Let's put to rest the fallacy that success, in sales or any profession, is due to luck, chance, and/or hard work. There is nothing further from the truth. Think about it, you and I both know people who work incredibly hard, putting in long hours, they may even have two jobs, but they are not consistently (if ever) successful. Hard work certainly contributes to success, but hard work alone will not make you top-flight in your industry. Is success due, then, to luck or chance?

After years of study, in a multitude of industries, I have come to the conclusion that success is an absolute science. In other words, there are exact principles of thought and action that all top performers universally and consistently exhibit. Let's examine seven of these principles more closely:

1. High achievers know exactly what they want. I was recently working with top sales professionals on a seven-city tour of Canada. In these seminars, I invariably asked people what they wanted to achieve in the upcoming year. Many people had a vague idea of what they wanted (or what they thought they could achieve); and even more knew what they didn't want; but the high performers knew in measurable terms, what they wanted to accomplish in every area of their life. Without a doubt, this type of clarity and focus is power!

2. Top performers visualize themselves in possession of their desired results. I have interviewed thousands of the worlds most successful and without fail they see themselves winning every single day. Whether in business or athletics: Jack Nicholas in golf, Michael Jordan in basketball, the million-dollar sales producer I spoke with last week, they all have this in common. Visualizing is the key to realizing!

3. Highly successful have an unbending belief in themselves and their abilities. Winners believe they will win in advance, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. A common mistake among would-be achievers is the notion that "if I become more skilled in my profession I will succeed." Yet how many highly skilled people do you know that are not profiting every single day? Often two people go through the same training course and acquire the same skills -- yet one becomes a huge success and one accomplishes nothing. The answer lies in the individuals belief system and the unshakable conviction that he or she will win.

4. Achievers take action "as if" they were already in possession of the goal they desire. High achievers think, work, talk, play, and take action like the person they want to become. This means turning away from current results and focusing, believing, and acting "as if" you were already there. Understand that your current results are the direct outcomes of the past. The past does not equal the future.

5. Winners take full responsibility for their own destiny. Winners get results! Results are not equal to no-results-and-a-good-story. Many sales professionals are better at making excuses than they are at making money. "It's the economy, it's the location, my prices are too high." You can always come up with a good story, but winners hold themselves accountable. Only when you take accountability for everything in your life can you be responsible to change anything.

6. Top performers build high-leveraged partnerships. No one in today's world can make it alone. There is just too much to learn and things are changing too rapidly. High achievers always spend time with other high achievers. Like attracts like. They attend the same events, eat at the same restaurants, join the same churches and clubs. Your business and social environment is more important than your heredity, choose your relationships and partnerships wisely.

7. Great achievers are great givers. Achievers ask: "How can I provide more value? How can I give to others, to my teammates, employees, clients. What can I do to make it better?" Winners always give 10 times more value than they ask for in return.

Success happens according to universal laws and timeless principles. Understand and utilize them and you will win. It works for everyone....every time.