Billy Cox Blog

Make a Commitment

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Billy Cox

Are you serious about achieving all that you want to accomplish in life?

Then you’re going to have to make a commitment – a commitment to yourself – to take the steps necessary to get there. Achieving your dreams and goals is simple, but it’s certainly not easy. It will take a lot of hard work, focus, dedication, discipline and persistence. It will require that you keep a positive attitude and that you grow personally and professionally.

And, it will involve some time … it takes time to properly define your dreams and set your goals. Your greatest responsibility to yourself, your family and your career is to invest whatever time is required to become totally clear about your dreams and goals and how you’re going to achieve them. But remember that a relatively small investment of time now will produce big payoffs as your dreams become reality.

Perhaps you’re hesitant to commit to your dreams and goals because deep down you don’t truly believe you can accomplish them. I will prove to you that you can.

 

Think about some of your most significant life accomplishments, things that were once just dreams or thoughts in your mind. These could be such things as getting married, graduating from college, buying a home or getting a job in a certain profession. Perhaps your accomplishments include having children, buying a sports car, achieving a promotion or award, earning or saving a certain amount of money or taking a “dream” vacation.

Now, write down five of your biggest accomplishments.

What do you think? Are you surprised at what you’ve accomplished? Most people tend to forget about or

discount all the things they’ve achieved. I’d be willing to bet there was a point in time when you didn’t believe you could accomplish some of these things … but you did! You achieved them because you committed to them and focused on them until they became real. Listing these previous dreams and goals that you’ve accomplished opens your mind to the belief that you can accomplish the dreams and goals you set for your future.

 

The Keys to Your Destiny

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Billy Cox

Most people who want to have more control over their lives simply don’t know how to make it happen.

They feel pushed down the whitewater rapids of life without any paddle to steer them or a map to guide them.

The solution is fairly straightforward.

The first step to taking control of your life is to accept complete responsibility for where you’re at right now, how you got here, and where you’re going in the future. I can tell you with absolute certainty that you will never achieve lasting success if you don’t take responsibility for yourself and your life.

When I set my initial dreams and goals, I realized that no one was going to help me achieve them unless I helped myself first. If I was going to live my dreams, it had to start with me – my attitude, my thoughts, my actions.

I discovered this is the same type of realization that all successful people come to eventually. They reach a turning point in their lives when they recognize that they are the only ones who can take control of their future. Sadly, there are countless people who spend their lives feeling sorry for themselves, blaming others for where they’re at in life and what they don’t have. These people allow past events and circumstances to dictate today’s actions.

You must realize that you are the greatest determining factor in your future and that today’s actions equal tomorrow’s results. Where you’re going in life is a product of your attitude, beliefs, thoughts, actions and reactions to the challenges you face. The good news is that the more you accept responsibility for your life, the more powerful and confident you feel. Why? Because you’re in control! When you decide to stop blaming others and stop accepting your own excuses, you will see that you can create the future you desire.

Clarifying your dreams, setting goals and developing a plan to achieve them puts you in control. This process becomes the navigation system for your future. When you put your dreams and goals in writing, you immediately begin to steer your life in the direction you want to go. As you move toward your goals, you become more energized and more confident in yourself and your abilities. Every step you take increases your belief that you can achieve your goals and live your dreams.

 

 

The Yellow Brick Road of Achieving

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Billy Cox

Why do 95 percent of people who set New Year’s resolutions never follow through?

The reason is that most people don’t know how to produce lasting results, so they never take the first step. Many people also make the mistake of over-complicating goal setting. The more complicated the process, the less likely it will be used.

That’s why I created a simple system to share in The Dream Book. Follow the pattern, fill in the blanks and complete the forms, and you will unconsciously program your built-in success mechanism. The human success mechanism is similar to a navigation system in an automobile. The more input you give it, the faster you will reach your destination.

Do whatever it takes, invest whatever time is necessary to learn these and apply them in your life. The extra time spent up front will save you years in the accomplishment of your dreams and goals.

This is a proven method for personal achievement in seven simple steps:

Step 1: Take control of your life

Step 2: Design your future

Step 3: Clarify your goals for accelerated results

Step 4: Create momentum with a plan

Step 5: Picture your dream life

Step 6: Build your belief

Step 7: Claim victory

Each step will move you closer to the results you desire. (The Dream Book guides you through the process of establishing clear, concise goals and putting them in writing.) You’ll discover why you’re working for your dreams and goals. You’ll set target dates and develop a plan for achieving each goal.

The process will build your belief and your dreams and make them real in your mind.

 

You Gotta Love What You Do

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Billy Cox

Financial reasons weren’t the determining factors when I decided to stay in sales. After carefully evaluating what I liked—and didn’t like—about this kind of work, I found this is the best profession for me because there are more things about it that I like than dislike.

I love the fact that I have the opportunity to meet so many different people. I also love that I can set my own hours, determine my income, and have unlimited potential to advance. To me, sales means freedom!

To achieve the highest level of success and perform at your peak ability, you gotta love what you do. Otherwise, you will become easily sidetracked. You won’t stick with it through the inevitable tough times, and you won’t consistently take the actions necessary to succeed.

If you don’t love what you do, you have two choices: You can either change what you do, or you can change what you love. Oftentimes, you’ll be better off figuring out what you love about what you do than changing careers.

Why?

Because no matter what you do, you’ll always be able to find something you don’t like about it. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s not the right career for you.

 

 

Give More…Sell More!

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Billy Cox

It’s easy to be enthusiastic when you represent a product, service, or cause that creates a win-win situation for everyone involved.

When a sale is made, the salesperson always gets a Win — he makes a commission. But what of the customer? Customers win when they’ve acquired a useful or valuable product or service — something that saves them time or money or offers peace of mind and safety. Top producers consistently strive to give each customer a bigger win than the one they receive. In other words, long after they’ve spent their commission, top producers should ensure that their customers still receive the benefits of the product or service.

Creating win-win situations is really about giving a little more than you expect to receive. In sales, this might mean always making sure that your prices are fair for the products and services you sell or doing your best to ensure that your customers or clients get the best deal possible. This type of effort will benefit you in the long run even if it doesn’t benefit you in an immediate way.

Look for the win-win situation in everything you do and then work to make it happen. It’s not hard to get excited about representing something if you know the other party always wins because of your efforts.

Creating win-win situations is really about giving a little more than you expect to receive.

 

 

 

Why Ride For The Brand?

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Billy Cox

I strongly believe that anyone who represents a product, service, company, or organization must be loyal to that product, service, company, or organization.

Back in the cowboy days, they called this “riding for the brand.” Each ranch had its own brand, such as “Bar 2” or “101.” More than just a way to mark cattle, the brand symbolized the ranch and the qualities that ranch represented — and it also symbolized the cowboys as individuals. The cowboys were fiercely loyal and committed to their brand and were willing to stand up for it.

The sponsors for professional athletes are the brands they represent, and the companies expect them to use and demonstrate loyalty to the companies’ products and services. If Phil Mickelson were a spokesperson for a certain brand of golf clubs, he should use their clubs exclusively. If Dirk Nowitzki promoted Nike shoes but played in Reeboks, he would have lost credibility with buyers and most likely his endorsement contract with Nike.

Riding for the brand creates credibility, and if you aren’t credible, you’re going to have a hard time selling yourself — to you or others.

In sales, riding for the brand goes much deeper than just loyalty to the products or services. You gotta also be loyal to your company, your customers, and yourself. You should never represent or sell anything to anyone unless you truly believe customers will make the best choice by spending their hard-earned money to purchase your product. How can you convince customers they will get the best deal if you haven’t spent your own money to buy and use the product?

Would you expect to become a top Ford salesperson if you drove a Chevrolet? Let’s pose that question from the buyer’s perspective: Would you buy a Ford if you looked over and saw the salesperson’s Chevrolet sitting in the parking lot? Probably not. You’d think, “If this salesperson doesn’t think a Ford is good enough to drive, why should I buy one?”

I’ve never seen anyone make it to the top who wasn’t completely loyal to the products, services, organization, idea, philosophy, or cause she represented. Why would you waste your time and energy on something you don’t or can’t believe in?

If you don’t believe in and support the products or company you’re involved with, you’re a hypocrite, and everyone will know it. You shouldn’t ask other people to do something you won’t do. You can fake it for a while, but you won’t reach your highest potential as long as you’re pretending. Riding for the brand is still the only way to gain lasting credibility.

 

Michael Jordan Believed. Do You?

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Billy Cox

Selling in its most basic form is only a transfer of belief. It’s sharing what you wholeheartedly believe with others and letting them share in your belief and excitement.

How is it that two people selling the same product, for the same company, in the same territory, working the same hours, can consistently get significantly different results? It’s because one person has a strong belief in his abilities and his product, and the other one doesn’t.

All superstars believe they’re going to be successful. They believe it with their minds and their hearts. When Michael Jordan was in a game, do you think he believed he was going to miss his next shot?

When top salespeople make a sales call, they never say, “I might sell something today” or “I hope someone buys.” Instead, they say, “I know someone is going to buy what I’m selling today. I have a product/opportunity/service I believe in. The prospects have money, and I’m going to trade my belief and enthusiasm for their money.”

If you wanted to sell your boss on the idea of giving you a raise, would you know without a shadow of a doubt that you’re worth every penny? Or would you feel lucky if you got anything because you don’t think you deserve it? If you expect to achieve great things, you gotta believe 100 percent in you!

I’m not a psychologist or a neuroscientist; however, both my research and my personal experiences have shown me that our beliefs about ourselves can actually manifest in physical reality. Your belief dictates your behavior. If you believe you will succeed, you will. If you believe you will fail, then failure is certain. What you believe to be true about yourself is rendered true because of the link between your belief and your actions.

When you have a strong enough belief in yourself, you will release the positive power of belief and transfer that belief to others in a very natural way. As a result, you will dramatically improve your chances of achieving the outcome you desire.

 

It All Starts with Confidence in Yourself

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Billy Cox

Whether we realize it or not, everyone is selling something.

Teachers sell their students on making good grades, preachers sell their congregations on attending church and receiving salvation, and parents sell their children on being good citizens. And kids always sell their parents on something they want. To see this in action, just tell a kid “no” and watch the sales campaign begin!

If you want to achieve your full potential in life, you gotta sell. Your entire life is a continuous process of communicating, persuading, and influencing other people. Take it from Tony Jeary, who is known as the world’s utmost authority on speaking and presentations. In his book Life Is a Series of Presentations, he makes the case that the average person makes hundreds of presentations a day. Anytime you communicate with someone — whether it’s in business or at home, via email or face-to-face — you’re making a presentation. And each of these presentations can have an impact on your life and future.

I think anytime you make a presentation, you’re trying to sell someone on something, even if it’s as simple as selling someone on your idea or opinion.

Even athletes sell — star athletes sell style, skills, and showmanship. Through their performances, they sell people on the idea that they’re the best, and because of this, they create great excitement. Because people recognize them as winners, they want to buy the products they endorse and tickets to watch them play.

But a star athlete must also continually sell himself to himself to consistently perform at the highest level. If superstar athletes’ confidence slips, they lose their edge and their performance suffers.

Selling yourself is a critical factor that determines the level of success you will ultimately achieve and how quickly you will achieve it. You should network, market yourself, and get your name out there. When you promote yourself to others (in an appropriate way), more opportunities will come your way. Good things will happen to you because people will recognize you and your abilities.

When companies downsize, who typically stays? The people who have marketed themselves, their results, and their value to the company. Selling yourself is a universal need.

Selling yourself involves two steps: First, it means selling others on you and your products or services. But it also means selling you to you. You’ve got to believe 100 percent in yourself, your abilities, and whatever it is you represent. How can you sell others on you if you’re not first sold on yourself?

I’m not talking about having a big ego. I’m talking about totally convincing yourself that you are the best person for the job or that the person you’re exchanging with is getting a good deal. To sell to others, you gotta be sold on yourself and believe that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to achieve success.

 

 

Can You Order Success from a Menu?

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Billy Cox

Most of us want to just hop on an elevator, push a button, and quickly arrive at success. But it doesn’t work that way.

You have to improve one level at a time, constructing a stairway to success. The most your mind will accept is a small improvement over your last accomplishment. If your best effort produced 10 sales in one week, you should set your next goal to 11 sales in a week.

My father taught me a lesson when I was very young that has remained with me throughout my life: “Good, better, best; never let it rest, until your good is better and your better is best.” We can’t jump directly from “good” to “best.”

Instead, there are countless steps of “better” and “better still” until we finally reach a world-class performance level. Your best yesterday may not have been good enough, but if you keep trying, stretching, learning, and growing, then your best tomorrow will be better and may bring you the level of success you desire.

If you’re in sales, you can raise the bar by making just one more contact before lunch. On your way home, follow up on a few leads. Each day, call on one client you’ve lost or haven’t sold to in a while. Just say hello and remind them you’re still there if they need anything.

Always reach and strive for the next level and never settle for less than your very best. By raising the bar of your personal expectations every day, you will achieve things you never thought possible.

 

What Are Your Dreams?

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Billy Cox

Today, I want to ask you…what are your dreams?

What is the fire, the passion that burns – or once burned – deep in your heart? What do you want to accomplish?

What would your life look like if you could be, do or have anything – if you knew you could not fail?

If you can’t answer these questions right now, that’s OK. Most people can’t. I believe that’s because most people have given up on their dreams. They no longer believe they can achieve their goals and live the life they desire.

Far too often, our lives don’t turn out quite the way we envisioned they would. Early on we’re excited about the future. We envision getting married, maybe having a family, enjoying a great career, making a lot of money and living our dreams.

And then … life happens. We get knocked down – often more than once.

Perhaps the business you started wasn’t a success. Or maybe you’ve had some emotional, physical or financial setbacks. On the other hand, maybe your life is going OK but you just can’t seem to take your business or some aspect of your personal life to the next level.

The challenges of life can cause you to lose your confidence, your dreams and your hope. It’s all

too easy to become stuck in a rut and stay there for weeks, months, even years. So how can you get back to the brilliant, vibrant life God intended you to have? How can you achieve the success, happiness, health, wealth and personal fulfillment that you desire?

You must regain your passion for your dreams and goals, become a possibility thinker, and unlock the potential that lies hidden within you. And, you must be willing to change. If you want your life to change, you have to change. If you keep doing the same things, in the same way, you will get the same results, and you’ll have the same life that you have now. If that’s OK with you, no problem. If it’s not okay – if you want more for your life than what you have and where you are right now – then make a decision to change.