MFP Copier Blog

This Week in Copiers Fifteen Years Ago

Third Week of June 2008

Real Copier Sales

used my desire, determination, and dedication to achieve most of my goals in those twenty years. It wasn’t easy, it was hard work, long hours and also putting in time on weekends (I still do that) that led to my success. Thus, I put this blog together to help those that come after me, and for those that want to aspire to greatness. more here

Enjoy These awesome copiers threads from 15 years ago

This Week in Copiers Ten Years Ago

Third Week of June 2013

Real Copier Sales

Many years ago I had demo'd a duplicator at a print shop in Trenton, NJ. The duplicator performed everything that it needed to do. I had the lease ready for the buyer, handed him the pen, the prospect had started to sign and then my boss (who was with me), asked the buyer a question, the buyer obliged and answered the question. read the rest here

Check These Great Copier Threads from Ten Years Ago This Week

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c6010 print video

Art Post · 6/19/1310:29 PM

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analogue-copiers-for-rent-250x250

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04---xerox_low

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minolta 450Z

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Can you Name This Copier?

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200px-Xerox_914

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1961 APECO Color Copier Photocopier

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Xerox rev2

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Canon PC

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xerox1914

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copier-787392

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Thermo Fax

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copier1mediumjpg

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Toshiba 4560

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kyocera-mita_2030_bw_copier_

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Old Xerox

Art Post · 6/18/1312:53 PM

"Our first impressions are generated by our experiences and our environment, which means that we can change our first impressions... by changing the experiences that comprise those impressions."

Malcolm Gladwell

As we kick-off our time together, please allow the above quote to simmer a bit, and now think about the perception of salespeople.

I believe people's initial judgments and perceptions of salespeople are influenced by their past experiences. If you all buy into phrase, "Perception is reality", then what's the perception of salespeople in looking at this through the lens of your clients or future clients?

First impressions are tricky because they can either make or break an entire experience.

To quote, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot,

“Never lose the first impression which has moved you.”

Are your first impressions, encounters and experiences causing people to lean into your conversations or lean back?

For many of us, first impressions become a filter for all future interactions with someone. In some occasions, this becomes difficult to change someone’s first impression of us.

Whether first encounter impressions are accurate or not, it normally takes a long time along with a concerted effort to change a first impression, would you agree?

Recent research by SuperOffice, around positive first impressions, shows that "72% of people are likely to spread the word to six or more people."

• Do you ever wonder what's motoring through someone's mind the first 5-15 minutes of your sales conversations?
• Do you ever wonder what they're thinking 5 minutes after you left the meeting?
• Do you ever wonder how many other people they may have shared your experience with after they meet with you?

In a business world where we're digitally empowered and hyper-connected, think about the role first impressions play in the "what happens next" conversations.

We do know this, a first impression can be formed as a result of a conversation, however; it can also be created by someone catching a glimpse of you, from a distance.

You never know who has been watching you.

Now, think about your voice mails, emails and social interactions.

Are you getting the picture?

In the world we live in today, first impressions are no longer face to face. How you carry yourself online, and on any social platform, will play a significant role in perception and first impressions.

Are your first impressions leading to meaningful connection or disenchanting disengagement?

I'm a firm believer in the "What is old is forever new."

When it comes to the importance of first impressions, let's look no further than to Dale Carnegie, as he was the legendary people-skills leader and the author of the internationally acclaimed book, How To Win Friends And Influence People.

Dale Carnegie said,

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” 

He dedicated extensive time and experimented with the best ways to reliably make a good impression.

Carnegie held these six rules above all others...

• Become genuinely interested in other people
• Smile
• Remember that a person’s name is to them the sweetest and most important sound in any language
• Be a good listener and encourage other people to talk about themselves
• Talk in terms of the other person’s interests
• Make the other person feel important, and do it sincerely

Attention sales world...

Are you genuinely interested in your client or future client conversations?

Are you actively and with intention engaging with them?

Are you showing that you value their thoughts and opinions?

With trust and credibility being anemically low within the sales world, let's pause for a moment and ask yourself, "Am I applying the six rules by Dale Carnegie to my initial encounters with new sales opportunities?"

Imagine people using these words in describing their first meeting or interaction with you... confident, engaged, genuine, honest, humble, trusting, joyful and calming.

The more comfortable you make someone feel in that first interaction, the more comfortable they will become in sharing things about themselves and their business.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS CREATE TRUST

When meeting someone for the first time, we are met with so many possibilities; do we judge based on their appearance? By their handshake? By their looks, voice or how they carry themselves?

This plays out in our personal lives and definitely applies to our professional lives.

When it comes to first impressions and building trust, are these first impression experiences hindering or helping you establish any levels of trust?

Amy Cuddy, a psychologist at the Harvard Business School, found that our first impressions of others provide the answers to two main questions:

Can I trust this person?

Can I respect this person’s capabilities?

She went on to say, two people who meet are questioning, “Can I trust that this person has good intentions toward me?” and “Is this person capable?”

These are the main questions we are asking ourselves when looking at developing trust and maintaining it.

Now, think about how this plays out with your first-in meetings, your first interactions, and how you carry yourself.

There are fascinating findings from the Harvard Study of Communications and Amy Cuddy reinforcing the importance of first impressions:

• Only 7% of people form their first impressions of you based on the words you say.
• 55% of a first impression is visual: how you look, how you stand, how you dress or whether you make eye contact.
• Two-fold impressions, which typically answer the questions ‘What is this person’s intention’ and ‘how strong are they’ hold true across all cultures and account for 80-90% of an overall first impression.
• Attempting to be the more dominant one in a conversation could make it harder for the other person to trust you and may shut them down completely. A natural interaction and a focus on establishing trust will bring about trust and will allow others to open up to you.
• Establish trust by allowing the other person to speak first, opening with a question, helping the other person to feel understood and collecting information about their interests and needs.

To further reinforce the point, allow this quote courtesy of Amy Cuddy sink in,

"If someone you're trying to influence doesn't trust you, you're not going to get very far; in fact, you might even elicit suspicion because you come across as manipulative. A warm, trustworthy person who is also strong elicits admiration, but only after you've established trust does your strength become a gift rather than a threat."

What gifts are you leaving in your conversations?

First impressions are lasting impressions.

I must ask... Are you fully engaged, intentionally listening and bringing your authentic self to your initial conversations and encounters?

AMAZING FIRST IMPRESSIONS LEAD TO CONNECTION

"You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

Will Rogers

I would like for you to put yourself in the shoes of the other person you're meeting for the first time, do you wonder if this runs through their mind?

"Stop trying to impress me. I can make up my own mind about whether I like you; trust you; or even believe you. You don’t have to make up my mind for me."

True human connection must be placed front and center as the facilitator to a positive first impression. We're all wired to connect. It is part of the prescription for health and happiness.

As social beings, we have an innate desire for connection and belonging.

Positive first impressions create the foundation for establishing meaningful relationships.

Positive first impressions built on authentic connections lead to stronger relationships and increased collaboration.

When you make your clients and future clients feel valued and appreciated during your meetings, it sets a positive tone for the relationship to develop further.

While an amazing and inspirational first impression can lay the groundwork for connection, this doesn't guarantee its longevity or depth. Sustaining a meaningful connection will require ongoing effort, communication, and mutual commitment.

A positive first impression leads to connection and cohesion.

If first impressions matter, then what are you doing about it?

COMMIT TO LEAVING LASTING IMPRESSIONS

If what others think of you (think initial meeting) matter, then I ask you to pay attention to how others see you the first time you meet.

I would ask you to remember the person you're in front of, as they may be saying to themselves:

• Do you see me?
• Do you hear me?
• Do you get me?
• Does what I say matter to you?

J.K. Rowling went on to say,

"A good first impression can work wonders."

I leave you all to think about this...

What is racing through someone's mind when they meet with you for the first time?

In this episode of Selling From the Heart, we are joined by Paul M. Caffrey, the co-author of the book "Work Before The Work: The Hidden Habits of Elite Sales Professionals That They Use to Outperform the Competition." Paul has spent the past 14 years mastering the sales profession and is trusted by some of the world's biggest brands and most innovative scale-up tech companies.

Paul shares his insights on sales preparation and how it can help sales professionals outperform their competition. He discusses the importance of developing a growth mindset, setting goals, and planning your day. Paul also shares his thoughts on the role of authenticity in sales and how it can help build trust with customers. Additionally, he discusses the six habits that elite sales professionals use to achieve success.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Importance of clarity in sales - Paul: "You have to speak about outcomes. You need to be that visionary to bring people along with you. But if you're not clear on what you expect and how you expect it to be done, can you prospect and find some opportunities or can you work that territory means a hundred different things to a hundred different people. And again, yes, specificity, it just means that you're able to then row in the right direction.”

Connect with Paul and get his book:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulcaffrey/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Work-Before-Pr...

Claim one of 10 copies of "The Work Before the Work, The Hidden Habits Elite Sales Professionals Use to Outperform the Competition".

Paul M. Caffrey has also offered listeners of the Selling from the Heart podcast 1:1 coaching with incredible output, a personalized report to improve how you sell along with guidance on how to advance your career. Be quick as there is limited availability!!

Both are available at this special link: https://www.paulcaffrey.com/heart

Learn more about Darrell and Larry:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevi...

https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/

Got a video about how you sell from the heart? Share it by texting VIDEO to 21000.

Click https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/book to preorder your copy of the rerelease of the Selling from the Heart book.

SUBSCRIBE to our YOUTUBE CHANNEL!    / @uci6ocvgpgqjg8yx... 

Please visit WHYINSTITUTE.COM https://whyinstitute.com/

Please go to WORKBETTERNOW.COM https://www.workbetternow.com/

Click for your Daily Dose of Inspiration https://www.workbetternow.com/

Check out the 2023 Authentic Selling Challenge https://authenticsellingchallenge.com/

Get your Insiders Group FREE PASS here https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/f...

This Week in the Copier Industry 5 Years Ago

I need to keep this short and sweet tonight because I'm swamped with quotes that need to go out tomorrow for possible closes next week.  My quarter ends next Friday on the 23rd.

Today I was out prospecting with the rest of our reps.  Each of us had a partner however my partner had to disengage at the last minute.  No worries because in most cases I tend to fare better with prospecting alone.

Today was an exceptional day since two of my stops turned into on-site meetings with two DMs.  Both meetings went well and I need to provide a quote for color A3 MFP (yes the client was 11x17 print) for a church.  The other meeting turned into a decent opportunity for a Light Production Color device, in addition the client wants to see a demo and print samples.  Yay, not a bad day with putting in about ten stops.

It's easy to prospect for net new when you don't have a client base and the hits can be fast and furious.  I mean what else is there to do when you don't have a client base to answer emails, perform QBRs for existing clients or follow up with your existing clients (end of lease, referrals, existing proposals).

"Out of sight, equals out of mind",  thus it's easy to lose track of existing clients if you're not contacting them on a regular basis.

Sometime ago and I can't remember who told me or where I heard this, but it went somewhat like this, you will lose 25% (every few years) of your clients due to no fault of your own.

Lost could be for many reasons

• company is being sold
• company is being acquired
• company is closing their business
• catastrophic loss
• bankrupt
• death
• your DM leaves the company

The need to prospect daily, weekly and monthly is constant.

Just this week I meet with an existing 25 year client, there were three MFP upgrades on the table.  I was told he accepted an offer to sell the company and was not sure if he could renew the existing leases. Of course I won't give up with not presenting the upgrades, but my chances of closing goes down dramatically.

The Unexpected

If you've read prior blogs or we've chatted I've told others, "as long as you work hard you never know what tomorrow will bring you".

Today one of those tomorrows turned came in the form of an email from a net new prospect. The client stated that so and so gave me your contact information and I'd like to meet to discuss our needs. No biggie right?  It happens all of the time when you so the right things for your clients.  Here's the unexpected part of the email, that so and so person (the referral) was from a net new client that I lost last year.  That's right!  I believe this has only happened a few times in my career.

Which all goes back to "as long as you work hard you never know what tomorrow will bring you".  One other note, prospecting hard during June, July and August will give you the edge for meeting your 3rd and 4th quarter goals.

-=Good Selling=-

see attached file @Earl Everson

View our other leads posted today here

MSP, MSSP & IT Industry Notes

Sponsored by

June 11th, 2023

Arcoa Group

Why partnering with ARCOA makes sense
Electronics Recycling is an important and profitable part of the IT asset lifecycle, but it can be overwhelming with all you already do, varying state regulations, and the limited resources at hand. That’s where ARCOA comes in. When you partner with ARCOA, you get all the benefits of a big company without any of the capital investment. We’ve been doing this since 1989 and have the expertise, certifications, and nationwide resources to get the most for all your clients’ retired IT assets. Plus, positioning your clients as environmental stewards not only elevates their appeal to consumers, it meets government requirements and avoids fines.

What partnering with ARCOA looks like
Our role is to make it easy for you to bring more value to your clients. We work with you to help stretch your clients’ IT budget by reducing the total cost of ownership of their electronics. We’re experts at identifying and implementing the solutions your clients need for the end-of-use remarketing, recovery, and recycling of their technology assets. The sooner you involve ARCOA, the sooner you and your client.

Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office Acquires ACP Technologies: A Strategic Move for Greater Success!

• recently acquired ACP Technologies, a provider of managed IT and cybersecurity services
• amount for which Atlantic has acquired ACP Technologies remains undisclosed
• Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office was founded in 1959 as Atlantic Photocopy
• ACP Technologies was founded in 1997 with its headquarters located in West Seneca, New York
• Reported on compsmag.com

Options Named Microsoft Solutions Partner for Security

• announced its achievement of Microsoft Solutions Partner designation for Security
• Options Technology is the No. 1 provider of IT infrastructure to global Capital Markets firms, supporting their operations and ecosystems
• In 2019, Options received investment from Boston-based Private Equity Firm Abry Partners

Oosha rebrands as Access Managed Services and announces plans to grow team by a fifth

• UK legal IT managed service provider Oosha, has rebranded Access Managed Services and announced that it is set to grow its team by a fifth
• Also announced that it is set to grow its team by a fifth
• was acquired by Access Legal in 2021

Cybersecurity Notes

• Albany ENT & Allergy Services of New York has notified 224,486 patients that their PHI may have been exposed after ransomware attack.
• Cleveland Clinic notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after one of its medical billing vendors, MedInform of Ohio, was hit by ransomware.
• Idaho Falls Community Hospital notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Mountain View Hospital of Idaho notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Managed Care of North America, aka MCNA Dental, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Sports Warehouse, an online sporting goods retailer, will pay $300,000 to settle lawsuit alleging negligence after a breach exposed info on 1 million consumers.
• Marshall Information Services, aka Primary Solutions Inc. of Ohio, notified 7,456 patients that their PHIP was exposed after ransomware attack.
• Anchorage School District of Alaska notified all employees that their PHI was exposed after a laptop computer was stolen.
• Enzo Biochem of Farmingdale, NY, notified 2,470,000 patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• Medford Radiology Group of Oregon notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• Clarke County Hospital of Osceola, Iowa notified 28,003 patients that their PHI was exposed after recent cyber attack.
• Vascular Center of Intervention in Fresno, CA notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI was exposed after cyber attack.
• Toyota notified 260,000 car owners that their info was exposed after cloud storage data leak.

Kinetik Information Technology offers an array of IT and Managed Services to elevate businesses

• announces that they offer a comprehensive range of IT and managed services.
• Microsoft partner since 1993

CyberCatch Announces Sales Distribution Partnership with Lanetco, Leading Canadian ...

• Announced a a sales distribution partnership with Lanetco, a leading Canadian Managed Services Provider (MSP)
• Lanetco specializes in serving small and medium businesses, not for profit organizations and trade associations and provides a full suite of IT services
• CyberCatch Holdings, Inc. (TSXV:CYBE) is a cybersecurity company that provides a proprietary, artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that enables continuous compliance and cyber risk mitigation

Lock in on Cyber Security with ARCOA

• ARCOA, data security is a critical part of what we do
• every item received, we adhere to NIST 800-88 procedures
• strict protocols to overwrite information render all data permanently removed and unrecoverable

US Dept of Homeland Security bans the import of Lexmark

• U.S. has blocked the import of goods made by Chinese laser printer maker Ninestar, majority owner of U.S.-based Lexmark International
• over the company’s alleged use of forced labor tied to China’s Xinjiang region
• Goods from Ninestar and eight Zhuhai, China-based subsidiaries will be restricted from entering the U.S. as of Monday because of the “companies’ participation in business practices that target members of persecuted groups” including Uyghurs, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said

Lead for ManagedIT Services (50 workstations) (click link)

• The Organization is soliciting proposals from qualified firms and proprietors for the management of information technology services to sustain and enhance the operations and services of the Organization
• Vendors are encouraged to provide as much detail as possible in this proposal regarding their capability and
• expertise, scope of services, and approach to protecting and securing the technology used by Organization
• users

High Wire Promotes Susanna Song to Chief Marketing Officer

• has promoted Susanna Song from VP of marketing and communications to the new position of chief marketing officer (CMO)
• she will oversee all corporate communications for driving brand awareness and lead generation
• coincides with the company’s launch of a new digital marketing and brand awareness campaign to be led by Song
• Song is the creator, producer and co-host of The Cybersecurity Simplified Podcast, which last year logged more than 100,000 downloads, drew listeners from more than 100 countries, and ranked in the top 5% of most podcasts shared globally on Spotify. She is also co-host of The Working CEO Podcast

M7 Services Selected by N-able as a Super Elite Partner

• has been selected as a Super Elite Partner by N-able, the purpose-built technology partner for managed services providers (MSPs)
• new designation distinguishes M7 Services as an MSP leader in the global IT channel
• To select MSP Super Elite members, N-able carefully evaluated thousands of its MSP partners worldwide on a range of criteria, including: a company's overall size and service model; its consecutive growth and profitability; the number of IT devices proactively being managed using RMM; the productivity of a company's technicians, and its ability to deliver exceptional business value to its customer base
• M7 Services is a provider of managed IT services and solutions for the hospitality industry

New CRITICALSTART® Managed XDR Reduces Cybersecurity Risk Through Improved ...

• announced the release of its new Managed Extended Detection and Response (XDR) offering
• unifies Critical Start's award-winning MDR service with a cloud-delivered collection, storage, and search platform for security-relevant log sources
• new service provides proactive defense that reduces the risk of a breach by bringing together threat prevention, detection, and response to thwart and mitigate threats before they cause damage

directprint.io to showcase the benefits of cloud print management at ISTELive 23

• announce it is attending ISTELive 23, which takes place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, between June 25 to 28
• io education strategy team will be on hand at the Edtech event of the year, to demonstrate how easy it is to remove reliance on cost and energy-intensive print servers and instead leverage a serverless infrastructure to centrally manage printing devices and printing
• io is a Chrome Enterprise Recommended partner, and specializes in print management for Chromebook

Pacific Office Automation Named 2023 MSP Partner of the Year by Arctic Wolf

• has been named Arctic Wolf’s Managed Service Provider Partner of the Year for 2023
• recognizes the company’s commitment to improving its customers' cybersecurity posture through a strategic partnership with Arctic Wolf
• Arctic Wolf is a leader in security operations and the pioneers behind one of the largest cloud-native security operations platforms in the world
• Pacific Office Automation (POA) is a privately held office technology company headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon

Kodak Alaris increases scanner distribution

• Announced that it has signed up CoCre8 Technology Solutions
• Will distribute scanners, capture software and professional services

Square 9 Softworks Releases Guide to Master OCR to Strengthen Document Capture Investment

• recently released a guide for those considering OCR and Document Capture solutions for their organization
• “Your Guide to Mastering OCR” aims to provide insightful strategies for capturing documents based on an organization’s needs
• You can view Square 9’s OCR Guide for yourself here: https://info.square-9.com/ocr-guide

PrinterLogic has security issues

Security Week magazine published article how researchers at Seek of Australia found multiple security vulnerabilities in PrinterLogic’s enterprise management printer solution

• The 18 vulnerabilities supposedly cloud allow hackers to:
• • Bypass authentication
  • Inject code
  • Expose credentials

"Self-reflection entails asking yourself questions about your values, assessing your strengths and failures, thinking about your perceptions and interactions with others, and imagining where you want to take your life in the future.”

Robert L. Rosen

As we set up our time together, let's take review parts of the above quote... As I ask you...

What are your values?

What are your strengths?

Where do you see your sales career 3 years down the road?

Think about where trust and credibility sit inside the sales world... How do you want to be perceived?

The nature of sales often creates mental turmoil (self-induced at times), craziness and chaos; creating a way to level-set and refocus on what’s important becomes extremely valuable.

Setting aside alone time regularly through self-reflection becomes a powerful routine to help you be more successful.

You spend more time with yourself than anyone else. How well do you really know yourself?

WHAT IS SELF-REFLECTION?

To know thyself is to value thyself.

At its heart, self-reflection is a process of introspection and examination, where you take the time to sift through your thoughts, attitudes, motivations, desires, emotions, and behaviors.

It involves stepping back from your day-to-day activities to create a space for self-awareness and self-analysis.

Self-reflecting encourages you to challenge assumptions, question your own perspectives, as you explore different viewpoints. It enables you to examine your values, goals, and aspirations, as you reassess whether they align with who you truly are and what you really want to achieve in life.

Some of you might be thinking self-reflection is a daunting task. It's naught. It can be as easy as looking back at your behavior in any scenario, then asking yourself, why you behaved the way you did.

Salespeople... think of all the scenarios you find yourself in daily... this provides you ample situations to self-reflect.

Self-reflection builds self-awareness, but only through intention and dedication.

I encourage you to regularly press “the pause button” on your life to create time and space to sit quietly, sifting through your thoughts and interactions, as you inspect them without judgment.

Self-reflection routines can:

• Give you a fresh perspective
• Help you better understand yourself
• Foster a sense of well-being
• Provide you better decision-making skills

Allow this quote by Michel de Montaigne to sink in for a moment,

"If I speak of myself in different ways, that is because I look at myself in different ways."

This might be a terrific time to pause, find a quiet spot, and self-reflect. A little self-talk might just do you some good.

• What were your biggest lessons from this last week/month/year? This can be personally and professionally.
• What are your proudest moments from this last week/month/year? This can be personally or professionally.
• If you continue doing what you’re doing right now, where will you be in five years’ time? This can be personally or professionally.
• What are the words you live by?
• What areas of my life do I feel satisfied with? Which ones need attention?
• What can I do to take better care of myself mentally, physically, and spiritually?

SELF-REFLECTION = GROWTH

If you want to live a better sales life, you must learn to grow.

Success does not happen overnight. It's achieved through daily improvement in small consistent increments over disciplined time.

In Selling from the Heart, I write about the many differences between sales professionals and sales reps. I believe, sales professionals do the work that many sales reps find excuses not to do.

A true sales professional doesn't sleepwalk through the day nor their career. They work harder on themselves than any sales manager ever will.

Sales professionals actively think about the things they do. They objectively evaluate themselves on a regular basis. They look at things through an unbiased and clear set of lenses.

Elite sales professionals do more self-reflection as opposed to deflection.

Self-reflection, some of you may be thinking... Larry, seriously, come on man. Yes, I'm being quite serious!

Simply view self-reflection as a mindfulness technique. This is where you place yourself in a quiet place and state of mind to recall events or experiences from the past, observe your current state, and then envision the future you want to create.

What concerns me is how many, especially in sales, do not allow themselves to pause and reflect on where they are and where they want to be.

All this putting off, eventually leads to:

• Failing to look for opportunities to improve
• Lackluster feelings and burning out
• High levels of stress and emotional gymnastics
• Lower levels of excitement for a better future

How can you perform at high levels month in and month out or year over year, if you struggle to become your best self? Now think about it.

SELF-REFLECTION STARTS WITH LOOKING INWARD

Socrates famously said,

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Looking inward is not an easy thing to practice. All of us live in this fast-paced, hyper-connected world.

Our mobile phones are constantly buzzing, social media is constantly vying for our attention, and Netflix always has something new to binge on.

Taking the time for reflection and inward thinking is tough. Unfortunately, many of us are living unexamined lives.

The self-reflection journey to sales betterment starts with understanding who you are at your core. It's becoming more in tune with your deeper self. It's the ability to recognize what makes you come alive, what makes you happy or sad.

In general, as a sales society, we have become fixated on the outer work. We focus on the stack rankings, where we are at quarter or year to date, key performance indicators, and number of new clients... starting to the get the picture?

Take a step back and realize that these are merely outer symbols. This does not reflect one's inner world.

The key to sales happiness lies in transforming yourself and your career through the inner work.

When you truly understand who you are, you can make the conscious effort to improve yourself and how you communicate better with others.

• How do you deal with your emotions? Especially when deals go astray.
• How do you react when your clients are unhappy or concerned with their levels of service?
• What areas do you need to work on in your personal growth and development?

Do you have the courage to dig in and ask yourself deep questions?

SELF-REFLECTION HELPS TO DEFINE YOU

At this very moment...

• What makes your heart sing?
• How would you define yourself?

I encourage you to become your own Sherlock Holmes. Become interested in what grabs your attention and tugs on your heartstrings.

Getting to know yourself allows you to tap into the road of happiness as this is critical to your success as a sales professional. Your beliefs, your attitude and your daily routines are mission critical.

Self-reflection is an ongoing process that requires time, patience, and honesty with yourself.

Understanding yourself can mean recognizing your shortcomings. It's about putting them on display for others to judge.

Yes, this means getting extremely vulnerable. This starts with looking in the mirror and saying to yourself, "This is me. This is the real me. This is who I am."

If you struggle to ask yourself deep questions, I promise you will struggle to ask your clients deep questions?

Again, elite sales professionals do more self-reflection as opposed to deflection.

DEFLECTION GETS YOU NOWHERE

"Deflection is about protecting one's self-image instead of taking responsibility. If one feels guilty or inadequate about something they did, deflection pushes that feeling away by shifting the focus on to something else."

Aimee Daramus, PSYD

This quote should be framed on the walls and virtual walls of all sales teams.

How many times in sales does this happen...

• Making excuses for (well you can fill in the blanks)
• Refusing to take responsibility
• Pointing fingers elsewhere

Deflection is used as a shield to prevent the truth. This prevents one from coming face to face with themselves and accepting responsibility.

Deflection is when you can’t or won’t accept full or partial responsibility for your actions and thus you place blame on someone else.

This is further reinforced with Galatians 6:5,

"For we are each responsible for our own conduct."

I encourage you to start becoming comfortable with self-reflection.

This will require ferocious self-honesty, self-discipline and massive action.

I encourage you to think about this one...

How can you become ferociously self-honest if you deflect instead of reflecting?

REFLECT YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

What questions will you ask yourself daily?

The questions you ask yourself will ultimately affect the sales life you lead. The questions you ask yourself will determine what your mind focuses on, which will trigger certain thoughts, actions, and inactions, ultimately affecting your sales results.

I encourage you to create a daily habit of self-reflection.

Set aside 15 minutes a day to practice self-reflection. Start focusing in on the important things in life, such as your emotional and mental well-being. Train yourself in practicing mindfulness.

Making this minor change will improve your well-being, strengthen your relationships (personal and professional), make you a better person, and help you gain strides in your personal and professional development.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from starting your self-reflection journey.

Please set aside any fears, doubts and the lukewarmness of the comfort zone.

Go out and find the person you have often neglected and whose hand you have let go all too often. And folks, that hand would be yours.

Welcome to the Selling From the Heart podcast. Today, Darrell Amy and I talk about the story behind the book Selling From the Heart and the many inspirations behind it.

We talk about how the book came about, what selling from the heart and being a servant truly means, and why the book has resonated with so many sellers over the years.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

What does it mean to sell from the heart? - Larry: "It depends on what's in your heart, again, goes back to how your authentic self sells you. You have to be willing to do the inner work when you uncover who your true self is when you uncover what's in your heart, amazing things start to happen. But it's just how you can connect and how you can relate to people."

Learn more about Darrell and Larry:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevi...

https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/

Got a video about how you sell from the heart? Share it by texting VIDEO to 21000.

Click https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/book to preorder your copy of the rerelease of the Selling from the Heart book.

SUBSCRIBE to our YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

/ @sellingfromtheheart

Please visit WHYINSTITUTE.COM

https://whyinstitute.com/

Please go to WORKBETTERNOW.COM

https://www.workbetternow.com/

Click for your Daily Dose of Inspiration

https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/d...

Check out the 2023 Authentic Selling Challenge

https://authenticsellingchallenge.com/

Get your Insiders Group FREE PASS here

https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/f...

Hacked!

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-=Stay Safe=-

A little background before we get started.

I met Paul Story Sr about eight years ago when he hired me to do sales training for his staff in Roanoke, VA.  Paul recently sold his dealership in the last year ago.  Now, I thought I was a tenured rep, good old Paul has got me beat hands down.

Paul sent me this funny story this AM, I emailed him back and received permission to put this on our site.

It's like OMG, a copier demo from the 50s!

THE COPYING MACHINE DEMO FROM HELL

Its March 1957.. I am 22 I had a friend that was selling the 3M Thermofax copier. He was really passionate about copiers becoming a new way of communicating. 3M was selling their product based on what they referred to as the “short note reply”. You would write a note of action needed on the original, then make a copy and send the copy to the person to handle the situation.

I was impressed and wanted to sell copiers. 3M did not have a sales job open, so I did some research and found there was a photo copier being sold in the northeast called the COPYCAT. I bought one and started my own copying machine business.

This was in March 1957. The COPYCAT made a photocopy of the original using negative and positive papers and developing fluid. It was the fastest Photocopy machine on the market. You could make a copy in 3 minutes.

The machine had a set of rollers that fed the papers though the developing fluid. The machine had been produced using parts used in other products. The motor that was powering the rollers was out of washing machines and had far more power than was needed.

NOW TO THE DEMO:

I had talked to the head of the Alabama Sales Tax department in to letting me demonstrate the COPYCAT. He arranged to have about a dozen clerks attend the demo. I got the machine all set up with the developing fluid in the tank and the crowd gathered. I was telling the group about this incredible copier as I got the positive and negative prepared to go through the developing fluid. All of a sudden, I felt I was being pulled toward the copier. My tie had entered the rollers with the copy papers. The motor was so strong I could not stop it. I was desperately trying to get them to unplug the copier but the tie got so tight it was chocking me and I could not speak clearly. In desperation I pulled the copier up to my chest and pulled back to try to pull the plug out of the wall. As I did this, I spilled the full tank of toxic developer fluid down my entire chest. My chest was on fire, One of the clerks cut my tie off and I immediately started to rip off my jacket and shirt. Several of the clerks got towels and water to wash off as much of the developer fluid as possible.

I was embarrassed and humiliated and half naked. But I apologized to the group and left.

Several days later I got up the nerve to call the department head and asked him if I could do the demo again. I told him I did not remember anyone at the demo who was wearing a tie. Amazingly he let me come back and give my demo. Even more amazing he ordered 6 of my COPYCATS. He was a very good supply customer until Xerox replaced my 6 copiers with one Xerox 914 in 1960. In the future of the COPYCAT,  I only wore bow ties.

Paul H Story Sr