Selling Isn’t About You, It’s About Me If you are breathing you are in the business of sales in some form. Maybe it is trying to sell your qualifications to someone who is hiring. Maybe you are selling a product or service. If you are on LinkedIn or any social media you no doubt have had numerous ads, emails, etc. hit your eyeballs with information on something someone is trying to sell you. Clario.co has a stat that states you are exposed to 5,000 ads a day in some form if you are living in the modern world. Dakota Shane, co-founder of Copy Buffs, wrote in a 2019 Inc. article 96% of consumers don’t trust ads. Those two stats combined are a strong argument showing selling has become white noise. Adding more avenues in which you talk about yourself or your product will not change that. Let’s assume you are indeed exposed to 5,000 ads a day in one form or another. Can you name ten that you were exposed to yesterday? Maybe, but probably not, unless you’re in that business. What are the ads, traditional or in the form of blogs, vlogs, podcasts, posts, etc. that you do retain? You remember the ones that speak specifically to you and your interest. That’s not selfish, that’s just science. A July 16, 2013 Scientific American article shared 60% of our time is spent talking about ourselves. June 22, 2016 Nick Fellers wrote an item including a Dale Carnegie quote “95% of our time is spent thinking about ourselves.” For better or worse we are ego centric individuals. We know this and the dynamic exist in and outside of sales. If you want to be more than white noise, and leave an impression remember the stats above and act accordingly. Without a solid impression you’ll have no impact, and no impact equates to no opportunity. Here’s an example of solid impact… I believe it was the summer of 2008, while working in Petersburg, VA and doing some side work at Virginia State University, talking to interns about social media I randomly reached out to craigslist’s Craig Newmark for feedback. He offered to conference in. Flash forward to 2020 and I’m certain every time he retweets a teacher’s funding request they get the same feeling I got in 2008, ‘this guy has my support throughout the reminder of my career and beyond.’ Why? Because he offered to help, not sell. Mr. Newmark easily could have led with a fee request or passed any of us by and I know I wouldn’t have thought anything except ‘I know he’s busy, it was a long shot.’ He indirectly taught me that impression is everything and the direct route to impact. Good sales/selling is not and will never be about selling. It will always be about helping. To get from introduction to impact the impression you leave better include how you are making ‘their’ world better in some manner, otherwise you are nothing more than a white noise machine. “They won’t remember what you said about yourself. They will remember your interest in them, your help and/or kindness.”
Authenticity Matters With “Asks”
Authenticity Matters With “Asks” It doesn’t matter if you are asking for a donation, or a sale, authenticity matters. Once upon a time a long time ago while I was working in economic development a State of Ohio project manager got stranded half way up to the project site between Columbus and Montpelier. The building owner could have wrote the day off and accepted the offer to reschedule, but instead what he did reshaped how I view and act in regards to authentic engagement. The building owner drove ninety minutes to pick up the project manager and made sure he not only saw our site, but also made it back to Columbus safely. Was it kind, most certainly. Was it advantageous, absolutely, that is a lot of face time in the car. Could anyone pull it off? No. Why? Because whether it is a ninety minute car ride or one minute email people know when you are being authentic and when you are just trying to ‘sell’ them, and they will respond accordingly. Almost everyone can share an example of when they felt they engaged in a conversation believing an authentic relationship was developing and then BAM received an ‘ask’ that was clearly neither authentic nor engaging. Can you get a donor or sale operating that way? Maybe, but if you do it will be a ‘one and done’ and you’ve framed yourself forever in that person’s perspective as someone who was not engaging them, but using them. You know what people really don’t like? People don’t like feeling used. So whether you are asking for donations, trying to make a sale, or even asking for a contact connection, you better know why you are doing it, why it matters to you, and most importantly why it matters to the other party. I recently received a fairly long email ‘ask’ that appeared to be authentic. Then in under twenty-four hours I received a duplicate with about a two line difference from another party. The first felt semi-engaging, the duplicate turned the experience into feeling ‘sold.’ If the approach doesn’t make me feel good why would I share the information with others? Likewise if the donor experience doesn’t make me feel good why would I encourage others to donate? People are often resistant to making ‘asks’ whether it is for a donation or a sale. Same goes with resistance to giving or buying. The gap between resistance and acceptance is more often than not the lack of or presence of authenticity. It matters.
Not “If” But When You Are Trolled
Not “If” But When You Are Trolled This morning someone said they are really excited about their idea but concerned about the possibility of getting trolled once they roll it out. Whether you are a man or woman, if you ever have the concern that you may be trolled let me ease your mind. You most likely will be. Especially if you are doing something of significance. If you are a woman your chances increase even more. Having experienced it myself, being called a “witch” among other things online by an elected official nonetheless, I assure you, it is unpleasant, but survivable. And while it is not acceptable to troll others, it is our current, unfortunate reality. Don’t let it curb your enthusiasm. Don’t let it curb your efforts. If Jason Kipnis (Cleveland Indians, now Cubs) and Taylor Swift get trolled for the way they do their jobs, well assume you are not exempt. An article in Entrepreneur back in 2015 noted 28% of people had admitted to being malicious in trolling. Flash forward to 2020 and I think you know the environment you are living in, so that number has no doubt increased. In 2019 there was a NPR piece that referenced a research model which estimated of 14.5 million tweets mentioning women, a million of them were abusive or “problematic.” If you are a woman of color the risk is even greater. So again, it you are doing anything of significance or merit, it isn’t “if” but how you will react “when” you get trolled. Worrying about being trolled is a legitimate concern, but the worrying part does nothing for you. Awareness and planning are the key. Be excited about your work. Be prepared and just know that there is a bottomless pit of those who rather pull you down than level up themselves. Bottom line, Ben Franklin was right, “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.”
Limited Thinking = Cognitive Distortion
When I was four years old I was adventuring with my siblings down by a river and got stuck in the mud. Stuck on a level of no movement, ‘go get a parent’ level stuck. In this scenario, the cognitive distortion of limited thinking would have resulted in me thinking I’m a failure when it comes to adventuring, and doing it again will lead to failure again. Obviously, this is false. Did I lose a shoe to the mud that day? Yes. Have I successfully navigated muddy riverbanks since? Also yes, including today. Circumstances are ever-changing. One misstep or failure is just additional experience. It adds to your expertise. Your capabilities are defined by you.
What’s Your Zone of Genius?
What is your zone of genius? A lot of us reside in a working world hanging out in either a zone of competence or a zone of excellence. This may sound like a positive, but hanging out in a zone of competence or even excellence is why we have over 70% of employees disengaged. How do you know what/where your zone of genius resides? Easy. It is whatever gives you the highest ratio of satisfaction and target income and makes you feel wonderful doing it, knowing you are really great at it. It is earning a living doing something you really love, not just something you are good at. A zone of genius feeds you, not just because of ego-driven “I’m good at this”, but because you are good at it, and you find it deeply satisfying, which cycles into additional positive energy further feeding your pursuits.
Shiny Object Syndrome & Grants
Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) is that feeling we get when we are easily distracted. It happens a lot when we are delaying something we don’t feel ready to tackle. It is right up there and often overlaps with being a “procrastilearner.” Procrastilearning is when you keep substituting research and learning, more than you need to, prior to making a decision. Don’t get me wrong, do your research, check out your options, but not ad nauseam and definitely not in lieu of actual work outcomes. Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) occurs a lot in grant writing and fundraising. People aren’t always comfortable asking for money, whether it is from a donor or through a grant. Subsequently, SOS kicks in and every email, google ad, and/or colleague recommendation of a tool comes back into play. I see it most often when it comes to grant and funding research. Back in the day options for researching grants and potential funders most often resided at the local library where a big fat book of possible funders might exist. Those days are long gone and if you have a laptop and an internet connection you can make more magic happen from the comfort of your office than you ever could schlepping to and from the library. The biggest obstacle in making your funding dreams come true is investing a ton of time on how to find funders, and what database, and/or tools you should utilize. Any tool. plus work, is far superior and provides better outcomes than endless research of what avenue to take. Honestly, the biggest difference in funding and grant research tools is price tag. The option you go with won’t make or break your efforts. What will make or break your grant writing and/or other donor requests is the work you’ve put into building relationships. No tool can replace what a solid relationship will provide. Relationships are truly the best investment of time. Spending money on a tool often trumps building relationships because it is easier, and as we all know, easier doesn’t always equal better.
Lack of Concentration=Less Productivity
What is the cost of distraction within the workplace? Do the math… if it takes approximately 20-ish minutes to return to the point of focus prior to a distraction, social media continues to increase our level of distraction, well you get the picture. Ongoing distractions impact our ability to concentrate. We live in a world that is fully aware of this problem, creating terms like continuous partial attention (CPA), and apps to deal with it. Continual distraction is bad for not just workplace productivity and profit, it is bad for employee health and wellness too. “We have known for a long time that repeated interruptions affect concentration. In 2005, research carried out by Dr Glenn Wilson at London’s Institute of Psychiatry found that persistent interruptions and distractions at work had a profound effect. Those distracted by emails and phone calls saw a 10-point fall in their IQ, twice that found in studies on the impact of smoking marijuana. More than half of the 1,100 participants said they always responded to an email immediately or as soon as possible, while 21% admitted they would interrupt a meeting to do so. Constant interruptions can have the same effect as the loss of a night’s sleep.” (Source: “The Lost Art of Concentration”) Dr. Wilson’s 2005 research shows a clear correlation between distraction and concentration. Social media distractions have grown substantially since his study subsequently so have the impacts. So the question becomes, knowing their is a negative impact on employee health and wellness, as well as positive organizational outcomes, why do we fail to address the issue? The more distracted we are, the harder it is to concentrate. This dynamic leads to higher anxiety and stress as employees try to do more in less time, rushed, and with less attention to details. Again, the outcome for companies and employees is not a positive one. Creating an environment that requires, and supports mindfulness is difficult as our culture continues to veer in the opposite direction; however, it is necessary unless management is ready to lean into and accept lower productivity and an ongoing reduction in quality. Employers are in the midst of normalization of deviation due to social media which results in both short and long term losses.
Influencer vs Sales Professional
Last week I had a fantastic conversation with a professor who teaches sales and marketing on the university level. We discussed perception vs. reality in sales within our world which is full of real and wishful “influencers.” Bottom line is influencers talk at their audience, as that is their deal, they influence. In the world of sales however influencing isn’t a long term plan, especially in business to business sales which was the topic of our discussion. Sales is relational, unless you are operating with a ‘one and done’ attitude-big, but temporary gains. Building a business requires engaging with people and listening to their needs, challenges, etc. Like the saying goes, “people don’t care what you know, until they know that you care.” Sales is about listening and shining the spotlight on the customer not yourself. Most of us are already burned out on the barrage of social media showing us the greatness of others so hearing it from someone that wants you to give them money too isn’t an incentive to buy. If you’ve ever networked you more often than not get the mini version of the difference between sales and attempted influencing. It is the reason many of us dial our networking back to the level of infrequent. Talking at me, pushing your product in my face and space while telling me your story doesn’t engage me, and rarely interests/engages others. A sale via that approach isn’t relational, it is more in the realm of ‘I’ll buy it if you please go away,’ a one and done exchange. The professor I spoke with summed it up nicely explaining introverts are often the best sales people due to being good listeners. As an introvert I’m biased to believe his statement as gospel; however it does make sense as we reside in environments that often demand we focus outside of ourselves, as well as compare ourselves through media, social and otherwise. Selling is optimized when engagement is the priority. Selling is sustainable when the customer has an opportunity to feel accommodated.
Low Investment, Increased Employee Productivity
Decades ago, when I was a stressed out adult probation officer, someone gave me a book on meditation. I was hooked upon experiencing the positive outcomes of meditating. I occasionally taught meditation classes in groups and even to high school staff. Decades later I’m busy running a business, teaching in higher ed. and generally trying to have a balanced life to boot. Nevertheless I do still meditate every single day. Why? Because it reduces my stress and sharpens my focus in a world that is constantly throwing every possible distraction at us through a myriad of media. I’m not alone in the taming the beast of stress related distraction, and you don’t have to look very far to see institutions such as Harvard, the Mayo Clinic, Yale, etc. have explored, studied, and validated the positive outcomes. If you knew even 10 minutes of employee mindfulness/meditation would boost your company’s growth through more engaged employees, create a safer environment with more focused employees, and reduce your healthcare costs why wouldn’t you pursue it? If you’re thinking 10 – 20 minutes of employee time would result in lost productivity, I can guarantee you that same amount of time is currently being lost due to the almost 70% of employees nationwide who are actively disengaged in their jobs. As far as employee engagement tools go meditation has scientifically proven positive outcomes, and the price tag to implement it is minimal, and maintaining it cost zero extra dollars. You’ll be hard pressed to find a stronger return on investment.