We’re going to talk about the inner game of building your business. I believe that the inner game is simply all-important. “The inner game” is a new term for a classic idea explained many different times, many different ways by virtually every success educator, and even philosophers.

In the book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill reveals the secret using the words, “thoughts are things.” Dennis Waitley has worked with U.S. astronauts and Olympic athletes on their inner games. Author Tim Galloway explores the ideas of his books, The Inner Game of Golf, The Inner Game of Tennis and The Inner Game of Selling.

Interestingly, there is a never-ending connection between the inner game in sport and the inner game in business, allowing experts like Waitley, Galloway, ex-quarterback Fran Tarkenton and golfer Arnold Palmer, among others, to step back and forth between expounding on success techniques in the athletic and business worlds. (more…)

As I began my long journey from complete failure in selling to millionaire success, I had a lot of self-image building to do. You see, I was the kid in school who was too shy to read out loud in class. I was more interested in playing sports and making mischief in high school than in studying. I dropped out of college after 90 days because it just wasn’t “for me.” When I did that, my dad told me, “Son, your mother and I will always love you…even though you’ll never amount to anything.” You can imagine where my self-image was as I took on the responsibility of a wife and baby with no real plan for my life. Not being a great student, it was a real struggle for me to get my real estate license after deciding construction work had no future for me.

Once I got my license, though, and started hanging around people who were making pretty good money, I wanted to do the same. I wanted it bad enough to do whatever it would take to succeed. I started learning what they knew. Every personal development seminar that was available had Tom Hopkins sitting in the front row absorbing every word the speakers uttered. This was a whole new world for me. (more…)

It’s the time of year when people all over the world launch their annual process of goal setting.

I’m going to work out every day! 

I’m going to send ‘Thank You’ notes to everyone! 

I’m going to spend one hour a day cold calling! 

THIS is the year I hit the Million Dollar Club!

Yep. Every year we set our goals for the next 12 months. The question is: What can you do now that will assure you’ll actually achieve your goals in 2012?

Would you believe you’re only 3 simple steps away from getting everything you truly want? And would you be surprised if I told you those same 3 steps could help you double your sales in fewer than 30 days? I’ve seen it happen over and over. So now let’s make it happen for you and then you can make it happen for everyone else! (more…)

The average human being has the ability to achieve almost anything.  Lack of basic capability is rarely the problem–we all have great reserves of untapped power. The problem is almost always in finding out what we want.  Before we go any further, let me define how I’m using the word “want” here.  I’m not talking about mere wishes. I’m talking about wants that gnaw at you.

Maybe you think you don’t have any gnawing wants.  If you think that, you’re wrong. You have the wants. But, they’re bottled up where you can’t get at them. They’ll stay there, too, coming out as blind resistance to change, refusal to put out extra effort or the insistence that all your problems are the cause of others.

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Studies have proven that attitude is one of the traits that separate average sales people from their highly-successful colleagues. I have to believe that it’s true in life in general, not just sales. Think about the happiest, most successful people you know. How do you usually find them? Are they depressed, negative, or even apathetic? I doubt it. They’re probably upbeat, smiling, and positive about life. (more…)

The average human being has the ability to achieve almost anything. Lack of basic capability is rarely the problem, but rather, finding out what you want and being willing to sacrifice, change, and grow to satisfy that want.

Here’s a step-by-step system of goal-setting to help you achieve your wants that can be applied to all walks of life. (more…)

Achieving sales volume goals for your business is one of the biggest challenges any owner or manager faces. There are so many factors that can affect that final number.

Hopefully, you have a staff of people who are dedicated, professional and motivated to help you achieve your business goals. If you do not, read no further. Instead, read up on how to hire the right people to sell your products and services.

Let’s assume for now, though, that you do have the right people in place. How do you set the sales goals you want and need without being pushy and demanding of your sales team? Some businesses ask every person on the team to meet the same sales goal equally. That’s the easiest thing for a busy manager to do. The challenge with that is not everyone is capable of achieving at the same level. Some salespeople are better with a certain product. Others work best with a certain type of client. Again, those darn variables. (more…)

If you truly desire to succeed in your selling career, dedicate yourself to being a student your entire life. It’s sad but true, that too many salespeople believe and act as if their education is complete once they’re out of the formal school environment. The sign of a true professional is how much they can learn after they “know it all.”

In sales, one of your most powerful learning tools is your power of observation. Many valuable selling skills and nuances can be picked up just from observing various business and personal situations.

• Watch how a child gets his or her way with adults. They’re usually very specific about what they want and persistent.
• Observe waiters and waitresses, retail clerks and family interactions.

Who gets the “sale” of their point or desire? How did they do it? Did they say something verbally or use body language or both to close the sale? Constantly think about how you can apply what you observe in your selling situations.

I’ll keep posting sales training strategies and tactics for closing more sales. To succeed in selling, keep learning!

Most sought-after audio sales training program: How to Master the Art of Selling Anything

This information is copyrighted by Tom Hopkins International, Inc. for reprint permission, contact Judy Slack (judys@tomhopkins.com).