3 Key Takeaways From “Crush It” by Gary Vaynerchuk That Apply to Sales Coaching
Book # 23/25: Crush It! By Gary Vaynerchuck
With the Super Bowl approaching this Sunday I have pizza on my mind. Most all pizza can be lumped into three categories: Satisfied, Extremely Satisfied, and Extremely dissatisfied. Nine times out of ten when I eat pizza it falls into the satisfied group, nothing particularly special about it, but I’m happy I ate it and I’m no longer hungry — simple.
For me, books are a lot like pizza in the sense that rarely do I read one that belongs in the top five percent or the bottom five percent, but the original book, #23, I was set to read and review, The Moral Animal, by Robert Wright unfortunately found its way into the bottom five.
Perhaps it was because I am at the end of an intense initiative, or perhaps because I wasn’t smart enough to follow Wright’s content, regardless of the reason, this was one of the rare times where I determined it was a better decision to stop reading the book than continue paddling upstream for the sake of my ego and finishing.
So instead of reading the last 150 pages of The Moral Animal, I decided to read Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuck. Gary did an interview session on Impact Theory a while back on Why Perspective Will Make or Break You, so I thought this was an appropriate shift.
Plus, I’m a huge Gary V fan and since I am planning on reading his follow-up book Crushing It, I thought I’d be better served going back and reading his first book instead of continuing with the original plan. BTW if you are not familiar with Gary Vaynerchuck or Impact Theory, it’s time to change that and get on-board with both!
3 takeaways from “Crush It!” that apply to Sales Coaching
- Anything is better than zero — This is one of Gary’s favorite mantras. Obviously, activity, especially the right activity, is important for sales results to occur. At times salespeople allow the overwhelming nature of the number they are responsible for hitting, or the new product they are responsible for selling, or any other emotional reason cause them to not get started as quickly as they should. However, as their coach, if you can frame activity around the “anything is better than zero” mantra you will be able to shift their mindset and accelerate their action.
- Build your personal brand — Never before in the history of sales or business has building your personal brand been so important. Social media and the cell phone have flattened the playing field enabling every single salesperson with an unlimited reach and capacity to prospect and shake things up. One thing I absolutely admire about Gary is his commitment to authenticity. He does not ever waiver from who he is at his core even if it cost him business at times. As a coach, what is your personal brand? Are your salespeople evolving and developing their personal brands? It matters.
- Hustle and evolve — We live in world of limitless opportunity. Unfortunately, too many people either view themselves as a finished product or they let ego get in the way of their day to day hustle that will allow them to grow beyond their wildest imaginations. Another one of Gary’s mantras is “no excuses”. For these words to carry any weight for a sales coach they must be modeling “no excuses” behavior. One of the most impressive and underrated qualities of high-performing coaches is their ability to be relentlessly evolving, not only to learn new skills, but also in their willingness to give up old skills that no longer serve them.
I’m happy with my decision to switch books, though it wasn’t easy. Crush It was exactly what I needed to reengage and regain my mojo as I read the final two books in this challenge. This weekend I plan on watching the Patriots win yet another Super Bowl title and getting myself some top 5% pizza at the best pizza joint in Lincoln Nebraska — The Isles!
If you’re ready to “crush” your 2018 sales goals then lay the foundation for sales growth by attending EcSell’s upcoming Sales Coaching Academy. Anything is better than zero.
In his attempt to help individuals escape “The Matrix”, Tom Bilyeu, founder of Impact Theory, has a reading list of 25 books which he recommends that everyone read to better understand how they can unlock their potential. I have decided to dedicate myself to reading a book per week for the next 25 weeks, and to review each book antidotally with application to coaching. Let’s enjoy the journey together!
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