Jeffrey Gitomer December 2, 2013

By Jeffrey Gitomer
December 2, 2013
 
As the commercialism of Thanksgiving fades into the commercialism ofChristmas (or whatever name you’re allowed to call it these days),several thoughts have occurred to me that will impact you as a person,you as a salesperson, and your business.

People try so hard toexpress good cheer in the holiday season they often miss the mark.“Don’t eat too much turkey!” or “Don’t drink too much eggnog!” is yourway of saying, I have nothing new to say.

My bet is your“thank you” is somewhat like your mission statement. It’s there, butit’s relatively meaningless, and no one can recite it. (Most employees,even executives, can’t recite their own mission statement, even underpenalty of death.)

HARD QUESTIONS:

• Why is this the only season we give thanks?

• How sincere is your message, really?

• Why do you find it necessary to thank your customers at the same time everyone else is thanking their customers?

• If you’re thanking people, what are you offering besides words to show them you value and care about them?

• Why do you have a shiny card with a printed message and foil stamped company signature – and NOTHING personal?

HERE’S AN IDEA: Why not start by thanking yourself? Thank yourself for yoursuccess, your good fortune, your health, your family, your library, your attitude, your fun times, your friends, and all the cool things you dothat make you a happy person.

If you’re having trouble thankingyourself, that may be an indicator that things aren’t going as well asthey could be. In that situation, any thanks you give to others will beperceived somewhere between “less than whole” and “totally insincere.”

I don’t think you can become sincerely thankful to others until you havebecome fully thankful TO yourself and FOR yourself. And once you realize who YOU are, your message of thanks will become much more real, andpassionate, to others.

NEWS REALITY: The good news is this is the holiday season. The bad news is it’s so full of retail shoppingincentives, mobs of people, and “today only deals” that the festivity of Thanksgiving is somewhat lost in the shuffle.

Black Friday andCyber Monday – or wait, is it Cyber Tuesday, or Small Business Saturday, or Throwback Thursday? Whatever it is, it’s a strategy for advertisingand promoting. And I’m okay with it, totally okay with the freeenterprise system, I just think the hype of it has become more dominantthan the giving of thanks and the meaning of the season.

Call meold-fashioned, or call me traditional, but I don’t think you can call me “wrong.” I want our economy to be strong, but not at the expense ofcelebration, family time, and personal time to thank yourself for whoyou have become, and who you are becoming.

TRY THIS: Sit aroundyour dinner table this Thanksgiving and have each person at the tablemake a statement as to what they are grateful for and who they aregrateful to. Then have them say one thing about themselves that they are thankful for.

This simple action will create a sense of realityaround your table that will be both revealing and educational. It alsowipes away all the superficial undertones often associated with familyholidays.

Why not ask people to recall their best Thanksgivingever, or the person they miss the most, or the most important thingthey’ve learned as a family member – and to be thankful for them orthat.

BACK TO YOU: Sit down and make a list of your bestqualities. Your personal assets, not your money or your property. Theassets you possess that you believe have created the person you are.Your humor, your friendliness, your helpfulness, your approachability,your trustworthiness, your honesty, your ethics, and maybe even yourmorality. (Tough list, eh?)

And as you head deeper into thisholiday season, perhaps next year’s intentions and focus (not goals andresolutions) will be more about building personal assets and buildingcapabilities you can be thankful for and grateful for.

For those of you wondering, “where’s the sales tip?” Wake up, and smell the leftovers! I’m trying to help you sell you on yourself.

Once you make that sale, once you become the best you can be for yourself,then it’s easy to become the best you can be for others, and presentyourself in a way that others will buy.

It’s the holidays baby, go out and thank yourself!

 

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The SalesBible and The Little Red Book of Selling. His new best-selling book,21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling, is now available. For book tour datesand information about training and seminars, visit www.gitomer.com oremail Jeffrey personally at [email protected].

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