The sky is not falling. One of my
favorite stories as a child was the story of Chicken Little who was
walking down the street when an acorn fell from a tree and hit Chicken
Little on the head.
Do Not Be Alarmed
Alarmed by the acorn, Chicken Little
began to panic everyone by shouting, "The sky is falling. The sky is
falling." Before long, others began to believe that Chicken Little was
right.
Perception Becomes Reality
Sound familiar? Everyday, we are
bombarded by the prophets of doom who are more than willing to let us
know that the sky is falling on our country, our economy, our way of
life, you name it. If enough people believe it, the perception starts to
become reality.
The Not-So-Great Depression
I read once that the Great Depression was
caused by speculation more than reality. A little bad news, carried to
the extreme, became really bad news. If everyone just took a step back
and looked at the reality of the situation, perhaps our parents and
grandparents would not have had to suffer through the depression.
Lie, Lie, Lie
Adolph Hitler said that if you repeat a
lie often enough, people will believe it. He proved his point, and it
resulted in World War II. Enough people believed him so that perception
became reality.
Are You a Prophet?
Your attitude can actually create a
self-fulfilling prophecy. Before a young sales person of a large
manufacturer made his first sales call, his boss met with him to
acquaint him with the client histories. The boss told him that client A
was a very tough cookie and that the company failed to sell them
anything, but he should try anyway. He said that client B was a real
pushover and that he would surely get a sale every time he called on
them.
Mistaken Identity
The next day, the sales person returned
from a sales call with a large order. He told his boss that he was right
about customer A: he was a real pushover. The boss said that it was B
that was the easy-sell, not A. So the sales person, thinking client A
was the easy-sell, had actually sold the hard-sell.
Do Not Start On The Wrong Foot
I recommend to clients that new sales
people should not speak to the other sales people about the prospects
that they will be calling on because they will have preconceived ideas
of what to expect.
Do Not Hold Back
The real estate industry has taken a big
hit in the last year, some of it real, and most of it created by bad
news. The bad news influences consumers to refrain from purchasing a
home because the market is bad. I have seen areas in the country where
sales were going well because they didn't know any better.
Here He Comes
Then Chicken Little came to town, and the
market went south. People must realize that purchasing a new home is a
long term investment.
What Do I Know?
What do I know? Well, in the past six
months, I bought a home, and I sold a home. I saved money on the home
that I bought, and I made money on the home that I sold.
Create Your Own Economy
In sales, we create our own economy. I
could have said that I would wait until times are better, but I became
proactive, instead of reactive, and I created my own economy.
The Ten Percent Solution
When there is a slowdown, increase your
efforts about ten percent. And if you do so, you will not only
experience success, but you will experience very positive growth on the
bottom line.
It Is All About The Politics
As I write this, our nation is going
through the Democratic and Republican primaries. Rather than report the
news, the pundits and pollsters are trying to make the news conform to
what they want. Unfortunately, many people are like Chicken Little's
audience: rather than think for themselves and investigate the acorn
effect, they will go along with Chicken Little.
Think For Yourself
It is time that you think for yourselves
and make your own decisions. It is time to wake up and make your own
future, rather than allowing the loudest voice to determine your
destiny.
Refuse To Participate
Refuse to participate in the gloom and
doom that is constantly paraded before us as truth. Make your own
economy and your own future. Beginning today, make a commitment to
increase your efforts by just ten percent. Stop whining and start
winning. Exercise your greatest power, and chose success over failure.
You fail when you give up. And not giving up is your best option.
The Little Engine That Could
Another favorite children's story is "The
Little Engine That Could," relating the story of a little train that
proved he could play in the big leagues by pulling a cargo up a steep
hill. He did it by repeating the phrase, "I think I can, I think I can, I
think I can." And he did.
Know You Can
When you are tempted to be negative, do the following:
- Look up and see that the sky is not falling.
- Increase your efforts by 10%.
- Read a chapter of a motivational book.
- Visit with the most optimistic person you know.
- Remember that in every adversity, there is a seed of a greater or equivalent benefit (W. Clement Stone)
- Repeat the phrase, "I know I can, I know I can, I know I can."
If you do the above, you will turn Chicken Little into chicken soup!
