Charlie Jones’s three R’s: Readin’, Writin’, and Reality.

Written By Jeffrey Gitomer
@GITOMER

KING OF SALES, The author of seventeen best-selling books including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His live coaching program, Sales Mastery, is available at gitomer.me.

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Charlie Tremendous Jones has a mantra: “The only difference between where you are now, and where you’ll be next year, are the books you read and the people you meet.” He has said it for more than 50 years and has influenced hundreds of thousands of people with that single sentence. Me included.

Charlie Jones has dedicated his life to learning new things, meeting new people, inspiring new people with his words, and giving away thousands of books. so he could sell millions of books.

But Charlie’s charisma is the most compelling aspect of his character. It’s instant. He doesn’t just shake your hand – he hugs you with a capital H. No one who ever meets him forgets him. Everyone who meets him is touched by him — mentally and physically. If you’ve ever been hugged by Charlie Tremendous Jones, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Here are the 12.5 characteristics of Charlie:

1. He’s so likable that he’s lovable.

2. He makes you laugh and think at the same time.

3. His presentation skills are so excellent, that you’re compelled to listen.

4. His ideas are simplistic, not simple.

5. His concepts are transferable, so you can use them the minute you listen to them.

6. He reads to you, and talks to you, kind of like your mom or dad did — only better.

7. His spirit is ever present. His spirit comes from his spirituality.

8. His honesty and integrity are silent, but evident.

9. He always has a song in his heart and on his lips.

10. He’s not just smart, he’s not just knowledgeable — he’s wise. And his wisdom has come from the books he has read and the people he has met.

11. He has learned that by giving one he receives ten. He looks at it as returning some of what you owe for the blessings you have received.

12. His loyalty to others – including Gloria, his wife of more than 50 years — is as genuine as his loyalty to himself.

12.5 He doesn’t just teach it, he lives it.

How do you measure up against those characteristics?

Everyday is Christmas at the Jones’ residence in Mechanicsville, Pennslyvania. He invites underprivileged children to his perennial Christmas room where he performs for them, and gives them gifts as though he were Santa. (Maybe he is.)

He’s the most non-offensive religious person I have ever met. He doesn’t tell you what you should do or how to believe. He tells you what he does, and how he believes. He has set an example of living, and it makes his teaching more powerful as a result. You may know it as “walks his talk.”

And even though I may not walk the same path — I can walk a better path of my own, having learned from the examples he sets.

As he nears the end of his time on earth, and prepares to meet his maker, his mission has intensified. Defying all health issues and the physical requirements that a person half his age would have trouble keeping pace with, Charlie Jones still presents himself and his enthusiastic persona as though he were 21.

When your middle name is `Tremendous,’ you better be able to back it up. And in my opinion, his middle name is an understatement. It’s not just a name, it’s a lifestyle, a personality, and a philosophy.

Because of his positive attributes and his positive influence on others — his middle name could be tremendous attitude, tremendous person, tremendous giver, tremendous reader, tremendous collector, tremendous speaker, tremendous humor, tremendous fighter, tremendous husband, or tremendous father. But, by far, the best middle name I could give him is Tremendous Influence.

If James Brown was the godfather of soul, then Charlie Jones is the godfather of hugs. If Elvis is the king of rock and roll, then Charlie Jones is the king of positive influence.

When you HAVE the time of your life, it IS the time of your life! Charlie Tremendous Jones has had the time of his life, helping others better their lives. And for the small portion of my life that we have spent together, I am better, and I am grateful.

Want more info about Charlie Jones? Go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time user, and enter the word CHARLIE in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Little Red Book of Selling and The Little Red Book of Sales Answers. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on sales and customer service at www.trainone.com. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com