 Sales
Moves Best Practices
Do Whatever it
Takes!
Your Success
Depends on It
By Jeffrey Gitomer
Published: February / March 2008
More and more, I see
salespeople unwilling to work hard.
For whatever reason, they refuse to do the hard work now
that will make success easier later.
They (you) claim
every excuse in the world:
Or some other self-defeating
set of words.
In 1939, Napoleon Hill wrote many of his success
principles in one immortal book, Think and Grow Rich.
One of the principles is, “Do more than is expected of
you.”
Amazing how old truths are still so valid.
Before Hill, around the turn
of the last century (1900), Elbert Hubbard wrote an
essay called “Message to Garcia.” It’s about a military
officer named Rowan who was given an important message
and told to deliver it to a guy named Garcia. Rowan --
without a moment of hesitation, without a “where” or
“why” question -- started on the mission and ultimately
delivered the message. In his essay, Hubbard went on to
chastise people for not delivering their message, and
challenges each reader to take on the same blind “do it
or perish” status.
Well, that’s the Elbert Hubbard version. I first read it
in 1972. It made an immediate and profound impact on my
thinking and my work ethic. I am writing this article at
two o’clock in the morning because of the mission. I’m
delivering a “Message to Salespeople.” And I have done
it every week since 1992. More than 800 missions
accomplished.
The 21st century verbal equivalent of “Message to
Garcia” is, “Do whatever it takes.” And the message is
about hard work. The Hubbard “message” gives praise to
hard workers who are ready and willing to manage the
tasks at hand (whatever they may be) and get the job
done no matter what.
Today’s workforce places more weight on knowledge and
experience as valuable qualities in an employee, rather
than hard work, common courtesy, and the ability to
multi-task and handle things on your own. Big mistake.
Experience and knowledge are learned, accumulated over
time, and may not be recognized until one has put in
many years in their career field. A strong, solid work
ethic, and the burning desire to succeed are not things
that are taught or learned. Those characteristics come
from within. And they are noticed immediately.
You don’t have to put in years before someone notices
hard work. The Rowans of this world have in their minds
and hearts the drive to achieve personal excellence,
personal satisfaction, and personal success through hard
work. And they are ready and willing to put forth the
effort at all times. The people who possess these
qualities are the people who can carry the message to
Garcia.
Are you one of them? Are you the person that someone
else can COUNT on to get the message delivered or the
job done? You may think you are – but I would solicit
the voices of others as you go to make your impact on
the world.
Here are three things to do, and one thing NOT to do,
when you are given ANY message to deliver:
1. Figure out what the BEST way is to deliver it and
make a plan to succeed.
2. List any barriers that may appear - barriers that
would prevent you from delivering the message.
3. Start. You can never get anywhere until you take the
first action step.
3.5 Don’t put mental or verbal barriers in your way to
justify why you can’t do it - questions, reasons, or
excuses to try to justify why it’s not you, or why you
can’t get it done.
My recommendation is that you create TWO mission
statements in addition to the corporate one you
presently ignore, don’t know, or think is BS.
NOTE WELL: 95% of all people in any given company CANNOT
recite their mission statement. Why? They have no
feeling for it, no relationship to it, can’t identify
with it, and had ZERO input into its development. Wake
up! It’s THE MISSION. A corporate mission is fine for a
corporation, but it’s lousy for you.
So here are ideas for 2 mission statements that will
actually HELP you understand, focus on, and achieve YOUR
mission.
A Personal Mission Statement Write one that says who you
are, what your philosophy of life and service is, and
who you seek to consistently be to yourself and others.
A Sales Mission Statement Use, for example, something
like: Create an atmosphere in which the customer buys
and be so memorable that they buy again, and tell other
people how great we are. That’s a mission you can march
to, a mission you can believe in, and a mission that
will actually help you make a sale.
What’s your mission? And how hard are you willing to
work to achieve it?
If you would like a PDF
copy of Elbert Hubbard’s “Message to Garcia,” go to
www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time
user, and enter the word GARCIA in the GitBit box.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Little Red Book of
Selling and The Little Red Book of Sales Answers.
President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives
seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts
Internet training programs on sales and customer loyalty
at
www.trainone.com. He can be reached at 704/333-1112
or e-mail to
salesman@gitomer.com © 2007 All Rights Reserved -
Don't even think about reproducing this document without
written
permission from Jeffrey Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.
www.gitomer.com 704/333-1112
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