Trizle

How Shy People Can Sell

2009-11-20T14:46:29-08:00

Face-to-face selling scares you.
You need sales.

What do you do?

Get a list of contacts from Jigsaw, Hoovers, Experian, InfoUSA, or any other list broker.

Approach sales online through email/contact-forms/blog-comments.

The Pitching

Instead of pitching outright -- since the intended prospect will just label you as some spammmmmer:

Establish your credibility (e.g., provide valuable comments on blogs, give them a few tips on how they can approach X better, send them snail mail, research their industry,help them improve their businesses/lives)
Once you've established some credibility that distinguishes you from the other marketing emails they get everyday, provide a personalized email/contact-form pitch.

The more personalized your pitch, the more receptive Prospect X will be to your pitch.

Have shy team members?

Your shy team members = critical sales force you haven't yet tapped.
Have them do the above.

Anyone, and everyone, can sell.

Crazy social people online = shy people, who love to talk, but can't express themselves as well offline.

We humans = social animals who need outlets to express ourselves.
Think the stereotypical MMORPG gamer (e.g., Warcraft).

If you/your-team-member feels more comfortable talking to strangers online, use online as the primary sales mechanism.

You'll break down barriers to meeting new strangers/clients, and grow your ridiculous business.

SHWINNNN.

Exploit strengths.

Sell your way.

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How to Criticize

2009-11-19T15:07:04-08:00

Most criticisms suck:

You suck.
NO YOU SUCK
NOYOUTHESUCKONESON

Nothing changes for the better; they hate each other even more; their guards become stronger between the two.

That leads to an artificial relationship that becomes a battle between the two instead of a united front to fight the #%^* ills of the world.

The Best Criticisms

The best criticisms make people:

Seek to improve
Throw down their defenses
United against a common cause
Instantly happier

How do you do that?

Try this:

"You're not reaching your full potential."
Then, explain ways they can reach their full potential.

Instead of having Bob having his guard up, he subconciously starts thinking:

'OMG OMG OMG. I have the CAPACITY to do much better. OMG OMG OMG!!!'

Effective criticisms become compliments.

Bob, instead of focusing on you, focuses on how he can reach his full potential.

You two unite to ensure he will BE ALL HE CAN BE.

WIN/WIN.

High five!

Full potential.

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The Quickest Way to Get Rich

2009-11-18T12:41:39-08:00

[First, %$&@ all get-rich-quick schemes. Any "program" that guarantees you greater than Warren-Buffett-type returns (i.e., 20% annual return on your $) is a fraud and should be slapped.]

This article is meant for those who actually believe hard work and providing value to your customers mean something.

DANGSONWHATUSAY

The costs of trying to profit

Companies spend billions trying to profit.

Silicon Valley companies invest heavily into R&D trying trying to profit.
Pharmeceutical companies invest billions hoping to find the next breakthrough drug.
Wall Street firms hire $400k high-frequency programmers hoping to profit.

There's a good chance that they won't profit; and, if they don't? Millions/Billions $ lost.

Yet, what if you could make profits without spending anything aside from your time?

YES YOU CAN

How?

The Quickest Way to Get Rich

BAM:

Pitch your services to SOMEBODY.

Pitching takes $0, can potentially earn you $1k, 10k, 100k or however much $ you'll profit from the products/services you pitch, and you can start immediately.

Taylor Swift + The Asks

How did Taylor Swift break into the music industry and make her millions?

She walked into a record company.
She pitched herself: "I'm going to be your next superstar!"
A bunch said no, but one did say yes.

Costs aside from gas: $0

Skyrocket.

Millions, bizattchies.

Colonel Sanders pitched to thousands.
Google founders pitched to everyone in the Valley.
Sam Walton pitched to everyone in town.

The costs of pitching?

If they say no: you LOLOLOLose time and ego = minimal costs.
If they say yes: The Big Time.

It's as if you're freely pulling down on that lever of a slot machine to try for fat BUCKS, while you spend basically nothing.

shaWIN.

"I can't provide anything of value!"

You might think so, but YOU can provide something of value.

YES YOU CAN

Take something anyone can do:

Ask for the CEO at some office.
Pitch: "I will clean your entire office every month for $500. Pay only when you're 100% satisfied."

Then, go to 10 more offices. Then 100.

Then 1000. etc.

Sure, most will say no, but you'll find that a certain percentage will say YES.

And the others who say no? You've built a presence; they'll have you in mind for the future, and even refer you to other peeps.

Shaboom

Your chances of making $[dream-money-here] obliterates playing the lottery, working at your 9-5, doing some joke ML(OLOLOL)M, with every person you pitch.

Ka-ching.

Stuck for ideas?

Adapt the above 'pitch model' to anything:

I will box and ship your supplies every week for $X.
I will keep your computers running smoothly every week for $X.
I will make fruit deserts to stock your store every week for $X.

(Use your imagination. Be creative.)

Then, gradually make your pitches to more prospects, and more prospects, and MORE prospects.

Adapt your pitches to suit other goals:

'Would teaching me the ropes to starting X interest you?'
'Would you allow me to audition for your team?'
'Would X, which my team just developed, interest your readers?'
'Would you like a free demo of X for your company?"
etc.

Try pitching:

CEOs
Senior Execs
Journalists
Investors
Famous people
Fred Flinstone
Famous bloggers
etc.

Gradually, with every client you convert through your pitches, you start building and growing a team that - BABABADABING - becomes your business.

Pitch.

The more pitches you do, the more you increase your returns.

It's freeeeeeeeeee! You can do it immediately! And it can get you BIG returns! Hooray!

Pitch. Pitch. Pitch.

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How to Interview Job Candidates

2009-11-17T13:05:45-08:00

The more candidates you interview, the likelier you'll find a better candidate.

How do you increase your chances of finding more/more/more superstars?

Create job templates for each and every #%^* step - from the first reply to a job candidate to the interview questions to the welcome package.

Automate the inital pre-screen questions that you can use repeatedly.
Automate how you post your jobs, with stock job descriptions that you can use over and over and over.
Automate The X

For instance, your tidy business manual on "Hiring" includes:

Job description: [text of job description here]
First reply: ....
Onsite interview invitation text: ...
List of questions for 1st interview: ...
Follow-up response: ...
Welcome text: ...
etc, etc, etc

Documenting each and every little thing that you do %#@%#@ booooooosts how fast you get that thing accomplished.

Automate Everything

If you have to repeat something for the future, automate the mofro.

The more you automate your job application process, the faster your company works in finding your next superstar.

...and the next superstar
...and the next superstar
...and the next superstar

Because you automate the hiring process, you start to scale much faster.

Rid Costs

And, you cut freakish costs and waste from not repeating what your company does over and over and over; you start to save star time by giving the repetitive work to Small-time Dood.

Automating the job app process will help you grow your company with a simple #%^* push of a mother $@"& button.

Win.

Automate.

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How To Overcome Pain

2009-11-16T12:08:38-08:00

Something strikes you.
You feel pain.
You feel like quitting.

Now, people, thinking the pain will never stop, will quit; but YOU NO QUITTER.

What oh what do you do?

Know this about pain:

Every minute that passes, you get better.
Every minute that passes, you get better.
Every minute that passes, you get better.

Our evolutionary psyche helps us adapt to the tougher world; without the human's inherent ability to adapt, generations would have perished X centuries ago.

Try this:

You just completely bombed your speech? You feel better with every passing minute.
A customer just completely rejected you? You feel better with every passing minute.
You just broke your ankle? You feel better with every passing minute.

How did you get over crushing breakups?

Time.

Time helps you overcome every physical/mental wound, as you adapt and become tougher for the more hectic world.

Persist to the next minute; psychological pain ain't nothing but a fleeting bizatcchi.

Every minute.

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Dealing With Lazy Team Members

2009-11-15T14:12:13-08:00

Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao's trainer, on how he deals with lazy fighters:

I don't! I don't deal with them. If they're not willing to put in the work, then I don't waste my f*ckin time and I won't waste theirs. I got no interest in them. I don't chase a fighter. You know, we work with Freddie's fighters and they see the benefits of that work. And if I get a fighter that doesn't want to do it, f*ck them! There's plenty of other fighters I can put my time and effort into.

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Why Do Lawyers Make So Much Money?

2009-11-13T18:10:33-08:00

You're coaching a basketball game.
You know the rules minimally.
Your competitor knows the rules fully.

BAM:

Your competitor knows it can shoot 3-pointers to score more points.
Your competitor knows it can play aggressively inside.
Your competitor knows it can screen opponents to open lanes for your teammates.

What happens when you coach a basketball team without knowing the rules?

Exploitation happens.

You sucking happens.

The competitor shoots more 3-pointers to score more points.
The competitor plays more aggressively inside to score more in the paint.
The competitor screens your players to open more lanes to score more layups.
And, since there are barely any refs to call them on their every move, the competitor bends the rules to score more points.

Running a business without knowing the rules comprehensively is like playing a basketball game without knowing that competitors can do X, Y, and Z to win the games against you (e.g., earn your customers' dollars).

Top Lawyers Help Companies Thrive

Hiring top attorneys for your business ensures you're using the boundaries of the game to the best of your advantages.

Instead of doing/not-doing things that risk your company's long-term future, you start taking advantage of the rules to score more points.

'You can do A to score.'
'You can do B to score.'
'You can do C to score.'

Corporate lawyers help you compete by showing how you can use the rules most effectively to steer your company.

In turn, you:

Save money
Cut costs
Find more revenue streams

More importantly, top legal teams make your every strategic move sustainable for the long-term.

Why do they make so much money?

Shoddy legal teams give you no competitive advantages.

Companies with better attorneys know how to use the rules more effectively; as a result, they help their clients compete better.

The better the attorney, the stronger you compete.
Because companies strive to outcompete each other, they want the best legal teams to back them -- driving up demand.
The higher the demand, the pricier they become.

Big corporate profit machines like Google, Goldman Sachs, and Berkshire Hathaway hire the world's greatest law firms (e.g. Vault's Top 10) to find the best ways to compete -- while staying within the rule of law.

The highest growth companies on the S&P 500 since the 1920s have had the more experienced legal teams behind them relative to their competitors; strong attorneys help companies use the rules to compete most effectively.

Equally important, they ensure your competitors stay within the rules of the game.

You + Legal Team

You won't need to hire the world's greatest lawyers, but having a legal team that will enable you to - at the least - compete fairly against Competitor X, will boost your chances of keeping your company competitive against Competitor X.

The better the legal team, the better you compete.
The better the legal team, the better you compete.
The better the legal team, the better you compete.

If a legal team can't fatten your bottom line, do not hire that legal team.

Passionate, ethical, knowledgeable lawyers who help you compete better within the rules = critical to your company's long-term success.

Strategic weapons.

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How to Be Innovative

2009-11-12T14:42:43-08:00

The most innovative rapper doesn't listen to rap.
The most innovative technologist doesn't follow tech.

Instead, Kayne West immerses himself in different musical genres.

Steve Jobs studies Picasso, calligraphy, and spiritual enlightenment.

Sustainable innovation doesn't come from following your peers, and one-upping them; instead, it comes from going the opposite direction -- adapting different contexts to your own industry.

Kanye took rock, art, fashion, and blended them into rap.
Steve Jobs took design, spirituality, and fashion and blended them into technology.

The Doom Way

I see Competitor X.
I will one-up Competitor X by adding Feature B.

BAM:

Competitor Y comes along.
Competitor Y includes Feature B, but also adds Feature C.
Competitor Y renders your innovation fruitless.

Constantly trying to one-up a competitor with new features becomes unsustainable; a never-ending arms race with competitors drains long-term profit margins, making you more you more susceptible to lose and die.

Different Contexts Help You Compete

20 competitors compete for Billy's attention.

Instead of deciding between the 20 competitors, one innovative competitor comes along and redefines the landscape:

20 of them vs. 1 of us

Apple, for instance, forced you to choose between PC (20 competitors) vs. Mac (1 competitor).

The Nintendo Wii forced you to choose between traditional video game consoles and a universally-inclusive fun console.

When you live inside your industrial bubble, you compete against everyone in your industry to get Billy's attention.
When you go outside of your industrial bubble, you force everyone else to compete against YOU.

To be innovative, go the opposite direction from where your peers go; you'll redefine the landscape (i.e., YOU vs. the rest of the competition), making you more sustainable.

Foreign contexts.

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How to Set Your Prices

2009-11-11T14:26:12-08:00

You're selling something for a ridiculous price.
The customers LOLOLOLAUGH at you.
You cry.

You know that you can't possibly reduce your prices or you won't profit.

What in the mother eff$!#@ do you do?

Introduce something more expensive; people then start saying to themselves:

"HEY THERE!!!"
"That original price looks more attractive!!"

For instance, say:

You're selling something for $10K.
You remind them that the "premium" with more bells and whistles version costs $25K.

Automatically, the $10K version looks more affordable.

The Contrasting Principle

The contrasting principle explains why:

You find hot people hot in different contexts; you compare the more attractive person to the rest of the people around him/her.
You label smart people in different contexts; you compare the smart person to those around him/her.
You find better deals in your product choices; you compare a price to the rest of the prices you know about Product X.

Your Perception on Car Pricing

You find a $30K BMW cheap, for example, when you compare that model to the rest of the BMW line.

Yet, you also label a 7-series V8 priced at $75K being more affordable if you know about their 7-series V12 model priced at $140K.

Car manufacturers have ridiculous prices at the top end that 0.00000000000000000000001% of people can afford because they know that people will subconsciously compare those filthy-top-end prices to their regular-top-end models.

The Mercedes Benz SLR for instance goes for $500K; yet, promoting the SLR helps Mercedes market their $110K CL-class line more effectively.

According to Arizona State Researcher Robert Cialdini, the psychological research king of the world:

When consumers must make a decision, between two products, they often compromise by opting for the less-expensive version. However, if a third product were to be offered that was more expensive than the other two choices, the compromise choice would shift from the economy-priced product to the moderately priced product (which is no longer the highest-priced product in the set of choices).

How can you price your products?

Price your products as you normally would.
At the end, introduce a ridiculous price with the freakish bells and whistles.

Let's say you're targeting a $20/month price for your web app.

Set a price point for $50/month that gets a person more stuff.

You'll make your target offering look much more attractive.

Contrast the mofro.

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How to Choose Your Office Space

2009-11-10T14:08:07-08:00

That expensive $5K looks attractive to your 5-person startup.
"It'll impress my clients!" Bob tells himself.

Bob takes the 3-year lease. Bob is now paying $60K per year.

Bob could've invested that $60K into a salesperson.

...which would've grown his company even further
...and increase his company's value
...and make his company look more attractive to investors
...and brought in more money to grow the company further

Luxuries Just Attract Spenders

You don't want Schmo, who chooses a company because of its luxury offices instead of things that matter to a company's long-term future (i.e., team, direction, work ethic, etc.).

If Schmo rejects you because of your office space, you don't want Schmo.

Rich Companies Live Cheap

Goldman Sachs, the crazy ridiculous rich company of the world, has horrible-looking offices, with dirt-stained carpets, ten-year-old chairs, no signages, the yaddas.

Wal-mart, the wealthiest company in the world, still has its headquarters in Bentonville, with windowless offices, cheap carpeting, and resembling a cheap motel.

Bill Gates and Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer have ~100-square foot offices, with desks that you could buy on Craigslist.

Rent is a cost.

Businesses that thrive reduce their costs as much as possible, and invest in as many appreciating assets as possible (e.g., sales-oriented staff, technology that helps the team become more productive, etc.)

Find office space where:

your team can work comfortably
it's accessible to your team (and potential team)

DONE.

Trizle

How Shy People Can Sell

What do you do?

The Pitching

Have shy team members?

Anyone, and everyone, can sell.

Sell your way.

Join the Trizle Discussions

How to Criticize

The Best Criticisms

How do you do that?

Effective criticisms become compliments.

Full potential.

Join the Trizle Discussions

The Quickest Way to Get Rich

The costs of trying to profit

The Quickest Way to Get Rich

Taylor Swift + The Asks

The costs of pitching?

"I can't provide anything of value!"

YES YOU CAN

Shaboom

Stuck for ideas?

Pitch.

Pitch. Pitch. Pitch.

Join the Trizle Discussions

How to Interview Job Candidates

How do you increase your chances of finding more/more/more superstars?

For instance, your tidy business manual on "Hiring" includes:

Automate Everything

Rid Costs

Automate.

Join the Trizle Discussions

How To Overcome Pain

What oh what do you do?

How did you get over crushing breakups?

Every minute.

Join the Trizle Discussions

Dealing With Lazy Team Members

Join the Trizle Discussions

Why Do Lawyers Make So Much Money?

What happens when you coach a basketball team without knowing the rules?

Top Lawyers Help Companies Thrive

Why do they make so much money?

You + Legal Team

Strategic weapons.

Join the Trizle Discussions

How to Be Innovative

The Doom Way

Different Contexts Help You Compete

Foreign contexts.

Join the Trizle Discussions

How to Set Your Prices

What in the mother eff$!#@ do you do?

The Contrasting Principle

Your Perception on Car Pricing

How can you price your products?

Contrast the mofro.

Join the Trizle Discussions

How to Choose Your Office Space

Luxuries Just Attract Spenders

Rich Companies Live Cheap

Rent is a cost.

Invest in things that grow.

Join the Trizle Discussions