Comparing yourself to others from the beginning is a mistake. It’s unfortunately a compulsion that we can’t seem to escape. First, we latch onto our idealistic role models–success stories, if you may. Inspiration turns to obsession, which then turns into envy, frustration, and an es-capable dissatisfaction with our own capabilities.  Then, we ignore the discrepancies between what what we would hope to accomplish and what we’re capable of accomplishing.  Eventually, this leads to the fatal act of Emulation.  Imitating the best, but blindly with no sense of realism. Imagine starting your own business in order to follow the footsteps of an icon like Donald Trump. Now that’s a slightly large gap of achievements between you and your famed demi-god. Don’t get me wrong. Inspiration is often key to fuel the fire within, but every business mogul himself knows that you have to set a campaign out for yourself and your talents.

By a sad attempt to emulate the great, you set yourself up for failure from the beginning. Your actions become based around what this individual has done, disregarding the uniqueness and differences that make you you. Outcomes will be rendered negatively. You lose sight of your own talents and capabilities. You create a unhealthy brain chatter that nags, “Well, he did it. Why can’t I? Maybe if I attend one of Trump’s seminars, he can teach me how to be rich. He’s more competent to run as president than those incompetent imbeciles, Obama and McCain…”  See the tragedy in this all-or-nothing train of thought?

1. Trump was born rich. His story goes like this: the rich just get richer.
2. By attending his seminars and giving him all the attention, you only make him richer and yourself poorer.
3. You give yourself false hopes, and by comparing yourself, you set the goal so high that you will feel miserable when you haven’t achieved it.

The 4 Sneaky Traps of Having Heroes:

1. They might not live up to your image of them.
2. It can make you feel like you are not worthy.
3. It can make it harder to connect to people.
4. You may develop tunnel vision.

Only after extreme pressure and extended duration do the most sought-after, most cherished diamonds emerge. It’s wild that they even come from something so common and ordinary as basic carbon. This happens in nature… and in sales. It’s the fundamental thinking behind my Drill & Grill process for mastering the art of objection handling. The Drill & Grill will make you a better, more fluid and capable salesperson when it comes to handling any and all objections.

Most everyone who practices the Drill & Grill can, within a few minutes, effortlessly flow through objection after objection. You get hit with an objection, then you need to Acknowledge it and follow-up with a Question so you get to the root of what their real issue is.

OBJECTION: “I need to think about it.”
ACKNOWLEDGE: That’s awesome.
QUESTION: What particular questions or issues do you need to
think over?

Now, you’re about to learn the Drill & Grill process so the next time you’re hit with an objection, you can handle it flawlessly… like a diamond.

Fair warning: this process, while simple, can be very intense. Do this regularly, though, and you’ll be a master.

You’re going to want a partner for this. Have them hit you with an objection. You’re going to Acknowledge and then ask a Question. At any moment you stumble, pause, or “umm…uhh…” they will yell “Stop!” and immediately hit you with the objection again.

The name of the game here is speed. Don’t try and answer conversationally. This isn’t about that. It’s about being quick and smooth. The Drill & Grill is about creating rapid-fire stress and pressure and you overcoming it with ease and confidence.Once you overcome the objection, your partner will fire another one at you. Keep this up for as long as you can. The best salespeople I know do this every day. If you’re average in sales now, even if you’re a pro, the Drill & Grill is proven to make you even better.

This is a guest post by Steven Missimer of Potomac Enterprises

We live in this world today for us. Just me, myself, and I. Sound selfish? Read on…A common misconception is when people stretch themselves thin in order to please those around them.  We try to meet everyone’s needs while neglecting our own goals and needs. That’s great that you are caring. But now take a minute to think–do you have enough time in your day to tend to everyone’s needs and still take care of yours? Is making other people’s needs a priority holding you back from where you really want to be? Is your excuse against starting your business or tackling that long awaited goal just simply because you don’t have enough time? Is your excuse simply because the your precious time is being spent on helping other people and putting yourself last?

Well, your time is yours. You decide who to give it to. A good friend once told me, time is something you can never get back. So now, take a step back and once again think.  These people I am giving my time to–do I need to give them my time? It’s best to only help those that are in NEED, not WANT help. To want is completely different than to need.

If you sit there and try to please everyone, you will find yourself in a rut. Its like social multitasking, being in a room with 500 people and trying to connect with each person. You can either speak to 500 people for 20 seconds each and barely get a glimpse of who they are, or you can connect with five individuals that night and have an intellectual and memorable conversation with each of them.

Thoughts?