Looking forward

I finished Mark Manson’s book recently.  I normally credit author and book title in my little ditties but the profanity in Mark’s book title is too vulgar even for me.  Suffice it to say it’s a New York Times #1 Best Seller and I’m sure you’ll discover what I mean if you Google him. 

I disliked Mark’s writing style and I thought many of his stories were self-serving and greatly exaggerated.  Of course, I’m speaking as a self-professed storyteller who is known to exaggerate, too.  I also know not all of my readers appreciate my writing style.  Nonetheless, Mark reminded me how far people are taking extreme positions today to stand above the average.  For instance, excessive profanity has become all too commonplace - in Mark’s book; TV; social media; bumper stickers; T-shirts… 

I know Mark won’t give a (expletive) about my opinion.  I don’t think he’s trying to make me or his readers happy.  I understand.  When I write, I’m sharing my opinions primarily for my own, self-serving purposes.  Writing is my outlet.  Hopefully, there’s some benefit for my readers but that’s not what motivates me.  Maybe Mark and I are actually following a similar opinion offered by Nick Saban (then recently retired, legendary and provocative college football coach from the University of Alabama): 

Looking back - Mark’s book certainly wasn’t like eating ice cream. Nevertheless, I’ve always believed it worthy to finish what I start and I’m always glad when I do.  Reading a book is no different.  I won’t put a book down just because it offers differing opinions (even if distastefully expressed).  Opinions are just opinions and opposing opinions can be learning opportunities.  Being a natural “cynacist”, my inner cynicism was served towards the end of his book when he wrote, “Now that I’m in my thirties, I can finally recognize…”  

Opinions on how to live our life by a thirty-something???  It provoked me to think; “Hey Buddy, check back with me forty years from now and see how your “finally recognize” worked out!”  But that’s being cynical. 

I know opinions are just that.  Everyone has them.  I’m no different than those younger than me.  I was highly opinionated and quite brash forty years ago. (Still am HaHa!): 

“What's your opinion of my idea?” the brash young man asked his boss.  “It isn't worth anything”, said the boss.  “I know”, conceded the young egotist, “but give it to me anyway.” 

Unknown Sage 

But, there’s limited value in looking back.  I’m glad Mark finally got around to looking forward and sharing the things he “recognized” after a few chapters focused on bashing everyone’s flaws.  I know many folks today are trying to live and think the way he wrote about in his book.  I don’t intend to continue to look back at what was written and how it was written.  I’ve accepted those opinions he shared that align with my own; ignored the rest;  and now I’m looking forward.  

Speaking of looking forward, another 30 something comes to mind.  Jelly Roll is the 2023 Country Music Association award-winning Male Vocalist of the Year.  Turns out, he was also an addict and a distributor of illegal drugs in his thirties.  Even so, he offered an opinion we might all benefit from: 

The windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason because what’s in front of you is so much more important than what’s behind you. 

Thanks Jelly!  Here’s to forward. 

                                                            GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Pundits, Pontificators, et al

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games are coming.  What a terrific sports festival for our modern era!  Interestingly, the 2022 Winter Olympic gold medal for women’s figure skating was only recently determined.  Finally, after two years of debate, discussion, and controversy.  I wonder if that’s how the Greeks did it 2,800 years ago? 

America has our own “modern game”.  Did you join in the aftermath?  It was Monday, February 12^th.  Ring a bell?  How about this: It was the day after the most watched television event in history with an estimated 123.7 million viewers.  Actually, the phenomenon I’m referring to started the night before; even before the fans left the stadium. 

Monday February 12^th brought out the rest of the seers; soothsayers; second-guessers, pundits; pontificators; doubters; experts; gurus; quarterbacks of the arm-chair and Monday-morning variety, and (of course) the critics. Some are still grinding on it.  I chuckle about the pontificators: 

“Pontificator” 

in British English 

NOUN a person who pontificates 

Yes, yes, I’m a pontificator, too.  Even so, are these other gurus worth listening to?  All the hoopla reminds me of Dale Carnegie’s pontification: 

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - and most fools do. 

I’m talking about Super Bowl LVIII.  (That’s 58 to us non-Latin-Speaking-Romans).  I get it.  Sports fans, bettors, media, and even the 123.7 viewers have their opinions about whether the Chiefs won the game or the 49ers lost it.  Is Kyle Shanahan an elite NFL head coach who has yet to win a Super Bowl?  Or is he a bumbling idiot who blew the game over a coin flip? 

Shanahan certainly unleashed the “What if’s”.  Especially the “if’s”.  And we all know: 

If the Hamm’s Bear drank Schlitz, there’d be no land of sky blue waters. 

Unknown Sage 

I could join in.  “What if” it turns out that the Kansas City Chiefs are one of the greatest NFL teams ever assembled.  In spite of the Bills Mafia (a favorite fan base of mine), Buffalo couldn’t beat the Chiefs at home.  Not even the Baltimore Ravens with the best regular season record, home field advantage, and the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2024 could beat KC. 

Personally, I admired Shanahan’s confidence.  Score first; hold KC; and the debate shifts to whether the Superbowl MVP should have been Brock Purdy or Christian McCaffrey.  Oh, Kyle could have doubted; played less aggressively; feared Patrick Mahomes; anticipated the punditry.  But try as they might, the post-game media experts couldn’t get him to say he made a mistake.  He remained confident in the face of criticism just as Michael Treacy wrote about in his book The Discipline of Market Leaders ©: 

            Courage in the face of doubt is essential. 

Oh well, criticism of defeats have been with mankind as long as there has been mankind.  I’m sure you and I face the doubters and second guessers every time a decision we made doesn’t turn out very well.  I’d rather heed the ancients: 

There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing; say nothing; and be nothing. 

Aristotle 

Nonetheless, the debate and the criticism continues; especially the criticism in spite of what the ancients might think.  As for the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has published this historical perspective: 

The Original values of Olympism as expressed in the Olympic Charter were to encourage effort, preserve human dignity, and develop harmony.  

Hmmm… No mention of coin flips by a single seer, soothsayer, or pontificator. 

                                                            GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Luv rules…

Today is Valentine’s Day – it’s still not too late.  There’s still time to do something special for that special person. 

OK – so I can’t take credit for creating this awesome display of love for my love.  That was someone else’s awesome display of their love for their love.  Can I take “observation credit” for stopping along the roadside while driving through this western Illinois farming community to take the picture?  I think my wife will give me credit for a little kind-hearted, photo-plagiarism because I know she knows: 

Love rules without rules. 

Italian Proverb 

Who says men are oblivious and have no powers of observation?  OK – so a billboard is hard to miss.  Observing that man’s demonstration of love reminds us all that today, no assumptions; no taking her for granted; no obliviousness; no subtleties are allowed.  On Valentine’s Day, we must shout our love for our love from the top of the mountains!  Of course, we hope our women do the same for the men in their lives: 

You know “That Look” women get when they want sex?  Me neither. 

Steve Martin 

Today may be a special day in my marriage, but our relationship over the years has taken constant care (and patience).  Thankfully, my wife has patience: 

Patience strengthens the spirit,

   sweetens the temper,

      stifles anger,

    extinguishes envy,

  subdues pride,

bridles the tongue,

   restrains the hand,

      and tramples upon temptation. 

George Horne 

It’s easier to be patient with the little things I suppose.   But when times get tough, the most convenient person to argue with, vent to, and take our frustrations out on is often our partner, true?  Life seems to move so fast; people seem to be so stressed; the media inundates us with so many sensationalized issues. 

I don’t know; are meaningful, loving partnerships easier or harder to find these days?  With everything racing at a break-neck pace, who’s responsible for maintaining a healthy, loving, long-lasting relationship?  Well, here’s a view from Wyatt Webb: 

You are 100 percent responsible for 50 percent of any relationship. 

Carrying more than ½ the load you say?  Yep – you and my wife, too. 

Thankfully, my wife and I are still in love after all of these years.  We will do something quiet this Valentine’s Day; we enjoy our quiet time together - always have.  We’re blessed with sharing many common interests, so spending time together and “decompressing” from our fast-paced life is a nice retreat. 

Like you, our conversations will span a variety of topics; children; friends; happy memories; love.  Of course, when we’re together we will also synchronize our calendars; debate upcoming projects; disagree on priorities; discuss business; and almost always review our finances.  Yuck!  Necessary I suppose, but not very romantic. 

Yet this Valentine’s Day I will be reminded: 

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. 

Mignon McLaughlin 

So here’s to February 14^th – Valentine’s Day.  May you enjoy it with someone special in your life.  If you’re lucky enough to be in love, may you cherish your quiet time together; sharing common interests; being patient with life’s challenges; relishing the restorative results of romance. 

And if you’re with someone but you’re not yet sure if he or she is “the one”, don’t worry – trust your gut feeling: 

Love is not finding someone you can live with; it’s finding someone you cannot live without. 

Rafael Ortiz 

Love rules without rules on Valentine’s Day – and every day. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Super Heroes…

When times get tough for salespeople, I like to seek out Subject Matter Experts for guidance on how to adjust to succeed.  I attended a SMM webinar recently featuring a SME I know, Kendra Lee.  Her premise was: 

Business Owners Are Spending Differently

·         Longer Decision Process

·         Tighter Budgets

·         Continued Challenges Reaching Decision Makers

·         More People Involved In The Decision Process

Her knowledge and experience are stellar.  I enjoyed her perspective and concepts but it left me with an “itch to scratch”.  Too much emphasis on defining the problem and not enough on what to do about it – specific, tactical, actionable, next steps. 

I hate to disagree with a SME (especially someone I know and respect) but… if we believe Business Owners are spending differently in 2024 I think we might consider… thinking again.  Business Owners and Executives have always been challenging to sell to.  The predominance of committee decision-making has always been an obstacle to overcome in B2B selling.  The old adage, “The more things change the more they stay the same.” may just be true, true? 

A copy of the webinar presentation was provided.  Conceptually sound and professionally designed, it just seemed to be missing something.  Then I remembered my favorite super hero… Batman! 

If you think about it, Batman is a super hero who does not possess super powers.  Unlike other super heroes, Batman is just ordinary Bruce Wayne by day.  OK – Bruce Wayne is rich.  But being rich doesn’t equal super-successful selling skills.  I got to thinking, “What would Batman do?” 

Bat Tools are the key to Batman’s super herodom.  If Bat Tools can transform ordinary Bruce Wayne into a super hero, maybe they can for us ordinary salespeople, as well.  Then I remembered… I have Bat Tools!  I’ve been using them throughout my sales career.  I’ve even shared one of those before; my Executive Attention Grid. 

The grid demonstrates how Business Owners prioritize their time and attention.  Align your products/services top-right and you’ll get the Business Owners’ attention; fall into the low-left and you’ll get delegated.  Delegated to committees with the ability to say, “No” but without the authority to say, “Yes”.  Sound familiar? 

I downloaded the sales and marketing planning template offered after the webinar.  Again, excellent concepts but it didn’t strike me as a Bat Tool.  Too conceptual; too incomplete; not specifically actionable,  Then I remembered… I have a Bat Tool for that! 

My “Ideal Target Prospect Profile” has 75 data elements to focus on.  (You can easily modify this Excel template with the data elements applicable to your products/services.)  At every prospect interaction fill in some of the blanks.  Gather enough data and you’ll quickly be able to tell if that prospect is worth prospecting. 

In sales, Bat Tools must be applicable to our real-world selling situations; able to accommodate our particular uniqueness; and they must be actionable.  Bat Tools are tactical.  When Batman is in the midst of some battle, there is no time for conceptual thinking. 

So if you’re concerned about whether you’re prepared to sell the way buyers are buying in 2024, I suggest the first place to look is at your inventory of Bat Tools.  If you don’t have any, email me.  I’ll send you two of mine;  the “Ideal Target Prospect Profile” and the “Executive Attention Grid”.  (I have others.) 

Now look up in the sky… it’s the Bat Signal… that’s your prospects calling.  Gather your Bat Tools and go get ‘em! 

                                                            GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.