Don’t talk about it –
be about it
You truly have to be committed to being successful. If you just say it without actually living it each and every day — without exception and without fail — you are not going to be successful. To build my company, I am on an airplane all over this country every week training and consulting. I do what I have to do to be successful in order to provide my family and myself a lifestyle we enjoy.
What are you doing to be successful? Are you just saying that you want to be all you can be, but only do what you have to in order to get by? Are you convincing yourself that mediocre is a good thing? I want to be brutally honest with you — it takes a long time to be an “overnight success.”
If you want to be successful, be successful — every breath you take, every thought you think, each and every day should be to personify the word “successful.” No excuses. No exceptions. If you want the things that the average person does not have, you have to be willing to do the things that the average person won’t do (within the bounds of law and ethics, of course).
Don’t talk about it. Be about it.
So, maybe you really want to be about it, but maybe you’re not sure where to start. In our industry we are told over and over again that “this is your own business,” but no one ever shows us how to run “our own business.” If we teach, lead and motivate people in the right direction, however, and show them how to build, maintain and evolve their own business, they will have a more realistic opportunity for that to actually happen.
If you really think about it for a moment, human beings have accomplished so much since we have been in existence. We have invented some amazing things, like automobiles and computers, and we have traveled to the moon. There are those who have made billions who were college drop outs. So, if all of that is a reality, then the possibility that you can achieve greatness is possible. It all starts with one simple thing: You have to make the conscious decision to be successful. If you make the conscious decision that you are going to be successful and nothing — I mean nothing — is going to take you off of your goal of success, then nothing will. Every thought you think, everything you do and your very essence will personify that word “success.” For example:
• Every morning, take a moment to be grateful for everything you have (even if you don’t have much, you are alive and that is a gift we should be grateful for every day).
• Every morning you tell yourself that today is going to be a great day. Today you are going to move one step closer to being even more successful. Cleanse your thoughts of stress, negativity, of “haters” who tell you that you “can’t” or that you “won’t.”
• Begin with the end in mind. Have a clear picture in your mind and your heart of exactly what success is to you. If you can’t do this, how are you ever going to achieve something that has no definition? Remember that success is different for different people — only you can determine what success means to you. Is it being the best in your career? Is it making a lot of money? Is it having freedom to do what you want, when you want? Is it providing for your loved ones? Is it the ability to help people and change lives? Whatever it is, you must understand exactly what “it” is and you must understand exactly how you can achieve this success. What is it going to take each minute, each hour, each day, each week, each month, each year?
• You must surround yourself with people who are successful or are on their way to becoming successful. It just doesn’t make sense to surround yourself with lazy, complacent, negative, excuse-driven people who have no desire to change their life or situation. I’m not saying that you should drop long-term friends or be snobbish, but you need to be realistic. If you are at a dealership with people who are always complaining about this and that (not making any money, the manufacturer stinks, the incentives stink, they don’t like the President of the United States…), that’s a problem. We all know that these people exist in our dealership. Do you really think hanging around this type of person will help you on your path to success?
• You need to constantly self motivate and self educate. Read as much as you can. There are countless magazines, newsletters, Websites and blogs in our industry that focus solely on automotive sales success, automotive Internet sales, automotive digital marketing and so on, and there are books both in and out of our industry that are awesome, such as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. You need to master your craft. If you are an automotive sales professional, you must become an expert in communication, qualifying, identifying expectations, objections and rebuttals. You must also become an expert in psychology, sociology, public relations, marketing, reputation management, digital marketing, analytics, trends, time management, leadership, motivation, customer service and product knowledge. You need to practice, drill and rehearse and have a great attitude. You also need a contingency plan, in case things don’t go perfectly — and not just “plan A” and “plan B”; you need plans A through Z.
Why aren’t most people great at anything? Because it takes hard work, strategy and consistency.
Don’t talk about it. Be about it.
If you have any questions about this article or you would like some free advice or suggestions to
start or evolve you on your path of success, please feel free to call me or e-mail me.
Sean V. Bradley is the founder and CEO of Dealer Synergy, a nationally recognized training
and consulting company in the automotive industry. He can be contacted at 866.648.7400, or
by e-mail at sbradley@autosuccessonline.com.
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