TED Talks for Sales Professionals

TED Talks are a great way to cultivate skills and knowledge from sources that you may have not had access to otherwise. Sales, however,  is a broad category, with sales professionals needing a range of emotional and intellectual intelligence and forethought into the future in order to really succeed. These speakers are insightful and interesting, and by implementing a few of their points, you could be on your way to improving your sales goals and strategies.

Eddie Obeng: Smart Failure for a Fast-Changing World

Ernesto Sirolli: Want to Help Someone? Shut Up and Listen!

Dan Pink: The Puzzle of Motivation

Shonda Rhimes: My Year of Saying Yes to Everything

Lera Boroditsky: How Language Shapes the Way We Think

Kelly McGonigal: How to Make Stress Your Friend

Sheena Iyengar: How to Make Choosing Easier

John Doerr: Why The Secret to Success is Setting the Right Goals

Leticia Gasca: Don’t Fail Fast– Fail Mindfully

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Books to Read in 2018

As the new year begins and New Year’s resolutions are made, one that many people bring up each year is that of wanting to read more books in the year to come. These are some top picks for books about business, technology, personal growth, leadership and more.

Business

Rise and Grind  by Daymond John

The Shark Tank panelist and entrepreneur uses his own life experiences to tell readers how to succeed in their lives with inspiration to use persistence, grit, and spectacular work ethic.

Crushing It  by Gary Vaynerchuk

VaynerMedia CEO Gary Vaynerchuk is known for his no downtime approach to life and business, as well as for building a brand that is solid and highly successful. Vaynerchuk outlines what you need to know to do the same for your brand.

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle and Will Damron

Learn how successful groups are built and strengthened, with Coyle’s in-depth look into how group culture can be cultivated.

Technology

The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone  by Brian Merchant

The introduction of the iPhone changed the course of history, for technology, social trends and more. This national bestseller takes readers through the history of the development and release of the influential Apple device.

Surviving the Tech Storm: Strategy in Times of Technological Uncertainty by Nicklas Bergman

The technological changes that we have gone through have entered us into a new era that is filled with questions and challenges. Bergman offers insight into how to make decisions and find insights into an uncertain world.

What To Do When Machines Do Everything: How to Get Ahead in a World of AI, Algorithms, Bots and Big Data by Malcolm Frank, Paul Roehrig, and Ben Pring

The digital economy is changing the future of work and how business is done. The authors provide a roadmap to take steps to move ahead in a world that is moving more quickly than we can.

Leadership

Brave Leadership: Unleash Your Most Confident, Powerful and Authentic Self to Get the Results You Need by Kimberly Davis

Learn how to get results and become the leader you want to be in this guide for all leadership journeys. Davis dives into the essential tools and tips that anyone can use to reach their full potential and help feel more confident, satisfied and purposeful.  

The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors That Transform Ordinary People into World Class Leaders  by Elena L. Botelho and Kim R. Powell

Botelho and Powell’s in-depth look at CEOs and executives uncovers what makes these leaders successful. Though this book may be more research intensive, the messages that it delivers with the conclusions can help you rise to the top as well.

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey

Former FBI director James Comey reveals never before told stories of his time in the government sharing insights into what makes an effective leader.

Money

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

First released in 1996, this exposé about wealthy Americans has now been updated for the context of the current state of the world. Learn how the truly wealthy demographic behaves and how you can modify your life and spending habits to fit within this exclusive group.

Cold Hard Truth On Men, Women, and Money by Kevin O’Leary

Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful, Kevin O’Leary presents a new take on finance in a witty and funny way that presents advice to someone at any stage in their life. It’s not too late to take control of your finance, and O’Leary presents this in a well rounded and personable way.

The Total Money Makeover  by Dave Ramsey

Taking a fitness type stab at revamping personal finance, Ramsey presents a plan that can help you pay off debts, build a strong financial safety net and create a budget without sacrificing your personal relationships.

Personal Growth

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness -Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler

Nudge opens the eyes of the reader up to the fact that nothing we have to decide on is presented in a neutral way. By acknowledging bias, and understanding how the human brain perceives choice you can influence others to make decisions that are better for everyone in your life.

Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt

Hyatt dives into how you can achieve your goals instead of letting them get pushed back only to regret ignoring them. Whether your goals are centered around relationships, financial, or educational, this book can help you to reset your life and achieve the goals you set.

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg

After her husband’s sudden death, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg fell into a vast depression. But with hard work, she was able to build resilience and find her way towards recovery. Option B houses Sandberg’s journal excerpts, research and other contributors’ personal stories that showcase peak levels of perseverance. Learn how to develop compassion, appreciation, and resilience as well as the ability help others find the same qualities within themselves.

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11 Herbs & Spices: Brands That Embrace Their Personalities on Twitter

Earlier this week, Twitter user Edge (@edgette22) noticed something funny about KFC’s Twitter page that made headlines for the brand.

The quiet execution of this comical marketing strategy isn’t the first time that a brand has used Twitter to subvert traditional marketing efforts for a more playful strategy. Think back to Wendy’s always sassy Twitter responses, like this one:

Fast food companies aren’t the only brands establishing themselves as Twitter masters, check out these examples of brands showing off their personality on social media!

Netflix (@netflix)

The streaming giant knows what it’s target audience is thinking.

Taco Bell (@tacobell)

Taking senior portraits at Taco Bell has been a trend this year, and the brand took notice.

Chipotle (@ChipotleTweets)

Promoting their online ordering capabilities while disrupting everyone’s Tinder game.

Totino’s Pizza Rolls (@totinos)

Starting with the name of the account (Pete Zaroll) and the anthropomorphic pizza roll that personifies the account, this General Mills brand really brings the sass, especially when it comes to brand recognition.

Hamburger Helper (@helper)

Another General Mill’s brand, Hamburger Helper’s Twitter account has been in the news lately due to its quick-witted responses like this one:

DiGiorno Pizza (@DiGiornoPizza)

With a tagline like “It’s not delivery. It’s DiGiorno”, would you expect anything less than sassy tweets?

Old Spice (@OldSpice)

Never one to shy away from unconventional marketing and commercials, Old Spice continues that trend with their Twitter feed.

Innocent Drinks (@innocent)

This healthy smoothie/juice company based out of the UK has a Twitter feed filled with gems like this one below. What more could you ask for from a brand’s social media?

Moosejaw Mountaineering (@MoosejawMadness)

Self-described as “the most fun outdoor retailer on the planet”, Moosejaw’s Twitter is filled with funny quips like this one:

Have some more examples? Share them in the comments section below.

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Black Friday 2017 Predictions

With only a few weeks until Thanksgiving on November 23rd, savvy shoppers are ramping up to this year’s Black Friday deals and sales. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become some of the biggest shopping days of the year, and sales keep getting bigger and bigger. In the past, sales have started on Thanksgiving and gone into Black Friday proper and the weekend and Monday following the holiday (Cyber Monday), but in recent years, retailers have begun their sales earlier and earlier, sometimes having promotions all month long. Look for these trends this November!

Spending

According to predictions by the National Retail Federation, Holiday sales (retail sales between November and December) will grow by up to 4% from last year, up to a $682 billion dollar amount. PwC’s holiday outlook data suggests that the average holiday spend for 83% of US consumers is expected to be $1,189.

Top Stores

DealNews.com suggests keeping an eye on sales at Kohl’s (where your savings will largely be in Kohl’s Cash), Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and Amazon this year, however, the best places to make your purchases will depend on what your items of interest are and will also be largely based upon price point. Forbes has a list of where to look for tablets and laptops this year, which can be found here.  If you are interested in Apple Products, online retailers will likely have better discounts on Apple products than the Apple Store itself.  Last year, Apple’s Black Friday deal included a gift card with the purchase of older product models at an undiscounted rate, and that is expected to continue this year, hinging on whether Apple even decides to participate in Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

Top Deals

Video game bundles for the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are rumored to be heavily discounted this year, as well as many smartphones including the newest iPhones (8, 8 Plus and X), the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8 and the Google Pixel 2. Discounted prices for 4K TVs and 4K media players are also expected.

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Hacks to Increase Sales

Sales can make or break a business, and every good salesperson knows that sales goals can sometimes be hard to reach. These 8 hacks can help you to not only reach your goals but allow you to exceed them as well. Give them a shot!

Use Social Media

Leverage your audience with high-quality posts on social media. Native ads are advertisements that look like regular content and are shown to work because of how much they blend in. People looking at a page don’t always want to be overtly sold to, but try a few methods and see what works for you specifically. Even if you only get a few leads from social media, it may be an untapped market that you can break into.

Shorten Meetings

By cutting meetings down to the bare minimum of time that needs to be sent you maximize the use of time in your day. Instead of 30-minute meetings try 20, and instead of hour long meetings try 45 and use the leftover time to prep,  write up notes both for you and your sales prospect and document those notes in a CRM or other sales tracking tool.

Think In Doubles

If your sales goal was double what it is what would you be doing? If you have a definitive answer to this question then start doing this to reach your current goal. You may even surpass it without even thinking.

Update Your Sales Toolbox

Analyze the tools you are using right now. Any CRMs, outreach tools, or even email templates may have better versions, updates or even cheaper alternatives available that can keep overhead lowered.

Phone/Contact Organization

Outline your contacts in order of how you know them in your personal cell phone to avoid confusion. If applicable, your office phone or Rolodex can be organized under the same rules.  Or, use the following ideas for email organization for other contact methods as well!

Email Organization

Organize your inbox. Whether you create tabs like “cold calls” and “pipeline” or tabs for each specific account or person you speak to, having an inbox that flows and makes sense can help you remember more, be more involved in your communications and also frees up a lot of your time.

Risk Taking

Don’t be afraid to reach out to contacts that you might think are “out of your league”. You may end up landing a bigger account this way, simply because many others in your field may also be hesitant to reach out to these potential customers. Sometimes you catch bigger fish just by trying.

Continued Education

Always keep learning. It doesn’t have to be a formal degree, but keep up with trends, watch influencers and see what others are doing to become successful. You can read blogs, books, or web resources; attend seminars and classes,  listen to podcasts, watch videos or even surf social media and the web to see what others are doing.

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