The Pierce Marrs Show

On my refrigerator, I have a quote from Dan Miller that states, “Success is never an accident. It typically starts as imagination, becomes a dream, stimulates a goal, grows into a plan of action, which inevitably meets with opportunity.”

What should one do if they have lost their imagination and struggle with identifying their passion?

Just a few short years ago, Brenda Dunagan struggled with this issue. She set-out to seek change in her life with a wide range of experience including project management, accounting, HR, legal, administration, and technical support. In spite of this vast experience, she struggled with direction. 

What did she do? She got started. Brenda did not wait for the vision to be perfect. She started moving toward her dream. That decision took her down  a road she never expected. Currently she serves as founder of an online school for training of virtual assistants while assisting in the operation and support of select companies.

When I asked Brenda how she was able to navigate this journey to arrive at a place where she is happy and fulfilled, she answered, “It is like driving at night, I could only see as far as my headlights shine. When I got there, I could see a little further.”

Sometimes we try to figure everything out before we get started. The problem is, we never get started. I still like the old saying, “God can’t drive a parked car.”

Start dreaming and get moving. You will be surprised what doors God will open.

“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision. ~ Helen Keller

Have a great week!

Pierce

Join Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes in a interview with the President and CEO of “The Salespreneur”, Dave Greco. Dave appeared on Episode 2 of Season 3 pitching his Sales Training program to help businesses see a significant increase in their sales.

Sometimes life can be hard. The people that succeed in life face adversity just like everyone else. Frankly, most of the truly successful people I know have overcome huge obstacles. This ability to overcome and persist has contributed to their confidence and ability to conquer future adversity.

“Adversity has the effect of drawing out strength and qualities of a man that would have lain dormant in its absence.” ~ Herodotus, Greek philosopher

Last week, I sat in at the “Write To The Bank” seminar at Dan Miller’s Sanctuary where participants learn to market their writing. A highlight of the event was hearing my friend Kent Julian speak. Kent is a former youth Pastor who has become a popular speaker and author of several books.

Kent is an energetic speaker and captivated the audience in short order as he spoke of challenges as a youth and his daughter’s diabetes. He also mentioned a formula that he believes many people use to get through life; E = O (Events = Outcome).

Do you know someone who lives by this philosophy? These people merely take what life gives and believes that is their fate. It is easy to get caught up in the self pity, unfairness of life, or ‘why me?’ trap.

The successful people I mentioned earlier do not allow this to happen. They use a new formula; E + R = O (Events + Response = Outcome). It is your response to adversity that truly makes the difference. In addition, the growth and perspective brought on by adversity can lead to a higher level of success that you would not have been prepared for otherwise.

“In every adversity lies the seed of an equal or greater opportunity.” ~ Napoleon Hill

I am not saying you should pray for obstacles in your life. They will most likely arrive without an invitation. My message today is that you can choose your response and prevail.

Have a great week!

Pierce

P.S. Click here to learn more about Kent Julian’s Speaking Boot Camp.

P.S.S. Click here to learn more about Dan Miller’s Sanctuary Events such as “Write to the Bank” and “Coaching with Excellence”

Shark Tank Fan Podcast, Season 3 Episode 7. Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes recap the episode that aired March 2nd, 2012. Guest Shark, Barbara is back and joins Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review the “Kisstixx”, “The Smart Baker”, “Heat Helper”, “TEC – Technology Enabled Clothing” and an Update on “Daisy Cakes”.

Join Pierce Marrs in a candid interview with the founder of TEC and Scottevest, Scott Jordan. Scott was in the Shark Tank for sixty minutes and we saw only twenty minutes. Listen in as Pierce gets the rest of the story about the patent issues, his protection of Scottevest and his relationship with Steve Wosniak of Apple.

I do not know anyone who enjoys rejection. It probably started when we were curious toddlers getting our hand slapped and being told no over and over. However, it is helpful to understand that a no can mean many things. The worst case scenario is that you are one step closer to a yes!

Recently, I had the pleasure of having breakfast with David Loy, COO of Andy Andrew’sorganization and we were discussing perseverance. He mentioned that Andy’s business manager Robert D. Smith claims, “I eat no’s for breakfast.” Robert understands this philosophy considering that Andy Andrew’s bestselling book “The Traveler’s Gift” was rejected by fifty-one publishers before going on to sell millions of copies.

Unless you boast a closing percentage of one hundred percent then you will feel the sting of rejection. For example, if you have a closing percentage of sixty percent then four out of ten people are choosing to not do business with you.

There are numerous reasons why a prospect will say no to your offering. Here a few things to remember in the process.

Don’t take it personally.

You will win some and lose some. You may or may not be to blame for the decision of your prospect, however, spending too much time in mourning over a lost sale will cause you to lose momentum when you should be looking at ways to improve and move on to the next prospect.

Don’t close the door.

Be gracious and thank them for their time. Make sure you leave the door open for future opportunities. They may have a good reason for not buying and if you approach them with the correct attitude, they will be more likely to explain why you lost the deal and give you hints on how you can work with them on a future project.

What did you learn?

If you did not learn something from the experience, you are missing a valuable opportunity to improve. If the no was your fault, you should want to know why. It is possible that you did not listen intently to their needs or you did not spend enough time building trust and rapport.You must also consider that your proposal was rejected due to price or a relationship with a competitor, but it could be that the project was abandoned due to funding.

Consider this  the next time you are rejected. Beethoven was told he was hopeless and would never compose. Elvis was told to go back and drive a truck. Walt Disney was fired and told he lacked imagination and had no good ideas. Edison was told he was too stupid to learn anything. I will save Abraham Lincoln for another blog.

Have a great week!

Pierce

Shark Tank Fan Podcast, Season 3 Episode 6. Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes recap the episode that aired February 24th, 2012. Guest Shark, Lori Grenier from QVC joins Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review the “Five Minute Furniture”, “The Painted Pretzel”, “ESSO Watches”, “Readerest”and an Update on “Man Candles”.