We are all Cheezy Salesmen

We are all Cheezy Salesmen

April 18th, 2009 · No Comments

This visit to the dojo will start with a story….Back in the day I would produce and participate in weekend long Motivational Seminars all across the United States and Canada. One of my responsibilities was to find and interview staff to volunteer on said weekends. These seminars had 200 participants and it required a work crew of 25 - 30 on the production team. I as the leader had to clear these people. I asked one of the men what he did for a living…He stammered a bit and said “I am a facilitator for the movement of goods….I am a conduit for the purchase of…..finally after stammering around he started to walk away…he stopped , turned and yelled back at me “Let’s face it…I am a cheezy Salesman’. I laughed my ass off for indeed that was the truth. It of course got me thinkin….Hell..We are all….at our core Cheezy Salesman.

You are indeed the CEO of Me Inc….The Brand You , A Free Agent…etc. but truth be told we are all enrolling… all of the time. Life is indeed Enrollment. Since you are at the Corporate Dojo and most likely a forward thinking Enterpreneur or Uber - Hip Corporate Executive …you need to honor the truth. We are always selling, suggesting, promoting…like a truffle hound seeking out that perfect client, deal or customer. Work and Play are the same and Business is Personal but the only time you are really “In Business’ is when you are selling. The Deal Drives the day. Doing the job, supplying the goods, providing the service is work. The paying by a new client, the closing of a great opportunity, the actual exchange of money for services or goods is the actual business…Hence my own company motto which is (Since you asked)…”I am not in the coaching people for free business”.

Now I stated in my business book and elswhere ( newsletters, podcasts and blogs….which will indeed be available on this site) that you can build and run a business on just a pad, a pen and a phone. That maxim holds true.

Now most business do not last more than 4 years..but for the serial entrepreneur or the long termer’s like myself one of the tricks to longevity is to see every trend as a new passage to an easier outcome and lifestyle. I will explain…..There is an old Chinese proverb that states that if in your youth you embrace hard work and discipline, you will have an old age filled with pleasure.If however, if you , in your youth avoid hard work and discipline…you will have an old age filled with pain. We network to sell to make profit so that eventually we can save enough to stop and not have to network.

Now there are some very deep issues with this selling in that most people do not want to market or sell…they would rather tinker and talk but the only way to get a good lead or a good deal is to sell and market. Attract buyers. Now as entrepreneurs we are blessed in that we have a really great tool in our lives other businesses or anybody ever had before…Computers, emails. cell phones, instant messaging, blogs, twitter, etc. ways to stay connected…ways to run our business so the we can spread our idea virus..etc.
Problem is every one is doing it…. so as this blog goes to press the thing to realize is that those who actually capitailize on these trends are unique, fun and well designed. Guerilla Marketing is everywhere…everyone is vying for every dollar…you better stand out.

Yours truly has lately been studying Twitter andeven blogging is , for me at it’s infant stages but I will tel l you this I cannot not wait to stop. Let me explain…I do all of this blogging, podcasts, Power Point Presentations, Bridge calls…..so that One day I won’t have to. Unlike other motivational people I am not in this game because I care about you ..not to say I don’t but to merely point out I do not know you…I do this, for it is ,for me …a talent and a skill I have practiced for 20 years. I sell and market my time and commitment and ultimately I do very much seek to build a community of like minded people…I want to train and work with the best and brightest. That , my friend is why you might be in the right place. This Dojo is for all skill levels from Beginer to Master….Entrepreneurs to Corporate Executives…CEO’s to Corporate Leaders…but make no mistake about..this is not a coffee Klatch…in this dojo……. you get the real no spin. Such as..If your home is foreclosd and your car is repossed…it is a bad thing!

We are over connecting…You are diluting your sales message if you do not draw a line in the sand and be more direct and honest about your professional services and the values you and your brand promote. If you do not tell it like it is then you risk being exposed as a shallow, self serving fraud rather than a professional who believes in his goods or services. All you need is the truth.. I am told that I am a great Salesman and I have even spent a full year doing a research on actual salesman…I am not a great salesman..I just know how to sell …me. I am passionate about my brand, skills, programs, clients and results.. In other words..I am just good at what I do, I give my best and I love my clients. Now in my profession I study and am introduced to all kinds of people doing simliar things that I do and with those introductions you hear things like this guy is amazing or this book is the one and after my exploration and yes I am biased but what i have uncovered is more of my disease.

My disease is called “Are you Fucking Kidding Me?” I listened to one woman speak about how if your home is foreclosed and your car is repossed and you are sitting on the curb as they pull your car away and you are looking across the street at the house you used to live in..well is that really so bad? You get to walk and get in better shape, etc. And all I could think of is “Are you Fucking kidding me?” That is just New Age Airy Fairy BS ….in my humble opinion. Losing your home, being homeless, falling thru the cracks, searching the cushions for spare change to but a 7 11 hot dog for dinner is a lousy life. Believe you …me. Life is not purple twinkies and green cupcakes ..life is not a dress rehersal….You want what most people want : A- To do what you love, B- To do what you are good at and C- To make money doing it.

Now is that not the truth ? I sure hope so…especially if you are supporting a family. This blog is the first of two parts…The second part is right behind this and is further ramblings about connectivity, technology and spreading our ideas to attract others. I also intend to demonstrate new ideas and bold gestures to make my points. So far in todays class we have learned that : A- We are all cheezy Salesman, B- We are connecting to build a rolodex to sell to , C- We have to be creative and truthful in our pursuits professionally.

I, Michael Roth run a Training and Development Busienss that provides strategies and Tactics. I am an Executive Coach and Advisor to CEO’s. I have been doing this for 17+ years and I am Best in Class at what I do. I urge you to come back to the Dojo, Subscribe, Post comments, Tell your friends, Share my blog with others. I am walking the walk for in that: