Weekly Quote

"You are today where your thoughts ave brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you." James Allen

This quote is taken from the inspirational, motivational classic "As a man thinketh." In spite of the archaic language in the title and the fact that this book is more than a century old (It has never been out of print) it offers a lot to us living in the second decade of the 21st century. Scientists and psychologists studying human behavior and brain physiology have found that Allen's philosophies are supported by their research. We should get in the habit of listening to what we say and thinking about what we are thinking. This is known as "meta-cognition". This practice is important because it is so easy to slip into negative thought patterns that can cripple your efforts. We can not control what goes on in the outside world but we can control what goes on inside our heads.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

"I make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes." Sara Teasdale

The words from American poet Sara Teasdale carry great meaning for me. I try to keep them in mind as I travel through my life. It is very easy to be so consumed by the things that we've lost that we lose sight of the opportunities which lie before us. It is a fact of life that we will lose sales and we will lose customers, but if we remain open we will find new customers to replace them. No one's life is perfect. The thing that separates the winners from the losers is their reaction to life's setbacks.

Have a great weekend.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

"You will never 'find' time for anything. If you want time, you must make it." Charles Bruxton

Have you ever wondered why some people get so much more done than others. As Mr. Bruxton says above, productive people make time to get things done. How do you make time? What raw material do you need to make time? Time is made by stripping away all the waste from your schedule. Time is made by recyling the time normally devoted to unimportant activites and using it for activites which help you to close sales. Be a time maker.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

"Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself."
Abraham Joshua Heschel

This is a quote to print out and post above your desk and/or keep a copy in your day timer. Read it every time you are tempted to take the easy route. Use it to keep your nose to the proverbial grindstone. The difference between success and failure in any endeavor is the ability to discipline yourself to do the right thing rather than the easy thing. Not only will you get more done, but you will extract greater pleasure from your accomplishments. Knowing that you took the high road rather than surrendering to your temptations sweetens everything that you do.

Have a great week.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

As regular readers know, I am a great fan of Dr. Stephen R. Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The Seven Habits was literally a life changing book for me and few days pass that I don't apply it's principles. The following is my favorite quote from Dr. Covey. I love this piece because it speaks to the possibility of change and growth in our lives. In place of "this is just the way things are" (Memory), we can say "I believe I can change things for the better" (Imagination). Here is the quote:

"I can change, I can live out of my imagination instead of my memory. I can tie myself to the my limitless potential instead of my limiting past."--Dr. Stephen R. Covey

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

Dr. Wayne Dyer

I have seen the effect described by Dr. Dyer's statement above many times in my life. I have seen it when a new rep takes over a territory. Where one rep focused on the challenges in their area, the other looked for opportunities. Consequently the first rep ran into nothing but problems, while the other was constantly discovering new business opportunities. We all look at the world through glasses colored by our life's experiences and attitudes. When we change our "glasses", we change the way the world looks. I choose to look at my world with a positive attitude.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

I am not much of a sprots fan but I like this bit of wisdom from "Broadway Joe" Namath. This is a good thought to keep in mind when you are struggling to accomplish a goal or your customers are beating you up. All the pain ans stress will be forgotten when you reach your goal. Far too many people give up too early in the game so all they get for their efforts are some bumps and bruises. Win or Lose, the pain is unavoidable, the difference is the rewards of victory more than offsets the pain. Here is Joe's take on this subject:

"When you win, nothing hurts!"

Joe Namath

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

"If you want to understand your present circumstances, review your past actions. If you want to know your future circumstances examine your present actions." Taro Gold

These are words that the wise keep ever in mind. When we accept that our future is determined by what we do today, we take charge of our lives. The person who understands ever action has consequences will be mindful of the impact what they do will have on themselves and those around them. With this in mind they will tend to live more productive, more positive lives.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

In America we love winners. We idolize the best actors, musicians and athletes. Our media shows us almost everything about our heroes lives; their homes, love lives and foibles. What we aren't shown is how hard these people work to become leaders in their chosen field. Sure, sometimes people get lucky and become an overnight sensation, but these people usually come and go quickly. The people who stay at the top of their field have done their homework. This is nothing new, here is a quote from the painter of the Sistine Chapel that proves this point:

"If people know how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful after all" Michelangelo

For a modern scientific take on this subject I highly recommend Geof Colvin's book Talent Is Overrated.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

I learned this week's quote from my Grandmother. She was full of amazing folk wisdom learned in a long hard life. Whenever I would complain, as kids are prone to do, about how "life wasn't fair" or told her that other people had things that I didn't she would tell me:

"Bloom where you're planted"

In life we can not always control our situation but we can always control how we respond to our situation. Life goes much smoother if we elect to "Bloom" wherever we find ourselves. Keep Smiling, Keep Selling! Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Here is a quote I like and that I like to try to live: "An idealist thinks the short run doesn't count. A cynic thinks the long run doesn't matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short term determines the long term." Sydney Harris Remembering that every thing you do has a direct effect on your future is the best way to insure that future. Keep Smiling, Keep Selling! Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

"Develop the hunter's attitude, the outlook that wherever you go, there are ideas waiting to be discovered." Roger Von Oech

This is a quote from one of the best books ever written on creativity and one of my favorite reads. Roger Von Oech's "A whack on the side of the head." This quote makes me think of going into the woods with my grandfather as a child. As a lifelong woodsman and hunter grandpap would see many, many things that I would overlook. He saw them because he knew the woods have many things to offer him. Psychologists call this the "broaden and build effect." People who expect to encounter good things in their lives keep their eyes open and see opportunities that more negative people will miss. Keep the "hunter's attitude" and you will be much more successful.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

"The positive thinker is a hard-headed, tough-minded, and factual realist. He sees all the difficulties clearly...which is more than can be said for the average negative thinker. But he sees more than difficulties...he tries to see the solutions of those difficulties."
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

Last week at the FCPNY conference I was talking with a friend about the importance of maintaining a positive attitude. We've both noticed that many people in these cynical times think that positive thinkers are clueless idealists. They do not realize that true positive thinkers are very aware of the problems in the world. Positive thinkers know that complaining never made anything better and that a negative attitude just makes things worst. A better name for positive thinkers might be "Solution Thinkers"

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Essentially there are two actions in life.

Performance and excuses.

Make a decision as to which you will accept for yourself.

Stephen Brown

All my life I have been interested in what makes some people successful and others unsuccessful. As I get older I have come to believe that taking responsibility for the outcome of your own actions is the the single most important factor in determining this.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Quote of the week

"You've got to think about the 'big things' while your doing the small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction." Alvin Toffler

As sales people we are very good at compartmentalizing. We go from from sale to another, from one account to another without "connecting the dots." We are usually focused on the next issue or at most on this month's sales target. I believe we should always have long term goals in mind for each account and for our territory in mind. These goals should be considered whenever we are talking with our accounts and especially when we are making recommendations. It is also important to align the program with the customer's goals. Keeping this long term focus means that everything you do will advance you toward your long term goals greatly increasing your chances of achieving them,

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

"Ask yourself 'What is the truth of this situation' Get to the heart of the matter; see the reality."
Spencer Johnson (from Peaks and Valleys)

It is amazing how easy we can delude ourselves. Delusion is like morphine, it can mask the pain of a bad situation but does nothing to effect a cure. We need to face up to the reality of our situation to change it. If we say "I'm doing everything I can to meet my quota" when we are only making a few calls per day or we are not planning our presentations, we are deluding ourselves. Only by saying "To be honest, I can work harder and smarter" can we change the situation. Improvement in any aspect of life, begins with an accurate assessment of the current situation.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Quote of the week

"Success is often just an idea away" Frank Tyger

Today I was working with a rep who ad been stopping at prospects and leaving them brochures for special sections along with a business card. I asked him how many ads he had sold using this technique and he told me "None." This is the classic definition of insanity--doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Think of your sales territory as a laboratory, constantly experiment with new sales techniques and approaches. Trying new ideas not only helps you to increase your effectiveness as a sales person but also keeps the job fresh and fun.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

The original model for the successful American entrepreneur is Benjamin Franklin. His autobiography still offers some very good advice for business people. He was completely self-made and self educated. He had very little formal education but became one of the most respected thinkers of his time. Here is some of his enduring wisdom:

"Let the new year find you a better man*."

Take this advice to heart, schedule time for study and to take classes and seminars. By starting today to improve your knowledge and skills, 2012 will find you a better person.

*My apologies to my female readers, Franklin lived in a much less enlightened time. I believe if he were writing today he would have used "better person."

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Quote of the week

I'd like to wish you all a happy, productive and profitable 2011. Here is a quote from poet Ranier Marie Rilke to ponder as you ring out the old and ring in the new:

"And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been"


Let's make this the best year ever!

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Here is a quote from an unlikely source--Pablo Picasso. In addition to being a great artist, Pablo Picasso was an expert marketer and business man. He was not a starving artist living in a drafty garret, but rather a very successful entrepreneur. His greatest creation was "Picasso." He established a brand and created a steady demand for his work. He kept changing and never let his brand get stale. Picasso was a hard worker and constantly on the go. Here is some advice from Picasso the businessman:

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone." Pablo Picasso

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch