Season 2 Highlights: How Purpose and Growth Defined This Year
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Episode 79 -
Welcome to Prospecting on Purpose, the podcast where we dive into strategies for successful relationship building and business development. I'm your host, Sarah Murray
Tip one, identify your goals. Understanding where you're going is crucial because this is going to make it easier to intentionally find the right people to help you and communicate to them what you're looking for.
Tip number two. Build your mentor roster. Recognize that no mentor is a one-size-fits-all-all and may not have experience in all of the different skills that you're looking for. And even if they did, you can't ping a busy person every time you run into an issue or have a question, so it's going to be easier to ask for help and support if you spread it out amongst different people.
Tip number three is to leverage your network. One of the simplest ways to do this is to talk about your goals with your professional and personal network.
Tip number four, be easy to work with. If somebody makes the connection for you, if you are the person who is the potential mentee, or the person asking for a favor, then you need to respond to that introduction text or email as fast as possible.
Tip number five is - “Take action”. If someone offers to help you, you say yes, and you take the help quickly. Do not lose the momentum.
Tip number six, stop the brain-picking. Please, please, please remove the following phrase from your vocabulary. Can I pick your brain? Whether it's a warm connection or if you're reaching out to somebody cold, if that's how you start the exchange, you're already setting yourself up to get nowhere.
Tip number 7 is ABAV. Always Be Adding Value. You knew it was coming if you listened to prospecting on purpose. But really, mentorship is a two-way street. We have to give so we can receive.
Tip number eight, express gratitude and report back. This is the easiest way to maintain a relationship after someone extends wisdom or support is to obviously say thank you for their help and then follow up with them and let them know the results of implementing their guidance.
Tip number nine, you can pay for mentoring. I'm just going to say it. I know it's not always in our budget, but hiring coaches and consultants is a great way to collapse time and get the knowledge and or connections you're looking for.
And then that leads us to our 10th and final tip, which is tip 10, be open to possibilities. You never know who might show up in your life to support you. And if you remain open-minded and open-hearted, you may find that a mentor is Showing up for you and they were not what you were expecting.
Episode 81 -
The best way to build out a high-caliber network is to be a connector. So when you're introducing other people to each other, whether it's a professional introduction, a friend introduction, opening your Rolodex of contacts to other people in your network. So you're viewed as someone who's thoughtful, someone who cares about other people and their businesses and their goals and their personal lives.
The ultimate way that we add value to others is to establish connections that basically build other people's businesses or impact their roles in whatever that looks like. So if we're helping other people achieve their goals, that is the ultimate emotional bank account deposit. That is the best way for to ABAV - Always Be Adding Value.
The biggest piece of advice that I can give to become a good connector is to a) express genuine interest in everyone you meet.
So you're asking what are their goals? What skills and strengths do they have? Or what are they looking to build? So you're kind of building this memory bank of different things through your different contacts. And if you don't have a strong memory, find a way to document some of these high-level things that they share with you.
So if I'm doing an in-person meetup, I'll usually give both parties a heads up. Okay. I'd love for you to meet my friend, Stacy. She lives in the same neighborhood as you. She's an executive assistant for so and so, and she might be able to use your travel business when she books trips for her boss. And then I'll give Stacy the same heads up. Hey, Linda's a travel advisor. She's a great contact for you.
If someone takes this time to introduce you to someone in their network, they're essentially vouching for you. They're putting their reputation on the line with you, so treating it with respect and continuously find ways to be that person for others. That is going to be a secret sauce in your business development efforts, a secret sauce in feeling comfortable asking for help when you need it.
This web of connectivity is really the asset that is, it's something that's really hard to measure because it's limitless opportunities for revenue and growth and connection with others. So being a connector is one of the biggest tools in our arsenal to really establish ourselves as experts in our industry, experts in our space.
I think this is the, the true feather in the cap of a strong business development person is the ability to connect with others.
Episode 82 -
I have had this theme that keeps reappearing in my life lately, and it's all around my adolescence and things that are just jarring memories that I have not thought of in 10, 20, or 30 years. And it has been really fascinating to see the parallels between my interests and passions as a child and how they're showing up in my career. And also look at the people who influenced me growing up and how those values have translated into the professional that I am today.
I recently found a card box and I barely remember doing this, but apparently I saved every card from my 1st communion, which I think happened around age 7, all the way up to my high school graduation. I could not believe how organized little Sarah was.
Going through this box of stuff, it took me hours just to read them, to decide which to keep and which to toss. There were some tears from letters from my grandparents who are no longer with us. But the reason why it was an interesting exercise is it made me understand that some of the things that make up who we are as a person never change."
When we get into the workforce, if we can embrace our values and harness them, that's when we start to see alchemy happen and authenticity shine through. In case you don't have a card box spanning all of your adolescence, I've put together a couple of exercises for reflection."
So question one is what did you want to be when you grew up and do any of those skills translate into what you're doing now?
Second question, who were the main adults in your family who influenced you? What did they do for work? What did you learn from watching them? Third question, who were the main teachers who influenced you? What were the subjects they taught? What was your relationship dynamic with them? Why did you enjoy learning from them?
Fourth question. Who were your friends growing up? What type of activities did you do? What are some of the fun birthday parties you remember Or, plays you put on? Fifth question. As you got older, maybe junior or senior year of high school, what were the elective classes you chose to take?
Sixth question. What were the extracurricular activities you did outside of school? If your parent's friends asked you, what do you like to do for fun? What was your answer?
Did you play sports that taught you how to be a good team player?
Taking the time to remember the things that shaped your adulthood is absolutely worth it because it's important to remember who you were before who you were told to be.
Taking the time to remember the things that shaped your adulthood is absolutely worth it because it's important to remember who you were before who you were told to be. So that's exercise one, some self-reflections on questions about growing up
The next exercise, exercise two is something you can think about now, but if you were to receive cards from people today. I think what was interesting about this exercise is I was reading these cards and a lot of the same qualities of my strengths were coming up in the cards.
And if you take the time to think about this and you develop kind of a list of strengths and assets that you have that people value, this is something you're going to have as a tool to look at when you're feeling down, or if you're experiencing imposter syndrome, or if you're kicking yourself for not getting something done. Understanding these qualities about yourself serves as a tool of resilience and positive momentum.
And then our third and final exercise. It is one of my favorite things to do in a group. I usually do it with card stock because people like to keep this when they're done, but you put everyone's names on top of the piece of paper and then you basically sit in a circle and you pass your sheet to the right and you have about a minute to write something nice about the person on that paper.
And then at the end of the exercise, you receive this piece of paper that is filled with the qualities and compliments of what people think of you, especially when it comes to work.
I think it's time for us to start finding ways to get back to expressing our care for others in more analog or tangible ways.
Episode 83 -
I'm going to share a story of a negotiation that I was really thrust into in my personal life, but there's about six really awesome takeaways that came out of it. Some I knew going into the situation and some I had to learn along the way, but they really worked out and I've now incorporated it into my work.
And I think this is the epitome of fake it till you make it, especially in negotiations. Most negotiations are very uncomfortable. It's not something that comes very naturally to most people. They're nerve-wracking. They're scary. I still get scared when I have to do big conversations and big negotiations. So it's something that most people don't like to do.
So let me take you back to the year 2010. I'm a fresh 23-year-old Utahan moving to Los Angeles and I hit the jackpot with my first apartment in LA. It was a neighborhood called Silver Lake.
The best part about this apartment was that it was rent-controlled. So if you're unfamiliar with the term rent-controlled, it essentially means certain jurisdictions, certain areas of a city, the landlord cannot increase the rent more than a certain percentage. And over the nine years that I lived there, that neighborhood became pretty pop in very in demand.
2019, my landlord notified us that she was putting the building on the market. And I started cleaning out my closets. Like I knew there was no way we'd be able to stay. And the building sold quite quickly.
And then month three, I got a phone call from my new landlord. ...
The first lesson is to really, you know, you don't have to respond right away. And most of the time, if you're, especially if you're getting hit with something that you're not expecting, it's okay to ask your client, the other person, whoever you're in conversation with, it's okay to take a beat.
I asked my neighbors. I said, you guys, I work in commercial construction. I deal with contractors all the time. Are you comfortable if I negotiate on our behalf? And they agreed. And that leads me to my second lesson. And I actually think this was one of the biggest tools in my tool belt that I had.
So the second lesson is to recognize your power. I knew this landlord underestimated me.
And I knew that we were in a position of power because he needed us to leave so that he could make his money.
Lesson three, which is to be prepared. I did not put a ton of time into this, but I did write out a script. It fit on one page of what I wanted to say. I had talking points. I had facts.
Lesson four is. I had turned off all my notifications., I had two phones at the time. I fully turned off my second phone because I wanted to focus on this call. This was the most important thing to me at that moment. So I called the landlord and I went into my script
Lesson five. I had a base number prepared for where I wanted to land. I knew he was not going to agree to 35,000. I intentionally asked for a number higher than what I was expecting so that I had somewhere to go if he said no, and it worked out perfectly.
So the last and final lesson I want to leave us with is when you have to have difficult conversations like these, or you have to call someone that you're just really uncomfortable or you're dreading calling, I always like to have planned a little something to look forward to afterward.
So be confident, know your value, and try to have fun with it because you never know, you might get 25 K and get to move to the beach.
Episode 85 -
We talk about leadership concepts frequently on this show, but I want to get into what it means to be a leader without a title and influence from any position you're in at whatever stage you're at in your career.
Leadership is not about the position you hold, it's about how you act and influence others, ideally for growth and forward positive momentum.
In today's fast-paced environment, companies need individuals at all levels, especially at the individual contributor level, who can take charge, inspire others, and drive results.
The ability to lead regardless of your title sets you apart in your field. It boosts your career prospects and ultimately contributes to your organization's success. And the core message I want you to take away from today is that leadership is about influence and behavior. It's not about your title.
First, we need to take initiative and solve problems. Leaders do not wait for others to tell them what to do. They see what needs to be done and they do it.
If you notice inefficiencies in the sales process, design and propose a new workflow that might be able to streamline your internal operations. If you're prospecting efforts aren't working, try something new, adjust your tactics when we're facing a challenging market.
Victims and whiners aren't leaders, people who solve problems are. And so if you're giving feedback about a process that isn't working, don't just complain about it not working, come prepared with ideas for how to fix it.
Our second point here is to communicate effectively and inspire others. Great leaders are great communicators. They articulate ideas clearly, they are good listeners, and they know how to motivate others.
So practice being concise, persuasive, and empathetic in your communication.
The 3rd thing that we need to be good at is the ability to nurture relationships. Leadership is fundamentally about working with people. So if you can focus on building strong trust-based relationships with colleagues, clients, and partners, that's going to be always worth your time investment.and the key is to really go beyond transactional interactions.
We have to show genuine interest in other people's success.
And then the 4th piece here is to continuously learn and adapt. The best leaders are always learning and evolving. They know that they're never done. They've never reached their destination. They're never there because they know it's an evolving process.
True leaders. No, they're never going to be perfect. Continuous improvement in all areas of our lives is really what differentiates people who impact others and those who stay stagnant.
And so just to wrap up our key takeaways here. Leadership is about behavior and influence, not titles.Take initiative to identify problems and propose solutions as opposed to accepting the status quo, hone your communication skills to inspire and motivate others, build meaningful relationships that go beyond transaction has to be genuine, and then commit to continuous learning and adaptability.
Episode 86 -
I am really excited about today's episode because it covers something that is very important to me. And I think my personal success, it's what I teach in my workshops, but it's really what differentiates, I think, top performers versus, you know, run-of-the-mill sales and marketing individuals.
And it's really this concept of selling value over features and really how in a business-to-business environment. How to turn our product or service into a profit center for our clients.
In a nutshell, one of the biggest ways that we can stand out from our competition in a B2B sales environment is to establish ourselves as a consultative seller, and that's by really demonstrating how our product or our service adds value to their business.
So when we start to frame our presentations this way, it also naturally takes on a storytelling approach, which makes it easier for people to, A, say yes to our meetings, B, remember what we're talking about, we're talking about. And then C, sell it on our behalf when we're not in the room.
And when you listen to these three sections, we're going to break down here. I want you to think about how it applies to your product, your service, and your business, in whatever role you have. So in this example, we're selling a fire pit and I'm going to give you the product features first. Then I'm going to give you a business-to-business model example, a business-to-consumer example.
So we're going to start with this beautiful fire pit that we're selling. And this fire pit is made of a weatherproof material. It's made out of concrete, so it's a really beautiful architectural design. It's available in a black or a stone finish. It can burn propane, natural gas, or bioethanol, which is an alcohol-based fuel. The heat output ranges from 18,000 to 26,000 BTUs.
You can use lava rock or fire glass. There's an optional windscreen if you have little kids, or if you're concerned about liability, or if you're in a high-wind area, it's UL-rated for code compliance.
At the beginning, the product doesn't matter. And if we can shift this to how it's going to impact their business or their lives first, then everything else in the sales cycle becomes much more seamless.
So here are two examples of how we can sell this fire pit. And I'm going to use a couple of product facts here, but I'm going to weave them into a business model conversation.
In a B2B environment, we're going to be selling this fire pit to a hotel. Hey, Mr. Hotel owner, this fire pit is going to make you money because it's a marketable amenity feature. You're going to be able to advertise it on your website.
So when people are deciding between you and a competitive property, they're going to see, Hey, this property has fire pits.
In a B2C environment, let's say we're selling this fire pit to a homeowner. Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, when we first connected, you mentioned that you're revamping your backyard patio.
To truly differentiate yourself from your competitors, you need to start thinking in this lens. How is it impacting their business? How is it impacting their lives?
So here are four steps to help you identify how to lead with this mindset.
So step one, I recommend you just brain-dump everything you can think of around your product or your service.
Step two is to identify all of the stakeholders. Think about all of the different people who will be interacting with your product or your service. What are their roles?
And then step three, ask yourself, or if you don't know these answers, maybe ask your client or your end user these questions, but start to think of motivations or business specifics for their specific business and jot down for each of the stakeholders."
And so then now we have our three different lists going, we're going to start to match up the features and benefits and how they impact which stakeholder and why in the end, you may have many lists.
So to summarize, focus your conversations on how your product makes your client money or saves your client money. How does it positively impact their business or their lives?
This comes first. The product comes second. And then the four tips to start doing this are brain dump everything, identify the stakeholders, reflect and understand their client's business or their life motivations, and fourth, match up those value messages to the appropriate stakeholders, and then start to shift your conversations accordingly.
Episode 87 -
Today we're talking about the Four-legged, Six-legged, or Eight-legged sales call. This is where two or more people team up to present to a client or a prospect together. Hence the leg count. But here's the thing, multi-person sales calls can either be massive successes or a tangled mess.
And the difference is preparation. And that's exactly what we're breaking down today, how to prepare for a meeting where more than one salesperson is presenting.
We're going to get into seven tips on the multi-person sales call here. But the first tip is to clarify roles. So to really get an understanding of who's doing what in the meeting. So think about it this way. If everyone's speaking over each other, or they're trying to make the same points, you lose focus, you lose coherence. Okay. It looks like you have two quarterbacks on the field at the same time.
It's really. Key to play to each other's strengths. So in my past experience, I am not an engineer. And oftentimes if I knew there were going to be very technical questions, I would bring in my technical colleague and then I would almost view my role as the translator between the technical person and my client and their projects and their priorities.
Preparation here is making sure everyone knows their lane. And if it doesn't make sense to have a certain teammate in the meeting, it is appropriate to ask them to step down.
Tip number two is to plan ahead. Coordination. Once you understand your roles, it's time to sync up on the details.
This may sound simple, but the pre-meeting alignment is crucial to making sure that everything flows smoothly and that you show that you have your act together."
that really leads us to tip 3 when we're putting together our agenda, what is the actual goal coming out of it? So tip 3 is to be very intentional. That won't surprise anyone if you listen to this show. We must be intentional about the goal that we are collectively as a team working towards
Tip four is that we are allowed to share our roles and the agenda with our client. So when you hop on a call and there are four teammates and one customer, I suggest doing a quick round of introductions.
Tip number five, now that we have a plan, we have alignment, and communication during the meeting with our colleagues is helpful.
So the goal is to really just avoid fumbling and make it seem like you're aligned throughout.
Tip number six. Sometimes your co-presenters are actually your clients or your prospects.
So it's the same structure as everything that we laid out. Maybe it's us rehearsed or practiced because they're not an internal teammate. But our job is to make the person who set up that meeting look good.
And then the 7th and final tip is. To follow up appropriately and following the meeting, you know, what's next? It's the follow-up.
If you follow these steps, you'll be well on your way to executing a flawless multi-person sales presentation. And ideally we're leaving our clients impressed and ready to move forward.
Episode 89 -
Today we're diving into a crucial topic for anyone in sales or business. And that is the art of walking away from a sale. Now I know what you're thinking. Wait a minute. Isn't it the goal to close deals, not walk away from them? Well, yes, but by the end of this episode, you'll understand why sometimes the most powerful move you can make is to walk away.
First and foremost, it really comes down to maintaining your integrity and your reputation, both for you as the salesperson, but also for the organization, which you represent in the long run. These are far more important than any single sale.
Walking away also helps you avoid bad deals, and problematic clients, and these things can really Sometimes cost you more than what they're worth. It can strengthen your negotiating position by showing that you're not desperate for the sale.
And then perhaps most importantly, it demonstrates confidence in your product or service and that you're a consultative resource for your client. Even if it means saying my product or my service isn't a fit for you right now, for this opportunity.
If the client is making unreasonable demands, they're not maybe going to be an appropriate partner. There's a misalignment of values or expectations.
Your reputation and brand can take a hit. You might find yourself stressed out and heading for burnout. Uh, it may result in financial losses from unprofitable deals, and potential legal or ethical complications. And then there are the opportunity costs of the time and resources you waste on a bad deal that could have been spent on better opportunities.
So now you've decided to walk away. How do we do it without burning bridges? Communicate clearly what your reasons are and be honest and tactful. Definitely leave the door open for future opportunities. You never know what might change down the road. And if possible, offer alternative resources or referrals. This shows you still want to help even if you can't be the one to do it.
The ability to walk away demonstrates our expertise. It builds trust with our clients and it leaves the door open for larger, bigger, next opportunities.
If I had pushed that sale through, I don't think the end user would have been happy with the final product, which makes the architect look bad, and makes our relationship not functional.
If you know of a solution, I would recommend offering it, even if it's potentially vendor agnostic, but maybe just pointing your client in a direction that they can resource on their own by giving them the right. Lingo and potential to how they can execute that.
So to wrap this up, walking away from a sale is not about giving up.
It's about knowing your worth and protecting your business. And sometimes it's about playing the long game. Every time you say no to an opportunity, you're making space for the right one to come along. And you're doing this with integrity and protecting your reputation, which is our most valuable asset in business.
Episode 96 -
We're diving into a crucial topic, handling negative feedback at work and turning it into an opportunity for growth.
And this is challenging. We have all been there. One day you're called into your boss's office or a colleague pulls you aside and suddenly you're faced with criticism or constructive criticism about your work. And it's easy to feel defensive or discouraged when we have this happen to us, but how we handle this feedback can make a significant difference in our professional growth and our career trajectory.
The first tip is to just when you're pulled aside. And you realize what's happening. Just take a breath and listen. We can just be quiet and listen. And when we start to receive something that feels negative, our first instinct might be to interrupt or defend ourselves. Or just shut down. So instead, I encourage you to just take a breath and truly listen and allow the person to finish their thoughts without interruption.
This not only shows respect but also ensures that you're fully understanding their perspective.
And tip number two is seek clarity. Once they finish with their feedback, try to ask for specific examples or clarification if you are unclear. So you might say something like 'Can you give me an example of what types of details you may have expected to see?' Or 'Could you please elaborate what you mean by that?
This helps you understand their perspective more thoroughly. It shows that you're taking it seriously. And it also puts the onus back on them a little bit to be clear about where the feedback's coming from. Why did they feel the need to share it with you? I think as a general rule, it's from a good place.
And that leads us to tip number three, which is separate emotion from fact. It is very natural to feel emotional when receiving criticism. I have definitely been there. I empathize wholeheartedly. I still have to remind myself of all of these tips, but if you try to separate your feelings from the actual feedback and look at the situation objectively, is there truth in what they're saying? Even if their delivery wasn't perfect, is there something valuable you can learn?
And so that helps us really make a plan, understand what our next steps are on how to take this feedback and turn it into something productive and so really do your best to separate the emotions from the facts.
The fourth tip is express gratitude. And this may sound counterintuitive, but thanking the person for their feedback can really go a long way. It demonstrates maturity and willingness to grow. And it could be something as simple as 'I appreciate you taking the time to share this with me. Your perspective is valuable.
And then tip number five, So you've received the feedback. Let's develop an action plan. Once you've really processed it and sit with it, Think about how you can use this constructively and then develop a plan to address the issues raised. So this might involve setting new goals, changing certain behaviors, acquiring new skills, and if this is necessary, you might want to share your plan with your boss to show them that you're committed to improvement.
And then tip number six, follow up. So after some time has passed, don't be afraid to circle back with the person who gave you the feedback and really share the changes you made and ask for their thoughts. This shows initiative and a genuine desire to grow.
And remember, while negative feedback is sometimes difficult to hear, it's often a gift in disguise. It provides us with an opportunity to see our blind spots and improve in ways we might not have considered on our own.
And the key is to approach feedback, especially if it's coming from left field with an open mind and a growth mindset.
Episode 98 -
One thing that I think most of us do, myself included, is- we compare ourselves to other people's timelines or we compare ourselves to where we think we should be on our own timeline.
So the first lesson we're going to cover in this episode is to respect the season you're in when I started my business. I had this image of really what success looks like. And I thought I needed to hit six figures in year one. I had, you know, all these people I wanted to hire, you know, maybe contractors at first, but how would I scale.
I was comparing myself to the energy of entrepreneurs who have been in business for a lot longer than I have, or in industries where it's a really clear need that they were filling.
So, the moment that I started respecting my own season of life and where I was, everything changed. I stopped beating myself up for not matching someone else's output or income levels.
I stopped really being down on myself. And instead, I would ask myself what's realistic and sustainable for me right now in this season. And when you think about seasons, the best part about them is they are not permanent.
When you're going through something that's hard or challenging, this is where true growth happens because you become more resilient.
Winter is where you learn to hunt, it's where you become strong, and it's where you cultivate your growth mindset which makes fear of the unknown less scary because you know you're going to come out on the other side stronger.
Which leads us to lesson two, embrace the unknown.
So you just really never know where things are going to lead unless you take the steps into the unknown. And it can still be scary, but if you come at it from a mindset of embracing the unknown versus fearing the unknown, that little reframe from fear to embrace is going to create some massive shifts.
Here's my favorite way to think about it. The future, you know, tomorrow and beyond is like the dark night, right? It's dark. You can't see where you're going. But luckily you have a flashlight and this flashlight represents belief in yourself. It represents your support system. It represents everything you've learned up until this point.
You have these great resources all within this flashlight. And as you're looking into the darkness, the only way that path is going to reveal itself is if you just start walking forward.
You need to always remind yourself that even the most successful people you admire started out with just a flashlight and a willingness to take that first step into the darkness. And the only way you ever come out of a season of winter and into spring is to keep moving forward.
Episode 99 -
Today, we're diving into two lessons that have absolutely transformed my business. And that is the power of networking and the art of asking for help. One of the greatest joys of my professional journey has been networking and, you know, this ability to connect with other people, build relationships, and create meaningful relationships.
And the ability to network, whether it's in person or virtual, has really been the single greatest driver of growth in my business. And I'm not just talking about revenue growth. I'm talking about opportunities, collaborations, friendships, the type of support system that keeps you going during seasons of winter.
Networking at its core is not shaking hands or getting business cards or connecting with people on LinkedIn. It's about building genuine relationships. So you're able to ask people for help. And in return, they're able to ask you for help, and the way you do this is to consistently show up in spaces where your people gather.
Quick example here, I travel a lot for my business because I truly prioritize and value face-to-face interactions. I think that that's where business works best, and a main way to do this is to go to trade shows in the industries that I want to work in, and where my clients are going to be, and where the people I want to work with are going to be, and where my past and future network is built.
Networking in person is really planting the seeds for future success and giving you the opportunity to deposit emotional bank accounts into your network.
Something I do consistently, and it's been very fruitful and I don't always see other people doing it. So I want to make sure I mention that there's a lot of networking happening online, too. So watching LinkedIn live events, just showing up for someone's LinkedIn live is such a big emotional bank account deposit and most of these people have some significant followings. They're putting out great content, showing up for them, and making comments on them. You have no idea how far that will go and how you're going to start to be noticed online.
The 2nd thing you need to think about is, who knows you, who likes you, and who trusts you enough to recommend you to others. And so when you're investing in networking efforts, it's because ideally, you're going to be able to get that back in a future state and you have to do it with sincerity.
Asking for help and accepting help is not a sign of weakness. It's actually a superpower. And the reason that networking is a non-negotiable for me is that it collapses time.
If I am confronted by something that I've never done before, and when you're building a business or starting something new, it's pretty much every day, all day, you're getting hit with stuff that you've never done before. You get really good at asking for help.
No one is self-made. Every successful person has had help along the way, and ideally, they feel confident in asking for it. So do not assume that other people are doing this all by themselves. They are not, they are asking for help. And so what I've really learned about asking for help is that it shows wisdom, not weakness.
It creates opportunities for collaboration. It allows others to showcase their expertise. It builds stronger relationships, it helps us practice active listening, and then it also models behavior that helps other people feel safe and asking for help too.
There is an art to asking for and accepting help effectively. You want to be specific about what you need, respect people's time and expertise, show genuine appreciation, be willing to reciprocate, and then ideally actually implement the help you receive.
The other part about asking for help is that sometimes people will proactively offer to help you, and if you want their help, say yes and jump on it.
When you are asking for help, you're not just receiving support. You're giving someone the opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise.
This web of connectivity is really what's going to collapse time, make you stronger, make you more of a resource for the people in your network, and then overall, just helps us grow as professionals, which is something that I think everyone's striving to do, especially people who listen to podcasts.
Episode 100 -
The first thing I want to cover, and this is someone I've learned pretty recently, is that the seeds you plant almost always come back to harvest in one way or another. So every action you take, no matter how small it is, has the potential to yield results. And it's really easy to get discouraged when you put time and money and effort and risk into something and you don't see the results or they don't turn out as expected.
Your future self is going to thank you for those seeds that you're planting today. And then the second thing we're going to cover for this episode goes hand in hand with planting seeds, and it's really looking at every mistake as an opportunity to learn. If you're not making mistakes, you're probably not stretching yourself hard enough. And this is really where true growth happens is in this time of discomfort.
I make mistakes all the time, literally at least once a day. Some are big, some are small, but the ability to reframe a mistake as an opportunity to grow and almost sometimes have like a sense of humor about it, this is where real resilience is built. And I will tell you, it's a much more peaceful way to live and operate both in life and business.
Once you start making mistakes and you realize that you can really work through anything and figure things out because you've done it before, maybe not that particular situation, but you've done problem-solving. You've gotten through things. It becomes really easy to embrace the unknown because you have enough data points to know that you were able to use your resources to work through it and learn from every mistake.
This simple practice is pretty transformative. It's never losing if you're learning, and then every failure in quotes is just feedback, and it's guiding you towards better decisions and better strategies in the future.
Episode 101 -
So the final two lessons I want to share are fitting with our Thanksgiving holiday, and those are-: find time to rest and then, practicing gratitude and embodying gratitude.
You know, it's really easy to fall into the trap of constant hustle, especially during the holidays, especially during times of overwhelm. There's a lot coming at us all the time, all the time. And so this particular concept of taking the time to rest, if we don't do this, it almost works against us and it's counterproductive. Because when you start to rest, this is where your brain consolidates information. Your body has the opportunity to repair itself. Ideally, creativity flourishes because you free up some space for new ideas to come into your brain. And without resting, you risk burnout, decreased productivity, and even health issues.
So if you're not looking at rest as like a luxury or being lazy or selfish, but If you start looking at it as a really crucial part of your success strategy because that's where ideas are going to flow, you're keeping your body healthy and so on. If it's part of your success strategy and we're more intentional about it, I have learned to not view rest as a luxury or, a way of avoiding something or being lazy or being selfish. If you have, you know, other people depending on you, sometimes it can be hard to take that risk without guilt. But if you reframe this as taking the rest is allowing space for new ideas to come in and to disseminate all of the information that's been bombarding you, then if you can look at it as a part of your success strategy and be very intentional about your rest and your recharging, then it becomes a lot easier to take that rest guilt-free.
So the last lesson we're going to cover, of course, is the power of gratitude, and this is one of the most transformative, and as we approach Thanksgiving, it's the perfect time to reflect on this practice and really how it can change your life. And, this is not new information for most of you. Practicing gratitude is backed by science and improves mental health. It boosts happiness, and it enhances our physical well-being.
Oftentimes, if you make a mistake, if you didn't close a deal, what can you learn from it, what can you be thankful for the takeaway or the lesson, and then move on and course correct for next time. Something lately that I've been noticing is that when something doesn't go the way I thought it would, it either comes back to fruition, you know, six months later,
Gratitude helps me appreciate each milestone, no matter how big or small. It allows me to buy balloons for myself to celebrate the 100th episode because I want to celebrate these wins and be grateful for the incredible support system that I have. So from my clients, my listeners, my team, my family, and my friends, it is nice to pause and look at all of the good in our lives.
So to wrap up our episode, we are letting ourselves rest and recharge. We're doing it guilt-free because it's part of our continued growth and evolution and strategic planning for ourselves. And we're embodying gratitude all along the way.
Connect with Sara
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