SUCCESSFUL SALES PEOPLE
 Focus On Their Successes!
By Rich "MR POS" Wilkins

It was a hot August afternoon and Babe Ruth had just struck out three times and it was only at the top of the seventh inning. A news reporter was interviewing Babe and asked, "How do you deal with a series of strike outs knowing that you are also the Home Run King. In fact, in your last strike out, you swung at the ball so hard that you went to your knees when you missed the ball." Babe replied, "The percentages are on my side, plus I concentrate on how successfully I have hit the ball in the past, I don't concentrate on how I have missed the ball. Keeping my mind on my successful swings will bring me more home runs in the future."

Yes, it's true! Focusing on your successes will take you much further in life than dwelling on your failures. Unfortunately, most of us concentrate on our failures especially when things are not going well. Think about this, I'll bet if you are going through a difficult time right now you are spending a significant amount of your time dwelling on the negatives of your situation. You can turn this around and give yourself more POSitive sales results by focusing on your past sales successes. Focusing on your successes lifts your spirit and helps reinforce your POSitive belief system about yourself. Let's look at a few ideas you can use to POSitively impact your daily living.

1. Make yourself aware when you are focusing on the negatives. If you are down on yourself, recognize thatÿ you are. Take full responsibility for your own negative feelings and identify your reasons for feeling the way you do. Positive change can only occur after you have recognized that you are down.

2. Write up a success list for yourself. If you have not done this give it a try. Get out a clean sheet of paper and for one minute begin writing up your successes. Push yourself as hard as you can for two minutes. Don't evaluate or prioritize your successes, simply begin writing them up.

In my seminars I have people complete this exercise and they are always amazed at the tremendous number of successes they have experienced already in their life. Unfortunately, we live in such a fast paced world that we don't take time to appreciate ourselves. We are also bombarded by negative comments and criticisms by others. Take this exercise one step further by transferring your successes on a 3 X 5 card or your planner and keep it with you. The list will serve you well as a reinforcement tool when these negative feelings try to invade your belief system. Also, if you have ever wondered what your values are, look at your list because it reflects what is important to you.

Focusing on past events in our live is what I call "Anchoring". We have a tendency to anchor into negative events, especially when we are down or depressed. We begin concentrating on all the negative things that we don't feel good about. The only way to change our state of mind is to concentrate on the positives that make us feel good. These positives are usually the things we have experienced that compliment our values.

A way that I change my state of mind when I catch myself concentrating on those negative emotions is to visualize my "POSitive Anchoring Technique". That is, I identify my negative feelings. I next visualize myself on the bow of a ship holding on to an anchor rope in which the anchor represents my negative feelings anchored into the bottom of the sea. I next pull out a large pair of scissors and cut the rope. Next, I turn to the stack of my successes (POSitive anchors) and throw one over the side and tie it to the bow of the ship. I am now anchored into my POSitive thoughts and experiences which enables me to change my state of mind.

The above example is what works for me. By the way, what do you think can work for you? Remember, it is just as easy to anchor into your POSitive thoughts and experiences as your negative ones. However, most of us develop the habit of anchoring into our negative experiences. As you begin to focus on your successes and learn from your failures, you will gain more control of your life and experience incredible sales success!