Suck it up and get over it. Nobody cares! | Personalize your approach

Something that I’ve been sharing lately, with regards to social selling is the fact that personalization is huge… it goes a long ways and people feel like you care. It’s even better when you can show them you care!

“One-to-one marketing takes time but the ROI is tremendous because so few businesses are actually doing it. I finally figured out that’s why my results are so often the exception instead of the rule. When you’re listening and other people aren’t, you look like a star.”[note]Page 209[/note]

I’ll be the first to admit that personalized/one-to-one marketing is difficult and time consuming. You don’t see the ROI right away. But once you get in the groove and things start to click, you truly look like a star. You’ll be able to set yourself apart from the competition within the industry.

Gary jumps back and forth within the chapters to different Ah-Ha Moments. There are so many good takeaways that it’s hard not to want to comment on all of them. As humans, we complain… that’s a fact.

“Problems happen. Life isn’t fair or perfect. Complaining fixes nothing. Only taking action does.”[note]Page 217[/note]

Depending on when you’re reading this, you could agree or disagree. Is it 8am in the morning and you’re fired up and ready to go? Or is it 4pm and you’ve been shut down 20 times on the phone today? I’m writing this after being shut down on the phone today… and it honestly sucks because I want to complain so badly!

I can literally hear Gary Vee saying, “Suck it up and get over it. Nobody cares!” That right there is motivation enough to over the want to complain. I suggest you watch some of his most recent posts on Facebook or YouTube. They’ll motivate the heck out of you.

I’ve strived to be nice my entire life! I want people to know I care and that I’m a nice guy.

“Being nice is a choice, and how you choose to speak to people even when you’re pressed for time will reveal who you really are.”[note]Page 228[/note]

Man, ain’t that the truth? The more important you become, the less time you’ll have to give to other people. It’s harder to ‘look’ nice when you’re always under the microscope because you’re so busy.

Such an important thing to execute is in type of relationship whether it be work, personal or partnerships is communication.

“Communicate with your team. Communicate with your partners. Communicate with your clients. Communicate, communicate, communicate.”[note]Page 263[/note]

Maybe it’s just me, but I see a lot of miscommunication going on within every industry and with a lot of organizations. Communication is what keeps clients happy, doors opens, partners willing and coworkers excited. It’s the difference between doing incredibly well and just okay. It’s not hard to communicate with people… although we worry that if it’s bad news, someone is going to be pissed.

Keep the communication open and make sure you’re happy/excited to be doing it. GaryVee has ALWAYS talked about ‘doing what you absolutely love.’ Why do something that you hate?

“Self-esteem is the ultimate drug of our society. When you have it you give yourself the audacity to dream big, and when you do that, the little things stop mattering and anxiety cannot cripple you.”[note]Page 287[/note]

That’s the perfect way to say it. Stay high, stay confident and keep hustling. Nobody can stop you when you hustle.

I went from business to business this morning to meet local businesses. (I wrote the top half of this yesterday) Guess what! I got half my foot in the door at this one company and they said they were in a meeting and that I needed to leave. (They weren’t in a meeting). I smiled, handed them some information and left with 10 times for motivation than when I entered. It was pretty spectacular to feel that.

GaryVee wrote an incredible book and I hope you read it! It’s so worth it. He hits on so many other points too which I didn’t talk about. Do yourself a favor and like him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.

You can thank me later!

 

Connect with Gary on Twitter: @garyvee

Connect with me on Twitter: @Barta57

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One Piece Of Content Can Change Your Life

Did you read my last post from #AskGary Vee? If you didn’t… you better! Here, I’ll remind you what the last quote was…

“Here’s what you must remember: No matter who your audience is, you’re always one great piece of content away from changing your life. Everyone you know started off as an unknown until they did the thing that made them know.”[note]Page 142[/note]

BOOM! I wrote a piece of content on LinkedIn and sh*t got real! As of right now, 3/31/16, I have had 8,454 views, 422 Likes, 63 Comments and 94 Shares… It hasn’t even been 7 days since I posted it. Just like that, my voice has been heard around the world. Before you say, “Oh… wow Jordan, good for you. Pfft.”, you could be in my shoes! You can read the post I published on LinkedIn or on my site, The Ah-Ha Moment, between this post and the last #AskGaryVee post.

My motivation is at an all time high and I feel like I’m on fire. 

I’ve connected with so many new people from all over the world. All different walks of life. It’s absolutely amazing! Without my network, that wouldn’t have been possible…

“With one click – or tweet or share or favorite or any number of other social digital acts – consumers’ messages can be spread and their voice amplified well beyond the boundaries of their neighborhoods or even the industries where they work.”[note]Page 185[/note]

Do I have to say it again? Literally… ONE piece of content changed the playing field. I was averaging 30 profile views a day… now, I’m averaging 150. Nobody ever thinks it can happen to them… but I’m here to tell you it CAN. My friend Kristina Evans (@TheKristinaShow) recently had the same thing happen to her too. Her LinkedIn share BLEW up and she got over 15,000 profile views in five days. Not to mention the 1000+ comments and 3,000+ likes. Share something that’s relevant to your audience, it can provide value and leaves room for conversation.

Don’t forget though, content can bring the haters. It’s inevitable… Keep an open mind and try not to get offended. We’re living in the information age… people don’t stay mad for very long.

After reading more from Gary Vee, I now understand that it isn’t necessarily about the amount of views someone gets on their content. It’s more about the engagement and the ability people are willing to share. Anybody can view something for a second and then click out of it… It’s about the depth you’re able to reach.

“This is when I realized it wasn’t about width, it was all about depth. It’s about how many people care, not how many people you have.”[note]Page 192[/note]

Don’t get me wrong, I love having over 50 views on my content and posts. What’s really sweet is the reach a share can have. One person shares with their network of 5,000 people… Now my face has been shown to their network. That is 5,000 more people than me just posting it. I’m connecting with people in Ireland, Australia and everywhere you can think of. It’s the domino effect and it’s absolutely amazing. You know how it happened?! I posted content!

“It’s stunning how many remarkable reasons and circumstances people can come up with to explain why they haven’t met with success. Or course, the problem doesn’t usually lie with the type of industry or job. The problem lies with the individual who can’t see opportunities when they’re right in front of his or her face.”[note]Page 199[/note]

Nobody ever got anywhere in life by making excuses for themselves. Like Gary Vee says, “Nobody gives a f*ck about your feelings, bro“. It’s the harsh reality, but it’s so true. If you want success, it’s time to go get it. I’m a great example of grabbing an opportunity by the horns and running with it. “Well Jordan, what if I fail?” WHO CARES! You learned something from your experience. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back out there. Nobody’s gonna give you the golden ticket. You gotta create it.

“Think completely left field. The best way to stagnate is to pay attention to everyone else because they’re doing the same crap over and over. And guess what? The same old crap sucks. Taking an open, optimistic attitude will keep your content fresh and exciting, and allow you to change the world’s perception of your ‘boring’ product.”[note]Page 201[/note]

Like the cliche saying, “Think outside the box”. Seriously though. The same old sales approaches don’t work like they used to… Always be closing is nearing its death and some would say it’s dead. Social selling is the way to sell… Instagram and Snapchat are now ‘the’ way to engage with your audience and market products. Who would have ever thought that would happen? Guess what.. it’s here. Stop getting in line with the rest of the people out there and start making your own waves. Taking that first step to post content will change your life.

 

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Content Creates Opportunity | #AskGaryVee

 Where did all the good storytellers go? Stories paint great pictures and people love putting themselves in the shoes of the characters. Remember “The Great Gatsby”? That’s an incredible story… Who wouldn’t want to be Gatsby for an evening. Hell, they have parties named after the guy because they’re so epic. Now take storytelling and relate it to sales!

“People buy with with their hearts, not their heads, and the way to every consumer’s heart is through a good story.”[note]Page 97[/note]

Tell them a story about you. Tell a story about the success of another client. Tell a story relating to the prospects pain point and how you can help them overcome their issue. Don’t just tell them, help them visualize. You’ll create some type of relationship and that will go a long ways.

If you’re already connected with them via LinkedIn or Twitter, you can use those platforms to help tell stories. Send them a YouTube video, whitepaper, data sheet or even a Twitter video. Personalize your approach and that will build rapport.

Gary talks about content and he creates a lot of Ah-Ha Moments for me. If you’re creating good content and sharing it with people, you’re creating great opportunity to reach a lot of people. But what about curated content? Taking someone else’s content, adding your personal touch and then sending it out onto the web. It’s kinda like how I post some material on LinkedIn or Twitter which was originally created by Paychex. I’m not taking any credit for it… I’m just changing the titles to attract to my network, adding some hashtags and giving Paychex credit.

“…if I added curated content to my original material, it would bring me even more exposure and create more opportunity.”[note]Page 112[/note]

It works! You never know what’s going to attract certain people. The internet is ALWAYS changing and there is always new information. Content at 11am could result in a bunch of likes and shares, however, content around 5pm could only get a few. The more content you’re able to spit out there, the more opportunity you can achieve.

I’ll be honest. It’s hard to create a lot of content and post everyday. I’m able to post about 3 days a week… I take roughly 5 Ah-Ha Moments I love from the current book I’m reading and then write about it. It can take me anywhere from 30-60 pages to find those 5 Ah-Ha Moments. Sometimes I’ll find a few Ah-Ha Moments in a row, but they all reinforce the previous moment. I’m trying to give the reader, you, what I think you’ll find valuable.

“Content Creates opportunity, and if you can’t produce the content at the rate your audience wants it or that benefits you, your business won’t survive.”[note]Page 119[/note]

Ain’t that the truth. In the information age, content is always being published. So much, all the time. There are so many different platforms to post on. Posting content is better than not posting content… so you just gotta do it! Alongside prospecting, content can help greatly. Why do you think so many companies hold webinars, offer free trials, give away stuff to engage their audience? It’s so they can create some type of connection, present some type of value and then sell you on it. But, you have to make sure that the value created is worthy of the prospect buying. Just because YOU think it’s value… does your prospects??

“Most people don’t jab – bring value – enough before pulling back for that right hook – going in for the sale. They’re less concerned with providing value than with making the sale, and it backfires every time.”[note]Page 132[/note]

It’s pretty true. There are all sorts of different ways to look at this too. It really depends on your job, your industry, your sales strategy… the list goes on. People want value… so you need to find a way to give it to them. There’s been a phenomenon online since SEO became important. CONTENT IS KING. Do it and don’t stop.

“Here’s what you must remember: No matter who your audience is, you’re always one great piece of content away from changing your life. Everyone you know started off as an unknown until they did the thing that made them know.”[note]Page 142[/note]

Ask Lindsey Boggs (@lindseyboggs) about her experience. She wrote “How I get a 50% Return On InMails“. Since posting, she’s had 22,011 views, 1,327 Likes, 281 Comments… That’s insane. Because of that, she got invited to a LinkedIn conference. Then, based on her SSI, the best at the conference with 99 :-O, she got to shoot free throws with Shaq. Ya… Shaquille O’neal. That’s freaking unbelievable. That just reinforces the idea that anyone is one post away from becoming a rockstar! #AlwaysBePosting

 

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#AskGaryVee | Bet On Your Strengths | Hustle Smart

The Ah-Ha Moments are at an all time high right now. The questions that Gary is answering through this book motivate me to read more and read faster. It almost seems like he’s my mentor! Something that especially caught my attention is how we need to focus on our strengths.

“I never worry about what you don’t have, but about what you do. Because I believe in betting on your strengths. Everyone is different, and everyone will bring a different set of skills to the table.”[note]Page 40[/note]

While interviewing with Paychex, this is something I kept in mind even before I read this book. When it came time for me to talk about my strengths and experiences I’ve had, social selling and online engagement was exactly what my boss was looking for.

My strengths sure paid off! Taking a ‘social’ approach to sales isn’t something that’s hit the mainstream yet… People do it, but they don’t do it correctly. Convincing a manager to let you ‘social sell’, that’s never heard of it before, takes guts. He knows I’m capable of what I told him I can do… but he’s gotta see it. Right? There has to be an ROI. So… once he saw it, the encouragement to do more motivated me!

“Pumping everyone full of confidence makes for a more creative, risk-taking environment.”[note]Page 70[/note]

I’m sure we’ve all had bosses before that were really good about giving praise. And we’ve also had bosses that weren’t so good at giving praise. Whom did you like better? Not to toot my own horn, but I got some 1 on 1 praise the other day. Guess what! I’m even more motivated. Man, it feels good too.

This, right here, is one question that I absolutely love!

“What is the one tangible thing people can do to change the direction of their lives?

Hustle.”[note]Page 75[/note]

It doesn’t get any easier than that. Work your ass off. Want to know why I went from college football into international football? Hustle! If you’re going to brand yourself, be a successful entrepreneur or do something no one else has ever done before, the recipe is Hustle. You gotta grind! Wake up early and go to bed late. At the end of the day, you should be mentally exhausted. It’s one thing to be productive and it’s another thing to be running in circles.

“Hustle is not just working obnoxiously hard – it’s also working obnoxiously smart.”[note]Page 84[/note]

I’ve written about it before. There’s a difference between being productive and being busy. Busy doesn’t mean shit. Just because you’re on ‘the grind’ and busy all the time, doesn’t mean you’re actually getting anything done. Consider reevaluating how you ‘hustle’. You could find that you need to start hustling smarter.

Gary hits on a point not many people talk about; circumstances.

“Don’t ever let your circumstances determine your outcome. You are bigger and better than that. You can always control your own destiny. Use what you’ve got, find what you don’t, and make your dreams come true.”[note]Page 91[/note]

Stop using ‘but’ when explaining why you failed. No more cop outs. Stop giving yourself an excuse. If you want to do something, do it. Find a way to get it done. Guess what. This website didn’t develop itself overnight. I can’t tell you how many people I tweeted asking questions. I googled everything to figure out how to make it. Just because I didn’t know how to do it, doesn’t mean I can’t figure it out or ask for help.

Stop worrying about the outcome before you’ve even taken the first step. You’ll thank yourself later.

 

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#AskGaryVee | Gary Vaynerchuk | Part 1

Photo Mar 17, 08 29 14This isn’t Gary Vee’s first book and I sure hope it’s not his last. He writes about it all… literally everything! There is something new on every page and the book flows so smoothly. He answers so many different types of questions in this book, and it’s full of Ah-Ha Moments!

“… if there’s any advice I can offer you that will change the entire trajectory of your career, it’s to start pushing on both edges. Raise the bar on your business philosophy, dig deeper into your craft. You want to be an equally good architect as you are a mason.”[note]Page 2[/note]

This is coming from a guy that has it all figured out; literally! He took his family’s wine company and blew it out of the water. He built an empire of a brand and continues to follow through on his message. He’s on the ground digging in the dirt and he’s also up in the clouds building his empire. Honestly, the Ah-Ha Moments in this book will make you wish you’d followed his YouTube channel years ago.

While getting deeper into this book, I find myself rereading pages. The mental reinforcement Gary Vee gives the reader really show us that he knows what he’s talking about. Case in point: When I was considering leaving the country to go play football overseas… I was going to quit my job, put my stuff in storage and trust some random coach 5,500 miles away…

“Suck it up. Make the call. And remember: Be grateful if you’re lucky enough to have too many options. It’s a blessing and a half.”[note]Page 17[/note]

I made the call and boy was I right! I can honestly say… It was an incredible experience! So incredible, that I went to Germany the following year to do it again. Gary Vee takes it a step deeper though. What if the decision I made turned out to be the wrong one? Well, it’d have been a learning experience. Never walk away from a bad experience without reflecting on it. Learn from it and come back even better or stronger.

Half the struggle of making any decision in life is taking the first step!

“Taking that first step can often be the only thing standing in your way, because once you start getting shit done, the momentum just carries you forward. There’s no doubt that taking that first step can be terrifying. I get it. I really do. But I also have to wonder, would you be so afraid if you know no one was watching?”[note]Page 21[/note]

Dude! I love it! My reader… yes you… think back to January… would you ever have thought I would be writing?! Me neither. All I had to do was start!! I was worried, obviously. But once I got past that and said ‘F it’, I’m reading and writing all the time… and I love it! I hope you do too!

After reading “Not Taught” by Jim Keenan, I knew I had to do it and I’m so freaking happy I did. I took the opportunity that presented itself and ran with it. I’m still running baby!

“You don’t see obstacles – you see opportunities. Optimists accept that obstacles will be in their path, and assume they’ll figure out a way around them. Which is not to say the grind isn’t hard for optimists, too. It is. They just like it.“[note]Page 31[/note]

I was pretty good at Football; not to toot my own horn. How do you think I got good? The right mindset and hard work. I played defensive end and I weighed 205 lbs. Everytime I steped into the gym, I was going to lift more weight. Everytime I steped onto that field, I was going to whoop that kids ass in front of me. The grind is where the men separate themselves from the boys and the women separate themselves from the girls. It’s in our DNA and we absolutely thrive off it!

I’ve always been an optimist and I’ve always known that I’ll continue to do better everyday. Why do you think I started reading and writing? I want to give people the Ah-Ha Moment! I want to continue getting better and also provide value to other people!

“I provided value with the content that I relentlessly pump out. You need to do the same”[note]Page 33[/note]

There’s that word again! VALUE. Give people value and they’ll become your greatest fan. I’ve got my people that provide value for me… Do I provide value for you?!

If there’s something that sticks out about my posts, don’t hesitate to comment! I love feedback… regardless good or bad.

 

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