Are You Committed to be a Sales Crusader

Is your sales income what it should be? Want to double it?

Take 30 minutes and read something about The Crusades. They were much more than a religious war. The Crusades were about people going after what they believed in…passionately. They did it regardless of the hardship and risk.

Do you? Are you a Sales Crusader?

Sales is not a religion, but it is a way of life. It should not consume your life, rather it should be incorporated into your life. Sales enhances life and embraces the philosophy for living it – to its maximum potential. Doubling your income isn't pie in the sky…if you are determined and committed.

Here are 11.5 principles to lead your own Sales Crusade:

1. Get a positive attitude and keep it…Most everyone thinks they have a positive attitude, but they don't. Usually not even close. Earl Nightingale in his legendary tape "The Strangest Secret" reveals the secret of a positive attitude: We become what we think about…but, it's a dedicated discipline that must be practiced every day. People don't understand that the essence of "attitude" is not a feeling — it's a state of mind that is self-induced. You are in complete control of it. You determine what your attitude is. It has nothing to do with what happens to you. It's not about money or success. It's the way you dedicate yourself to the way you think. But you must re-dedicate yourself to the principles of it every day.

How do you attain a positive attitude? Begin to surround yourself with positive ideas and positive people. Read and listen to positive writers and speakers. Believe you can achieve it. Don't listen to other people who tell you you're nuts — they're just jealous. Start now and work at it every day.

2. Set goals, and make a commitment to achieve them…The goal is your road map to success. Without clearly defined and written goals aimed at your targets, you are not likely to achieve your dreams. Your targets are easy to hit if you're standing in front of them every day. Better yet, if you emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually commit yourself to career goal achievement, your dreams will become reality. Achieving a goal is incredibly self satisfying. It gives you a feeling of accomplishment, purpose, and the inspiration to set out and achieve the next goal.

Big Clue...Figure out the daily dose. An amount you can measure, an amount you can achieve. Determine how much you need to do each day to reach your goal in short steps. (pennies per day, ounces per day, pounds per week, calls per day, dollars per sale) and do that daily dose each day.

3. Dedicate yourself to mastering the science of selling…Learn something new about sales or your positive attitude every day. Feed your head with new knowledge that will help you make that next sale. If you want to become an expert in sales, learning one new technique per day gives you 220 new techniques per year. If you sell for 5 years, you'll have more than 1,000 techniques at your disposal. Amazing what you can do if you just do something small every day. If you just dedicate 15–30 minutes a day to learning something new about sales and achieving a positive attitude, at the end of five years, you will be a master salesperson and have a great attitude about life.

4. Design a networking plan and implement it…Make a 5‑year plan to get known and get to know those who can build your business. Networking is the fastest, surest method to increase your business stature and your sales.

5. Be a leader…Look for and strive for leadership positions. Take charge of a committee, speak to a civic group, write an article for a local paper. People love to do business with leaders.

6. Get involved in your community…Select a charity or community organization worthy of your time, and make a contribution. You'll grow in success and reputation, but more importantly, you'll feel great about living to help others.

7. Know your prospect and prospect's business before you make the sales call…Get the information you need to make every appointment intelligent and impactful. Use this guideline to assure your success — ask the buyer questions that only he or she knows the answers to.

8. Be memorable in all that you do…Take a creative idea to each sales call. Have the courage to live your dreams and goals. Your work and dedication will inspire others. Your words will be remembered because you backed them up with deeds and delivery. Will they talk about you after you've gone?

9. Help other people…When you establish this belief as one of the foundations of your selling process, the attributes that accompany it are the keys to making your customer feel motivated to act, and confident enough to buy. There is an offshoot of this philosophy — get business for others. It is as powerful as any sales tool you can imagine.

10. Stay focused and look for opportunity…How important is it to be focused? In 1982, after a big Imprinted Sportswear show, I was at the Dallas airport when I noticed a guy I met from a t‑shirt manufacturing company. He was swearing at the American Express money machine. It seems the machine ate his card. He was looking desperate. I walked over, re-introduced myself, found out the problem and loaned him $100 so he would have cash for the trip home. Two days later he sent me a check for $100 and a thank-you note. Turns out he was the president of his company. Two months later he called me and asked if I was interested in printing garments for the 1984 Olympics. He had the sub-license to manufacture from Levi's. We had a state-of-the-art printing facility so I said, "Of course." He gave me a contract to print every shirt — 1,600,000 garments. $750,000 worth of business — because I was paying attention at the airport. And, because I was living my philosophy of "help other people."

11. Establish long-term relationships with everyone…If you look to establish a long-term relationship each time you sell, it assures that the integrity, sincerity, honesty, and "doing what's best for the customer" are a given. Make "long-term" a prerequisite for selling. Be sure to share this philosophy with your customer.

11.5 Have fun…Look at the most successful people in any field. One thing they have in common is that they love what they do. They pursue what they do with a passion and enthusiasm that is admirable (and contagious). How much fun are you having?

FREE GitBit…Get an excerpt of The 39.5 Rules of Sales Success from The Sales Bible. To win the game, it helps to know the rules. Just go to www.gitomer.com — click FREE STUFF then click GitBit- register and enter the secret words, "SALES SUCCESS".