7 Tips For Unstoppable Motivation And Enduring Success

By Peter Murphy

Procrastination is of no use to you in your quest to fulfill your dreams. Lose those old habits and replace them with habits that lead to self-motivation and control over your life.

1. Success is not achieved accidentally. It is a
systematic, deliberate process of deciding what you want to
do with your life, what you will do when you get there, and
what the steps are to get you where you want to be.

One of the most important aspects of success is the ability
to visualize your path and stay focused on your goal until
you reach it.

2. The sooner you envision your dreams and develop a plan
to turn them into reality, the faster you will accomplish
your goals. Mental pictures are a mechanism to lead you
down the path of true independence and motivation.

Procrastination is a self-defeating behavior that develops
in part due to low self-esteem and fear of failure. Your
imagination is like a preview of your future.

If you don't use your imagination your life will remain
mundane and unfulfilling.

3. Overcoming procrastination is the first step in helping
you create the lifestyle you desire. You must change the
habits and behaviors that led you to procrastinate in the
first place.

Change is a slow process so be sure to reward yourself
along the way for small achievements.

Instead of focusing on the difficulty of a large task,
break it into smaller jobs and create a timeline for
finishing them.

4. Several small jobs done over time are much more
manageable that one large task with no end in sight.

You'll be astonished at how much you can get done if you
concentrate on one thing at a time instead of cluttering
your mind with multiple tasks.

Try tackling the more undesirable tasks early in the day so
that by afternoon you can pursue more pleasant activities.

5. Relieve yourself of the pressure created by clutter in
your office or home. Develop a filing system, rid yourself
of unnecessary papers, and give yourself an organized place
to work.

When you exercise self-discipline in your surroundings as
well as your behaviors, you will make major strides in
accomplishing your goals in a shorter period of time.

No matter what is happening around you, keep your mind
focused on the reward you'll receive by reaching your goals.

6. If people or outside forces distract you, use the power
of the human mind to block out what impedes your progress
and concentrate solely on the task at hand.

You will make remarkable progress by refusing to let others
alter the path you have chosen.

Overcoming procrastination and staying motivated is the way
to lifetime success and happiness. You'll achieve your
goals rapidly when you stay focused on your destination and
the rewards that will follow.

7. Review your habits and way of thinking to determine what
you are visualizing most of the time. If your visions do
not lead you in the direction of accomplishing your goals,
then you must change them.

Discipline yourself to concentrate on your goals the
majority of the time, and if you stray from the path, get
promptly back on.

Imagine what the rewards will be when you finally reach
your destination and keep that thought foremost in your
mind.

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a
very popular free report that reveals how to crush procrastination and
sustain lasting motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited
time only at: http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/special.htm

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Top 10 Tips For Cold Calling Success

By Gavin Ingham

At some point or other every sales person has to cold call. Whether it’s ringing totally new clients, chasing leads, gaining referrals, networking or following up on a conference card handed in it’s not something that many salespeople are that comfortable with.

Being able to cold call confidently, professionally and effectively will not only open up more potential business for you it will also allow you to feel more in control of your own destiny and much more empowered. Here are my top 10 tips for cold calling success…

1. Plan and prepare your opening statement.

The more individuals I train the more important I think this is. I have made tens of thousands of calls and listened to far more. Whether cold or indeed warm calling the biggest problem by far is lack of client engagement. This can be down to several factors but by far the most significant is a failure to plan and prepare a decent opening statement.

An opening statement needs an introduction, a hook (what’s in it for client) and a bridge to your questions or your close. Without these it’s impotent. Make sure that the benefits you offer are a) really benefits and b) relevant to the person you are speaking to and not just you! My top tip would be to imagine your self in your client’s shoes and then ask, “What will this call potentially do for my business and why should I care?”

2. Get into the right state of mind and expect success.

Unmotivated people to not make good salespeople. Let’s face it, who would buy off someone who didn’t appear to believe it themselves. When I train teams I am constantly amazed at the number of salespeople who pick up the phone expecting rejection. It doesn’t seem to matter whether they are making cold calls, customer care calls or follow up calls … only a small percentage of top performers absolutely expect success.

Attitude and mindset are infectious. Clients know within seconds whether you are congruent with your message or not. I once did a verbal survey with my clients asking them why they bought from me in the first place. The overwhelming (and surprise at the time) answer was, “It felt like the right thing to do!”

Expecting success is a crucial part of your success.

3. Know WHY your need to do this.

On a day to day basis most of us forget WHY we are doing certain things. We find ourselves cold calling because we have to or because we are told to. If you want to make change in your cold calling habits then it is going to require some commitment, some focus and some persistence. The best way of leveraging these attributes from your self is to ask yourself, “Why is cold calling important to me? What does it do for me? How does it link to my goals and my dreams?”

When coaching individual sales people on teams I can usually tell who will act and who will not and it’s usually down to whether the individual has a need or a want or not. Holding your self to a higher standard is hard if you have no reason to so spend some time and work our why cold calling is important to you right now.

4. Practise delivery focusing on pace, pitch and tone.

When I listen to sales calls I am frequently shocked by the message within the message. In face to face sales 55% of the message is non-verbal. On the phone, this element is missing and this means that the message consists only of the words and how you say them. Whilst the words are vitally important the way you say them will be directly linked to your success or ultimate failure.

Having listened to thousands of calls I can honestly say that the message behind the message for most calls is … “I’m bored, tired and putting in the numbers and you’re probably tot say no anyway!”. Would you buy from someone was saying this to you?

Get someone you trust to listen to your calls and give you feedback on pace, pitch and tone. What message are you sending out?

5. Plan and prepare relevant questions.

Questions and client interaction are paramount for selling. Most salespeople think that they are good at questioning. Most are wrong. Planning and preparing good questions is something that all salespeople should do regularly.

Questions are incredibly important because they focus the mind. This is as true when talking to others as it is when talking inside your own head! Most of us put the focus in the wrong place both internally and externally by asking the wrong questions.

Imagine ringing a new client, introducing yourself and giving a few benefits. They’re listening but they’re not on board yet!! Now imagine asking questions uch as, “Does that sound like something that would be of interest to you?” and “Would you be interested in meeting up then?”

These questions are an absolute waste of time and the resounding answer that you get will be, “No!”.

Questions need to focus the client’s mind on something that you would like them to think about such as, “Have you ever had any difficulties…?” or “How do you currently…?”

6. Have your support tools to hand.

Part of being professional is being prepared. When you get on the phone you need your diary, notes, paper and pens to hand. I cannot count the number of times I have watched a sales “professional” start to close for a meeting and then realise they don’t have a diary open on the desk or on the computer. One long pause later… rapport and meeting lost!

Expect success, work out what support tools you need to be successful and make sure that they are to hand.

7. Divert calls and minimise disruptions.

A recent survey studying working habits suggested that the average worker actually works for less than 3 hours in an average working day. This seems quite high to me! Most people seem to find so many extraneous and irrelevant tasks to do that it’s a wonder they ever get anything done. To be a sales superstar you need to work out what activities bring you success and then set aside time to do them.

Work out your ratios and then work out how many calls you need to make to achieve your personal goals. Once you’ve done that get on and do it. Most salespeople actually spend too much time “on the phone”… the problem is that they’re not focused enough when they are on the phone. Try turning off your mobile, diverting all calls and asking not to be disturbed. Get your self energised and prepared and then make 45 minutes worth of top quality, proactiver calls. You’ll be amazed by how much you can achieve in ¾ of an hour!

8. Set clear objectives for your session.

Many salespeople make calls without any objectives or goals. This is a complete waste of time. You need to plan and prepare for all proactive sales sessions. Pre-decide on your activities and how you are going to measure them. Set realistic objectives and targets and stick to them. Only this way will you be able to improve and grow.

9. Don’t put your phone down.

Whether cold or warm calling it’s important that you keep the energy flowing when you are making proactive calls. It’s too easy to get distracted, start doing something else or take ever increasing breaks between each call.

One very effective way of achieving shorter break time and therefore more proactive energy is to not put the telephone down between calls. Not only does this work but you also save on the psychological energy of having to pick the phone up again every call!! I also recommend that wearing a headset increases the work rate of nearly all telephone sales people

10. Master your physiology.

Your physiology is the way you use your body… your posture, movement, facial expressions and breathing. Changing your physiology changes your state. If you were to walk into a room full of salespeople on the phone you would instantly know if they were “up for it” or not by the way they were sitting, moving, talking and so on.

Take a moment to think about your physiology now. Think about the best telephone call that you’ve ever made… How were you sitting / standing? How did you move? What were your facial expressions? Voice patterns? How did you hold your head? How was your breathing? Did you use a headset / handset?

Get your log-book and make a note of your findings. Over the next week I want you to concentrate on starting all of your telephone sessions from this physiology and maintaining it throughout. If you find your physiology changing then get yourself straight back into the right physiology. Remember that doing this in front of the others in the office at 830am in the morning could feel unnatural… and so will the extra commissions when they roll in but I think you can cope with that!!!

So that’s it. 10 top tops for being a great cold caller and a better salesperson. If you want to know more about cold calling or develop any of these strategies in more detail then have a look at my website...

For the last 10 years, Gavin Ingham has been helping sales people to explode their sales performance by turning self-doubt, fear and lack of motivation into self-belief, confidence and action. With his inspirational approach to sales performance and motivation Gavin combines commercial experience, personal excellence and communications technologies in delivering personal and business sales success.

Visit http://www.gaviningham.net now to join Gavin's free monthly newsletter packed full of sales secrets, strategies and tactics. Join now and get Gavin's ground-breaking 9-part objection handling course absolutely free.

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Key to Success: 10 Success Tips for Maximum Achievement

By Sharif Khan

First off, I would echo the voice of 18th century French philosopher Voltaire, made popular and relevant in today’s leadership lexicon by “Good to Great” author Jim Collins, who said, “Good is the Enemy of Great.”

1. “Good is the Enemy of Great.” Get rid of the good to make room for the great in your life. Instead of keeping the main thing the main thing, we major in too many minor things. In other words, many people do a few things that are good, a lot of things that are mediocre, but nothing that is GREAT.

Find the ONE thing you can be the best in the world at and focus unrelentingly on improving that one thing, polishing it to perfection.

Choose great over good in ALL areas of your life! It is far better to have a few great things than a lot of good or mediocre things.

Instead of having six cheap shirts that you don’t feel so great in, have one fine quality shirt that you can feel proud to wear and that makes you feel like a million bucks! Instead of having five or six ho-hum paintings to decorate your walls, invest in ONE magnificent masterpiece that leaves you breathless and enriches your soul every time you look at it! Instead of going to the usual cottage retreat every long-weekend, save up your money and go on one GREAT vacation that you’ve always dreamed of like going on a European boat-cruise, snorkeling in the Red Sea, or taking an art class in Paris. Instead of many mediocre friendships, have a few great friendships that energize and inspire you and that you can spend quality time fostering deeper
relationships. You get the point.

Greatness is a choice! And choice is the democratic equalizer of all people. Everyone, regardless of their rank, social status or income level has the power to choose great over good.

2. Commit to an annual theme. Instead of making and breaking a number of well-wished but half-hearted New Year’s Resolutions, commit to an annual or lifetime theme. Pick a theme that defines your singular life purpose or what you are most passionate about and stick to it.

For example, my theme is: “Write First!” I have this theme posted right in front of me above my computer. My purpose is to write.

I write first and ask questions later. I focus on writing (or things related to developing my writing) first and then worry about the urgent but non-important interruptions (paying bills, answering calls and emails, responding to invitations, etc.) that plague everyone. This theme takes precedence over everything else except my spiritual relationship with my Creator. The only exception to this rule would be a genuinely important priority that falls in one of my top values in life or attending to a family emergency.

Your main theme for 2006 could be “Family First!” or “Health First!” or “Listen First!” or “Service Above Self.” Just pick one and commit to it.

Beside your main theme, make a list of your top values such as love, health, giving, peace, wealth, etc. to ground yourself and distinguish between important and non-important but urgent matters. In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin listed thirteen virtues (Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility) to which he governed his life and gave a week’s strict attention to mastering one virtue at a time repeating the list in order every thirteen weeks.

3. Practice a policy of planned neglect. In other words, once you have established your theme or singular purpose (the one thing you can be the best in the world at) get into the habit of practicing your main habit FIRST before anything else.

Everything else that’s non-important can get neglected and keep getting put-off. In other words, your daily to-do list will keep changing around your main theme which will remain constant – with very few exceptions.

4. Make a stop doing list. I’m not sure where I first heard this idea, but I borrowed it most recently from Jim Collin’s book, “Good to Great.” Too many people have important to-do lists that keep getting longer and longer. But very few people have ‘stop-doing’ lists. Make a list of everything you are doing that is not contributing to your core genius or main purpose and core values – and stop doing it! Forget about your image and what other people will think, and STOP doing what’s not great in your life.

5. Be Simple. Get rid of the good to make room for the great. Literally! Get rid of the junk in your basement and file folders!

Anything you haven’t touched or looked at in a year you probably need to get rid of it. Donate books and magazines you haven’t read and clothes you know you’re never going to wear. Empty your mind and physical space of unnecessary clutter and make room for abundance! (Daily meditation is a great way to empty the mind and allow new inspiration).

6. Make HEALTH a priority NOW! Get a full physical check-up at least once a year. If something’s bothering you or you don’t feel right about something, get it checked out IMMEDIATELY! Don’t wait, until it’s too late. Take a proactive approach to your health by taking preventative measures, eating healthy and exercising regularly. And make LOVE a top priority. If you haven’t taken the time to tell your loved ones how deeply you value and love them, then make time for it now.

Are you still reading this article? WHY? Pick-up your phone, right now, and call your doctor to make that appointment! Call your loved ones now and book some real quality time together. Life is short and fragile. You may never get the chance again.

7. Dreams. The dream is a window into your soul, a gateway into the unseen world, giving access to the unknown and revealing the invisible behind all that is visible. In my book, “Psychology of the Hero Soul,”
(http://www.herosoul.com; Chapter 14; pg. 77)I mention the importance of dreams and how to harness your dreams to awaken your creative potential. I can’t stress enough how important it is to get into the habit of jotting down your dreams and making an effort to interpret them. It is a great way to develop self-awareness and self-understanding and will enrich your life in many, many unforeseen ways.

Self-awareness and self-acceptance is so important in developing your self-esteem. Take the time to seriously ask yourself, “Who am I and what’s my purpose in life?” Write down your strengths and weakness, your highest ambitions and deepest fears, and make a list of everything you enjoy doing and all your hobbies. Take some personality tests to gain deeper understanding of who you are.

8. Face the brutal facts! Never hide from reality. Always get the hard facts about any situation you are facing. It doesn’t matter if you have a Harvard MBA and are the world’s greatest optimist if you pick the wrong location to open up a retail business!

Likewise, face the brutal facts about yourself. If you haven’t even come close to achieving your dreams and goals, you need to honestly ask yourself why you haven’t reached your goals and figure out what has been preventing you. A great way to accomplish this is to ask a few friends you trust and who know you the following question: “How do you see me limiting myself?” (I have Jack Canfield to thank for this great question).

Once you have the facts and fully understand the problem, spend over eighty percent of your time focusing on the solution.

9. ASK for help! If you need help, ask for it. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Ask for the sale, ask for the date, ask for support. Stop worrying about your image, reject the rejection, and ASK!

But don’t just be a taker. Please also give. Earn the right to ask by being a giver. Be a generous giver because whatever you put out into the world will return multiplied. The hero’s journey is about following your bliss, and doing what you love to do in service to others. “Service above self,” is a great motto to adopt.

10. Take Action! In my Hero Soul book, I have dedicated an entire chapter on taking action. The great succeed by taking continuous and concerted action toward a singular objective. And they continue to take unrelenting, consistent action for a period of years before becoming overnight successes.

If you do just five new things every day towards achieving your biggest dream, you will one day be living your dream and as Thoreau once said, ‘meet with a success unexpected in common hours.’

But if you aren’t going to take action on the advice in this article, why the heck are you reading it? Move on to something else!

One of my favorite movies is “The Shawshank Redemption” (based on Stephen King’s short story, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption) about a successful banker, Andy Dufresne, who is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife. I’m sure many of you have seen it.

For nineteen years Dufresne quietly chips away at his goal to escape by literally chipping the wall in his cell – a little bit every day – until one day he reaches his goal and escapes.

His jail buddy, Red, comments that all it took “was pressure and time.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen any movie replayed so many times on TV. It really intrigued me. So I did some research and found out that according to IMDB, The Shawshank Redemption is the second most popular movie of all time with The Godfather taking first place! That’s quite the accomplishment given how long The Godfather has been out.

Why is this movie so popular? I don’t really know the answer. But I think it’s because many people feel like they’re living in a prison and have been given a life sentence to doing work they really hate. They want to break free from their shackles.

More than anything else, they want FREEDOM! And Shawshank delivers that moment of freedom. It’s a beautiful story that makes the soul weep with joy and provides the hope and promise of being human.

The great thing about Shawshank is that it also provides a solution: by quietly chipping away at your main goal and consistently taking action everyday, you will achieve the success and freedom you have been longing for. With ‘pressure and time’ you can take the darkest coal and turn it into the most brilliant, most magnificent diamond the world has ever seen.

Sharif Khan (http://www.herosoul.com; sharif@herosoul.com) is a motivational speaker, freelance writer, coach, and author of “Psychology of the Hero Soul,” an inspirational book on awakening the hero within and developing people’s leadership potential. To contact Sharif directly, call: (416) 417-1259.

Copyright © 2005 by Sharif Khan

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