Year 1997. I was a complete wet behind the ears sales person, trying to sell like my hero at the time, Zig Ziglar, told me to in his cassette tapes. I listened to those tapes until the plastic film with magnetic tape literally disintegrated.
I struggled to stay in the sales ‘zone.’ I struggled with following through on my sales activity commitments. I struggled with not chickening out on cold calling, aggressively following up, speaking with conviction about my products and services and a host of other challenging important, but not urgent sales and life activities.
I was somewhere in some city trying to sell something and heard a term that forever changed my perspective on life.
‘Allowitz, Don’t Pull the Chicken Switch.’
I was immediately struck with the fact that when I don’t do what I say, when I bail out and don’t follow through, I was chickening out. I was pulling the chicken switch.
I pulled out a manila folder and labeled it Chicken Switching (the verb of Chicken Switch) and began putting notes in the folder when I failed to follow through. Filled that folder. Had to empty it and put those notes in my office only to start filling the folder once again.
I also started putting notes in the folder when I observed others pulling the chicken switch.
Year 2001. I decided I would write a book about not pulling the chicken switch.
Year 2015. That manila folder somehow outlasted 5 different backpacks I carried the folder in for nearly 20 years.
Year 2016. It was time to stop bailing out on my commitment from 2001 and I wrote the book. It’s title is Don’t Pull the Chicken Switch. How to maximize willpower and get everything you want out of work and life.
Today: While I maybe am an expert (with a little e :)) on the theory of Don’t Pull the Chicken Switch, I am 100% still a student of the principles of Don’t Pull the Chicken Switch. I am better in some areas of not bailing out and have far to go in other areas to perfect my Don’t Pull the Chicken Switch skill set.
How’s your doggedness to not pull the chicken switch in professional and personal areas in your life?
Check out my book to get some principle based insights to reduce Chicken Switching in your life. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kit+allowitz