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by Rick Baker
On Oct 7, 2011
Sales Tweet #320 Ernest took his fine dog Commission to the local flea market…Commission almost stole the show. The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet For some strange reason Commission acts like he hates flea markets. It’s like he is allergic to them or something. One time Commission got so nervous at a flea market he developed a tick.
by Rick Baker
On Oct 6, 2011
Now, I know the famous composer Richard Wagner said, “Joy is not in things; it is in us”.
However, at least from time to time…
When we want things and don’t get them we are disappointed. When we do ‘hard work’ and the results fall short we are disappointed. When we want things and we get them we are, at least, momentarily satisfied or happy. When we do ‘hard work’ and achieve desired results we feel satisfied or happy. When it comes to work…some of our desires are positive, normal, and healthy in nature and some of our desires are not.
According to Eckhart Tolle, all negative desires represent frustrations of positive desires inspired by defeat, failure, and neglect. I’m still thinking on that cause-and-effect way of looking at desires. Sometimes, when we ‘work hard’ and are defeated we wind down a bit...and the work starts to taste sour. Sometimes when we ‘work hard’ and people don’t notice we wind down a bit...and the work tastes sour. Perhaps, after more defeats and more neglect the taste gets so sour we give up. And our attitude towards life sours. Perhaps, that’s how positive intent ends up becoming negative attitude, the breeding ground for negative desires.
Regardless of where joy is and how desires become desires there is a piece of ancient wisdom we should keep at the front of our thinking. This wisdom has been described in writing for well over 2000 years.
This ancient wisdom is the key to ensuring our work does not put sour tastes in our mouths.
There are numerous quotes, capturing this wisdom.
I particularly like this one, from ‘The Old Lion’, Theodore Roosevelt:
“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
I bet most people want to work hard at work worth doing…to ‘make a difference’.
If we put our minds and hearts to it then we can create their chance to do just that.
Footnotes
- A Wagner quote, “I am convinced that there are universal currents of Divine Thought vibrating the ether everywhere and that any who can feel these vibrations is inspired”.
- Like Napoleon Hill, Alexander Graham Bell, Richard Wagner, and many others before him, Eckhart Tolle teaches thoughts are vibrations. Tolle says negative thoughts have shorter wavelengths than positive thoughts. He talks about the hypnotic rhythm.
by Rick Baker
On Oct 6, 2011
Sales Tweet #319 At a fishing trade show, Ernest Seller bought a high-pitched whistle guaranteed to attract fish. The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet The whistle worked! Ernest caught a lot more fish. But had to stop using that wonderful whistle because for some strange reason his dog, Commission, started to refuse to get into the car to go fishing with him.
by Rick Baker
On Oct 5, 2011
We say people only do 3 things: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things.
Most people don’t do too many New Things.
Most people are, as the saying goes, creatures of habit….some good, some bad.
Some people want to make some changes. If you are still reading then probably you are one of those people.
IF YOU FEEL PEOPLE ARE NOT LISTENING TO YOU…
Here are a couple of ideas
- Pre-Communicate: Pre-pave the path before you deliver the intended communication, your important communication. Don’t spring important things on people. While it is necessary to communicate crisply from time to time it often becomes a problem if people label you as a person with crisp/curt/instructional communication style. As backward as it may strike you, it is often a problem if you are seen as a person who is a fountain of new ideas or a promoter of new things.
So, people will listen better if you pre-communicate. This can range from serious sit-downs like brainstorming sessions to ‘I want to bounce an idea off you’ to chats about the family or favourite sport.
Consider your character and be natural. Some people are naturally gregarious…others are naturally introverted. If you are naturally introverted then do not view that as a limitation…it is not a limitation. It is just a difference, requiring a different approach. Introversion, if you make some small adjustments, can be the foundation for quick trust. The best key to quick trust is asking questions.
Free up time to dedicate to pre-communication…pre-paving the path for ideas…pre-paving the path for change.
- Tell Sticky Stories: Listening, if it happens at all, happens as a step in a process. The process begins with Attention, moves to Interest, and Listening follows. It is relatively easy to ‘get Attention’. You can prove that to yourself…just place yourself among some people and make a loud noise. There are many ways to ‘get Attention’. Keeping it is more challenging. To ‘keep Attention’ we must trigger Interest. The best key to triggering Interest is speaking from [and to] the heart…by telling personal stories. Sticky Stories can capture and hold Interest so long that Interest becomes Listening.
Important Point: Interest needs to survive for a period of time before Listening can begin…prior to that time people may be hearing you…but they ain’t Listening.
Interest is fickle.
- If Interest hears things like, “I’ve got a list of statistics I’d like to review with you…” then Interest leaves the room.
- If Interest hears things like, “Did you hear the one about…” then Interest might stay around for a while.
- If Interest hears things like, “WOW, did you see the…” then Interest will probably want to hear what’s said next.
We have written, talked, and taught a lot about Sticky Stories.
For samples of our work, check out our Workshop #2and these links:
by Rick Baker
On Oct 5, 2011
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
I think procrastination is a lot like using a dentist's drill on your own teeth. If you have some skill at it, and you use it right, then it can be a very good tool and you can end up with a big healthy smile on your face. If you use it wrong then you can cause yourself a lot of pain and end up with a rotten taste in your mouth.
by Rick Baker
On Oct 4, 2011
As mentioned recently, I read a really interesting book. It taught me how to kill good ideas.
Here is a sample of what I learned, 4 ways to kill good ideas:
- Fear Mongering…use genuine facts from the past to create a picture of a fearful future
You know many people agonize over the mistakes they have made in the past. And they worry horrible events will repeat themselves…causing misery. So, when someone has a good idea and you want to kill it you can try this strategy. Just recall some extremely painful event from the past and express your concern that this terrifying situation could happen again if we accept this new idea.
- Death by Delay…one great way to do this is send the idea to a committee
Here’s a nuance you can incorporate when you use this strategy. Dig up some abstruse fact from your company’s history. Applaud the idea then introduce the abstruse fact and talk as if you are convinced the idea and the abstruse fact must be addressed by a committee of various intelligent people. Suggest a chairperson for the committee…i.e., suggest someone you know to be a curmudgeon.
- Confusion…inject lots of irrelevant facts and support them with illogical arguments
Keep a list of irrelevant facts in a file in the MemoPad area of your BlackBerry. Gather these over time, wean out the weakest ones, and replace them as you find really-choice irrelevant facts. Have at least a dozen fresh irrelevant facts ready for use. Then, whenever people come up with ideas pull out your BlackBerry while stating something like, ``What a synchronicity…I was writing some notes around that topic last week``. Then go on to cite a list of irrelevant facts…keep it up until at least one person dozes off.
- Ridicule…with a good-natured demeanour and calm voice, assassinate the character of the person who has the idea
This one should come with a warning: DO NOT show anything close to a negative emotion while you do this. That could backfire on you, making you look like some sort of unreasonable person. CAUTION: this will take practice…if you are real busy then pick another strategy. To pull this one off you must be pleasant and calm. You must prepare your assassinating words well in advance and practice them in front of a mirror so they come across just right. I recognize that is barely an introduction to this 4th way to kill ideas. But, a more-detailed explanation is beyond the scope of this Thought Post.
You may be saying to yourself, surely there must be more ways to kill good ideas.
Yes, do not fret; of course there are many other wonderful ways to kill ideas.
Footnote The book I am referring to is ‘Buy-In, saving your good idea from being shot down’, John P. Kotter and Lorne A. Whitehead. According to the authors of the book I just read, the average person receives about 10,000 ideas [other people’s plans, demands, suggestions, and proposals] every week. That’s a lot of incoming ideas to deal with. Many people are overwhelmed. Most people figure out ways to kill the vast majority of those ideas. The authors provide some solutions…i.e., how to save your good ideas from being shot down. But, it’s a double-edge sword…you can also use their wisdom to hone your skills at killing good ideas.
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