Understand what motivates people to action

So I wanted to buy a car. It was a tough choice, but I decided that my next new car would be a Volvo. So I drove to a local dealer and told him that I wanted to take a look at a few Volvos and he could help. "Of course," he replied.

After watching drive a couple of cars that I decided to test any of them. As I drove around went the seller about how great this car is and how clients are not complaining about the car and how they love their Volvos. I then asked him to be more specific about what customers like about their Volvo. He seemed to hesitate. It was quickly clear that nobody had ever asked him to be specific. He said: "well, you know, people like the way it drives and how it looks." He rambled on, but never on details.

After a few test drives and more "' oohs and ahs" about how great it would be to own to Volvo I thanked him and departed without buying a car. I wasn't sure and wanted to think about some more.

About a week or so later I decided to go back and some Volvos again test ride. This time I went to another dealer hope to get a different flavor before my thoughts.

The seller that greeted me was a polite and humble individual. We call him Jack. Jack asked me simple questions about what I was looking for in a car. I told him that I had test a few Volvos driven, but not sure whether to buy or not.

Jack listened and nodded his head and said: "alright. Let's start with the model you like the most. " I said: "of course."

We got into the car and I was ready to start the car as Jack asked me to wait a minute. Jack then went on to explain the characteristics of the car. By the time he was finished I understood what each button on the panels, the dashboard and doors could do. Jack explained how many of these features would make my drive more comfortable. It soon became clear that Jack how to sell understood benefits, not features.

When we finally started driving, Jack began to go in the history of the Volvo; origin, model transitions and improvements and on and on. It was like listening to a Volvo documentary ... with me in it!

When we finished stepped Jack me around the car to explain some of the hidden security features. Volvo is known as one of the safest cars in the world. And after Jack's mini-Tour around the vehicle I understood why. Needless to say, within an hour I sat down in his Office finalizing the paperwork to buy my first Volvo.

I gained a few lessons from this experience that I want to share with you.

Firstly, Jack was not a "stain" seller. He was an average guy with a very modest attitude. Most people have in their heads that if a big seller should give you a quick and smooth talker. Wrong. Who would you be more confident? A fast-talking seller just as the first with smooth answers and no depth or someone like Jack that all your questions answered with details and facts?

Secondly, people don't want to be sold, they want to be convinced. Jack understood that gives me a lot of information would go a long way in helping me decide if I wanted to buy or not. I could with Sufficient information, or better yet, convinced me to decide.

I don't buy the first dealer because I don't have enough information to make an informed decision. Everything that I had were the opinions of other people that the car from a seller who I don't personally knew had driven. Testimonials are great, but unless I know the person behind the testimonials means little for me.

More often than not, people reject proposals or making a decision to buy because somewhere in the sales process, their concerns were not addressed. They still have lingering doubts about whether it's the right choice for them.

Jack approach reminded me of a saying that I keep in mind when trying to understand the relationship between motivation and action:

"An ignorant mind is a confused mind. And a confused mind will never make a decision. "

In a hyper-capitalist society where we are inundated and bombard with new technology and features, our mind often times not keeping pace. The task of a seller is to explain the new developments, but more importantly how they benefit of the buyer. Or sell or just trying to convince others, what motivates people in action 1) knowledge and 2) it is in their best interest.

Think about it for a second. If you know ' how to ' do something, you rarely hesitate in getting it done. If you know that it will benefit you personally, you will act!

One final note: If you're in control, like this is very when someone doesn't buy in your approach, a strategy or a way of thinking. Maybe the reason that they are not has less to do with your ideas, and more to do with them not with enough information to make an informed decision OR how it will benefit them in the long run.

PS, Update: five years later my Volvo is still going strong!

Victor Gonzalez, top Spanish motivational speaker and author of the LOGIC of Success. For more info go to: www.thelogicofsuccess.com www.thelogicofsuccess.com or by email victor@thelogicofsuccess.com

The key to what really motivates you to achieve your dreams!

What motivates you? What gets you fired up? What gets your 'juices' flowing? What vision of the future excites you? Being inspired momentarily is easy for many people, but staying motivated long-term can be challenging for some of us. You go through a process of being really motivated in the beginning to being completely unmotivated, which makes it easy for anyone to quit. What happens when you go from being so excited you can't wait to get up in the morning, to being so tired you can't wait to go to bed at night. Somewhere between the starting point and the quitting point, the very thing that was driving you was lost.

Many of us set goals, but only some of us stay motivated long enough to keep going until we reach them. Where does the difference lie? The difference lies in the motivation. The motivation is driven by the ability to stay focused on your dreams and how you will feel when you have successfully achieved the vision you have of your future. How do some people hold onto their motivation, while others find it easier to let it go? Those that hang onto their motivation have found something that drives them and they stay connected to it. What is it? It's the feeling of their goal. When you can put yourself in the moment of your goal achievement and feel what it feels like to be there - you have just experienced one of THE most powerful motivation tools. When you can connect to the feeling, and it's something you really want - then you can hang on to what you have to do in order to achieve it.

Think about how a parent might be driven to do something for their child. Maybe they go back to school so they can get a better paying job so they can provide a better life for them. Why? Because they want their child to feel good when they have the things they want and need. When the child feels good, the parent feels really good too.

The motivation to achieve our goals is driven by one of the deepest emotions - happiness. It is an important commonality among all goal seekers. Whether we want money, freedom, independence or health - it all comes down to the fact that we crave happiness. If we want to achieve a specific goal for someone else the same rule applies. We want to achieve a goal because it provides something for someone else - and again, whether it is money, freedom or some other aspect - it all comes down to the emotion of feeling happy. We want things for other people, because we want them to feel happy. And when they feel happiness, we feel happiness. In some cases, it may be vice versa; we crave to be happy for ourselves first - and that's perfectly OK!

You have dreams and goals, but when was the last time you felt them? Have you ever felt them? You might have the motivation to make more money, but there is any underlying reason below the surface. What is it? Get below the surface and connect with the feeling of what you want and why you want them. The underlying reason will help give you the motivation you need to keep going until you have achieved them.

Here are some exercises to help you connect with the feeling of your dreams and goals.

Start with your Life Intention Statement.
What are your goals? What do they mean to you? For your family? Friends? The rest of the world? If you could do anything in this lifetime what you most like to do? Maybe it's something you've always wanted to do, but didn't think it was possible for you? This is really an open exercise - there are no limits - think about things only you really want. You can phrase them as goals, intentions, life purpose - whatever you would like to call them.

Write all your goals down on paper and detail when you would like to achieve each one (specifically the month, day, and year).

When it's all said and done...
When this life is all said and done, what do you want people to say about you? How do you want to be remembered? Write down some statements you would like people to say about you. And does your Life Intention Statement big enough to accomplish what you want people to say about you? If it doesn't - you need to be thinking even bigger!

Tools for Staying Motivated

Visualization
The biggest key to staying motivated is to connect with the feeling of having already achieved your goal. Put yourself in the moment of living it. Feel the happiness, relief, joy, excitement - whatever good feeling you get from it and just hold on to for a moment. You can do this anywhere (except when you're driving!). All you do is close your eyes and just visualize it; the sounds, the smells, the touch.

For each goal, write down the emotions you imagine experiencing when you have achieved them. In moments when you need motivation, just review the emotions you noted with each goal. Reconnecting with the emotional side of your goals is a powerful way to stay motivated.

Written Goals
Writing your goals down and then reviewing them on a daily basis has a lot of impact. It actually works to focus your subconscious on the task at hand which reduces the amount of "wandering" the mind does when it doesn't have a goal to focus on. This will also aid with manifesting your goals quicker, because the more focused your mind is the more focused your actions will be - whether you consciously realize it or not. Put time on your calendar each day to review what you really want. It only takes a few minutes.

Set up Goal Milestones
It can seem like a lifetime between the time you set your goal and the day you finally achieve it, but it really isn't that long. To help make the gap between the starting point and the achievement point seem shorter, set up milestones where you reward yourself along the way. The reward can really be anything you wish it to be, as long as it's something that makes you feel good.

But be careful that your reward does not compromise your goal. As an example, if your goal is to eliminate $10,000 in debt and you do really well for 3 months and decide to reward yourself with a $3,000 shopping spree; that is not supporting your goals. However, if having a new pair of shoes or a new outfit is the one thing that would make you feel good - then spend $100, not $3,000. Maybe you've improved your eating habits to lose weight. You've been doing great, so you reward yourself with half a pizza and lots of beer. Again, the reward is vital, but it must support your goals. Get the point? It's OK to reward yourself, just don't compromise your goal and counter act the positive changes you've been making.

Whether you want to achieve your goals for you or someone else, you are full of potential and have the power to achieve anything. You can live your dreams and goals, if you just grab hold of them. The motivation will come from connecting with the feeling of why you wanted them in the first place. Stay focused on how achieving your goals will make you feel and you will stay motivated.

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