by Kirby Hasseman
So there I am. It’s early in the morning and I am having my first cup of coffee. I am using my time to go through social media accounts to check for people that I need to respond to, or to connect with. I go through and comment on a few posts and congratulate connections on birthdays or work accomplishments.
My mouse hovers to Linkedin and I check to see if there are notifications there. I love Linkedin and I enjoy the engagement there. In addition, I do want to grow my network there! So when I notice there are notifications in the “My Network” tab I quickly go to check them out. Who might be reaching out to connect? If I know them, the decision is simple. Click a button and expand my network. Done.
But what if I don’t know them? Do I so quickly connect? Wait…let me see what other mutual connections we have. Hmmm…just a few. Do I accept? Do I move on? What am I afraid of? The goal is to grow my network, right? We never know what person might be THE person that helps to grow my business!
So I click “Accept.”
Then…ding! A message instantly comes through Linkedin! Damnit. THAT was what I was afraid of! The instant sales message. I don’t even have to look to know it. This is the person who assumes that since you have accepted their connection, it’s time to put on the full court press. It doesn’t matter that they don’t know if you need it. It doesn’t matter that they don’t know what other solutions you have. They have a quota and a goal and they are coming for you!
This, my friends, is the problem with a short term sales vision.
It’s the reason why it matters that you have a “long term” focus in sales. As I say all of the time “I am looking for 20 year customers.” When you are in sales, it’s hard to focus on the long term. The fact is, you need to sell something in order to make ends meet. That’s not only your goal, it’s your mission. I have been there. But having made some of those short term mistakes, I want to challenge you to think bigger.
Here are a few reasons that focusing on long term success helps you in sales and entrepreneurship.
You Look Less Desperate: What short term salespeople don’t understand is, they will sell less for less money. As consumers, we can smell it. We know when someone is just pushing for the short term sale. They don’t take the time to develop a relationship. They don’t take the time to really explain. They are too busy trying to sell me now. Oh, and if you are in that big a hurry, usually the only thing you have to sell is price. As Seth Godin says, that’s a race to bottom…and that’s a race you don’t want to win.
You Have Time to Push Out Good: People who are focused on long term success understand that a good marketplace leads to good sales. If your customers and community are doing well, you will do well. So it allows you to take the time to help. It will come back.
You Get To Say No: When you are not focused ONLY on this next sale, you get to decide if the prospect or customer can help you create a long term business. When the service or product or values don’t line up, you can politely move on. There is a true power in that.
The reality is, focusing on long term success is how you build relationships and a business that lasts. It’s harder. Sometimes it takes longer. But what are you trying to create? It’s up to you to decide.
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by Kirby Hasseman
When it comes to personal improvement, moving forward is a constant. When I want to stop, I hear those words ringing in my ears, “You are either improving, or you are getting worse. There is no staying the same.” With that in mind, my goal to read (and listen to) books has been consistent. So here are a few of the books that have had my attention so far this year. This Is Marketing: If you read this blog at all, you might know that I am a fan of Seth Godin. I am a fan because of books like this. Seth has a way of looking at the world and distilling thoughts about business, culture and marketing into ways that make sense to me. “This Is Marketing” is great and worth the price of admission just based on his take on the difference between “brand marketing” and “direct marketing.” Oh…and he was also kind enough to be a guest on Delivering Marketing Joy about the book. Game Changers: This was a gift from a friend that thought I would enjoy Dave Asprey’s take on how to improve…he was right. In the interest of transparency, I am still finishing this one, but Dave talks about lessons he has learned and interviewed 100’s of leaders and influencers about how to get more done. UnF@ck Yourself: I had seen this book around for quite sometime and never pulled the trigger. I am glad I did. I listened to the audio book on this one and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes you listen to a message just when you need to hear it. This was one of those books for me this year. 59 Seconds: This book is designed to help you change your life in simple ways. Essentially the book is full of psychological studies that show easy ways you can shift behavior to help you improve. Sometimes the shifts are obvious and sometimes counter-intuitive, but always thought provoking. Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life: This is an audio book that I am still working through. These types of simple books are good breaks for me. Though I did not get a lot of tangible takeaways, it still got me thinking. Can’t Hurt Me: In a word…wow. This book by David Goggins is a powerful story about what you can do with an iron will and determination. By chapter 2 of this book, I said to those around me “I will never complain about my circumstances again!” I listened to the audiobook version of this one…and I recommend it. The book is read by David’s ghostwriter and they take regular breaks in the book to discuss (podcast style) the stories and lessons therein. Really enjoyed this one. So if you are looking for some new reading material to push you further, here are a few that have been on my mind so far in 2019. Now…let’s get back after it! Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up to be a VIP here today.
by Kirby Hasseman
If you have ever trained for a race (like a 5K for example) you know that the training involves doing just a little more than you are able to do. You might start at a walk in order to get your body used to moving. Then you work up to a 5 or 10 minute jog the next day. As the days become weeks, you push yourself to the point where you are running for 30 minutes straight. You might not be winning the race…but you can finish! You went from not being able to run 1/4 mile, to being able to comfortably finish running 3 miles in a row. In other words, you go from “there’s no way I could do that” to “I can do it today…and tomorrow too.” That’s why physical fitness often creates great metaphors for life. The most successful people, in any area of life, are the ones that are willing to consistently make themselves uncomfortable. Some people do this because other people tell them to do it. They go to work when others tell them to go, even though it’s early (or late) and they do it every day. They do the tasks that are hard. Often they work within a common vision to create something. Those who are willing to do this over and over and over become the world’s best and most dedicated employees. Others are able to force themselves into the unknown. These are the people, with little or no supervision, do the things that most people are unable or unwilling to do. They make the prospecting calls every day, calling people they don’t know. They create the video and put it out into the world. They create the company, and take on the risk to try to make it happen. They get up an hour early to lace up their shoes and work out. Either way, they know the thing they want to achieve will take them being uncomfortable…a lot. Then they do it anyway. The interesting thing is, just like in the 5K, if you continually push yourself to do the uncomfortable, it becomes easier. The task that was agonizing can become mundane. The thing you dreaded can become routine. When that happens, you have probably broken through a barrier in performance that will lift you up. And then it might be time to get uncomfortable again. P.S. If you are looking for a race to make you uncomfortable (but still be a ton of fun) you can check out the Hasseman Brewing 3.17 Mile Run on St. Paddy’s Day in Coshocton. There will be great SWAG and beer! It will be hosted at the Coshocton Yard. Register here! Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter here. We send one email per week with all of the content from the week. Feel free to sign up today.
by Kirby Hasseman
We do a lot of video for ourselves and for our clients at Hasseman Marketing. In doing so, I get the chance to interview a lot of smart people. It’s one of the perks of the job. On the other hand, most people I talk to don’t WANT to be interviewed. Don’t get me wrong. They are okay with it. They are even quite good at it. But most of them did not wake up thinking “I can’t wait to put a camera and lights in my face so I can answer random questions!” That means that, no matter how passionate and smart they are, sometimes people get stuck. They know what to say. But in that moment, they struggle with how to articulate it. As a person that talks on podcasts, videos and presentations, I totally get it. Sometimes the words just don’t come out right. In these moments I try to redirect the conversation with the same basic question. It starts with “What’s the best thing about…” I stumbled upon this trick early in my career as I was fumbling for questions. When I asked people about “the best thing” about the project they were working on, they brightened up. They were able to re-frame the conversation in their mind and look at it from 10,000 feet. The question also seemed to allow them to think about their project from a pure passion perspective. Now I know the science backs this up. By resetting their mindset about the project (no matter what that project is) so they think about “what is best about” they insert a layer of positivity into the discussion. They are reminded about why they are working on the project in the first place. It also gives them the simple gift of getting them out of the weeds. So the next time you want to take a conversation to the next level, you might try this technique. Want a job? Ask the interviewer “What’s the best thing about working here?” Want to learn more about a prospect? “What the best thing about working in this position?” You get the idea. It will get the person talking and the conversation going…and you might be more interested too! P.S. Need more questions? I wrote this blog about 20 great questions to ask. Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Today was a snow day. I know, that’s not a huge revelation on February 1st in Ohio. The winter that had started out very mild, has turned more harsh over the last couple of weeks. So when I got the call this morning to alert me that school was cancelled, it was not a huge surprise. The call came a about 15 minutes before my scheduled alarm was set to go off. And, as I processed the information, I realized that my morning appointment had cancelled yesterday. My morning had just opened up. I stood up and turned my alarm off. Then I crawled back into bed and snuggled under the covers with my lovely bride…and smiled. It was a “little moment of celebration.” In business and in life, we are taught to celebrate the huge victories. If you win the big game, land the huge client, graduate, get married, or get that job, we throw a party. These are special moments and they should be celebrated. But moments like that are, well, special. That means they are (by definition) rare. They don’t come along that often. And while they are fun to celebrate in that moment (and great to shoot for) they don’t provide many opportunities for satisfaction. In the middle of grinding for a big goal, I think it’s important to give yourself reasons to celebrate along the way. These moments of happiness and gratitude can help to boost you when you need it. In addition, they can help to provide some level of fulfillment along the way. These “little moments of celebration” can help you with that. Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not a daily time to be lazy. It’s a simple time to take a breath and take stock. Then, after reflecting on how far you have come, or how much you have to be thankful for, you can get back to work. Make sure you never miss an update or a chance for a “little celebration.” Sign up to become our VIP! Each week we send a list of the content we have created to provide you value. Sign up for that here.
