Celebrate Success Daily

Sales trainer Mark Hunter has a useful blog that he updates regularly with tips, advice, and inspiration for salespeople. He recently wrote this inspiring post that's perfect for a Friday - and everyday!

"At the end of each day, congratulate yourself for accomplishing whatever you believed was your most successful event of the day, even if it is something as small as getting an email from someone," says Hunter. "The key is to never allow your day to end with a negative thought."

"I use this technique myself and have shared it with thousands of others over the years. Those who do put it into practice often come back to me later on saying how much of a positive impact it had on them."

"Many times, the most successful tips are the simplest and this one doesn't require any great skill," continues Hunter. "It just requires you to find the positive in everything you do. Even on bad days, there is always something to be grateful for. Don't waste time lamenting about the bad stuff. Focus on the positive and use it to influence your outlook."

Read The Sales Hunter's latest thoughts and comments about consultative selling, sales development, and sales motivation techniques at www.thesaleshunter.com/blog

Quote of the Week

"No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

When you're having a tough time selling, it's easy to blame the economy, your manager, your company, your product line, your dog - in short, anything and anyone but yourself. Yet, ultimately you are the only person who can be held accountable for your results.

If your company isn't providing the training you need, instead of complaining, purchase some training books or invest in a seminar to hone your skills.

If the economy is affecting your company's revenues, do some research on new companies to prospect, new ways to market yourself and new ways to position your products.

You may not be able to change the situation, but you can change how you respond to it.

KISS Your Way to More Sales

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this picture of our friend and Top Dog Sales expert Colleen Francis with Gene Simmons, the legendary tongue-wagging leader of KISS. Colleen was photographed with Simmons while attending a marketing conference. And, believe it or not, she learned a lot from rock's bad boy. Here's what Colleen has to say about Simmons and what he can teach sales professionals:

"What a huge success he is Much more so than I ever knew. KISS holds all the records for record sales for any rock band ever - including Elvis and the Beatles. Their empire is worth over $1 billion and there are over 3,000 branded KISS products on the market today. KISS is a rock BRAND not a rock Band. So what could a sales expert learn form rock's perennial bad boy? Plenty . . . "

Set no limits on what you can achieve. Success is a mind set. Either you think you can have it all, or you don't. Never let someone else tell you what you can and can't achieve. Ruthlessly control those thoughts yourself.

Work hard. Gene Simmons is almost 59, worth hundreds of millions of dollars and everyday he goes to work. Recently he started a new business, Simmons Abramson Marketing which has the exclusive branding contract for Indy. In fact they developed the new "I am Indy" campaign - Gene even wrote the theme song himself. His success is not an accident. Gene Simmons is nothing but disciplined in his approach to his work. (To get more disciplined, check out Colleen's 3-step approach.)

Connect with people. From the stage in front of 1,200 people Gene Simmons connected with people one-on-one speaking their language. German, Yiddish, Hungarian, Japanese, Mandarin. He connects with people on their level. No private jets, no bodyguards (granted he is big enough to take care of himself!) His secret to success is getting close to people and talking to them about them.

There you have it; three timely reminders of what it takes to be successful in sales - from a rather unlikely source.

Colleen Francis, is Founder and President of Engage Selling Solutions. Sales and Marketing Management has ranked her one of the "5 most effective sales trainers in the market today." Subscribe to her online newsletter Engaging Ideas and you'll also receive 10 weeks of free sales tips.