Every year, I take each of my kids — nine-year-old twins — on a one-on-one trip. As twins, they do nearly everything together, and we all find these outings special. Last night, my son, Noah, and I returned from a road trip to Springfield, Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln lived and worked for 17 years — right up until the moment that he left for Washington DC to be inaugurated the president.
Unlike some of the other well-known presidents across our history, Lincoln didn’t come from money. In fact, he arrived in Springfield with all of his belongings in a bag and had to live above the general store for free. Unlike the sprawling estates of Washington and Jefferson, Lincoln’s modest home was built with his own money, which he earned from his work as a lawyer. There are no rolling hills and no famous gardens here, and the neighbors’ houses are (still) right there. If I were to estimate, his home stands on a third of an acre.
In Springfield, Lincoln — who as a boy had to teach himself to read — became a well-known lawyer, arguing more than 200 cases in front of the Illinois Supreme Court. He also ran for state congress and won. He ran for U.S. Congress and won. He ran for the U.S. Senate twice, and although he technically got more votes than the other candidates in both elections, he did not win the seat due to various voting and electoral formalities of the day. He traveled around the country making speeches against slavery. He hustled. He grinded. He worked. Then two years later he won the Presidency of the United States and hurried from the State House back home (which would have taken five minutes — we walked it) to tell his wife Mary.
What struck me more than anything was his intense focus, his tireless effort, and, yes, his famous perseverance. In our work, there is no substitute for these three things. There is no “secret” to selling more. There is only the focus, the effort, and the perseverance.
The work is the secret.
Want to sell more? Offer your customers more products and services, which they are buying now (as you read this!) from others. Do the proactive work of understanding who your top revenue-potential customers and prospects are. And never stop trying to help them. Even when you’ve been rejected.
To many, Lincoln seemed like an overnight success, but that was at least 17 years in the making — as most overnight successes are.
The magic and the results are in the work.
For him, and for us.
I implement simple organizational habits for clients who realize 10-20% sales growth annually, every year. If you would like these results at your organization, call me directly at 847-459-6322.
Buy my latest book, the WSJ Bestselling Selling Boldly, here.
My son in the tree, taking in Lincoln’s house in Springfield. That is the size of the backyard.