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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Seeking Simple & subtracting before adding

by Rick Baker
On Dec 30, 2010
Maybe, your plate is too full.
 
On top of having a too-full plate, you may be missing the forest because of the trees.
 
Those idioms exist for good reason…I mean, where there is smoke there is fire.
 
Questions: How do people’s plates get too full? Why do people miss the forest because of the trees?
 
Answer: Because people often do not Seek Simple.
 
There are several ways to Seek Simple:
  • We can look for the essence of the thing at hand…we can do that by peeling off the layers of complexity until we approach ‘the essence’. For example: at our home we have a white, four-legged, domesticated mammal, which others [not so close to the trees] would call a dog.
  • We can pay attention to our intuition, like Obvious Adams1. When our gut feel says this or that we can accept that our gut feel is often able to help us.
  • We can strip away complexity…when stuff doesn’t make sense we can assume it is mumbo jumbo until someone proves it is not.
  • We can do a good job of delegating.
  • There are many other ways to Seek Simple.
As we peel off and strip away layers of complexity…we are subtracting.
 
Subtracting is one key way to Seek Simple.
 
And subtracting provides several benefits, including:
  • Subtracting is one way to initiate the Creative process. The ‘look for the essence’ point above is actually a step recommended by creative-thinking experts. When we know the essence we can begin to use creative-thinking processes. It is not the only way to go about a program for creative thinking…but, it is one way that works.
  • Subtracting is a key to good communication. For example, it is key to marketing messages. Chip and Dan Heath2 provide tremendous advice in their books Made to Stick and Switch. Here is a link to a Thought Post that provides an introduction to the Heaths’ views.
  • Subtracting is a key to problem solving. Remove the chaff so you can see the wheat of the problem. As you remove the chaff good solutions will jump out at you. Here is a Thought Post on problem solving.
  • Subtracting also works in mathematics. In fact, it is one of the first mathematics functions we learn. When we want people to understand us we must build our messages, from arithmetic to algebra to calculus. We can not assume people follow our jargon or our complicated spreadsheets or our complicated charts. We need to start with subtracting.
Footnotes:
  1. Obvious Adams
  2. Chip & Dan Heath, Made to Stick

Tags:

Delegation & Decisions | Seeking Simple!

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Sales Tweet #119

by Rick Baker
On Dec 30, 2010
Sales Tweet #119 Ernest Seller only has to make a few hundred more prospecting calls to meet his year-end quota.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
The good news is: the way Ernest keeps score he doesn’t actually have to talk to anyone, he just has to dial or send and email to chalk up the rest of his 2010 tickmarks. And, he has almost 40 hours to get it done…if he doesn’t sleep tonight.

Tags:

Thought Tweets | Ernest Seller

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Sales Tweet #118

by Rick Baker
On Dec 29, 2010
Sales Tweet #118 Ernest Seller is not hungry today. He spent all day yesterday eating his words.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Well…at least his words are not as tough to swallow as his foot.

Tags:

Thought Tweets | Ernest Seller

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Sales Tweet #117

by Rick Baker
On Dec 28, 2010
Sales Tweet #117 Relationships: that's where Sales takes over from Marketing.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Regardless whether it is brief or time-staged or if it is deeply meaningful or superficial, the Sales function happens directly between 2 or more people. The purchase-and-sale experience is personal…for both the Client and the Salesperson.

Tags:

Marketing | Sales | Thought Tweets

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Sales Tweet #116

by Rick Baker
On Dec 27, 2010
Sales Tweet #116 Do Not Forget: low self-esteem can easily outmuscle both intelligence and logic.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
So – keep your eyes and ears open for low self-esteem…yours…and your Clients’…and your Probable Clients’. Everyone experiences lower self-esteem from time to time. Some experience low self-esteem most of the time. Regardless, when self-esteem is low, logic and intelligence get trumped. The good news: there are ways to increase self-esteem.

Tags:

Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Sales | Thought Tweets

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Sales Tweet #115

by Rick Baker
On Dec 24, 2010
Sales Tweet #115 Ernest Seller has asked me to wish you - MERRY CHRISTMAS!
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Now Ernest would like to say a few words to you, extending hearty Seasons Greetings. However, he can not do that because he is rushing out the door to get over to the drug store before it closes. He is excited about picking out some very special gifts for his [saintly] wife. I sure hope he didn’t leave his car lights on like he did last Christmas Eve…that dead battery...it took forever to get the tow truck…the traffic was brutal…and the drug store shelves were pretty bare by the time Ernest arrived.

Tags:

Thought Tweets | Ernest Seller

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