"This game is 90% mental. The other half is physical." Yogi Berra, the famous Yankee catcher, said that and was talking about baseball, but his famous quote can be used in almost any endeavor. The Mini-Clinic tours back in the '70s and '80s gave me the opportunity to talk with hundreds of people who were thinking about going into the carpet cleaning business.
These folks didn't have a clue about how to advertise to get the business. Worst of all, they had to commit to buying equipment and chemicals before they could even clean their first carpet. It was interesting to watch their faces as I talked about buying equipment, especially when Yogi's logic was applied to the difference between "buying" or being "sold."
To "buy" or to be "sold" may sound like the transaction has the same result but there is a huge difference. If a person is "sold," their chances of success are far less than those of a person who "buys" equipment. After being "sold" there is a period of doubt or buyer's remorse and that short hesitation may prevent the total commitment that it takes to succeed in a new business.
In a new business there is no room for error and just a short period of buyer's remorse may cause delaying an important decision. But someone who "sells" himself that he has made the right decision on equipment has a far greater chance to succeed because he is already committed and uses critical decision time with a clear head and to its fullest advantage.
