c/o Shutterstock
“Money won’t make you happy... but everybody wants to find out for themselves.”
Sales is a performance game
In sales, our brain, our memory, our ability to recall our process, where we are in the deal and what we should be doing is pretty important. Whether we are in front of a client, on the telephone with them or giving a presentation, there are so many going through our minds. We have to have acts, systems, processes for remembering the things that matter - to make sure we are hitting the point whilst we are still listening. Not getting lost in the weeds and forgetting the steps they shout be taking to move the deal forward.
How many times after the meeting do we ask, I wish that I had asked that question? This is hard and if we don’t practice it outside of the moments, what ends up happening is that we miss what’s going on. In the game of sales, memory is a critical element of our sales ability - we have to remember facts about our product, company, how we compete but we also have to really remember and think about what the other person is thinking, what they care about. I think this is why sales is a performance profession. Sales is not just knowing what and how and having the facts, it’s how you present them and how you execute your game.
What are you grateful for?
Dr. Robert Emmons said, “You can’t feel envious and grateful at the same time. They’re incompatible feelings, because if you’re grateful, you can’t resent someone for owning things you don’t.” When we express gratitude, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin - two hormones that make us feel lighter and happier inside. I think we experience gratitude when we move our focus from what we don’t have to what we do, and when we take time to appreciate and be thankful for those who have contributed to the abundance in our lives. Contact me via e-mail and let me know what you are grateful for.
Last night changed it all
The racist abuse of England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka is unforgivable. I just hope that these young men receive the psychologic help required, as sadly the abuse will continue throughout their lives.
The power of mystery
“Do not use your energy to worry. Use your energy to believe, to create, to learn, to think and to grow.”
The choice is yours
Image c/o Aspen Garfoot
Everyone has a choice of how to react to their various experiences. I was brought up to be like Teflon - the non-stick version. My mother would say, “Don’t let other peoples opinion of you become your reality.” I think that it’s essential to take responsibility and learn from the experiences, and I have seen others who are clueless about what happens to them.
“Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you. ”
Have a great day and learn from your experiences.
I travel light
I don’t think that complete objectivity is possible! That’s a massive statement, but in reality If I led a media channel, for example, even if I didn’t mean for it to, it would naturally reflect some of my passions. So, when you have similarly educated people with similar backgrounds running all of the main media institutions, even if they don’t intend it, the outcome will obviously be biased. This week’s UEFA EURO 2020 Semi-Final between England and Denmark showed the problems with nationalism and how it makes people delusional and ugly. It’s hard to get better until you become humble.
I think the beauty of an action comes not only from when it becomes a habit, but also from its sensitivity, consciousness, clarity of perception and accuracy of response. The older I get, the more I realise that I am not compelled by any conditioning or programming from my past experiences or from my culture. Jamaican parent, British societal values and Danish awakening has stamped everything on me, fortunately, I am now in a position where I no longer react on the basis of my upbringing. I have learned how to experience things fully, both good and bad experiences. How to learn from them and then drop them, and move on to the next moment, uninfluenced by the previous ones. I travel light as I am uninfluenced by labels and titles, I just treat people with respect.
Rome wasn't built in a day
“People take different roads seeking fulfilment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost. ”
Life = C+C+C
The pandemic has exposed and increased inequality worldwide, leaving many to struggle for a basic level of economic security. Many people, myself included, have begun to reevaluate what makes life worth living. The things I’ve missed and appreciated the most are friends, family, experiences, nature, connection. I really hope that people have gained new values, and used this time to stop and think about the meaning of life. And ask themselves about what they would like to achieve both personally and professionally. What do you want to do with your life?
I recently lost my mother and whilst writing both her obituary and eulogy, I questioned myself about the meaning of life. In her honour, I have already begun to make changes in my life, for example, saying no and being far more selective about how I spend my time and with whom. I think that we all have the ability to transcend our egos, connect with other people and contribute to society.
One never stops learning
c/o Adobe stock photo’s
Understanding how to build a sales team both inside and outside is an incredible gift. Personally, I thrive in an environment where I can meet and work with great people, and this may have emerged from my sporting past. Everything I do, I really want to do well. Football is a performance game just like sales, whether you win or lose, you are measured by your performance. Sales is about getting better every single day, developing your skill set and putting them into practice.
I’ve led sales teams of representatives (agents and distributors), customer success (back office), product managers, marketing department. My strengths are understanding a business and people and my weaknesses are understanding the corporate politics in organisations. Contact me via e-mail in confidentiality and let’s arrange some sales training for your team.
“You never stop learning. If you have a teacher, you never stop being a student.”
An “A” = 12 in Denmark
Final exam in the morning
The past is a good predictor of the future
Deep thinkers always listen to what you have to say because it’s another opportunity to learn. I think everything we experience is the result of something we feel. Yet much of what we feel goes unnoticed, sometimes it is suppressed and at other times it is actively denied. When we are at constant war with ourselves we cannot make much headway in a world that is not really made for us. Contact me via e-mail and let me know what you think.
“Don’t seek the truth; just drop your opinions. Drop your theories; don’t seek the truth.”
A problem without a solution is...
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt
It's been one of those days
Even after 24 years of living in Copenhagen and being fluent, both oral and written. I am still surprised when confronted with the fact, that they will be always be biased towards a native Dane. “Birds of a feather flock together!”
Business Model Canvas
“A business model is nothing else than a description of the value a company offers to one or several segments of customers and the architecture of the firm and its network of partners for creating, marketing and delivering this value and relationship capital, in order to generate profitable and sustainable revenue streams. ”
Take a look at yourself
I think that we are all selling solutions to external problems and customers are buying solutions to internal problems. The story should always be about how the hero is feeling about their external problem. For example, I recently watched a show on Netflix where the hero is trying to disarm a bomb. A few years ago, he tried and failed. Lots of people were hurt, now he is full of self doubt. He asks himself, can I do this? He feels ill equipped, self doubt has kicked in and he is not sure whether he can get the job done. Does this sound familiar?
Customers wants us to guide them on their internal journey as they also have an external problems. The external problems are causing them frustration and unpleasantness, and this is exactly what they are trying to resolve. Companies try to resolve external problems but people buy resolutions to internal problems. Do you understand what I mean? If not send me an e-mail and I will explain it to you.
Win, lose or draw
How many people do you know who are unaffected by praise or blame?We spend on much time reacting to labels, are own and others’. When you win, be kind and when you lose, be kind, most people learn these valuable lesson in kindergarten. I think that to completely disagree with someone and yet engage with them with respect and honesty, is a superpower. I have observed that smart people are not offended by the truth.
“We all need a personal mythology not because it tells us who we are but because it tells us who to aspire to be.”
Somebody once said...
“The three most difficult things for a human being are not physical feats or intellectual achievements. They are, first, returning love for hate; second, including the excluded; third, admitting that you are wrong.”
Life is a banquet
Image via Shutterstock
I’m in the process of writing an obituary for my mother and there are so many things that I could write. I have just forwarded the first draft to my sisters for some input, as I need their opinions. I think that if you and your loved ones are healthy, you have a family that loves you, some good friends, food on your table and a roof over your head - then you are richer than you think.
We are the richest people on earth and we don’t even realise! And when I say this, it means that we are alive when we can see the moon and the stars at night. Please make sure that you take the time to appreciate these gifts, nourish yourselves with nature, with your breath, with quiet and stillness. This will give you the energy to deal with your pain and challenges.