James Heidema Speaks

Passion? Why am I so passionate about what I do?

Certainly this business of Life Insurance and of training/coaching has something to do with it. I know our business inside and out and I love it. So mastering a business probably has something to do with passion. Being a professional versus an amateur also has something to do with it. It is unlikely you can gain passion about something unless to truly learn about it. Your thirst creates passion, if your thirst is rewarded.

I guess it is also about wanting to make a difference. Make a difference in people's lives; your customers, your team and yourself. Being passionate, when rewarded, is very stimulating emotionally, intellectually and physically. Yes physically! I am physically energized to do my job because of the intellectual and emotional rewards.

Doing something of value stimulates my spirit. When the light goes on in the eyes of anyone I train or coach I get such a buzz from it. When they get it. When I successfully reach them and they understand. When they go out and use what I train and it works ... WOW! I explode!

To truly be passionate you need to believe in what you do and not allow doubts to cloud your thinking.

I believe each of us has passion, but most of us keep it bottled up and hoard it for another day. Some feel they cannot get too excited or too involved, therefore never experience true passion. I feel my passion gives me special gifts like; persistency, enthusiasm, commitment, energy and a great love for what I do.

I hope my passion is well directed and of value to all who recognize it and ultimately to God.

I wish each person would seek and find their inner passion and let it out. Don't be afraid to be passionate about what you do or say!

Yes, as a sales manager, you can be happy, even when your team is not reaching all its' objectives. Sounds crazy I know. Meeting results should not be the only thing that determines your happiness. Growth determines mine. When I see people growing and developing as professionals it encourages me to work harder and contributes to my overall happiness. Meeting or not meeting objectives is a moment in time, an event if you like. Growth is a process. For some individuals a small growth is more significant than a large growth in someone else. Growth in any form is always exciting, if only to me. When you see growth or improvement, make a big deal of it. It might become the turning point for your follower. It may be the high point of their day. Celebrate growth. Growth makes me happy!

Just last week we received the published copies of our new book called The Passionate Salesperson. My son, Chris and I, wrote, edited and published this book in less than 6 months. This was a record for me and for the process. I am really proud of the book for it is an excellent resource to help any professional salesperson to more effectively do their job. It is filled with systems, processes and tools to help the professional salesperson progress through their career from the beginning to the end. The professional career is divided into three stages; the intern, the established and the mature salesperson. It also breaks down everything the salesperson does into four areas; Business Management, Sales Process, Activity Management and Market Development. We expect this book will be warmly received by the marketplace.

All of our books can be ordered either in a paperback version or a e-book (electronic) version.

Jim just signed a contract to have two of his five books translated and published into Hungarian. Many of his books are published in various languages. He is now published in English, Chinese, Taiwanese, Russian, Turkish, Slovak, Czech, Romanian, Polish, Lithuanian and now Hungarian. He is in discussion to publish some titles in Greek and Ukrainian. His is a best selling author of some of his titles. For more information about his books and how to order them go to http://professionalsalesplus.com/Books. All his books are available in paper and e-book versions.

Coming in June! The Passionate Salesperson's Handbook - How to sell in a competitive marketplace!

Jim is in the midst of writing his sixth book. This time he will co-author the book with his youngest son. Chris. This book with be a very practical book on selling. Salespeople who work in a competitive environment, where a relationship is important to the sales process, will find great value in this handbook. There will be a modest focus on the theory of selling and significant focus on what to do and say to the potential customer. Jim will bring his 21 years of selling experience and 11 years of international training to bear in this book. Chris started professionally selling two years ago and will add current challenges he and others face in these competitive times. Jim and Chris feel this handbook will have broad application around the world.

Jim has written 5 other books that are published in 11 languages. He is an international best selling author. For more information and to order his books please to to http://professionalsalesplus.com/Books

A positive book on change - 5th book in a series
by James M. Heidema and Carol A. McKenzie

I am in the process of gaining different certifications levels as an Agile trainer, consultant and coach. This is a two-year process that I began in August of this year (2008). Mainly, Agile project methodology is used in an IT (Information Technology) environment.

We are in the midst of some very challenging economic times. It seems everywhere you look, the economy is failing. Nobody wants to talk about the 'R' word, but we are definitely in a Recession. For many, this is very scary times. Many are uncertain what they should or should not do to survive economically.

Based on our own experiences, what we have read and learned, we have found those people who develop passion for life tend to have better lives than those who don’t. Change often is good and provides each of us with excitement, joy, growth, interest and livelihood.

My co-author and I are writing our 3rd book together, my 6th book. This one is on change. It is called 'Another Flippin' Change Book - Hooked on and Passionate about Change!" One of the topics I am writing about is Finding my Passion. It is an interesting exercise to find out what turns me on in life and excites me enough to unleash my passion.