by Kirby Hasseman
But what if… One of the push backs I get when I talk about “Success in the Give First Economy” is, if I push out good ideas and value (and I push it out first, before asking) someone might take advantage of me. It’s a fair question. And let’s be honest, it might happen. So let’s take a look at a few of these questions (it comes in a variety of forms)…and I will address a couple here. But what If I give away value to prospects, they might shop me out.This usually comes from a “creative” solution provider. The idea being, if I give you ideas or artwork or something in advance of our agreeing to work together, you might take the idea and shop me out. It’s possible…and it happens. First, if this happens, this prospect has shown their hand. They are the type of client that will do that. Now you get to decide if you want to work with someone like that’ It’s your call. This has certainly happened to me. And when it does, I can jump up and down and complain and cry. Or I can move onto another prospect or client that values me and my time. But what if I share a cool idea on social media, my competition might steal it.I hear this one a lot and I think it’s a lot of worry about nothing. The real truth is, most people won’t do anything with it. That’s why I generally feel like ideas are worthless. It’s all in the execution. Most of the time, your competition is not interested in that much work. But what if I share who I am working with, someone might swoop in and take my client.There is plenty of business out there for all of us…regardless of industry. Most likely, your competition already knows your client exists. You sharing that you work with them is not going to tip them over the edge. “Oh my goodness, XYZ company buys stuff!” As a matter of fact, this is exactly why you need to continue to provide value! That will help you solidify your relationship so you can continue to grow. Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
If you are in sales, you need to read this. If you are not in sales, remember this…everyone is in sales.
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was at the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas several years ago on education day and had stepped into a class led by Greg Muzzillo from Proforma in hopes of being educated and enlightened. Greg did not disappoint. Years later, I still remember a question he asked. “In every business there is $15 an hour work, $50 an hour work and $500 an hour work. How many of you want to do the $500 an hour work?”
Without exception, the room full of people (including me) raised their hands. “LIARS!” he yelled at us. “All of you say you want the $500 an hour work, but every day you go straight to your desk to start on the $15 an hour work.”
For me, at this moment, this was a wake up call. His point was, there is nothing wrong with the administrative tasks in a business. They are vital. But as a salesperson, you bring the most value to your organization by getting in front of clients. When you are meeting with clients, you get the most return on your time. He finished with this statement, “There is no money behind your desk! Stop looking there!”
I love this. The fact is, it is easy and comfortable (as a salesperson) to do the non-sales activities. As I said above, they are important. They need done. But they are not the activity that brings you and your organization the most value on YOUR time. And that is the key, I think, regardless of what role you play in the organization. What is the role that you do that brings the company the most return?
*If you are in billing, it might be sending invoices.
*When you are at the front desk it might be answering the phone quickly and with a smile.
*If you are in sales, it is most likely meeting (face to face) with clients.
Anything you do instead of that is costing you money. In his new book, Clockwork, Mike Michaelowicz explains a concept called the QBR (Queen Bee Role). The idea is, the QBR is the most important role in a business. That needs to get done. Everyone needs to either serve the QBR or protect it. Figure out your QBR and focus your time and attention on that.
And remember sales team…there is no money behind your desk!
Make sure you never miss an update! We post new content to our blog page all of the time…you can find that here. In addition, we send one email per week with all of our content in one place. You can sign up to get that here.
by Kirby Hasseman
I have a new “Equation for Happy” in your life. Stay tuned…first I have a question. Have you ever had a day where you were so slammed at work that you could hardly keep up? Every time you answered an email to a client, you got another. Every time you sent a quote to a client, you got another request. As you were talking to one customer, you get a call from that prospect you have been chasing. Every once in a while, you stop just to “catch your breath” because things are moving so fast. For me, those are the best days. Don’t get me wrong. They are stressful days. But they are also days when I feel like I am maxing out my productivity. They are days when I feel the most alive, and excited. Ironically, these are days when I feel like I am most creative too! I think I have figured out why. It’s because on those days, the distance between what “I can do” and what “I do” is small. I am doing what I can all I can toward my goals. Those are the days I am most happy. You see I think that is one of the reasons most of us don’t actually feel happy or fulfilled. We have dreams. We have goals. And as Mel Robbins says in the 5 Second Rule (yes you should totally read or listen to that book), when you know what you want, you start to get urges to work toward those goals. But so often, we don’t. We delay. We procrastinate. We delay. We justify. But we don’t actually take consistent, measured action toward the goal. And on some level, we know it. It’s on us. So we don’t feel good about it. We know we have cheated…and we have only cheated ourselves. And this is any area of our life where we are trying to improve. Whether it’s fitness, or finance, or sales, or family, it’s the same. You are most happy when the distance between “I can do” and “I do” is the smallest. The closer those get…the happier and more fulfilled your life will be. So today…start fresh. When you get the urge…do it. Make the call. Get on the treadmill. Give to the needy. Whatever you feel the need to do, don’t wait. Take action. Decrease the distance between “I can” and “I do.” Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter below.
by Kirby Hasseman
If you are reading this, you know we do a lot of content. I have made a commitment to post a blog to this website every day. Why? Well beyond the “he is insane” answer (which is what my wife thinks), the goal is to provide value. I have found that when I show up this much, I am able to reach people when they are ready to be reached. And as I have said here before, I never know what is going to resonate. Sometimes I think something is awesome, and no one seems to care. But other times, I take a shot and it lands. That’s a great feeling, but it’s hard to predict. So I create. But if you are regular reader of this blog, you might not know we have lots of other content out there that is not hosted here. There are videos and podcasts too, so I thought I would share so you could check them out! unScripted Podcast: One of the pieces of content that I am most proud of, and have the most fun making, is the unScripted Podcast with Bill Petrie. We certainly focus on industry topics, but we tackle other stuff as well. And since I don’t know what he is bringing up and he doesn’t know what I am going to talk about, you get a fun and raw insight into our real opinions. It drops every Friday…and you can find it here. Day in the Life: I love video and this one provides some fun for me…and some insight into our behind the scenes. We shoot videos of interesting projects and events…and share them in this video series. We have it on Youtube (find my channel here) but we get a ton of play on Facebook (linked up here). Delivering Marketing Joy: This is probably the flag ship of content here. I love this one (here is today’s episode). I get the chance to interview wonderful, smart, insightful marketers, authors and entrepreneurs. We are over 200 episodes into it…and it comes out every Wednesday! You can see the first 150 at my Youtube here…and now they can be found at PromoCorner here. P.S. You might think of books as the “old school content,” right? You can also find the book Delivering Marketing Joy (about doing Promo right) here and my book Fan of Happy (about personal development) here. So just in case you are not getting enough here…there are a few more places to grab content each week! But make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter in the form below!
by Kirby Hasseman
People often ask me, “How are you so positive all of the time?” The answer is…it’s hard. Some days it’s harder than others. My attitude is very much by choice, but that does not mean it’s easy. I have to work at it. The more I put myself out there, the more risks I take, the more opportunity that leaves for me to get punched in the face (metaphorically speaking). In those moments of disappointment and frustration, I probably react like anyone else. I vent. I yell. I might even cry. But then I take a deep breath and ask myself one important question. “Why is this for the best?” In the moment, it feels like a dumb question. How can it (whatever it is) be for the best? I am pissed about it. I am frustrated. I am disappointed. But what I have found is that you can’t find the answer to questions you don’t ask. So when you face your next frustration, or rejection, or disappointment, ask yourself, “Why is this for the best?” Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter. We send out one email per week with all of the content we create in one place. The list is growing. So become a VIP by signing up now!
