While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!

In the last of our series on trauma and how it affects your life and business we talk to one of our regular contributors, Vince Fowler, who has spoken often and eloquently on his own battle with trauma. Vince is a husband, father and military veteran who was unexpectedly diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He goes in-depth into the denial, discover and decisions of his particular trauma.

While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!

This is an enhanced audio version of the Rethink The Way You Sale post "Hear yee! Hear yee! Save Video For Prospecting - Before It's Too Late!" written by Todd Caponi, including an interview with the author.

Hear yee! Hear yee! Save Video For Prospecting - Before It's Too Late!

Save the clock tower! Save the power of sales technology! Save VIDEO before it crumbles like the rest of them!

Remember the movie, "Back to the Future"? Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, ends up accidentally leaving the year 1985, stranded in the year 1955. 

The movie’s premise is about Marty getting back to 1985 - and not only getting “back to the future”, but in time to save the life of his friend, Doc. 

In looking back through history, if we could see into the future, would we do things differently to prevent the demise of the great gifts of technology we’ve been given?

While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!

The thing about races to the bottom is...there's always someone with deeper pockets than you. There's always someone who's willing to sacrifice a little bit more profitability than you. It's simply an unsustainable game. One that ends up establishing unhealthy relationships with clients who will always want more no matter the quality. Let's talk about how to establish healthy client relationships that lead to more profit and less headache. 

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While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!

For the last year, I've been talking about the P.A.R.E., process, pause, assess, reflect, execute. When you assess your current situation, you need to assess your real, actual situation. But it wasn't until I went through the process of working with a Virtual Assistant matchmaking service, that I realized my actual situation was not where it needed to be and I bet some of you are right there with me.

While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Accepting Responsibility - Holding Yourself Accountable" written by Mike Simmons including an interview with the author and Camille Clemons. 

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Accepting Responsibility - Holding Yourself Accountable

I'm sorry - I missed the mark, I did not deliver on time. This post was supposed to go live yesterday. I'm drafting it now, and using it as an opportunity to drive deeper thought on what we choose to do, and how we advance things.

Many of us have things we would like to accomplish. Many of us have a list of things we thought we would have accomplished at this point in our lives, that we have not. Some of us may be surprised by the unexpected things we have accomplished, that we never planned on.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Do you have goals?

Are they Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Annual, 5-year goals?

How are you progressing against these goals?

Why are you failing?

Why are you succeeding?

How do you measure progress?

What's your process for prioritizing things?

When do you say no?

“Uncle Mike, why do you ask so many questions?”

― Jason (nephew)

I like to think it is part of my charm - unfortunately it irritates the crap out of a lot of folks. The reality - I'm interested in understanding how people think, and then how they act. Ideally the thoughts and actions are aligned. Sometimes they are not.

The questions above can help you get to a better space when thinking about your personal responsibility for action. 

They can also help as checkpoints to to hold yourself personally accountable.

When it comes to goal setting and execution, many of you have heard me say - it starts with clarity and focus - followed by continuous action.

If you are missing on the execution side - first, take some advice from Admiral Payne...

“Do Your Best, and Forgive Yourself”

― Admiral Payne (Pricilla Cockerell's dad, Lee's father-in-law, Dan's grandfather)

So - how do you know if you are doing your best?  

You know, you feel it, people see it, your customers show it, your family provides feedback. 

If you don't know - ask someone you trust. Ask someone who deeply cares about you. Ask someone who doesn't have to live with you :)

Hope this helps you think a bit deeper today around goals, failure, personal accountability, and execution.

Oh, and if you miss on something - because other stuff becomes a priority - start with an "I'm sorry"

Subscribe to Deeper Thought on Soundwise

While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!

With economies and ways of doing business changing rapidly, it feels like everyone is evaluating their current career path and determining if a change is wise. Mike Simmons joins Jeff to discuss the best way to evaluate new opportunities and avoid pitfalls that could take you from frying pan to fire.

While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought article "I Hope You're Struggling" written by Vince Fowler including an interview with the author and Camille Clemons. 

I hope you're struggling somewhere in your life - be it selling, leading, career, sport, parenting, etc. Why? Because that's where the learning is. Because there is little to no learning from the wins in life... but there is a tonne learning in the struggle and losses of life. In all my years in the military, sport, business, marriage, parenting, etc., my greatest lessons have come from the struggle. Question for you... are you inviting struggle into your life?

While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!

This is an enhanced ausio version of the Deeper Thought post "Sales Professionals Eat Curiosity For Breakfast, Are You?" by Larry Levine featuring an interview with the author and Liz Wendling.

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Sales Professionals Eat Curiosity For Breakfast, Are You?

The great Walt Disney said it best,

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

Curious professionals make an impact, achieve success and smash their sales targets.

Being insanely curious is a required character trait if you wish to master business disruptions.

A naturally curious professional places themselves in the client’s shoes, digs in deep to uncover business barriers and then guides them down the road to business betterment.

What is your daily appetite for curiosity?

Curiosity is essential. It drives your ability to make new connections and engage. 

The more engaged you become the more inclined you are to ask meaningful questions; the more you learn and uncover the more you grow the relationship.

A curious professional finds enthusiasm and interest in their career

A curious professional is open-minded

A curious professional is inquisitive and wants to know why

A curious professional is not shy to ask questions and seek out answers

I believe curious salespeople have no issues asking their clients...

What value do my services, products or solutions create for you? 

What does value-add look like to you?

Sustaining value in the minds of your customers requires persistence and extreme focus.

This is what curious salespeople are all about... an obsession with understanding value.

I encourage you to operate within your sales career based upon curiosity. 

In the words of the great Albert Einstein...

"The important thing is not to stop questioning; curiosity has its own reason for existing."

Subscribe to Deeper Thought on Soundwise

While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!

This is an enhanced audio version of the Deeper Thought post "Stop COMPLICATING Things" written by Mike Simmons including an interview with the author. What do all battles, a well-cooked steak and your business have in common...they aren't complicated. 

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Sun Tzu's Art of War is one of my favorite books. If you have not listened to Aidan Gillan's (you may know him as Little-finger in Game of Thrones) narration via Audible - you are missing out.

Music, Color, Taste - Direct vs Indirect

Chapter V is focused on Energy - the following image is captured via the Wisehouse Classics Edition

5 Musical Notes, 5 Primary Colors, 5 Cardinal Tastes - Yet when you combine the notes together you can create things that folks have never heard before. When you combine the colors you can create art, never before created. When you combine the tastes you can make flavors that will create memories that will last a life time (some good, some bad)

When it comes to battle though - Sun Tzu highlights that there really are only 2 methods of attack. Direct vs Indirect.

So What?

(*sorry, could not make it more than 200 words without asking a question - and now the genie is out of the bottle)

Think about the most amazing dish that you have ever had. What was it about that dish that made it amazing? Was it the complex nature of the dish? Was it the combination of flavors? Was it the surprise? Was it the thing others might not have noticed? Was it something simple? (maybe some type of citrus)

When I make a steak I use 4 ingredients - Salt, Pepper, Butter, and a cut of Ribeye.

How do I apply this to my work?

Well, with discovery, with account planning, with call planning, when writing proposals...it all starts with a couple of simple questions.

Who?

What?

Why?

Where?

When?

How?

Now What?

I'd like you to think about how you execute. How you do the work that you do. Break it down to the smallest parts, and then think about - what would happen if you started to combine some of those parts in a way that you have not done so before.

Then think - how can you level up your game in a way that you have not done before, leveraging what is known, and by getting back to basics. Net/Net - by keeping things simple.

Subscribe to Deeper Thought on Soundwise

While we’re on hiatus preparing for a new season of Rethink the Way You Sell, we wanted to bring you some content from Jeff you probably haven’t heard before. Jeff produced a premium podcast called Deeper Thought from 2020-2022 and you’re about to hear one of those episodes. Enjoy!

Anthony Iannarino once told me, "This is a team sport. You need help. We all need help." Has that ever been more true than now? From a mental standpoint, from an emotional standpoint, from a mindset standpoint, I want you to think about how you can thrive. I want you to think about the resources that you need in order to thrive through this. Who are you putting around you? Who are you supporting? Who are you being supported by? Because it's a team sport. If you want to thrive through this, you're going to need support. If you want to thrive through this, you may need support in places you haven't gotten it in the past. You need people to knock ideas around with. You need people to help boost your posts. Sometimes on social media, you need people to edit your work. You need people to be critical of you. You need people to fire you up when you need a kick in the ass. And you need people to pick you up, when you're down. Who are those people for you? 

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