Seneca (5BC-65AD) - Was a Roman dramatist, philosopher, humorist and politician. He also would have made an excellent sales trainer! Here’s a look at some of the man’s famous quotes that still relate to our livelihoods 2000 years later.
“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”
It has been said that adversity is a business and emotional physical fitness program. Make no mistake, we all dread adversity, but it may be the best learning tool of them all for people in sales. Those of us with extensive experience can tell you without hesitation that most of the best lessons they have obtained over the years arose out of difficulty.
So next time the “adversity bug” bites you, embrace the opportunity as an opportunity for short-term pain and long-term gain!
DESTINATION UNKNOWN
“If a man does not know to what port he is steering, no wind is favorable to him.”
We all know the driving route to our offices, but many times that is where our clear sense of destination ends. Once inside the office, many salespeople simply throw themselves into the “favorable winds” of their business. Those who do so with a business plan and clearly defined goals can ride almost any wind to their favor.
Those who lack plans and goals are throwing themselves into unfavorable winds that are more like a tornado. Spinning, twisting and rambling in an unpredictable direction with little left behind but destruction and chaos.
Like a plane without a flight plan or a ship without a rudder. A business of any kind without planning and goal setting is aimless and destined to miss its intended destination.
SILENCE IS GOLDEN
“It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.”
In other words, sometimes it is far better to just be quiet and listen.
We are born with two ears and one mouth and we all should be using them in proportion. Silence can be one of your best tools if used properly and really, actively listening to your customers and colleagues is a skill that we can all improve upon!
THE MOST VALUABLE THINGS
“The best ideas are common property.”
Everything that is truly important in life came to us free of charge...your mind, your body, your family, your friends, your soul, your character, your thoughts. Sometimes we human beings have a tendency to place way too little value on those things in life that are free, despite the fact that they are the most important facets of our lives.
This partially explains why we only use about 10% of our brains. Our minds are where everything important in our lives starts and ends, yet often we place more value upon that which we have to pay for. Things that we pay money for like personal possessions tend to have a certain price tag and value attached, but the really important things in life are truly priceless!
Like the old saying goes, “if money can fix it, it’s not a problem.”