of the older person who loses their position through no fault of their own. I am well educated, healthy, well groomed and get along well with others but I have not been able to find new work. My resume has helped me land several good interviews. I walked away feeling very good about the match of my talents to the requirements only to find later that I did not get the position. I feel strongly that it is the age issue. What is an older worker to do??
For 46 years I have been teaching music lessons from my home studio -- the occupation I love. Investments I made to sustain my later years vanished, and tuition income has dropped from 84K to 24K a year. On my web site I post free video music lessons and student performances, plus sell DVDs. Now age 70, should I sell my home, downsize and retire or get a reverse mortgage to pursue e-commerce and continue teaching?
You mentioned several years ago on one of your radio shows that you used to force your children to listen to inspirational tapes when they presented a bad attitude. My wife and I are currently experiencing this with some of our children and I wanted to know if you have any particular titles of audio products that you would recommend for the purpose of building good attitudes in our children. I think that this is a much more productive method to take than traditional punishment in this area and thanks for the idea!
I have found that HR departments, despite all protestations to the contrary, are utterly beholden to the Carnegie method (smile, compliment, etc.) and hire almost exclusively on superficialities rather than core competencies. They hire people for the same reasons most people choose one appliance over another it fits their dιcor.
******************************************* If you have a question, just email me at askdan@48Days.com and you can ask about starting your own business, getting a better job, or finding your purpose in life.
And you can click the link below to listen to this week's broadcast immediately no downloading no wait.
Coaching with Dan
Many of you ask if I still coach people individually. Yes, I do. Are you feeling stuck? Are you struggling to get interviews or a job offer? Do you have a business idea but are not sure how to move forward. Maybe I can help you see some new ways of moving forward. See the details here: Coaching with Dan
********************************************* Lead the 48 Days Seminar
Are you someone who just naturally provides hope and encouragement? Would you like to help more people know the 48 Days principles? My daughter Ashley and I are offering a one-day training program to help anyone who wants to be ready to lead this six-week program. We'll provide you with a complete set of leader instructions, DVDs, and the confidence to begin sharing immediately. Certified 48 Days Trainer
Ashley and I did a teleseminar last week on Leading the 48 Days Seminar. You can listen to the replay here: 48 Days Seminar
********************************************* Pastors, Ministers, and Church Leaders
Do you know people who are struggling to survive in the workplace confronted with unemployment or just a lack of fulfillment in their work? On March 13th, I will be presenting a workshop based on the St Iraneaus quotation "The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive." What does it mean to be fully alive in our work? If you're a Sunday School teacher, counselor, pastor or minister, we'd like to invite you out to the Sanctuary, our office and event center just outside Franklin, TN for a morning of sharing how we can fulfill God's purpose in our daily work lives yes, even in these difficult times. You can guide people to work that is meaningful and profitable. Join us on March 13th for a morning that will inspire you in your own work as you inspire others. Breakfast and lunch will be served and you'll also receive a copy of my latest book, No More Mondays. Space is limited, so please register early. For complete details go to RestCare.org.
********************************************* 48Days.net
By now most you know about 48Days.net. This is different than 48Days.com. At 48Days.net you'll see lots of other excited people who have ideas and they're willing to share those with you to help your business grow and profit. If you want your life to be different this year, get involved with people who are on the same path. There is no cost just lots of helpful people and resources.
What work should you be doing?
The most popular product in the 48 Days arsenal continues to be the 48 Days Career Profile. Before you begin seeking a better job or self-employment, you need to be sure you are pursuing opportunities that match your personality style and will fulfill and reward you for a lifetime!
What work should you be doing?
