This is one of my BIG 3 absolute musts if you want to be successful in business and sales. It is essential! If you want to experience growth, change, or success you CANNOT live in your comfort zone. Timothy Ferriss says it best, "a person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have." He nails it. We MUST get use to being uncomfortable, daily!
DV
In case you're living under a rock Game of Thrones season 6 premiered this week. The wildly popular, for good reason, TV show kicked off in true Thrones fashion by killing off characters, introducing new ones, and keeping everyone on their toes - again! I say "again" with purpose because of how incredibly consistent the writing (and acting) has been throughout each season. Typically my biggest knock on any of these super TV series are that the writing falls off after season 1 or 2 albeit most times slowly but surely. A 6 season TV series means close to 60 hours of material vs say one movie which is only 2 hours of material. It is just incredibly hard to churn out hours of HIGH QUALITY material with tight plots. Thrones does it - consistently!
As always it makes me consider and correlate this on a personal level. We all write and tell our own life story on a daily basis. What IS our story? Are we consistent with our thoughts, actions, and words? Are they all in harmony? How consistent are we at telling that story? Have we lost the audience?
DV
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite musicians Langhorne Slim at the City Winery in NYC (great venue by the way.) I will keep this post brief because my adoration for Langhorne could keep me writing for hours. Beside the fact that I think he's simply that good, he's also a badass who wears really coot hats, what's not to love.
However what I love most about him is his ability to 100% commit to EVERY moment then figure it out. He doesn't worry about anything except just going for it on every song. He is the epitome of PASSION. Some say committing THEN figuring it out is ludicrous, I say it's a must. If you want to connect - personally or professionally - with people then get your hands dirty, get vulnerable, and just go for it.
DV
Note - In the video below he is playing for a crowd of maybe 70 as if they were a crowd of 10,000. Check it out. Great song as well.
Quite possibly the best piece of advice I've ever heard or could ever give in regards to building strong relationships whether it be business, friendships, or romantic. Without a doubt this is a constant battle BUT being vulnerable is the heart of healthy relationships - you need it to exist. It is only viewed as a weakness to those who merely see it for it's literal meaning.
Vulnerability is not what you think it is, vulnerability is much more. Vulnerability is vital.
DV
PS - For more on vulnerability check out Brene Brown's TED Talk. It's one of the most watched TED talks of all time. A true testament to the power of vulnerability.
For the majority of my 20's I noticed the words "I could have done the same thing" were constantly reoccurring in my subconscious. Sometimes backed with "If I only did this", "if I spent as much time on that", or "he/she is not that good anyway." What I was neglecting to realize - intentionally or unintentionally - was that I had been watching the world unfold in front of me instead of creating the world in front of me. If you can do it, do it. If you don't want to do it then why even say/think it. Shame on me.
"I could have done the same thing" are the worst words we can ever tell ourselves ONLY to be trumped by the reasons/excuses we use to back this type of thinking. These words are cowardly NOT courageous. Admire and learn from the people/projects who have set the path for us and use the rest as motivation.
Don't watch others, act with others. Don't talk about others, talk with others. Don't dismiss others, engage with others.
DV
Do The Work by Steven Pressfield
What I like best: Let's just start by saying the book comes highly recommended by Marie Forleo, the forward is done by Seth Godin, and it has one of the coolest covers ever - Vincent Van Gogh, Man with Hoe. So before I even opened the book I KNEW it was going to be a worthwhile read!
It is a fun yet challenging read for a shorter book (90 pages.) It deals heavily with the intriguing topic of resistance. "On the field of self stand a knight and a dragon. You are a knight. Resistance is the dragon," declares Pressfield. As he labels resistance enemy #1! He also implies a basic rule of thumb, "the more important a call of action is to our soul's evolution, the more resistance we will feel." Telling us to consider the champions on our side - stupidity, stubbornness, blind faith, passion, and assistance when combating resistance! If you like challenging your mind, digging deeper with simple concepts, and indulging in light humor then this book is for you.
Best Quote: "The problem with friends and family is that they know us as we are. They are invested in maintaining us as we are. The last thing we want is to remain as we are."
DV
The ability to remain optimistic and positive daily cannot be underestimated on your journey to success. In the meme below the eccentric and excessive yet extremely admirable motivational speaker, author, and real estate mogul Grant Cardone depicts the ONLY way possible to lead a successful life. I will contend this is the easiest way to remain positive daily. I advocate this concept unequivocally and groundupSALES audio principle #7 will absolutely be a testament!
Positivity is the magic pill. Best consumed daily.
DV
A great post yesterday from our friend the brilliant Seth Godin about abstaining. It serves as a great reminder to ALWAYS evaluate the impact of doing nothing during any decision making process. Doing nothing is easy which makes it the often neglected third decision. Doing nothing usually provides the LARGEST impact over time. Doing nothing usually takes time to actually realize doing nothing is actually impacting you, your business, or people around you.
"The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing." - Seth Godin
Yes, no, or nothing. Right, left, or nothing. Buy, sell, or nothing. Evaluate and consider ALL options.
DV
It can be said that way #2 - AVOID at all cost "customer getting back to you" scenarios is just an exclamation point on way #1 in The Best Way(s) to Keep the Ball in Your Court hence the "way(s)." Quite simply though YOU need to be the one following up - always - IF you want to keep the train on the tracks. Do this within the boundaries!
We created boundaries when we set rules. We NEED boundaries to allow us to reduce follow up tension. Customers and prospects do NOT like tension. Tension is bad. When they sense it they will say "let me get back to you", "I need to check my schedule", orrr "dude, are you serious?" Ohhh yeah, I've been there nottt a fun place to be, ha! Just keep it simple.
Create boundaries. Reduce tension. Stay in control.
DV
Don't be this guy, ha!
In last Thursday's post The Best Way(s) to Keep the Ball in Your Court I promised to briefly elaborate on the suggested way(s). Let's tackle way #1 - SET RULES at first engagement in the sales process. If done properly rules are collaborative therefore they will ensure you don't look, feel, or act like a jackass, ha! Okay, relax I'm kidding but seriously who likes feeling awkward, unwanted, and annoying? Yeah, I thought so - me neither! Here's a few rule suggestions.
Rules set boundaries. Check in tomorrow to find out why boundaries are so critical and why they closely relate to way #2 - AVOID giving up control in the sales process.
DV
