I give to you 10 biggest lessons I learned from Inspire.
It’s been hell of a ride.
Funny how there’s a Kung Fu Panda metaphor to almost every lessons from The Journey
Hope you’d enjoy!
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What has changed in the World of Media & Publishing?
Everything!
Smarter, more interactive way of content delivery. Algorithm that reads our mind, information customised to our exact liking.
Choices, Control, Options. These are our God-given entitlements.
The Message to Marketers: Attention is the new currency.
Give customers everything they desire in order to win their attention. With that, you’d be able to sell them anything in return.
What hasn’t changed?
1/
The crave for quality content.
Beauty & The Beast, Cinderella and the Sound of Music.
We are all still yearning for a Great Story.
No matter what medium, which platform.
2/
Our desire to worship Influencers – Oprah, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Ma, Tony Robbins and of course, The Rock…
We do what they preach, we buy what they sell.
No matter what medium, which platform.
3/
And after all these advancement, at the end of the day, we all go back to watching the Stupid Cat humping on the Puppy on Youtube; 14.5 Million views, last I counted.
Does Winning Attention = Winning in the game of Marketing?
Yes, but that’s the wrong premise to start.
As my hero Seth Godin so eloquently puts it: Selfish Marketing Doesn’t Last!
And neither does Attention.
But Relationships Do!
Build Relationship, Build Trust, Build Tribe.
Add Value. Be Generous.
Here’s my attempt to both:
Slides for The Changing Landscape in Media and Publishing, Your’s to grab. Future of Media & Publishing
Here’s the Words, Influence & Power Slides
This is a session about writing. But really, it’s about creativity, communications, art, self discovery and much more.
My goal is to alter the way you look at writing forever.
There are certain things in which, once you learn, it cannot be unlearned. I certainly hope this is one of them.
Here is the slides I presented on Collective Wisdom Masterclass.
Click here for my Interview with:
Enjoy!
Art of Selling Powerpoint Final
Here is the Power Point Presentation of The Art of Selling (Click above).
You may not get the entire message by looking at it alone. We will be conducting another session in the near future.
Drop me a note if you are interested.
shaun@catalyst.com.bn
for other training details see: http://www.YesInspire.com/training
People know Dato Tim Ong (DTO) for many different things; a world-class speaker; an intellect and a leading thinker in economics, politics and current affairs; and non the least, an influential and wealthy businessman from a much respected family in Brunei.
But to me, he is also one of the most underrated salesperson I know. DTO is not given enough credit for his selling ability simply because most people do not regard what he does as selling.
What draw me the most to DTO are his unparalleled storytelling skills and the ability to convince others. With every interaction, it is always a treat to hear great stories and a special learning opportunity. Like many, I am often captivated by every word that is uttered out of his mouth.
I have the good fortune of knowing DTO for over 15 years, and have the distinct privilege of hanging around with him often and hear many of his epic stories first hand. Professionally, I have worked for DTO early on in my career, and have interviewed him periodically for a column on Inspire magazine and have seek many valuable advices from him on life and business.
Here are my 5 observations of what makes DTO such a masterful storyteller / salesperson:
1. The Gift:
- Literacy – DTO has a superior ability as an orator. His exceptional command of English enables him to articulate his thoughts freely, making all his propositions effortless.
- Voice- DTO has a distinctly strong vocal tone and when he speaks, it is often slow, steady and he’s always thoughtful with his words too. As a result every sentence he utters carries much weight and are so unmistakable and clear.
Notice how we often dismiss the above attribute as a gift rather than a skill set that we can acquire. Truth is, we can improve our English ability if we work hard at it. We may never be as eloquent as DTO, but we can always become better than before. As for voice- there is such thing as voice coaching if you’re serious about improving your vocal tone. Just pay http://www.YippyTune.com a visit.
2. The Effort / Practice
- It is no secret that DTO is passionate about story telling. Everywhere he goes, he will always be pitching stories and influencing decisions. The only thing is, half the time; you would have no idea that you are being sold to.
- What makes him a compelling storyteller is his ability to notice and retell of the details. There is always interesting interpretation of insights from what he remembers of the incident. And he always leaves you with a lesson or two from the stories he told.
- Because DTO meets many different people at any given day, it gives him the opportunity to relay same stories to many different people without sounding like a broken record. By the time you hear the story from him, it may be the 10th refined version. As a result, it cannot be bad.
3. The Sources
Where does DTO get all the content from?
- DTO reads a lot, travels widely and networks extensively. Everything he does is an opportunity for him to collect new stories to tell.
- I remember going with him to a meeting years ago when I worked for him, and he orated a current affair story with such interest and clarity that I thought he was actually there. And then, I stumbled into an article Time Magazine. It was the exact same story he recited from the article.
- As remarkable as DTO is as a storyteller, he is also a great listener too. Whoever he meets, he would always listen intently learn from them. And then, he would share the interesting content to the others.
4. The Simplicity
- DTO has the ability to breakdown even the most complex situation into a simple and easy to understand format which a six year old can comprehend. And he does it with such a flair that he can hold your attention without you realizing time passes by.
5. The Closer
- What sets him apart from being an extraordinary storyteller to an effective salesperson is his persuasiveness and his ability to close. DTO is extremely strategic with all his business undertakings. His approach is often deliberate, measured and thoughtful, everything is planned towards the smallest details that leaves no room for error. Even with the sequence of he articulates his pitches.
- The greatest sales person almost never sells you any products. They appeal to your emotion and take your imagination wander into places you have never been.
That’s what makes DTO the master, that’s what separates DTO from even the best salespeople I know…
I will conducting a Masterclass on selling in the near future. You can learn more about it at http://www.YesInspire.com/training
Just yesterday, I picked up where Siena left off with her Duplo set after she went out with her mum. I tried to eliminate as many parts as possible, so that I can use the excess bricks to build more items. In the process, I created a minimalistic structure with elements of vernacular architecture, which I was rather proud of.
Imagine two 3 stories tree house held together by a common rooftop that bears the resemblance of a 16th century castle, supported by two key panels. Yes, it looked wobbly but was strong enough to stand on it’s own, if left untouched. And I had it completed just in time for Siena’s return.
Unfortunately, I trusted Siena to play with my delicate construction and watched the effort collapsed before my eyes. The pain was only amplified by the fact that I had not taken any picture of my proud construction.
As a parent, I should have known better than to leave any delicate possession in the hand of my kids. Was I surprised? No. Heart broken? You bet!
Needless to say, Siena got her punishment with my silent treatment throughout dinner. After that, I made her help in the reconstructing every element of the building exactly the same way – a decision proven to be futile, as she was just as stubborn as me, with a mind of her own when it comes to creative works. I relented by spending the rest of the evening watching her pieced together her own version of the building all by herself.
Right about midnight before I headed to bed, I walked past her finished apartment and decided to give it another go. Hours later, the result was astonishing.
With Siena’s inspiration and a little imagination, I constructed towering Rapunzel castle, a final product that was even more impressive than the earlier version. This would never have been possible if things had fallen into place perfectly earlier in the day. Funny how my Duplo moment is as much a metaphor for life, as it is for play.
The reaction on Siena and Alannah’s face on their new Duplo construction this morning was worth every effort. Before that, I made sure I took plenty of photos, expecting full well that it may return to ground zero the moment I get home.
