I’ve spent the last few decades working with college students, training them in the field of life. My history is varied: I was a mild-mannered lecturer in the Univ. of Kansas English department by day; by night, I was the Rhythm Keyboardist in a glam rock band, complete with a cape, thigh-boots, and light makeup.
Life has calmed down. I’m a dad, a manager, a husband. I enjoy reading (both books and faces), music, and God-stuff. I swim and train as a Masters swimmer with Excel Aquatics. (Be thankful I’ve elected not to include my Speedo photo portfolio.) Here at The Southwestern Company, I’ve spent years reading about and observing how people are motivated. We’ve spent countless thousands of dollars on motivational contests, incentives and awards. While my short little blog won’t fully answer the question posed above, Daniel Pink’s thought-provoking book called Drive, does. In it, Pink presents 40 years of scientific evidence [...]
I ran across an article which intrigued me. It is excerpted from a book called Is There Life before Death? by NLP master practitioner and author, Steve Andreas. Think about your sales and how you see yourself as a salesperson; think about how the language you choose to describe yourself and what you do is important. [...]
For those of you who are doing too well, here are some ways you can reduce your sales productivity and be unhappy, whether you’re selling with the Southwestern Company or in any sales career: 1) wish you were somewhere else, doing something else In other words, avoid being present! Let your mind drift off to home, [...]
I just finished reading a good article in Direct Selling News. Darren Hardy, author of The Compound Effect, gave an interview in which he cites why people succeed and why they fail: I’ll tell you the greatest secret to my success and the biggest reason most people fail. It’s not lack of desire, big dreams [...]
Music is powerful. It can recall a distant memory. It can change your mental state in just a few seconds. Music can pump you up or calm you down. I recall setting best times during a swim meet with Beethoven’s Ninth banging around in my head! If you’re selling with the Southwestern Company, music can be [...]
What’s the difference between success and failure in sales? Ideal territory? Extra calls? More hours worked? Twice the interpersonal skills? More lucky breaks? Or is it some people have what it takes and some people don’t? All these are important, whether you’re selling clothing, cars, or working in the Southwestern Company summer program. Vince Lombardi, [...]
If you sell books with the Southwestern Company, you invariably hear at some point in your summer, “You’re a great salesperson, BUT…” AAaargh! It’s then that you realize you are selling logically, not emotionally. No sale. Mrs. Jones can hear a nice polished demo, she can see your product is good, but, does she need it? No. [...]
A week ago I attended a Southwestern Company Sunday Meeting. I had a great time with 100 sharp, mostly-motivated college students who’d just finished their third week on the bookfield. One personal conference with a veteran student manager reminded me of my bookselling days. She explained that she really wanted to do well, that she [...]
I’ve heard from many of you that Matt Atchison’s material is helpful. He is doing an outstanding job as one of the Southwestern Company’s top District Sales Managers. I hope you enjoy his treatise on rejection…. Let me tell you about the worst rejection of my first summer. I ran up to this house and [...]
Here is some more great info from Matt Atchison on bookfield objections. Matt is one of the top District Sales Managers with the Southwestern Company: “We already saw these last year.” This objection can cause you to lose faith that you can do well this summer. BE CAREFUL OF THIS!!! Don’t worry. Every year we [...]
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