We become what we think about.

What are you thinking about? What are you becoming as a result of it? Is it good enough?

If you want to be the highest earner in your company, you must be the biggest believer in your company. You must have the most profound belief in yourself. You must believe that if you prospect does not decide to do business with you, they have made a huge error in judgment. If they make an error in judgment, you must take responsibility for it. You must believe that you own the key to your customers' and prospects' challenges. You must constantly think about your own ability to help them succeed.

I work with Dr. Wyatt Woodsmall from time to time. He was responsible for writing much of the material that has made Anthony Robbins such a huge success. He models the behavior of the top salespeople in the world for a living. We had lunch a couple of weeks ago, and he pointed out the most powerful belief shared by the top salespeople in every industry he has studied. It is the self-assured belief that when we don't get an order for which we are being considered, we have done a disservice to our prospect or customer. Do you feel that way?

As one of the largest sales producers in the history of printing, I was adamant about my ability to solve the challenges of my prospects and customers. You can be, too. There are three steps to creating this belief. Each one builds on the next and creates an inner sense of surety that makes you unstoppable, unbeatable and worthwhile to those you serve. Here are those steps:

Work a system that gets you in front of more new prospects than anyone else you work with. In The Art & Science of PRINTING SALES, I outline a system that will get you between one and five new appointments a week. When you see more people than anyone else, your self-esteem grows, and people pick up on it. When they sense your self-worth, you will become attractive to do business with. You also will be exposed to more kinds of opportunities. This helps you build a synergy of good ideas for solving your clients' problems.

Develop a series of pitches that make the value of doing business with you and your firm clear, concise and to the point. In my book, Customer Creation, this is called the 30-second commercial. If you are selling cut sheet work, have a "cut sheet" pitch. If you are selling continuous forms, have a "continuous forms" pitch and so on. Rehearse these as if you were a major star about to give the performance of a lifetime. Over time, as you master the material through practice and performance, you will become more and more believable. That believability will transfer to the people you are calling on. They will begin to worry when they consider using someone else.

Be dependable so you can develop long-term relationships with the people you call on. Of all the attributes assigned to the ultra-successful salesperson, dependability is their most admirable trait. If you are not dependable, you hold little chance for keeping the good customers you attract. Don't promise to do anything that you cannot follow through on. Do follow through on everything you promise. Learn to say "no" to people. It frees up your time to do the most important things you have to do first. It even garners respect from those you turn down.

Your belief in your ability to successfully create immense value for your market will distinguish you from those only hoping to be successful. If you don't have a prospecting system that gets you in front of new people every week, then start one. If you don't have a good pitch for every product and service that you offer, start writing and editing until you do. If you promise things and don't follow through on your promises - stop.

Make up your mind to be the very best salesperson you can be. Make up your mind to put these valuable distinctions about selling into effect. If you are not getting what you want from your sales career, think about how you can. These are three ways that work. Think about them until you act on them. Act on them until they work for you. You will become what you think about.