The Sales Experiment

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Our Heart and Our Sales

I’m not talking about what I recently heard termed ‘head trash’ – those preconceptions, issues with self-confidence, and other screwy thinking that can bump up against our success as sales professionals.

I’m talking about taking care of our most important relationships.

Success is much much more than cash money. We all know that you can have a horrible family life and still make stacks of cash.

I wonder if a life riddled with destroyed relationships, regardless of monetary success, should be considered success at all.

Reading: Zig Ziglar – See You at the Top. Chapter on marriage (Segment 3, Chapter 3)

Zig was a traditional old guy. While it’s obvious that See You at the Top is not a purely sales book, I don’t think I’ve read any other recent sales or success literature that dedicates a chapter to nurturing ones marriage.

I struggle with trying to use the chapter to prove that if one is at odds with his or her spouse, children, and other important relationships that he or she will not be successful as a salesperson. It’s simply not true. Everybody has a story of the complete jerk who seems to close every deal.

But ultimate success – legacy – does not place deals higher than relationships.

In my world, I know that I have to be vigilant around becoming obsessed with work to the detriment of my other relationships.

The way I perform as a professional is important to my legacy, but it’s much less important than my availability to my spouse and my children. If I blow past goals but fail to build into my children, what’s the point?

I appreciate Zig’s acknowledgment of this part of our lives.

How about you?

Where is your heart while you chase sales success? Do you think it even matters?

Until tomorrow….

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Other Reading and Listening

The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation 

I just started this book, and as my 6 year old said, “Daddy, you’re always reading like 5 books at a time,” so I might set it aside so I can finish Zig’s See You at the Top.  So far, though, it’s a great book about the profile of top sales reps.  Any of my success has had to come by leveraging my natural approach while super-imposing best practices. This book, so far, offers great suggestions based on exhaustive research, regarding how to move from being a ‘core’ or mediocre sales performer to a high performer.

More Social Media Marketing Podcast, with Michael Stelzner (and various guests).

I’ve been power-listening to a bunch of these podcasts. Over the last week or so, I’ve been catching up on shows dating back to May (It’s the day before Thanksgiving, if that tells you anything.

Some good ones…

Writing and Social: Why the Written Word Is Your Marketing Advantage – w/ Guest Ann Handley

Webinars: Growing Leads and Sales With Live Online Events w/ Lewis Howes

YouTube Growth: How to Grow Your YouTube Channel – w/ Steve Dotto

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Tactics, Strategies, and Effectiveness

I’ve spent the last few days catching up on Michael Stelzner’s Social Media Marketing Podcast. The podcast is a wealth of information on digital media’s most effective tactics and strategies (if they are used wisely and surgically, of course).

Today, I listened, specifically, to the podcast with Zach King, a filmmaker who has used his talents to conquer the new world of Vine video.

Mr. King said something that stuck out (paraphrased): “If your target audience isn’t on Vine [i.e. the younger demographic], then perhaps you shouldn’t be on Vine. It’s not smart to try to be on every social media platform.” (something like that)

The message is this: Use the tactics and strategies that increase effectiveness as it relates to your goals.

Only use the marketing platforms that drive your business forward. 

Experiment? Yes.

Commit full resources to all of them? No.

Sales and New Marketing Both Suffer from the Shiny Object Syndrome

Every new sales book that comes out touts itself (or convinces reviewers to tout it) as the greatest new development in sales since whatever the other most recent sales movement was.

The same holds true for marketing.

We get nudged off of a consistent course by grasping at the next thing that sounds like it’ll hold a silver bullet.

The newsflash is this: there is no such thing as a silver bullet. You might find a little fortune or favor here and there, but there is no silver bullet.

Be Honest About What Is Effective

As they say in recovery, the first thing one must do is admit there is a problem.

In sales and marketing, the first thing one must admit is which activities produce the most compelling results.  You’d think we’d be happy about finding the one thing, and we’d be uber-disciplined about doing the one or two things that generate the most results.

The problem is that the one or two things require the most sweat. The activities that move the dial nearly always cost us. They take time. They take focus. They take courage.

What strategies and tactics are the most effective in your work?

Are you doing them?

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By the way, Zach King’s Vine channel (or account or whatever) is ridiculously cool. Here’s a fun example:

 

 

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Any Favor We Receive Should Spark Generosity

Today, I spent what felt like 18 hours in the car.  I have the list of listened-to podcasts to prove it.

The first podcast was from College Wesleyan Church. The sermon was called “Better Lucky than Good.”  Rev. Steven Neff’s premise is that regardless of how faithful and how hard we work, sometimes it takes an act of God’s favor to catalyze that work to create success (he uses Naseem Taleb’s books Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan to back it up).

When we receive that favor, the proper response isn’t gratitude only. It’s generosity. When we receive favor or even the fruits of our hard work and labor, we should be moved toward generosity.

It was a convicting idea. What will I do with any success I achieve? Will I be a giver? Will I be a person full of grace and humility and generosity?

Should We Give Everything Away?

I don’t believe that is what we should do.

But I do believe that favor and outright, hard-fought success demands increased responsibility.

Therefore, while I continue on this Dan Miller 6-Month Content Consumption Challenge, I pray that I also develop a better eye for opportunities for generosity.

This generosity doesn’t mean that I give all my cash money away. It does mean that I seek opportunities to serve, give where I can, and speak encouragement and life into situations and individuals when I can.

It also means that much of the good that happens to me isn’t because I’m any better than anybody else. I might have done better at putting myself in a position to have better chances. It might mean that I’ve had plans and executed them. It might mean that my mom and dad did a decent job.

But even some of those things represent opportunities I’ve had that others don’t. I must steward those opportunities well.

When favor comes – when those ‘Black Swan moments’ come – I pray I’m ready to receive and ready to give.

Until tomorrow…

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Reading and Listening Today

I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t read too much today. l listened to 6 podcasts, but I didn’t read so much. I’m starting to wonder if I need to commit more time to reading vs. simply listening to content.

In addition to the sermon referenced above, I listened to episodes 101-105 of the Social Media Marketing Podcast with Michael Stelzner. I plan to write about these podcasts (in general) tomorrow, so I won’t go into detail.

Those podcasts are crammed full of incredible social media marketing strategies (I did a couple today). That’s what I want to talk about: the difference between strategy, tactics, and goals.

 

 

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