5 Ways to Develop A Sense of Urgency

By: Brian Tracy

Perhaps the most outwardly identifiable quality of a high performing man or woman is "action
orientation."

1. Take Time to think and Plan

highly productive people take the time to think, plan and set priorities. They then launch quickly and
strongly toward their goals and objectives. They work steadily, smoothly and continuously and seem
to go through enormous amounts of work in the same time period that the average person spends
socializing, wasting time and working on low value activities.

2. Getting into "Flow"

When you work on high value tasks at a high and continuous level of activity, you can actually enter
into an amazing mental state called "flow." Almost everyone has experienced this at some time. Really
successful people are those who get themselves into this state far more often than the average.

In the state of "flow," which is the highest human state of performance and productivity, something
almost miraculous happens to your mind and emotions. You feel elated and clear. Everything you do
seems effortless and accurate. You feel happy and energetic. You experience a tremendous sense of
calm and personal effectiveness.

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3. Become More Alert and Aware

In the state of "flow," identified and talked about over the centuries, you actually function on a higher
plane of clarity, creativity and competence. You are more sensitive and aware. Your insight and
intuition functions with incredible precision. You see the interconnectedness of people and
circumstances around you. You often come up with brilliant ideas and insights that enable you to
move ahead even more rapidly.

4. Develop a Sense of Urgency

One of the ways you can trigger this state of flow is by developing a "sense of urgency." This is an
inner drive and desire to get on with the job quickly and get it done fast. This inner drive is an
impatience that motivates you to get going and to keep going. A sense of urgency feels very much like
racing against yourself.

5. Create a "Bias for Action"

With this ingrained sense of urgency, you develop a "bias for action." You take action rather than
talking continually about what you are going to do. You focus on specific steps you can take
immediately. By employing this technique you concentrate on the things you can do right now to get
the results you want and achieve the goals you desire.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, select one major task confronting you and launch into it immediately. Don't hesitate. Move fast.

Second, start doing this every morning, first thing, until it becomes a habit.

The Power of Pausing

By: Brian Tracy

All the top salespeople ask good questions and listen carefully to the answers. One of the most
important skills of listening is simply to pause before replying. When the prospect finishes talking,
rather than jumping in with the first thing that you can think of, take three to five seconds to pause
quietly and wait.

Becoming a Master of the Pause

All excellent listeners are masters of the pause. They are comfortable with silences. When the other
person finishes speaking, they take a breath, relax and smile before saying anything. They know that
the pause is a key part of good communications.

Three Benefits of Pausing

Pausing before you speak has three specific benefits. The first is that you avoid the risk of interrupting
the prospect if he or she has just stopped to gather his or her thoughts. Remember, your
primary job in the sales conversation is to build and maintain a high level of trust, and listening builds
trust. When you pause for a few seconds, you often find the prospect will continue speaking. He will
give you more information and further opportunity to listen, enabling you to gather more of the
information you need to make the sale.

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Carefully Consider What You Just Heard

The second benefit of pausing is that your silence tells the prospect that you are giving careful
consideration to what he or she has just said. By carefully considering the other person's words, you
are paying him or her a compliment. You are implicitly saying that you consider what he or she has
said to be important and worthy of quiet reflection. You make the prospect feel more valuable with
your silence. You raise his self-esteem and make him feel better about himself.

Understanding With Greater Efficiency

The third benefit of pausing before replying is that you will actually hear and understand the prospect
better if you give his or her words a few seconds to soak into your mind. The more time you take to
reflect upon what has just been said, the more conscious you will be of the their real meaning. You
will be more alert to how his words can connect with other things you know about the prospect in
relation to your product or service.

The Message You Send

When you pause, not only do you become a more thoughtful person, but you convey this to the
customer. By extension, you become a more valuable person to do business with. And you achieve
this by simply pausing for a few seconds before you reply after your prospect or customer has spoken.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, take time to carefully consider what the customer just said and what he might mean by it.
Pausing allows you to read between the lines.

Second, show the customer that you really value what he has said by reflecting for a few moments
before you reply.