What do you want in 2012?

“I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh.


Most great artists have a vision or dream of what a painting might become before one stroke of paint is ever applied to the canvas with a brush or palette knife. The great statue of David was conceived in the mind of Michelangelo first before he chipped away one piece of marble. He did not carve or make a small model first, Michelangelo believed that each block of marble had a “statue waiting to escape.”


One of the limitations in our life is our inability to see things differently or dream big. You are standing in front of a blank canvas. You are the artist of your life. You get to choose what color your life will look like. You get to choose what brushes you want to use to express your life. You get to set the composition. The choice is yours. There is no one stopping you but you.


What do you want in 2012?

What’s The Real Difference

I had the privilege of watching James Ehnes, violinist, perform at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis recently. James Ehnes is widely considered one of the most dynamic and exciting performers in classical music. He has performed in over 30 countries on five continents, appearing regularly with many of the world’s most well-known orchestras and conductors.

As I sat in amazement and watched James Ehnes (standing next to the conductor) perform with the Minnesota Orchestra, I was struck by a question that kept coming up over and over in my mind. Why was James Ehnes in the spotlight? What was the difference between him and the other musicians he was surrounded by? Obviously to play in the Minnesota Orchestra you need to be exceptionally talented and talented they were. The entire orchestra was truly amazing.

What was the real difference? Was James special? Was James blessed with a special gift at birth or had James practiced 10,000 more hours than his peers? It’s an interesting question and would be worth a good debate.

As I was driving home I had a discussion with my wife Jane and my mother-in-law Lucille. They argued that James was born with a special gift that others around him were not born with. I think James absolutely loves what he does. You can feel his love and passion for music in the depths of your spirit when he performs. James is focused and passionate about mastering his craft. His love and passion for music is truly something to experience. I believe because of his love for music and the violin he may have practiced many more hours than his peers. That is the difference!

So what does this have to do with sales and prospecting? Everything! Do you want to become a top salesperson? If so, practice more than your peers and you will become a master salesperson and communicator. People have asked me many times over the years what has been the secret to my success as a salesperson. It’s a very simple answer. I have made more sales calls than most. I was not born a great salesperson. I have had to work extremely hard at it and I have had the opportunity to practice for many years. I am passionate about helping others solve their most pressing problems.

I love this quote from Thomas Edison, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

What do you think?

Five Great Sales Strategies for the New Year

Let’s spend a few minutes on your selling priorities for 2012. Follow this roadmap and you can achieve success.

#1 Always Be Prospecting:
Prospecting is and always will be the foundation of all successful businesses. The day you stop prospecting is the day your business starts to die.

#2 Call Your Customers:
You can have the greatest product or service in the world but if nobody knows about it you simply do not have a business. Pick up the phone and call your customers, learn how their needs have changed, reinforce your value, and secure strong relationships (or your competition will).

#3 Train Your Teams: Products or services do not sell themselves. They don’t magically fly off the shelves. It takes highly skilled sales teams to communicate effectively how your product or service will solve your target audience’s problem. Have you trained everyone in your organization what great customer service is and what it looks like? Having a training strategy or plan is critical to your company’s success. Superior customer service doesn’t magically happen. It takes vision, leadership, dedication and superb execution.

#4 Engage with Social Media: If you’re not engaged in social media then you are already behind your competition. Social media can be a great way to connect and engage with your prospects and customers. I know one thing to be true, social media has changed the game of business forever. You can embrace it or ignore it.

#5 Expect Results:
At the end of the day it’s about (measurable) results. You want results. Your customers want results. Results truly are the measure of how well you apply what you learn in life.

Apply these five fundamentals in 2012 and discover your best-selling year yet!

020 The Prospecting Minute “This Is Your Time”

Play

Here are a couple of key quotes from the movie. Thought you might enjoy them:

It’s a pretty lofty goal Herb.” Herb responds with, “That’s why I want to pursue it.”

“I’m not looking for the best players. I’m looking for the right players.

Win, lose or tie we are going to play like champions.

This cannot be a team of uncommon men, because uncommon men go nowhere.”

Great moments are born from great opportunities. That’s what you have here tonight. That’s what you’ve earned. This is your time. You were born to be hockey players. You were meant to be here.

Are you willing to sacrifice everything for the unknown?”

019 The Prospecting Minute “Paul Evans Story & Strategies”

Play

If you would like to learn more about Paul Evans and connect with him, check out www.paulbevans.com

How Much Time Do You Have?

Aren’t there 24 hours in each day or 86,400 seconds? Yes, that is true. The picture for this post was taken on October 7th in Dallas, Texas, with my new friend Denai Vaughn. Denai is considered by many “The Networking Queen”. I was there attending the BOSS event that @barefoot_exec (Carrie Wilkerson) puts on each year. Each year it is a fantastic event with lots of great speakers and wonderful networking opportunities.

Denai and I had a phone conversation on Monday, October 31st. We were preparing for an interview for her radio show. She was going to interview me on Wednesday, November 9th at 10:00 am. We were both pumped up and excited.

Denai was killed in a tragic automobile accident on Monday, November 7th. Exactly 30 days after this picture was taken. She was 37 years old. Denai was married to wonderful man and were blessed with a six year old daughter. How tragic. With a blink of an eye she’s gone. She was truly a light in a very dark world.  Memories of her will last forever. Why? Because she touched other peoples lives. Her joy, enthusiasm and passion for life she inspired many. She will be truly missed.

Yes it is true that there are 86,400 seconds in each day. None of us know for certain how much time we have. One of my goals is to live to be 100 years young. That is a productive, healthy and happy 100 years. I turned 59 last month. 41 years left and who knows, by the grace of God, maybe more. I have many things I want to accomplish. I want to leave a lasting legacy and touch as many lives as possible, like Denai did. I love what I do and am really blessed to live the life I do. It’s been by choice. You see, we all have a choice each day on how we want to live and who we want to be around. And there’s no time to waste. Are you living your dream?

Thank you for being a part of my life. I appreciate you!

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