I'm wishing on a star.

I'm trying to stay sharp. So the 21st of April, it's Stay Sharp. Wow, I see what you did there. I didn't like it. It's okay. I'll keep the voice, you keep the ass. What? When you let your attention slide for a bit, don't think you'll get back a grip on it whenever you wish. Instead, bear in mind that because of today's mistake, everything that follows will be necessarily worse.

Is it possible to be free from error? Not by any means, but it is possible to be a person always stretching to avoid error. For we must be content to at least escape a few mistakes by never letting our attention slide. Epictetus. Wow. Makes me think of new starters. Okay. And new salespeople and probably something that professionals would call the Dunning Kruger.

Okay. You know that one? I've heard about the Dunning-Kruger. We've debates about this one. We have, mass ones. On the internet. I'd like you to tell me a bit about the Dunning-Kruger though. Dunning-Kruger. So imagine when you start something, it's like a confidence and expertise. Your expertise is low, but your confidence is sky high because you're a novice and you're going, I'm into something new. I just want to throw myself into it. I want to embrace it.

So like you're the idiot, but then you're ultra focused in that moment. So when you first start sales, you're soaking it all up. You're asking good questions. And what you find is when salespeople don't know lots and lots about their products or service, they'll make it all about the other person and ask questions because they don't want to look like the idiot. Then what happens over time is they learn lots and lots of their expertise continues, but their confidence dips. So then they come to a place called the Valley of Despair.

where they're not feeling very confident, but they've got more knowledge and they're probably pitching a little bit more, feature dumping a little bit more. And then over time it comes back and they become perfect. So where is the power? Is the power in the beginner's mindset? I feel like the power is in the beginner's mindset because that's where a lot of the confidence and focus lies. Okay. So yeah, we hear things about imposter syndrome, stuff like that, but actually it's the honeymoon period, isn't it?

you have the honeymoon period of a sales job. And this is why a lot of people last in sales jobs for six months, because they come in, they hit the ground running, they're really, really good. And then the honeymoon period wears off and then you go, do I really want to work in sales? Yeah, yeah, exactly. We've had many people come in, do the bit, bang it out. And then suddenly they're in the valley of despair. But also they've got a new client at the same time. Yeah.

doubt starts to stack. I'm in the valley of despair. I'm consciously incompetent. And I also have a new client to learn. You know, just push through because you'll come back up to other side. But it happens all the time. People hit a point where I don't know why this doesn't work. And actually the more times you've been back into the valley, the more times you know the way out. Yeah. absolutely. So the advice I would give to people if you're trying to stay sharp is being present. Okay.

sticking with the theme of being sharp is sharpening your sword, kind of making sure that you're, if you want to get good at something, you have to live and breathe it, don't you? And that might be the materials you consume. It doesn't actually take that much for, if you are somebody that scrolls through Instagram, LinkedIn or TikTok, it doesn't take a lot to change an algorithm. Put that on a cup. It doesn't take a lot to change an algorithm. So if you start searching for sales tips, cold calling tips and you start consuming that information a little bit more, all of a sudden the algorithm thinks this guy likes sales tips, we're gonna start serving him up a little bit more of a fresh portion of sales tips. So consume it in everyday life, make sure that you're focused, staying present and you're sharpening your toolbox. Well, I think I said much this episode, but I don't think I need to. I've been Jack Frimston. I've been Zach Thompson. Remember you will die.