#1168 Values

A Reminder: My new podcast, Selling in the Age of AI, is live! The third episode, featuring the great Paul Mosley, Corporate turn-around and sales expert, is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Now for this week: Values

Values are born in thought, fortified by examples, hinted at in parlance, and revealed in choices.

Values dictate behaviors and, ultimately, results – ALL results.

When I am out of shape, I value being sentient more than exercising. Sometimes, I see more value in a television series than in a good night's sleep, resulting in a lethargic morning.

My cousin Steve values sobriety more than drinking, and the result is 16,000+ days without a single hangover! (And lots of other benefits, too, I'm sure)

Some salespeople value free time more than work, which results in a lower income. I know people who value designer clothes and accessories more than financial security. We'll see that result when they hit the Medicare age.

My friend Domenick valued education more than frat parties; he's now Dr. Dom.

I always valued family more than financial success, which resulted in me turning down some lucrative opportunities that would have seriously attenuated my family bonds. This isn't to say that you can't value family and still do well, but I recognize the difference between my life and the lives of some associates who saw greater value in money and took those opportunities. Those I am thinking of are significantly wealthier than I am but not nearly as rich.

Look at your results weekly, monthly, yearly, or over a lifetime. They are all due to your values. You made choices based on what you valued more, and the results of those choices are inextricably linked to those values.

Sadly, some folks don't make the connection or make conscious choices. They don't connect values to behaviors, choices, and results. This is sad but correctable. 

The Conscious Evaluation of Values is a Value I Hold Dear.

Ordering a thirty-two-ounce Coke and cheese fries does not mean someone consciously values flavored sugar, water, fat, and cholesterol over their health. It usually means they haven't taken the time to connect the dots. They don't think of it as a values decision, but it is. This isn't to say that if you value your health, you'll never hit the cheese fries.   It means that when we understand our values and keep them in the foreground, we will often make choices that align with those values and be conscious of (and ok with) the departure when we don't.  

This requires that we think seriously about what we value and create an instantaneous measuring system. It also requires some future pacing, which I will expand upon next week.

Until then, think about what you value.  Independence? Order? Self-reliance? Community? Family? Health? Status? Learning? Adventure? Fitness? Spontaneity? Money? Security?

Give some thought to the hierarchy of your values and forge the links backward to see what they've gotten you and forward to see what you'll get.

Own Your Sales Gene…