Do you know Shannon Sharpe?
Shannon Sharpe is a hall of fame American football player.
Currently, hes a sports analyst ( and current LeBron James fanboi lol) that works on the on FS1 show “Undisputed.”
He is the co-host along side Skip Bayless.
Anyway, I really enjoy his comments and personality on TV, and he often makes me laugh….but he also gives off a lot of wisdom.
Today was no different…he just said something that was pretty powerful!
As they were talking about LeBron James (as usual) he said:
“Ya see, most people think you get strength from lifting weights. You get strength from overcoming something you thought you couldn’t.”
Daaaamn, thats deep, bro!
Sometimes the wise things we hear take a while to resonate with us…but not this quote.
I immediately thought about a deal I closed recently on some land…land I acquired about 24 hours prior to selling it!
It was proof that my negotiation skills and salesmanship has gotten stronger!
When I first started trying to make money, I was an absolute mess on the phone.
Stuttering, lots of “ummms” in my speech, letting the prospect control the conversation.
You get the idea.
I never thought I could sell anything.
I never felt despair or anything negative, but I guess I subconsciously felt that I wouldn’t be a great salesman.
You know…you just think thats an unchangeable reality.
Then one day, I figured, “you know, there was a lot of things I didn’t know at one point, and I learned them on my own…why cant I learn to sell?”
I didn’t have a plan, so I started by going out and just making moves.
I just tried to learn what I could as I spoke to people.
Of course, with this method, I made a lot of mistakes, but I decided that learning how to sell is something I could learn too!
Thats when I took all of those mistakes and decided to actually make a plan to study how to sell by reading books on writing sales copy, human psychology, and sales.
I also started to follow those who have the success I wanted.
That’s when I realized that I was making it happen!
It reminded me of when I was 5 years old and I was learning how to ride a bike.
In the beginning, I would just kinda ride the bike like a little scooter…I would keep one foot on the ground and scoot myself along.
I would try to pedal myself periodically, but most times, I would scoot myself.
I remember feeling like “damn, this feels so…unnatural, and un-smooth”
(I didn’t use those words back then, but I remember what I felt since I feel that every time I try to learn something new)
But now?
I still got a lot of improving to do, but…
…when I’m on the phone, Im a lot more confident, and it shows.
The client gets what they need, and I get what I want, a sale.
It’s a Win-Win!
And just think, it all started when I tried to do things I didn’t think I could do…
…I never gave up, and you shouldn’t either!
So, what new skill has shown you this lesson? I know you have something in your life that points to this fact…it may not be business related.
Let me know.