The Journey: One Last Thought!

Who do you think this is?    If you said "Tiger Woods" you would be wrong!   Yes, that is me on the 18th green of the mecca of golf...Pebble Beach.    Of course, the throngs of tourists did more than one double-take as I walked off the practice green.    Pebble Beach and a knock-off Tiger...should make for a great round of golf, but the first warm up round at Spanish Inn was anything but...in fact, I almost gave up the game based on that round... seriously!   Imagine the pressure of playing with strangers, the most hallowed ground for the sport (outside of Ireland!) and there is a growing gallery to watch this "faux Tiger" tee off.   Can you say pressure?   The shaking of hands (yes, mine were shaking but I mean the competitors), the pre-shot routine, and a tip of the hat to the few hundred (I cant make this stuff up!) people gathered round.   Shank!   Just past the ladies (pardon...forward tees).  I few "ughs" and "awes" from the quickly dissipating gallery and we were off.  At least now we're away from the peering eyes of a judgmental public...I now had a new respect for Tiger and the golfing profession in general.   I never recovered or hit one good shot...the whole day.  The damage of the first tee had been planted, taken root, and the harvest was a round of multi-million dollar mansion hitting shanks!   Embarrassed, though supported by my playing partner (a genuinely great guy!), I decided to give up the game...before you judge me...    How do you deal with pressure?   Right before you get on the phone to call a client who has a problem...   Gold-calling for an appointment...   Fighting the 10th objection, as you face the next mortgage payment, needing to close the prospect in front of you   Performance pressure is real...and it prevails in the profession of sales...do you feel it?  I called a friend and told him the story.  He asked the strangest question...   "What was the last thing on your mind just as the club is about to hit the ball?"   I understood swing thoughts and I have a very specific routine...up until the moment of impact - there...I was vulnerable.   I thought it over and re-lived the first few shots...I began to sweat again sitting there in my pajamas...physiological response to the memory broke open my glands...the mind is powerful!  My One Last Thought...   "I hope I don't shank"   He didn't have to say another word...   I began to think of all the best rounds of golf I had ever played, the day I shot an 81, the 325 yard drive that went right down the middle.  I looked around me at the beauty of the resort and the awesome blessing to be there.  Me, Natalie, Dave & David Meyer I remembered how I got there to begin with...We support several ministries and causes and were major supporters of Joyce Meyers Hands of Hope water initiative. They had invited us to come...yes, to ask for more help.   I began to laugh out loud, "Here I am sweating over a round of golf and someone is fighting for water"...    Perspective is powerful - my mind was "free" to accept better thoughts about my circumstances.    I was "all better".    What are you sweating over today?  Use the power of your mind to put it into perspective...to put a "positive spin" on it.  These thoughts are not the empty calories of delusion to make you feel like everything is fine...I am not asking you to bury your head in the sand of positivity to the exclusion of your current reality.   I am asking you to clear your mind of the crap (yes...I said crap!) and confusion that clouds the next move you make that WILL MAKE your situation better.   Forget the rejections, the chargebacks, the charge accounts and the bad leads...think positively about your NEXT MOVE.   The next day, the crowd was smaller (we had a 7:10 tee time...whew!), and my mind was calmer...the last thought I had as the first tee shot sailed 235 yards right down the middle was...   "Thank you!"   That round was magical...we shot a 79 and tied for first in our flight (3rd flight but that is not the point!)   The point is, you can recover from a bad day...a missed opportunity...a shank.   All you have to do is begin again and this time remember to make that ONE LAST THOUGHT the right one...congruent even!    Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success! Next Time: The Journey - Word Up!"

Par 3 12th 187 yds Tee shot...10 ft pin high...Booyah! What a difference a day makes!

The Journey - Mind On Your Money!

Happy Friday!

 

Why are you in sales?

 

Duh...to make money.

 

Ok...how much money?

 

You're not so quick with the answer this time, huh?

 

Strange thing about the subject of money...some of us brag about the lack of it, hide our desire/need for it, and then feel quilty when we get it.  While my rapping repertoire is very limited (I told you I am old school!) I like what Snoop Dogg says (heavily edited version!);

 

"I got my mind on my money...and my money on my mind!"

 

Trust me...you do too!

 

When you get up to go to work you have your mind on your money...

or you would stay in the bed!

 

When you prospect and face 20 rejections for 1 "maybe" you've got money on your mind...

or you wouldn't dial the first number!

 

When you pay for direct mail...

you get the picture.

 

The real question...

 

What are you thinking while you are doing all of these things to make money?"

 

Are they congruent?

 

Ok, Bill Nye, science guy, can we have one of these Daily Crumbs without your inner nerd coming through?  Congruent simply means "equal"...to add up.  Take a look once again at our Evolution of Completion Diagram;

Does what you think "add up" to what you want?   Most of us chose sales because of the unlimited income potential.  In reality, it is limited...by our own thoughts.  Let me prove it;   What is the biggest number you "think" you will earn in the profession of sales?   What if I said, "$100,000?"   Not in a year...a month...   Money is mental.  It is thought materialized through strategy that becomes service and value to your clients and that value is returned to you in a transferrable medium...money.  I believe every sales professional that is in an industry that allows for it should be thinking 6-figures...   Nice and round...   Some of you are there already, looking to go higher (congratulations!)...some of you are reeling from the incongruent tandem of possibility and impossibility.   Write down the number that you want...right here (ok, not on your computer screen!)   $____________________   Each of you knows I am a "client first" philosopher but until your thoughts are congruent with that number I want you to (fill in your number from above);   Think of $________________ when you get up to go to work!   Think of $________________ when you prospect!   Think of $________________ when you pay for direct mail!    I want you to engraft your every thought during your required daily sales activities with your desired money outcome.  I want you to be congruent.  I want you to have...   Your mind on your money.    Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Next Time: The Journey - One Last Thought!"

The Journey - Is Your Check Engine Light On?

"I think I can...I think I can...I think I can..."

 

There is not one of us that doesn't remember that from elementary school...right?

 

"The Little Engine That Could" by Watty Piper.

 

I remember the pop-up book, the record on the phonograph that "beeped" to have you turn the pages...and the cartoon. 

 

Ok, admittedly a little cheesy for grown folks but the lesson it teaches is timeless and applicable to everyone who is trying to achieve...

  

For the more sophisticated people, here is a quote from a man who knew a thing or two about engines...and success;

 

 "If you think you can do a thing, or think you can't do a thing, you're right."

Henry Ford

 

Do you think you can?

 

In the process of the Evolution of Completion, everything begins with thought.  What are you thinking right now about your abilities and your future?  The thought of the moment becomes the moments of the future.

How do you change or direct your future?   You change or direct your thoughts in the direction you want to go. I know that is easier said than done.   Thankfully, all thoughts are completely within your control. Negative thoughts are tough to deal with, especially once they have been allowed to "run wild".  Negative thoughts have to be replaced with a new pattern of positive thought. Positive thoughts have to be developed through persistence and determination...sound familiar?   "I think I can...I think I can...I think I can."   Thoughts are a form of television (visualization) and we are the producer, director and actor controlling the story through the power of imagination.  There is no limitation to the imagination and therefore, no limits to what we can accomplish!   Yea, yea Brandon...no limits...everything has limits!   Remember the Flip Phone? Antiquated and old school I know...   It was born from the communicator on Star Trek because someones imagination "saw" it first.  Think "Beam me up, Scotty" is out of reach?  There are people working on particle acceleration to open up wormholes that manipulate time and space...yes, my inner nerd resurfaces!   Point is...someone out there "Thinks they can"...and they will.   You may be dreaming what you think is an impossible dream;   I want to make six or seven figures in sales I want to build an agency.  I want to quit my part time job I want to be on top of the leaderboard I want to hire a team to help me build my business   Like the Little Engine you have a unique and specific vision to focus on and manifest. Even if you are in fear you can create a powerful vision to believe in.  A vision so vivid and consistent with positive imagery to create an anchor for your belief.   The last couple of days I shared a story about my life that at one point would have been embarrassing, but today is simply a testimony...   Why?   Because I did it...   Just like The Little Engine after it delivered the toys repeated on the way back down the mountain, "I thought I could...I thought I could...I thought I could."   Your Mind Is Your Engine...are the thoughts it is producing today taking you to your desired outcomes or...    Is Your Check Engine Light On?    Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Next Time: The Journey - Mind On My Money!"

The Journey - Get Better

Math problem...

 

What is answer for 220 minus 180?

 

That's easy Brandon...40.

 

Give that pupil a gold star!  Now put "lb" at the end of each number...what is the answer?

 

Yikes!

 

That would be the correct answer...

 

That was the "disconnect" between what I saw in the mirror (and on the scale!) and what was still on my drivers license from 10 years ago...good thing I was never stopped for speeding...I didn't resemble my picture!

 

Natalie never made me feel bad about gaining weight (except the TD Jakes thing!).  Actually, I had lost the sting of that moment and had gotten back into my normal routine...I worked out...looked good in suits...ate horribly, but felt good...

 

Until Aruba...the beach...and the prospect of no shirt!

 

I passed a mirror at a local store and thought...who was that?

 

Yes, it was me!

 

Immediately after seeing myself in the mirror, I saw a magazine.  Natalie saw it too and said something I had not heard in a year...

 

"mmm!" 

 

This time it wasn't for me...it was for Shemar Moore - the goatee wearing hunk from soap operas and Criminal Minds.

 

Can I catch a break?

I had to admit...he looked good...and he is only a few years younger than me.  Once again, I was faced with the choices of Get Bitter...or Get Better!    This time, I made a decision...a real one.  To Get Better.  I secretly bought the magazine to get his "secrets"...an easy way to Get Better.    Turns out there is only one way...Do the Work!    The next day, I borrowed the car and went to a local park and did something I had not done in almost a decade...I ran.    The sweat was pouring from the heat and humidity...it burned my eyes and drenched my shirt.  That day, I ate better (all things considered - I'm still in Aruba!) and stepped on the scale the next morning...219.5    A step in the right direction!

Where is your disconnect?    Does your perceived daily effort in sales line up with your bank account?    Yea...it does (you will only get out what you actually put in...not what you think you put in!)    Do the work!    Does the production report line up with your real abilities and potential?    No...it doesn't (you are much better than the report shows!)    Do the work!    There is a process that will "connect the dots" of your perception and your results and it is outlined in the Evolution of Completion that we will review over the next several days.  It has taken 2 years, but I am now almost back to my freshman in college weight and I think I could give Shemar Moore a run for the money...don't you dare hit that "Reply" button!    I can hear the applause over the internet, but don't clap for me for who I tried to be...    Clap for me for who I used to be...    Now (physically anyway) I am closing in the best me I can possibly be...comparisons to anyone are no longer necessary.  That is what I want for you...    To be one of a kind. To be that extraordinarily exceptional version of you...for you to    Get Better...    Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Next Time: The Journey - Is Your Check Engine Light On?

The Journey - Mirror, Mirror!

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

 

A world-class successful sales person (I hope so)...

 

or someone else?

 

Yes, I am talking about your self image...your perception of yourself that gets reflected out to the world.  It has everything to do with how much struggle...or success you will have.

 

Before we pick on your self-image...let's pick on mine (I am secure in myself...ok...sort of!).

 

A few years ago, Natalie and I were in one of our favorite places on earth...Cabo San Lucas at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Resort and Spa (yes, that is a link - but no commission for me!) 

 

I was in the pool and Natalie was poolside sipping on a Margarita skillfully made by our good friend Omar.  As I exited the pool, I heard something I had not heard in a while...

 

"mmm!"

 

I looked around to see if some strange woman was cat-calling me (it could happen!).  I turned my head to see Natalie raising her glass and she said it again...

"Yes, I am talking to you...with that goatee you're sporting you look like Blair Underwood!"      Hey, I have been married for 27 years and any sign I still "got it" is welcomed.  I was sporting facial hair for a vacation look...going for sexy...mission accomplished!  Blair Underwood was the smart, confident, eloquent, and exceptionally handsome lawyer on L.A. Law in the 80's.  Most recently, he was the love interest in "The New Adventures of Old Christine"...his name was Mr. Harris on the show.    "For the rest of this trip...I will call you Mr. Harris!" she cooed...    (OK, I will stop there...her father reads this everyday!)    Fast forward a few weeks and I am on the road, I am using my I-Pad from the hotel bed to Face Time Natalie...    "Hey...it's Mr. Harris calling," I said in my sexy deep voice...the memory of Cabo still lingering...for one of us anyway.

"From this perspective, you look more like T.D. Jakes," she said nonchalantly.    I knew Tuesday night was not Margarita night but still...    Look, I love my man Jakes, even send him money...but he is no Blair Underwood (except of course to his wife, Serita!)   The wind was knocked out of my sails.  We spoke for a few minutes...the kids, the dogs and the laundry...standard stuff.   That left no doubt that Cabo was dead!  After we hung up, I quickly did two things...   I shaved off my goatee...and I looked in the mirror.

What do you do when the world's perception of you doesn't match the one you want them to have?    Let me ask it another way...    What is the worlds perception of sales people?    Yikes!    What is your perception of yourself as a sales person?    Are you giving it your all to be the best you can be?  Are you raising the bar of our profession through excellence and self-development...    Or are you doing just enough thinking that is ok?    When I really looked in the mirror I realized that I was seeing something that wasn't really there.  I wasn't mad that I wasn't Blair Underwood or T.D. Jakes...    I was mad because I wasn't the best Brandon L. Clay I could be.    That's the point...when the perspective between what is and what should be disconnects you have a choice...    You can get bitter...or get better (that's tomorrow!)...but for now you have to take a good hard look in the...    Mirror, Mirror...    Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Next Time: The Journey - Get Better!

The Journey - EOC & SSSL

Happy Monday...EOC and SSSL?

 

My healthcare colleagues will immediately think EOC stands for "Evidence of Coverage" that binds the policy we just sold our clients...

 

Wrong!

 

My former Georgia Tech buddies will think this is one of the reasons I flunked out of college(correction I left before they could kick me out!) and that I have put one more "S" in SSL which stands for Secure Socket Layer for encrypted protection of documents and transactions on websites...hah!

 

Wrong again!

  

These two acroynms are the foundation for The Journey that we will take over the next few weeks as we seek to improve your must important product...

 

You.

 

To Get Better at the things that matter most in your life.

  

Back to EOC and SSSL...

 

These acronyms are the foundation of life and give us a process and progression to count on...a basis on which to trust that life is not just chance and random happenstance...that we have a measure of control of how things go in our lives.

 

EOC stands for Evolution of Completion.

 

Before you conjure visions of Curious George, I am not talking the Darwin variety...

 

I am referring to Evolution as defined by Webster;

 

"The process of change, development and growth in a certain direction"

 

I am not the originator this concept...that belongs to Ghandi & James Allen ("As a Man Thinketh")...it has been used in various ways by many (including me!) and outlines the progression of life...the Evolution of Completion that outlines and defines how we ended up where are are today...

 

and how you will get to where we you want to be tomorrow.

 

Here is a graphical outline;

In essence, the Evolution of Completion says that what you think becomes your words, becomes the actions you take and habits you form.  That defines your character and drives your reputation...which ultimately is your destiny.   It defines what you will accomplish...from your sales goals to the quality of your relationships... everything in life.   We will go deeper into that progression.   What about SSSL?

It is an acronym to describe the stages of life that we go through from "cradle to grave".   Struggle to Success to Significance to Legacy.   Matters not which phase you are in right now...purpose and passion will move you along the continuum until you reach the next phase culminating in Legacy.

Throughout The Journey series, I will outline these concepts and how you can leverage them to live life at a higher level.  I have been teaching these principals since 1994 when I began my mission of "Helping Millions Achieve Success...One At A Time".     I have revised my program "You. Change. Now!" which is available on Amazon in paperback and e-book...    Shameless plug but shame on me if I don't put the tools in front of you...    Get ready to go on The Journey...    Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!