By Daniel Berckes,
My four sisters and I grew up on a family farm in south-western Minnesota. It was there that I learned about long work days and the value of a dollar earned. An entrepreneurial innovator, my father was constantly making enhancements to our machinery and creating new inventions. To earn extra income, he patented and sold his ideas to agricultural companies. Hoping to improve his presentation skills, he enrolled in a public speaking course by the Dale Carnegie Institute. The six-week class used various books and an educational series of cassettes by Zig Ziglar called, “How to Stay Motivated”. I was 15 years old when Dad told me to listen to these 12 cassettes. The decision to listen to my Dad and Zig created a defining moment in my life.
Of the many lessons learned from those tapes, three key points are especially fitting for this article: belief, knowledge and repetition.
Belief
Zig spoke often of the power of belief. When you communicate what you believe, you can speak with conviction. People are seeking leadership. They will follow someone who is not afraid to take a position and speak the truth. When you know something is right or wrong, stand up and say it! In the business we’re in, we are dealing with people’s lives. Belief and conviction exude confidence.
Knowledge
I’ve heard it said, “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care”. I agree, but unless your goal is to become a professional empathizer, you must gain the knowledge you need to put your care into meaningful action. MTL supports several excellent educational systems that have been very helpful to many. We must become discerning students and then pursue excellence in motivating and inspiring people to begin to think differently. When armed with knowledge and an opportunity to share wisdom, you and I will become the trusted advisors our clients seek. In this leadership role, we have the responsibility to teach others how to protect themselves against the many enemies of their life and financial freedoms.
Repetition
In the first cassette of the series, Zig said, “If you really want to get the most out of this series, you should listen to it not once, not twice, no not even three times… listen to it six-teen times!” When I was on my first listen, I committed to doing what he said. Funny, as I write this article, I can still hear his voice even these thirty-plus years later.
Repetition, Repetition, and I repeat, Repetition, makes what was once uncomfortable, familiar; once familiar, proficient; and once proficient, excellent. The more you do what you are excellent at doing, the more fun and the more rewarding it becomes.
Combining the three elements of belief, knowledge, and repetition has helped me develop a unique six-step process called the Freedom Strategy Solution. “Bringing Freedom to Your Life and Money” is the client-centered objective of this process. The tools and systems that I use continue to change. Several mentors, coaches, and system creators—namely Don Blanton, Bob Castiglione, Nelson Nash, and Len Renier—have added value to my process and helped me bring a transformation to my clients’ experience.
In closing, my father success-fully sold tens of thousands of one of his inventions worldwide. We both learned priceless life lessons through his participation in that Dale Carnegie course. Zig taught people how to stay motivated by taking an internal inventory of their talents, desires, and abilities. I am convinced that as we discover our clients’ core beliefs and goals, we will attain what Zig taught when he said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
