Millennial Sales

I’m surprised by how few people I’ve seen reference Henry David Thoreau during the quarantine of COVID-19.  For the unfamiliar, Thoreau spent a few years intentionally quarantined to get more in touch with himself and nature while removing himself from the busyness of the normal world.   In his words:  “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”  Well, ready or not we’re all living some version of Thoreau’s life.  We may not all be tucked away in a Massachusetts cabin, but we’re mostly locked in our current living places for the foreseeable future.  The question is, how do you want to spend the time?  Robert Greene calls this conundrum “alive time or dead time”.   Dead time may sound familiar to you.  It’s bingeing Tiger King on Netflix on Monday, only to repeat the habit with Ozark on Tuesday, Ray Donovan on Wednesday, and continue the trend every night until you leave an indent in the couch.   Alive time is different.  Alive time is intentionally spending time reading a book, taking a course or learning a language.  It’s spending your evenings running on a trail or opening up that sketchpad that’s been in your office forever.  Put simply, it’s doing something to better yourself.  We didn’t choose the quarantine life but we do get to choose how we respond to it.  Choose to live intentionally. This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

Last week’s tip was to send people handwritten notes.  Coincidentally, I came across this podcast that shows this strategy in motion.  Buzz Williams, Head Coach of Texas A&M’s basketball program, is a handwritten note maniac.  He’s used it to build up professional relationships and wouldn’t be where he is without them.   On Jon Gordon’s podcast, Williams said he wrote a handwritten note to everyone he learned something from during the come-up.  It was a way to stand out.  Nowadays, even as he is busy running a successful D1 basketball program, Williams still manages to write 120 handwritten notes per month.   Gordon even acknowledged that Williams has written him a note for the past 90 consecutive months.  That’s 7.5 years worth of letters. For some context, I wasn’t even legally allowed to drink when Williams began writing Gordon letters.   Let’s start with a manageable first step.  If you want to stand out, go find 3 people that you admire, work for or want to work for and write them a note.  Say that you appreciate what they do.  Make it personalized and thoughtful.  Each month, try to increase the number slowly but surely.  Over the years, this will be a game-changer to your career.   This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

The whole point of all of this personal development is to become successful, isn’t it?  And maybe we all have different definitions of success but they probably all relate to a combination of financial, professional, health, relationship and spiritual aspirations. This article by former president of Y Combinator and current CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman is one of the best I’ve read on the topic of professional and financial success.  Through studying founders during his years at Y Combinator, Altman characterized 13 traits that were likely to make someone successful. Near and dear to my heart, Altman’s 1st trait is about compound interest and playing the long game. “Compounding is magic. Look for it everywhere. Exponential curves are the key to wealth generation…You also want to be an exponential curve yourself—you should aim for your life to follow an ever-increasing up-and-to-the-right trajectory” Altman continues: “I am willing to take as much time as needed between projects to find my next thing. But I always want it to be a project that, if successful, will make the rest of my career look like a footnote.” This isn’t just about money either.  I wrote more in-depth about how to play long term games with long term people, using the compound effect in your life. You are your greatest investment.  Throw your resources today into increasing who you are as a person: your learning, your skill development, your wealth creation. Keep playing the long game. This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

I recently saw the below quote from Farnam Street (link) and wanted to share it with you all.  “A great leader, I think—that a great leader walks into the room and you feel bigger. You don’t think, “Wow! What a great leader.” You think, “Wow! I’m willing to say this thing. I feel more comfortable on my own skin. I’m just having ideas I haven’t had before.” A great leader makes other people better. I think that’s the fundamental difference between the charismatic, heroic image of leadership, that has been a help for us and also a hindrance for us as a human right for a long time, and the kind of leadership that we need now, the kind of leadership that the world is calling for from us now, which is not about having one person and following that one person, but having someone who can create the conditions that make us all better—make us all bigger, smarter, more creative, more moral, just better.”  – Jennifer Garvey Berger How can you make someone feel bigger, smarter, more comfortable today? This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

You can usually tell in the first few minutes of a podcast how well it’s going to go.  So when David Cancel, CEO of Drift, answered my first question around learning with “Yes, this is my obsession…” I knew I was in for a good one.   I mean, how often do you hear that someone’s obsessed with learning?  You’re more likely to hear of someone’s obsession with Tiger King than with learning.  But Cancel takes learning seriously.  He reads, listens to podcasts and connects with mentors with laserlike focus.  His goal is to become a learning machine.  The 20s are your learning, 30s are for earning, as the saying goes.  And maybe there is some truth to that because much of what you experience in your 20s is new and it takes time to build your wealth.  But I encourage you to be a learning machine.  It doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 78, there is more to learn.  The more knowledge you have, the more opportunities life will present to you.    As we’re all spending most (or all) of our time indoors, now is the perfect time to develop the habit of learning.   I’m spending 30 minutes a day in April reading.  I’m listening to podcasts. I’m connecting with old and new connections on LinkedIn looking for knowledge.   Spend time today learning.  You never know where it’ll lead you. You can listen to my full conversation with David Cancel here. This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

“Beware the naked man who offers you his shirt”   Put simply: you can’t give what you don’t have.  It’s hard to be a good leader, partner, significant other or friend when you’re grouchy or feeling off.  They say that you can’t pour from an empty cup.  What they don’t say is that the cup is refillable.   Find what fills up your cup.   For me, it’s getting my morning started off on the right foot.  I like to wake up at an early hour when the moon is still the main light source and before it’s time to interact with other people.  There is an element of stillness like I teleported to a place where the constant pings of texts, emails, and Slack messages don’t exist.   I spend most early mornings in this zone.  I think, I meditate, I read, I write, I create.  Sometimes it’s 90 minutes and other times it’s 15 minutes.  But my days are remarkably different when I do this cup-filling process compared to when I don’t.  I’m more patient, kinder, more motivated, probably a better overall human being.  For you, it may be getting some sunshine, or your afternoon Peloton ride or spending 30 minutes catching up on your favorite Netflix show at night to truly unwind.   It doesn’t matter what it is.  It just matters that you do the thing that fills your cup so that you can pour into others.  This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

Imagine someone sending you a really nice message.  They’re thanking you: for your hard work, for being a great employee/boss/customer/mother/whatever you are.  The note is kind, it’s thoughtful, it makes you feel good. It shows up as an email on a Tuesday afternoon. Pretty cool.  Now imagine that same scenario, except it’s an actual handwritten letter.  You go to your mailbox expecting a Bank of America bill and some grocery coupons and you see a shiny new envelope with your name on it and a stamp in the top right corner.   Not only is it more fun for the recipient, but it shows that you care.  I can bang out a nice email in about 3 minutes.   Handwritten letters are different.  You took the time to go to CVS, spent $5 on a card and envelope, you went home, found a pen, wrote something from the heart, threw on a stamp, went back outside and threw it in a mailbox.  It’s not just about the message but what went into the message that matters here.   The “I don’t have time” excuse is pretty much extinct right now.  Here are some scenarios where I’d write a handwritten note. Try one out this week:  You’re thanking a new customer for their business  You’re thanking an old customer and asking how they’re doing  You’re thanking a mentor for advice they gave  You’re thanking your team or employees for their efforts  Basically any holiday or major life event  After an interview (talk about standing out from other candidates) You’re wishing an old friend well  You’re writing a love letter to the “one who got away” in 7th grade  You’re writing to thank an old coach or teacher for the impact they made on you You’re writing someone you don’t know who inspires you  The list goes on.  We have the time. Who are you going to write this week? This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

“Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive”  – Andy Grove, Co-Founder, Intel   Just a few months ago, times had never been easier.  We were riding a decade-plus long bull market. It seemed as though everyone and their mother had joined or started a company that received hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.  There were teenage kids in Lamborghini’s (seriously).  Those days seem like a distant past now.  We may have had success in the past few years.  Shit, I felt like I was doing alright in my five years since graduating college.  But now is not the time to get complacent.  University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban says of complacency:  “Complacency creates a blatant disregard for doing what’s right. You can’t do what you feel like doing. You got to choose to do the things that are going to help you accomplish the goals you have. When you get complacent, you lose respect for winning.” So if we’re not complacent, what are we right now?  We’re strong.  We’re focused. We’re grinding.  We’re creative. We’re scrappy.   Now is the time to spend Sunday morning working on that side project.  It’s the time to call up your customer just to ask how they’re doing. It’s time to FaceTime your mom.  We are the opposite of complacent today.  Let’s get after it. Sign up for the weekly Millennial Momentum Newsletter. No BS, All hustle

“Realizing that the other person is also just like me is the basis on which we can develop compassion, not only toward those around us but also toward our enemy. Normally, when we think about our enemy, we think about harming him. Instead, try to remember that the enemy is also a human being, just like you.” — The Dalai Lama A few years ago I interviewed former Lead Hostage Negotiator for the FBI, Chris Voss.  He has turned his decades of negotiation experience into a bestselling book and consulting practice.   One of his best techniques was that “all terrorists have moms”.  This is meant to say that we all have common ground, regardless of where our decisions have placed us in life. Tupac noted that “we all came from a woman, got our name from a woman and our game from a woman.”   Similarly, there’s a mindfulness practice called “just like me”.  When approached with a difficult interpersonal situation, it prompts you to find common ground.  “Just like me, this person has a mother.” “Just like me, this person wants to be happy.” “Just like me, this person has worries, fears, and imperfections.”  And so on.   Whether you’re dealing with a tough client, a moody significant other – or an international terrorist – there is always common ground to find.  Now is as important of a time as ever to find it. This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

Rich Roll was the All-American guy.  He was an especially talented student-athlete, as he earned several NCAA Swimming Championships while at Stanford.  After graduation, Roll dove head-first into work and was on the fast-track to becoming a Partner at his Law firm. On the outside looking in, it appeared that Rich had it all.  On the inside, he was miserable. His purposelessness led him deep into drugs and alcohol. By age 31, alcohol had ruined friendships, killed his ambition and landed him in rehab.  Not long after, he felt his body break down after merely trying to climb the stairs of his home. That was Roll’s breaking point.  Nearly 15 years later, Roll has completely reversed his life trajectory.  He has been a top finisher at grueling ultramarathon competitions including The Ultraman, a 3-day, 320-mile swim and bike race in Hawaii.  He’s written several books. He hosts one of the world’s most popular podcasts, recently surpassing 500 episodes.   Roll told me in our interview together one of the major reasons for his success:  Mood follows action.   “It’s action, not how you feel about the actions, that change your life.”  It’s not about feeling tired when you want to get your morning workout in or distracted during the times you should be cold calling.  It’s about overcoming that feeling to do what you need to do to get the job done.  You can check out my full interview with Rich Roll here.  This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.