Question: Who are the highest paid professionals?
Answer: Entertainers and athletes.

Question: Why is that?
Answer: Because they have the discipline to practice harder and longer than anyone else in any other profession.

Tiger Woods practiced since he was 3, going so far as to redo his swing--not once--but twice! Michael Jordan was notorious for the number of free-throws he practiced. Johnny Depp spent years perfecting his humor and studying masters, such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

Question: In the corporate world, who has the potential to make the most money?
Answer: Sales people.

And yet, sales professionals often say they can go into a client meeting without a prepared script or game-plan. They justify it by saying, "It's more natural if I just wing it." Can you imagine Tiger Woods saying that? Not a chance! The sales professionals that have the most success have the most discipline.

If you are in sales, and everyone is in sales (See February's Bright Ideas), then you need to harness your discipline to become the best. Here are 6 things, if done with discipline, that will immediately improve your performance.

1. Exercise. You may think this has nothing to do with selling, but in reality it has everything to do with it. Exercise gives you focus, creates endorphins to make you more happy and creative, keeps you in good health so you can put in more hours (and better focus) than the competition, and gives you more vitality. The hour before work running or doing Yoga will give you an edge that will carry over into your work and help you win on the hard days. As Tom Fleming's Boston Marathon training sign read, "Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win." Keep physically fit and mentally tough so you are the one who wins.
   
2. Study. Improve your skills all the time. Have the discipline to spend one hour a day reading. Audio CDs and MP3s (to listen to when your working-out) count. If you're not continuously learning, then you stagnate and fall behind. If you are a sales professional, read about selling techniques and systems, time management, marketing, communications, memory power, public speaking, fashion, presentation skills and motivation. And that is just for starters. Biography should also be at the top of your list. Newspapers should not. If you want a reading list send me an email at dksweet@lightbulbtraining.com.
3. Take action. There are so many people who have an idea, read a book, or go to a seminar, then make a plan but fail to take action on that plan. An idea without action is mental masturbation. Find a way to put your ideas into action. Otherwise, your learning time was a waste of time.
4. Time management. Time management is a misnomer for self-management and self-discipline. You must manage yourself within time, planning what you do and when you do it. If you put it on your calendar, then do it. Get rid of your "To Do" lists and have only "Will Do" lists. This one item alone can make a huge impact in your work.
5. Make 10 calls first thing in the morning. Phone calling in the morning, when the rest of the world is passively checking their email, gives you the acceleration and momentum to create a dynamic day.
6. Create messages. Do you know what you will say when you walk into a client's office? You should have it memorized and down pat. What about rebuttals to a prospect's objections? Or what about a series of questions that helps to make prospects think and buy your product? Do you have a memorized 30-second elevator pitch? You must spend time creating your messages. Then memorize your lines. Athletes have game plans, actors memorize their lines, and you need to have the discipline to create, memorize, and practice your messaging.