Why working from home or remotely is here to stay – backed up by Stanford research.
51% people said, WFH was a better experience, 26% said it was about the same, and 13% said it was worse.
Has your company made a switch to embrace WFH yet?
Or are they still considering to open offices once the COVID is under control?
Amazon had popularized this leadership principle called “bias for action.”
I find it is not only valuable for leaders at a strategic level, but also extremely useful for individual contributors on a day to day execution level.
Speed is your biggest weapon as an early-stage startup – especially in competitive and hyper-growth businesses.
Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive thinking.
Having a bias for action means you’re not afraid to make decisions and take action, even when you face uncertainty.
The first step to develop a bias for action is to simply put down your thoughts into some document.
Write down any fact, question, concern, idea, or task that you are thinking about.
Once you write down the first sentence, writing down the next one becomes comparatively easier.
The more you write down, the more clarity you get, and the path for execution becomes clear and easier.
Every single time, when we are brainstorming new initiatives, and when things get all overwhelming, I’ve seen writing things down has worked like a charm.
That’s when I realized, “bias for action” is not some fancy leadership principle that I need to learn.
It simply starts with writing down the first sentence.
The purpose of reading and hearing someone’s advice is not the advice itself. 🗣
Most of the time, you already know that advice. 🤷♂️
It’s the reminding aspect of it is the most important. 🎗
Most people usually only remember less than 25% of the things they read or hear. 🧠
So it’s not enough we read or hear any advice once or even a few times for that matter.
We need to hear it again and again until it becomes our belief and habit. 😇
That’s why – don’t discard any advice thinking that it’s an old one, and you already knew it.
Instead, be open to read or hear it again as a gentle reminder. 👀👂
The conventional practice is to convince prospects that your product is superior to your competitor’s.
But it’s not required. There is an alternative option.
It might be sufficient to convince prospects what’s good about your product with a clear, honest, and informative way.
I even have a slide in our Sales deck that tells prospects about the gaps in our product that they will miss in the near term when they switch over from our competitors to us.
If the prospect feels certain that your product is good, and appreciates your honesty, it’s very likely that they will still buy your product.
There is only one right reason to do a startup:
You fall in love with your customer’s problem.
Everything else is a distraction.
The most exciting thing for me about Apple’s product announcements is not about their products.
It is about their website’s copywriting. 📝
They are one of the best copywriters in the world.
They make me believe everything they’re doing is the biggest, thinnest, lightest, and fastest. 😀
They convince me everything they’re launching is revolutionary, magical, and first of its kind. 🤩
They make it catchy too: E.g.,
• H2OK.
• 5G Speed. OMGGGGG.
• Blast past fast.
• Big news. Mini news.
If you’re a marketer, then you should read every single page and paragraph on their website.
Observe the word choices they’ve made.
Get inspired and steal what’s best.
You have probably heard of Predictable Pipeline and Predictable Revenue.
But have you heard of Predictable Salesperson?
It’s the one who builds the Predictable Pipeline to deliver the Predictable Revenue.
Predictable Salesperson believes in – “You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
She believes – how you choose to live your days is how you choose to live your life.
She’s putting in the time and effort every day to reach the success she truly wants.
She’s skipping binge-watching the new series because she’s working towards something bigger.
These are the decisions that define who a Predictable Salesperson is and how successful they become as a sales professional.
It’s about daily habits, not about the end goals.
How do you become a Predictable Salesperson?
Create a repeatable process for yourself that you can do every single day without fail.
Focus on actions you control rather than putting all the pressure on results that might not come.
The common adage in Sales is “maybe” is the worst response you could get from the prospect.
It’s better to get “no” than “maybe”.
“Maybe” is a land of hope. Reps shouldn’t waste time there and instead seek “no” and chase new opportunities.
But is it still true with the modern B2B and SaaS buying behavior?
With the power of buying is shifting to buyers, are Sales reps being forced to be very transactional?
Your prospects might have other burning fires going right now. Sometimes the need is there, but the timing is not right.
They’re getting the job done just fine right now. But the need could go stronger as their world evolves.
Just because it’s a “maybe” right now, it’s not a “no” in the future.
“You can’t turn a no to a yes without a maybe in between.” – Francis Underwood
What should Sales reps do when they get “maybe”s?
• List down the most common objections that cause your prospects to answer with a “maybe”.
• Educate sales reps to approach these objections with new sense of purpose and respect the buyer’s world.
• Craft an outreach email campaign to stay on “top of mind” and provide continuous education value.
And eventually when their need becomes stronger, their “maybe” will turn into a “yes”.
Are you feeling stuck and not motivated enough to finish your project? Not seeing enough progress or finish line in sight?
Here’s a simple operating principle that keeps me motivated even in the most uncertain projects.
Divide your project into smaller milestones.
Yes, it’s clichéd, but it’s still surprising how often people get stuck because they focus too much on the end goal.
They get overwhelmed, stressed, and lost. And that kills their motivation.
And that’s why – you need to set smaller milestones.
Ideally, a milestone should be accomplished in a few days or max 1-2 weeks.
No milestone should be longer than 2-3 weeks. If it feels it would take longer than a few weeks, then break it again.
Smaller milestones help you get something done.
It helps you accomplish smaller victories and build momentum.
And momentum fuels your motivation and keeps you going.
I was on a podcast y’day and the host asked me why I got into entrepreneurship. And it reminded me of how I used to get fascinated by manufacturing factories and used to think – one day, I want to build a “factory”. 🏭
Well, that dream never came true 🙁 as I got into Software 😊. And that got me thinking – that’s a new reality.
Today, if you need to start a Software or Internet-enabled business, all you need is – a creative mind and a laptop.
You don’t need a fancy office or expensive machinery. Almost anyone can be in business.
You don’t need unions and departments. One person can do the job of many.
It’s probably easier to start a Software and Internet-enabled business as tools are accessible a click away.
You don’t have to work 9-5. You can work on your own schedule.
You don’t have to take huge debt and a big risk. You can have little savings to get started.
You don’t have to go door to door or trade-shows to sell your stuff. You can sell to anyone in the world by sitting in your home.
It’s a new way of working.
And it is very relevant and important in today’s unemployment situation.
Don’t think you’re starting a “business”. For some people, that is daunting.
Think it like – you are going to work for yourself.
Aditya Kothadiya 