The Caveman's Guide to Selling

A primitive approach to a civilized world.

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Only you can can answer these questions

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Answer these questions

Why are you working where you are? Why are you doing what you’re doing?

Are you in sales because it’s what you wanted to do or because you couldn’t find what you really wanted?

Only you can answer these questions.

Are you doing it because it provides the security you need for you and your family?  Do you want to help people solve problems or is your current position serving as a way-station until you get the training and education for something you really want?

Only you can answer these questions.

If you don’t love what you do or your desire to continue doing it isn’t for any prolonged period of time, please get out. Please find something else. You are taking a chair that someone can use, someone who does love it and does want to do it for a considerable length of time, perhaps an entire career!
It’s worth taking some time to answer these questions truthfully; to really have a grasp on your Why, because otherwise, what’s the point?

Be true to yourself.

The Only Thing Constant Is Change

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Change

I had heard a story about the great Albert Einstein from one of his teaching assistants that paralleled a similar concept in selling. After distributing an exam to his class, Einstein’s assistant noticed that the exam was the same one that was given out the previous year. Upon asking if such was true, Einstein acknowledged that it was in fact the same exam. The assistant asked, “Why would you want to give the exact same exam to this class for two years in a row?”  “Because”, he replied, “the answers have changed!”

Too often in selling we get comfortable with one size fits all solutions for our clients.

By doing this we assume the challenges they face are the same and subsequently cease to ask the fundamental questions that can help us further understand their business and what they’re trying to accomplish. As Einstein was implying, and as the Greek Philosopher, Heraclitus has taught us, the only thing constant is change and all things are in a state of flux. This is especially true for our clients as the pace of technology and innovation continue to redefine social and economic landscapes. What worked last year, or even yesterday for that matter, may not be what works today.

In accordance with Einstein’s response to his teaching assistant, we too must remember to continue to ask our clients fundamental questions, because the truth is, the solutions have and will continue to change.

Let Go

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Let Go 

In order to best serve your clients, you must be able to see and listen for what their true needs are before making a recommendation or offering your service.

Seems easy enough, right? Well here’s the thing, you won’t be able to assess their needs, preferences, or desires if your client isn’t comfortable enough with you to let you into their world.  

Exuding warmth, openness, and a genuine interest in others are surefire ways of facilitating their comfort and in essence, making a connection. This idea is simple, but not entirely easy.

It requires you to be fully present with those you are hoping to connect with, and is especially difficult if you are experiencing angst, frustration, or anger in response to the inner workings of your environment. In our fast paced world, it’s easy to understand why maintaining such a state can be even more challenging. Not only do we face a plethora of daily distractions, but we are also presented with internal and external pressures to produce and perform. The likes of which beg for both our conscious and subconscious attention.

In his post, The Zen of Work, Leo Babuta offers a great solution for cultivating a state of presence amidst the chaos and stress of our everyday: Letting go.

Babuta writes:

“It’s our reaction… that causes the stress: our holding on to a wish that things were different.” and that “When you let go of these ideas of how things should be, … then the problems go away. They simply don’t exist.”.

He goes on further to say that “mindfulness allows us to see these thought processes that are causing us pain, allows us to delve into what we’re holding on to”.

Once we understand what we are holding on to, we should let it go. By living in the moment, and shedding the weight of our expectations, we create a space for our inner sun to shine through, and ultimately drawing in those we want to connect with.

The key to success? Grit.

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grit

One of The Five Elements of Success that make up the foundation of The Caveman’s Guide to Selling is the rock, which represents hard work and perseverance. Over the past few years, this concept has gained in popularity ever since Angela Lee Duckworth discussed “grit” in her famous TED talk The Key to Success? Grit.

In her own words,

“Grit is passion and perseverance for very long term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future day in, day out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working really hard to make that future a reality.”

According to Angela’s research in schools, at West Point, and in the private sector, her and her team found that grit was the number one characteristic that determined success. While the origins of grittiness are still being researched, Duckworth references Mindset, the work of Stanford University professor and author, Carol Dweck. I’m looking forward to discussing Dr. Dweck’s work in a future post.

The overall message:

In order to be successful, we must be willing to do the work. To experiment, to fail, to learn from our blunders AND to keep going. To persevere.

I hope you enjoy Angela’s talk as much as I did.

 

It’s not a zero sum game

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It's not a zero sum game

One of the biggest ah-ha moments of my selling career (and life for that matter), is when I realized that I can only compete with myself, and not other people.

Before I figured this out, I felt that if I applied my skills, worked hard, and continued to develop relationships, I had a good chance to finish at or near the top of the heap in my company’s rankings. Number one, was where I wanted to be.

Here in lies the problem.

Let’s say you absolutely kill it one year and someone else does even better. Does their success diminish your own? Did you not still have an amazing year?

Here’s the reality:

Your success isn’t relative to other people’s. It is not a zero sum game. The only thing you can control is your own production, not anyone else’s.

When you focus on what everyone else (or even just one person) is or isn’t accomplishing, it’s easy to lose sight of your own goals. What’s worse, your jealousy towards those you are comparing yourself to breeds a toxic work environment that infects not only your company, team, and industry, but also yourself. This kind of energy can be felt a million miles away, and is like a neon sign that reads “run for the hills! I’m super toxic”. No one wants to connect with that.

And let me just say, for the record, I am no saint. As embarrassing as it is to admit, there was a time when I took part in this ridiculous and toxic behavior.

I have since learned however, that wins are wins and they should be celebrated, regardless of who has them. By approaching wins in this way, I am better able to keep my goals in sight, because I am not caught up in a vicious cycle of negativity and jealousy. Instead I can focus on doing my best, bringing it everyday, and using my skills to affect what I can control.

 

Create a Buffer

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Buffer

What if you never had to apologize again for being late? (Especially to a client).

Imagine what it would be like if you didn’t spend the first few minutes of a meeting recovering from the stress induced drive/walk/sprint over to your next appointment. What if you could be really present for the meeting?

In his book Essentialism, Greg McKeown suggests a really simple approach for making such a thing happen: Create a Buffer. More specifically, a 50% buffer.

For example, if you think it will take you 20 minutes to transport yourself, add an additional 10 minutes (20 x 50% = 10) to the trip. Assume it will take you 30 minutes to get to your destination.

When I first came across McKeown’s approach I thought, but what about all the time I’m going to be wasting when I’m now the one waiting! But then logic kicked in: I have a smartphone. So in all reality, if I were waiting a couple of minutes, (assuming nothing unexpected popped up along the way) the likelihood of being able to bang out a couple of emails or catch up on some other work is very high. More importantly, with the extra time, I could take a minute or two to orient myself which would essentially minimize the chaos that is created by tardiness. Without the chaos, I could focus on creating a more comfortable space to engage in. A space where learning, sharing, and understanding could flourish.

Creating a buffer is such a simple thing, one that is easy to overlook, but the potential benefit it brings to the overall interaction is what makes it so important not to.

Marketing Material

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Brochures

After months of deliberation, I am proud to say, I am now an unencumbered inhabitant of a paperless office.

Although I was pretty efficient in my pre-paperless office, I’m finding that I am even more so now, after reducing the excess noise and clutter. The switch was pretty easy, considering almost every document we use is shared via email or lives in the cloud somewhere (although I’m still not sure where that is exactly). In a future post, I will go into greater detail about what kind of system I use to keep everything organized, but for today, I want to address the stubborn pieces of paper that continue to pester not just me, but my scanner too!

Marketing material.

I can’t tell you how many pieces of marketing material I receive from fellow sales people everyday. From high-gloss brochures to business cards and everything in between; it’s everywhere.

Now, it’s not that marketing material is inherently bad. In fact, when used appropriately, it can serve as an  effective storytelling tool, one that conveys a universal message and has the ability to move us visually. Marketing material is not however an effective sales strategy. It can not and should not be used as a salesperson’s main course of action.

People don’t develop relationships with brochures, they develop them with people.

The Caveman Principle

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The Caveman Principle

I read a great post recently entitled “The Caveman Principle” in which the author referenced an idea conveyed in physicist Michio Kaku’s book, Physics of the Future.

In a nutshell, Kaku simply states: “when there’s a conflict between modern technology and the desires of our primitive ancestors, the(se) primitive desires win each time”.

It just so happens that one of our most basic desires happens to be face to face interaction.

This idea really resonated with me, especially in regards to modern day selling. With so much of it being pursued through social media and online marketing, it’s easy to dismiss face-to-face encounters and human interaction. It seems that we’ve come to value efficiency over authenticity.

The Caveman Principle was a great reminder that regardless of the incredible advantages of our new mode of selling, the best way to connect and make an impact is one by one, human to human – just as our ancestors would.

What’s your brand?

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TOOLS AI - WEBSITE AND CARDS

 

We hear about branding everywhere, especially in the context of marketing.

A brand that’s well defined has the ability to not only tell the world a story, but also to convey a belief system. And it’s the belief system that customers identify with. Seth Godin in All Marketers are Liars and Simon Sinek in Start With Why both  go into great detail as to why brand identity is one of the most important elements of any product or service. (If you haven’t read these already, I highly recommend them both).

But branding is not limited to businesses.

We all have a personal brand. Our brand represents what we are best known for as a person, a worker, a friend, or simply as a member of the human race.

Every day, whether we realize it or not, we are crafting our personal brand by how we treat others, what we’re like to be around, and the value we bring to our community.

I can’t help but wonder, if companies like Nike, Starbucks, and Apple go to such great lengths to cultivate their brands, might we take a moment to reflect on our own?

What is your brand? How does it compare to what it was yesterday? Is it what you want it to be?

Who you know

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ROCK AI 4 FINALGrowing up, I remember hearing the phrase “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. I always  assumed it meant no matter how hard you worked or how educated you became, success only graced those born into privilege or into a family that yielded advanced social status.

After twenty plus years in business and sales, I’ve learned that my interpretation of the phrase could not have been farther from the truth.

What I’ve learned instead, is that who you know is a direct result of the work and energy put into developing authentic relationships.

Now don’t get me wrong, what you know and the education you’ve attained can obviously serve you well, but ultimately people propel you forward, and the effort it takes to connect with those people will always serve you better.

I’d love to speak at your next event!

Send me a signal!

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