To evaluate means to ascertain or fix the value or worth of something. To examine and judge carefully. Another word for evaluate is appraise. Now that's a word I'm familiar with. Appraise! In the car industry we use this word when we appraise or evaluate a customer's trade. What are we doing when we do this? Besides making our customers upset about what we appraise their trade for, we are examining, evaluating and looking over the trade carefully to see the condition, mileage and real time value of it. The appraisal shows us the trade as it is valued in the condition we see it. Now, if the trade has a dent in one door, is over mileage 20,000 miles and has a cracked bumper, the value of the trade will decrease. There will be deductions made for each area. But if the bumper is not cracked, the mileage is under by 5,000 miles and there are no dents at all on the vehicle the trade will be valued higher. The appraisal reveals to the one evaluating it and the one who owns it not only the actual value of it in the condition it's in now but also the reasons why it's worth what it's worth.

We do appraisals for people every day, but what about ourselves? Now, you might be thinking, "I don't need to do an appraisal on my car because I'm not trading it in!" But I'm not talking about appraising your car. I'm talking about you. Have you done an appraisal on yourself lately? Have you pulled out the "Self Appraisal" and took time to evaluate yourself? What about the "Life Appraisal"? Have you taken time to evaluate, examine and look over your life to see the condition, mileage and real time value of it? Have we been so busy working and evaluating things for everybody else that we've let ourselves' fall apart and we haven't had time to take proper care of us? Take the time to evaluate yourself today so you can fix and improve the areas that have caused you to lose self-value in your life. Here is a sample "Self Appraisal" for you to do right now:

This is just a sample but I trust you get the idea of how you can use this to evaluate your present reality whatever it may be. There are many other types of appraisals you can put together also. Here are a few more to consider:

• Leadership Appraisal
• Work Appraisal
• Emotional Appraisal
• Physical Appraisal
• Spiritual Appraisal
• Social Appraisal
• Management Appraisal
• Sales Appraisal

Now if we were to just do an evaluation and leave it at that than we'd all be depressed and in pretty bad shape. However, the evaluation is necessary to expose to us our current condition right now so we can fix, correct and adjust the value of what we see. This is where education comes in. 

Education

To educate means to provide with knowledge or training in a particular area or for a particular purpose. Once we have done our evaluation now we can fix, correct and adjust the necessary areas we have discovered.

"The great aim of education is not knowledge but action."

Knowledge + Corresponding Action = Education. When we are truly educated in an area we are no longer ignorant in that area. We have the know how to fix, change and adjust ourselves into a higher place than where we were without our education. This is called elevation.

Elevation

Evaluation + Education = Elevation. This is always the result of someone who practices these principles in any area of life. Whether it is the workplace, the sale, the close, life, leadership, management, relationships or anything else this formula will hold true.

As you focus on making it a habit to evaluate and educate yourself in every area of life you will experience being elevated to new positions, promotions and higher levels of responsibility. 

So as you head into the weekend, are you setting the stage to be successful? Are we reaching people how they like to be naturally reached? When you think about the most common and effective ways people communicate today; text messaging, social media, social media messaging and cell phones; are we ignoring these avenues only focusing on sending emails & calling home and work numbers only or are we engaging people the way they naturally communicate. Here is a friendly reminder for you to get ready for the weekend so you can sell more cars, more profitably, more often!

As we approach the end of this month let's finish strong and remember to:

1. Follow through and follow up with any leads that you haven't reached within the past 30 days.

2. Look over any deals you were working that came in this month that you weren't able to put together for some reason or another and bring it back to your desk and see if there's any life left in it. I always would say to my team, "You can't lose something that you don't have! So you have nothing to lose by working further and asking if there's anything else that can be done both to the customer and your management team!" Ask your manager these questions:

• What else can we do to make this deal happen?
• How can we be creative to find a way to make this come together?
• Is there any money left in the trade?
• Can we extend terms?
• Can we show them the option of a new or newer vehicle instead?
• How about a lease instead of a buy?
• How about a one pay lease instead of them paying cash?
• What if they put down more money?
• If they had a cosigner can we make this happen?
• If we could make the first payment start in 45 days instead of 30 days, could that help?
• Can we include an extended service contract to sweeten the deal?

3. Managers get involved and follow up with the people who were in your store but didn't buy this month. See if there's anything you can do to influence moving this forward.

4. Managers confirm any set appointments for the weekend. This is what my one GM had said, "Puts Glue On Them!" This helps the appointment stick more when a manager confirms it.

5. Send out a blast email to all your active leads inviting them in for an end of the month Sale! Make it seem as if it's exclusive to them and time sensitive.

I trust this will help you in finishing your month with a strong finish!

Being in the business for my short time, I've realized this one thing. Most dealerships are doing the same thing. Now I didn't say, "ALL Dealerships are doing the same thing" because I realize that there are some that really have set themselves apart from the masses of mediocrity. However, most dealerships are working to be the best of the worst instead of creating a different culture, a different atmosphere and a different experience to the customer and employee. 

I heard a dealer principal say, "Our problem as a dealer, is that we set our standards based off of what other dealers are doing, rather than setting a higher standard to doing what's right and different whether other dealers are doing it or not! If we keep using each other as a standard, then we will only ever achieve being the best of the worst!"

I love walking into dealerships that could care less about what the other guy is doing, because they are so focused on doing what they're supposed to be doing that they have no time to WASTE TIME watching the other guys. When you know your purpose and when you are attacking your mission to serve your community and client base, then you are focused and driven to reach your targets.

When you're watching everyone else, all you're doing is simply reading the temperature. You're never setting the tone or adjusting the thermostat to set the temperature because you're too busy studying, examining and watching the thermometer go up and down based on the market and the competition. 

You can't change the temperature of other stores that you are not in, but you can certainly change the temperature of the store that you're in. You can make a difference in how your customer base and fellow employees experience life in your store. Here are some easy ways to adjust the thermostat and change the atmosphere and culture of your customer employee experience:

1. Evaluate your current processes. 

You can do this by asking some very simple questions regarding them. 

• How are they working?
• Are they too complicated?
• Can we adjust them in any way to make the overall experience BETTER?
• What do the employees have to say regarding them? 
• What do the customers think about them?
• Are they in line with our mission as a company?
• Are we creating an atmosphere to cultivate customer loyalty? 
• If we've been here for 5 or more years and are not seeing a large number of repeat and referral business, then what are we doing wrong and how can we fix it and make it right?
• What does our reputation look like online? 
• How do people view their experience with our store?
• How do employees view the customer experience at the store?

If employees and their family members are not buying vehicles from your store for other reasons beyond not liking the inventory make or models on the ground then there may be some digging that needs to be done. I can come up with a bunch more but I'm sure this helps get the juices flowing.

2. Educate & Train Your Team.

Dealers spend thousands of dollars a month to beautify the grounds, the buildings, the appearance of their inventory, to advertise their inventory and bring as many people as possible to come in online, on the phone or on the lot and fail to spend any further money on training, educating and building their sales team. Many times the people are the right people for the job, but they just haven't been PROPERLY trained. I emphasize PROPERLY because if you've been in the car business for any amount of time training has always been a majority problem for dealers. The greatest asset to your store is YOU! Without you and the people you have serving and selling the products, the products can't be sold. So instead of having them shadow other salesmen, and instead of having them watch VCR tapes of training from 20 years ago, invest in a current up to date trainer and training materials to help aid them in becoming a success in their positions. As they're successful, you'll be successful! 

3. Lead From Your Feet Not Your Seat

The success or failure of a department and store falls on the leadership. Don’t hide behind your computers in your office counting beans, analyzing charts, numbers and averages all day. Get up and touch the people who are working with and for your success. Get involved. Ask questions. Interact. See and hear what your people are saying and what’s being said. Stay touchable, accessible and seen. 

I trust this will help you. Have a great finish to the end of your month and if you'd like to contact me please do so at any time. Have a great day! 

Today I had the privilege of ministering Gods word to His people. 9 people made an eternal decision to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Thank u Lord for allowing me to help lead people to You.

“The Lord IS GOOD TO ALL…”

- Psalm 145:9 (New King James Version)

This is not a “maybe He might be good, if you do this or that” kind of answer. This is a definite, “The Lord IS…” kind of an answer! He is good to all. His goodness is not only to a certain type of person. His goodness is for ALL people. He is good to everyone. No matter their age, race, ethnicity, nationality, social status, income level or gender, God is good to all humanity.

“If you then, being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him.”

- Matthew 7:11 (New King James Version)

This sounds like a good God to me. God will give you good things for you to enjoy in this life. He wants only good things for you.

 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

- Psalm 84:11 (New King James Version)

Do you see that this is a God who does not withhold the good things He has for you? He does not dangle the carrot in front of you and pull it away as you get closer to it. He does not keep moving away from you as you approach Him. On the contrary, He draws near to you as you draw near to Him. He is not a bad God. He is a good God. He has only good things for you. This verse tells us that “…he will withhold no good thing to those that walk uprightly”. The word “uprightly” means “honesty and integrity.” This word comes from the root word that means “complete, whole and entire” (Lexical aids to the new and old Testament; the Hebrew/Greek Key Study Bible). What does all this mean? This means that when you walk in total, complete, entire honesty and integrity, you will receive every good thing that God has for you to receive in this life! Not bad; it’s all good because God is all good!

 “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him.”

- Psalm 34:8 (New King James Version)

The five natural senses can sometimes help us to know when something is either good or bad. We can see, touch, smell, hear and taste to help us know whether we like something or not. The sense of taste is awesome. When we eat something that is not good or may not be to our liking, the sense of taste tells you. Likewise, concerning the things of God, we have spiritual senses as well. One of which is the sense of taste. We can see this phrase used in Psalm 34:8. We can spiritually drink from the wells of salvation. We can spiritually eat from the bread of life. God wants us to taste His fruit. He wants us to get a taste of His flavor for our life. He wants us to bite into the life of God in Christ. He wants us to eat from the tree of life found in His Word. Why? Because when we taste the good things and the fruit of God, we will see that it is good. When you come in contact with the sweetness of God, you’ll have a spiritual sweet tooth for more. These are the sweets that will not decay your life or make your life rotten. These are the sweets that are good for you.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

- James 1:17 (New King James Version)

Every good gift comes from God. This encompasses anything that is profitable, useful, and constitutionally good. (Lexical aids to the new and old Testament; the Hebrew/Greek Key Study Bible). God is the source of all good gifts and all perfect gifts. This word “perfect” does not mean “free from fault” or “to be without deficiency.” This word refers to that which meets the need of a person (Lexical aids to the new and old Testament; the Hebrew/Greek Key Study Bible). Every gift that is for you alone or a gift that meets the need of someone else is from God. He is the giver and source of every good thing, gift and circumstance in this world. Taste and see that the Lord is Good!

Aristotle said, “You are what you repeatedly do, therefore excellence is not an act, it is a habit!” 

A habit is something you form into your life do to a continued daily practice. Depending on what you are continually practicing, habits can be either good or bad. The time and efforts you invest into them determine the developments of your habits.  If you allow more time and efforts to be the focus of some habits over others they will grow stronger, have a larger appetite and desire more attention. The larger the appetite the more it wants to be fed. The more it craves the more it gains control to rule your life. The more it rules your life the more you have lost having a habit and allowed a habit to have you.

We could learn about habits through the parent and child relationship. Good manners are developed through the continued daily investment of example, time, consistency and energy from parents to their children. The parents enforce the habit through influence. When a child receives a gift, the parent says, “Say thank you.” The child than says, “Thank you.” The child than gives the parent the gift back and the parent says, “Thank you.” The parent than tells the child to say, “You’re Welcome!” What is taking place here? The parent is enforcing a continued practice of response through influencing the child to say certain things. These are practices done with the hopes of developing good manners into the child’s character. The parent continues this for days, weeks and even months until it has become a habit. When it is a habit the parent no longer has to remind the child to do it anymore. The thing that was not natural is now a natural response. The child doesn’t have to think about it or even look to the parent anymore. Why, because it is a habit.

Now just because the habit is formed, enforced and is a natural response in the child’s life doesn’t mean the habit is there to stay for life. As a matter of fact the good habit can be influenced to change. Just as the good habit came through the influence of the parents is the same way the habit can be changed. Remember that, “Bad company corrupts and ruins good habits.” This is why it is so important to be careful of who you are hanging out with. Who you associate with will begin to rub off on you and effect your manners, character and speech. Your company will influence your habits. Your habits will influence your character. Your character will influence your reputation. Your reputation will influence your life. Your life will influence your world. Do you see the importance of keeping good company? Good company promotes good habits, good character, good reputation, a good life and ultimately makes a good world. In the same way, bad company promotes bad habits, bad character, bad reputation, a bad life and ultimately creates a bad world.

As professionals in the dealership and life in general you have worked so hard on developing good habits. You have invested your, time, energy, money and efforts into building good character and a solid reputation.

Here’s how you can protect yourself from “Bad Company” destroying your “Good Habits.”

1.      Don’t hang around the wrong people!

Don’t associate with people who are always complaining and negative. These people will ruin what you worked so hard on building. It’s always easier to look at the bad side of things. It takes discipline to train yourself to look at the good and achieve good results. If someone can get you to ruin your reputation they can effectively ruin your life.

2.      Hate what is bad!

We are to detest with horror the results and consequences of living a life that exhibits bad habits. We need to be like Teflon. Teflon is a material used on cookware for the purpose of keeping the food from sticking to the pan. We need to be Teflon to the bad ways and bad habits that try to stick to us.  They should slide right off of us.

3.      Hold onto what is good!

This is admonishing us to push away the bad ways and habits of life and to embrace the good ways and habits of life. When it comes to the good habits and ways of living this life we should be like glue. We should let them stick to us like crazy glue. Don’t switch them around either. Don’t slip away from doing good. Instead you should overcome the bad habits and intentions with the good habits and intentions you live.

Don’t be overcome by bad habits, rather overcome bad habits with good ones!

It’s in our power to make a difference in our lives. We have the influence to change our world! It falls on us. We are to never hold back the good that is in our hands. Good people who have good habits need to step out and stand up for what is good. What good is it? It is so good that it will change your life and the lives of others.

Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV)
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

If there's ONE THING we need to do, it is forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before! Too many people can never reach forth unto those things which are before, because they STILL have one hand holding onto those things which are behind. Let 2011 go, let those things stay in the past and move on to those things which are before you. It is a good day, a great month, it will be a blessed and prosperous year.

“To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.” E. E. Cummings

As you go through this life you will fight many battles, circumstances, people, feelings, emotions, physical barriers, pain, fear and exhaustion just to become you. Just to be heard. Just to do what interests you. Just to reach your dreams. Just to achieve your sales goals. Just to accomplish your God given purpose. If you ever want to succeed in anything in life you will have to fight to succeed. If you want to be a failure, do nothing. Always do what is easy and what doesn’t challenge you at all. Never stand up for what’s right. Never go against the crowd. Blend in to fit in and be accepted but don’t say what you really think. Only say what people want to hear and what they want you to say. Do this and you will without fail, be a successful failure! When you want something bad enough, you’ll fight for it. When you love someone enough you’ll fight to protect him or her. When you know it’s the right thing to do, you’ll fight for that cause.

The truth is we’re all fighters. A fighter is a person with the will, courage, determination, ability, or disposition to fight, struggle and resist something for a specific cause. Everyday we fight for others to hear us, accept us, love us and notice us. We fight for our ideas. We fight for our beliefs. We fight for our families and we fight for our friends. We fight to hit our goals and sales objectives everyday, every month and every year. In the midst of life, work and all that is happening outside of us; there is an unending war; a continuing battle that is taking place from within. This is a fight that only you can fight. You will have outside influence from people and circumstances but the decisions you choose and the choices you make will be the result of this fight. This is the fight for your will!

What is your will? It is the driving force of what you ultimately think, say and do. It is the combined makeup of your values, (what you like and don’t like), your thoughts, opinions, belief system, desires and pleasures. It is the mental faculty by which you deliberately choose a course of action. It is the power to arrive at one’s own choice and decision and to then act upon it independently in spite of anything that opposes you. It is the thing that causes you to lean towards that which creates joy in your life. Your will is that magnetic force that pulls you towards doing that which you like and want to do. Your will is also used to do what you don’t want to do. Your will is the final vote that allows the course of action to either take place or not. Your will has power. It is known as will power. Your will power is the strength and energy that is used to carry through your choices in life. Your will power is the ability to carry out one’s decisions, wishes and plans.  Your will power is also known as discipline and self-control. When people break habits they try to do it with will power”. When people try to accomplish success in any area they do it through the exercising of will power. As you exercise your will power you are strengthening the ability of your will to make a choice. This will power is what you use to ultimately become you. Everything you are today is the result of your exercised will power.

George Allen

“One of the most difficult things everyone has to learn is that for your entire life you must keep fighting and adjusting if you hope to survive. No matter who you are or what your position is you must keep fighting for whatever it is you desire to achieve.”

Nothing worth having in life is ever gained easily. If we want to achieve anything in this life we have to proactively fight for it. Too many people have fallen into the reactive fight stance in life. We’ve allowed ourselves to wait for something to come against us and than we fight back to make sure we don’t lose and get defeated. Now don’t misunderstand me. We will have to still do that at times. However, we should also put together attack plans to proactively go after our dreams, purposes and goals. We should fight on purpose, not just defensively.

Paulo Coelho

“But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for.”

Each one of us has been designed to live our life in this world for a specific purpose. There is no such thing as a worthless person. There is no such thing as a meaningless life. God handcrafted and fashioned each and every one of us. We are all unique and special for this world and His plan. No one else has the same finger print! No one else has the same DNA. Out of all the billions of people who have lived, are living and ever will live, you are “One of a Kind!” There is no one who is exactly like you. Even identical twins are not identical. You are “One of a Kind!” Don’t lose YOU! “One of a Kind” things are more valuable than copies. If everyone has it than the rarity and short supply holds no value.

For example: The Treskilling Yellow stamp from Sweden is the only one of its kind. It has a current value of more than $2 million (or $87 billion per kilogram, according to the site). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treskilling_Yellow) The rarity and only one of its kind demands an extremely high value. The same is true with the Gutenberg Bible.  Around the world there is an enormous amount of vintage books, but perhaps the rarest is the famous Gutenberg Bible: First appeared in a book printed in 1456. There are several hundred copies of the Bible itself, but the very first copy of the two-volume book will cost a collector of antique books around 20-25 million dollars. What to say if one page of the book goes under the hammer for 25 thousand dollars, but sold last year, a two-volume - not the first edition – to someone at 5.5 million dollars! Incredible!

This truth is not only consistent with these two items but also with you! Everybody is born an original, “One of a Kind” but sadly many end up dying a copy. Why is this? Because too many people have allowed others to shape, create, mold and fashion them into what they want them to be rather then fight to be who they really are.

It’s a fight to be you, but it’s a fight that’s worth fighting. Fight to be you! Fight to reach your purpose! Don’t settle to live someone else’s plans, purposes and life instead of yours! You’re an original. Be you to the best of your ability. Be who God created you to be in life, at work and in everything you do. Never stop fighting to preserve the individuality and uniqueness you are and you have to change this world for good!

Someone once told me that most aeronautical engineers will tell you that there is no possible way the bumblebee can fly. His wingspan isn’t broad enough, he is too heavy and his body build makes it impossible for him to fly. Fortunately, the bumblebee doesn’t understand aeronautics, so he just goes along and flies anyway!

Decide to have a “bumblebee attitude” and just fly anyway! All of the good this world has to offer is on your side. Fight to be the best you, you can be! Fight to reach success! Fight to make it big in every area of life! Despise second best! Despise the fear of failure and rejection and live your life to the max! Don’t listen to the naysayer’s and critics. Don’t listen to the media, the economy and the news. Have a bumblebee attitude and fly anyway! 

 “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.”

- Zig Ziglar

Do Your Best Today!

When we do the best we can, where we are, with what we have now, we will live in success! So many people hold back and save their best for later. They wait for a reunion, an occasion, an event, a specific job, an important person with a special title or even a stranger before they show off everything they know and can do. The difference between “The Average Joes” and “The Pros” in sports, business and in every area of life is the discipline to do your best in your field every day.

Think like a champion!

Champions are people with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them. They are a bit unrealistic in how they see life, as they don’t reason with reality. They make the impossible happen and never considered it impossible.”

- Grant Cardone

So many times we can get hung up on focusing on the things we don’t have, rather than on the things we do have. We think we need more equipment, more programs, more incentives, more people, more training and more money to be our best. Now, don’t misunderstand me; more equipment, more programs, more incentives, more training and more money is good and will add value to our lives, helping us become and release our best. However, if we are not maximizing what we have in our ability, in the areas of the influence and equipment we have now, we won’t when we get more, either. Use what you have now. Sharpen your skills you have now. Master your craft! Practice doing your best and when it comes time for “Game Day,” you’ll perform your best.

“Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are hard jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the bigger ones tend to take care of themselves.”

-          Dale Carnegie

Give your best in every matter, both small and large, and you will experience the best each matter has to offer. Give your best now! Don’t wait until later or tomorrow. Start where you are now. Don’t let circumstances, people or excuses hold you back from giving your best. If it’s in your power to do it now, don’t wait until tomorrow.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

- Matthew 6:34 (New Living Translation Bible)

Don’t Wait Till Tomorrow!

Tomorrow has enough worries, problems and situations of it’s own. Why add more on top of it to make things even more difficult to deal with. Deal with it today! I once heard someone say that today is a gift, and that’s why it’s called “the present.” We need to open up our today with the same excitement, attitude and efforts as if it really is a present. We are alive today. Today, we can make a change. Today is always the best time to deal with ourselves. Today!

One of the biggest problems that face our today is our worry about tomorrow. Worry is one of the greatest issues that paralyze people, keeping them from moving into the greatness for which they have been created. I once heard someone say, “I don’t worry about the things I can change, because I can change them. I don’t worry about the things I can’t change, because I can’t change them. Therefore, I just don’t worry.” This is probably the most liberating statement I have ever heard! Stop and think about the truth of that statement! How many times have you changed the situations you were going through by worrying about them day and night? And if they did change from you worrying about them, they probably changed for the worse! Someone once said, “Worry is like a rocking chair — it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

Share your best with the world today, have a bumblebee attitude, don’t worry about tomorrow and, no matter what happens, you will be an Ultimate Success!

“It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.” ~ Author Unknown

            I’d like to start out with a story that maybe some of us in the automotive industry can relate to. This deals with the number one obstacle of the sale. You! The demo is completed, they love the car, they love you, they love the ease of everything so far and now it has come to this. Your so-called friend now sits across from you and tells you that they will take delivery of their new vehicle if the numbers are right. The customer is sold and wants to drive the car home today. You are pumped up; full of confidence and the adrenaline begins to flow through your body. You go to the desk and you tell the GSM where they need to be in order for you to seal the deal. You explain everything word for word and as you are talking the GSM begins to pencil you the numbers. It’s as if he’s not even listening. You feel like Charlie Brown’s parents, “WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH!” It’s like everything you say doesn’t even matter. You look down at the up sheet to see if you’re in the ballpark and you notice that the number is way higher than where the customer wants to be. Not only are you not in the ballpark, but you’re not even in the same state. You than see that the customers trade that was explained to be a gem has 2 car accidents on the Carfax and is coming in thousands less than what they want for it. The GSM finishes writing the numbers, turns the paper to you and slowly slides the up sheet back into your hands and with a smile softly says, “let’s make this deal!” You think, “Ok I will if you’d just do the customers numbers!”

By this point your heart is racing, you have fallen into a deep black hole and feel like you are miles apart from where the customer is and where the desk wants to be. Your confidence doesn’t slowly disappear, but it has been shattered, blown up and destroyed. You put your head into your hands, look at the paper and start to try and close the desk on where the customer wants to be. You think, “Maybe he didn’t hear me so I’ll explain it again.” You finally come to grips with the fact that the desk is not budging so you peek over your shoulder to see what your customers are doing. As you look they see you look their way and smile at you as if you’re gonna come back and not only give them what they asked for on their trade but exceed that and give them a thousand more than they asked. You look back at the paper huff and blow out a deep breath. You get up, grab your paper, look at the GSM as if he’s the devil himself and with your head down looking at the paper, dragging your feet, in total disbelief and defeat you begin to walk back towards your customer. You sit down and as you’re shaking your head back and forth you say, “ Well, I have bad news. I’m so sorry to say that I CAN’T BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!”

Don’t Lose Confidence in Yourself

As exaggerated as this story is I believe it speaks to us in one way or another. The point of this entire case study is that if you lose confidence in yourself to close the sale you’ll never close the sale. We are the number one obstacles that obstruct the path of buyers saying yes and driving home in their new vehicles. When we lose the confidence in our-selves to present the customer the numbers that we are given, the customer can pick up on that and pull back their confidence to say yes. When you are confident in your presentation, demo, walk around, product and competitive knowledge your customer feeds off of that. The more confidence you display the more confident they will feel in making a major decision to purchase. A lot of your success in closing is dependent on your ability to empower your customers with the confidence they need to make a decision. How you speak, how you stand, the body language you show, the inflections and tone of your voice all have to do with the success and failure of instilling confidence into your customer. It begins with you. Be confident in your ability to sell, present numbers, deflect stalls and overcome objections in the sale. Practice your transition points of one word to the next. The more fluent and articulate you are with your words the more at ease people feel. The more you stumble, sigh, and trip through your words the more hesitant people feel. Your words and how you say your words are your tools that you use to be successful in what you do. We should take the time to practice using these tools.

“Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right.” ~ Henry Ford

Always Think You Can

An unknown author said, “Success comes in cans, not cant's.” That is so true. Think you can close every deal. Think you can overcome every objection. Think you can be salesman of the month every month. Think you can be more productive than you’ve ever been. Think you can do the impossible and you will. Think you can reach your goals and you will. The ones who say they can’t usually end up getting passed up by the ones who think they can and just did. It’s more than just thinking you can in your mind but also in your heart. Your heart is the core of your being. It is the center of your-self. As a mirror reflects your face so your heart reflects back to you your true self-image.

Proverbs 23:7 (Amplified Bible) For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Whatever you think you are in your heart that is what will eventually come out in your character and words. Allow your heart felt thoughts to help govern your actions and words. The more confident you are in your ability to believe that you can be successful and achieve outstanding accomplishments the more you will begin to experience what you already thought you can do. 

Think big! Think success! Think on good things! Think on things that instill a positive outcome!

"Before you change your thinking, you have to change what goes into your mind."

Zig Ziglar

As you think on things that empower you to be the best you can be and stay strong in your self-confidence you will overcome the hardest obstacle you’ll ever face in this life and achieve success, victory and promotions in all your endeavors. Please email me to receive a copy of an article to help strengthen your self-confidence.