THE RACE
By D.H. Groberg

I
“Quit! Give Up! You’re beaten!”
They shout at me and plead,
“There’s just too much against you now,
this time you can’t succeed.”

And as I start to hang my head
In front of failure’s face,
My downward fall is broken by
The memory of a race.

And hope refills my weakened will
As I recall that scene;
For just the thought of that short race
Rejuvenates my being.

II
A children’s race-young boys-young men-
How I remember well,
Excitement, sure! But also fear;
It wasn’t hard to tell.

They all line up so full of hope
Each thought to win that race.
Or tie for first, or if not that,
At least take second place.

And fathers watched from off the side
Each cheering for his son.
And each boy hoped to show his dad
That he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they went
Young hearts and hopes afire.
To win and be the hero there
Was each young boy’s desire.

And one boy in particular
Whose dad was in the crowd
Was running near the lead and thought:
“My Dad will be so proud!”

But as they speeded down the field
Across a shallow dip,
The little boy who thought to win
Lost his step and slipped.

Trying hard to catch himself
His hands flew out to brace,
And mid the laughter of the crowd
He fell flat on his face.

So down he fell and with him hope
-He couldn’t win it now-
Embarrassed, sad, he only wished
To disappear somehow.

But as he fell his dad stood up
And showed his anxious face,
Which to the boy so clearly said,
“Get up and win the race.”

He quickly rose, no damage done,
-Behind a bit, that’s all-
And ran with all his mind and might
To make up for his fall.

So anxious to restore himself
-To catch up and to win-
His mind went faster than his legs:
He slipped and fell again!

He wished then he had quit before
With only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now;
I shouldn’t try to race.”

But in the laughing crowd he searched
And found his father’s face;
That steady look which said again:
“Get up and win the race!”

So up he jumped to try again
-Ten yards behind the last-
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought,
“I’ve got to move real fast.”

Exerting everything he had
He regained eight or ten,
But trying so hard to catch the lead
He slipped and fell again!
Defeat! He lied there silently
-A tear dropped from his eye-
“There’s no sense running anymore;
Three strikes: I’m out! Why try!”

The will to rise had disappeared;
All hope had fled away;
So far behind, so error prone;
A loser all the way.

“I’ve lost, so what’s the use,” he thought
“I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad
Who soon he’d have to face.

“Get up,” an echo sounded low.
“Get up and take your place;
You were not meant for failure here.
Get up and win the race.”

“With borrowed will get up,” it said,
“You haven’t lost at all.
For winning is not more than this:
To rise each time you fall.”

So up he rose to run once more,
And with a new commit
He resolved that win or lose
At least he wouldn’t quit.

So far behind the others now,
-The most he’d ever been-
Still he gave it all he had
And ran as though to win.

Three times he’d fallen, stumbling:
Three times he’d rose again;
Too far behind to hope to win
He still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner
As he crossed the line first place.
Head high, and proud, and happy;
No falling, no disgrace.

But when the fallen youngster
Crossed the line last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer,
For finishing the race.
And even though he came in last
With head bowed low, unproud,
You would have thought he won the race,
To listen to the crowd.

And to his Dad he sadly said,
“I didn’t do too well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said,
“You rose each time you fell.”

III

And when things seem dark and hard
And difficult to face,
The memory of that little boy
Helps me in my race.

For all of life is like that race,
With ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win,
Is rise each time you fall.

“Quit!” “Give up! You’re beaten!,”
They still shout in my face.
But another voice within me says:
“GET UP AND WIN THE RACE!”

To recap:
1/ Meet & Greet: You’ve exchanged warm and friendly introductions with your client;
2/ Build Rapport – Discovery: You’ve had a meaningful conversation wherein you focused on their wants, needs and desires;
3/ Identify Need: You’ve confirmed your client’s wants, needs or desires (their problem) and they’ve agreed you are correct (if they don’t agree at this point, go back to step #2 and ask more questions to unveil the root of their needs/problem);
4/ Satisfy the Need: You’ve positioned your product or service as an ideal solution to their problem (satisfied their needs, wants, desires);
5/ Test for Agreement: You’ve tested for interest in your product or service (ie: “Does it make sense to you…”);
6/ Handle Objections (if applicable): You’ve uncovered the reason they decline your offer (by asking your version of “Why Not?”), and responded to and handled the objection(s) that arose;
7/ Offer 2 Options: You finalize the sale – ask them which offer they prefer and provide 2 options to choose from.

In step #7, leaving the final decision in the client’s hands gives them complete control over their decision. With today’s competitive market in every industry, clients want to make their own purchase decisions although once you follow these 7 steps, you are truly leading them to purchase from you as you are solving their problem(s). Also, you’ve taken the time to investigate exactly what their problem is and you’ve demonstrated a genuine interest in your client by doing so!

If you practice these steps with every client, your sales will grow! If you get stuck at any stage, leave me a comment below and I’ll do all I can to help!

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I have Amazing news for you! Your life is perfect exactly as it is. (Oh I know, that sounds so confrontational!) Agreed, it may not appear to be as you perceive perfect to look although you are on the path of getting there. Think of it as the “invisible mechanics” of your life working in the background to create perfection for you. You see, there are actions going on in your world right now that you aren’t even aware of that will influence outcomes in your life today, tomorrow and in the future. It’s important to watch for the signs of these miracles as they may show up as a mere glimpse. Be mindful of the little gifts that appear daily and acknowledge those highlights regardless how big or small they seem as the impact they have towards the greater perfect outcome may be massive times greater than what it looks like.

Have Faith and Trust that you are on exactly the right path you are meant to be on, you are learning all that you need to in order to receive all that you want. Your perfect life is a journey rather than a destination. Pay special attention to the miracles and they will show up in larger doses, feeding the invisible forces to produce your perfect life faster!

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Once you’ve unveiled “Why” the potential client declined your offer, you need to overcome the objection by threading back to the client’s problem and the solution your product/service provides. At this point, when you handle the objection, always introduce a new idea or new aspect about your product/service and emphasize how this will solve the client’s problem. Bringing in fresh “reasons” why your product/service is an ideal solution helps build layers of buying motivation. There will be one motivator that compels the client to buy from you more than others and there’s a good chance you identified what that key motivator is during the previous 5 steps. Always lean on the client’s biggest pain that your product/service will satisfy. This is the true magic of leading your clients to buy from you!

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Most folks have 3 main groups of people in their circle of influence: colleagues from work; family and friends; and those they know through hobbies and recreational activities. The 3rd group has the most potential for immediate expansion and the people you add to this group will be able to support you in specific areas. No single person can support you in every area of life so those you meet in self-selected interest groups will provide an excellent exchange of wins and struggles specific to that subject matter, helping you learn from one another. With our online networks, we now have a massive reach to others with similar interests and they only need to be accessible by the world wide web!

As long as you immerse yourself within a community that you want to learn more about, you won’t have to rely on others within your circle of influence that don’t have the expertise you are looking for. You may even find someone through social media who you’d like to work with further or, to mentor you.

I’m so grateful for the amazing folks I’ve met recently in the TLC October Blogging Event, organized by Eve Koivula. I’m learning so much about blogging, about other bloggers’ areas of expertise and, about social media! Where do you go to build your support community?

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• Does it make sense to you that this (Name your product/service) will…(complete the sentence describing how your product/service solves their problem) or,
• Does it sound like this (Name your product/service) will…(complete the sentence describing how your product/service solves their problem)

This is Step #5 in The Consultative Sales System. In traditional sales, we call this the “Trial Close”. Using a consultative sales approach, we prefer to refer to it as “Test for Agreement”. Oh, if your client says “No” at this stage, you’ll need to handle the objection. Visit us on Monday (Oct. 28th) for tips on that critical part of your sales process.

Do you have a question you ask your clients to test if they are ready to buy? Please share if you have a favorite.

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Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are

My favorite is the 2-minute “Wonder Woman” power pose. What’s yours?

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Looking at the scale image on the right, value must always exceed the price in order for your client to exchange their hard earned cash with you. This principal applies with each and every purchase. When you follow the 7-steps of The Consultative Sales System, you are naturally creating that value and it is personalized to each client. You see, this entire system is designed to determine which specific factors are important to each client and solve their problem.

Price is the last thing you want to discuss. As long as you follow the 7-step system (or one similar that emphasizes clients’ needs, rather than spewing a long list of your product’s features and benefits), your clients will practically be falling over to buy from you and, you will rarely face the price objection.

Have you ever bought something that cost more than you were planning to spend because it exceeded your expectations of what it could do for you, thereby increasing its value? If so, what was it?

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I thought if fitting to take a moment today and reflect on gratitude for all we have. This is personal to you. Your gratitude can reach out to people, places, things or events, anything that is meaningful to you today that you are thankful for.

The Law of Attraction gives us more of what we focus on. Being thankful for what we have right here, right now, without qualification, is the easiest and fastest way to receive more of what we want. Taking 5-minutes to focus on what you are thankful for is a great way to add a sprinkle of gratitude to your day and begin attracting more of what you appreciate in your life. When the 5-minutes is up, take a moment to reflect on the feeling you experienced while being grateful. How much better would each day be if you took only 5-minutes to be thankful?

If you have a smartphone, set the timer to 5-minutes and press “start” to indulge in all you are thankful for today.

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125ml (½ cup) Milk
125ml (½ cup) Light Cream
2 Eggs
375ml (1-1/2 cups) Canned Pumpkin
150ml (2/3 cup) Brown Sugar (Azucar dulce-packed)
5ml (1tsp) Cinnamon
2ml (½ tsp) Salt
2ml (½ tsp) Ground Ginger
2ml (½ tsp) Ground Cloves
1ml (¼ tsp) Ground Allspice
5ml (1tsp) Vanilla Extract
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

Heat oven to 220C, 425F. Put all ingredients into the blender container, cover and process at BLEND until thoroughly blended. Pour into pie shell and bake at 220C, 425F for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 140C, 275F, and bake 35-45 minutes longer or until a silver knife inserted near centre of pie comes out clean. Cool at room temperature before serving.

HaPpY Thanksgiving, my Canadian friends!

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