Hey Folks!  Tommy “Tahoe” Alaimo here.  Welcome back to The Weekly Six-Pack where I share the six best things I’m enjoying, thinking about, and experiencing each week.

Quote of the Week

“Fantasizing about the future is one of my favorite pastimes.”

– Richard Branson

 

Weekly Six-Pack
Here are the 6 things to check out this week:

  1. This week, I had my friend Nick Fedotoff on the Millennial Sales Podcast. Nick has spent the past 10 years at Salesforce, climbing through the ranks from BDR to VP Sales. He offers great insights on how to sell, how to lead – and even his story of clinking beers with Marc Benioff. Subscribe here on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.
  2. This tip by Kevin Dorsey is one of the most creative and tactical bits of advice for any salesperson on their prospecting grind. I’m working it into my A/B testing this week. 
  3. I listened to Anything You Want by Derek Sivers on Audible. Sivers is a unique entrepreneur that does things his own way. He summarizes a decade of experience into an hour-long audiobook.
  4. I also read Do The Work by Steven Pressfield. This is the third in Pressfield’s line of creative and self-help books. If you haven’t yet read War of Art, that should absolutely be your next book – whether you have dreams of creating a work of art, being a top salesperson, getting in the best shape of your life, or running a non-profit charity, Pressfield’s words will resonate.
  5. Two of my favorite speakers, Ed Mylett and Les Brown got together for a podcast and it’ll absolutely fire you up.
  6. Who To Follow: If you’re not checking out Anthony Iannarino’s daily sales blog, you’re missing out. 

 

This Week

“You look like someone just told you that your dog died.”

That’s not what I expected to hear in an interview for a sales job.

This was a few years ago. Outside of landing my first job while I was in college, this was my first interview with a new company. I had made it to the point of the interview cycle where I did a demo for the Sales Director to role play with me.

After I was done, he asked “Are you ready for some feedback?”. He commenced to give some pointed, tactical feedback on where I could improve. This was not the soft “you did all the right things” type of feedback that weak leaders often fall back on. There were 2-3 constructive points that he dove into and explained where he would have done something different. It resonated. TIt was fair. It was all true.

Inside, it felt like knives cutting into my stomach. I threw out my objectivity and took this as a personal attack. I wasn’t used to this type of tough feedback, and it showed.

I couldn’t see it – but I bet his interpretation of my face wasn’t far off from my dog dying.

Needless to say but this isn’t the best way to receive feedback. In my experience, we give each other honest feedback so rarely that it’s unrealistic to expect us to be good at receiving it.

How many times have you wanted to tell someone how it really is but put your foot in your mouth to avoid confrontation or not rock the boat?

I recently heard Shopify founder Tobi Lutke say that “Feedback is a gift” because it gives us an opportunity to see what’s in our blind spots. Nick Fedotoff echoed this sentiment in this week’s podcast.

Feedback isn’t an attack on our character.

It’s not something to run away from.

It’s not something that should be an ego shot.

Feedback is a gift.

And like a bicycle on a kid’s birthday or a new sweater, it’s useless unless you use it.

Here are 5 steps on how to receive feedback from the guy who still kind of sucks at taking feedback:

  1. Swallow your ego. This isn’t supposed to be fun.
  2. Actively listen. Don’t prepare your response, just truly listen to what they’re saying.
  3. Confirm what you heard. Make sure you properly understand.
  4. Thank them for their feedback.
  5. Use the gift. Improve.

Let’s get it this week.