The Law of the Farmer is one of the great success truths of all time. You can find this truth in the ancient book of Matthew found in the Bible.

The Great Teacher went down to the sea shore and a great crowd amassed around him. Everywhere he went, the crowds would gather. The Great Teacher looked over the crowd ready to hang onto His every word. He stepped into a small boat and was pushed a few feet from shore. In this way, the masses would not only be able to see Him more clearly, but would be able to hear Him more effectively as well.

The Great Teacher opened His mouth to speak. A hush came over the immense gathering of humanity. The Great Teacher said, "A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them."

Let's stop right here and see what this has to say to us today. The seed fell on the path and birds came and ate the seed. Hmm! What does that mean? Well, I believe that some people get set in their ways. They like the old way of doing things. They like the old way of seeing things. And they like everything to stay the same. These people are not willing to change and grow. You position your product or service to this individual (you plant a seed). This person is so closed minded that they don't even see the opportunity so the seed is stolen away, in this case by the birds.

Let me give you an example. For how many years have some medical doctors disagreed with the practice of Chiropractic? Too long to count. Many of them aren't even willing to consider the possibility that chiropractic care could help their patient. Their patient is not getting better but they would prefer to fail their patient then to open their eyes to refer them to a doctor of chiropractic. My family doctor is different. He had no problem with me seeing chiropractor Dr. Paul Juszczyk. Why? Because his eyes are open.

Now, you might be thinking, "what if the person I am talking with is closed minded? What if they are the seed that falls on the path? What do I do?" My advice is do nothing. Move on to the next prospect. You see, their hardness of mind and heart is not your issue. It is theirs. You did your part. You planted a seed. In this case, it just didn't grow and that is not your fault. Again, move on to the next prospect.

Let's get back to the story. The Great Teacher said, "Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plants sprang up quickly, but they soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil." What does this mean for us? Well, some prospects for your product/service get very excited about what they are hearing and seeing. The challenge is that they take no action. Because they do nothing, the motivation begins to fade away to where in a very short time the seed begins to die. One of the ancient writers said, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was." Without action, many seeds will die. So, what should we do? Get the prospect to take action. Get them to make the appointment, fill out the form, whatever, but they must take action immediately or we will lose them.

Next part of the story reads, "Other seeds fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades." The thorns could be the other stresses in our lives that preoccupy our minds. When a prospect has a thorn there is not much you can do. The timing may be wrong. You did everything you could possibly do. You planted your seed. Now, it is a waiting game. Contact the prospect on a regular basis to stay in touch. But don't just call them up and say, "Hi. Just wanted to give you a call to touch base." Yuk!! You got to give them value. That is why I like newsletters and ezines. It is a great way to stay in touch and at the same time add value for them. Pack your newsletters with helpful articles that are going to improve their lives and reduce the stress (the thorns).

The Great Teacher finishes His story with, "But some seeds fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand." Why do some seeds produce more than others? I haven't a clue. But the truth is that some do and we don't have to be concerned with the "why." All we have to do is plant the seeds, water them and fertilize them, and be ready to bring in the harvest.

Another time, the Great Teacher said, "Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks." I think this teaches us not to give up. To be persistent. If you are digging for gold, you will have to uncover a lot of dirt to find a nugget, but if you keep asking, seeking, and knocking, you will find the nugget. And the nugget is always worth it. It was Calvin Coolidge who said, "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than the unsuccessful man with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent..." Stay the course and you will be successful. The Law of the Farmer works and it will work for you too.

This article is excerpted from the The Sales Champion Within Success Manual by Mark Bowser. For more information on how to bring a Mark Bowser seminar to your organization or to join his free newsletter The Empower Newsletter then go to www.MarkBowser.com



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Some things cannot be measured, and the heart is one of them. I think of three current and former NFL football stars. Mike Singletary, according to the experts, was too short and his 40-yard speed was not that great. However, they could not measure his heart and they did not measure his speed for the first five to fifteen yards, and at that distance he was exceptionally fast. As a result, when a running back broke through the line of scrimmage . . . Singletary was able to stop him in the first couple of yards. That made quite a difference.

Emmitt Smith's 40-yard speed was not earth shattering. . .(but) again, the experts could not measure his heart nor the burst of speed he was able to generate the instant he touched the ball. As a result, he was able to break through the hole at the line and pick up five to eight yards on a consistent basis and frequently break for much longer runs.

Jerry Rice is the other classic example. His 40-yard speed also was not record-breaking, but his commitment to excellence (was) not measurable. Videotape of Jerry Rice shows him running stride for stride downfield with a defensive back until the pass is thrown to him. At that point, Jerry turns on the afterburners and frequently leaves the defensive back well behind.

There's something here for all of us to learn. We can measure I.Q., speed, strength and a host of other things, but the will to win and the commitment to excellence will enable a person of average ability to excel. So, use what you've got, including your heart, and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

. . . Adapted from Something To Smile About, published by Thomas Nelson, authored by Zig Ziglar. Zig is an internationally recognized speaker and author whose message of hope has inspired many people to reach their full potential. To order this book please visit www.zigziglar.com This article was originally printed in the Zig Ziglar newsletter to subscribe to the newsletter go to www.zigziglar.com

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