Get Ahead by Being Yourself

By:    Ari Galper

Get Ahead by Being Yourself

I know how much of a difference it will make in your work and life.

Instead of being aggressive, you really can be helpful.

You can be forthright, honest, authentic, and -- yes, even nice -- and come out well ahead of where you’d be if you were using those old techniques.

You can really focus on discovering whether there’s a fit, and be far more successful than when you try to persuade or maneuver someone into buying something.

In other words, you can be yourself.

When you’re simply being real and not acting, you might feel a bit uncertain.


It’s like playing hockey -- when you suddenly stop being aggressive, there’s a sense of impending doom.
But when you step outside the game entirely, you’re not in any danger.

And prospects don’t feel any danger, either.

They don’t have to be on the defensive.

They can be honest about whether they’re available to talk, or if they’re interested in your product.

They’ll feel okay talking at length with you if they’re pretty sure they’re not going to be sandbagged by sales techniques.

They’ll share their truth more readily, hear you out, and be clearer about where they stand, so you know whether there’s any real possibility for a client relationship.

The Power of Authenticity

By:    Ari Galper

Are you the kind of person who really prefers to be honest and straightforward in everything you do in your work life?

It turns out that there are many other people who also like the idea of being authentic and sincere in their work life. In fact, I’m starting to think that maybe we all, on some deep level, crave authenticity not only in our work but also in our personal lives. In fact, there’s even starting to be a kind of underground revolution that’s happening in the world of selling.

This incredible shift is something well worth sharing with you, because a lot of people struggle with trusting anything to do with the activity of selling. The reason is, most selling has become completely inauthentic.

Pretty much anyone can memorize techniques and strategies, and if you focus on doing that, then you’re just one of the crowd when it comes to trying to engage a potential new client.

You may develop a great sales demeanor, but the truth is -- there are a lot of other people out there doing the same thing. They’re approaching the same decision makers in the same way for the same purposes. They’re marching together in lockstep to what’s really the same music: “Get the sale”.

Now imagine how much you would stand out from the crowd when you’re just being yourself and not playing that game. Imagine the entirely different response people will have to someone who’s actually interested in their well-being and in what works for them in their world.

Being different and standing out is not about words or strategies. It’s about being who you are.

It probably sounds trite, but the truth is, there’s only one of you on the planet. When you’re being yourself, you’re going to be unique.

I personally have seen huge schools of fish in the ocean, and if I didn’t know they were made up of hundreds of individual fish moving en masse, I’d swear they were just one big organism. They all look the same, and they all turn at the same time, as if they’re all connected at the hip (or the fin).

Unfortunately, that’s sort of what it’s like when it comes to sales programs. People tend to follow what they feel is the latest and best technique. But the big problem here is the whole idea of following in the first place.

The Chocolate Man and His Sales Strategy

By:   Ari Galper

Just around the corner from my house are a few specialty shops catering to the residents in our neighborhood.

Over the past six months, there's been a vacancy in one of them and each day as I walk past it on my way to my office, I've become more curious as to what kind of entrepreneur will rent that space.

A couple of months ago, my curiosity was answered.

A gentleman named Antonio rented it (he's from Italy) and his specialty is making chocolates from a family recipe he says, no one else offers in Sydney.

He opened his chocolate shop with trays of his family recipe chocolate that he proudly displays as you walk by his shop window.

Antonio has a great personality. Whenever you walk by his shop he's always smiling and offering a sample.

You can see he is proud of what he does and LOVES his chocolate product.

There's no doubt, he is very knowledgeable from his years of experience in his field.

He even wears one of those fancy chef outfits that gives him a real authentic "chocolatier" look.

The chocolate itself isn't bad, but it certainly isn't a game changer.

Over the last couple of weeks as I've walked by his shop, I've started to make mental notes to myself about his odds of making his entrepreneurial venture a success.