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Chapter 18 - How To Turn Hunches Into Customers
One afternoon, while sitting in my office relaxing, out of a clear sky came a hunch to call on Mr. George Kritler, president of the Prudential Worsted Company. In reviewing the source of this hunch. I recalled having discussed an insurance plan with Mr. Kritler a few months before. Following the impulse of this hunch, I reached for the telephone, and, within ten minutes, I had qualified Mr. Kritler to buy $100,000 worth of life insurance. A hunch is most important to all salesmen, and they should by all means train themselves to watch for these messages as they flash into their consciousness. Upon receiving a message, they should not postpone action, but act on it immediately. Suppose I had postponed action in calling on Mr. Kritler? In all probability I would have lost a substantial sale. What is a hunch? It is a strong intuitive impression that something favorable will happen. A hunch is a constructive and creative idea that is being handed to you as a bonus for previous effort expended in the attainment of a particular goal. In selling, this effort is usually rewarded with an unexpected sale, provided the salesman acts upon it with speed and alacrity. Be vigilant, alert, and on the look-out for these creative and constructive ideas that come to you as intuitive impressions, commonly known as hunches. These intuitive messages are challenging your ability and asking you to heed their instructions. Act upon them promptly. Everything is born with instinct. An instinct is a natural aptitude, a knack. It is a tendency to action that leads to the attainment of some goal natural to the species. The Importance of Instincts All animals follow their natural instincts, which are spontaneous impulses moving and prompting them, without reason, toward actions essential to their existence, preservation, and development. By adhering to these instincts, they are fed, sustained, and maintained in their natural habitat, and they live a full and complete life. Birds, too, follow their natural instincts, and they are fed, nourished, and sustained, and directed in what to do and how to do it. All things in nature adhere to their instincts. To observe the acts of birds, insects, animals, and fish should be a guide and inspiration for every salesman to rely on his own instinct. Observe the robin that built a
nest in your backyard, as he goes south in November and returns the
following spring. Observe the homing pigeon, shipped a thousand miles away
from his home and released. Without compass or chart, he These are only a few examples. The number of things exercising their instinct is as uncountable as the stars. This must prove that God, the Supreme Intelligence of the Universe, works in and through all things, including man. God knows his business. He makes no mistakes. Everything created by Him has an instinct and is given the power to communicate with Him, either by sending or receiving a message. Conventional procedure is an excellent guide, but it can never direct you as wisely and correctly as your instinct. "That which each can do best, none but his Creator can teach him." In the distance I can hear a woodthrush. The loud, clear notes are an exquisite arrangement of tone and pitch blending into the concord of sweet sound. It is music at its source. I pause. The woodthrush never had a lesson in voice culture. It teaches a wonderful lesson, and that is to rely upon your own native instinct. How Intuition Can Help You Man is born with an instinct—the instinct of self-preservation. When he acquired power of conscious thought, he changed the name of instinct to intuition, but he did not change its source, purpose, quality, or power. Therefore, intuition may be defined as a quick perception without conscious attention or reason. It is ready knowledge from within, spontaneously and instantaneously directing us exactly what to do and how to do it. It is always available to act in an emergency, to thwart a disaster, or to avert a calamity. I like to think of intuition as the trunk line of communication directly to God. Therefore, as a salesman, do not ignore or postpone flashes of intuition. They are really constructive messages, which come to you as a guide and direct you to profitable situations. After I had completed all the chapters of this book except this one, the hunch came to me that you would appreciate a few ideas on hunches, because they mean so much. I made a search at the Free Library of Philadelphia, where most of this book was prepared, and I could not find a single book on the subject of hunches. I therefore decided to write this chapter. In reviewing your own experience, how often have you proclaimed this well-known exclamation: "If I had only followed my hunch!" Possibly the reason you did not follow your hunch was because no one had ever told you the real source and value of your hunch and its importance to your welfare. You have had many hunches in the past, but they are water over the dam. However, you are going to have many more hunches in the future, and you are now being warned and advised to do something about them, because they mean customers and income for you. Where Do Hunches Come From? You may ask yourself: Why does a hunch come to me? As you go along selling, you store up in your consciousness many ideas, thoughts, events, incidents, facts, and different sales impressions and experiences. Using an average of 7,000- 10,000 words each day, you are sowing a lot of seeds and planting a lot of ideas of which you are not fully cognizant. This experience accumulates over a period of time. It is not possible for you to recall in a few seconds all the knowledge, impressions, and sales information you have gathered over a period of many months. So what happens? God is just, and He never fails to reward you for honest and constructive effort. He has a complete record of all your activities, so the divine power within you knows the experience or thing that is of the most constructive value at a particular time. So at some unexpected moment you "feel" a message urging you to do a particular thing. It has been selected for you by the creative power within as the one that will most benefit you, and if you fail to act upon it, you are missing a real opportunity to serve and make a substantial sale. One of the prophets in the Bible says: "And thine ears shall hear a word behind Thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, and when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left." These wise prophets of old appreciated this inner contact as a direct communication with the divine source of all true knowledge and power. We can do no better than follow their instructions. Pursuing your hunches may build a sales record that will qualify you for advancement. Many salesmen have a longing to become a sales manager, or a vice-president of their company. You can realize this desire by making a wise use of your spare time. A salesman, some time ago, feeling his seniority rights had been overlooked, went to the president of the company to complain that a younger salesman had been advanced to a position to which he felt entitled. "Why has my 25 years of experience been ignored?" he queried. The president said: "You have had only one year's experience 25 times." Merely putting in hours does not sell or win a promotion. It is injecting your ability into the hours that wins recognition and guarantees a reward. Experience is the knowledge, wisdom, and skill gained through a wise use of time. How to Make Your Spare Time Work for You The profitable use you make of spare time will assist you in developing your ability. There are 24 hours in each day. Each week has 168 hours. Your vocation takes up 40 hours. This leaves you with 128 hours each week to sleep, to eat, to entertain, to relax, and to improve yourself. By using only 10 per cent of this spare time, you have almost two hours per day to read, to study, to think, to meditate, to reflect, and to improve your capacity to perform. A few hours each week wisely used will enhance your prospects for a promotion or for an increase in salary. Efficiency on your job, and an understanding of your job bring added remuneration. Spare time may be organized effectively. Using it constructively is both interesting and profitable. Decide now to make use of it. Draw up a program and adhere to it. Spare time, used to develop a hobby, an avocation, or self knowledge, helps to form good habits. Spare time is your property. One man has as much time as another. No one can deprive you of it. The use you make of it largely determines your progress. Fill each minute with 60 seconds. It is not the days or the hours that you waste; it is the precious seconds and minutes. Take care of the minutes; the hours will take care of themselves, and the days will take care of you. Here are six suggestions that will help you make the best use of your spare time: Try to spend one hour each day in
silent meditation. Select one subject, take pencil and paper, and write down every thought you have on that subject. Spend 20 to 30 minutes each day doing this. Write a letter. Try not to use the words "I," "me," "my," and mine. Try to converse at least 15 minutes each day without using the words "I," "me," "my," and "mine." Try to write a little article each day, either explaining, relating, or defining something. Spend at least 15 minutes each day reviewing and analyzing your experience. Endeavor to visualize and idealize all your relationships with prospects and customers in a spirit of gratitude and appreciation. It will help you to discover their interests. It will help you to form ideas that are wonderful to them, because they will feel wonderful with your ideas. How Your Hunches Will Increase Your Sales Hunches are spiritual thoughts that work for us constantly if we will direct them aright by believing in them and by demonstrating the courage to put them into action. "According to your faith be it unto you." Therefore, exercise your faith and believe in these hunches. Remember: "If thou cans't but believe all things are possible to him that believeth." Hunches are permanent, subtle, irresistible forces that always create and draw situations to your attention that can easily be turned into profitable results. In fact, these hunches come from God, the creator of all good things, and our power to create comes to us from God. God creates through us, and thus we are creative salesmen. It takes courage, but your power and strength is in proportion to your courage. Keep up your courage, and you will always have the power to do. Discouragement is largely imaginary and can easily be overcome. When you feel it attacking you, affirm: "All the power that ever was, is here for me—power to inspire my life and to make it free, power to overcome all conditions, obstacles, difficulties, and situations, and to place me upon the throne of poise and power where God reigns, controlling, guiding, and directing the kingdom of all activities." Make this affirmation very sincerely, thoughtfully, serenely, positively, and quietly. Do it several times and again you will feel the inflow of spiritual power and you can easily be on your way again. Hunches open the door to more and more opportunities. By all means, act upon them with positive courage and creative determination. One of the cardinal principles of all life is to make full use of that you have. Therefore, make use of these hunches, and many others will come to you, bearing glad tidings. Hunches are always spontaneous and instantaneous and require no prompting. As Thomas A. Edison said, "They come out of space which is all around us." Intuition is the enduring and lasting power that directs these hunches to you and serves as the plug that connects you to the thing that is most profitable. Therefore, listen, obey, and heed them. With a few strong hunches and a few well-laid plans, you will turn more prospects into customers.
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