Ep. 274 Winner’s Choices

It’s that time of year when we tend to reflect and analyze for making choices in the coming year. Joe Pici explores developing a process for discernment.

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Get ready for an unfair advantage over your competition. This is The Sales Edge podcast. Where globally recognized sales expert and trainer Joe Pici helps you sharpen your skills for booking more appointments and closing more deals. And now here’s your host Joe Pici.

Joe Pici (JP):

business owners and decision-makers are constantly needing to make better and more qualified decisions. Many of them are looking for a strategy.

To process information and make principle based decisions. Welcome to the sales stage podcast number 274. I’m your host, Joe Pici. We want to specially thank Pici and Pici inc which is underwriting this entire sales at podcast financially. They are speaking coaching training consulting firm and sell more virtually, our other sponsor, which is our membership platform. I’m out there every Thursday night coaching. View training. You and we want to thank you. But especially we want to thank you our audience, our team for helping us expand the globe, touch more and more people. So we continue to ask you to spread the word. We wanted to get on every podcast out there. So let’s talk about deciding with discernment. You know, I took that word discernment and I made some calls to people, I have a lot of respect for and I

Some, what is discernment need to you. What what is it all about, you know, decision making is hard and I will tell you that there’s never been a time for businesses in America that are so in trouble or having struggles with culture with sales with marketing. There’s so many decisions to me made, you know, when we look at just getting products to point A to point B that The chain, the blockchain of getting products there. It’s so hard decisions are having to be made. And yet how important is discernment. You know, how do we keep from making bad decisions? So, I did some research and I asked people, once again, I have tremendous respect for discernment is the ability to make wise decisions during difficult situations. Hey, has there ever been more of a need for discernment?

Another one said, Joe discernment is unique discipline that takes practice insight and committed to unrelenting follow-through, which means this isn’t something you do once in a while. This is a consistent effort, its ongoing effort. Another one said Joe discernment is wisdom based, not knowledge-based. What does that mean? So many times? We We, we learn something or Make a decision, you know because it has wisdom know a lot of times we make it because it’s about knowledge and yet we do need to have wisdom. So wisdom is part and parcel to discernment. I recommend strongly, you seek wisdom. Another one said in this was really hit me home and it really helped me. Understand discernment is Cristobal. Based not just V based so many times. We think I’m going to make this decision because it will deliver results. But are we thinking in terms of the principles behind that? Another one said, Joe discernment is a learned skill. Stop it. I didn’t know that. You see, I didn’t know you could develop and grow and improve discernment. I know, I had done it over the years. I never put up.

Append, a paper and decide. What does it take to grow discernment? He went on to say, not only is a learned skill that focuses on process of being valued, based and principle driven. So, all our decisions. Are they being based on values and principles? It’s a question. We have to ask, don’t we? Another thing is this, you know, discernment is the ability to make a smart judgment.

About something it separates. What’s important in true from what is not? All of a sudden disturbance taking on a whole different light here on the importance of using discernment. So when we make decisions, are we really focusing on using discernment recently? I spoke to a business owner, you know, he actually went on our LinkedIn profile and I picked up the phone and I called them. And we went from value proposition into core story and then he said, Joe, I need to find a partner.

He said, I don’t have time to sell. I don’t want to sell. So I want to bring on a partner and I asked him. Do you have a decision making process for looking for the right partner? And then it really caused me to sit and write this statement down. Its kind of an alert. In hiring the right person and choosing the right partner and choosing the right vendor and choosing the right client. Now hear me if we are needy. We may not use discernment in choosing the right people. So, a lot of times when we’re in a desperate situation, when we don’t have enough employees, when we don’t have enough clients, when we can’t find the right vendor, you know, we, we decided we need a partner. We might make a wrong decision out of need and need creates many issues.

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I heard it said that sometimes discernment is not a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong. But rather is telling the difference between right and almost, right? And I can tell you in my life, when I was younger. I didn’t always make the right decision. I wasn’t trying to be dishonest and I wasn’t dishonest, but I didn’t always make wise decisions because I was not always Discerning and a lot of times too. Ascertainment comes with wisdom. And here’s three steps in discernment. It’s awareness.

Understanding and action in the middle morning understanding. That’s where the game gets. Slowed down. That’s where making Fast decisions. Sometimes lack discernment. The ability to recognize and anticipate the consequences of every decision. So do we do that? Let’s think about that. Do we count the cost of every decision? Do we walk into a situation? In in something is presented to us. And we take the time to think the way the pros and cons to assess to decide whether to positive and the negative consequences that can occur in making a decision without discernment. I can only tell you early when I was a football coach. I made some very bad career decisions. I didn’t use discernment. I didn’t weigh the pros and cons. I didn’t do all of the things that

We’re talking about today and we pay for it dearly. Now. I’m going to give you some of the characteristics and so we’ll do an analysis. Okay? And remember when I do these podcasts, I’m speaking to me first as I’m organizing these thoughts in my mind. The first person, I’m assessing is Joe peachy. So please don’t think I’m pointing the finger. I had a guy say to me the other day. Are you talking about me on that podcast? No, I’m not. I’m not pointing the finger at anyone because you know, they once said if you point your finger at somebody got three point in back at you, try that with your hand. So let’s talk about some of the characteristics of people or cells that lack discernment. The first lack of discernment will come when we don’t take the time to weigh the pros and cons best case scenario, worst-case scenario. If I make this decision, what’s the best thing that can happen? What’s the?

In can happen. What are the long-term ramifications? You know, I many, many years ago. I heard it’s a, you know, through throw a rock into a lake, it splashes, but then watch the ripples. So, a decision made today can affect a year, two years, five years, ten years, twenty years, down the road decisions. We made early in 2020 and putting together, sell more virtually dock. Cam, I believe will reap a great discernment decision in two to three years from now, hopefully sooner, but we know the ripple effect will happen. The second one is we tend to act on impulse. We become very impulsive in our decision-making which is dangerous. The third one is we can conform to social pressure which is what’s popular. You know, what is the media saying? What are our peers saying?

What is the word? They always amazes me. When people say, well, they say well, who were they? So we can really give in to social pressure. Another one, this we lack self discipline. Anyone that lack self discipline will fail to decide with discernment. Number five, we become very reactive and non proactive. So we’re on our heels. When we’re making decisions. We make fast decisions. We may reacted decisions. And so that lacks the ability to discern.

We knew move down to number six, which is we execute self-deception. We lie to ourselves. We defend our actions. We make excuses. We blame other people. And this is all part of a lack of discernment from their number seven, is were easily. Manipulated people can manipulate us. If we’re not careful. When we’re making decisions, we can be manipulated. Number 8 is. Become very Reckless. We make, you know, off-the-cuff decision without all of the things. I’ve just talked about and become very reckless from there. Another piece of discernment is We Believe words. Rather than actions in my life, the biggest change I’ve made in making decisions with discernment, as I evaluate the Tongan issue. Not the one in the mouth, which is actions. Okay, speak? Louder than words Behavior, never lies. And so not that, I don’t believe people but I’m going to first believe actions. Number 10. We tend to hear what we want to hear in a meeting. Okay?

On the conversation. We’ve already fabricated what we want to hear. So therefore we lack discernment. Now, here’s another one number 11 is we operate from a position of weakness, rather than position of strength. This happens in sales all the time. It happens in client acquisition. It happens when we need employees. It happens when we need somebody to fix our air conditioner. We don’t worry in that position of weakness. And so we don’t discern. We don’t Here, everything we don’t make a quality decision and we choose the first available. And number 12. We refuse to count the cost of a wrong decision. We don’t evaluate those consequences. So because we said it’s a skill because it’s it’s a kind of like a muscle, it can get better. We can exercise it. We can, you know, a skill can be learned through what I had to do. I don’t know about you, but what I had to,

You become more Discerning in my decision-making. Was number one. I had to develop a principle based decision making process as for our priority management system. Came from that we had to create an unemotional decision, making process that we could slow the game down, and make sure that we were Discerning. And every decision we made. The second thing was in every decision. We should ask ourselves. So, why why do we want this to happen? You see, that’s where true intent is involved. That’s where true discernment comes. When we know why, what our motive is what’s behind this decision?

Number three, execute active, listening skills. I would say to you, one of the biggest improvements. I had to make in my personal life and decision-making. What’s the really here and process with the other person was saying by becoming a professional in proactive, active listening skills. You’re going to be able to hear and respond more effectively. The next one number for take time to evaluate. You wait the consequences of every decision. So ask yourself this question. What’s the worst thing that can happen? If I make the wrong decision? What’s the best thing that can happen? So really in becoming better at your decision, making with discernment? It’s about the consequences number five, surround yourself with people that execute discernment. Now, they’re not easy to find. You can’t walk down the street and say are you Discerning. But you can watch their actions, you can evaluate behaviors. And so discernment becomes one of those things where if I’m looking for a peers, if I’m looking for mentorship, if I’m looking for coaching. I want to come from a person that is Discerning. Number six, become that proactive person leave from in front have this.

Learning approach in place. Number seven, read the book, leadership, and self-deception once maybe twice a year, that’s going to help you to get rid of excuse, itÌs, the blame game and all those things that get in the way of great discernment. Number 8, read books and listen to podcasts about wisdom and discernment grow in this thing. Get better. Learn be a great student. Number nine, take responsibility.

Every decision. Shouldn’t we make? I’m going to put my name on it. Are you? To be a decision maker of disturbing, you have to be willing to put your name on that decision. You have to be willing to be accountable, which is number 10. So the combination of responsibility and accountability are all skills that you can begin to perform and get better at what you read. What you listen to who you associate with all the Dynamics of. Learning how to decide with discernment. So, as we’re closing out here today, as we’re getting closer and closer to 20 22. Can you believe it? I mean, can you really believe it that? By the time you listen to this podcast? We are within days of December and, and the run to January. And so, one of the things you may want to do during this season of December, is start to work on decisions.

True discernment. So take out your phone and type in the word sales, edged in the text box. That’s one word. Send it to five, five, six. Seven, eight, when you hit, it’s going to take you to a peachy peachy link, hit the link. And the first thing we recommend is a free gift. The nine Essentials, the sales success. That is a magnificent webinar. It’s free. It’s on demand. It’s there for you. There’s also peruse around the cell more virtually. Form a given give some consideration of being a member. I’m out there. Every night, every Thursday Night Live. I do a massive coaching and training. Tremendous downloads e-courses. Also, we’re within weeks of global gurus closing out the vote. If you could do me a favor and go on global gurus dot-org and vote for Joe, peak in the sales Division. I would certainly appreciate that. Hey, if the sales Edge is an asset to you. Can you like it? Can you share?

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