08.26.07
It Costs to Quit
Here’s a little piece of my business history: Johanness started working for me as a salesman many years ago. When he started, I shared my usual warning with him: “You’re likely to feel like quitting just before you make the big money. Remember that when the time comes.” Well, Johannes worked hard and had just started making money when we hit our quiet time and his sales plummeted. He started off strong then went into Quitters Mode: he started blaming the products, the pricing, the economy, the weather, me, and the customers. His fear was expressed as aggression. He forgot my warning, quit, and ran to my competitor.
Yes, the grass is always greener over the cesspit.
Three weeks later, the cycle turned, one of my new sales reps took over Johannes’ account and made a heap of money from the momentum and trust that Johannes had so diligently built. Meanwhile, my competitor fired Johannes, ripped him off, and lied to him, and Johannes came back to knock on my door. I welcomed him back, but it took him seven months to get back to where he had been before he quit. Quitting had cost him a lot.
Everything in life is a cycle and a season. Smart people understand that they have to work hard in the fall to save up for the winter, and during the winter they eagerly prepare for the spring. Dumb people spend all the money they get, laze around during the summer and have no momentum come the fall, so their competitors jump all over their faces. When you understand life, human nature, business and money, you can plan and create a very successful and happy life.
Remove your risk by creating strong relationships and multiple income streams. Burn bridges to bad people. Expect the best and prepare for the worst. Believe in people but don’t rely on them. Learn from those who have already achieved what you want. Mix with winners, work hard, and keep the big picture in mind. You can’t buy experience, but you can certainly borrow it, thereby saving a lot of money. Quitters never win and winners never, EVER quit.
Finally, always remember this: momentum has to be sustained or lost. Taking a break just before a big event, going on holiday and downing tools with no communication or adequate delegation, is a cop-out and you will pay heavily for it. It’s all about momentum, like pushing a car. Sometimes, you’ve been pushing it uphill, and when you sit back to rest it will run back down the hill and crush you in the process. Hang tough, and you’ll get rich.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road your trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When they might have won, had they stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victors cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when your hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit!
