Team Alpha 375

How to Stay Up When You Are Down by: Dan Jourdan I toyed with the title “How to Stay Up in a Down Market,” but since there is no such thing as a bad market, I’m going to make this more personal. After all, we all can’t be 100% all of the time. Some days are harder to focus than others for a million reasons - both personal and professional. The question is how do you handle it? First we must agree on the goal. The reason we got into this business and continue to stay in the business is for the money and lifestyle. We are self-starters who like to have the freedom to choose when, where, and how much to work and earn. The only way to maintain that feeling of freedom is to continue to earn lots of money. The way to do that is to get out of the funk that you are in and do some more business. That’s the goal, pure and simple. The opposite is too dismal to go over but suffice to say the downward spiral feeds on itself for a long time. I’m not saying to forget about the deal that you have been working on for six months that just fell through or your daughter’s wedding to that scoundrel. What I am saying is that those things have happened and will again (we all hope the wedding is a one-time deal), but you may as well keep moving forward. Here’s how: In a word…Prospect, Prospect, and Prospect. Get out there and beat the streets. I mean that literally. Start knocking on doors and introducing yourself to the neighborhood all over again. Drop off cards and just talk to people - lots of people - and do it all day. Think of ways that some of these businesses could do better, and offer your advice and ideas. They need your counsel. You have seen more of the competition than they have and you have something to offer that they need and want. Talk about their business and what is interesting to them. And ask them the simple question, "Do you want to buy my product?" When you ask questions you are in control. Throughout the day something strange will happen. You see, we can only really think of one thing at a time. If you’re spending the day thinking of how you can help others while meeting them, if you are truly interested in them, there is no room in your head to worry about the things of which you have no control. Prospecting is the elixir of all past pain. It soothes immediately and, as a bonus, produces more business which solves all of your worries. The truth is that time is going to pass whether you are in a funk or not. You might as well invest your time in an activity that will make you some more money. Prospecting!