Millennial Sales

Ralph Barsi is the VP Global Inside Sales at Tray.io. When I think of the gold standard for Servant Leadership within the sales community, Ralph is the first person that comes to mind and I was thrilled to have him on the show. Ralph has spent nearly 3 decades in sales, including recent runs at ServiceNow, Achievers, and InsideView before landing at Tray in late 2019. We had a wide-ranging conversation, where we discussed: Why you should work harder on yourself than your job Developing an attitude of gratitude The biggest mistakes most SDRs make How to lead a team authentically Ralph’s passion for drumming and much more... For more background, you can listen to my first interview with Ralph here: Episode 45. You can follow Ralph on LinkedIn, Twitter and check out his website. For more content, check me out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. All other content is also hosted on MillennialMomentum.net. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please subscribe, leave a review and tell a friend. Sending nothing but love, Tom

"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”  - Marcus Aurelius    We’ve all stood at the bottom of what appeared to be an insurmountable mountain.  Maybe it’s a sales quota that looks astronomical, a pile of work that has been building up for weeks or a frayed relationship that needs mending.   The mountain seems so high that we’re not sure we can climb it.  We try to convince ourselves it may not even be worth it to try, but we know that’s a lie.   The instant reaction is Resistance.  It’s procrastination. I’ll tackle that tomorrow.   The truth is that the only way to conquer the task is to go through it.  We need to knock the first item off of our to-do-list. And then the next thing.  Then the next. Until the paper is filled with crossed off items.   One of my favorite books on this topic is Ryan Holiday’s “The Obstacle is the Way.”  In it, Holiday blends stoic philosophy with history to show you how to use the obstacle in your path to your advantage.   If you find yourself stuck in situations like this, I highly suggest you pick up the book.  This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

“Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself”  – Epictetus   We all have different stories and circumstances that define our history.  We’re from different parts of the world, our families are different (but all crazy), and were raised differently.   At some point, you have to play the hand you’re dealt.  You may play it differently if you have pocket aces versus having a two-seven offsuit, but you can still win either way.  We didn't ask to be born into a wealthy mansion in the Hamptons, or for a disability or for a parent that didn't love us.   The circumstances in which you were born are not your fault and they’re not your credit.  Your circumstances do not define you.   Look at our new circumstances: we’re all quarantined.  Rich, poor, attractive, ugly - it doesn’t matter. The playing field has been evened out.  It’s your turn to make an impact.  So there you go.  You have your hand.  You’re not sure what cards your opponents are holding, but you damn well better believe you can still win the hand, someway, somehow.   You’ll only know if you try. This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

“The more I help out, the more successful I become. But I measure success in what it has done for the people around me. That is the real accolade.”  -- Adam Grant   Even in a quarantined world, we have dozens of interactions with other people each day.  From the grocery store worker to our boss to the emails you send your clients, we’re in a constant state of giving and taking.   Here’s an idea: try to give more than you take in every single scenario.  Be cheerful to the cashier and help bag your own groceries.  Do something from your boss that she doesn’t expect from you.  Send your clients an article or podcast that they’d find valuable - and don’t ask for anything in return.   Jim Rohn says that “life gives to the givers and takes from the takers.”  In my first few years in the business world, I’ve seen that take place. Salespeople that think of their clients’ needs first have shot past the “one call closers.”  The people that help connect other people together have way better networks than those that always ask to “pick your brain”.   There is a Gary V concept called The 51/49 Rule: in each interaction, be the person to give at least 51% of the value.   Keep that in mind with all of your interactions today.  This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

If you’re reading this, you want more.  You want more money, a better job, a healthier body, a deeper relationship.  You want something.  And if you’re anything like me, you could use a little kick this Monday morning.   Check out this 3-minute interview between Jim Carey and Oprah.  Carey describes his days as a broke, struggling actor. He thought about quitting.   Instead, he decided to write himself a check for “Acting Services Rendered” for $10 million.  The check was dated for 3 years in advance and Carey decided he would continue working like hell to get there.   Three years later - almost to the day - Carey got a call from his agent.  He got the part for Dumb and Dumber, which would pay him out roughly $10 million.   It’s an amazing story that brings up two points.  The first, obvious point is that visualization can work.  Napolean Hill once said “What the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve.”  You can find tons of stories from business people, artists, and athletes that use visualization in their daily work.  It’s helped me in my sales career, with my writing and in my hobby for running marathons.   The second, less obvious point is that for visualization to work, you need to work.  Carey says “You can’t visualize and then go eat a sandwich”.  And he’s right.   Spend some time this morning visualizing what you want - what you really want.  And then get to work.  This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

“Your progress is wrecked or preserved by a single day and a single event”  – Epictetus The stories are in the news seemingly every day.  A successful person who has built their brand for years or even decades has let it slip.  They said something unspeakable in front of a microphone, they mistreated their spouse, or maybe they had been hiding some dirty secrets for years.  They fucked it all up.  These types of stories have become increasingly exposed with the surging social media and news coverage.   The truth is that these stories are scary, and they should be.   The good news is that it’s in your control.   These people aren’t getting crucified by the media for nothing.  They didn’t lose their job because of a conspiracy theory.  Their demise, just like their success, was an effect of their actions.  John Wooden preached for people to focus more on character than reputation.  While reputation is what others think you do, your character is dictated by what you ACTUALLY do.   Don’t worry about your reputation.  Polish your character like a valuable jewel.  That’s what will dictate your future.   Enjoy your Friday, your weekend and remember, it’s all in your control. This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

Have you ever been in the middle of doing something important, got distracted by a flashy notification and then got stuck down a rabbit hole? Me too.  We've all become like Dory from Finding Nemo.  In a world currently full of notifications and instant gratification, one of the most difficult things for me (and many others) is to stay focused on the task at hand.  I had a great conversation with Jason Khalipa about this a while back.  Khalipa won the CrossFit Games in 2008, is currently the founder and CEO of NC Fit, while balancing his personal life of being a husband and father to two children (one of which recently defeated Leukemia).    Needless to say, Khalipa has a lot going on.  His rule for success: have an AMRAP mentality.  AMRAP is a CrossFit workout acronym that means “as many rounds (or reps) as possible.  For example, do as many rounds of 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups as you can in 5 minutes.  Khalipa extends this philosophy to all areas of life.  The goal of this mindset is simple.  Be productive and present in each segment of your life. Be where your feet are.  In a world where there is a lot of gray area between your kitchen, bedroom and “office”, the AMRAP mentality can help you to stay clear and focused today.  You can listen to my full interview with Khalipa here. This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

I’m surprised by how few people I’ve seen reference Henry David Thoreau during the quarantine of COVID-19.  For the unfamiliar, Thoreau spent a few years intentionally quarantined to get more in touch with himself and nature while removing himself from the busyness of the normal world.   In his words:  "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."  Well, ready or not we’re all living some version of Thoreau’s life.  We may not all be tucked away in a Massachusetts cabin, but we’re mostly locked in our current living places for the foreseeable future.  The question is, how do you want to spend the time?  Robert Greene calls this conundrum “alive time or dead time”.   Dead time may sound familiar to you.  It’s bingeing Tiger King on Netflix on Monday, only to repeat the habit with Ozark on Tuesday, Ray Donovan on Wednesday, and continue the trend every night until you leave an indent in the couch.   Alive time is different.  Alive time is intentionally spending time reading a book, taking a course or learning a language.  It’s spending your evenings running on a trail or opening up that sketchpad that’s been in your office forever.  Put simply, it’s doing something to better yourself.  We didn’t choose the quarantine life but we do get to choose how we respond to it.  Choose to live intentionally. This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

Last week’s tip was to send people handwritten notes.  Coincidentally, I came across this podcast that shows this strategy in motion.  Buzz Williams, Head Coach of Texas A&M’s basketball program, is a handwritten note maniac.  He’s used it to build up professional relationships and wouldn’t be where he is without them.   On Jon Gordon’s podcast, Williams said he wrote a handwritten note to everyone he learned something from during the come-up.  It was a way to stand out.  Nowadays, even as he is busy running a successful D1 basketball program, Williams still manages to write 120 handwritten notes per month.   Gordon even acknowledged that Williams has written him a note for the past 90 consecutive months.  That’s 7.5 years worth of letters. For some context, I wasn’t even legally allowed to drink when Williams began writing Gordon letters.   Let’s start with a manageable first step.  If you want to stand out, go find 3 people that you admire, work for or want to work for and write them a note.  Say that you appreciate what they do.  Make it personalized and thoughtful.  Each month, try to increase the number slowly but surely.  Over the years, this will be a game-changer to your career.   This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.

The whole point of all of this personal development is to become successful, isn't it?  And maybe we all have different definitions of success but they probably all relate to a combination of financial, professional, health, relationship and spiritual aspirations. This article by former president of Y Combinator and current CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman is one of the best I've read on the topic of professional and financial success.  Through studying founders during his years at Y Combinator, Altman characterized 13 traits that were likely to make someone successful. Near and dear to my heart, Altman's 1st trait is about compound interest and playing the long game. "Compounding is magic. Look for it everywhere. Exponential curves are the key to wealth generation...You also want to be an exponential curve yourself—you should aim for your life to follow an ever-increasing up-and-to-the-right trajectory" Altman continues: "I am willing to take as much time as needed between projects to find my next thing. But I always want it to be a project that, if successful, will make the rest of my career look like a footnote." This isn't just about money either.  I wrote more in-depth about how to play long term games with long term people, using the compound effect in your life. You are your greatest investment.  Throw your resources today into increasing who you are as a person: your learning, your skill development, your wealth creation. Keep playing the long game. This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.