Selling Strong

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Jim Rohn

“The best contribution you can make to your employer, wife or husband, and children is your own personal development. Not self sacrifice, but self development and self investment.”

Jim Rohn

The links in the last few posts have been a purely endulgent exercise in changing my state. For the last fourty-eight hours I've been awash in personal development surfing the internet for inspiration and motivation and to distrcat myself from the giant elephant in the room. I am trying to not think about the call I will take on the 20th and more importantly not discussing the plans my employer that may or may not include me. I removed a post from bestsalesteam.blogspot.com at the advice of a friend who suggested I keep their plans private, until the 20th at least.

Anthony Robins, Change Your State

Friday, December 7, 2012

Saturday, December 1, 2012

THESE are the times that try men's souls.

Thomas Paine

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated."

The best sales team ever just had a regional teleconfrence where we recieved the equivilant of a nuclear blast of an announcement. Sales force reduction in twenty days. 20%. 20% of the full sales force but taken from our half of the division. I've been thinking about the funky math and figure 20% of my 50% makes it more like 40% cuts. 4 out of ten. Gone.

So I have 20 days to face THE CALL. I plan to make it different this time. Last time three years ago I had confinced myself they needed to keep me being the last Lipitor guy left. I was wrong. Kicked to the curb. Not placed. Hello! Shocked! I did make it back in and am grateful for it. Sincerely.

For the last twenty-four hours I've been living a deja vu and now I'm finally starting to see that things are different now than they were then. I am different than I was then. I remember my greatest regets as the proccess of seperation began was that I should have gotten my MBA, I should have not been so niave, and I wish I had tried harder to be a better representative than I had been.

Now.

I got my MBA! I am wiser. I am very proud of the representative I've become!

My plan is to have a new job by 2013 and be able to choose to stay or step up.

These are the times that try my soul.

When I'm forced to answer.

What I want to be when I grow up?

Monday, November 19, 2012

Andy Keith, MBA 2012

Andy Keith, MBA

University of Phoenix 2012

I have recently earned a Masters Degree in Business with a concentration in technology management from the University of Phoenix!

I must thank my wife Suzy who showed me how to do hard things and for putting up with me and to my daughters for overlooking the grumpiness after late nights of daddy doing homework. I am grateful to Pfizer and Susan Leibsly and Chris Stoll who believed in me from the start and made this possible.

Education is a tricky thing. My favorite Mark Twain quote is something like, “I try to never let my education interfere with my learning.” It rings true to me on several levels. When training for work and recently with class work and work work all conspiring to keep me from the things that truly matter. I have learned that until you further your education you will never know what it is to look back and see how far you’ve come.

This whole University of Phoenix experience has been a real wake-up call. I hope I am able to answer.

I am also forever grateful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father for forgiving me and my foolishness and showing me what is love.

Yours truly,

AndyKeith.com

Monday, October 1, 2012

To Whom Are You Selling?

The customer of course! Here is gem from my dad's wood box of wisdom.

The customer is the purpose of our work!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

i almost have an MBA

PERSUASION

In my communicating high technology class a little diddy jumped out at me and I've thinking about it all week so I thought I should capture my thoughts before they fade.

Persuasion is achieved when the argument addresses the three needs of the person you are trying to persuade; ethos (ethical), pathos (emotional), and logos (logical). When delivered to an audience they make up the “the rhetorical triangle,”

Rhetoric in a triangle ethos

pathos logos

This equilateral triangle suggests that each part of a persuasive appeal is as important

as any other part. In addition, it emphasizes the need for balance of all three appeals or

types of proof. Excess emotion, for example, might detract from the logical appeal of your argument. Cold, hard facts might fail to persuade your audience.

So my conclusion is if I am to sell strong I must make my arguments ethical, logical, and emotional balanced in equal parts guided by empathy and personal experience.