Greg's Right FIT #362

Quick notes to help you grow your business in less time with less effort. . . sometime next week. 

In this issue: 

- Thoughts on Momentum
- Being Human
- Random Stuff

Thoughts on Momentum

• Energy levels color your people's outlook, affecting momentum. High energy equates with optimism and vice versa. Being fit builds battery capacity.  Encourage your people to walk, run, cycle, or row their way to better results.
• Self-confidence has a direct impact on results, especially in sales. When your people are physically fit they are more confident. You don't need them to be Ironman competitors, but if they feel good about themselves it helps momentum. 
• A sure momentum killer in sales is financial stress. It's a special salesperson who can stay focused on what is best for the client while their finances are in disarray. Money talk in the office is taboo, but maybe it shouldn't be. 
• The ability of salespeople to take risks depends on many factors, including finances. We "play tight" with prospects and ideas to minimize risk, often to our detriment. If they seem "tight" with prospects ask about their finances. Nicely. 

Being Human - How are things, really?

"I sat in the dark and thought: There’s no big apocalypse. Just an endless procession of little ones.” ― Neil Gaiman

Things are bad, said the man, worst they've ever been. I can't remember a time when there was this much division. We're breaking the world, making a mess. There isn't much hope for our kids. Or our kids' kids. What a mess.  

The other man said nothing.

Well, said the first man turning to the other man, what do you think?

The other man sits still for a minute, then starts talking. 

He said, looking back a way I'd say things are better now than they've ever been. We're better educated. 100 years ago only 20% of us even graduated from high school. We're more productive. Back then barely 20% of women were in the workforce. I'm not sure my daughter would trade places with a woman from 1923. We're healthier. Food poverty was a real issue. We're only 90 years out from news about food riots in cities. I'm sure people back then thought there wasn't much hope. The average lifespan was only 50, and they still had two world wars to fight, atomic bombs, landing on the moon, plus the 70's. I bet things 100 years from now will be even better. 

They sit in silence. 

I hate talking to you, said the first man. 

Random Stuff

"Most people talk too much, and what they do say is often just noise or irrelevant gibberish designed to keep themselves entertained" – Stuart Wilde

One feature of conversing with me, especially early in the morning, is tangents. Semi-related stories that take some time to get through with no obvious end point. Last year we brought a new espresso machine into the house, and I've done a pretty good job of perfecting my Americano technique, so maybe that's it. Highly caffeinated first hours of the day. Good for some work, not for conversing. 

It's been happening longer than a year though. 

I've learned to cope. For instance, I've learned to put off meetings until after 9:30am, so I can listen without interjecting stories. Today, however, a client sent me a note to call before 7am. He has an important sales presentation and wants to run a portion of it by me because he's worried his proposal is a bit aggressive. This reminds me of another client who was so aggressive with promises it led to the threat of a lawsuit. I end up talking to his lawyer about my interpretation of law things, at one point thinking, "why am I telling the lawyer what I think?" Which is pretty funny. But I also think "this is costing my client a fortune," which isn't quite as funny. I laugh to myself. It's quiet for a minute.

". . .and why are you telling me this story?" 

At the moment he asks, I can't remember where the story fit in or where I was going with it. Too hyped up. Got carried away. 

As life would have it, I have regular contact with an even more random storyteller. I'm learning what it feels like to be on the other end of my random conversations. I'm on a committee with him. He's possibly the best storyteller ever. Has one for every situation. Listening to him I'm often thinking, why are you telling us this story? My role with him, if you can believe it, is to get him back on track.

It must be like what it was like to be an apostle of Jesus. Endless parables for the listener to interpret.

Did they have caffeine back then?