Time Out!
Three Habits that will Change Your Life Forever

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Selling can be a very difficult profession. There is constant pressure to find new opportunities, close existing deals, build customer relationships, manage channels, negotiate contracts, play nicely with the factory and get paperwork in on time.

It amazes me when I think about all the “stuff” you must master to be successful. Where did you learn all of this and how do you continue to sharpen your skills and attitude?

Few universities offer degrees in professional selling and most in-house sales training barely scratches the surface of what you really need to know. Eventually you figure it out… especially if you enjoy receiving a regular paycheck. But the school of hard knocks can be a very difficult master.

I guarantee there is a way to enjoy more success in your sales career. What I’m about to share has changed the lives of many clients.

These ideas don’t require your boss’s approval, you won’t need much cash and they take just one hour of your time. Sound simple? You bet, but for many of you it won’t be easy.

I’ve watched these principles hit a deep nerve inside of sales audiences across the country. This wisdom has been around for a while, and yet most people choose to ignore it. What will you do?

Invest 30 minutes…
I’m not suggesting you become a gym rat or a bodybuilder (although either option is good by me). All I’m suggesting is that you spend 30 minutes getting some sort of exercise. Go to the park and walk the dog, get on a treadmill, sign up for an aerobics class, join your local YMCA or visit the workout room at the hotel you’re staying at tonight!

Doctors have been telling you for years that exercise is good for you and you know it is true. I like to ask audiences, “How many of you feel better and more productive after exercising?” Without exception almost every hand goes up.

Turn off the TV, get off the couch and just do it!

Invest 20 minutes…
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Everything you need to know to be successful beyond your wildest dreams has already been written, you just haven’t read it yet!

Too many people stop reading wisdom literature when they “graduate” (i.e. quit their formal education). Today you probably enjoyed the sports page or the lifestyles section of the paper. You spend time reading about other people’s success and failure but you don’t spend enough time reading about how you can grow.

You’ve all spent some time on Amazon… you can find books on sales mastery, leadership, parenting, golf, tennis, health, relationships, gardening (need I go on?). Find something you’re interested in… better yet, find something you’re passionate about and start reading twenty minutes every day. Highlight words, write notes in the margins, study the text and watch what happens to the quality of your life. By the end of the year you will have read over a dozen books, increased your knowledge, improved your mastery and enhanced your success.

Invest 10 minutes…
Writing is one of the most powerful and underutilized tools for learning. It’s a discipline that creates characters and character.

I’m not sure if the unexamined life isn’t worth living, but I know that the examined life produces more abundant results. Spending ten minutes every day to capture your thoughts and ideas will crystallize what you believe in. It frees your mind from unnecessary mental overhead and teaches you about your own habits and hang-ups.

The power of learning from your own words is tremendous. I encourage you to buy an expensive leather notebook because the value of what you write will far exceed the price you pay. Try this consistently for 30 days, and if you don’t find value in this exercise then I will buy the notebook back from you!

30/20/10
Thirty minutes of exercise, twenty minutes of reading, ten minutes of writing. An hour may seem like a lot of extra time that many of you believe you don’t have. You might have to watch less TV, get up earlier or say no to some “busy” work. Think of the incredible investment you’re making in yourself and the awesome example you are setting for your spouse, kids, friends, family and colleagues. Don’t let this opportunity slip away!

CALL TO ACTION!
Want to make 2008 a year to remember? Then start investing in YOU! It doesn’t matter how you finished 2007, there is always room for improvement—more room than most sales professionals think possible.

Looking for some ideas?

Give me a call and I can share industry best practices on developing sales talent. We can also brainstorm ideas on how you can grow your specific market in 2008. The conversation will cost you nothing.

Not ready to talk but still interested in receiving insights and ideas on how you can make 2008 great? Then browse the rest of the website and sign up for my monthly journal Speaking of Sales.

I can’t say whether things will get better if you change; what I can say is things must change if they are ever going to get better.

Make 2008 a year to remember!

Good Selling,

Tim Wackel
tim@thewackelgroup.com
214.369.7722

Tim Wackel, founder and president of The Wackel Group, delivers sales workshops for technology companies that are insightful, engaging and focused on providing real world success strategies that audiences can (and will!) implement right away. Tim’s clients include industry leaders Cisco, Hewlett Packard, Raytheon, Red Hat, BMC Software, Philips Medical Systems, Occam Networks, and TXU Energy. Tim holds a Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Nebraska and lives in Dallas where he and his wife enjoy the constant thrills of raising two teenagers.