Mel Fisher knew it was there. Somewhere. “It” was the Atocha, a Spanish ship that sank off the southern coast of Florida in 1622. All he had to do was find it and he would be able to get his hands on its treasures—namely silver and gold coins, Colombian emeralds, and other valuable artifacts. And so, Mel searched.
And searched.
And searched.
Every day that he got on the ship he effectively sent the same message to his crew: “Men, today’s the day.” Every day for 17 years. That’s how long it took him to find the Atocha and what turned out to be $450 million worth of treasure.
•••••••
Her name was Cha Sa-soon and she wanted to learn how to drive so that she could take her grandchildren to the zoo. So, Ms. Cha enrolled in a class at the Jeonbuk Driving School in South Korea.
Similar to here in the States, getting a Korean driver’s license requires passing a road test and a written test. Ms. Cha passed the road test with flying colors. However, she failed the written test. Naturally, she took it again. Unfortunately, she failed again. So she kept trying; and she kept failing. Finally, she passed.
On her 960th try.
•••••••
If my house was on fire and I had time to save only one thing, I would run past my computer, leave all the pictures behind, and scramble to find a Father’s Day card that my daughter, Madeline, gave to me two years ago. In it, she spoke of the number of times I was knocked to the canvas and the number of times that I got back up. It is one of my most prized possessions.
I didn’t search for gold for 17 years and I got my driver’s license on my first try, but I know the definition of perseverance firsthand. I know how important it is; and I know that I would not be here today without it.
I also know that without perseverance, you will never make it in sales.
“No, I will not take your appointment.”
“No, I will not even speak to you.”
“No. Just plain no.”
At the end of the day, discouraged and beaten, you question your career choice and your very existence. The next time this happens to you, I want you to think about Mel Fisher and Cha Sa-soon. Do I expect you to try for 17 years or make 960 attempts? No.
So how about this...
After your next bad day, I want you to go home and get a good nights sleep. I want you to wake up, go to work, and say to yourself, “Today’s the day.” Then, a want you to try your hardest, to sell your hardest, and to work your hardest.
I want you to do that for 90 days. That’s three months. I’ll even give you the weekends off. If, after 90 days of sales activity you still want to quit, OK. But not before then.
Today’s the day, gang. And if it isn’t, then it’s tomorrow.
Bill can drive your sales momentum, motivate and train you to be the best salesman you can be. Go to www.aspirefor.com and check out Bill’s “Sales Challenge” program. Or, you can email him at bill@aspirefor.com.
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Bill Farquharson is a respected industry expert and highly sought after speaker known for his energetic and entertaining presentations. Bill engages his audiences with wit and wisdom earned as a 40-year print sales veteran while teaching new ideas for solving classic sales challenges. Email him at bill@salesvault.pro or call (781) 934-7036. Bill’s two books, The 25 Best Print Sales Tips Ever and Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing…and How? as well as information on his new subscription-based website, The Sales Vault, are available at salesvault.pro.