Hi Friends, Here is your end-of-the-week insight into what I see going on in the business world,...
Hi Friends,
Here is your end-of-the-week insight into what I see going on in the business world, what I’m thinking about, and what I’m learning about. Forward anything that you feel inspired to share. If this was forwarded to you and you found value, subscribe here for a weekly edition!
What I’m Hearing From Sales Leaders/Professionals
Whoa, boy! I am hearing lots of grumbling and previously gruntled people becoming disgruntled. Why?
Well, this year is turning out to be a bit tough.
Sales cycles are getting more complicated. Many of my clients’ deals have more decision influencers compared to deals from last year or even a few months ago. With new people involved comes new complications. After all, humans and interpersonal dynamics are complicated things.
So, what can you do?
I am advising my clients to begin to map all new people involved, not just from a role perspective but also from a personality perspective. Begin to understand who these people are, what makes them tick, and how you earn their trust. I have referred to these in the past as sub-personas.
The second thing I am advising is having an open and honest conversation with their champion about how much influence these new people actually have. It can be as simple as asking that exact question. However, the question I like better is, “If you and X have a different opinion on moving forward with us, who wins?” Use question trees to practice navigating this conversation. (You can use training mode in Tensai if you like.)
The third thing I am advising is, breathe. Is this ideal? No. Can it be overcome? Yes.
If you want to chat about this or other topics, feel free to DM, or we can chat in person at the Maestro Conference.
What Made Me Laugh
I loved Anthony Bourdain. I guess that is not a unique position. I loved that his favorite place in the DC Area was a local Peruvian chicken place. I think he would have appreciated this impression of him at Chuck E. Cheese. FYI, the tweet (or the X) contains an NSFW word (unless you work with me).
This Week’s 40/20
For every 40 hours of work, I believe you should spend 20 (additional) hours mastering your craft. This is how I spent some of my 20 hours this week.
I am not a great writer. I am trying, but I am not there yet. One of the tools (I guess you could call it that) I use is a newsletter I subscribe to called Word Smarts. If you are looking to become a better writer or are just word-curious, I suggest signing up.
Potpourri for 800
Potpourri (shoutout to Jeopardy!) is a category that covers a variety of topics.
Roberta Flack’s celebration of life was this past week. Lauryn Hill of Fugees fame, but more importantly of Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit fame, honored her by singing Roberta’s classic “Killing Me Softly.” Lauryn famously covered this song on her incredible album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (FYI, “Lost Ones” is one of my favorite rap songs). This tweet is a lesson in sticking things out. The first 48 seconds are a mess (maybe it’s the arrangement), but then Lauryn says, “No, sir!” and takes over.
Quote for My Son
Every day, I leave my son a note with a quote. This was my favorite from this past week:
“You are down by 8. I need you to score 10 and have them score 0 in the next two minutes.” – Will Fuentes.
This was the great coaching I gave my son and his team during the Basketball Championship game last weekend. They went on to do just that, which goes to show you, sometimes it is just that simple.
You can get weekly helpful information for sales professionals by following my company’s Maestro Mastery blog here.
Let me know what you think about this week’s edition of Fuentes Fridays. Which section was your favorite? How can I make this better? Shoot me a message on LinkedIn @willfuentes.
Until next week!
Thanks,
