017 Reframing the “No’s” - Andrea Waltz

05/10/16 • 19 min

Business, Sales, Failure, Goals, No

Summary

Not many people enjoy hearing the word “no,” but those who can work past it--and correctly reframe it--create the context for the “yesses” that truly count. We’ll discuss that in our Thought of the Day. Later in our interview segment, we’ll chat with Andrea Waltz, who does a magnificent job helping people to reframe those “no’s.” In fact, she’ll even show us how to GO for no. That and more on today’s show.

Bob's Thought of the Day

There are certain things in life that are nearly universal, and one of them is that almost no one likes to be told no. Whether you’re looking for funding for a startup, asking a person out on a date, or presenting your product or service to a potential customer, you always want to hear yes. When someone tells you no, you feel rejected.
Everyone who has been through basic sales 101 training learned that you can’t take no personally because people are saying no to your idea, not to you personally. Even so, being human, iit hurts to be told no.
However, no is a part of life. In fact, what knocks many great potential entrepreneurs and salespeople out of business is NOT hearing the word no. It’s believing that they are the only ones hearing no, especially when they only see others who have obtained the success they want. But they don’t see all the no’s those people heard on their way to their eventual yesses.
If you’re going to be successful, you will hear the word no over and over again. You’ll learn from many of those no’s and make adjustments that get you closer to a yes. Sometimes a no will result from speaking to the wrong person at the wrong time.
Assuming that you have a viable product or service, and that you know how to present it, you’ll be able to work past the no’s to obtain the eventual yesses.

Interview with Andrea Waltz

Andrea talks about the need for an entirely new mindset about the word no. Instead of running from it, we must embrace it. Most people have been trained to avoid the no’s, but we must take the opposite action and embrace them.
We’ve all been taught to set “yes” goals. When we hit a yes goal, we tend to slow down or stop. Instead, set a goal for the number of no’s you want to hear. Focusing on the no’s will change your behavior and help reduce the fear of receiving no’s. As a result, you will enjoy the process more and increase your opportunities.
Sales is not only a numbers (intellectual) game, it’s also an emotional one. “No” goals help you be detached from the outcome, and you feel less pressure to get to a yes. Yes is still the destination, it’s just changing the understanding of how you get there. It’s all about taking a negative reality and putting a positive spin on it.
A great starting point is to be aware of how many no’s you are getting, and then setting a goal for the following week. If you feel a lot of anxiety about getting no’s, start with a goal of one no and build from there.
How do you know when to accept a no and move on? Remember that it’s not about badgering people, it’s about having the right amount of persistence. Most salespeople give up way too soon. Persist and consistently add value to people’s lives and businesses, and get their permission to check back later on. Then be sure to follow up with them.

Interview Links

Go For No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There

The Diamond Line book

The Fear Factory book

GoForNo.com

GoForNo.com/Notivation (Notivation monthly ezine)

Twitter.com/GoForNo

Facebook.com/GoForNo

Resources

GoGiverSalesAcademy.com

The Go-Giver Leader

Business, Sales, Failure, Goals, No

Summary

Bob's Thought of the Day

There are certain things in life that are nearly universal, and one of them is that almost no one likes to be told no. Whether you’re looking for funding for a startup, asking a person out on a date, or presenting your product or service to a potential customer, you always want to hear yes. When someone tells you no, you feel rejected.
Everyone who has been through basic sales 101 training learned that you can’t take no personally because people are saying no to your idea, not to you personally. Even so, being human, iit hurts to be told no.
However, no is a part of life. In fact, what knocks many great potential entrepreneurs and salespeople out of business is NOT hearing the word no. It’s believing that they are the only ones hearing no, especially when they only see others who have obtained the success they want. But they don’t see all the no’s those people heard on their way to their eventual yesses.
If you’re going to be successful, you will hear the word no over and over again. You’ll learn from many of those no’s and make adjustments that get you closer to a yes. Sometimes a no will result from speaking to the wrong person at the wrong time.
Assuming that you have a viable product or service, and that you know how to present it, you’ll be able to work past the no’s to obtain the eventual yesses.

Interview with Andrea Waltz

Andrea talks about the need for an entirely new mindset about the word no. Instead of running from it, we must embrace it. Most people have been trained to avoid the no’s, but we must take the opposite action and embrace them.
We’ve all been taught to set “yes” goals. When we hit a yes goal, we tend to slow down or stop. Instead, set a goal for the number of no’s you want to hear. Focusing on the no’s will change your behavior and help reduce the fear of receiving no’s. As a result, you will enjoy the process more and increase your opportunities.
Sales is not only a numbers (intellectual) game, it’s also an emotional one. “No” goals help you be detached from the outcome, and you feel less pressure to get to a yes. Yes is still the destination, it’s just changing the understanding of how you get there. It’s all about taking a negative reality and putting a positive spin on it.
A great starting point is to be aware of how many no’s you are getting, and then setting a goal for the following week. If you feel a lot of anxiety about getting no’s, start with a goal of one no and build from there.
How do you know when to accept a no and move on? Remember that it’s not about badgering people, it’s about having the right amount of persistence. Most salespeople give up way too soon. Persist and consistently add value to people’s lives and businesses, and get their permission to check back later on. Then be sure to follow up with them.

Interview Links

Go For No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There

The Diamond Line book

The Fear Factory book

GoForNo.com

GoForNo.com/Notivation (Notivation monthly ezine)

Twitter.com/GoForNo

Facebook.com/GoForNo

Resources

GoGiverSalesAcademy.com

The Go-Giver Leader

Previous Episode

016 Alignment, Success, & Happiness - JB Glossinger, MBA, Ph.D

Alignment, Values, Mission, Goals, Happiness

Summary

It’s one thing to espouse a set of values. But we only find true happiness when we live in alignment with those values. We’ll discuss that in our Thought of the Day. Later in our interview segment, we’ll be joined by JB Glossinger, who shows us how to ensure that we live in a way that is truly congruent. That and more on today’s show.

Bob's Thought of the Day

Bob shares a story from his younger days: when he and a friend went for a drive in his first car, Bob showed him how the car was out of alignment. When he took his hands off the wheel, the car slowly drifted to the right. Without fixing it, it would continue going further away from the correct path.
The same is true for us: when our actions are out of alignment with our values, we become unhappy. This is important because we want to be happy. The pursuit of happiness is not only written in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, it’s the ultimate goal (even if unconsciously) for every individual.
Happiness is often the byproduct of living and acting in certain ways, rather than something you seek directly. The late Harry Browne taught that everyone seeks happiness and makes decisions based on what they believe will bring them happiness.
Bob defines happiness as “a genuine and ongoing feeling of joy and peace of mind: the result of living congruently with one’s values.” In other words, if you want to be happy, your actions must match your values.
Happiness is not just an individual pursuit. For instance, if the highest value of a sports team is winning, and the team members are all aligned with this value, they will be happier and have more wins than losses. But if several of the players are more interested in themselves than the team, the result will be less happiness and more losses.
The same is true in business. The culture of a company begins at the top and trickles down. If a leader wants to create a definitive company culture, he or she must communicate a set of values clearly and consistently, then act on those values. But if the leader communicates one set of values, then acts according to another set, it will negatively affect the entire company.
As individuals or as a team, the most powerful way to attain happiness is to make sure that your goals, values, and actions are all going in the same direction.

Interview with JB Glossinger

A key premise of the book is found in this passage: “So, freedom was my top value, yet there I was locked in a prison of an office every day. Did I really have to ask why I was miserable? ... My goals had been all wrong because they had nothing to do with my values. My life was totally out of alignment with what I really cared about and wanted.”
JB shares that freedom was an important value of his. However, he realized that the way he was living, and his values, had nothing to do with freedom.
JB shares a story about connecting with what he calls “the observer.” In this moment, he realized that there was so much more to life than fulfilling his own needs. He experienced an awakening of his spirit and understood that there is more than just the need to be right, wear the right clothes, or pursue other external indicators of success.
The four main ingredients of the Sacred Six are: alignment, mission, values, and goals.
Your values are what is important to you. Ask yourself: what is important in my life? What makes me tick? Your values need to be aligned with your mission.
This process breaks down for many people when it comes to their goals. Everything, including your goals, has to move you toward your mission.
When you make changes in your life to follow your dreams, it doesn’t always go like you plan. Just because you apply the Sacred Six, doesn’t mean everything will go smoothly.
JB shares a simple yet powerful lesson from the book, about a man named Frank. He describes the message of Frank’s life this way: “Know what is important to you, and live your life accordingly.” A lot of people spend time doing things they think they want, but really don’t want. That brings suffering.

Resources

The Sacred 6 by JB Glossinger

Glossinger.com

MorningCoach.com

The Go-Giver Leader

Next Episode

018 The Sleep Revolution - Arianna Huffington

Sleep, Rest, Priorities, Health, Habits

Summary

Sleep is a vital part of our lives, yet it might not seem so based on the way we treat it. Proper sleep has amazing benefits When we ignore this, the consequences can be disastrous. We’ll discuss that in our Thought of the Day. Later, in today’s interview, we’ll chat with media mogul Arianna Huffington, who is on a mission to impact the way we think about sleep through her recent bestseller The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time. That and more on today’s show.

Bob's Thought of the Day

Imagine that you’re sitting at your desk at mid-morning, working on a project, and you feel yourself nodding off. But you can’t: you have work to do and deadlines to meet. It’s an uncomfortable feeling.
Imagine that you’re driving, and all of a sudden you can’t see the road clearly. Your mind and your vehicle begin to drift as you struggle to stay awake. You catch yourself just in time and avoid putting yourself and others in danger on the highway.
Imagine that you’re talking with a friend, family member, or business associate. They say or do something that is a bit annoying, but would typically not be a big deal. However, in this case you snap and say something hurtful that damages the relationship.
There is an excellent chance that in each of these situations, the problem was caused by a lack of sleep.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, 50-70 million people in the U.S. have some type of sleep disorder. Teens are especially sleep-deprived as a result of their screen time, natural body clocks that keep them up later, and school that might start too early. But many adults even without sleep disorders don’t get nearly enough sleep, either. Why? We simply don’t value it. For too long, we have thought of sleep as a necessary evil that limits our productivity. But nothing could be further from the truth.
We tend to put sleep at the bottom of our priority list. It’s the first thing to go when we’re feeling pressured. Yet, when we have both the right quality and quantity of sleep, we receive amazing benefits, including improved health, a stronger immune system, improved mood, and a boost in productivity.
Until recently, Bob thought of sleep as a waste of time. Now, he believes the opposite. His wake-up call was inspired by Arianna Huffington’s own wake-up call regarding sleep. She experienced a health crisis that led her to take sleep much more seriously. She made changes that improved her quality of life, and she is now helping countless others recognize the value of sleep.

Interview with Arianna Huffington

During the Industrial Revolution, we began to treat human beings like machines. Now the lack of sleep is a worldwide problem in industrialized nations. Sleep deprivation makes you more moody and reactive, less joyful, and more prone to sickness and disease. Lack of sleep also contributes to depression and anxiety.
Sleep is not optional or negotiable. You must have 7-9 hours of sleep per night (the specific amount will vary according to the individual) unless you have a genetic mutation.
After the health crisis she recounts in her book The Sleep Revolution, Arianna changed her habits and began to get more sleep. She started by adding 30 minutes of sleep per night.
How do you begin changing your habits? First, you have to change your mind about the importance of sleep. Then you’ll be in a position to change your habits. It’s helpful to create a “transition ritual.” We already do this with children when we help get them ready for bed. Choose a time to turn off your devices and create a clear dividing point between your day life and your sleep time. (Arianna only reads physical books before bedtime.) You can incorporate elements such as taking a hot bath or changing into clothes that you only wear for sleeping. Those send a signal to your brain that it’s time to sleep.
A standard “rite of passage” for college students is pulling an all-nighter before an exam. But in terms of what the lack of sleep does to your mind, it’s similar to getting drunk. You will perform much better on an exam if you get the proper amount of sleep.
All this begs the question, “Arianna, wouldn’t you have been less successful in your career if you had spent less time working, and more time sleeping?” Her answer is “no” -- she would have been even more successful if she had gotten more rest. A lack of sleep prevents you from making good decisions. She cites the example of Bill Clinton, who once said, "Every important mistake I've made in my life, I've made because I was too tired."

Interview Links

The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington