Motivation: The Magic and the Mystery…..I named this blog that way because my experience shows most people don’t understand motivation at all. So, if we don’t understand it, how do we use it?
(Excuse the picture. I couldn’t resist….)
Who motivates YOU?
Yet, what if your manager isn’t the type to catch you at the right time, say all the right things, and provide specifically what you need? I know, from being in management a long time, it’s practically impossible to keep agents ‘pumped up’. Most of our motivation has to come from within.
Look Elsewhere to Assure You Get that Motivation
There are two ways to get that motivation, that appreciation, that support you need. Many people think someone else should be in charge of their attitude. But, there’s another method. That’s the method so few of us use: Going inside. We shy away from acknowledging our own efforts. Why? Perhaps your mom (as mine did) told us not to brag. It was unseemly to be immodest.
Not about Bragging
Acknowledging yourself is not bragging. It is not only positive, it is absolutely critical to do if we are to be effective salespeople. We must use all the methods as our disposal to keep ourselves ‘up’, so we can be models for our clients–and those agents who look up to us.
Going inside. Someone you can always count on.
When I was in college, I remember going sailing with a group of people. It was a gorgeous day. We sailed around the large lake, enjoying moderate winds. Then, about 6 o’clock, we decided to sail back to the dock. Problem. No wind. We had no choice but to wait for that wind to bring us back. (or use the little outboard motor, which the purest ‘captain’ was loathe to use.)
Frequently, we count on others to ‘sail us back to the dock of positive attitude’ when we’re down. Like the wind, though, they may not be there when we need them!
Draw a Different Conclusion
Actually, though, we have our own outboard motor on-board–our own minds. We have the ability to change our minds about things (especially we women, men say…). We have the ability inside us to re-draw a conclusion about an event. For instance, we managers get ‘down’ when the agent we thought we were going to hire went to another agency. We can look at it as a loss, or as an opportunity to learn from the experience. If we’re good at managing our attitude, we’ll call that agent to find out what attracted that agent to the other company–and learn from the experience.
Lots of Big Motivation in a Little Book
Check out my latest book, literally a ‘little book’–full of motivation and sales tips that work!
