The way to succeed is to double your error rate.
- Thomas J. Watson (1874-1956)
Former IBM Chairman and Master Salesman

Have you made any big errors lately? If so, congratulations….you’re human! And chances are you are not a wimp, afraid to make a wrong decision that just might not work out perfectly. You see, the people in our world that become famous in anything are not those who do things perfectly, but those who do things well after screwing up a bunch of times. The difference between the top performers and the average, however, is that the average are often frozen by fear of not doing something perfectly. So they don’t try it, don’t make the big decision, don’t ask for the sale, don’t take that business risk, or don’t reach out to that long lost friend. Because the fear of “what if” and the paralysis that it brings can bring about a harmful stagnation in our lives. Life is about movement, either up and down, and if you aren’t moving down from making errors or moving up from learning from them, than you aren’t moving at all. And if you’re not moving, the world is just passing you by. So this week, think of that big decision that is scaring the heck out of you and go for it. It might not work out perfectly, but even that less than perfect decision will be better than no decision at all.

Think of the greatest leaders in history and how they handled “worrisome” things. Our friend Sir Winston said the above words just before a madman from Germany began dropping bombs all over his country. But Churchill was famous for approaching a “challenge” with confidence and calmness and it was those two qualities that fueled his thinking and planning. By planning for all that “could” happen well in advance, he was better prepared to lead once it did.

What might happen in your sales territory, your business, your marketplace and your industry in 2009? Have you thought about it and effectively planned for the “maybes?” What will you say if your largest customer calls next week and tells you they are cutting their budget in half because of a down economy? Have you planned your response to help them understand that they NEED you to help them through the tough times? If not, it’s time to get to work.

Now let me warn you in advance. The following exercise just might make you worry a bit. But by thinking and planning now, you should have nothing to worry about. So take time this week to do the following:

-Think of five things in your business that, if they happened, would scare the heck out of you and your bottom line.

-Write those five things down on a sheet of paper or in your computer.

-Take 30 minutes or more to develop your action plan should those things occur.

-Then be proactive NOW by doing what is necessary to prevent those things from happening.

By turning WORRYING into PLANNING, and then PLANNING into ACTION, you will find that this worrisome economy just may produce your finest year ever. And THAT should worry your competition.

This week, Brian interviewed the key Planner of Operation Iraqi Freedom on his weekly radio show. Col. Kevin Benson’s battle plan was used by American Forces in the initial phases of the war. To get a perspective on planning and leadership rarely heard, go to www.preciseselling.com/Radioaccess.htm to listen to the interview.  To find out more about Brian’s sales and leadership programs, visit him at www.preciseselling.com or email Brian at bsullivan@preciseselling.com.

Staying Young in Business

Recently during one of my seminars I had a rookie salesperson tell me that he was told by his manager and some of his company’s tenured employees that it was going to take him a while before he “truly understands the business.” But what those seasoned folks don’t understand is that because he was told it was going to take a while, guess what…it IS going to take a while. That well-intentioned advice, in fact, only encouraged him to take his time getting to the TOP. But here was my advice to him. Respectfully smile, listen and learn from as many seasoned business professionals as possible, but don’t EVER let them dictate how long it takes you to reach your potential. Only YOU have control over that decision.

For example, this week I had a fella named Cameron Johnson on my weekly business radio show. Cameron is a millionaire, just published his second book on entrepreneurialship (You Call the Shots), created and sold more than a dozen internet businesses and was recently a business guest on CNBC, Fox News and more. Oh, and did I mention that Cameron just turned 23 years old! So what’s the point? Well if you ask Cameron, he will tell you he has no more skill and knowledge than anybody. But what Cameron does have, like many successful young business people, is tone deafness to those who tell them that the path to business success is going to take “lots of time in the trenches.”

While the lessons learned from time in the business are invaluable, there are some things that the rookie employee can do to speed up the clock:

• Seek out knowledge from tenured employees and learn from THEIR experiences
• Add only 15 minutes to each work day
• Take that 75 extra minutes each week to learn something new by reading a book, a journal or internet newsletter
• Stay tuned to the latest technology in business that can make you more efficient
• Don’t let your mind grow old

Oh, and don’t think you need to be 23 to have the heart and desire of a rookie. Because as Douglas MacArthur puts it, it will be your faith, self-confidence and hope that will act as your “fountain of youth.” And armed with that, you may find yourself at the TOP more quickly than you ever imagined.

To listen to Brian’s radio interview with former teen
self-made millionaire Cameron Johnson,
go to www.preciseselling.com/Radio.htm.
It will either motivate you…or make you sick to your stomach!