Got me workin day and night!

"They say that working...is what.a.man's.supposed.to.do.
I say, It ain't right! if I can't give sweet love to you"

While you read this blog post, feel free wear a sequined glove, moonwalk, and scream "HeHe."

Besides being one of my favorite songs from the king of pop, I had a conversation with friends about having a work life balance. We are all young and very early 30's men that work the professional 9-5 grind struggling to maintain semblance of an actual life.  By actual life, I'm talking the outside hobbies and passions that don't coincide with professional work.

Of course all the people with kids will look at us going "What do you know about work-life balance?!"

I do not want to open up a can of worms--We ALL struggle with maintaining our professional and private life.

US corporations have been slow to recognize true valued time of their workers.  "work hard. play hard" has been the mantra given to entice employees to work for a company.  One of the things I love with my company now is how my boss truly believes those who work smart can enjoy life much better.  This strict work week of 9-5 has been supported with mixed results.

Are the workers getting everything done in the allotted time to be productive?

What if those same works had a shortened schedule, but same pay-Would they be more productive?

Other countries like France have been experimenting with the work-life balance.  Facts state that the US is at the bottom of programs for child care, paid time-off, and hours worked defining "work-life" balance.

 It shouldn't be just a gender thing, there's more to life than working long hours and watching events fly past you.  OK, when you have a career that you love, it doesn't feel like work-I get that.

Work should never cause you to lose sleep, lose weight in an unhealthy way, or become estranged from your family.  To quote the Dalai Lama...



Now Playing- "Working day and night"

Disarm them with empathy and wits.

"I bet you can't spend all that money in your pocket right now.  I bet you're too scared to even attempt a risk that could make you millions of dollars.  You're friends are doing it-I don't think you even qualify for what I have."

Sales is a chess game

If you say what I just typed, you definitely won't go anywhere.  Sales is not Russian roulette, but more a never ending chess game.  It's continual strategy and everybody has their tactics but after time, these tactics wear off.  In my young sales career, I'm always looking at ways to be a better at persuading people why they should listen to me.  Prospects are always prepared with responses to stop me in my tracks.  Like a chess game, I have to anticipate the various moves they can make.

Old sales books are rather archaic

I've never been the hugest fan of sales books because they are just sales authors trying to sell you on tactics that maybe worked at their peak.  Approaching prospects with old school tactics is not effective anymore.  The prospect has much more power and information at their finger tips.  The word "value" gets tossed around so much but the guessing game is finding out what they value most.  the digital marketing consulting firm I work with has been utilizing social media, and true engagement to connect with prospects.

OK, I can recommend one book and that's: "Predictable revenue" by Aaron Ross. 

I love sales and psychology behind what influences people to buy.  Every buyer has their own motives that trigger their senses to go "Listen to what this person is saying." It's up to us to anticipate what they may say.  It's dangerous to do this because when we make assumptions..well you know how it goes..

How do you do it?

What we can do is take their objections and find buzz words that trigger their response to saying to NO to us.  I usually like to take what they say to me and throw it back at them mirroring their concern.  This doesn't work unless you actually care about helping them more than just getting a sales quota.  Once I do that, I usually think which services I can provide confidently to get rid of the "pain."  Add a little wit to make the conversation feel lighter and you're one step closer to winning the prospect over.

Avoiding yes and no

It's amazing how often people avoid saying these 2 words.  These words are so powerful and real, people literally can be stick to their stomach awaiting the answer.  Both words indicate a decision is made and there's no turning back.

It's True....



When people get married and the priest says: "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"  The woman doesn't say Yes.  She says, "I do."

When you buy a product from someone and you both agree that it is going to help you, I'm willing to bet you don't say the word yes.  The litany of responses will be:

"Let's go with it."
"Do you get credit for this?"
"This makes sense"
"I'm on board"

In professional life,  we have so many people that are scared to tell people they can't do something that they avoid the "No" Response.  It's just 2 letters but it strikes fear into anyone who faces an encounter.

You know who will give you a straight yes or no?

children.....



When we all were little kids, if we didn't like something we weren't shy to say how we felt.  There were no filters.  A kid can say "No I don't want to" and not feel pressure to be public relations friendly.  Now these filters are important as we get older, but why is it so hard to elicit a simple yes or no?

I can only think of the medical profession where people HAVE to say either yes or no for diagnostic purposes.

People avoid situations where they have to say Yes or No.  If you were to google "Yes or No",  You will see blogs and articles with people giving advice on how to avoid saying Yes or No.  (I did the homework for you- "Yes or No")

Now Listening- "Am I Wrong"

NFL offense and Marketing/Sales..Eeerily familiar

The similarities are uncanny.  How can a sport of brute, stamina and athleticism be so similar to a team of marketing and sales?

It's simple. While defense wins championships, offense wins you games and positive gains.  I want to focus specifically on my theory by utilizing NFL offensive skill position players .  In the NFL you have Wide Receivers, Tight Ends, and Running Backs.  Their jobs are to support and provide help to the Quarterback who is in charge of making sure everyone is put in place to succeed.  Once each position knows their place, it's up to their individual talent to make a play that results in yards or points.

You still following? Good.

There is also an Offensive line that protects the Quarterback at all costs.  They insure the Quarterback is not affected by challenges such as aggressive pass rushers.  The Quarterback has a wealth of knowledge and relies on his Center to make sure the infrastructure is sound and not prone to attack.



Whether you catch on or not, Salespeople and marketing need each other and have a rather symbiotic relationship.  Salespeople are the revenue drivers scoring points for your business.  They are brave, energetic, and can get through any hole and create positive gains for you.  Sure, there are rock star salespeople that may have a natural ability to sell but even they need support.  Marketing is the structure there to protect sales and help them succeed.

Marketing creates that open lane for sales to run through and score!

30....The great years

On September 9th, 1985,  a woman named Lovel and a man named Bode(bo-day) conceived a child that would later turn out to be destined for greatness--Says every child born EVER.

Today I face a milestone.  Turning 30 wasn't as intimidating as I thought.  I've never been a big drinker and don't do drugs, so the mileage I have at 30 is different than someone living a crazier life.  I still have my best friends from when I was 15 and it feels great. I've had some close calls in 30 years being here and I'm thankful to even have the ounce of health I have.  People make jokes about turning 30 and say that it's time to be a grown up.

You talk to a man in his 40's and he will reply "young buck."

You talk to a 21 year old and they look at you as one step away from Keith Richards.

You talk to your mom and you just remind her she's getting older, not younger.

30, for a man is suppose to be his great years.  You're old enough to have the knowledge to take calculated risks but also not young enough to continually "fail."  Failure as an option decreases as you get older and 30 is the proverbial "You better get it right" phase.  Relying on youth can be a gift and a curse--30 challenges you to be better.

Some would say I should be focusing on getting a wife, kids, picket fence house, and a life insurance policy.

 I'm only 30.

Inspire to Aspire

Every time I face a challenge or doubt in my mind, I look at inspiration.  There's a trigger for everyone linked to their motivation and desire for a particular outcome. Everyone on social media has some type of quote or credo they live by--It's what makes us individuals.  Creative people constantly look for inspiration in the most unexpected places.  Inspiration can lead to having that "lightning in a bottle." When you come up with a great idea, it can be intimidating to view it bigger than it seems.

"Dream Big" is a common theme.

Here are ways I've found inspiration to aspire.

Watch young children together

Seriously, watch young children.  Young children don't have the rules and people telling them they can't do what they feel.  I've got baby cousins that have these HUGE aspirations and it makes me almost want to be a kid again.  When you're an adult, you get told by investors and various people the flaws in your aspirations.  The reality and perception leaves some people jaded.  Young children don't feel that because they don't let their dreams become bounded by rules.  Inspiration can come from watching youth aspire to do the unimaginable!

Look at your heroes

There's so many people that have inspired me and shown me most things can be possible.  When I struggle with reality telling me "You can't do this", I look at the people I greatly respect that have done amazing things.  They had people tell them they couldn't do certain things and they stopped caring about what those people thought.  If you were to look at my creative DNA you would see:

Meditation

Sometimes you just have to shut everything down and get in a zone.  As a creator, the best ideas that become works happen when you're not thinking about them.  You put yourself in somewhat of a trance  and incredible things can happen.  My favorite exercise to do is simple sit in a room with no monitors, no screens, eyes closed, listening to music at a low level. I've come up with some really cool ideas using this method.

Trying new things

Trying new things will give you a different outlook.  Getting a different outlook helps you see things you may not have noticed.  I've found when I try new things, my creativity sparks and becomes fueled by my bravery to experiment.  There are times I feel like I'm a genius and there are times I don't want anyone to know my ideas.  

Help others

I'm not just talking about going on a mission trip to Africa, I mean helping people in the most sincere way.  I'm not the biggest reach out and touch somebody type person but I'm passionate about helping people seek out their creative being.  When I help people less experienced than me, I walk away understanding a different perspective.