My Completely Unsolicited Opinion About A.I.

The Twin Terrors of Sales

If you've ever been in sales (and, let's face it, one way or another, we're ALL in sales), you've faced a myriad of obstacles. Bad economies, fearful potential clients, impossible quotas...and the seemingly never-ending paperwork from start to finish. But the Twin Terrors of Salespeople - they stop you before you ever begin:

Readiness and Certainty.

Two words, two concepts that seem innocent enough. Yet, over the last 40 years of sales experiences in my life, from selling candy bars door-to-door to newspaper advertising to full-out multi-media campaigns, Readiness and Certainty are both devious and dangerous. They look and feel like allies. In truth, they are the enemy within.

Readiness

It's 8:00 am - time to start selling. But you haven't quite gotten through that first cup of coffee - or can of Diet Coke. Your desk is a mess. You've got a full inbox. You're not sure whether you should make that first call, fill out your credit paperwork for the billing department, or read the company's latest newsletter on how to be a better salesperson. And now you need to another drink (coffee or soda - too early for whisky...hopefully).

You want your state of Readiness to be ideal. Maybe a fresh notepad. A good list of people to call, in order of importance and profitability. But now you need to use the restroom, and get another coffee. And check your texts. And maybe Facebook. And just one game of Candy Crush - one good shot of endorphins when you win, will assure you are READY to sell. You pick up your phone - BLEEP - crud, another email lead from the boss.

Sounds ridiculous, right? Or frustratingly familiar? Face it: You're may never be ready enough to start. And if you don't start, pretty soon you won't have to worry about how ready you are - you'll be out of a job. Accept a certain level of un-readiness. Set a deadline for that first call. Drop everything and start dialing, or writing and sending that outreach email (dialing is better, generally - it's more of a dynamic, physical activity that will lead to more of the same). Then do it again.

Yes, it's hard. Yes, it takes discipline. No, there's not an 'easy button'. You'll never be totally ready. Start, and Sell, Anyway.

Certainty

Certainty is closely related to to Readiness. If not a fraternal twin, at least a close cousin. Fear of rejection is commonly considered to be the biggest enemy of the salesperson - and it creates a feeling of UN-certainty. But certainty is more dangerous, because it's what we WANT, and can never truly have, unless we create it for ourselves by never making the effort. There is certainty in failure. A feeling of control and even success when we choose to fail.

You can never have certainty when another person controls the outcome. By craving certainty in sales, we often create it in the worst of ways.

The best people thrive on uncertainty - the roller coaster of rejection and victory - and accept that the only aspect they can control is the quality of their outreach, presentation, and follow-up. You can't force someone to buy. The only Certainty you can control is the negative outcome. Embrace the suck, as the Marines like to say, and Sell Anyway.

So, Now What?

As I said, we're all in sales, to one degree or another. The consequences of our success and failure might be different. For those of us whose livelihoods depend on solid sales transactions, we have to push past the desires of Readiness and Certainty. Embracing the suck means embracing imperfection and rejection - even celebrating it to create the energy and mindset to move forward.

Your success doesn't live in Readiness and Certainty. It lives in action. If you truly want to live your #WinAnyway Life, you've got to #StartAnyway and #SellAnyway. Now get off LinkedIn and go pick up that phone!

Does your team need strategies and inspiration to live their #WinAnyway Life, both professionally and personally? Let me transfer my experience, energy, and outlook by bringing me in to deliver a tailored #WinAnyway presentation. Contact me at Rich@RichHopkins.com, or right here on LinkedIn.

Beware the Drama

Are You a Dabbler?

 

It's easier than ever to be a dabbler. To be distracted by the next shiny object. What? AI? OOOOHHHH - let's go try that! As if trying to keep up with LinkedIn posts, Facebook Lives, Tweets, YouTubes, Podcasts, Blogs, TikToks, our actual jobs and our side hustles, and who knows what else wasn't enough. A little drip here, a slash of the paint brush here, and we're hoping for something beautiful. Well, unless you're Pollock, you won't end up with a Beautiful Mess - but simply a mess.

I know I'm guilty of it. I've got an account on just about everything - I'm not just a dabbler, I tend to be an early adopter dabbler. Any given day, I'm supposed to be marketing on every channel available to me, and feel guilty when I don't.

Those are all small satellite distractions though. The real danger in dabbling is when we dabble in our big rocks. Trying to balance family, finances, work, physical health, mental health, spirituality (for some), and fun - at a minimum. Where do we spend our precious time, our limited energy, and ultimately, our hopes and dreams?

Being a dabbler is often a sign of being talented at many pursuits. You love to paint, but also cartoon, and write, and enjoy photography, and are even ranked high in Valorant (google it, if you must). Dabbling in hobbies can be fun, if expensive and time consuming. Dabbling can also be a sign of ADD or ADHD - which can have bigger effects on your life than how packed your craft room or entertainment cave becomes. It's when dabbling begins to affect your bigger life choices that it becomes truly detrimental.

For me, perhaps my biggest failure from dabbling has come in choosing which of my two side-hustles to focus on: Keynote Speaking, or Presentation Coaching. Surely doing both is possible, right? I see people doing it all the time. I've dabbled in both since 2004, and never fully launched. The more people I talk to - people in the businesses I'm dabbling in - the more I know I have to focus on ONE, get to a point where it's self-propelled, and then add the other into the mix.

Even typing that, I'm conflicted. Presentation Coaching is a passion - helping others develop their messages is something I love to do, and I'm extremely good at it. BUT - I love to give keynote speeches, and heaven forbid I miss out on opportunities on stage! FOMO - Fear of missing out at it's worst. Because fractured focus - dabbling - results in less success in both worlds. By not fully committing, I've cost myself and countless potential clients and/or audiences my full attention, and my full talents to benefit them.

Tough as it is, I have to make a choice in 2023 - and that choice is Presentation Coaching. Helping individuals, training groups, and producing a course or two for those that prefer learning at their own pace. If a speaking opportunity comes along, I'll take it, but my focus is on growing the coaching side of my side-hustle options. You probably won't notice - which is something else I've struggled with - thinking my making a change will bother people. In fact, lets face it, you don't care unless I'm doing something you need in your life anyway.

Does any of this hit home for you? Is your focus where you want it? Is dabbling sabotaging your success? If you could (and you should) only focus on ONE pursuit in any area of your life, what would it be? I know - you're thinking "I need to focus on EVERYTHING - and multiple streams of income are a GOOD thing". Sure. I agree. Eventually.

Start and stick with one. One job. One side-hustle. One relationship. One diet. One exercise plan. Build a successful core, and build out from there. Five years from now, you'll be glad you did - because if you don't, chances are five years from now you'll still be right here. Dabbling.

P.S.: Need to develop your profitable message? Whether you're promoting your business, or intent to inspire the world with your experiences, I'm here to help. Message me, and lets take 30 minutes on a free consultation call.

#Focus #SideHustle #Career #Motivation #Inspiration #Distraction #MultipleStreamsofIncome #Hobbies #Speaking #Coaching #Toastmasters

Originality Isn't What They Really Want - Play the Hits

Coaches Aren't What You Think They Are

Happy New Year 2023