Two truths: You are looking to have your BEST year ever, and you have already broken all your New Year’s resolutions.

Last week, I gave you the first two elements of how to have your BEST year ever:

1. Define yourself.

2. Develop a sales mission statement.

Here are the next three elements to master:

3. Have a deep belief in the three critical areas of selling. In order to make your message transferable, in order to engage prospective buyers in a way that makes them want to do business with you, and before you develop your sales skills and your presentation skills, you must deepen your belief in your company, your product or service, and yourself.

If you’re going to have your best year ever, you have to believe that you work for the greatest company in the world. You have to believe that you offer the greatest product or service in the world, and you have to believe you’re the greatest salesperson in the world.

I have often said in my live seminars that mediocrity stems from lack of belief more than from lack of skill. I say it all the time, because it’s true. Most people blame their own inability, and their lack of belief, on a variety of external circumstances: pricing, the marketplace, the Internet, the competition, bidding, the economy and a bunch of other conjured-up excuses that prevent a belief system from anchoring in success.

If you believe, all the excuses fade away. If you want to have your best year ever, you have to BELIEVE that you’re going to have your best year ever.

4. Develop greater pride in accomplishment. Personal pride is easily defined when you think about your child playing the piano, dancing in a recital, scoring a soccer goal or hitting a home run. “That’s Daddy’s little girl!” “That’s Mommy’s boy!” That’s pride. Personal pride.

I’m going to ask you to redefine pride as TAKING OWNERSHIP. When you buy a new car and you take ownership, you drive around the neighborhood showing it off. Would you do the same thing if you rented a car? Take it even further: if your kid spills a bag of potato chips in the back of a rental car, what do you do? Nothing; it’s a rental! Who cares? But if your kid spills a bag of potato chips in the back of your new BMW, you make him lick them up off the back seat. You have to take pride in your achievements and your accomplishments. That pride, that ownership and that responsibility will lead you to the next achievement.

Ownership and pride are closely related. CAUTION: Be careful of pride’s evil twins: cockiness and arrogance. Your ability to display pride will be contagious. You’ve all heard the expression “pride of accomplishment.” In sales, you often have to pat yourself on the back because others don’t give you enough praise. Part of having your best year ever is building your own sense of pride, without others having to reinforce it.

5. You are what you eat. Every person I know, including me, has 10 pounds of weight they wish they didn’t have. Look around at the people you work with. Discover for yourself the correlation between fit and successful. Personally, this is my weakest area. I write about it, I pledge to do something about it, but progress is slow. Through the encouragement of my partner, I’m taking at least one brisk walk a day. Sometimes two. If you want to have your best year ever, you have to start someplace. And you have to work at it every day.

Now you have five of the 20.5 elements. I know it’s progressing slower than you want, but hey, it’s about having your BEST year ever, and I want to be certain you have all the information possible to make that happen. Yes, there will be several parts to this piece. Yes, the ENTIRE article will be available on my Web site AFTER the last part has run.

Return next week for part three of how to have your BEST year ever. In the meantime, I’d love to know what you are doing to have your best year ever. Send an e-mail to bestyear@gitomer.com and all ideas will be posted on my site.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com.