Avikalp Gupta > Recent Status Updates

This book is turning out a lot better than I initially imagined. Somehow, it seems that the basic principles and axioms in my life and Naval's have been the same. And we are reaching the same conclusions, but he is just 20 years ahead of me.

The studies done by the author are interesting and their results, I can actually recall how the successful methods I've used in hiring actually correlate with her measurement of Grit.

But I don't like the cocky way she says "grit predicts this" without giving actual numbers. I mean, you must have correlation, but how strong is the correlation? Or how much stronger is the correlation compared to the other metrics?

The last 20 pages were a bit obvious: focus on the customer, dress well, talk about utility over quality, talk about quality only in comparison with cheaper alternatives and translate that into value.

One insightful thing was: very few people want something completely new. So to a customer, talk about your tool as an improvement.

"why customers buy" - the best chapter in this book so far.

- 3 choices: your product, someone else's product, no product
- emotional value > practical value. Find the question you ask to identify the emotional need.
- A big part of it is how others feel about their decision to buy.
- 2 motivations: desire for gain, fear for loss. Create both.
- Customer needs: Money, Security, Being liked, Status & prestige, Health

On top of goal setting, Brian emphasizes the value of visualisation.
Visualising not just the goals, but the client meetings.
Visualize the meeting going well. Say what you would when it is going well.

Also mentioned direct & indirect visualization: direct means that you see what you'd see in the meeting. Indirect means you see what someone else would see if they observe your meeting.

Next, the author is emphasizing the value of and the methods for goal setting.
1. Annual income and sales goals
2. Translated to monthly, weekly and daily goals
3. Translated to the activities that you must perform to get those sales goals (e.g. prospecting calls)

And then, about personal and family goals that define your "why" for all the above goals. He recommends having as many goals as possible (100 recommended)

The first chapter is just setting the tone, saying that most of selling is about your own self-esteem and self-image. And how it translates to your motivation, enthusiasm, likability and ability to make friends - all things that have a direct correlation with success as a salesperson.

Just read the amazing chapter on the thought process behind answering the question: "should I sell my company?".

The book is a dense read but the concepts are pretty simple. The "seven cures for a lean purse" and the "5 laws of gold" are pretty much the same:

1. Save at least 1/10 of your earning
2. Protect the money you save
3. Get that money to work for you.
4. Always take advice from people who have the experience. Don't get into get-rich-quick schemes.
5. Insure your future.

- 20 minutes total pitch and say that upfront
- I liked the pointers mentioned for the phase 1 of the pitch (the first 5 minutes)

Flow: the power of routine. Michael Phelps example. Make doing the essential stuff a routine instead of a big task. Progress is a great motivator.

Focus: you can multi-task but you can't multi-focus. Focus on "What is important now?" And leave everything else to be in the present moment. Use the "pause" - close your eyes and take a deep breath and recenter yourself.

IV: EXECUTE - making execution effortless.
4.1: Buffer - save during highs to thrive during lows. Extreme preparation. Identify risks beforehand and prepare.
4.2: Subtract - Find the bottleneck & only focus on removing that "constraint"/obstacle.
4.3: Progress - set small goals. Celebrate small wins (e.g. positive tickets by police). Progress is often the strongest motivator. Minimum viable progress + visual rewards.

Read about editing your life and limiting yourself by setting boundaries. The author has given good examples, and those are in themselves much stronger than everything else he wrote with them.

Edit: edit your options and your actions. Reduce options by realigning with the purpose(s), condense your activities to do more with less, and leave what is good untouched.

Limit: set up boundaries upfront (social contracts)

Read about un-committing and editing. Some of the references have been great reads in themselves.

Also, found it hilarious that the chapter named "EDIT" had an editing mistake in its first page! (They wrote "The Ocars" instead of "The Oscars" twice. I have no idea if that was intentional though.)

I learned about the 90% rule, and I think this is going to be immensely useful. Basically, "If it is not a Hell YEAH!, then it is a no" philosophy.

This section also described the exact same hiring process as we followed at GetMega and that we follow at Vibinex.

I am liking the book right now. It is not information dense. Just read a section emphasizing the importance of play & sleep for "protecting the asset".

I loved reading about the Freaky Friday management technique. It was hilarious 😂