You can’t connect the dots going forward, but looking back I can see the decision points in my career that had the most powerful effects that led to success. I can also see where indecision led to drifting and wasted time and eventually falling away from my goals. As I look back on this journey I am able to map out the steps that have led to the success I have been fortunate to have while also helping others achieve that success without the pitfalls that caused me to stumble. This book is a collection of the impact points along my journey that led to over a hundred million dollars in sales across 3 different industries- direct sales, retail sales, and network marketing. The funny thing is before I began this journey I graduated from Gardner Webb University with a bachelor’s degree in Science. I had no previous knowledge of business or sales. However a month after graduation I made the decision to become a salesman on straight commission. My decision was based on an offer I had received from a friend to join in door to door insurance sales. I accepted the offer and thus was the first decision of impact. If I had focused on the fact that I would be knocking on doors day after day trying to sale insurance I would have not even considered it. However, due to a great presentation of the opportunity- I focused only on the opportunity to make an incredible residual income. Since it was insurance sales , the company offered renewals on each sale we made. As it was explained to me at the time- we would do a job once ( a sales presentation) and if the customer bought we would be paid a commission, but we would also be paid each year again and again as long as the customer renewed the policy. I thought this was the golden ticket. So I accepted the position and began a lifetime career in sales. Although I would eventually leave the insurance industry- I would never leave the world of sales and I would always treasure the term “residual income”.
IMPACT DECISION #1- YOUR FOCUS
By placing my focus on the outcome, the dream, the income – basically the positive result, I did not spend too much time dwelling on the challenges – in this case knocking on doors and commission sales with no guaranteed income. I also learned a great lesson. I had friends who worked for companies and felt they had a safety net with their hourly wage or salary – yet over time many were laid off. I soon learned that there is no security in the workplace. The best security is YOUR ability to produce. So once I was focused on the outcome I wanted to achieve- I simply went to work and over time learned to develop my skills until I began to see the realization of the outcome I desired.
