Little Blue Book of Staying Afloat
New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Gitomer tells you how to sell anything in any economy

“Jeffrey, I want to know, what do YOU do to maintain success?”

The answer is pretty simple. There are no secrets. There’s nothing I do that I consider out of the ordinary. It’s what I do on a consistent basis that counts.

I READ. I wake up every morning, and read two pages from some kind of personal success book that’s more than 50 years old. What to read? Anything by Napoleon Hill, especially “The Law of Success”, or “The Magic Ladder to Success”. Anything by Dale Carnegie, “How to Win Friends & Influence People”, or “How to Stop Worrying & Start Living” in particular. Now, I’ve only been doing that for 39 years, so I don’t know if it works yet. I’m going to do it for another 39 years, and that’s it — I’m going to quit.

I CAPTURE AND COLLECT THOUGHTS AND IDEAS. When things occur to me or I read something that inspires me, the first thing I do is go to my computer. I write a column every week on selling skills, but I don’t just write the column, I collect ideas so I can always be ahead. I’ve written more than 950 columns to date, but I’ve got 500 more ideas waiting to be evolved.

I WRITE. When I write everything down, it clarifies my own ideas, it generates new ideas, and it creates content for my speeches, and for my books. My challenge to you is this: If you want to be a success, you can’t just read, you have to write.

I SPEAK. The next thing you need to do is present — in public — and the best way to do that is to join Toastmasters. Deliver 10 speeches, and you can get your Competent Toastmaster Award. Can you sell the entire group? When you learn to present to a group, selling one-on-one becomes a piece of cake.

I POSITION TO WIN WITH “VALUE FIRST.” The same goes for marketing (attracting people who are interested to buy). I position myself to be seen and read as a person of value. I put myself in front of people who can say yes to me, and I deliver value first.

I STRIVE TO MASTER. Again, no secret here. Master the fundamentals. Study them and practice them daily. You have to have deep focus, and take that internal daily dose, so that you can, day by day, become great.

I LOVE IT. I wake up in the morning, and I can’t wait to look at my schedule. Sometimes it’s giving a speech, sometimes it’s writing more for my books, sometimes it’s interviewing people, and sometimes it’s making sales to CEOs of large corporations. I go on sales calls every week, so I can stay at the top of my game. I don’t just teach sales, I make sales.

I WORK HARD. People ask me, “How’d you get great at sales?” And I tell them, “Well, I just worked my rear end off for 20 years, and then, all of the sudden, it happened.”

The same thing can happen to you, but you have to love it. I’m challenging you to go back, and re-read to this formula — there’s no magic to it, but add passion, and the results will be magical.

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