Podcasts about mahan khalsa

The following episode is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/U4rQb2ug058 This week we take ideas and insights from Roberta De Girolamo, Director of Sales at Dropbox about change management.   Change is going to happen, that's inevitable. But it's critically important to set your expectations along the way.  We take a look at the role of the change champion, the value of pilots and hypotheses in implementing change, as well as the need to understand individual motivations and team culture. What you'll learn: Why the majority of people do not like change. Why intentional communication about a change's positives and negatives will benefit your team. What are the different groups of people, and how do they each react differently to change. How a pilot failure might not be a failure at all.   -=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=- AI is here.  Is your sales team ready? Technology is changing the way buyers and sellers interact. Clear, concise communication is more important than ever and personalizing that communication will be the difference between winning and losing deals. Download this guide to learn how to use technology as a weapon. Not only the words and topics of conversations, but the nuance of how to tailor communications, both written and spoken to match the desires of the buyer. This guide will discuss: Using AI to Profile the buyer Identify Behavioral Data Target Buyers and Influencers Get your free whitepaper at Fullfunnelfreedom.com/ai -=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=- Resources: Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity - by Kim Scott Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship - by Mahan Khalsa, Randy Illig, Stephen R. Covey, et all. The Dip - By Seth Godin Change: The Sandler Way - By Hamish Knox Roberta De Girolamo on LinkedIn Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com Sandler on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sandler_yyc/  Sandler in Calgary - www.hamish.sandler.com/howtosandler Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/ Sponsorship or guest inquiries - podcast@fullfunnelfreedom.com

LAST ONE BEST ONE! What is the holiest discipline? Is it painting? Sculpture? The ballet? SOLDIERING? Being a dog catcher? NAY. Not even close, little buddy. The holiest discipline man has ever created..... is commerce. The artful skill of being able to create something from nothing, being able to influence another person to understand your TRUTH, or having the skillz to CLOSE THE DEAL in a way that both parties feel good about is is nothing short of miraculous. In describing sales, famous entrepreneur Yo Gotti cleverly comments: "That Law." And in the holiest of disciples, we need A DEITY. A symbol. A shining light to which the masses can latch onto. Today, my priests, I am lucky enough to be joined by such a man. The Godking. Mahan Khalsa.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dale Carnegie described Mahan's book "Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play" as 'The most famous and best sales book that has ever been written in the history of humankind." It was even cited in The Bible (King James Version 3). In said book, Mahan Khalsa breaks down exactly EVERYTHING you ever could want to know about sales and selling. Anyone who listens to this podcast, buys his book, and deeply learns this will be gifted with riches that previously were reserved only for kings. On this, I bet my life. So join me as I dissect his book and pull out all the applicable lessons. Lessons that can be applied to working a sales job, being more persuasive, or getting everything you ever wanted in life. BEHOLD.

2 of 3!!! What is the holiest discipline? Is it painting? Sculpture? The ballet? SOLDIERING? Being a dog catcher? NAY. Not even close, little buddy. The holiest discipline man has ever created..... is commerce. The artful skill of being able to create something from nothing, being able to influence another person to understand your TRUTH, or having the skillz to CLOSE THE DEAL in a way that both parties feel good about is is nothing short of miraculous. In describing sales, famous entrepreneur Yo Gotti cleverly comments: "That Law." And in the holiest of disciples, we need A DEITY. A symbol. A shining light to which the masses can latch onto. Today, my priests, I am lucky enough to be joined by such a man. The Godking. Mahan Khalsa.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dale Carnegie described Mahan's book "Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play" as 'The most famous and best sales book that has ever been written in the history of humankind." It was even cited in The Bible (King James Version 3). In said book, Mahan Khalsa breaks down exactly EVERYTHING you ever could want to know about sales and selling. Anyone who listens to this podcast, buys his book, and deeply learns this will be gifted with riches that previously were reserved only for kings. On this, I bet my life. So join me as I dissect his book and pull out all the applicable lessons. Lessons that can be applied to working a sales job, being more persuasive, or getting everything you ever wanted in life. BEHOLD.

What is the holiest discipline? Is it painting? Sculpture? The ballet? SOLDIERING? Being a dog catcher? NAY. Not even close, little buddy. The holiest discipline man has ever created..... is commerce. The artful skill of being able to create something from nothing, being able to influence another person to understand your TRUTH, or having the skillz to CLOSE THE DEAL in a way that both parties feel good about is is nothing short of miraculous. In describing sales, famous entrepreneur Yo Gotti cleverly comments: "That Law." And in the holiest of disciples, we need A DEITY. A symbol. A shining light to which the masses can latch onto. Today, my priests, I am lucky enough to be joined by such a man. The Godking. Mahan Khalsa.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dale Carnegie described Mahan's book "Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play" as 'The most famous and best sales book that has ever been written in the history of humankind." It was even cited in The Bible (King James Version 3). In said book, Mahan Khalsa breaks down exactly EVERYTHING you ever could want to know about sales and selling. Anyone who listens to this podcast, buys his book, and deeply learns this will be gifted with riches that previously were reserved only for kings. On this, I bet my life. So join me as I dissect his book and pull out all the applicable lessons. Lessons that can be applied to working a sales job, being more persuasive, or getting everything you ever wanted in life. BEHOLD.

Align the customer's desired results with the firm's interest to maximize profits.-----------------Thank you to our sponsor, Avalara! Avalara's award-winning tax automation solutions help accounting practitioners of all sizes, from sole proprietors to Top 100 firms. Avalara simplifies sales tax compliance with real-time rates, automated returns filing, registrations, tax research and automated tax solutions for specialized tax areas. We live and breathe tax so you don't have to. Learn more at Avalara.com/Accountants.----------------- (00:00) - Building a Focused Firm Ep 05 (00:35) - Welcome to Part 05: Value Pricing & Offering Guarantees (06:40) - Where is the value? (08:14) - Compliance Value (08:47) - Economic Value (11:00) - Accounting Professionals vs. Number of Potential Clients (15:17) - What does price and value mean to an accounting firm? (15:59) - The rule of 3 (21:25) - Does any of this matter to your customers? (25:27) - How does Spiritual Value translate to your clients? (27:21) - What does this concept of spirtual value mean in context of pricing our services? (30:43) - Types of Value Pricing (34:38) - The problem with hourly rates? (38:13) - Answering the time/rate questions (51:28) - Types of Pricing Models (not based on time) (57:24) - Task-based and Output-based pricing (59:14) - Productized Service (01:00:52) - Access-based or Subscription Model (01:01:26) - Value-based Pricing (01:04:36) - Value Conversation Tips (01:07:28) - Mahan Khalsa 5 Golden Questions (01:10:55) - The 12 Ts for Option Building (01:14:18) - Service Delivery Options (01:16:48) - Option Building Results Options (01:18:14) - How to present your value options? (01:26:59) - Presenting your best option first (01:27:47) - Golden Rules for options (01:29:12) - Big guarantees, should set apart the top option (01:32:03) - Creative Guarantees -----------------Join the Focused Firm email list to get notified of future streams and CPE courses:https://go.earmarkcpe.com/the-focused-firm-----------------Get free CPE for listening to this podcast:https://app.earmarkcpe.com/?course_id=11d08a91-988a-4465-8e0c-e974240b637d-----------------Connect with Hector Garcia, CPA:Website: http://hectorgarcia.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hectormgarciacpa/Connect with Blake Oliver, CPA:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaketoliverTwitter: https://twitter.com/blaketoliver/-----------------Download the Earmark CPE App:Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/earmark-cpe/id1562599728Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.earmarkcpe.app

Rene Rodriguez reveals a powerful three-step formula for amplifying your influence and getting your message heard. — YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The surprising reason why your audience isn't listening 2) The most powerful communication skill in your arsenal 3) How to craft a narrative and message that sticks Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep773 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT RENE — For over two decades, René has been researching and applying behavioral neuroscience as a dynamic keynote speaker, leadership advisor, world-class sales expert, and renowned speaker coach. He has also trained more than 100,000 people in applying behavioral psychology and neurology methodologies to solve some of the toughest challenges in leadership, sales, and change. • Book: Amplify Your Influence: Transform How You Communicate and Lead • Instagram: @seerenespeak • Website: MeetRene.com • TEDx Talk: Harnessing the Power of Courage | René Rodriguez | TEDxYouth@MinnetonkaHS • TEDx Talk: Sequencing Communication to Amplify Your Influence | René Rodriguez | TEDxYouth@MinnetonkaHS — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • TEDx Talk: How Peas Will Save Our Planet | Julia Albrecht | TEDxHamlineUniversity • Book: Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship by Mahan Khalsa and Stephen R. Covey • Movie scene: Cedar Rapid reframes insurance sales See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mike unequivocally declared that this episode (Part 2 of his interview with Nick Hejna) is The. Single. Best. conversation he's ever had with a sales leader around sales process. Nick and Mike paint the clearest possible picture of why having, following, and owning a sales process is not only important for the seller, but is actually in THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PROSPECT/CLIENT! You'll also be challenged to consider that the best sales leaders don't play “hero” of their teams but focus on making heroes of their people, and that not every top producer fits the bill for a management role.  And Nick concludes this powerful conversation by sharing his love for the sales profession and the opportunity it offers top performers to achieve financial (and life) freedom. If you are enjoying and getting value from Mike's podcast, please rate the show and leave a brief review on Apple Podcasts.   Books Mentioned in this Episode: Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play by Mahan Khalsa (the 1st Edition from 1999, beige paperback is Mike's choice) Baseline Selling by Dave Kurlan  The Lost Art of Closing by Anthony Iannarino

Extremely Opinionated "Small Business Saturday Podcast" With Host: Tiffany Raine & Dr. Travis Davis Link To The Show Notes https://Coaches4Freedom.org/Podcast Tiffany Raine Interviewed Radio Host & Networking Guru Rich James

Extremely Opinionated "Small Business Saturday Podcast" With Host: Tiffany Raine & Dr. Travis Davis Link To The Show Notes https://Coaches4Freedom.org/Podcast Tiffany Raine interviewed the founder of Coaches4Freedom a Non-Profit designed to bridge the wealth gap we currently face in underutilized communities.

Selling is more challenging than ever before for many reasons including Marketing Message Overload, the Internet and Diminishing Attention Spans. Because of these and other reasons, it's important that organizations and sales professionals focus on the highest leverage areas in selling. The Perfect Close is sublime If anyone wanted to learn a method of closing with zero pressure. Read the Perfect Close. James said he struggled to close sales and read all the books and many of which came from the timeshare industry that use unscrupulous techniques. By accident, he discovered the closing question “what’s the next step?” The second close question of the perfect close, came about when James got into management and he realised that they were struggling with the same thing. The questions are proactive and coach the buyers and customers through the buying process, suggesting the next step facilitates through their internal processes and buying step so the buyer remains in control. James says it is important to have prepared a couple of ideal outcomes, Neil Rackham termed these advances. As soon as they pushed fast than they are ready for that when it feels like manipulation and stop sharing because they think you will use it against them. In 90% of cases the customer suggests the next logical step, says James. It is natural to hire in your own image, however, none of us is as good as all of us – if we have one perspective, we have a blind spot which is not representative of our clients, James believes there is still a long way to go in embracing diversity in sales. The job of sales is not to manipulate or persuade says James, we want to produce honest value and offer real insight that benefits the customer. The mindset is of facilitation. If there is a secret to selling, then it is to do a great job for your customer, and they will recommend you. James Muir hero is Mahan Khalsa the author of Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play. Mahan taught many things including the principle that intent matters more than technique. Listen to the podcast and tweet what point resonated with you using the #scaleyoursales @B2B_SalesTips, 5 people have a chance to win eBook of the book The Perfect Close. James Muir is the founder and CEO of Best Practice International and the bestselling author of the #1 book on closing sales - The Perfect Close. James is a 30-year veteran of sales having served in every role from individual contributor to executive VP. His mission - to make the complex simple.  Those interested in learning a method of closing that is zero pressure involves just two questions and is successful 95% of the time can reach him at PureMuir.com. https://www.linkedin.com/in/puremuir https://twitter.com/B2B_SalesTips

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly-traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Listener Questions Samantha asks about how to confront an employee who is not willing to take direction for her. Cathy is wondering how she can lead on a team where she does not have formal authority. Amir is seeking advice on how to step into a director role with confidence and managing former peers. Kelly asks about responding to stakeholders who give suggestions when it doesn’t align with organizational strategy. Resources Mentioned Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play* by Mahan Khalsa, Randy Illig, and Stephen R. Covey Working Wardrobes* Related Episodes How to Manage Former Peers, with Tom Henschel (episode 257) How to Actually Move Numbers, with Chris McChesney (episode 294) The Path to Start Leading Your Team, with John Piñeiro (episode 349) Finding Joy Though Intentional Choices, with Bonni Stachowiak (episode 417) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly-traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Listener Questions Samantha asks about how to confront an employee who is not willing to take direction for her. Cathy is wondering how she can lead on a team where she does not have formal authority. Amir is seeking advice on how to step into a director role with confidence and managing former peers. Kelly asks about responding to stakeholders who give suggestions when it doesn’t align with organizational strategy. Resources Mentioned Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play* by Mahan Khalsa, Randy Illig, and Stephen R. Covey Working Wardrobes* Related Episodes How to Manage Former Peers, with Tom Henschel (episode 257) How to Actually Move Numbers, with Chris McChesney (episode 294) The Path to Start Leading Your Team, with John Piñeiro (episode 349) Finding Joy Though Intentional Choices, with Bonni Stachowiak (episode 417) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

“Stories are a fundamental part of who we are, but sometimes salespeople are reluctant to include them in their sales strategies. In this episode, we explore why personal stories are essential to your sales approach.”   Episode Overview In this episode, Bruce Scheer talks to Mike Adams about how to use your personal story to create meaningful connections with buyers and open the door to a sales friendship. Mike is the author of Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell and the co-founder and CEO of The Story Leader, a sales consultancy which focuses on teaching sellers how to use stories to improve sales. With nearly 20 years in the industry, he has gained exceptional direct experience with the value of storytelling as a sales art, which he brings to today's show.   The Importance of your Personal Story for Engaging Buyers Storytelling is a fundamental part of our humanity. Stories are part of our everyday lives, from books and movies that influence our world to the tales we share among friends and family. Something so essential to our lives can also play a role in the way we approach sales. Indeed, as Mike Adams suggests, most salespeople remember the stories we've been told or have experienced over other minute details. In other words, stories are just as important in your personal life as they are in your sales. Unfortunately, many salespeople are resistant to changing their approaches. After all, they must deal with rejection as a possibility in sales, and the fear of rejection can make the idea of change seem untenable. However, if the first job of a salesperson is to connect with a potential client, then storytelling is a must-have tool for your sales toolbox. Stories help build friendships with clients, establish credibility and authority, and help drive sales conversations by showing how and why your company operates. They are also common features in the business world. Good salespeople regularly use personal stories, and many salespeople become CEOs or company founders. In fact, roughly 25% of CEOs began in sales. What can you do to incorporate personal stories into your sales conversations? First, let's take a quick look at the primary stories in sales.   What are the common story types in sales? According to Mike Adams, there are seven story types that every salesperson should know: Personal Stories explore how you got to where you are in sales, what you do, and why you're there that day. Key Staff Stories introduce a customer to another person in your organization to build that person's credibility before their sales meeting. Company Stories explore how your company was created and why it didn't fail. Insight Stories tap into an aspect of the customer or company that they didn't know. Success Stories explore a successful client's journey, with attention to how things were before they hired you, the challenges they faced, the action plan you devised, and the subsequent results. Value Stories discuss how one of your organization's leaders responded to a challenge or pressure while adhering to the values of the company. Teaching Stories address a seller's struggle to close a deal by providing them with a story about a similar situation and how it was resolved. We don't have the space to cover each of these in depth. Instead, we will focus on the importance of the personal story. However, if you'd like more information on each of these stories, we recommend you read Mike's book, Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell. There is also a free sales course on The Story Leader, which serves as a companion to the book.   What is a personal story in sales, and why do they matter? Personal stories focus on your journey as a salesperson. They can establish how you became a salesperson, the route you took to get to the present, why you do what you do, and so on. They are also a way to tell a client that you are experienced without becoming a walking advertisement for yourself. Stories of this type often rely on anecdotes and a willingness to discuss the human qualities of the sales world. To put it another way, personal stories center vulnerability and honesty in a sales conversation. The goal of personal stories is to encourage an exchange of stories between sellers and customers. These exchanges can give you essential insight into how your clients think about their business or themselves. More importantly, the vulnerability of personal story exchanges builds trust and, ideally, friendship. Since customers and sellers tend not to trust one another, it is often difficult to create those meaningful connections. Personal stories change the relationship you have with a customer, which can help you break through the mistrust and formal nature of a sales conversation. Additionally, personal stories can result in three positive outcomes: The development of authentic connections that are human-to-human rather than brochure-to-brochure Reciprocation on the part of the customer The increased likelihood that clients will provide truthful responses to your questions All of these benefits can increase your sales. More importantly, these benefits build long-term relationships with your clients that are more productive for both sides. The stories and friendships you make during your career will also have lasting value.   What are some of the components of personal stories? Mike Adams suggests that most personal stories should meet the following criteria: 3 minutes or less of content Longer stories tend to include unnecessary details or wander. A 3-minute limitation forces you to create a tight, quick-moving narrative. Focused on 3-4 turning point events Turning point events help explain how you became a salesperson, what led you to become the person you are now, and what you do. They also help establish your credibility as a salesperson by demonstrating experience and history. When deciding on events, focus on the defining moments in your sales career. Personal stories must feature a sequence of related events A standard personal story presents turning point events in a linear and explicitly connected order. In other words, your story must go from A to B, from B to C, and so on. Always include dates and places Including dates and places allows the listener to place themselves in your story. Effectively, you give the listener details that will help them imagine where you were, what you saw, etc. You want your listener to experience you and to know what it is like to be you for a few minutes. Don't focus only on success Personal stories are meant to be personal. Nobody is perfect. Including events of failure gives the listener an incentive to reciprocate your vulnerability, which can create stronger personal connections with customers. Remember that engaging stories are not a simple list of events. There must be a natural flow from one thing to the next. Consider mapping your story and writing down the explicit connections between each moment. Doing so will help you visualize your personal story and streamline the narrative.   What holds sellers back from incorporating personal stories into their sales strategies? Fear. Sellers often fear that customers don't want to hear their stories, perhaps because they are a waste of time or customers want to get down to business. However, Mike Adams argues that sellers should put themselves in the shoes of their customers. From a customer's perspective, you're just a person who intends to talk about your products. They don't know you or know why they should trust you with their business. However, sellers must start the personal conversations that can cut through a customer's latent distrust. Personal stories can break the ice and make a real difference in your sales conversations. All we can suggest is that you try! If you're interested in hearing Mike's in-depth analysis of Bruce's personal story, make  sure to listen to the podcast!   Key Takeaways: Storytelling is a powerful human quality. Stories are part of our everyday lives and impact our world. In sales, they are essential for building stronger and long-lasting relationships with your clients, which provide numerous benefits for you on a personal and professional level. Personal stories can help salespeople break through the initial trust barrier with customers. These types of stories introduce vulnerability into the conversation, which can often build trust and friendship with your customers. Ideally, your customers will respond with their own stories, leading to long-term relationships that are beneficial for all involved. We all must learn to beat back the fear of rejection and vulnerability that comes with using personal stories in our sales conversations. One way to do this is to place yourself in the shoes of your customers and consider how they view a sales conversation. You'll see the value of using personal stories to break the ice!   Resources: Mike's Links: Seven Stories Every Salesperson Must Tell Mike's sales firm, TheStoryLeader.com Mike's online training programs Mike's YouTube Channel on Storytelling Follow Mike on twitter @MikeAdamsSales Connect with Mike on Linkedin Additional Resources: Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig For More Great Content Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review this show on Apple Podcasts. Here's a cool short video that shows you how to do this. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and will help me promote the show to others who will benefit from the insights provided by my guests. Credits Audio Editing and Production by ChirpSound Show Notes and Additional Writing by Shaun Duke from The Duke of Editing

Why you have to check out today’s podcast: Learn why without the ability to have this conversation, value pricing is dead on arrival  Know why value conversation is the most valuable skill in business  Learn how to discipline yourself not to be a ‘solutionist’ and  not offer solutions too early in the process  You can't do value pricing without having a conversation about the prospects problems and pain points. The way you talk to customers has a significant impact on your brand, and nothing delivers customer satisfaction quite like consistently valuable communication.     Ed Kless is an expert in value conversation, the Senior Director of Partner Development and Strategy at Sage - a SaaS-based product company, and the co-host The Soul of Enterprise with another value pricing expert, Ron Baker.     In this episode, Ed will dissect the process of creating value discussion, how to do value billing. Ditch the time sheets, frustrated clients and employees, and make more profits.      “How you sell is a free sample of how you will solve.”  – Ed Kless, quoting Mahan Khalsa   Stay updated on all thing pricing.   Subscribe to 'The Pricing Perspective' here    Topics Covered:  01:30–Ed’s back story how he got introduced into the pricing industry through Ronald Baker book - Professional's Guide to Value Pricing  02:28 –Ed does not believe in  timesheets, moving away from billing via the hour  04:10 – Comparison between a consultant and a technician in terms of delivering service  05:00 – Value conversation components: the cost, the price, and the perceived value  8:27 – Value conversation explained - ‘How you sell is a free sample of how you solve.’ - Ed quoting Mahan Khalsa  11:33 – People need to be heard -  why it is crucial in your value conversation  16:44 – Mahan Khalsa’s Five Golden Questions  How do you measure it?  What is it now?   What do you want it to be?   What is the value of the difference?   Over time (usually one year)?  17:39 – Value conversation for product marketing as suppose to making sales   22:01 – The four steps to move off the solution: Listen, Assuage, Move and Close  27:12 – A piece of pricing advice from Ed– “Offer choices. Do not hesitate to come up and compete with yourselves to try to develop choices for the customers.”    Key Takeaways:   “What people want is that they want to felt listened to.” – Ed Kless  “Prospects as other human beings can sense that [when you are not listening] as well.” – Ed Kless  “Even when there is competition, and we make value conversation, people trust us more. They believe us more.” – Mark Stiving, quoting Ed Kless    People and Resources Mentioned  Ronald Baker  Peter Black   Mahan Khalsa Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play   The Soul of Enterprise: Episode 182 - How to Have a Value Conversation    Connect with Ed Kless  www.edkless.com  Facebook  Linkedin The Soul of Enterprise    Connect with Mark Stiving   Email: mark@impactpricing.com   LinkedIn   Twitter     Connect with Mark Stiving  Email: mark@impactpricing.com  LinkedIn  Twitter   

Welcome! This first episode of Shakti Stories will open the door to the idea of Shakti and invite you to consider what it may mean to you in your life! Do you give yourself permission to be honest about what you most deeply desire?  The first session of Shakti Stories is a conversation with life coach & yoga teacher Mahan Khalsa who shares her inspiring insights around how to live into more happiness, joy, health and honesty.

18 down in 12 months. 18 books in 2018 and I'm sharing my top 5. I whittled the list down to 5 by selecting which books had the highest chance of me reading them for a second time, how many actionable pieces were in the book, and how well the author held my attention. Heres the list... Start with why by Simon Sinek Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig Unshakeable by Tony Robbins The Lean Startup by Eric Ries From Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross and Jason Lemkin Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill The Everything Store by Brad Stone Screw It, Let's Do It by Richard Branson The Secret by Rhonda Byrne The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz Zero to One by Peter Thiel Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris 2:00 - How I rate the books (mentioned above) 3:10 - The 18 books 4:18 - My top 5 12:33 - When the hell do I find the time? If you want to watch instead of listen - https://youtu.be/PiobnUtntqk #Entrepreneur #MorningReads #JoshCTV

Professional presenters are a special breed. Salespeople and top leaders are a fearless bunch. You have to be brave to stand up in front of group of people and speak to them with clarity and verve. Most of sellers are "pleasers" who love the spotlight. They're mostly egocentrics who are more than okay with attention. "In short, we presenters love ourselves," says veteran keynote speaker, Michael Angelo Caruso. "And we want you to love us." That's why salespeople work so hard to meet with you. They want to tell you about themselves, their products, their services. They want to give you a presentation and then hopefully, submit a proposal. "But ego centrism works against us," says Caruso. "The best presentation advice I've received is from the book, 'Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play' by Mahan Khalsa." This video covers two Khalsa-isms: 1) Don't present to people just because.... 2) Don't create/submit a proposal unless you know EXACTLY what the prospect wants. "When I incorporated these two concepts into how I handled presentations, my life improved immensely" says Caruso. "And now this is what I teach my Present Like a Pro students.'" More info on Michael's website and his Present Like a Pro FB group.

Mahan Khalsa is a down to earth, reach-for-the-skies, wildly spirited woman. She spent over a decade of her life traveling the world with the winds of change, and the impulses of her heart as her guide.She was blessed to explore a myriad of cultures, traditions, and healing modalities which taught her the value of slowing down, tuning in and prioritizing myself and her deeper calling. For almost 2 decades, she's turned her life into art, work, play & exploration.From creating whole food snacks and an organic restaurant, to facilitating over 3000 yoga classes, workshops, and retreats, she's personally and professionally evolved to offer her gifts to the world in a way that feels meaningful and authentic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David re-reads the 2nd chapter of Blair’s first book, leading to a discussion about how sales people have to choose between either presenting to clients or being present to them.   TRANSCRIPT DAVID C. BAKER: Blair, we are going to talk today about replacing presentations with conversations.  BLAIR ENNS: The second proclamation. DAVID: Yeah, it's actually the second chapter in your book, which I'm holding right now in my grimy little hands. The book, it's black with red, looks like foil to make it look expensive, so you could charge an extra couple bucks for it probably. It says Win Without Pitching Manifesto, and the second chapter is about replacing presentations with conversations, but I think if you would let me, I'd like to make a public confession before we get into this. BLAIR: Sure. DAVID: Your book actually sells better than mine, and I want you to know that that pisses me off. BLAIR: I read a great quote the other day, maybe it was Gore Vidal who said, "Every time a friend succeeds, a little part of me dies."  DAVID: I don't know if this was the third or fourth printing, but since we published the book, we got these three skids of your books. Not only do I hate the fact that your book has sold better than my last book, but I have to haul these skids of your book like for punishment, to remind me constantly that they're selling. BLAIR: That's what you get for moonlighting as my publisher. DAVID: Yeah, instead of focusing on what I should be doing, yeah. BLAIR: The fourth printing should arrive any day now, it's larger than all the other ones. Can I just keep bragging here? I'm surprised it's been, well I think it's somewhere around seven years, and sales just keep going up, I can't explain it. DAVID: I'm more surprised than anybody, because I've read it and I know you. The idea is replacing presentations with conversations, and actually I read through chapter two again, it was actually fun to read that part of the book again. You talk a lot about avoiding the big reveal, and the first thing I could think of was several episodes of Mad Men where they have the single pitch board on an easel in the conference room and it's covered, and when they say "big reveal", they mean big reveal, they lift this thing up and there's this tension in the room. You talk about the fact that we're addicted to that. I'm not sure that people would admit that they're addicted to that, can you talk more about that first, to start us off? BLAIR: Some people might listen to that and think, "Well, I'm not addicted to that," but I think you and I probably have different definitions of creativity. You might have kind of a broader look at what it means to be creative, and I take my cues from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who wrote the book Flow, and he studies happiness and creativity. He says creativity is the ability to see, the ability to bring kind of a new perspective to a problem. It's not the ability to write or draw, he refers to that as "personal creativity". BLAIR: Creative people who can look at things differently, they just see things differently, that's kind of to me the hallmark of creativity, one of the things that goes hand in hand with being creative is the ability to think on your feet, so these two things, for reasons I don't fully understand, they're tied to each other. When somebody has this really strong ability to kind of bring a fresh perspective to a problem, they also have a really strong ability to go with the flow and deal with whatever kind of objections are thrown at them. If your strength is standing in front of a room, saying something, hearing an objection, and then having to react to it, and then kind of sell in the situation or recover from a situation, then you are going to look for as many situations like that that you can create. BLAIR: I'll give you a great example of a friend and a client from many years ago, creative director at a small design firm, and he was presenting a new identity to a consulting firm. He does the big reveal, and it's very quiet, and then he's a little bit nervous because it's so quiet, and he says, "What do you think?" One of them says, "Well interesting, I notice you've changed our name from XYZ Consulting to XYZ Consultants." It was just a mistake, an error on his part, and he responded immediately. He said, "Exactly, because consulting, that's what you do, consultants, that's who you are." They bought it, so they changed the name because he just responded in the moment. BLAIR: Creative people love being in that situation of presenting, having to deal with an objection, and then coming through it, because the euphoria is profound, it's huge. If that's who you are, if that's your strength, commanding a room, having to dance, having to respond to objections, et cetera, not knowing what's going to happen next, then you will create as many situations as possible where you get to do that, and the whole time you will tell yourself and tell others and tell me and tell you, "No no no, that's the way this business works, or that's the best way to communicate this information to the client," and it's not. It's all about you and your personal need to present as a creative person. DAVID: You would say that that's pretty widespread in the creative field, because most of the creative field has been walking down that path for many years, there's something about that personality. I think of it as diving into an empty pool and inventing water on the way down, that's how I think of it. When I think about public speaking, to me that's sort of what's happened, or when I'm doing consulting where I know that within a few hours, we're going to have to have some at least provisional answer, and we don't yet, and that's terrifying but also thrilling. There's something about the creative feel of creative entrepreneurs that's bringing that. Now, would this equally apply to presentations in a new business setting as it would to presentations as the work is unfolding? BLAIR: There are different types of presentations, and there are different times in the relationship in which we feel like it's appropriate to present. If we start with the idea that we are addicted to the presentation and the presentation does not need to exist, if you come around to my way of thinking on that, then you will look at the presenting that you do in a new business situation, and you'll realize that this is not necessary, I'm doing this for me. You really first have to come to grips and be honest with yourself about your own need to present. What I recommend is, reform yourself when it comes to your existing clients. DAVID: First. BLAIR: Yeah, first. Replace the big reveal with a series of little reveals, and then once you get your head around that, then you will be able to think about your need to present in a new business situation a little bit differently. There are all kinds of creative people outside of the creative professions, so most entrepreneurs I think fit this description of a creative person, because I think you have to be somewhat creative to be ... I test for this in the tests that we do for all of the people who enter the Win Without Pitching program, so I can get an objective measure of how creative in that sense, or how much they crave standing up in front of the room and being forced to dance. BLAIR: There's a rudimentary question that's, and I'll ask the audience right now, and I've asked this in many seminars or workshops I've led. Usually I do it after break, I come back into the room and I say, "Hey," and I'm clearly kind of roleplaying or playing a scenario, I say, "Hey, in the hallway, I just ran into the chairman of the board of your most highly coveted client. Think of the company that you've always wanted to work for. They're having a board meeting in the meeting room right next to ours, and I told them that I was spending the day with you, and they said, 'Oh great, can you send somebody in to do a 15-minute presentation on their firm? Because we're looking to hire a firm like theirs.'" BLAIR: Then I say to the audience, "You have 10 seconds to get over there and present. You have no time to prepare," you get up out of your chair and start walking, and then I say, "Okay, stop. What's your reaction? Everybody just measure what your reaction to that is, I've just told you you have no time to prepare, you have to go to a 15 minute presentation, you have to be there in 10 seconds, what's your reaction?" You look at the audience, and you can see the range of responses in their faces. Some people are grinning, these are the people, they would say, "I'll think of what I'm going to say on the way over there," and they love the stress of that moment because they have this great ability to respond, to think on their feet. BLAIR: These are the people, as you say, who love to dive off the diving board and invent water on the way down. Then you've got the kind of low autonomy people that are very systematic and process-oriented, and these people are horrified, they need vision and clarity of what's going to happen next. They need to know what their steps are, they need to be prepared, it's their worst fears to come off unprepared. They haven't even considered what they might say or the objections that they might encounter, and they need to be able to think through all of those things. BLAIR: If you're in that first category, then I can all but promise you that you have built your business around that strength of yours, and you have driven your cost of sale way up, and probably your closing ratios down. Now obviously, there's some places where it's served you well, but for the most part when it comes to getting new clients, I'll bet you it's hurt you more than it's helped you. DAVID: Do you remember years ago, when some creative firms, especially designers, would take a portfolio book, and there were pages that you'd flip? I remember reading this study, I don't remember where it was, how the pacing was so different if you controlled it as, say, the principal of the firm making this presentation, or let the client control the pace, how much faster the pace was. They were not interested in the presentation, they were much more interested in getting to their issue. I think that plays into what you're talking about, but the question specifically that's coming to my mind right now is, like so you talk a lot about how the expert needs to direct the relationship, how is the expert directing the relationship if they're not talking that much, if the client is doing most of the talking? In other words, if we're letting the client fulfill their needs here, how are we not relinquishing this need to direct the relationship? BLAIR: Well, I think you know the answer, because if you're not talking, what's left? DAVID: Listening, or asking questions. BLAIR: Yeah, if you map out the role of the two parties, buyer and seller, over the length of the sale, you will see that when it's done properly, a proper consultative sale, early in the relationship, the salesperson is talking about 25% of the time, and they're using their 25% to ask questions, and the client is taking 75% of the time, and they're using that time to give their responses. Then at the end of the sale, the close, it's reversed, the client is speaking 25% of the time, and they're asking you, the seller, the questions, and you're taking 75% of the time to respond to their questions. Nowhere in there are you standing at a PowerPoint deck in presentation mode, you're either asking questions or you're responding to the clients' questions. BLAIR: It's interesting, that portfolio book and the amount of time. I had a really interesting conversation just a week or two ago with a principal that I know well, and we were talking about capabilities presentations, and I was saying, "No, the capabilities presentation does not need to exist." We were getting into a very constructive, respectful argument or a discussion where we're each advancing our views on the subject, about capabilities presentations, he was saying, "No, it's valid, you have all this information you want to communicate about your firm." I said to him, "How long does it take you to get through your capabilities presentation?", and he kind of looked a little bit sheepish, and I said, "Is it more than five minutes?", and he kind of looked at his feet, and I said, "Is it more than 30 minutes?" He said, "Well, it's about an hour." DAVID: I'm already bored just listening to that. BLAIR: Yeah, just by answering that question, I think he got the realization that, "Okay, this is all about me," but in fairness, this person is more kind of on the low autonomy process-oriented type person who's more comfortable, and it takes more training, more practice, and never comes completely easy to him to kind of stand up and be responsive. DAVID: Right, so we're going to have different perspectives on this based on who we are as people. BLAIR: Yeah. DAVID: One of the things that you say, and as I read through this I made a note of this phrase because it really intrigued me, you said, "We cannot be transparent if we are withholding information for the presentation." First, I'm not sure I completely understand. My mind first went to, are you talking about like putting the price at the end of the presentation? I don't think you're talking about that necessarily, but what do you mean and why do you say this specifically? BLAIR: I'm talking about in your relationships with existing clients. The big buzzwords of the last, I don't know, decade or so, authenticity is one, we need to do a whole podcast on authenticity. DAVID: God, I'm so tired of that word. BLAIR: My least favorite word on the planet. DAVID: "Storytelling" is close second for me. BLAIR: People talk about authenticity, transparency, and collaboration, these are three of the big buzzwords of our time. Let's just put authenticity aside, and talk about transparency and collaboration. Firms are out there saying, "We work transparently and collaboratively with our clients." Okay, well if that's really true, transparent means the client has a window into what you're doing, what you're thinking, where the project is at any time, you're not withholding. DAVID: Like and they know that you haven't even started it, and you've had it for three weeks and it's due in three days, that's transparency. BLAIR: Yeah, and they know it, that's transparency. Collaboration is where you're working with your client, rather than going away and coming back and presenting, so transparency and collaboration. You think about it, the presentation can only exist in the absence of both, right? The need for presentation is only there if you are withholding information from the client. DAVID: Yeah, if you're delivering new information that you previously had and chose not to give them, you're saving it for the presentation, so that's what you're talking about. BLAIR: Yeah. When I was still a consultant, I had been writing about this and talking about this for years, and then one day I realized, "Oh my God, I still do this." When I'm doing a business development audit, I withhold all of the learning until the end, and then I unveil my genius findings that makes me feel great. DAVID: I'm just going to let that pass, okay? BLAIR: Yeah, but it's like, "I'm going to rock this person's world by letting them know the really insightful things that I've discovered about their business," and my reaction is I want them to go, "Oh my God Blair, you're so smart, I never thought of that before, this changes everything!" That's the reaction I'm looking for, and all of us who go into presentation mode, we need to admit that that's the reaction we're looking for and it's really all about us, because what if I'm wrong? What if I got the name of the company wrong, like my friend, the creative director? There's a renamed company out there because of a slip like that.   BLAIR: I realized I was admonishing my clients for doing this, and I realized I still do it too. What did I start to do? As I'm learning key things, I would share them with the client. I would never get rid of the final reveal, the final share, I knew I was being transparent and collaborative when in that final phone call, when I was delivering my findings and recommendations. I would begin by saying, "Okay, I've already shared with you most of what I'm going to share with you here today, we're just going to put a nice little bow around it." I'm just letting them know, "There is no big reveal, because I've already shared with you." BLAIR: If I would get a hypothesis, I would reach out to my client and say, "You know, I think I'm seeing this pattern," et cetera. That doesn't come naturally, but I felt like I needed to take my own medicine, and I realized that when I was doing this, I was far less likely to make a big mistake or miss something vital altogether. Like how often does that happen in a presentation where you think you've killed it, and the client goes, "Wow, that's great, what about Singapore?", "What do you mean Singapore?", you've forgotten something significant. DAVID: This is an early test along the way, so if you get your hand slapped it's not a big slap. It's not getting hit with a baseball bat, it's like, "Silly man, no, that won't work." I hear people objecting though, because I know that a lot of my clients and your clients are listening to this and saying, "Listen, I have the answer early in the process, and I just withhold it because it makes it seem to easy if I just blurt it out." I'm going to say, "Okay, I really know the answer, but we'll get back to you in about a week or 10 days, and then we'll embellish and clean up and prep the answer and give it to you," because they feel like they're not going to be able to charge the fees they want to if it looks that easy to them. What are you going to say to somebody that's, I guarantee you some people are going to think that when they hear what we just talked about. BLAIR: I completely sympathize, I mean I operated the same way for many years as a consultant. I know you, I'm not going to give away your secret, but when you've modeled out how it works, when you've seen all the patterns, you know the information that you need. When you have true specialized expertise, it's really just small pieces of information that you need. That's the difference between an expert and a generalist, a generalist needs to collect all of this information and then sift through it all, and try to find some sort of relationship and pattern. The specialist comes along and says, "I've done this 1,000 times before. Give me these four things," and then you can deliver, like in your case, it might be 20, 30, $50,000 worth of value probably really quickly, like probably in minutes, but you let things unfold and you reserve the right to, "Well, maybe I'm missing something." BLAIR: I think that's valid, "Maybe I'm missing something, let me just let some ideas kind of gestate, let me think about things a little bit differently," but I see the pattern, I have the hypothesis right away, it's pretty clear to me. I sympathize with that, and I think there's some sort of middle ground here where I think that's valid. I think that some clients, not the best clients, but some clients have a real hard time with the fact that it took you 10 minutes to come up with a solution, and I've just paid you $50,000. DAVID: Yeah, and I think I do ask for more information than I need sometimes to make the process to look more thorough, so that it looks like a better value proposition for the client. That's an immediate sort of recognition on my part. I think just as the recommendations I'm making to my clients are shorter and more on point than they used to be, we should not be giving clients more homework than we need to either. Let's just ask for the things that we really need, they should only be allowed to answer questions, they should not be allowed to talk unless they're answering a specific question. DAVID: We can't be transparent if we're withholding information for the presentation. Another thought that popped up as I was reading through chapter two again is that when you are presenting, you are not listening, you're not being present. In other words, you can't effectively multitask here. Do you want to talk more about that? BLAIR: Yeah. I think I've said this on other podcasts, you can present to somebody or you can be present to them, and you can't do both. You're either transmitting or you're receiving, and another kind of sub-point under this is when you're presenting, you're kind of in violation of some of the principles of value pricing, value pricing where you're getting paid to deliver value. You're not on inputs like time and materials, not on outputs like delivering X or Y logo, et cetera, a campaign, but on the value that create for the client. Ideally, that's the place where we all want to get to or get closer to, where we're commanding fees or remuneration for the value we're creating for the clients. BLAIR: For you to value price, you need to have a really meaningful value conversation, and there's steps to a value conversation. One of the keys to a value conversation is, you need to be focused on uncovering a desired future state of the client, it's this duality of zen mind, beginner mind, like the blank slate of a beginner and the mind of the expert. You need to be expert enough to know the questions to ask, but you need to be beginner enough to kind of move off of the solutions, as Mahan Khalsa would say, and just quit thinking about what you're going to sell to this person. BLAIR: The ideal state of somebody who's selling creative services or marketing services or any consultative services, the ideal state of that salesperson is you are present to the client, you're intently focused on understanding them, learning about their situation, learning about their desired future state, and you are letting go for the moment of how you are going to help them get there. I think in a large enough sale and a long enough sale, you want to uncover the information, and ideally go away, and then start thinking about solutions. That's not always possible, but you want to have this line in the conversation where first it's all about you, Mr. Client, and then I'll start thinking about solutions. When you're presenting, it's not how focused are you on the client, you're up there with a PowerPoint presentation talking about you. DAVID: Or inane things about them that an intern could've gotten with a Google search. BLAIR: Yeah. Here's the section of the deck, "strategy', or, "Here's everything we know about your business that we Googled last night." DAVID: "And that you already know and don't need to hear again." BLAIR: Yeah, "I'm just showing you that I have great search skills." As you can see, I have an opinion on this, it drives me crazy. People are listening to this and thinking, some people are just never coming back. I believe this so strongly, and I believe most of the creative profession gets this entirely wrong. I get, I don't know how often anymore, it's not once a month anymore, but for awhile there was once a month, inquiries saying, "Do you do presentation skills training?" My reply is, "No, I deprogram people of their own need to present." BLAIR: Now, they always go away after, "Okay, thanks, I'm going to go get some presentation skills training." If you are focused on presentation skills training, your mind is in the wrong place, it's all about you. There are some things you can do, some courses, there's a woman out there by the name of Anese Cavanaugh, she has this methodology called IEP: intentional energetic presence. It's basically how to show up, how to show up at work, how to show up physically and emotionally in a meeting, how to deal with situations. DAVID: How to be authentic. BLAIR: I don't know about that. DAVID: See how I slipped that in? BLAIR: You should do IEP training instead of presentation skills training. Presentation skills training is the wrong thing to do. Now, there's a time and a place for the presentation, internal presentations, even the odd client presentation when you're collaborating with your direct client and they need you to present to a larger audience. All of that is valid, public speaking, you want some presentation skills around that, all of that is valid. Looking for presentation skills training to improve your new business development results- DAVID: Like your close rate. BLAIR: It's exactly the wrong thing to do. DAVID: I'm just pausing here just to let that sink in for people. BLAIR: Good, yeah, I'm going to have a cigarette now. DAVID: You're saying, don't look for training to do presentations better, don't do presentations at all, but there's obviously room for training about how to listen, how to ask better questions. You're not dismissing that sort of training. BLAIR: No, not at all. In fact, I think that's what IEP is about, that's what some of the things that we talk, you know the ideas, I forget where this comes from, I've stolen it from somebody who has a book on leadership, the idea of what I call the physiology of leadership. Leadership as a social science, that's a great model for selling. You can study anybody's model of leadership, and you'll become a better salesperson, but I refer to the physiology of leadership as two things: calm presence. You're calm, you're not anxious, and you're present. That should be your demeanor every time you're selling, and there's all kinds of different ways and different methods and models that you can use to improve your calm presence in a situation. BLAIR: You and I have done seminars on IP development where we've used constraint-driven exercises, and we use constraint-driven exercises in the Win Without Pitching program, I use them in speeches and workshops, I've become a huge fan of constraint-driven exercises. Just think of this as a constraint-driven exercise, I'm talking to our audience here. DAVID: We can't present naturally normally. BLAIR: Yeah, what would you do if you were not able to present, how would you go about trying to win this business if you were not able to give a presentation or use a PowerPoint deck of any kind, what would you do? Well, the short answer is you would have a conversation, right? DAVID: Right. BLAIR: Then there's all kinds of things that you need to sort out about, "Well, what questions do I ask? What framework do I use for the questions?", but you will find most of the time that the need for presentation, it's really on your end and it's not really reciprocated by the client. Now, there are some caveats. If you work in packaged goods, CPG or FMCG as it's known in Europe, and you're dealing with brand managers who deal with creative firms all day long, they kind of want to see the dog and pony show sometimes, so you might have to make the odd exception.  BLAIR: Now, I remember a client of mine many years ago, a very strategic firm, but not the best creative in one of the largest markets in America, and they were competing against the hottest creative shop in that market. When we set up the final meeting, so it was down to the two of them, I had them put all of the creative stuff that they wanted to present on a table over in the corner of the room. When they were facilitating the conversation, they made the point that, "The quality of our creative is good, you know that or else we wouldn't be this far. You've already seen it, if you want to see more of it, it's on the table over there, let's get to why we're really here," and so they move onto the more kind of valuable part of the conversation. BLAIR: Of the three people on the client side, there was the president, there was the COO, and there was the brand guy. The brand guy got a little fidgety at this, and at the end of the conversation, the president and CEO of the client business, they didn't need to see the creative again, but at the end of the conversation the brand guy got up and said, "I'm sorry, I just need to have a look through this," and he flipped through some stuff. He came back and he sat down, and he had this sense of relief, "Okay, good, I'm good," and they won the business, they beat the hottest creative shop. BLAIR: If they had stood up and gone into presentation mode to try and match this other firm at their own game, instead they facilitated a conversation. The point I'm trying to make is, the senior people at the client side, they don't want to sit through a presentation. DAVID: Right. BLAIR: You know, we all have websites, right? DAVID: Especially nowadays, you could see maybe that would've made sense 15, 20 years ago, but not so much today, it's boring to people. BLAIR: I'm fond of saying, "Sometimes it's better to be different than it is to be better." If you are going into a competitive situation against three or four other firms, and everybody else is doing the dog and pony show, you have an advantage if you treat the situation differently. If you try to break down the walls and facilitate a conversation, and if you can go first and do that and set the tone, then things will feel really different, first or last I'm a fan of. DAVID: Really not trying to sell things, but I'll do this for you. I really do think if you folks, listeners, if you haven't read The Win Without Pitching Manifesto, I would recommend it, it's $25 list, and there's also an electronic version of it. I think it's one of those books that just has a really long life, because it's perennial, there's some core very human points in the book that you can just read and reread, and it's a great book. It's the second-best book that I know of at the moment, but it's a good book. BLAIR: It's success is due entirely to its publisher. DAVID: Yes, that's right. BLAIR: Thank you very much. DAVID: Thank you Blair. BLAIR: Thanks, David.   

Dave Stachowiak: Coaching for Leaders Dave shares relevant dialogue from recent interactions with Coaching for Leaders listeners. Key Points “The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.” -Socrates “You can have everything in life you want if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want.” -Zig Ziglar Leadership is where you are going. Management is how to get there. Mentoring should be a two-way street. The mentor should be getting as much insight and wisdom as the mentee. Real selling is providing solutions to problems and building relationships. At the root of every human conflict is unclear expectations. Bonus Audio How to Manage a Sales Organization Resources Mentioned Getting Things Done* by David Allen Todoist Things OmniFocus LearnOmniFocus.com* Full Focus Planner* Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Address How I Became The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Financial Intelligence* by Joe Knight The 100 Best Business Books of All Time* by Jack Covert, Todd Sattersten, and Sally Haldorson* Youtility* by Jay Baer Law 101* by Jay Feinman Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play* by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig The Coaching Habit* by Michael Bungay Stanier Dave’s GoodReads Dealstorming* by Tim Sanders (Bonus Audio) Related Episodes What Is Coaching and Why It’s Different From Other Development Tools (episode 4) To Sell is Human, with Daniel Pink (episode 84) Getting Things Done, with David Allen (episode 184) How to Create Team Guidelines, with Susan Gerke (episode 192) How to Make Deep Work Happen, with Cal Newport (episode 233) These Coaching Questions Get Results, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 237) How to Succeed with Leadership and Management, with John Kotter (episode 249) The Way to Stop Rescuing People From Their Problems, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 284) How to Actually Move Numbers, with Chris McChesney (episode 294) How to Lead Top-Line Growth, with Tim Sanders (episode 299) The Path to Start Leading Your Team, with John Piñeiro (episode 349) The Value of Coaching Certifications (MemberCast 5) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Dave Stachowiak: Coaching for Leaders Dave shares relevant dialogue from recent interactions with Coaching for Leaders listeners. Key Points “The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.” -Socrates “You can have everything in life you want if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want.” -Zig Ziglar Leadership is where you are going. Management is how to get there. Mentoring should be a two-way street. The mentor should be getting as much insight and wisdom as the mentee. Real selling is providing solutions to problems and building relationships. At the root of every human conflict is unclear expectations. Bonus Audio How to Manage a Sales Organization Resources Mentioned Getting Things Done* by David Allen Todoist Things OmniFocus LearnOmniFocus.com* Full Focus Planner* Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Address How I Became The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Financial Intelligence* by Joe Knight The 100 Best Business Books of All Time* by Jack Covert, Todd Sattersten, and Sally Haldorson* Youtility* by Jay Baer Law 101* by Jay Feinman Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play* by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig The Coaching Habit* by Michael Bungay Stanier Dave’s GoodReads Dealstorming* by Tim Sanders (Bonus Audio) Related Episodes What Is Coaching and Why It’s Different From Other Development Tools (episode 4) To Sell is Human, with Daniel Pink (episode 84) Getting Things Done, with David Allen (episode 184) How to Create Team Guidelines, with Susan Gerke (episode 192) How to Make Deep Work Happen, with Cal Newport (episode 233) These Coaching Questions Get Results, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 237) How to Succeed with Leadership and Management, with John Kotter (episode 249) The Way to Stop Rescuing People From Their Problems, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 284) How to Actually Move Numbers, with Chris McChesney (episode 294) How to Lead Top-Line Growth, with Tim Sanders (episode 299) The Path to Start Leading Your Team, with John Piñeiro (episode 349) The Value of Coaching Certifications (MemberCast 5) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

We all run into those little “Yellow Lights” on projects – those moments when you think, “wait a minute… that’s not right.” All too often, we “floor it” and try to get through the light before it gets red - only to end up in a head-on collision! Today, we take a lesson from Mahan Khalsa’s great book, “Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play” for how to handle these critical moments when we realize that something is definitely not right.   PM HAPPY HOUR MEMBERSHIP COMING!` We are going to be moving to a membership model! Of course you will always get your PM Happy Hour podcasts, but what if you want more? PDU’s? PDU’s reported for you to PMI? Bonus content? Webinars? Personal Q&A sessions? Yes! We are working on developing a new Membership for PM Happy Hour listeners. More to come on this in the next month – if you are interested and want to know more when we have it ready, please sign up for our waiting list here: https://pmhappyhour.com/membership      JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR! Come by and say “hey!” at our Facebook page https://facebook.com/pmhappyhour   STUMP THE PM’S! We love to hear about your tough PM issues, so please hit us up at podcast@pmhappyhour.com and we’ll see if we can help you. If we use your question, we’ll send you a PM Happy Hour coaster you can enjoy at your next happy hour.

Bonni and I tackle questions from the Coaching for Leaders community on staying motivated and many other topics. Guest: Bonni Stachowiak TeachingInHigherEd.com Question from Gabriel [Audio] I recommended episode #144: How We Do Things Around Here To Get Results Question from Torrey: I would like to know if you have a group on book reads or know of any groups I can join to get advice about good reading for leadership? For example which of Peter Drucker's books should I read? Subscribe to Coaching for Leaders weekly update for a reader's guide to the 10 Leadership Books That Will Help You Get Better Results From Others Check out Dave's personal reading library on GoodReeds Dave recommended Leadership and Self-Deception by The Arbinger Institute* Dave and Bonni recommended The Essential Drucker by Peter Drucker* Bonni recommended The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz* Bonni recommended The Empowered Manager by Peter Block* Bonni recommended Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen and Roger Fisher* Bonni recommended The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge* Question from Busakorn: I was wondering if you could advise a great book for selling skills? Bonni recommended Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig Bonni recommended SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham* Question from Torrey: I would like the partners to be motivated enough to complete their reporting and liquidations with a concern for quality and timing, and not have to constantly ask and remind them. I want them to WANT to complete their reporting and do a good job, but right now they do not seem too concerned about it. How can we motivate them to improve their performance? What's the “why” behind the “what?” On The Folly Of Rewarding A While Hoping For B by Steven Kerr Question from anonymous: I had decided a few weeks ago that my time with my company has expired and it was the moment to move on. I have a second interview coming and while the change scares me, I think it's needed. My health and marriage are affected so change should be good. My reason for leaving is because of people and I cannot figure out a way to deliver the message without sounding whiny. I don't want to burn any bridges at all but I also need to be firm and not allow my boss to convince me to stay. Do you have suggestions? - Bonni recommended Michael Hyatt's podcast on 7 Actions To Take Before You Quit Your Job Question from Armando [Audio] Be intentional about what goes in and surround yourself with people who bring life to you Give yourself grace! Dave recommended episode #85: Ten Ways to Pick Yourself Up When You’re Beaten Down Dave's past article One Interaction That Enhances Performance In The Best Employees might be a helpful idea as well “If you act enthusiastic you’ll be enthusiastic.” -Dale Carnegie Question from Paola: As a very structured person I am quite good organized when it comes to clear and specific tasks. But to be honest I feel kind of lost when I have to do projects or strategic work with no clear way, structure or tasks. Can you provide some ideas on that? - Dave recommended Basecamp for project management - Dave uses and recommends MindNode (Mac*) (iPhone and iPad*) for mind mapping - Bonni’s question to stakeholders: “When this is done, what will success look like?” Feedback Join the conversation: http://coachingforleaders.com/156 Comments, questions, or feedback for future Q&A shows: http://coachingforleaders.com/feedback Next Q&A show is episode #161 Bonni’s podcast is going strong! If you know a university professor who wants to improve their teaching skills, suggest they check out Teaching in Higher Ed (iTunes) (Stitcher) Chicago area dinner meet-up coming Thursday, September 18th, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Contact me if you are in the Chicago area and interested in attending. Thank you to new weekly update subscribers Steve Evans, Kristy Yeadon,

Bonni and I tackle questions from the Coaching for Leaders community on staying motivated and many other topics. Guest: Bonni Stachowiak TeachingInHigherEd.com Question from Gabriel [Audio] I recommended episode #144: How We Do Things Around Here To Get Results Question from Torrey: I would like to know if you have a group on book reads or know of any groups I can join to get advice about good reading for leadership? For example which of Peter Drucker's books should I read? Subscribe to Coaching for Leaders weekly update for a reader's guide to the 10 Leadership Books That Will Help You Get Better Results From Others Check out Dave's personal reading library on GoodReeds Dave recommended Leadership and Self-Deception by The Arbinger Institute* Dave and Bonni recommended The Essential Drucker by Peter Drucker* Bonni recommended The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz* Bonni recommended The Empowered Manager by Peter Block* Bonni recommended Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen and Roger Fisher* Bonni recommended The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge* Question from Busakorn: I was wondering if you could advise a great book for selling skills? Bonni recommended Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig Bonni recommended SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham* Question from Torrey: I would like the partners to be motivated enough to complete their reporting and liquidations with a concern for quality and timing, and not have to constantly ask and remind them. I want them to WANT to complete their reporting and do a good job, but right now they do not seem too concerned about it. How can we motivate them to improve their performance? What's the “why” behind the “what?” On The Folly Of Rewarding A While Hoping For B by Steven Kerr Question from anonymous: I had decided a few weeks ago that my time with my company has expired and it was the moment to move on. I have a second interview coming and while the change scares me, I think it's needed. My health and marriage are affected so change should be good. My reason for leaving is because of people and I cannot figure out a way to deliver the message without sounding whiny. I don't want to burn any bridges at all but I also need to be firm and not allow my boss to convince me to stay. Do you have suggestions? - Bonni recommended Michael Hyatt's podcast on 7 Actions To Take Before You Quit Your Job Question from Armando [Audio] Be intentional about what goes in and surround yourself with people who bring life to you Give yourself grace! Dave recommended episode #85: Ten Ways to Pick Yourself Up When You’re Beaten Down Dave's past article One Interaction That Enhances Performance In The Best Employees might be a helpful idea as well “If you act enthusiastic you’ll be enthusiastic.” -Dale Carnegie Question from Paola: As a very structured person I am quite good organized when it comes to clear and specific tasks. But to be honest I feel kind of lost when I have to do projects or strategic work with no clear way, structure or tasks. Can you provide some ideas on that? - Dave recommended Basecamp for project management - Dave uses and recommends MindNode (Mac*) (iPhone and iPad*) for mind mapping - Bonni’s question to stakeholders: “When this is done, what will success look like?” Feedback Join the conversation: http://coachingforleaders.com/156 Comments, questions, or feedback for future Q&A shows: http://coachingforleaders.com/feedback Next Q&A show is episode #161 Bonni’s podcast is going strong! If you know a university professor who wants to improve their teaching skills, suggest they check out Teaching in Higher Ed (iTunes) (Stitcher) Chicago area dinner meet-up coming Thursday, September 18th, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Contact me if you are in the Chicago area and interested in attending. Thank you to new weekly update subscribers Steve Evans, Kristy Yeadon,