Nothing has changed
Last week, I was reminded of an age old lesson.  That lesson is that there are no shortcuts to success. Despite all of the advances in technology, medicine and cognitive understanding only effort and hard work truly bring success. Unfortunately, I learned this lesson at my daughter’s tennis lesson.  I say unfortunately because I have been steering her towards golf since she was born and after all that effort, out of the blue she tells me that she wants to be a tennis star.  Why?  Because my parents took her to a professional tennis match a few months ago and she met and got autographs from some of the top female tennis players in the world.  That experience lit a spark in her and now she wants to travel the world and compete against them.  When she gets older I will remind her that I took her to two LPGA golf tournaments and it did not faze her.  I digress.

It takes that much to succeed
Let me return to my point about hard work and effort.  So there I was at my daughter’s tennis lesson.  As the class was doing various drills, I overheard a conversation between another parent and the head instructor of the tennis club.  While I did not hear all of the details, I did hear something that really stuck with me.  The parent asked the instructor if he still competes in tournaments (apparently he used to be a big name player).  The instructor said no because he is only able to practice 2-3 hours a day.  He went on to say that when he was successful and winning tournaments, he would practice 4-6 hours a day. The instructor said, “If I am not prepared to compete at the highest level, then it does not make sense to do so.”

How about us
As I reflect on the conversation between the parent and the instructor, I thought about our lives as business professionals. How much do we prepare before we are “On Stage” or competing so to speak; whether it is before a sales call, big meeting, performance review with an employee, marketing presentation or any myriad of times when we have to perform? Fortunately, I have had bosses and mentors who drilled the importance of planning in my head since I was a very young professional.  It is no mystery that that the better I perform is in direct correlation to how much I have practiced and prepared. When I have an opportunity to mentor young adults and other professionals, I tell them that despite what they say their ambitions are in life, their level of effort in planning and practicing is the true indication of their ambitions.

What do the greats do?
A long time ago, I was talking to someone about the greatest athletes of all time.  Of course, Muhammad Ali’s name came up. Muhammad Ali was once quoted as saying something to the effect of, “I have already won the fight by the time I step into the ring.” Basically, what he was saying is because he had put in so much effort and was so prepared leading up to the fight that all he had to do was step in and execute…which he arguably did better than any other fighter of his generation.

To Your Story!

Ja Marr Brown

Recently, while on our annual winter family vacation, I woke up early one morning and began to write in my journal. I found myself writing about what went wrong in 2010 and what I could have done differently. Then I proceeded to write out these major New Year’s Resolutions for 2011.  All of the sudden, I literally jumped up looked in the mirror and said to myself, “What the hell are you doing?” I had that reaction because I realized that I was going about the reflection and change process all wrong. I was not following the Kaizen philosophy that I had developed and had contributed to so much success in my life and the lives of the people that I taught it to.

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You see, one of the core principles of the Kaizen philosophy is Continuous Improvement. This is the process whereby you try and improve a little every day…not by doing more, but by doing less. You make small changes that lead to major breakthroughs.  Before you beat yourself up thinking about what went wrong or could have been better in 2010, first you should focus on what did work and what went right in 2010.  What were the thoughts and behaviors that really worked for you this past year?  Keep thinking and doing those things.  Secondly, really identify the wasteful thoughts and behaviors that were counterproductive to helping you achieve the things you wanted to in 2010 or that held you back…and simply stop doing and thinking those things. What you ultimately end up with is doing more of what works for you and less of what does not. Therefore, you can accomplish significantly more by actually doing less.

To Your Story!

Ja Marr

I love that guy!  
Recently, I have been engaging in a number of discussions with people about how life seems to have changed over the past couple of years.  The overwhelming sentiment is that life has been more challenging from a professional standpoint which has had some unfortunate personal consequences.  I have always said that a person’s personal and professional lives are interconnected.  They are co-dependents of each other.  No matter how one tries to mask the issues in his or her professional or personal life, eventually one will affect the other.  I discuss this reality in great detail in my book, “What’s Your Sales Story?”  

I can see why you may be depressed
As I reflect on the sobering discussions I have had with people, it is no wonder why the majority of people seem to be a little or a lot depressed…especially when they honestly open up to you.  Here are a few of the comments I have captured:   My Responsibilities have increased but I have less time to take care of them, jobs and careers are more demanding, friends and loved ones have less time for each other, you feel like you are just surviving vs. thriving and enjoying this life that we only get one chance to live, the world seems less and less safe every day.  Yes, these are all really good reasons to feel down, but regardless of your current state of affairs as long as you wake up with the ground below you vs. above you…you can do something about it.  

One picture can change everything.
Earlier this evening, as I was digging through pictures looking for the perfect one for my daughter’s school project, there was one picture that stopped me dead in my tracks.  A smile immediately came across my face and all thoughts of stress, worry and fatigue left my mind.  Filling in the gaps made by their absence were feelings of happiness, peace, joy and optimism.  My Heart felt light and my Soul was uplifted.  My normal state of, “Anything is possible” and “The world is a beautiful and wondrous place” returned.  That transformation and this blog entry is the offspring of that photo and four words I said to myself as I looked at it, “I Love that guy!”  
I Love That Guy!    
Yes, “I Love that guy,” is what I said to myself when I looked at that photo.  As I began to write this, I understood more and more why I said those words.  It is because it is so easy in life to get so wrapped up in the day to day trials and tribulations in life that you forget who you really are and become the person that you said you would never be.  It is like the revelation that so many of us parents make when we realize that we are just like our parents.  The image of me in that photo reminded me of the person I have been striving to be in this life:  professionally successful yet fun loving and not taking myself too seriously, living life to the fullest with no regrets, young at heart and spirit, waking up feeling blessed and thanking God for all that I have, not worrying about or questioning what I don’t have, ensuring (like my parents told me as  a child) that my child’s life is better than my own, being a living example for my child that life is beautiful and all things are possible regardless of the current state or situation you are in, becoming your purpose in life and sharing your God given gifts and talents with the world, blessing others as I have been blessed.    

Now it is time to tell Your Story.
I find it fascinating that one single picture could inspire so much in me.  I guess it’s really true that, A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words.  If you can relate to any part of this blog entry and you are going through a challenging time in your life right now, I encourage you to look through your old photos and find the one that makes your say, “I love that guy or that girl.”  I want you to really think about who the person in that photo is; think about their energy, their smile, attitude, their spirit, mind and soul.  Remember who that person is and what they are all about…but most importantly, remember that that person is you.  Be that person!

To Your Story,
Ja Marr

It is now 6:43 a.m. on a Saturday morning. I actually woke up at 5:45 a.m. because I wanted to play golf early and then spend the rest of the day with my family. However, here I am sitting at my kitchen table writing. The question is, Why am I at home  and not at the golf course as I had planned? You might think my answer is simple or you might think it is complicated; but let me give it to you anyway. The reason why I am sitting here vs. playing the sport I love (and got a hall pass from the wife to do this morning) is because I simply have something more important to do…not today, but in preparation for 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now.

The Now = The Future

The quote that I came up with to help guide my life is as follows: “Every action or thought either takes you closer to or further away from your aspirations in life.” Without detailing the Plan for my life, let me just say that spending my morning writing and practicing a presentation for a seminar that I am giving at my Church on Monday evening is more aligned with my future plan and aspirations than playing golf this morning. Am I bummed? No, because it is an awesome feeling to know that you made choices that will take you closer to the future you want to build for your family. Believe me, I will find time for golf…just not today. There is simply something more important to do.

A Poem on Choice

This morning, as I was reviewing the myriad of notes and ideas I have written, I came across a small spiral notebook. I remembered writing in the notebook after a friend of mine called me (several weeks ago) and asked me if I wanted to go to the golf driving range with him. Once again, I opted to not go and instead spent my time working on the audio version of my book, “What’s Your Sales Story?” The following is what I wrote about some of the choices I have made since deciding to pursue my “Life Plan.”

* You went to the driving range, played a lot of golf and your game improved. I did not go to the range, did not play as much golf and my game suffered.
* You went to bed early and woke up late. I stayed up late and woke up early as I developed my ideas.
* You hung out with friends and watched Monday night football. I hung out with family and wrote while I watched Monday night football.
* You went to the gym on a regular basis. I kept paying $25.00 a month membership fee and went to the gym seldomly…always with my personal journal in hand.
* You ate 3 meals a day. I at times was so focused and inspired that I forgot to eat.
* You thought about what you wanted to do with your life. I acted on what I wanted to do with my life.
* You were stomped by “How” you would accomplish your aspirations. I was inspired by “WHY” I wanted to achieve my aspirations.
* You talked about the time you did not have. I took advantage of the time I did have.
* You looked at other people’s success and asked, “Why them and not me?” I looked at other people’s success and said, “Let me learn as much as I can from them.”
* You led a good life but never reached your full potential. I led an inspired life and discovered that the sky truly was the limit.

Ja Marr, what does this mean?

I think the moral of the story is that the bigger your aspirations in life, the more you have to “Sacrifice.” I put the word “Sacrifice” in quotes because oddly enough, as I reread the previous section and reflected of the choices I have made, I really do not see them as “Sacrifices” at all. As a matter of fact, they were all great experiences and I would make the same choices again. They are what have made me and continue to make me the person that I am and are taking me closer to the person I want to become.

I am going to stop writing now because I could easily write a book on what I was trying to explain in the previous paragraph. As a matter of fact, I just might do that. In the meantime, I would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post.

To Your Story!

Ja Marr

My father recently told me a story about a man that would bring his lunch to work every day. Each day the man would open his lunch, take out a sandwich, take a bite and complain about how bad it tasted, and how tired he was of eating the same old, boring lunch.

After months of listening to the man complain one of his co-workers finally had enough. He approached him and asked, “If you are so sick of having the same lunch every day, why don’t you ask your wife to make you something different?” Clearly offended by such a suggestion, the man snapped back, “I don’t need to change anything. I make my own damn lunch.”

I was reminded of the lunch story as a result of a recent speaking engagement I delivered for the Medical Service Society (www.medicalservicesociety.org) in San Diego. The theme of my talk centered on the idea that a sales professional’s current mindset and behaviors equate to their current sales results. This theme was applied to the current state of our economy and the affect it is having on sales professionals.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist - or economist - to see that our economy and sales environment has drastically changed in the last 12 months. Businesses of all sizes and a majority of all industries are dealing with an unprecedented level of upheaval. We all know that something needs to change. The real question isn’t whether change is needed, but what kind of change do we need to make in order to achieve sales excellence in today’s environment?

Making career lasting changes starts with acting and thinking differently in order to produce the results we desire. Complaining about your results as the man did with his lunch or worse yet, doing the same old things we have done in the past, while expecting new and improved results, is the definition of insanity. In other words, it is time we pack a different lunch!

When it comes to developing your story, one of the key components is identifying, assessing and fully leveraging the potential you have as a sales professional. Everyone has potential. It’s up to you as to whether you choose to recognize it, embrace it and fulfill that potential that exists within you.

My grandfather came to recognize the potential he had in him and chose to fulfill that potential by inspiring the lives of those he encountered every day. He knew early on, going back to his days in World War II, that the bigger the obstacle or the bigger the goal, the more important it was to have others who believed in you even more than you believed in yourself. This philosophy was put to use on the battlefields in Europe and again on the battlefields throughout some of the toughest communities in San Diego.

My grandfather leveraged his knowledge and skills and embraced his own potential by proactively engaging and inspiring others to do the same in their lives. Many of those he reached out to in his lifetime, beyond just family and friends, were hundreds of misguided souls who had lost the sense of who they were and felt they had no potential. Organizing a baseball league and instilling lifelong values and skills through his coaching, these individuals not only regained clarity on the potential they had lost sight of, but they also came to realize my grandfather believed in them more than they even believed in themselves.

Over several decades he set the framework and provided the guidance for dozens of kids and even adults to discover their innate potential and fulfill it. Those who genuinely wanted to change their lives followed my grandfather’s guidance and opened their minds to the possibilities of perennial success.

The results of having my grandfather believe in them more than they did in themselves were astounding. Hundreds of boys and girls who could have wound up in prison or dead in the streets were awakened to a new set of possibilities. Today many of those boys and girls, now full grown adults, serve as a beacon of hope to their own children and others for what can be achieved with one’s potential, no matter the obstacles.

Some questions to consider:

· Who do you have in your life that sees you bigger and better than even you see yourself? What kind of potential do they see in you?

· How does the belief someone else has in you affect your performance as a sales professional?

· Are you overwhelmed by the pressure and expectations they have of you? Or do you embrace that and use it to improve your performance?

· What level of potential do you see in yourself as a sales professional? Are you achieving this potential or wasting it

It’s been said that to succeed in sales you must possess a healthy sized ego. But what exactly does that mean? For most it means the bigger the ego the easier you will bounce back from rejection. The ego, though, is much more than just how highly you think of yourself or the amount of confidence you exude. When it comes to succeeding in sales, it’s not the size of your ego that matters, but how you manage it.

According to psychologists the ego is defined as “self”, which begs more questions than it delivers answers. Perhaps a more correct definition is to say the ego is the ultimate shape shifter. It changes how it wants to be perceived based on who you are interacting with or what you’re dealing with at any given moment. I call this our “sales self or sales ego”, which means who we are when we are selling.

From the stories we tell ourselves to the stories others tell us, our ego is behind how we interpret them. Whether the stories are helping or hurting us, they tend to get played repeatedly in our heads. The reoccurring themes produce a pattern of behavior. For salespeople, when the ego is involved, the pattern of behavior that results is both common and predictable.

Depending on the stories your ego has fed you about success, you may embrace it or you may be fearful of it. For many salespeople, when they experience success, they get so wrapped up in their accomplishments that they forget what they did to achieve that success in the first place and tend to lose sight of why they are selling. The end result is usually a crash landing into reality when they soon find themselves struggling and can’t seem to repeat their earlier successes.

If things are not going well salespeople are known to weave stories where they convince themselves and others that the negative results they’re getting is not their responsibility.

“I have a difficult territory.”

“Our products cost too much.”

“Our competitors have more advanced and innovative products.”

“A poor sales year always follows a good sales year.”

“My customers don’t like me.”

“My boss does not like me.”

“The compensation plan is no good.”

“Sales are always low during this quarter.”

“The products I have to sell don’t do everything they’re supposed to.”

Do any of these sound familiar? More than likely, you’ve either used one or more of these in your career. If not, you’ve certainly heard them from other salespeople and even sales managers.

If you only remember one thing from this bog entry, remember this; everything you do and everything your think each day is pulling you closer to your desired outcomes, or it’s pushing you further away from it.

The direction by which you choose to go is navigated by your ego. In order to move your ego out of the way of your sales success, you will want to start by rediscovering or possibly uncovering, for the first time, the primary reason why you sell. And it isn’t to make money.

Remember, making money in sales is a byproduct of whatever your why is. In this book you will learn through my own personal story and by uncovering your own story how to not let your ego get in the way of your sales success.