lose sleep at night,

drink too much,

have a short fuse,

blame others,

argue a lot,

can’t get any work done at all,

push too hard for the close,

can’t concentrate effectively,

all of the above.”

Add to that the fact that you may be in an industry that’s suffering fewer sales. You may be in “worry-mode” over the fact that there are layoffs and cutbacks. Times are leaner, and the sale is nowhere as easy as it was six months ago.

Add to that the fact that you are watching the events of the day as they unfold, and taking more of your time to expose yourself to the war against terror. I’m not saying don’t watch it, I am saying that the more you watch it, the more likely you are to be in “worry-mode” than in “solve-the-problem” mode.

The worry bug is in the air. I hope you haven’t caught it.

If you have, I have bad news and great news. The bad news is…

Worry causes stress.

Worry causes negative response.

Worry causes ulcers.

Worry causes insomnia.

Worry causes headaches.

Worry causes more stress.

Stress causes illness, uncertainty and self-doubt.

Self-doubt causes self-destruction and failure.NOTE WELL: Worry also blocks creative thought. The creativity you so desperately need to get out of the hole you’re in. Yuck! Who wants that? Well, nobody wants it, but a lot of people have it.

If worry is with you, it becomes your dominant attitudinal mode: Negative attitude. You can’t sell if you’re distracted by worry. AND, you can’t let your worry or stress show to your customers and prospects. They won’t have confidence to buy. Whew!

OK, here’s the great news…Getting rid of worry isn’t as difficult as you may think. You can totally change directions and outcomes with seven words: here’s the short course…
1. Sweat. Work out and relax.
2. Relax. Veg out for awhile and relax.
3. Identify. Write down the source of stress and relax.
4. Plan. Make a plan to eliminate the cause of worry.
5. Read. Positive information melts stress.
6. Act. Your actions determine your worry.
7. Smile. It sets the inner tone for life.

Worry doesn’t just fade away. You must take specific planned action to eliminate it, and prevent its return. Don’t worry, it’s easier than you thought. Here are 15.5 action areas to help you manage stress and conquer the worry…
1. Keep cool. Never let anyone see you sweat. You may be anxious on the inside, but you must be a consistent “Joe Cool” on the outside. If you act cool long enough, eventually it won’t be an act. Actually what you are doing is not acting — it’s training. You’re training your mind not to worry or show doubt.
2. Self talk equals self-performance. Look at any athlete in a ball game. They’re always talking to themselves, encouraging themselves. If you tell yourself you can do it, you can. If you tell yourself you can’t do it, you never will. You control what you tell yourself. Say good things 100% of the time. Tell yourself positive things and the results will most likely be positive. The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you have with yourself.
3. Make your dominant thought a positive one. Whatever you tell yourself silently, your mind only hears the dominant thought. My friend, Ray Leone teaches this concept — silently tell yourself what TO DO, not what NOT TO DO. example…Don’t think — “don’t tell him the price,” rather, think — “Tell him how he will benefit from owning my product.” Your mind will drop the don’t and remember the dominant thought. You’ll tell the prospect the price too soon. The reason this is so important is that what not to do causes worry and stress. What to do creates positive, solution-oriented action.
4. Consider all options and list possible solutions. When you have all the options in front of you, often the course to take is clear.
5. Say “no” to achieve more. Being spread too thin causes worry. Sometimes you have to say “no” to get more “YESes.”
6. Limit your expectations. Take one bite at a time. Gain one victory at a time. Make one sale at a time.
7. Find a friend who will listen (without prejudice). A confidant. Get a mentor — someone who has already achieved what you’re trying to do.
8. Create a short daily diversion that rejuvenates your energy. Take your mind off the (selling) situation by doing something you really like. LIMIT YOUR TIME. Music, reading, listening to humor, hobby, jog — something to clear your head for new ideas and attitudes. This technique gives you the mental freedom to receive new ideas.
9. Exercise every morning. Exercise gets your adrenaline flowing, and your mind pumped for a great day.
10. You are what you eat. Stop eating food that adversely affects you. Cut things like fat, sugar and caffeine out of your diet. They add to stress.
11. Write everything down. If you write it down, you can concentrate on action — not remembering.
12. Stay organized. There is a peace of mind that comes when everything is in its place. You are 100% more productive if you’re organized. You eliminate getting mad or stressed when you can find something.
13. Sleep restfully. If you’ve written everything down and are organized, restful sleep is possible — otherwise it’s toss and turn. Try thinking of fun things you did as a kid, or your next vacation to clear your mind. Concentrate your thoughts on anything except your worries.
14. Meditate for 10 minutes a day. Read a short passage from the bible, or something peaceful, to get in the mood. Then concentrate your thoughts on success.
15. Learn something new every day. A tape or a book for 30-minutes a day will make you a sales expert in five years. Others already possess the knowledge, all you need to do is expose yourself to it. Learning something new every day gives you a chance to practice it as soon as you gain the knowledge.
15.5 It’s not about money or the lack of it. Money is not a problem. You may think it is, but you’re wrong. Money is a symptom. The problem is that you haven’t earned enough of it. Stop blaming lack of money and start making plans to make more (or spend less).

Seems simple. Well, it is simple — it’s just not easy. Worry is the culprit, not stress. Worry leads to stress. Eliminate worry and stress melts away. When you have stress it occupies your mind most of the time and spills over into non-stress areas of life. The big symptom is a short temper toward those you love.

So let me give you a bigger answer. It’s the best answer I know, and it’s been around for 60 years. It’s a book by Dale Carnegie called, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. Well, that’s not actually the answer — first you have to buy it, read it, study it, and act on the principles. That’s the answer.

Free GitBit… Want to learn more about what causes stress? Want to learn the easiest path to worry-free sales? Relax. I’ll give you 20 causes and 20 things to do to get worry-free. Go to www.gitomer.com – register if you’re a first time user, and enter the word RELAX in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com

2003 All Rights Reserved – Don’t even think about reproducing this document without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer o 704/333-1112