Fall Down, Get Up, No Shame, Just Do It

I remember when I was first in sales, I was just a kid, a brand new salesperson, an older salesguy told me something very important. It's part of traditional sales lore -- another way to deal with the ongoing rejection and pummelling you take on a regular basis as a salesperson.

He told me everyone fails, everyone falls down, the difference between winners and losers is how fast you get up, brush yourself off and get back in the game. Nothing new here, something you've probably heard many times, but something worth hearing again in these tumulous times.

As I watch this financial bailout, these troubling times, I remember so many lessons from sales. In good times or bad, sales is very REALITY-BASED and tough. You get kicked in the ass all the time. You get kicked in the teeth not infrequently, but just getting back up, dusting yourself off and trying again is the key.

Imagine that time between really getting dragged through the mud and how long it takes you to rebuild your confidence and get back in the game. More importantly, imagine ways to shorten that time.

Everyone falls down, sometimes you can't help it, but only YOU determine how fast you get up. SO ... GET UP! And get going. Even if you get going in the wrong direction, that will give you valuable experience to turn around and go in the right direction. Just do something.

If you've lost money, screwed things up, gotten in trouble -- get up with the help of friends and family and get back in the game. There's no shame to it, especially in this economy where some of the most successful have fallen from high places to low overnight. It's a good time to be in a bad spot and ask for help. Everybody's doing it.