As managers, we all are subject to human error. Letting those around us to do the job at hand, be their own person. When we empower our coworkers, there is nothing that can’t be accomplished.
Selling in a Digital Age (This is the introduction to a new book I will be published before the end of this year)
How to stand out in the crowd
When I first started selling personal computers and cell phones were in their infancy. In fact, it was a car phone that mounted in the car paying as much as a couple of bucks a minute to be on the telephone incoming or outgoing. You were pretty cool if you had a phone antenna on your back glass. In fact, a huge market for fake phone antennas existed one had to look cool!
In today’s world, salespeople have unbelievable tools to help them reach out to customers. You’re a smartphone away from success. What you will learn reading this book will teach you how to use and where to find digital platforms to stand out in the crowd. Most importantly, how to brand you as the go-to professional for whatever it is your pedaling.
After thirty plus years working in professional sales organizations, I can tell you today’s sales professional has so many ways to reach out and touch customers it’s mind-boggling.
It’s time to laugh a bit. In my day we had no computers, no cell phones. We merely kept tickler cards (old guy version of a CRM) in a box on our desk. Each tab had who you needed to follow up with for that month or week with notes from the last call.
A retired salesman named Joe Girard
My point to that statement is you need to be the salesperson everyone loves. You don’t put up numbers like that without being a person that delivers value and most importantly experience the customer never forgets.
So before we dive off into the digital end of the pool. It’s essential you have a general knowledge of selling. All of what you’re about to learn will make sense to you if sales are your gig. What you will achieve by reading and studying the information in this book is how you will be found. Imagine customers finding you before they even see your product or service.
Imagine customers learning more about your professional business acumen than the widget you’re selling. Be the go-to guy within your industry. It could take you years before anyone noticed you without the digital programs that you will learn about in this book. If you got noticed at all!
This is going to take some work. If you’re not willing to make an investment in your own success, shame on you! However, if reading this book, then I imagine the person that we want to serve this information to is you.
You will learn how to leverage social media, blogs, and landing pages that will serve you well in the marketplace. Sharing information not only about your product but its successful application. How end users will benefit from your product or service. Most importantly, how they will help from doing business with you.
At the end of the day, people do business with people they trust and like. Planting that information and letting it will serve you for years to come. Search helpful information that allows clients to find you, get to know you before you ever make physical contact.
The whole book will be available in December 2018.
Fear of success, you would d think not a soul would have that. You would be wrong. Many folks have a fear of success. Sadly many will sabotage any chance for success, by saying “it’s too hard,” “I don’t have the resources,” or quit because it’s hard. Ever heard the phrase no pain no gain, (I know an old cliche)?
The actual difference about a winner and a loser: Getting up one more time! Being able to take a shot from life, get knocked the f&*k out and getting up one more time. In the face of what is the point, get up! If you can do that, you will succeed.
Most of us are afraid of the unknown so don’t feel like you’re the only one. If you jump out and leave yourself vulnerable what is the worst thing that might happen? Seriously? What the hell are any of us afraid of? Oh my God, we might fail! Okay, then what? If all you did was put yourself out there to achieve something more and you failed, now what? You didn’t die, you’re still standing, breathing, 10 fingers and 10 toes.
The worst thing you have to begin again. What the hell is wrong with that. You contemplate your next plan of attack. Choose a new path, what does that path look like? Stop being afraid to just try something new. Find something you’re not scared of. Perhaps it’s when you met someone you were really attracted to. Most people can talk more shit when it’s something that they really want than they ever imagined possible. Some of you would call that game. Why because they are passioned about the end result. Fear is no longer an issue.
Ladies when you’re trying to land that perfect guy you want to spend the rest of your life with. Your conversation is on it’s “A” game. Fear diminishes because your charms take over. The end result decreases all fear.
What we’re saying here is find the passion in what you’re doing, what diminishes fear is game. Learn all you can about what it is you want to do. Have “game.” When you find the exact reason for what you wish to achieve, family, success, relationship or building the next great business. Find what truly passions you and then allow yourself to stumble, fall, bust your ass over and over. Until one day you take a shot and you don’t fall, you take hit after hit, and you’re still standing. You look around you and figure out you have the game, you have confidence in YOU.
So some of you are still sitting here saying easier said than done you ass. You don’t just change. Okay, I will give you that to some small measure. Until you make a conscious decision to change, I mean a no bullshit decision without any caveats. Then yes you will not find the change you seek.
Most people kick their own ass. You lose before you ever get in the ring to fight, by just telling yourself you can’t. Or you listen to naysayers that say you can’t, sadly these are usually people close to us family.
So stop telling people what you’re going to do and do it! Don’t tell a soul what you doing, misery loves the company and guesses what the only person that wants success for you, Damn well better be just you. Mothers will say, “oh yes honey I want you to be the President of the United States, but with one caveat don’t hurt yourself” sorry princess you don’t get jobs like that without taking some real shots to the gut (no offense Moms, people close to us love us and don’t want to see us in pain, that’s natural).
If you can’t take a shot from life right to the balls and get back up. Then expect the same result you now achieve. You have to put yourself out their take shot. It may be painful, it may hurt, but it won’t kill you! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger don’t you love stupid cliches.
If needed stand in a room by yourself and scream at the top of your voice “I am not a scared pussy, and those that think I am can kiss my fucking ass.” Scream that as loud and crazy as you can. Stop reading and do it now if you’re not in front of children. If you are, scream in a pillow. Do something that gets your blood boiling, be mad at the world and tell the world NO MORE, I AM DONE, IT’S MY TURN TO WIN.
So you go out and try something it utterly fails, you look foolish, WHO THE FUCK CARES? What colossal injustice you suffered for a whopping few minutes. Next week, next few days I doubt anyone involved will even remember your screw up. So don’t be afraid to screw up because if you jack it up guess what your not so special that people honestly give two shits they’re dealing with their own shit.
Take time to find passion in what you want to try. Yell, scream, get excited about your whatever. Don’t be afraid to screw up. It’s not the end of the world if you do. Kid drops a high fly ball to center field and loses the game. What does a parent say, don’t worry son you will win the next one, it was a mistake, and you will get the next one. So yes folks guess what if you screw up you will get the next one.
You can overcome fear, I bet if someone bitch slapped your Mom, you could find the strength to fight back to protect her. If someone were hurting you or a family member, you would see the strength in yourself to fight back. So you can overcome fear with the right motivation. Merely being sick and tired of being sick and tired, should move your ass. Stop taking a beating to get up and hit back. Methodically of course!
Still not convinced you can overcome your fear? First off it’s okay. Fear can be debilitating if you let it. Things can be easier said than done, that does not mean impossible. Nor is it impossible for you to change.
Change can happen by taking baby steps. Do one thing, just a straightforward matter to overcome fear. Go to a coffee house and strike up a conversation with a total stranger. If nothing more than in passing saying “how about this weather?” If it’s awful, make it just getting off your ass and going out the door. We’re not candy coating things get off your ass and do one thing. I am not asking you out on a second date, do just one small step! That act in and of itself is a step forward, excellent job!!!
It’s incredible to me how many mid-level or senior managers don’t get this statement:
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”–Jack Welch
Certainly not roping all leaders into this statement. It is sad more often than not that managers become self-involved and forget it’s the team that wins!
If you find yourself in a senior management position, take ego out of the equation. Surround yourself with a team that fills gaps in your own shortcomings. Smart managers through the ages have surrounded themselves with people smarter than themselves. Allowed those individuals to do what they do best.
Many managers will not do this in fear of their own job. This is a big mistake. When your team shines you shine as the coach. Get fear out of your head!
Surround yourself with world-class people and let them do the job you hired them to do. Inspire, delegate, and set expectations. Pretty simple!
It’s your paycheck that pays for the care of your family. If you didn’t work the hours that you do, weekend and so on, life just wouldn’t be possible. You work hard to provide for your family entirely admirable. For years I thought the same thing.
If you’re so busy, you have no time for your family what the hell kind of life is that? It’s not a life because someday when your son or daughter is grown up you will be regretting the time lost. You can cloud this up all you want but the day will come. So let’s figure out how to manage work and life balance.
The first big hurdle to cross is the boss that says “sure you can go watch your kids’ ball game just pack this box with all your shit.” I actually have had several bosses who played that card. This I will admit is a tight position to find yourself in.
An even tougher thought to ponder is to say you do succeed, but you’ve missed every first thing, birthdays, and life events with your children. How do you ever get that back? You don’t! A very perplexing situation to find oneself.
We all want to get ahead in life, we want to give our family more than what we had. The problem is the cost. What are we willing to pay. From experience, I paid a lot. More than I should have because I missed a great many things. My son ounce sent me a picture of a child chasing a Dad, the bottom photo was the Dad chasing the child. Sad!
One damn sure thing you can never do; buy your child’s happiness or love. What you can provide is you! So how to find the balance?
Begin by making sure you make time every day if possible that you leave your phone, emails, and laptops. Allow yourself to be totally present in a moment with your child. Don’t answer the phone and say Daddy or Mommy has to take this. Don’t dismiss your child as you would a co-worker.
Finding balance requires you to be completely present at the moment. You want to sell yourself that a client can’t wait an hour to hear from you (I get time-sensitive jobs, but you need to find a time when the market is closed, see my point). Spending uninterrupted time with your children, time with them while you are on the phone is NO GOOD! Block out time that is the children’s time!
Some will say this is a nieve look at job vs. family. That it’s your job that pays for your families life. If you asked one adult child, who’s parents gave them an incredible home, everything they could ever want. If you asked that child what if anything could you change, all would tell you more time with the parent that was absent. You can’t buy a family or love.
Make real-time for kids to experience what you have to offer. Maybe you can’t be there all the time, but be present in the moment. Don’t miss firsts or birthdays! You can never get them back; I don’t care how many birthday ponies you give. Turn off phones and be with your kids! You won’t regret you did, ever!
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