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ARE YOU HAPPY YET?
Answer this question: Are you happy right now? At this very moment, as you are on your computer, are you feeling content? All of us have different ideas of happiness but for the most part, we can all agree that happiness is a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, and over all well-being. While what makes me happy may not necessarily make you happy, the general idea here is that we are all searching for the same feeling. What we tend to forget, however, is that we are in control of our happiness level. Having realistic expectations is the basis for achieving happiness. Often times we compare ourselves to others and feel disatisfied when we don’t have the nicer car or the bigger house. We may feel envious when others seem carefree, jubilant and satisfied. We ask ourselves, “Why don’t I feel like that?” Having realistic ideas of what brings us happiness will save a lot of time and heartache. The person who has truly reached the highest level of happiness is one who shares the wisdom in knowing it’s not money that brings us fulfillment. Do you feel in control of your happiness? In psychology, we refer to this as, “Locus of Control”. This refers to a person’s belief about what causes the good or bad results in their life, either in general or in a specific area such as health, relationships, work, etc. It can either be internal in which the person believes that they control their results, taking full responsibility for what happens in their life or external in which they believe that their environment or other people control their decisions and their life. Having an internal locus of control allows you to take responsibilty and act proactively towards your goals. It also allows you to feel good about your achievements, knowing you played a key role in them. Furthermore, it helps you progress in looking at your mistakes and learning what you did or didn’t do so that you grow from the experience. This is directly related to our happiness because we have control over it. Happiness is knowing where you are headed, having a plan in how to get there, while living a balanced & fulfilled life. It’s the proper mix of being involved in healthy relationships while spending the necessary time in taking care of yourself. Being connected with nature and spending time in prayer and/or meditation is also part of the happiness equation. Taking time to focus on these things brings you peace and clarity. What will you do to bring happiness to your life? Stop waiting for life to change or for things to get better. You can begin right now…you are in control of your happiness. Make it great! Renee Kennedy-Edwards, MS |
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WHAT IS YOUR SALES STRATEGY? Robert Kennedy-Edwards It’s easy to focus on all the negative aspects of today’s challenging market. That being said, there are some opportunities for success even in these tough times. When the market was “hot” many people experienced good fortune without much effort assuming they were skilled salespeople based on their financial success. Now that the customers are not lined up at the door and the phone is not ringing as often, some people are finding it hard to make ends meet. So Now What? Now is the time to go back to the basics and start really working on your skills. Many salespeople stop learning after they have been in sales for more than a year or two and think they have it all figured out. If you are not happy with your paycheck you only have to ask yourself one question: What can I do to improve it? Here are a list of items salespeople can work on to increase their effectiveness: 1. Prospect More: Stop waiting for the phone to ring or
someone to come in the door, go out and meet people, attend networking events, join a club, become a member of the Chamber of Commerce. 2. Fine Tune Phone Skills: Currently there are more people
calling or going online versus coming in to stores so you need to make sure you are effective at getting appointments. 3. Investigate Better: People are more cautious when
spending in a tight economy so really probe to find out the wants and needs of your prospect and how they plan to use your product or service. 4. Fine Tune Your Presentation: Once you know why someone
needs your product or service and how they plan on using it you can give them a presentation that leaves no doubt as to why they should buy it. 5. Master Trial Closes: In order to be effective when closing
you need to be sure the timing is right. The trial close allows you to obtain your customer’s opinion about the product or service. Once achieved, you have the green light to move forward and effectively close the sale. 6. Expand Your Knowledge: Attend a training seminar, take
out books from the library, listen to fellow salespeople, go online and check out some sales material, there is always something for those that want to improve themselves.
Strong Selling, |
