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After getting the stamp of approval from the man himself, Keenan, I am back at it again to give you, the salesperson, that “Ah-Ha” moment. After spending a few days and not writing, I was really excited to get back online to pick back up where I left off. Before we move on to a different quote from “Not Taught”, I want to talk a little more about value. If people can see the value of what you’re selling, it’ll be easier to begin a dialogue with them.

Take into consideration the process of cold calling someone. IF your prospect picks up the phone and you drop the line, “Hi Mr. Prospect, I want to talk to you about your processes to see if we’re a good fit”, you haven’t presented with them any value and the conversation is going to go cold fast. Now, imagine picking up the phone and having some type of value proposition lined up. “Hi Mr. Prospect, I want to talk to you about your processes because I’ve been working with similar organizations like yours and I’ve helped them lower their attrition rate and increase their bottom line.” Boom! You’ve caught their attention. Name drop a local client, reference their LinkedIn profile or mention a recent story in the news about them. Catch their attention and provide some type of value as to why they should take your call.

“In Today’s ever-connected world, people are constantly on the lookout for value. They want to know what they get from you, why engaging with you is worth their time or money, and why they should pick you over someone else. It’s up to you to tell them and then show them. Building and promoting brand you makes that happen.”[note] Page 29[/note]

This screams “Ah-Ha” moment. I am connecting and engaging with people on social media whenever I have a chance. Jill Rowley (@jill_rowley) has always said, “Your network is your net worth”. I strongly believe in that statement! People talk… a lot. And when you can show value, your name will spread like wild fire. This also screams “Ah-Ha” because of what I’m doing. I am building and promoting brand me! Keenan has invested time in me by responding to my LinkedIn messages, Tweets and commenting on my last post. Find something you can passionately talk about and give it a go. But remember, you have to show people the value.

I made the comment in my last post about having experienced some out dated sales approaches. To go along with that, having a few years of experience with cold calling, I often come across a prospects response, which is the famous saying, “That’s the way we’ve always done it”. Man, how frustrating that can be! But Mr. Prospect, I’ve got THE product that is going to change your world… still doesn’t matter. They’ll never change, unless they retire, of course. That brings me to another “Ah-Ha” moment because it has to do change.

What are you? A Change Resistor, Change Acceptor, or Change Creator?

Change Resistors: “I like things just the way they are”[note]Page 45[/note]

Change Acceptors: “We wait and see what’s happening”[note]Page 46[/note]

Change Creators: “Change creators are today’s problem solvers”[note]Page 48[/note]

Of those three options, which one are you? Of those three options, which one is your boss? How about your company? I always want to be a change creator! Trying to stay ahead of the game and solve problems before they happen. Go ask Gabe Villamizar (@gabevillamizar), from HireVue about his implementation of Social Selling to his sales team. The numbers are outrageous! Gabe is a change creator and he provides an incredible amount of value to not only his organization but also the Social Selling community. By the way, follow him because he is doing some incredible things for the industry.

Uber, Amazon & AirBnB are great examples of Change Creators. Examples of change Resistors… Blockbuster, Hollywood Video & Blackberry. Change Acceptors… most organizations out there, kinda coasting by.

Try adopting a new software that can help you in your role. Most companies give out free trials, so why not give it a try? What do you have to lose?

The world is going to change whether you like it or not! Instead of sitting on the train and watching change pass you by, get up and go drive the train. It’s more fun that way.

I wonder what’s next? -> Aquarius Zodiac Sign

Get “Not Taught” on Amazon!

There’s more to come from me about:

Not Taught | Jim Keenan

I wanted to start off my new writing adventure with the man, and book,  that gave me the motivation to take the leap; Jim Keenan. He prefers to go by Keenan… So we’ll call him Keenan from here on out! Keenan wrote the book “Not Taught“ and if you haven’t picked it up yet, you’re missing out. The parts of his book that I chose to write about resonate with me right now. Six months from now, I could re-read the book and have a whole new list of things to talk about. Where he caught my attention and pushed me to get uncomfortable was on page xxi.

 

“It’s not fair that no one is teaching you these keys to success. I wrote this book to change that. It will open your eyes to more than just the changes happening around you; it will show you what it’s going to take to compete in this new era of information and friction less communication”[note]Page xxi[/note].

This really resonates with me because I’ve worked for three different organizations in three different industry’s in the past two years. I’ve been able to see and experience different types of training, mentoring and goals. All of which are behind the times in terms of ‘thinking outside the box’. That’s a cliche way of wording it but it’s true. In the age of information, people do their research before looking to buy. They want to look at reviews so they can read the good, the bad and the ugly. If someone calls to buy my product from me, I’m already late to the table. They probably already have a good grasp as what I have to offer compared to the competition. Keenan has helped create a road map for myself so that I can compete and win against the competition!

“We were made to connect with one another!”[note]Page 15[/note]     

Before we go any further, send me a connection invite. Maybe there is someway we can work together or refer each other business. I’ve established connections with people all over the world and in many different industries. Who knows!

“The key is to be seen as active, engaged, and generous on social media. Then you will get noticed. With notice comes reach, and with reach comes influence, and I cannot undersell the importance of influence to success in the twenty-first century.”[note]Page 16[/note]

BOOM!

Now you can clearly see why I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone to start my writing adventure. I’ve very active on LinkedIn & Twitter…So now it’s time for me to brand myself and start establishing klout. To add gasoline to the fire, I leverage #socialselling. If this is your first time hearing about Social Selling, you need to step your game up! Become an expert or thought leader in your field and share content. When you’re able to provide valuable insight for a certain topic, people will come to you for answers. My goal with this website is to turn books into Ah-Ha moments for sales people.

“If you want to be successful in today’s world, you need to create brand you and promote the shit out of it”[note]Page 19[/note]

Keenan asks some very valuable questions through out the first quarter of his book. He wants you to start thinking about YOU. Where do you come in? What value can you bring? How do you differentiate yourself? Who is your target market? If you don’t have the answer to these questions yet… that’s okay! Sit down and start thinking. When I created blogs in the past, I failed. Why? I wanted to make money off the blog and drive traffic to affiliate websites. I wasn’t providing any value to anybody!

“The simple truth is, value drives everything”[note]Page 24[/note]

Value is why we do things. What is the value of working out and eating healthy? To live longer, feel good and look good naked. That is my goal! I want to provide as much value as possible while taking this journey to write.

Please leave feedback so that I can learn from you, the reader! What do you want to read about? How long should my posts be? I’ve got thick skin and can take the constructive criticism.

(Did you have an opportunity to see your Pisces Zodiac Sign?)

Get “Not Taught” on Amazon!

There’s more to come from me about:

Not Taught | Jim Keenan