Actionable tips:
- Simplify your pitch and cut out any jargon or filler language. A clear message often resonates more with clients.
- While teamwork is valuable, make a habit of tackling challenges independently before asking for help. It builds resilience and confidence.
“Don't act out of resentment, selfishness, or without thoughtfulness, just to be different. Don't overcomplicate your ideas with fancy words... Stay positive and independent, don't rely on others for support or comfort.” - Marcus Aurelius
In sales, less is often more.
It's easy to overcomplicate a pitch or fill silence with excessive words. Instead, focus on asking simple, direct questions that guide the conversation.
Your message should be clear and concise; think Steve Jobs, whose minimalist approach made Apple’s products memorable.
Avoid relying on others for every step; trust your own expertise.
When you simplify, your solution speaks for itself, leaving a stronger, lasting impression. Remember you will die.
—
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Connect with We Have a Meeting: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/we-have-a-meeting/ Website: https://www.wehaveameeting.com/
Disclaimer:
The Sales Stoic draws inspiration from the profound wisdom of Stoicism as presented in Ryan Holiday's "The Daily Stoic." As avid readers & fans, we deeply respect the work of Ryan Holiday, and acknowledge the significant impact of Stoic philosophy on our own approach to sales and life.
While The Sales Stoic applies the core principles of Stoicism to the unique challenges and opportunities faced by salespeople, it is an original work with its own distinct voice and focus. We aim to build upon the timeless wisdom of Stoicism to empower sales professionals with practical guidance and actionable insights for success in their careers and personal lives.
Jack Frimston
Co-Founder at We Have a Meeting
Zac Thompson
Co-Founder at We Have a Meeting
Oh, sorry, didn't see you there. Oh, hi guys. 13th of April. Could it be? Keep it simple. Stupid. Don't act grudgingly, selfishly, without due diligence or to be a contrarian. Don't overdress your thought in fine language. Don't be a person of too many words and too many deeds. Be cheerful, not wanting outside help or the relief others might bring.
A person needs to stand on their own, not be propped up. Marcus Aurelius. Nice. Really good. Is it due diligence or due diligence? Well, there was a hyphen in the middle of it. So it's that's why I broke it into a couple. Put it in the comments. Let know how you pronounce the word and obviously keep it simple. Stupid, I think is the theme today. Just do it. Just do it. So when we say keep it simple, just do it is Nike's catchphrase.
renowned all over the world. They've smashed it. Nike, Nike or Nike to make a little note of them. Check those guys out. Check them out. their Instagram handle in the comments and hats. But it's very, very simple. Just do it. Just do it. Very simple. And sales is exactly the same. So there is an acronym for this called Kiss. Don't yet. It's not New Year's Eve. Maybe then at Kiss. Keep it simple, stupid and breaking things down. So
You must have seen this, right? We get an inquiry on the website. We look and we go to their website and we're looking at it. Unless it is octopusarms.ai. And I know that they say octopus arms, but via AI. I don't know what you do. Apex solutions. What is it? What could you possibly be doing? And you're looking, read them through and you go, none of this makes sense. Just people want to process information in the most simple ways possible.
We do this in a few different ways, but one of my favorite sales question to ask people, I go, so let's imagine you're a prospect. go, can I do something weird for a minute, Zach? You can't. I mean, you've not had any clothes on for the whole call. So yeah. Okay. If I was a five year old, how would you explain the problem that your company solves? I'd say we're, we're, we're a cloud base. Really dumb it down for me. I'm an idiot.
When businesses have lots of information, we have a place to keep it so it doesn't get lost. Nice. And that is the problem you solve. Okay. Well, it's not the problem you solve. Can I go one deeper? Please, please. So if I got someone to say that, the next thing I would say is, okay, and if someone needed that, how would they be noticing it day to day? Yeah, very good. when they tell you that is your whole marketing spiel, your elevator pitch, your go-to market, that bit of...
how would someone know is if they needed it? Well, they'd be really struggling to get ahead of things. They'd be disorganized. They wouldn't really know when the next deal's coming from or why the next deal closes. And they'd be feeling like, everything's really unpredictable and unreliable. That whole bit there is everything. Go to market strategy, complete. So what are the simple questions do you have in your toolbox that you can ask people to get them to open up? The simplest one I like is how do you know that's a
Yeah, very simple. Okay, so someone tells you, really what happens is people tell you the symptom, don't they? They say, well, I've got a few manual processes and blah, blah, blah, and whatever it may be. We'd like to automate things more. Okay, and they give you some examples. Can you give me an example? Yeah, we've got this thing. And they start laying the picture and then I say, okay, and it's gonna sound like a really silly question. I suppose, how do you know that's a problem? And then they start saying things like, well, I'm staying late at work. I'm not getting to.
home on time, I'm doing a bit of work on the weekend where I should be spending time with the kids. Right, there we go. That's what a problem sounds like. That's your meat on the bone. You know, I said it to someone once on a call, how do you know it's a problem? And the client that we were with did...
It was something to do with like food. I forgot what it was. But anyway, the guy that needed to fix the problem, I was like, how do know it's a problem? And he said, well, I've always had this feeling if I don't fix it, I could end up going to jail. Wow. It's not gonna get better than that. That's motivation for you. That's motivation. Wow. Simple is as simple does. I've been Jack Frimston. I've been Zack Thompson. Remember you will die. Shrimp.
