What would make a better story?

Steal Like An Artist, page 47

Every day when I get up, I think about what I want my day to BE. Not be like but actually be. That way when I am winding down as the day is ending I can look back and see what the day actually was.

There are times when it is a single word:

• fun
• productive
• adventure
• profitable
• joyful

and at other times there is more to it than a single word.

The same principle applies to your life and your career: Whenever you’re at a loss for what move to make next, just ask yourself, “What would make a better story?” ~ Austin Kleon

That quote struck me as the same idea. Look at what is going on for you right now in your sales career and decide if it is REALLY what you want.

• If it is – keep it up and edit to make a the story even better.
• if it isn’t what you want – crumple up the pages and begin again.

Regardless, make sure that you remember to read your own story as you’re writing it. We can’t go back but we can make edits so the rest of the story is one we want to read.

Routine – love it or hate it?

Steal Like An Artist, pg 124

Routine is an interesting conversation point. Some people I work with HATE the very idea of routine… seeing it as:

• boring
• mind numbing
• tedious

While others, view routine as:

• productive
• comforting
• useful

I wonder – how do you see routine – love it or hate it?

When I was reading this section of Steal Like An Artist, I realized that in both art and sales:

“Inertia is the death of creativity” ~ Austin Kleon

STUCK is not a good place to be.

I’ll throw out that even if you don’t want your entire existence to be made up of routine – having things you do at specific times will get you into action and UN-stuck. Make sure you have habits in place to get you moving when inertia sets in. Regardless of if your personal inertia is staring off into space, or doing paperwork during sales time – have a plan to get into action.

Share your feelings on habits with us here. Then go do something!

Write Fan Letters

“Take a moment today & call three people to thank them: 1 – customer,    1 – mentor, 1 – friend. The result will amaze you!” @upyourtelesales 10:40 AM – 7 Mar 12 tweet

I’ve always been a proponent of writing to people that are important to me. Each month I take an hour to write to colleagues and mentors; it may be an email, or a hand written note, another favorite of mine is to write testimonials for people on LinkedIn.

What I hadn’t considered is writing fan letters… until reading pg 108-9 in Steal Like An Artist. Now I’m thinking about expanding on my habit. I think it is time to add sending a note to people who I consider important to:

• the way I think
• how I sell
• my life

Not to hear back but rather to let them know they have had an impact on my world. Who knows, you might get a note from me someday too!

Check out http://www.live-inspired.com/ for these cards

Who inspires you? Celebrate by posting their name here & a link for everyone to see what you admire!

Do the work you want to see done

This is might seem like a stretch

“Do the work you want to see done” ~ Austin Kleon

to go from the quote to sales, so bear with me.

Steal Like An Artist, pg 48

Do

• take action

the work

• put in the right effort

you want to see

• know the result you’re trying to achieve

done

• celebrate your accomplishments

See it is all about sales!

Steal Like An Artist -Unity

For me unity is more about the pieces in my head vs. between actual things.

Steal Like An Artist, pg 70

Sales is like a puzzle you’re putting together.

1. look at the picture on the cover of the box (ideal customer profile)
2. dump out the pieces (all your prospects)
3. turn them over (gathering info on those prospects)

you get the idea. What the image from Austin Kleon reminds me is that I don’t have to know how all the pieces fit together – RIGHT NOW. I’m going to make the call and have a conversation to figure that out!

What does the image mean to you? Probably something completely unrelated – I can’t wait to hear what it is – share!

Who do you want to THINK like? SEE like?

You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes… to internalize their way of looking at the world.”  ~ Austin Kleon

This made me start to make a list of all the people who are my professional heroes. What is different about: how they think, see the world, do? What is the essence of my hero worship?

Then it is time to apply my Chinese Buffet Theory of life and decide not only what I want on my plate, but also how large a portion. Picking and choosing the things that I not only admire, but want to incorporate into who I am and what I do.

Steal Like An Artist, pg 36

If that doesn’t strike you as having anything to do with sales, what about this?

“If you want to catch a fish, you have to think like a fish.” ~ Bill Stinnett’s Dad

When you hear Bill speak, he expands and says that his Dad told him to think like a fish… not a fisherman. Extending that to instead of thinking like a salesperson, think like your customer. A concept he believed enough to write a book about!

If you combine these two things – adding to your repertoire:

• the way your heroes look at the world &
• thinking about your products/services from the perspective of how customers use them

you’ll become unstoppable.

Share who you want to think like & see like with us!

 

What’s Hit You Lately?

Over the next month or so you’ll see a theme to my blog posts. I’m stealing from Austin Kleon, but it’s ok because I’ll Steal Like An Artist!

Steal Like An Artist, pg 39

For me every once in a while something new will hit me HARD, changing the way I think – not completely but in ways I wouldn’t have imagined possible ‘before’…It may be a simple sentence

“Lynn, they don’t have any expectations only you do. Let it go!” ~ Diane Harter-Walsh (about new content I’d never presented before)

She probably doesn’t even remember saying that, let alone know what impact it had on how I go into presenting today.

Austin Kleon’s book is like that too. I don’t remember where I came across the video of his presentation at The Economist’s Human Potential Summit, but that is what started my latest mental shift. I even bought his Newspaper Blackout poem book because of it.

The new book is already highlighted & tabbed with ideas to be shared or implemented in my own world.That is what you’ll see here, with the TeleSales Twist added.

A few that I currently have no clue what to do with but feel important enough to explore.

Which brings us back to – What’s hit you lately? Share it here and you’ll probably inspire someone else… maybe me… to steal from you too.