"Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude." 

Once upon a time a strong wood-cutter asked a timber merchant for a job. The timber merchant was happy to oblige. The pay was good and so were the work-conditions. Therefore, the wood-cutter was determined to do his best.

The timber merchant presented the wood-cutter with an axe and showed him where to work. The first day, the wood-cutter brought eighteen trees.

"Congratulations!" the boss said. "Go on working like that."

Motivated by the boss's words, the wood-cutter tried harder the next day, but he could cut down only fifteen trees. The third day he tried even harder but cut down only ten trees. Day after day, he brought fewer and fewer trees. "I must be losing my strength," the wood-cutter thought. He went to the timber merchant and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. "When was the last time you sharpened your saw?" the timber merchant asked. "Sharpened ? I have had no time to sharpen my saw. I have been busy trying to cut trees," said the wood-cutter.

This story can relate to us in our industry through a number of ways. Are we too busy selling cars that we never have time to personally sharpen our skills in life. If you never take the time to do this, you will find yourself beginning to burn out. If you never take the necessary time to sharpen your skills and yourself you will have nothing in the reserve to give out.

Here are some ways to sharpen your skills:

1. Visit Websites That Will Support & Train You

Find sites that assist you as a dealer to help arm you with training, resources, and relevant practices to apply to your daily life in the dealership. Automotive Digital Training

2. Find Industry Current Sales Professional Trainers

This industry is changing all the time. We should never think we know all there is to this business no matter how long we have or haven't been in it. Search the web and look for reviews regarding the different trainers that are out there. Also contact other friends in the business and see the results that the trainer delivered to the store after they left. Dealer Synergy

3. Go To Conferences & Seminars

Attend conferences and seminars that will help you in the area of time management, processes, sales training and people skills. These are so valuable for your business and life in general. Franklin Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Internet Sales 20 Group

4. Sign Up For Webinars, Newsletters and Industry Emails

Go to different industry websites like AutomotiveInternetSales.Com, KBB.Com, Edmunds.Com, WeWorkForYou.Com, AutoMotiveNews.Com, Dealerelite.com, DealerRefresh.Com and sites like these to stay current on what's happening in the industry.

5. Continually Keep A Good Attitude

Your attitude is your posture, your mindset and your state of being. It can be seen on your face, in your words and how you respond and act towards others. Before talking with a customer make sure you do a check up from the neck up before you take the next up. Stay positive and keep a good attitude. Your attitude will ultimately determine your altitude. In other words, your attitude determines how high you go.

I trust this helped and if you need to contact me please don't hesitate. Be blessed!