Feel
free to print these reports.
REPORT #1
From the desk of
Ronald J. Levin
Real Estate Prep School, Inc.
How To Achieve Excellence In Sales
Most people are always striving to better
themselves. It’s the “American Way”. For proof, check the sales figures on
the number of self-improvement books sold each year. This is not a pitch for you
to jump in and start selling these kinds of books, but it is an indication of
people’s awareness that in order to better themselves, they have to continue
improving their personal selling abilities.
To excel in any selling situation, you must have
confidence, and confidence comes, first and foremost, from knowledge. You have
to know and understand yourself and your goals. You have to recognize and accept
your weaknesses as well as your special talents. This requires a kind of
personal honesty that not everyone is capable of exercising.
In addition to knowing yourself, you must
continue learning about people. Just as with yourself, you must be caring,
forgiving and laudatory with others. In any sales effort, you must accept other
people as they are, not as you would like for them to be. One of the most common
faults of sales people is impatience when the prospective customer is slow to
understand or make a decision. The successful salesperson handles these
situations the same as he would if he were asking a girl for a date, or even
applying for a new job.
Learning your product, making a clear
presentation to qualified prospects, and closing more sales will take a lot less
time once you know your own capabilities and failings, and understand and care
about the prospects you are calling upon.
Our society is predicated upon selling, and all
of us are selling something all the time. We move up or stand still in direct
relation to our sales efforts. Everyone is included, whether we’re attempting
to be a friend to a co-worker, a neighbor, or selling multi-million dollar real
estate projects. Accepting these facts will enable you to understand that there
is no such thing as a born salesman. Indeed, in selling, we all begin at the
same starting line, and we all have the same finish line as the goal, a
successful sale.
Most assuredly, anyone can sell anything to
anybody. As a qualification to this statement, let us say that some things are
easier to sell than others, and some people work harder at selling than others.
But regardless of what you’re selling, or even how you’re attempting to sell
it, the odds are in your favor. If you make your presentation to enough people,
you’ll find a buyer. The problem with most people seems to be in making
contact - getting their sales presentation seen by, read by, or heard by enough
people. But this really shouldn’t be a problem, as we’ll explain later.
There is a problem of impatience, but this too can be harnessed to work in the
salesperson’s favor.
We have established that we’re all sales
people in one way or another. So, whether we’re attempting to move up from
forklift driver to warehouse manager, waitress to hostess, salesman to sales
manager or from mail order dealer to president of the largest sales organization
in the world, it’s vitally important that we continue learning.
Getting up out of bed in the morning; doing what
has to be done in order to sell more units of your product; keeping records,
updating your materials; planning the direction of further sales efforts; and
all the while increasing your own knowledge---all this very definitely requires
a great deal of personal motivation, discipline, and energy. But then the
rewards can be beyond your wildest dreams, for make no mistake about it, the
selling profession is the highest paid occupation in the world!
Selling is challenging. It demands the utmost of
your creativity and innovative thinking. The more success you want, and the more
dedicated you are to achieving your goals, the more you’ll sell. Hundreds of
people the world over become millionaires each month through selling. Many of
them were flat broke and unable to find a “regular” job when they began
their selling careers. Yet they’ve done it, and you can do it too!
Remember, it’s the surest way to all the
wealth you could ever want. You get paid according to your own efforts, skill,
and knowledge of people.
Here are some guidelines that will definitely
improve your gross sales, and quite naturally, your gross income. I like to call
them the Strategic Salesmanship Commandments. Look them over; give some thought
to each of them; and adapt those that you can to your own selling efforts.
1. If the product you’re selling is
something your prospect can hold in his hands, get it into his hands as
quickly as possible. In other words, get the prospect “into the act”. Let
him feel it, weigh it, admire it.
2. Don’t stand or sit alongside your
prospect. Instead, face him while you’re pointing out the important
advantages of your product. This will enable you to watch his facial
expressions and determine whether and when you should go for the close. In
handling sales literature, hold it by the top of the page, at the proper
angle, so that your prospect can read it as you’re highlighting the
important points.
Regarding your sales literature, don’t
release your hold on it, because you want to control the specific parts you
want the prospect to read. In other words, you want the prospect to read or
see only the parts of the sales material you’re telling him about at a given
time.
3. With prospects who won’t talk with you:
When you can get no feedback to your sales presentation, you must dramatize
your presentation to get him involved. Stop and ask questions such as, “Now,
don’t you agree that this product can help you or would be of benefit to
you?” After you’ve asked a question such as this, stop talking and wait
for the prospect to answer. It’s a proven fact that following such a
question, the one who talks first will lose, so don’t say anything until
after the prospect has given you some kind of answer. Wait him out!
4. Prospects who are themselves sales people,
and prospects who imagine they know a lot about selling sometimes present
difficult selling obstacles, especially for the novice. But believe me, these
prospects can be the easiest of all to sell. Simply give your sales
presentation, and instead of trying for a close, toss out a challenge such as,
“I don’t know, Mr. Prospect - after watching your reactions to what I’ve
been showing and telling you about my product, I’m very doubtful as to how
this product can truthfully be of benefit to you”.
Then wait a few seconds, just looking at him
and waiting for him to say something. Then, start packing up your sales
materials as if you are about to leave. In almost every instance, your “tough
nut” will quickly ask you, Why? These people are generally so filled with
their own importance, that they just have to prove you wrong. When they start
on this tangent, they will sell themselves. The more skeptical you are
relative to their ability to make your product work to their benefit, the more
they’ll demand that you sell it to them.
If you find that this prospect will not rise
to your challenge, then go ahead with the packing of your sales materials and
leave quickly. Some people are so convinced of their own importance that it is
a poor use of your valuable time to attempt to convince them.
5. Remember that in selling, time is money!
Therefore, you must allocate only so much time to each prospect. The prospect
who asks you to call back next week, or wants to ramble on about similar
products, prices or previous experiences, is costing you money. Learn to
quickly get your prospect interested in, and wanting your product, and then
systematically present your sales pitch through to the close, when he signs on
the dotted line, and reaches for his checkbook.
After the introductory call on your prospect,
you should be selling products and collecting money. Any callbacks should be
only for reorders, or to sell him related products from your line. In other
words, you can waste an introductory call on a prospect to qualify him, but
you’re going to be wasting money if you continue calling on him to sell him
the first unit of your product. When faced with a reply such as, “Your
product looks pretty good, but I’ll have to give some thought”, you should
quickly jump in and ask him what specifically about your product does he feel
he needs to give more thought. Let him explain, and that’s when you go back
into your sales presentation and make everything crystal clear for him. If he
still balks, then you can either tell him that you think he product will
really benefit him, or it’s purchase be to his benefit.
You must spend as much time as possible
calling on new prospects. Therefore, your first call should be a selling call
with follow-up calls by mail or telephone (once every month or so in person)
to sign him for re-orders and other items from your product line.
6. Review your sales presentation, your sales
materials, and your prospecting efforts. Make sure you have a “door-opener”
that arouses interest and “forces” a purchase the first time around. This
can be a $2 interest stimulator so that you can show him your full line, or a
special marked-down price on an item that everybody wants; but the important
thing is to get the prospect on your “buying customer” list, and then
follow up via mail or telephone with related, but more profitable products you
have to offer.
If you accept my statement that there are no
born salesmen, you can readily absorb these “commandments”. Study them, as
well as all the material in this report. When you realize your first
successes, you will truly know that “salesmen are MADE - not born”.
Wishing YOU Prosperity,
Ronald J. Levin
PS. Don't forget to get your free copy of
"28 Ways to Make BIG Money With Your Real Estate License" by
requesting it from the home page.
REPORT #2
From the desk of
Ronald J. Levin
Real Estate Prep School, Inc.
Secrets of the Richest People
Would you like to realize your goals? Maybe you’d
like to run your own business, expand your material possessions, or succeed in
the arts. There is no one path to the pot of gold, but many people of all
backgrounds have successfully found it.
Whether you want to follow the ways of the great
financiers, the famous politicians, or the dynamic movie stars, there are common
modes of behavior each of them followed. And in many cases, they have shared
their secrets so YOU CAN FOLLOW THEIR FOOTSTEPS.
“If you wish to know the road up the mountain,
ask the person who goes back and forth on it,” said the ancient sage, Zenrin.
What better way is there to know the secrets than to ask those who made it?
What goals do you want to achieve? And what
amount of effort can you commit? You may want money for the extra things in
life, money to build a corporate empire, or money to support yourself while you
pursue the fine arts.
Perhaps you’d like to take the risk to start
something new in your life. You may want to open your own business, devote your
energies to an artistic career such as acting, or reap the benefits of your
yearly endeavors with fabulous vacations several times a year.
What will bring you happiness? The satisfaction
of success takes many forms. Not only are people seeking financial fortunes, but
also the ancient goal of peace of mind.
Do you worry? You might be concerned about your
health or your family’s well being. You may be anxious about the added
expenses of education, medical bills, or the steady increase of the cost of
living. There are ways out of the endless cycles of worry, stress and anxiety.
Right now, you can rise above the whirl of survival to achieve the
accomplishments you dream of. When you’re ready to put your whole effort into
realizing your goals, YOU WILL SUCCEED.
WHAT ARE RICHES
“Had I but plenty of money, money enough to
spare,” wrote Robert Browning. And money is the greatest attribute of riches.
A universal desire, money is the materialization of riches, the stuff that makes
the rest possible.
Are you looking for financial security? For
retirement, for education, or leisure? Riches are the overflowing abundance of
material possessions - houses, cars, boats, furnishings - everything you ever
wanted.
Centuries ago, Horace wrote, “By right means,
if you can, but by any means, make money.” For many people it is a path
towards happiness, a cure-all for worry and peace of mind.
For others, riches come in the form of
satisfaction and personal independence. Satisfaction comes from accomplishment
in employment or attaining goals. It is that feeling of contentment and
confidence from a good task well done. Riches are closely linked with success.
And with that comes fame and acknowledgment of position. Success might be the
feeling of well-being from the rewards of good effort. Or the enthusiasm and
vitality triggered by recognition.
“Success is how well I enjoy the minutes,”
said producer Norman Lear.
Throughout history, the people who lived with
riches often achieved them by hard work, diligence and a belief in themselves.
For some people, it took courage, genius and stamina.
But for many others, it took nothing special but
the desire to turn dreams into reality. Whether you want millions of dollars,
recognition as an artist, or personal freedom, you have the ability to make your
life as rich as you want.
Think about what you most desire. It may not be
hard cash, but what it can buy. Or it may be those feelings of inner
satisfaction, from creating something beautiful or strong.
You may want personal independence from the work
week, or freedom to live anywhere you want. You may be looking for something
meaningful and significant in life - something other than things money can buy.
Whatever your goals, and however difficult they seem to be to accomplish, you
have the ability to become who you want. Take a look - can you see yourself
surrounded by riches?
Picture the world open and in front of you,
ready to become the form of your dreams, ready to stage your desires. “Why
then, the world’s mine oyster,” wrote Shakespeare, “which I with sword
will open.”
WHO IS SUCCESSFUL?
Many people who achieve fortune in the world are
not born rich. But they accomplish their desires and goals through hard work and
a plan of action.
Every type of person on earth can become
successful. There are saints and scoundrels; philanthropists and thieves; poets
and politicians; young and old. There are no limitations or physical boundaries
for success.
Success comes to those who think about success
and strive for it. Although many rich financiers at the turn of the century had
no formal education, they overcame that and went on to great fame.
Some people strive towards a single goal from
early in life, and often attain that goal while still young. Others are willing
to risk new adventures later and still attain success.
“It’s never too late to learn,” wrote
Malcolm Forbes, the money magnate. “I learned to ride a motorcycle at 50 and
fly balloons at 52.”
Whatever your task, whatever your obstacles, you
can be as successful as anyone else. Study the people who accomplished
recognition in the areas of your pursuit. How did they achieve their goals?
And don’t be afraid you don’t have what it
takes. As Daniel Webster wrote, “There is always room at the top.”
FORMING CONVICTION
The single attribute that every successful
person has is the one-pointed devotion to attain a goal. “There in the
sunshine are my highest aspirations,” wrote Louisa May Alcott, “I can look
up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.”
What are your desires? How can you form them
into definite goals that you can attain? Lawrence Peter wrote, “If you don’t
know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.”
Maybe you’re studying a craft or skill.
Perhaps you’re caught in a rung of the corporate ladder. Or, you might feel
constricted by your family and the environment around you.
Which star are you reaching for? “Ours is a
world where people don’t know what they want and are willing to go through
anything to get it,” wrote Don Marquis.
Take the time to think about your own
aspirations. Look inside to find what feels right. Almost everyone entertains
the notions of fame and fortune, but put on the costume that fits you.
Conviction requires certain qualities of action.
You must be sincere and be willing to assume responsibility. And you need the
self-discipline necessary to work towards your goals.
Are you prepared to achieve your dreams? Can you
form their reality in your mind? Will you devote your entire being to attaining
what you want?
ON YOUR OWN
Most millionaires are non-conformists. So are
the most famous actors and actresses; and the most prominent artists. Writers
are known for their individual traits and eccentricities.
Your convictions and goals are your own
business, even when you find help along the path. Mentors often take people
under their wings to nourish and teach. Or spiritual guides will show you the
path to attainment. But you’re on your own to achieve.
Cultivate a sense of justice and an ability to
make decisions. Cooperate with everybody and develop your own self-respect. And
follow good criticism and advice after you’ve judged carefully. J. Paul Getty
said, “I advise young millionaires to be skeptical of advice. They should
advise themselves; they should form their own opinions.”
Lord Byron wrote, “There is rapture on the
lonely shore.” And if you attain your goals with poise and sincerity, you’ll
find warmth and love at the top - not the cold loneliness pictured by the
jealous.
Put on blinders to negative comments and
criticism meant to hurt you. About the people who criticize, Voltaire wrote, “Never
having been able to succeed in the world, they took revenge by speaking ill of
it.”
SEIZE THE DAY
People are judged by what they think and what
they say. But the true measure of their character is what they do. Anyone who
has achieved success and fortune in the world has done it by action.
William Jennings Bryan wrote, “Destiny is not
a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited
for, it is a thing to be achieved.”
The choice of the path you follow is often put
before you as opportunity. “Few people recognize opportunity,” said Cary
Grant, “because it comes disguised as hard work.”
Don’t let opportunities slip past while you’re
still considering them, and create new ones as you see them. “Wise people make
more opportunities than they find,” said Francis Bacon.
What opportunities can you act upon? Woolworth
saw a need for small inexpensive items and opened the chain of stores that
grossed billions. Wrigley started giving gum away as a bonus from a supplies
wagon he sold from, and saw the opportunity to make money from the gum that
became in high demand.
All successful people the world over have found
the opportunities for their own special talents and acted upon those ways to
achieve. Why wait for the time to pass? There’s never a better time than now.
Take your own impossible dreams and make them
become reality.
HOW THEY THINK
Thousands of potential millionaires are born
every year. And making a million dollars is coming closer to everyone’s
pocket. What advice did the money makers follow?
Aristotle Onassis worked eighteen hours a day to
maintain his fortune. He started as a welder and aimed for the top. “You have
to think money day and night,” he said, “you should even dream about it in
your sleep.”
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., said, “I believe in
the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes every
person an opportunity to make a living.”
And J. Paul Getty acknowledged his hard work:
“I have no complex about wealth. I have worked hard for my money, producing
things people need.”
Even Proverbs advises: “In all labor there is
profit.”
Richard Bach, the author of the best selling “Jonathan
Livingston Seagull” wrote, “You are never given a wish without also being
given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.”
The Empress of the British Empire, Queen
Victoria, admonished, “We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat.”
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
There are qualities of endeavor and achievement
that are common to many people who make it to the top. The following questions
are a guideline to self-enterprise and attaining your goals.
1. Do you prefer to work for yourself than for
others?
2. Are you well informed on current business
and political affairs?
3. Are you a leader?
4. Do you take advantage of opportunities?
5. Do you pay attention to what other people
say?
6. Can you finish a job even when it is
difficult or unpleasant?
7. Are you challenged by problems?
8. Do you have a goal you want to achieve?
9. Do you consider other people?
10. Do you strive to attain?
11. Can you obey commands?
12. Can you bounce back after defeat?
13. Do you believe in yourself?
14. Can you stand by your actions in spite of
criticism?
15. Can you follow instructions?
16. Can you respond to the needs of others?
17. Will you give credit to other
18. Can you make your own decisions?
19. Are you determined?
20. Are you ready for success?
ESTABLISH A GOAL
What do you want? Are you looking for financial
security, professional acknowledgment, spiritual attainment? Do you want to fit
better socially, or become more expressive creatively? Establish the goal that’s
right for you.
Then turn that goal from a dream into a desire.
You want to realize that goal, not just wish for it. Aesop said, “Beware that
you do not lose the substance by grabbing at the shadow.” Know exactly what
you want, then go for it.
Don’t be tricked by your own procrastination -
especially if you want to achieve something artistic. The writer Thomas Wolfe
wrote, “I had been sustained by that delightful illusion of success which we
all have when we dream about the books we are going to write instead of actually
doing them. Now I was face to face with it, and suddenly I realized that I had
committed my life and my integrity so irrevocably to this struggle that I must
conquer now or be destroyed.”
Can you see what you want? If you want the
abundance of material wealth that money provides, what goal will give you that
money? Do you want the prestige of owning your own business? What business do
you want to begin?
Where are the opportunities for you? Talk to
everyone in the business you want to join. Make friends in the literary or art
societies in your area. Read books and articles about your field of endeavor.
How can you attain your goal?
“If you don’t want to work, you have to work
to earn enough money so that you don’t have to work,” wrote Ogden Nash. And
isn’t that the way? Money makes money; success breeds success. But not always.
How can you break through those thoughts to help yourself to the rewards?
Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I have learned
this at least by my experiment: that if you advance confidently in the direction
of your dreams, and endeavor to live the life which you imagine, you will meet
with success.”
Think big and visualize success. Do you see
yourself in a big house? Maybe you picture your artwork hanging in a gallery.
Can you feel your book in print and in your hands? How does it feel to be a
person of success? Believe that you are; believe that it is in your grasp. That’s
what the others did, and that’s how people make it to the top.
Then get down to basics. Be precise. Exactly how
much money do you want, and by what date? And exactly what are you going to do
to earn that money? Be realistic, but give yourself short-term goals.
Write it down. In six months or one year, you
will have how much money. And repeat it until it feels good. Then repeat it
twice a day until it swirls in your subconscious, until it becomes your
one-pointed goal.
“The goal stands up, the keeper stands up to
keep the goal,” wrote A.E. Housman.
KEYS TO SUCCESS
Make people feel at ease. They will respond to
your needs as you respond to theirs.
Share the spotlight. Give credit to those who
deserve it - and to those who strive. Don’t grab praise away from other
people.
Have confidence in your own value. Don’t do
anything that won’t credit your own self-respect. Follow up your actions as
they reflect your own self-worth.
Listen well to others’ comments. Then weigh
your own actions. Cultivate relationships with people who have good and
important things to say.
Participate in life. Be active in business
meetings and endeavors; volunteer to be part of organizations and groups. Social
interaction will boost your sense of well-being .
Feel worthy of your own goal. Know that you can
attain it and that it is right for you.
Grasp your own challenge. Don’t give yourself
impossible goals, but always reach higher.
Relax and be yourself. Each person is different
and just as wonderful as the next. Don’t be plagued by what you think others
think of you.
Don’t bathe in success - use it. Once you
achieve your first goal, go on to others. Use the money you earn for the rewards
you look for. Then go on to the next endeavor.
Be slow to criticize others’ achievements.
Find out how they did it and learn from them.
Never use subterfuge. Don’t go behind someone’s
back.
Speak your mind and earn respect.
Banish negative thoughts and traits. Restructure
your life to exclude bad habits.
Believe in yourself and what you are to
accomplish. All the power in the world is within you to achieve.
WORK TOWARDS YOUR GOAL
“To get profit without risk, experience
without danger, and reward without work, is as impossible as it is to live
without being born,” wrote A.P. Gouthey. Every person who has attained
something worthwhile has worked for that goal.
Cary Grant said, “I do believe that people can
do practically anything they set out to do if they apply themselves diligently
and learn.”
Which path is the right way towards your goal?
Do you need more education? Do you need a few years experience in your field of
business? Maybe you need a teacher or guide to help you practice.
“I have learned that success is to be measured
not so much by the position that one has reached, as by the obstacles which are
overcome while trying to succeed,” wrote Booker T. Washington.
What obstacles are in your way? Consider them as
easy to pass through as hurdles are to a champion runner. Take each obstacle as
a special challenge placed especially for you. Approach it with intelligence and
courage, then learn what it has to teach.
“Success is a journey,” said Ben Sweetland,
“not a destination.” For some, the process of attainment is the attainment
itself. They move on, keep growing and expanding. There is no still water at the
top.
“The message from the moon is that no problem
need any longer be considered insoluble,” wrote Norman Cousins. And you can
attain anything that seems impossible.
If you have a problem that needs to be solved,
sit calmly and consider it with a clear mind. Observe all the consequences of
the actions - both good and bad. Ponder the paths and actions and contemplate
the core of the problem. The solution will appear.
“Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye
shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you for everyone who asketh,
receiveth. He that seeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh, it shall be
opened.”
Tap the inner self and encourage positive
actions. With each outgoing breath, release the impossible; at each incoming
breath, inhale the attainable. Demand the best of yourself, but don’t despair
from an overused sense of perfection.
What can you learn? And who can teach you? Can
you attend classes and seminars from universities near home? Check out books
from the libraries and absorb the material.
Find a master and become an apprentice.
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at
twenty or eighty,” said Henry Ford. “Anyone who keeps learning stays young.
The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
Never stop learning; never stop growing and
expanding as a person and in your personal endeavor.
ASK YOURSELF
As you consider the success you desire, you need
to affirm its possibilities and develop the self-confidence necessary to attain
the goals. Learn to do things well. “If you know how to do one thing well, you
can do everything,” wrote the philosopher Gurdjieff.
Are you ready for success?
Is what you are doing now helping you to achieve
your goals?
Do you weigh the consequences before making a
decision?
Is this the best use of your time?
Do you cooperate with everyone and help
cultivate their best potential? Are you warm and sincere?
Do you have the courage to succeed?
Do you have the self-discipline necessary to
achieve your goals?
Do you have a realistic sense of self-worth?
Do you give more than you take?
Do you have the courage to fail, and then pick
up and try again?
Can you assume responsibility without blaming
others if things go wrong?
Are you strong?
Can you be sympathetic to life and its
sufferings?
Can you say no?
Will you follow your convictions and plans to
achieve?
Do you sincerely want to achieve the goals you
have chosen?
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
“The price of greatness is responsibility,”
wrote Winston Churchill. Are you willing to take the responsibility once you
attain the success you desire?
“The deepest personal defeat suffered by human
beings is constituted by the difference between what one was capable of becoming
and what one has in fact become,” wrote Ashley Montague. And the greatest
tragedy is to become less than your full potential, using less than the
abilities you have to work with.
Are you waiting for something to happen? Maybe
you’re waiting for a job offer, or a promotion. Perhaps you’re waiting until
you get good enough at a craft or skill. Or are you waiting for the inspiration
of creativity to strike your life?
It is up to you to take the actions and be
responsible for their consequences. “Our responsibility: every opportunity, an
obligation; every possession, a duty,” wrote John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Inspire yourself. Read books that will spurn you
to action; talk to people who have the vitality you admire. How would you like
to lead your life? And make the changes necessary to be like that. “There is
nothing permanent except change,” wrote Heraclitus. What changes do you want
to make? What are you waiting for?
ACCOMPLISHMENT
What actions will take you closer to your goals?
Decide upon the steps and write them down. Review them until you feel
comfortable with those steps. Then repeat them at least once a day, crossing
them off as you accomplish them.
“I believe there is no escape from the rule
that we must do many, many little things to accomplish even just one big thing,”
said James Dupont. “This gives me patience when I need it most.”
The most rewarding accomplishments are those
that take long to achieve and present difficulties. It is only through these
difficulties that a person can rise above the rest to be the unusual, the
outspoken and the well deserved.
As if building a kit, follow your own
instructions. Decide your best courses of action and achieve their benefits.
Whether the steps are small or large, make them achievable and then do them. Don’t
commit yourself to things that you never intend to do.
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll
get run over if you just sit there,” said Will Rogers. Don’t be paralyzed by
inaction; rather act upon your own convictions.
Set yourself up for rewards. Don’t give
yourself goals that have no feeling of satisfaction or no monetary rewards. If
you want to be an artist, be the best and learn from the best. Don’t dwell on
imperfections or the awkwardness of unpolished skills.
If you go into business, do it for profit or
reinvestment. “In business, the earning of profit is something more than an
incident of success. It is an essential condition of success. Because the
continued absence of profit itself spells failure,” said Justice Brandeis.
Marchant wrote, “To be a success in business,
be daring, be first, be different.” Think of ways to achieve the best;
formulas to increase productivity or decrease overhead. Profit is your drive.
“Profitability is the sovereign criterion of
the enterprise,” wrote Peter Drucker. And, profitability is the core of any
achievement - whether financial or artistic.
Once you achieve your goals, think of ways to
benefit others. “Money-getters are the benefactors of our race,” said P.T.
Barnum. “To them we are indebted for our institutions of learning, and of art,
our academies, colleges and churches.” How can you benefit humankind and still
keep enough to fulfill your own desires?
THE HIDDEN ASSET
Not all success can be counted in dollars; not
all richness is measured by money. “The great secret of success is to go
through life as a person who never gets used up,” said Albert Schweitzer. “Retire
upon yourself and look for the ultimate cause of things inside you.”
Look within yourself for the ultimate
inspiration, and follow the true feelings you discover. “One of my favorite
methods is to whisper,” said Alfred Hitchcock. “I’ve discovered the best
work is done with sweet reason.”
Act upon your own conscience that guides; that
judges your actions and signals your behavior. “Conscience is the inner voice
that warns us that someone may be looking,” wrote H.L. Mencken.
Accomplish what you desire; fulfill your inner
yearnings. But don’t compromise your deepest feelings.
“We do our best that we know how at the
moment, and if it doesn’t turn out, we modify it,” said F.D. Roosevelt.
Follow the paths that life offers you and live
the fullest existence you can.
TAKE A LOOK
Look at yourself and look at those who have
succeeded throughout history. Do you have what it takes? Even if you have only a
few of the qualities of the other great people, you can achieve your heart’s
desire.
Reach for the highest, then reach higher.
Accomplish your steps one by one on a daily basis, always moving forward, always
making progress. Encourage yourself. Insist that you can succeed and affirm
these thoughts daily.
Keep a sense of proportion and judge for
yourself.
Then keep busy at the tasks you’ve set out to
accomplish. What’s keeping you? “Genius is one percent inspiration and
ninety-nine percent perspiration,” said Albert Einstein.
Find inspiration wherever you can. Talk to
people; read about people; learn your business or craft. Believe that you can do
it and you will. The only way to dispel the doubt that you can do something is
to finish it.
Always be the best you can be. Never fall short
from fatigue or lethargy. Don’t attempt to do anything that you can’t give
your all to.
There is no way to inner satisfaction without
appealing to the higher consciousness. Search within and without to find the
paths that are meant for you and follow them with conviction and a steady heart.
And, you will succeed to become as rich and full as you ever desired.
Harold Ickes wanted the “freedom to live one’s
life with the window of the soul open to new thoughts, new ideas and new
aspirations.”
And Woody Allen looked for a clear path. “If
only God would give me some clear sign” he said. “Like making a large
deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.”
Finally, Sophie Tucker sums up everyone’s
worldly outlook: “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor,” she said. “Rich
is better.”
Wishing YOU Prosperity,
Ronald J. Levin
REPORT #3
From the desk of
Ronald J. Levin
Real Estate Prep School, Inc.
A Short Memory Course!
HOW TO REMEMBER NAMES
You just called the TV repair shop and the voice
on the other end of the line tells you “this is Don Smith”. About 5 minutes
later you tell your wife that “this guy” will be out to fix the TV in the
morning. You can’t think of his name although you know he mentioned it on the
phone.
This happens all the time to just about any of
us unless we have learned to concentrate and implant the name in our memory
right at the time we hear it. To do this you first must make a habit of
repeating the name back to the person. This action will remind you to store the
name in your “memory banks” each time you hear someone’s name, and, within
a matter of a short time the “repeating” process can be discontinued.
When you meet someone in person use the same
procedure, and in addition, visualize something different, unusual from the
ordinary, or “ridiculous” about their appearance, position, or actions that
“ties in” with their name. You may have to put the descriptive information
on one side of a card or piece of paper and the name on the other side for a
while until it is imbedded in your memory permanently. Look at it repeatedly,
see the “picture” in your mind’s eye as you look at the name, or when you
see the name visualize the “picture” you have assigned to the name.
Getting this system to work will require certain
changes in your thinking and it may take several days or several weeks to become
proficient. After all, you have developed a “bad habit” over a period of
many years and it is difficult to turn it around overnight.
This method also works with anything else worth
remembering, not just names. When you have occasion to remember something, jot
it down and incorporate it into your list . . . no complicated formula . . .
just a system that works with a little concentration.
HOW TO REMEMBER ANYTHING!
As mentioned above a person may train their
memory by associating names with specific illustrations. This works just as well
with written information.
There are several key words or a key thought in
each paragraph of printed matter that can be associated with an illogical or
ridiculous illustration. It is much easier to remember and recall ridiculous
associations than it is to recall normal and uneventful relationships.
As you proceed through any text choose one or
several key words or key thoughts from each subject and relate the same to a
ridiculous cartoon or illustration. Actually “see” it in your mind’s eye
as it relates to the key word or key thought.
When you have occasion to remember a particular
matter, the “picture” should automatically appear to you and the entire
thought should be recalled. Be sure to SEE the ridiculous picture associated
with the printed matter you wish to recall.
As you proceed through a book, practice seeing a
picture and relate it to the key words or the main thought of the written
material. This method of learning should improve your ability to retain what you
read. With sufficient “practice” using this method, many individuals will be
able to develop a “photo-type” memory.
The key to this memory system is to “see”
the “picture” in your “mind’s eye”. After you have practiced and
mastered the system and are able to get instant flashback recall, you should be
able to read most any text material and visualize ridiculous pictures to
associate with the thoughts expressed in the printed materials.
I suggest you prove this system to yourself. As
you read the first several pages of information, “see” a picture related to
the words or thought. It may be rather difficult to “see” at first but by
constant effort and concentration, amazing progress can be made. When you have
seen the picture, just go on reading the following subject matter and repeat the
process. Don’t be concerned that you will forget the prior subjects! They
should remain imprinted on your mind and recalled later, instantaneously and
clearly.
After you have read several pages, recall the
first few “mind-pictures”. If you originally “saw” the picture as
related to the key thought of the printed material, you should remember the
basic information.
Try it! It’s interesting! After you have
mastered this learning system, it should be easy to file various programs away
in your memory and recall them as needed to progress in your search for success.
MEMORY AND PUBLIC SPEAKING TIPS!
The same system mentioned on the previous page
may be used to memorize a speech by linking a series of thoughts to a series of
ridiculous pictures in sequence.
Proper preparation of your speech is half the
battle. Know your subject thoroughly, then make an outline for the introduction,
main body and conclusion. Start your speech with something to startle your
audience into complete attention such as a weird statement or funny happening.
In presenting the main body of your speech get
the confidence of your audience by letting them know you know your subject very
well. Get your points across without argument.
In making your conclusion you can briefly sum up
what you have just stated then end with a big bang; recommending action your
audience should take or suggesting they change their viewpoint on the subject
etc.; finalize with a joke that fits the circumstances, or powerful word
pictures they will remember after they leave the meeting.
Make your outline in large print with plenty of
space between lines so you will be able to look up without losing your place on
the sheets. Rely on your memory for the most important points, including the
opening and closing lines.
Practice your speech with a tape recorder and in
front of a mirror before the meeting. Work out any apparent speaking problems or
things that don’t sound just right. Know what you are going to do with your
hands and determine the better body movements to go with your personality.
Continually make eye contact back and forth across the room.
Take time to think before answering questions.
If you don’t have the answer, ask another question, refer it to someone else
better qualified to answer, answer in general terms, or change the subject (like
politicians do) complimenting the person asking the “impossible” question,
or by telling a “clean” joke.
Wishing YOU Prosperity,
Ronald J. Levin
