Detroit and Selling

The original Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller best describes decaying cities such as Detroit and its recent bankruptcy. The story is about a negative guy named Willy Loman who refused to change his ways as society grew and changed their ways. He eventually died, broke and a miserable man. And so will you if you fail to recognize what's happening.

Get used to the change and get over it. Understand the sales opportunity it creates. And take advantage of it. If you don't, society will take advantage of you.

App Sumo

I found a group called App Sumo who creates email templates. Here's a useful example for connecting your network;


Hey John,

Hope things are well.

I really want you to meet Steven.

Steven is one of the sickest graphic designers on the planet. He helped a LOT with AppSumo.

He's looking for work and I remember you saying you were on the look out for a good designer.

-----

Steven,

John is a long-time friend of mine from Boy Scouts.

He runs HappyJot which is a hugely successful online games website.

He's looking for a designer so I thought it made sense for you two to know each other.

-----

I'd suggest you two grab coffee since you are in the same city.

Be amazing

Noah

Get More Done

A few basics for avoiding distractions and the wasting of time.

1. Check your email just a couple times a day and train the people you correspond with not to cc you on endless threads.

2. Avoid instant messaging which tends to promote a focus on unessential details.

3. Avoid meetings and when you must have them, make sure they have scheduled end times.

4. Adopt a low information diet and read only the headlines in the news.

5. Develop template responses for customer service and supplier or media queries. Empower employees to use them.

6. Calculate how much your time is worth by the hour, and outsource administrative and research tasks to people who will handle them for less.

Tips and advice was taken from Tim Ferriss, the author of the 4 Hour Work Week and productivity guru.

2012 Goals

Start the MBA program at the University of Notre Dame (check)

Vacation two weeks in Europe (check)

Invest in a new rental property (check)

Help grow the business to over $34M (check)

Build a home for less privileged in Mexico (check)

When you set goals, write the list down where you can view it often. Have your spouse, partner, or mentor hold you accountable. Build out categories and take time to reflect on the outcomes. Most importantly thank God for the platform HE's given you.

Repeat and do over again.

A Smarter Way To Network

I'm back after a two month hiatus from graduate school at Notre Dame. Homework and exams have consumed much of my time, but its all worth the effort in the end. 

I recently read an article in the HBR (Harvard Business Review) that mentions successful executives connect with select people and get more out of them. Obviously this caught my attention, since I base much of my business activities around networking. Below are a few excerpts that are worth reading.

We all know the old adage, "it's not what you know, it's who you know" is true. But it's more nuanced than that. In spite of what most self-help books say, network size doesn't usually matter. In fact, they've found that individuals who simply know a lot of people are less likely to achieve standout performance because they're spread too thin.  

Yes, it’s important 

to know powerful people, but if they 

account for too much of your network, 

your peers and subordinates often perceive 

you to be overly self-interested, and 

you may lose support as a result.

The data collected pointed to a different 

model for networking. The executives 

who consistently rank in the top 20% 

of their companies in both performance 

and well-being have diverse but select networks 

made up of high-quality 

relationships with people who come from several different spheres and from up and down the corporate hierarchy.

Finally here's four important steps that came about from this article to implement inside your networking strategy;

1. Analyze - Identify the people in your network and what you get out of interacting with them.

2. De-layer - Make some hard decisions to back away from redundant and energy-sapping relationships.

3. Diversify - Build your network out with the right know of people, energizers who will help you achieve your goals.

4. Capitalize - Make sure you're using your contacts as effectively as you can.

Same Game New Rules

Last month I was standing in the middle of St. Peter's Square ready to enter the Vatican in Rome and I received a phone call from Notre Dame University. The Director of Admissions called to inform me of my acceptance into the MBA program. What a fantastic memory as my wife and I finished a two week vacation in Europe.

I'm excited about the challenge that lays ahead and the opportunity to prove myself again in South Bend. Over ten years ago I left Notre Dame with a terrible sense of disappointment when we lost to the Irish in a last minute football game. For those of you who don't know, I had a pass thrown to me while I was running a crossing route, which tipped off my hands and landed in the lap of Vontez Duff, who took the interception back for a touchdown. Game over, senior year over, and dreams of playing pro football over. Sadly enough I couldn't seem to recover and ever regain my mental edge to play at a high level.

The day after the game my picture was on the front cover of the NY Times sports page, and the highlight was shown in slow motion on CNN Headline News. I had been through disappointment in my sports career, but nothing had an impact quite like this moment.

As I look back on this experience, I realized how valuable a lesson this set back had on my life. Although I feel like I've left something on the table back at Notre Dame, I rest assure that God had this plan already in place, waiting to build my character. When I played college football ten years ago, I was immature and full of a big ego. What a blessing in disguise despite the temporary pain that ruined my senior year of college football because I grew more in my faith for God and changed the way I lived as a man.

Uncomfortable vs. Exhaustion

I believe the single most significant decision you can make on a day-to-day basis is your choice of attitude. Attitude is that one thing that keeps you going or cripples your progress. It alone fuels your fire or assaults your hope. (Acts 16:25)

It's not talent, it's not innate ability, it simply comes down to how hungry you are to improve. What's the difference between you and them. The professionals are willing to knock on the doors of complete exhaustion every single day.

Ask yourself this, are you moving closer towards your goals, or are you moving further away them? Are you knocking of those doors of exhaustion, or are you just uncomfortable? Being uncomfortable is not exhaustion. Being uncomfortable is your mind quitting before your body.

It's easier to buy the ticket to see the game, than the one to prepare for it. It's easier watch athletes from the couch than it is to be the one hoisting the trophy.

It's a lot easier to look back on your life and know you gave it your all than it is to live with regrets. Not living up to your potential, well that weighs on your shoulders for a lifetime.