How W. Clement Stone’s Advice Helped Me to Success

Salespeople have a resource that many never take advantage of!

This resource can cause giant increases in most salespeople’s sales. It can expand their own mental belief systems – their “area of the possible!” It can move them into higher levels of sales and income!

What is this resource? Read carefully and I’ll explain.

But first let me share with you a principle. It’s this: “Wise people are usually willing to share their knowledge with those who sincerely want to learn!” Think about that a moment.

As I think about this principle, my mind goes back to the many hours I’ve been privileged to spend with a very wise person, W. Clement Stone.

I first spent hundreds of hours with him over 20 years ago when I picked up the very first self-help book I ever read, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude!

Then I read and reread his articles in Success magazine. Then I listened to his cassettes.

Then a dream-come-true happened. I was writing for Success magazine and was conducting a goal-setting seminar for their staff. Mr. Stone came to it. We had dinner together. He invited me to come visit with him. After that, I spent three days a week with him for several months, including evenings at his home for dinner and talk.

One of the first observations that struck me was how he lived by and totally believed wise principles. Like, “Every adversity has the seeds of an equivalent or greater benefit!”; “Have the courage to face the truth!”; “When you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying, by all means try!”; “Emotions aren’t always under the direct control of our will power, but they are usually under the control of our actions!”

I’d heard these for years, but somehow when others said them they came out as cliches. But when Mr. Stone said them their wisdom was unmistakably real.

Many times I’ve been stymied or stalled out because of some temporary defeat or roadblock only to have thoughts flash into my mind. Thoughts like, “Ever problem has a logical solution…when we look for it with Positive Mental Attitude!” So I’d keep scratching for solutions.

Or, “Do it now!” Or, “Success is attained by those who try…with PMA!” Or others.

I’ve made a commitment to Mr. Stone to teach other people what he’s taught me. He knows that I’m carrying out this commitment and that makes it worth his valuable time he spent with me.

In a similar way, I’ve encouraged salespeople to pick the brains of experts. To associate with people who are selling and earning what they’d like to sell and earn.

How about you? Have you:

1. Set a goal for the level of sales and income you’d like to be enjoying?
2. Identified one or two individuals who are now performing on that level, and
3. Asked them to be your mentors?

Ask if you can spend some time learning from them. If they think you’re sincerely wanting to learn, they’ll usually be willing to help you.

Why does this work?

It works because all of us perform consistent with our belief system. We all have our own “area-of-the possible.” We act and respond consistent with what we subconsciously think we should!

Emerson wisely wrote, “Everything is impossible until we see a success!” And he was right.

When we can see successes, when we can be around people on a higher level than we are and who are making things happen, our own belief is built.

When we associate with high performers, our own performance will grow toward theirs. This is the resource that most all salespeople have.

The truth is that wise people are usually willing to share their knowledge with those who sincerely want to learn!

Ron Willingham has written some twenty training courses that have been conducted by over 4,000 instructors nationwide and overseas. Over 100,000 people have graduated from his nine-week courses.

He now works as a sales and marketing consultant – conducting Psychology of Selling and Goal Achievement seminars. For further information contact: Ron Willingham Courses, Inc., P. O. Box 8190, Amarillo, TX 79109 (806)372-4771.