Your attitude will control your

altitude in these economic times

BY PETER SCHOR

Showroom specialist

In my January 2008 showroom column in The Wholesaler Magazine, I talked about either “half empty” or “half full” thinking and gave some good examples. I then listed 33 ways to increase your sales and gross profits, save time, increase productivity and improve your showroom. You can get the January 2008 monthly column article on www.thewholesaler.com by clicking on the “archives.” 

My April 2008 column covered “what’s new and hot in bath and kitchen products trends” from k/bis. In the first few paragraphs, I gave some more tips. I said the key for you in these times is to:

• Re-think your current product mix to yield better gross profit margins
• Check on overhead and eliminate wasteful habits
• Create a better experience in a more personalized way for clients visiting your showroom, therefore creating more “perceived value”
• Implement better ways to create more qualified showroom traffic.

Subsequently, throughout the 2008 year columns, I gave you a lot of proven information which I hope you put into action to leverage your showroom in these tougher economic times.

Profit margins

One important area that I did not touch on is keeping your profit margins intact. In 1989, when I conducted a two-day showroom selling skill seminar in Newport News, Va., it drew about 36 Ferguson showroom people and other independent showrooms from Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland. During a break, I was presented a small sheet of paper from one Ferguson showroom manager that was called “Small Profit -- Large Volume Basis.” On this sheet was a great profit exercise. It showed a person holding up a sheet of paper called “Deal” and all around this person centered on the page were options about wholesaler pricing:

• A 5% cut in price and you must increase your sales 33 1/3%
• A 10% cut in price and you must increase sales necessary 100%
• A cut in price of 15% and you must generate a 300% increase in sales.

While I knew this information, it still had a very profound effect on me and hung on my office wall for my earlier years in education within our industry.

In these times, the most important thing  you can own is a POSITIVE OUTLOOK!

On August 5, news from the nahb was “the most recent numbers show that starts of new single-family homes fell to their lowest pace in 17 years, making a decline of 64.5% from the peak of the building boom in January 2006.” Builders’ confidence was also reported at an all-time low.  What was your reaction to this news?

Over my career, I have always taught showroom selling skills and bathroom product knowledge with a positive uplifting demeanor; Even when one of the largest plumbing manufacturers with strong  showroom emphasis said to me, “Cut out all that positive attitude and goal-setting stuff from your/our  seminars,” I continued to teach skill-building and self-motivational skills in my own seminars inside and outside the industry.

So how is YOUR attitude?

An attitude is like the allegory of seeing the glass half empty or half full. In a recent book by Larry Seligman, Learned Optimism, which is taken from 50-year studies, men who are optimistic live around 21% longer and women 23%. This is a good motivation to shift from pessimism to optimism, all by yourself.

Remember, in the showroom selling process, no one rises to low expectations. Sales success comes from seeing and expecting positive outcomes in advance.  It is your projection that gives the client the confidence and comfort that you and your showroom is the place to do business with.

Want to change how you think? Choose “selective listening”

We get our daily information and news from tv, radio and newspapers, which mostly plant negative information in our brains. Scientists have proven that we receive 15 times more negative messages than positive a day. Good example of feeding a bad attitude is watching the news (like cnn) which runs 24/7 and repeats the same news stories 24 hours a day. Most of the news is negative, set to music with plenty of drama and choreography. You can watch the news but don’t send the thoughts into your feelings unless there is something you can personally do about the news. It is also okay to have empathy. When you watch and listen to the news, do not send the thoughts into feelings and the feelings into your behavior. Just say and repeat to yourself, “Selective listening” many times so it is embedded in your conscience. Post these profound words in front of you at work and at home.

Want to change how you think? Selective communications -- self-talk!

Scientific research has proven that we talk at the rate of 500 words a minute. Negative self-talk like, “How did I ever get into the showroom industry”; “We’re in a recession”; “My prices are too high” “I can’t do it”; and “I’m destroyed” are self defeating. Repeated over and over again, they become hypnotic. Reactive language such as “I have to,” “I should” and “I must” can be changed to proactive language such as “I choose to,” “I will” and “I prefer.” Wouldn’t it be better to say “I choose to go to work” for 21 repetitive days rather than “I have to go to work”?

If you want to look at the mind in a scientific manner, take a look at thoughts at the conscious level. These thoughts become feelings at the sub-conscious level and the results are in your behavior.

For many years, I conducted motivational -- with substance and skill -- seminars. In the last few years, I’ve enhanced the programs by adding in some exciting technology.  I know you must have heard about the film, The Secret, which has been discussed on major tv shows, and throughout the world media. The Secret was not something new, as it was used by people like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and thousands of well-known modern-day educators and motivational people around the world. The Secret is all about “The Law of Attraction.” It basically has three steps:

• Ask -- know what you want and ask the universe for it.
• Believe -- Feel and behave as if the object of your desire is on its way
• Receive -- Be open to receiving it.

There is a physiological foundation for positive thinking and its effects in creating the Law of Attraction. The true definition of the Law of Attraction is: I attract to my life wherever I give my attention, energy and focus to, whether positive or negative.

The laws of physics never change -- we get what we focus on. You will hear the word “vibe” or “vibration,” which is often used to describe a mood or feeling that you pick up from someone or something. It is either a negative  (-) or a positive (+). Negative vibrations (feelings) are disappointment, loneliness, lack, sadness, confusion, stress, anger and hurt. Positive vibrations are: joy, love, excitement, pride, comfort, confidence and affection. You get to choose.

The Law of Attraction responds to whatever vibration you are sending by giving you more of it; whether it is positive or negative. It simply responds to your vibration. Take this goodie in: When you make a statement containing words like don’t, not or no, you are actually giving attention and energy to what you don’t want. A good example is “Don’t smoke?” If you closed your eyes what do you see? Don’t spill the glass of milk, what do you see? So simple ask yourself “So, what do I want?” You can reset your vibration from negative to positive by simply choosing different words and different thoughts. To know whether you are sending out positive or negative vibration, simply take a look at the results you’re getting in that area of your life. They are a perfect reflection of what you are vibrating.

While there are dozens of people writing books and talking about The Law of Attraction, I highly recommend books, webinars, and more by Michael J. Losier (www.LawofAttraction.com), a widely international acclaimed expert on The Law of Attraction.

Some of my most favorite most powerful and meaningful sayings that I would like to share with you are:

• “People don’t care how much you know until they know you care about them.” Humbly, this is something I had to learn during the first five years of my educational career. Ego can be mistaken for the passion of making a difference in our industry.
• Asking yourself often --  What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
• Dreams (goals) -- You can’t hit the target if you can’t see it! Failing to plan is planning to fail. 100% commitment opens the door to how to do it or get there!
• Dare to be different -- Nothing of greatness was ever accomplished (and went in the record books) from doing the same old thing!
• Henry Ford said, “Obstacles are things that come up when you take your eyes off your goals.”
• Embrace change -- Change is inevitable and growth is optional. Remember that life is a journey, not a destination.  Enjoy the ride.

In conclusion, regarding “Attitude is Everything,” I quote Frank Outlaw who said:

• Watch your thoughts; they become words.
• Watch you words; they become actions.
• Watch your actions; they become character.
• Watch your character, it becomes your destiny!                   

Peter Schor, president of Dynamic Results, Inc., is an educator, motivational speaker, consultant, coach and writer in our industry and many diverse others. For the past 17 years, he has conducted 100 educational programs yearly, including 34 industry conventions. Schor has great expertise in the field of showrooms and has won many industry awards. He also works with manufacturers in the field of sales, marketing and public relations. Schor can be reached at 1491 Ivy Arbor, Lincoln, CA 95648, by phone at 916/408-5346, fax 916/408-5899, by e-mailing pschor@dynamicresultsinc.com or on the web at www.dynamicresultsonline.com.