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An off kilter look at sales tips & tricks for telesales professionals
Issue 12: The Ides Have It Edition

Is a playwright successful if hundreds of years later people still quote them?

It seems like the idea of success continues to show up in things we read.

Way back in August's Dog Daze edition we included a note that said; hmmm - maybe simplify and ask "is this going to make me more successful?" ever since then the question of how to define success has continued to pop up.

William Shakespeare, from a modern day view appears successful - for goodness sakes a TeleSales Newsletter used a quote from one of his plays.

What we will never know is if Shakespeare considered himself successful.


Take the time:
make up your own definition
The off kilter view of success is that the only person who can decide if YOU are successful is YOU.

Not your boss, parents, spouse, fans, or friends - only YOU.

The second point is - be specific!
Since we're mostly salespeople here, an easy example is

Financial Success

Sound good?

While it is a good start, saying you want to be a financial success isn't specific enough.

Are you working for:
  • Freedom
  • Security
  • Serenity
  • Wealth
 Which one resonates with you? OR do you need to pick a completely different definition of financial success? OR success in general for that matter.


Take the initiative:
use the perspective of your own definition

S T O P   There are a bunch of people right now who are beating themselves up because their past isn't meeting their new success definition.

You know who you are!

Instead of looking back - as you move forward begin to use the perspective of your own definition of what is success.

"It may be a seemingly minor change; take our "financial success" example - if you're moving from the more specific example of security to freedom it may feel minor.

While if you are moving from security to wealth the point of view shift could feel major.

Take a deep breathe and remember you are starting something new - embrace the change, it's your life.


Take the responsibility:
work toward YOUR success
  • "everyone" said I needed.....
  • "they" expected me to.....
Expectations; the people in our lives seem to have them for us, which is ok - if they line up with what we want for ourselves.

The worrisome part is how many lives are lived to measure up to other people's expectations.

We aren't saying that you can stop doing the things that are required by your employer.

Instead - when making decisions (both big & small), ask yourself "how will this move me forward into success?"

OR our question from August "is this going to make me more successful?"

Without taking this responsibility, one day you may wake up and realize that you're living someone else's ideal life WHILE you are not happy or fulfilled.

Here is a Lily Tomlin quote that expresses that idea perfectly.

"The problem with winning the rat race is you're still a rat."

from Shakespeare to Lily Tomlin
all in one newsletter....

It is only the rat race if you are running toward someone else's definition of success. Don't win someone else's race - make sure you run and win your own.


Take the controls:
look inward to measure success
We have all heard Aesop's quote "Appearances are often deceiving."

That is easily seen if we go back to financial success and our 4 bullet point examples.

From the outside we see a well dressed woman or man, driving a nice vehicle, living in what the town describes as a good neighborhood.

  • Freedom
    •  The very "things" that are visible from the outside may take away from their feelings of freedom.

  • Security
    •  Fear of loss isn't something that is obvious from the outside.

  • Serenity
    •  I can't even think of how someone could detect financial serenity in another person's life.

  • Wealth
    •  When viewing someone's life their bank account balances aren't evident.

    This is a critical idea about success:

    NEVER measure your own success by the appearance of another person's life.

    To keep the article focused, financial success was the example used for a success definition. To close, here are some other examples TeleSalespeople have given us to define it for themselves:
    • Learning something new every day
    • Being able to work hours around family commitments
    • Love what I am doing
    • Live my values while selling
    • Make a difference in the world
    • Help someone else achieve their goals
    • Promotion to another level
    Now it's time for you to look at what you want to achieve, define your own success - that way when you get there you can enjoy it!     		Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar made famous the soothsayer's warning;

    "Beware the Ides of March"

    Before then it was just another way to say March 15th. . . without the "beware" of course.

    4 months actually use the 15th for the ides and the other 8 use the 13th for the date.

    An UpYourTeleSales.com Reminder

    If you are looking for some inspiration on how you can change your own definition of success. Check out Kory Simonsen & Matthew Peters. Two 23 year old guys who biked across America last year - their website is called http://definesuccess.com

    The Wisdom Journal does a nice job in this blog post on making us think - I'm not advocating THEIR 6 Factors for you but a great resource read. Then decide what your 6 success definition factors are.


    TeleSales Twist

    Dials, phone time, opportunities found, leads converted to business, sales production.....

    These are all THINGS we measure. Important things, when they are tied to how they are helping you achieve success.
    • On its own - each one is useless.
    • On its own - we can't get passionate about what it means.
    • On its own - someone else is "shoulding all over you"
    When the organization you are part of begins to blabber about behaviors - it is your responsibility to tie it into your own success definition.

    THAT is what will make you care!


    Want to use any of our content in your publication, blog, or website?

    If so, please include the bio below and let us know when and where it will appear.

    Lynn Hidy, founder of UpYourTeleSales.com, is the specialist at creating profitable telesales sales people and organizations. She knows you can make six figures over the phone - she does it! Working with Lynn you will learn to create a phone experience where they will forget you aren't actually having a cup of coffee together.

    To find out more about Lynn, read her latest articles, or subscribe to A Chip Off The Block, her free newsletter - call 315-751-0146 or visit www.upyourtelesales.com.

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