Friends of Dave #18: Coffee is For Closers
When you find yourself with a lot on your plate, being a master at the art of closing is key.
I love making deals. I can't say for certain that it has always been this way, but I know that in my adult professional and personal lives, I find I have always been happiest when I incorporate a component of selling and/or negotiating into whatever I am doing. My wife even jokes that we seem to get new cars not because we need a newer model -- it's because I need to find someone willing to negotiate a deal with me at the time.
I'm sure many of you who get this newsletter can identify. Selling and dealmaking taps into a competitive side of us that both loves to win and hates to lose (I actually find that I am more motivated by my hate for the agony of defeat more than my love for the thrill of victory). I also particularly enjoy the creative side of making deals, where a little bit of information gathering, probing and ingenuity can transform what seems to be a dead end or impasse into a mutually agreeable result.
Ah, the close....No matter how smart, creative, or competitive you are, you cannot make a deal without knowing how to effectively guide it to a conclusion. And no matter how much you hope, it never just happens on it's own. Paperwork never gets signed, hands don't get shaken, and your family doesn't get the shiny new car unless you know how to take everything you have learned on your journey, clear away all obstacles and objections, stop talking and actually focus to get it done. You cannot be a great dealmaker without being a closer. From my experience, the best closers are honey badgers. The best closers always get the coffee.
By the way, I have found that you don't necessarily have be in sales or love to make deals to be a good closer. The people who get things done, no matter how much they have on their plates, are closers. They don't complain. They don't make it someone else's problem. They don't convince themselves that things will work themselves out. They set a goal, chart their course to complete it, focus on doing the work and they get the job done. Quite simply, they close.
So when you find yourself with a lot of stuff on your plate, don't get overwhelmed. Just remind yourself that coffee is for closers. And when you are done, reward yourself with pat on the back and a trip to Starbucks (I've been finding myself going there a lot lately). Just don't ever get the unicorn frappuccino....trust me, it's disgusting.
What is not disgusting is this week's selections. All good ones. And I picked them especially for each of you. Enjoy them and your weekend.
XOXO
Dave
Dave's Pick of The Week
The art of letting go and fighting the urge to control
“People are responsible adults at home. Why do we suddenly transform them into adolescents with no freedom when they reach the workplace?”
Compassion, empathy, accountability and communication are all keys to loosening your grip and ultimately leading a group to success.
Think on This...
The Subtext of Digital Conversations — www.theatlantic.com Different people have different ideas about what it means to sign an email “XOXO,” what you should use Facebook for, and how long you can wait before texting back.
Throughout history, women rulers were more likely to wage war than men. (short read) — qz.com
Between 1480 and 1913, Europe’s queens were 27% more likely than its kings to wage war, according to a National Bureau of Economics. Pretty interesting quick look at why this was true.
The Long, Painful Deathmarch of the Cashier
Cashiers and retail salespeople represent the two most-common jobs in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than 8 million people work in those roles. What is going to happen when technology inevitably makes those jobs vanish?
For Your Day Job...
Startups and adrenaline is a potent mix — pennyherscher.blogspot.com
When you are the CEO or in the founding team of a startup the years are long. It feels as if it will take forever to get to the next stage of product, or growth, or market development. So why do entrepreneurs keep getting drawn back to The Struggle?
Becoming Insanely Well-Connected — firstround.com
“If you find yourself keeping score in your professional relationships, you’re on the wrong track.”
Networking is a like a dance. You need to understand the steps in order to execute it well. Here are 7 great insights from someone who knows what they are doing.
Using Sales Velocity to Drive Faster Deal Close Times — blog.closeriq.com
Sales velocity is an important yet lesser known metric that can help improve time to close deals. CAUTION: this is for the sales geeks only.
How AI is transforming the future of FinTech — www.wired.co.uk
In continuing with the "AI is the buzzword of 2017" thread, Juergen Schmidhuber, Wirecard's Joern Leogrande and Nutmeg's Nick Hungerford discuss the changing face of AI-driven finance.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
Why People Are Smuggling Illicit, Delicious Butter Into Wisconsin — www.thedailybeast.com
Bigger question: why are they demanding it only be used on Texas toast????
Feel the burn: why do we love chili? (long read)
Unanswered question: would they still love it if illicit, delicious butter was part of the recipe?
And The Last Word....
Yeah Baby!: 'Austin Powers' Definitive Oral History
TRUE FACT: My wife and I watched this movie in first class on our way to our honeymoon in Hawaii, 20 years ago this September. We were both laughing so loud that the flight attendant would have had us dragged off the plane if it had we been flying United.....
Got feedback? Questions? Suggestions? Email me: dave@slingstonegroup.com