Gone Fishing
You can’t catch a fish if you don’t cast out your line.
When I was a child I loved to fish. In fact during the spring and summer months there was rarely a day that went by when I did not fish. I fished on the hot days, the rainy days and everyday in between. Whether I caught a fish on one day or the next had little relevance. Some days I landed big ones and other days I landed small ones. Funny thing is that the ones I remember the most were those that got away.
Well, I tried several different ways to catch fish. I used shiners, worms and lures depending on what I could get my hands on. Sometimes I would fish from my canoe and other times I would just walk along the shore line and cast out from wherever I could. There were times when I would catch a whopper on the first few casts and there were other times when I would land that trophy fish of my dreams just when I was ready to call it quits for the day.
The thing is that I would have never caught anything if I was not out there trying.
My goal when I first started was pretty simple; catch the biggest fish possible in the shortest period of time by casting my line out as few times as possible. Soon that philosophy would change. Remember, there are always a product and a byproduct.
As I became more aware of the little things and the bigger things in the scheme of it all I gained more satisfaction in the appreciation of my surroundings. My intended goal of catching fish became less and less essential to the purpose of my mission. You see, I began to experience joy and solace in experiencing my surroundings. The quality of my cast, the sound and pace of every turn of my real and even the occasional seemingly unproductive adrenaline producing tug at my line became beneficial to my experience.
It was not long before the byproducts became more important to me that the product. I began to develop a keen sense of my surroundings and developed an incredible sense of awareness. The sights and sounds of the pond played an ever more important role in making my experience worthwhile. In the early morning hours I looked forward to bearing witness to the dancing rows of fog appearing as angels which gently glided over the glass like surface of the pond. I could appreciate the awakening of the vast variety of indigenous creatures and was excited to see how they all began their days. The quiet and noise of the pond mixed together in a peaceful rhythm that calmed my heart and energized my soul. Needless to say, I began to fish less and less as I began to watch, feel and experience more and more.
Often it is the mundane which introduces us to the spectacular.
Even in our careers we must keep in mind that those things which seem to be fruitless could be the beginnings of that which will bring much fruit. Most recently, in a morning sales meeting a coworker voiced his opinion about his perceived benefits or lack thereof that would be derived from a car show we were holding at the dealership. He stated, “Every year we have this show and we rarely generate any sales from it.” Keep in mind the “product” and “byproduct” philosophy I mentioned earlier. I responded, “This is a great opportunity for us to build relationships. What we need to do is get out there amongst the people capitalizing on the opportunity to sell ourselves. All things being equal; customers will buy from the person they like most.” You see, every person who has a classic model at that show will most likely have a quality well maintained low mileage late model vehicle at home. They are brand enthusiast! Not only that, but they could be our greatest promoters as long as we give them our time and lend them our ear. This is not the only show they are going too. The relationship we start today will be that hash mark on the sales board sooner or later. When they or someone they know needs our services they will be our walking talking billboard. I guarantee that the enthusiasm we place into developing our relationships will correspond directly with how quickly and easily we achieve our career goals.
Looking back at the overwhelming success of my own businesses I can pinpoint the precise factor which contributed most to the effectiveness of my sales consultants. It was one of my first statements in the beginning of the sales process, “Our goal is to make friends with every person that walks through that door.” Relationships build business!
Landing the sale is not going to be the only thing that gives us joy. Although it is the intended goal and purpose of our careers we will soon discover that the unintended product will place a powerful role in how much is actually produced. As we find joy in the process and generate pleasure from the experience we become buzzing with incredible energy. We become a magnet for customers who want to buy!
One of my most successful affirmations for sales has continually produced almost instantaneous results. Every morning I will repeat, “I am a highly desirable salesperson. Sales come to me quickly and easily.” Give it a try. Keep it to yourself at first. You don’t want anyone messing with your mo-jo. Let the results speak for themselves. When your coworkers ask, “How did you get to the top of the sales board so quickly?” tell them, “I did it by seeing, feeling and experiencing the sale as if they had already been made.”
What we envision today will bring us what we will hold tomorrow.
The Intuitive Life Coach 