3 lbs is all that is keeping you from ultimate success. It’s your brain. If it weren’t for our brain, the sales profession would be an easy job. Instead of using our brain as a tool, we use it instead as a weapon-on ourselves. It’s the self-defeating thoughts, past experiences, and bleak predictions that sharpen our blades of self-destruction.

When you were new, you had no problem grabbing an Up. With no preconceived notions, you believed every customer was truthful and every one of them would buy from you-if not today, sometime in the near future. But with every no, ignored phone call, missed appointment, and outright lie, the stones of negativity and cynicism sharpened your sword of self-defeating thoughts and actions. It’s as if we begin our sales career with an empty backpack-we proudly slip both arms through the new straps adjusting it so that if fits securely to our back and with each rejection a cupful of sand is put into the backpack. Eventually the burden becomes too heavy to carry-our hopes shattered and buckled knees, we work less and rest more.

Two miles down the road from my house sits a multi-million dollar casino (a 2 ^nd one is being built now); in order to keep people coming back, they’ll “give away” Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Mercedes Benzes, and Aston Martin’s. The rules are simple, “No purchase necessary and you must be present to win.” While people anxiously wait for their name to be announced as one of the lucky winners, what do you think they are doing?  They gamble-they spend their resources in the wrong places. Sales people are much the same way- we show up, hope something lucky happens, and spend our most valuable resource (TIME) in the wrong places by gossiping, mindlessly waiting, and catching up on social media.

The sales profession is not a drawing and hope is not a strategy.

There should be no reason why you would/should show up every day and leave without ever having worked with a customer-yet salespeople do it every day. We show up and hope. The sales profession is more mental than it is physical and when it gets too mental we get less physical.

To help snap you out of your funk, here are 3 rules that will help you get back and stay on track.

• Be last: Because most salespeople show up and wing it every day is precisely the reason why most salespeople suck; the good news is because the bar is set so low, it doesn’t take much for you to be EXTRAordinary. Before you leave tonight, make a 3-5 item “Why Do” list. I call this a “Why Do” and not a “To Do” list because a “To Do” list makes you actively ineffective. A “Why Do” list on the other hand is a list of 3-5 things you need to do the minute you show up tomorrow. Why? Because that’s how you sell a car.

Your list can be:

1. Follow up on all unsold customers (Utilize ALL mediums: phone, text, email)
2. Follow up with previous day’s customers to thank them and see if they have any questions.
3. Find and call at least 3 customers that you haven’t spoken to in 3 months. (I know you’re scared to call the      ones you haven’t spoken to in years-they probably don’t own the car you sold to them, but do it anyway. Fear will hold 99% of other salespeople back.)
4. Find and adopt least 1 orphan owner sitting in service. Have a give mindset not a take mentality. (Often times they’ll be shocked thinking you’re trying to sell them something. Awe them by just being a helpful friend-who knows where it will one day lead?)
5. Hand out 2 business cards to anyone outside of the dealership. People love to have a friend in the car      business. Start with 2 cards and try to outdo yourself each day. (Fear of how they’ll be perceived when handing out a business card will stifle 99% of other salespeople)

Most salespeople show up at the dealership, jump out of their car, and react to whatever is going on. If a group of salespeople are standing around, they’ll join the crowd hoping that they’ll sell a car too. With your Daily 5 list, you’ll show up with a purpose and become more productive.

• Be first: Now that you’re armed with a Daily 5 list, your mission is how fast you can get in front of anyone that doesn’t work for the dealership. Regardless of  if it’s a customer in service (and that’s on your list) or a fresh up, talk to them ASAP. This will get your mental juices flowing and jump-start your self-confidence. Your self-confidence wanes every hour that passes and you haven’t spoken with a customer. Keep your confidence high by pressing the flesh with any and everybody.

• Average per Up: The longer we’re in the sales profession, the more judgmental we become. We judge Ups based on what they drive, say, and how they look. We foolishly think that we don’t want to “waste our time” with an unworthy Up so we become selective with who is worth our time.

The truth is every customer is worth your time. Divide your YTD gross by your YTD Ups. For instance:

YTD gross $25000 / YTD Ups 288 (48 ups/month)

$25000/288 = $87 per Up

Now, if I told you that I would give you $87 for every Up that you do your best to demo, write up, and sell to- regardless of the outcome, how urgent would you be? Chances are you’d think twice about letting someone else catch that Up or incoming phone call. Every time you look the other way, act like you’re on your cell phone, or “go check on a customer’s vehicle in service”, just so you won’t have to wait on an “unworthy Up” costs you big time. Literally...

Making amassing Ups a game will take the sting out of the rejection. So when those 3 customers didn’t buy today, instead of beating yourself up, know that you still made $261-keep that mindset every day and you’ll be cashing big checks.

So if you want to be the best?  Up yours and prove it!

I’ll see you next time on the blacktop.

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