Quotes from Robert J. Ringer

reality isn't the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are.

reality isn't the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are.

People say they love truth, but in reality they want to believe that which they love is true.

Based on firsthand experience, it was apparent to me that the most relevant factor in my ongoing dilemma was my posture, a conclusion that produced the Posture Theory, which states: It's not what you say or do that counts, but what your posture is when you say or do it.

What I am referring to is the Theory of Next, which states: The key to maintaining a positive mental attitude is to recognize that no one deal is that important. The person with a true positive mental attitude possesses the power to say "Next!" and quickly move on to the next deal when things don't work out.

Being liked was not much of a reward for being poor and disrespected. By the same token, money and respect were more than enough consolation for having a pack of insecure neurotics dislike me.

The first four steps of selling are familiar to most people. Being a successful salesman requires: Having a product to sell that other people value. Locating a market (i.e., buyers) for your product. Implementing a sales presentation and/or marketing strategy. Closing the sale. These four steps have been discussed in many sales books, but, remarkably, I've never seen the fifth—and most important—step discussed in any book: 5. GETTING PAID!

The owner I was searching for was the guy who would come to the phone and give at least some indication that he might be interested in selling his property. I say indication, because an owner will rarely come right out and admit that he's interested in selling his property.

The bedrock theory I am referring to is the Theory of Reality, which states: Reality is neither the way you wish things to be nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. Either you acknowledge reality and use it to your benefit, or it will automatically work against you.

Throughout the book I have continually used the phrase earning and receiving. Why do I keep adding the words "and receiving?" Because, as everyone who has ever tried to sell anything has discovered, to his dismay, it's one thing to earn a fee, but quite another to actually receive it. You make a grave mistake if you develop the habit of prematurely celebrating.

Alas, the truth had to be acknowledged. If Ms. Best was "the best," I was the Dalai Lama. She was not the best; she was not good; she was not average; she was not even bad. She was, in point of fact, the worst secretary I had ever hired—a living, breathing, full-fledged incompetent, fit only for employment by a government agency.

The reality was that the more desperate the owner, the better my chances of concluding a sale. As a result of my new posture, desperation had become my best friend. Thus, if the owner's asking price was at least within shouting distance of the ball-park price I had calculated, and assuming there were no extraordinarily negative factors involved, I would be prepared to move forward with trying to find a buyer.

Cornerstone No. 1 is the Theory of Relativity, which states: In order to settle on a rational course of action (or inaction), one must first weigh all pertinent facts in a relative light and carefully define his terms.

Cornerstone No. 2 is the Theory of Relevance, which states: No matter how interesting or how true something may be, the primary factor to take into consideration is how relevant it is to your achieving main your objective.

Cornerstone No. 3 is the Mortality Theory, which states: Given that your time on earth is limited, it makes good sense to aim high and move fast.

Cornerstone No. 4 is the Ice-Ball Theory, which states: Given the apparent, ultimate fate of the earth, it is vain and nonsensical to take oneself too seriously.

The reality from my vantage point was that 50 billion years from now, when the earth is nothing but an ice ball, my problems of today will be too insignificant to have been recorded. Indeed, there would undoubtedly not even be a record of the entire century in which I had lived most of my life.

Stressed-out individuals tend to press too hard for results at crucial moments, and the harder someone presses for a result, the less likely it is he will achieve it.

During the second call, I explained that since we were both (meaning the buyer and me) busy people, I thought it would save a lot of time if he could answer a few quick questions over the phone. That way, I explained, I could avoid sending him properties that did not fall within his guidelines.

The first one is the Tortoise and Hare Theory, which states: The outcome of most situations in life are determined over the long term. The guy who gets off to a fast start merely wins a battle; the individual who's ahead at the end of the race wins the war. Battles are for ego-trippers, wars are for money-grippers.

I tried to (and still do) live by the words of Abraham Lincoln: "If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe.

In summation, if someone feels the psychological need to hold court, that's his business. Your job is to mind your business. Don't allow yourself to be intimidated by someone else's knowledge—or apparent knowledge. What another person knows or doesn't know will not affect your success one way or another, so from your standpoint it's an irrelevancy

Regardless of what business you're in, when it comes to sales or deal-making, it's critical that you to build a detailed record of your involvement—not just to use as a last resort in court, but as a constant reminder to all the principals involved that you are/were instrumental in making the deal happen.

That's because time brings into play the Fiddle Theory, which states: The longer you fiddle around with a deal, the greater the odds that it will never close.