When you train people for a living . . . you hear some interesting perspectives.
You have some who feel training is a punishment as in “I’m making my numbers. Why are they making me do this?”
You have others who think sales is just blocking and tackling and therefore training of any kind is unwarranted!
Others, because they’ve been at it a while, feel that having the years in the trenches is enough.
You have the “that’s Sales 101″ crew that weighs in every once in a while and yet; they do none of the things they claim to be “basic”.
And you have a vast majority of people who feel they have it all figured out!
You don’t have it figured out!
I sure as heck don’t have it figured out and we need to stop kidding ourselves!
We need to stop kidding ourselves in the form of the ridiculous excuses we spew.
No time to improve . . . Bullsh*t! Find the time and please understand who is calling you out on that one. I’m the guy with 3 kids (4 if you’d like to count my business) and the good fortune of having my high school sweetheart in my life for almost 33 years now. I know, first hand, that balance is hard, but I still figure out a way to make it all work.
You’ll find the time if you want to. It might mean a few minutes here or there, putting off watching Dancing With The Stars, a lunch break etc.
No Money . . . I’m not going to cry bullsh*t on that one . . . yet.
You need to know that I was damn near destitute for years. My cars had been repossessed and I owed about $60,000 dollars back in the mid 90’s.
During that time, I did two things . . .
I visited my library and made a promise that I still honor to this day . . .
Every time I would receive a commission check, I would invest a portion of the proceeds back in Paul Castain.
Sometimes its been a $15 book, a CD, and as my investment in ME started to pay off, I attended courses, took on coaches etc.
It absolutely amazes me why its perfectly OK to invest in our 401k and strange companies and yet we fail to invest in the surest investment on the planet . . . OURSELVES!
It also amazes me how some people will become indignant over the fact that their company won’t pay for any training, coaching or even a book to help them and meanwhile;
They refuse to invest in themselves!
You have to want your success enough to NOT let your boss become your EXCUSE.
And if we’re being honest . . .
I think we kid ourselves about not having the money when we support a $4 a day Starbucks habit, lunches out instead of brown bagging it etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love my vices too, but I don’t care what I need to do, and what I need to cut, I’m always going to find a few dollars to reinvest back in ME!
And now the most dangerous of all . . .
No Need To Improve . . . Unfortunately, I know this one from first hand experience.
I can tell you, with zero hesitation, that thinking I had it figured out cost me my first business, my dignity, nights away from my family while I worked to pay off my creditors, 2 cars, and a decade of my life. This is a mistake that upsets me to this day because it was unnecessary. I was stubborn and thought I had it figured out.
We don’t just need to improve when we screw up or when we’re under the gun . . .
We especially need to improve when things are going well so we can . . .
At a minimum, keep them going well and . . .
Take them from going well to going all caps AWESOME!
Meanwhile, we have to get real, we have to lose our egos and . . .
We need to get back to being humble students!
For a list of my upcoming courses and webinars, click HERE.
