304 And the Winner Is, YOU, if You Choose To

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Art of Sales with Art Sobczak – Episode 304: "And the Winner Is, YOU, if You Choose To"

Release Date: November 6, 2024
Host/Author: Art Sobczak, renowned cold calling and sales trainer

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Introduction

In Episode 304 of The Art of Sales with Art Sobczak, titled "And the Winner Is, YOU, if You Choose To," Art delves into the profound relationship between personal responsibility and success in sales. Moving beyond traditional sales techniques, this episode emphasizes the importance of internal change and adaptability in overcoming external challenges.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Illusion of External Control

Art begins by addressing the pervasive belief that external factors—such as political outcomes, government policies, or market conditions—dictate one's success and well-being. Drawing from his extensive experience spanning 11 presidential elections, he asserts:

"Anyone who relies on any election or politician or political party or government policy for their well being or future success is almost always disappointed every single time."
(00:25)

He underscores the futility of depending on external entities, highlighting that such reliance often leads to stagnation or deterioration over time.

2. Embracing Personal Responsibility

Transitioning from external to internal, Art emphasizes that meaningful change originates within oneself. He posits that societal progress hinges on individuals taking charge of their own success and happiness. This perspective shifts the focus from waiting for changes to proactively making them:

"Real success doesn't come from waiting for outside forces to change. It comes from within. It comes from people who are willing to change themselves and adapt and make things happen."
(04:45)

3. Sales as a Paradigm of Self-Control

Art highlights the unique position of sales professionals, who inherently control various aspects of their success without relying on unpredictable external changes. He elaborates on how salespeople manage their prospecting strategies, target demographics, presentation styles, and customer engagements. This autonomy is presented as a powerful tool for achieving consistent results:

"We control how we prospect, who we target, how we present, how we connect with our customers. There's no better time to double down on that control than right now."
(07:30)

4. Navigating Tough Times with Adaptability

Acknowledging the current global challenges—such as inflation, high interest rates, and geopolitical tensions—Art compares these external factors to weather conditions. He advocates for treating them as constants that exist beyond personal control, rather than as obstacles that determine one's fate:

"Successful people treat outside factors like the weather. It's just there. It exists. And while we should be aware of it and it might influence it, influence us, we don't let it control us."
(09:10)

Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, Art illustrates how adaptability and focusing on controllable elements can lead to success even in adverse conditions:

"I've got clients whose industries were hit hard by the pandemic. But they've done exceptionally well in the years since because they chose not to focus on what they couldn't change. They focused on what they could."
(10:00)

5. The Power of Adaptability and Mindset

Art reinforces the importance of a resilient mindset, drawing inspiration from Jim Rohn's philosophy:

"You can't change the circumstances, the seasons or the wind, but you can change yourself. We don't get to pick the cards we're dealt, but we do get to play them."
(11:20)

He challenges listeners to adopt this proactive approach, urging them to pivot and adapt rather than succumb to external pressures or setbacks.

6. Call to Action: Making Change Happen

Concluding his discussion, Art poses a thought-provoking challenge to his audience:

"Are you waiting and hoping for change? Are you going to make change happen? And if you are, what specifically are you going to change? What's it going to look like? What are you, what are you going to do? When are you going to start?"
(12:15)

He advocates for shifting focus from external political or economic uncertainties to personal and professional growth, emphasizing that true power lies in one's ability to effect change in their own life and business.

Notable Quotes

1. On External Reliance:

   "Anyone who relies on any election or politician or political party or government policy for their well being or future success is almost always disappointed every single time."
   (00:25)

2. On Internal Change:

   "Real success doesn't come from waiting for outside forces to change. It comes from within."
   (04:45)

3. On Sales Control:

   "We control how we prospect, who we target, how we present, how we connect with our customers."
   (07:30)

4. On Treating External Factors:

   "Successful people treat outside factors like the weather. It's just there. It exists."
   (09:10)

5. On Adaptability:

   "You can't change the circumstances, the seasons or the wind, but you can change yourself."
   (11:20)

6. On Taking Action:

   "Are you waiting and hoping for change? Are you going to make change happen?"
   (12:15)

Conclusion

Episode 304 of The Art of Sales powerfully conveys that true success in sales—and in life—is rooted in personal accountability and adaptability. Art Sobczak encourages listeners to shift their focus from uncontrollable external factors to what they can influence within themselves and their professional practices. By fostering a mindset of proactive change and resilience, sales professionals can navigate uncertainties and achieve sustained success. Art wraps up the episode by motivating listeners to take actionable steps toward enhancing their sales endeavors and personal growth, reinforcing the idea that the ultimate winner is indeed the one who chooses to make the necessary changes.

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Note: Throughout the episode, Art excludes advertisements and non-content sections to maintain focus on delivering valuable insights and actionable strategies for sales professionals.

Transcript

[A]

You are listening to the Art of Sales. Everyone sells every day and this is your source for conversational real world sales and prospecting methods that you are comfortable using and that get results you'll help people buy instead of pushing them into being sold. Here's your host Art subcheck as I record this.

[B]

It's the day after the election and we've just gone through probably the most contentious, divisive election in history. The passion and in many cases hate surrounding this election has been off the charts. A lot of people feel like their future hinged on the results. But here's the reality. That's a reality that's proven itself over and over every election. And I've been through 11 presidential elections now in my business career, anyone who relies on any election or politician or political party or government policy for their well being or future success is almost always disappointed every single time. So my message for you is simple. Don't rely on the results of this election or any election or really any outside influence to control your destiny. Do you want real change? Hey, great, then start with yourself. The most meaningful change begins within us at an individual level. We as a society can only truly move forward when more people begin to take personal responsibility for their own success and happiness. The people who constantly look to the government for security, for success, or even for happiness usually end up disappointed and frustrated. Regardless of who wins, these people tend to stay exactly where they are, or sometimes worse off two, four, eight years down the road. Doesn't matter what party they align with. It's just the way it is now. I don't care what your political preference or party is, because that's not the point. And here's a little secret. I prepared this yesterday before the polls closed. And it's the same message to what I put out exactly four years ago when the other side won true prosperity. I mean, real success doesn't come from waiting for outside forces to change. It comes from within. It comes from people who are willing to change themselves and adapt and make things happen. And this has always been true. It's never going to stop being true. So here's the beautiful thing about being in sales. We are in one of the best possible positions to control our own success. We aren't waiting on policy changes to make a sale or close a deal. We control how we prospect, who we target, how we present, how we connect with our customers. There's no better time to double down on that control than right now. Now, some of you might be thinking, but these are tough times. Sure, today's environment isn't easy. We've had record inflation, still have high interest rates, there's wars going on and a lot of unknowns when it comes to our government. But here's something successful people do. They treat these outside factors like the weather. It's just there. It exists. And while we should be aware of it and it might influence it, influence us, we don't let it control us. You live within them. Some people let it hold them back. They complain, they point fingers, they blame it for their lack of success. Meanwhile, others adapt and they thrive in spite of it. So look at what happened during the pandemic. Nobody had control over it yet some people crushed it, even in hard hit industries. I've got clients whose industries were hit hard by the pandemic. But they've done exceptionally well in the years since because they chose not to focus on what they couldn't change. They focused on what they could. And we all know people who took a different path. They became victims, letting outside circumstances dictate their outcomes. There's a quote I love by Jim Rohn. You can't change the circumstances, the seasons or the wind, but you can change yourself. We don't get to pick the cards we're dealt, but we do get to play them. So choose to be adaptable, to pivot. And that's the mark of someone who's truly in control of their own success. Hey, stuff happens. And but life is full of things happening around us all the time, some of which we can't control. Much of which actually. So what do we do? We adapt. We change personally, we control what we can. And that's a lot more than what people realize. And that's exactly the kind of mindset that leads to past, present and future success. It's kind of thinking that doesn't allow outside influences to steer us away from our goals, our happiness or our prosperity. I hope you're that kind of person. Actually, I challenge you to be that kind of person. So here's the question. Are you waiting and hoping for change? Are you going to make change happen? And if you are, what specifically are you going to change? What's it going to look like? What are you, what are you going to do? When are you going to start? Great thing about change, the kind you control, is that it leads directly to the results that you can see right away. So let's stop, stop worrying about who's in office and start focusing on what we're going to do to make our own lives and our business and our sales better. Because that's where the real power is. So in the end, it doesn't matter who wins or loses in politics. What matters is whether you're winning in your own life and because you're the one making it happen. And I hope as you listen to this, you're as motivated as ever to do exactly that. All right. Hey, you know what time it is? That's right. It's time for the quote of the day, which comes from Napoleon Hill. Napoleon said, you have absolute control over just one thing. Your thoughts. This divine gift is the sole means by which you may control your destiny. If you fail to control your mind, you will control nothing else. And hey, if today's message resonated with you and you feel that you want to take more control of your sales destiny by making changes to who you are, if you want to go from doing sales to being the ultimate sales professional and get the results you desire, my new invitation only coaching and training group will do that. For those who are ready to make that commitment, this is going to include but go way beyond sales skills and techniques and processes that are certainly necessary. But that's just one of the four pillars that are truly necessary for optimal sales success. So I'll be announcing this program around the end of the year, and if you're interested, you can get on the early priority notification list to be one of the first to hear all of the invitation details. To get on that list, go to my main site, smart calling.com and then at the top, go to the Coaching menu tab on the right. Again, that's smart calling.com and then go to the Coaching tab and you can put in your information there. Thank you so much for investing your valuable sales time with me today. Until next time, go out and make it your best sales day ever. I'm Art Sobchak.