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"Consider the last time a hard sell worked on you—or when you were last 'convinced' to do something. Having a hard time coming up with an instance? While a common sales practice, an overt sales pitch is more likely to cause a customer to run rather than to buy.
[...] The bottom line is that no one wants to be assaulted by one-way communication (a sales pitch). Rather, customers need to be invited into two-way conversations where we can be heard and understood.
Whether you're selling a product, your services, or yourself—you must learn to persuade differently in order to close more deals. You must learn to ditch the pitch."
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"People buy you first! It doesn't matter if you're meeting people for the first time in a social or business situation, you won't get far unless you sell yourself first. This comes as a surprise to many people who just show up without thinking about the impression they make on others. In the case of sales professionals, they may prepare their presentations well, but not pay as much attention to preparing themselves as to how they, personally, come across to potential clients.
The basic premise of this article is that 'it matters.' It matters if you show up 20 minutes early (awkward in social situations), 10 minutes early (usually appropriate for business), on time (okay in social situations, maybe not for business) or 10 minutes late (never acceptable).
It matters if you're dressed and groomed appropriately—including whether or not you're wearing the right shoes (and that they're in good condition).
When you want to capture the attention of others and have them view you as a competent individual, dress and act like one—appropriately for the situation in which you're meeting them."
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"The biggest invention of our digital age is one we rarely think of: ourselves. [...]
Mankind lived for hundreds of thousands of years with almost no change; then, with the Industrial Revolution we learned to inhabit a world of continuous improvement. But now, we deal with lives that experience the equivalent of an Industrial Revolution every few years. We've survived it, we've adapted to it, and now we are learning to thrive in it. And, though we barely noticed the change, we now live differently, learn differently, communicate differently, an ultimately, think differently. ... In other words, we have internalized Moore's Law. Its beat is now our heartbeat; its pace of change is now the heartbeat of civilization."
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"Companies, communities, and individuals fall for many reasons, but one of the most common—and easily avoidable—is the failure to reinvent. Those who feel the most secure in the status quo are in fact the most vulnerable. Many organizations, once great, wither and die as a direct result of their deep entrenchment in the past. They discover too late that success isn't about cracking the code once and then enjoying the spoils forever. Instead, it's a moving target that we have to hit again and again. The disruption of ongoing innovation eventually topples any organization that fails to keep moving—to reinvent.
The good news about reinvention is that you don't need magic, genius, good looks, or vaults of cash to transform your organization or career. Instead, the required elements are open-mindedness, courage, and imagination. Unleashing your imagination is no longer optional and, in fact, will become the lifeblood of your success. It's time to embrace your role as chief disruption officer, no matter where you sit on the organization chart. In fact, your company and your career depend on it."
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"Even though I had fought my way in to the mighty McCann Erickson one of the world largest advertising agencies, I still thought of my internal age as (still is), 13. While my business card may have had a fancy title, inside I was terrified. What on earth would I say? What would I do? [...]
The answer came in the strangest form, from the most unlikely place. That weekend as I visited my family I shared my fears. My mother spoke up, 'It's simple, give them your love.' Ugh! I was exasperated by what seemed to be a perfectly ridiculous observation, a moment of momentary insanity.
Now, Mom is one of those people who doesn't just see the glass as half full, she sees it as overflowing onto the table. She pursued her point, 'It doesn't matter what they're doing for a living, all people are just like us—families—and every person in that family has a sense of belonging. You lead the family, and they need to know you'll care for them. They'll do things for you if they think you are genuine, and if they see that they'll follow you anywhere.'
Drucker, watch out.
I don't believe much in change 'management.' That suggests we have the power to change forces much greater that we are. I do very much believe in change readiness—preparing yourself and your team for the opportunities that change affords."
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