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Protect Time
Those who protect their best time and invest it to accomplish lasting progress win at life. — Sakfucius
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Focus
Many miss golden opportunities because they remain distracted even when it’s a pivotal moment. — Sakfucius
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Understand
There’s a remarkable difference between knowing things and understanding them. — Sakfucius
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Concise Magic
Covering a lot of ground in a concise hard hitting fashion is quite the rare art. What’s interesting is Gen AI can help. — Sakfucius
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Entertainment Business
Everyone in the idea business is also in the entertainment business. If you can’t gain and maintain attention, you will never inspire action with your ideas. — Sakfucius
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Buy Low
Buy low, sell high is easy to say, but much harder to trigger when blood is trickling in the streets. — Sakfucius
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Keeping a Secret
If asked to never tell, never say a word. The first time you are caught revealing a secret is the last time you will be trusted with one. — Sakfucius
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Get Started
When you have a great idea, start doing it right away. Only action keeps an idea alive. — Sakfucius
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Aliens
Why are 99.9% of aliens on TV have two eyes, two ears, and one mouth? Where’s the imagination? — Sakfucius
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Motivate
New junior managers believe motivation is the employee’s responsibility. Experienced leaders learn that motivation is paramount to their success and one of their key missions. — Sakfucius
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Legacy
What legacy would you like to leave after you are gone? How would you like to be remembered? — Sakfucius
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Awareness
How well do you understand and empathize with the other person’s perspective? The aware and adaptable sell their ideas often, while the bull-headed struggle. — Sakfucius
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Instability Cost
Instability adds stress. People hide under their desks, avoid prudent risks, and don’t perform to their potential, yet many leaders never try to calm the nerves. — Sakfucius
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Imagine Time
Imagine you learn that you only one year left to live. How would you spend your time, if you didn’t want to spend your savings? What would you change? Why not change it now? — Sakfucius
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Employee Trust
Monitoring and testing employees sounds efficient until you have an organization where employees don’t trust anyone in management. — Sakfucius
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Micromanagement
Micromanagement tells employees that you don’t trust them and that they should not trust you. Strive to coach and celebrate improvement if you want a high-performing, happy team. — Sakfucius
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Adaptability
How well do you adapt to changing conditions, changing managers, and changing missions? Nothing will decide your success more than being flexible. — Sakfucius
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Interact
Interacting with individuals, even when presenting to a large group, is essential to keeping attention and connection. If unable to have direct dialog, rhetorical questions are still light years better than forceful statements alone. — Sakfucius
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Checklist Prep
Do you check every detail on the day before your big event? Inevitably, those who assume it will all work will soon be disappointed. — Sakfucius
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Company Freedom
How many people have you met from other companies this month? The broader your network, the more options you have when you seek. — Sakfucius
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Job Freedom
The more varied skills you develop, the more options you have. What new skill did you improve this month? — Sakfucius
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Financial Freedom
The best thing a person can do to achieve financial freedom is to start tracking their net worth monthly. — Sakfucius
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Awareness
Do you know him, or do you understand him? — Sakfucius
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Young at Heart
Are you young at heart? It matters if you want a quality life as you age. Listen to Sinatra’s recording whenever you need a reminder. — Sakfucius
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Impressive
Many try dressing as a way to impress. Is it not better to impress others with your ideas, awareness, wisdom, character, and kindness? — Sakfucius
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Growing Up
A sign of actually growing up is when you stop worrying what other people think of what you do. Many never grow up. — Sakfucius
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Investment Case
Rainmakers ask lots of investment questions which help them find a path to finance professionals and the true decision makers. — Sakfucius
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Next Episode
Rainmakers are adept at setting up the next episode, where the customer actually yearns for the next. — Sakfucius
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Recipe
Rainmakers follow a well-honed recipe for success, which is only 1/10th product knowledge. Hire great chefs, not ingredient specialists. — Sakfucius
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Bus Step
Rainmakers convince a customer that they would step in front of a bus for them, and then deliver. — Sakfucius
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Absolute Certainty
One key difference between an average salesman and a rainmaker is projecting absolute confidence and certainty that the product or service on offer will delight the customer. — Sakfucius
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New Music
Have you listened to a new artist or style of music this year? Why not stay young? — Sakfucius
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Steps
Why do people who are focused on counting steps always trying to park as close as possible to Target’s front door? — Sakfucius
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Blame Never
Blame never works because blame only leads to fight or flight, not rational, logical, constructive improvement. — Sakfucius
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Sales is Personal
A rainmaker never leaves a prospect’s office without understanding that person’s personal agenda, the real reason he or she wants change. — Sakfucius
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People
Do you sell to companies or do you sell to people? How much does your company know about the five or ten people it sells to at any given firm? — Sakfucius
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Differentiation
Effective differentiation is to offer differences that a customer is willing to pay for, but eliminate differences that are simply costs to your offering. — Sakfucius
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Forecasts
Why do companies promote their most prolific rainmakers to roles where they watch spreadsheets and forecast sales most of the time? Promote, but keep them chasing customers.
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Meritocracy
If you want top performers to stay and thrive, set up a system that rewards individual results handsomely. Meritocracy drives superior capitalism. — Sakfucius
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Relentless
Do you want to be the best? The best never settle for the status quo, relentlessly striving to improve week over week.
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Energy Levels
Are you low on energy and enthusiasm? Chances are you are not actively pursuing goals that you are passionate about. — Sakfucius
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Bucket List Up
What do you have on your bucket list? Those who chase their list stay spry, dynamic, and really alive longer than most. Don’t wait for someday. — Sakfucius
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Younger Entrepreneurs
The greatest advantages of a young entrepreneur is sense of overconfidence, immortality, and little to lose. If you take enough mighty swings at the ball in the dark, one may turn out to be a home run. — Sakfucius
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Older Entrepreneurs
Older entrepreneurs have many advantages such as connections, credibility, industry experience, domain expertise and the kind of relationships that can take years to cultivate. They spot opportunities and anticipate problems that others miss. — Sakfucius
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Quid Pro
Every time there’s a give, there must be an ask. A give without an ask has little value when rainmaking. — Sakfucius
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The Big Dog
Are you really interacting with the decision maker? Rainmakers don’t count on influencers selling the deal for them. — Sakfucius
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Possible
Nearly any change is possible. All you need to do is decide to change, start on your plan, and stick to your decision. — Sakfucius
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Fitness Fuel
Why do you want to be fit? Fitness habits are easier when you are crystal clear as to why you are driven to achieve. — Sakfucius
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Empathy Sells
Do you know enough to put yourself inside the customer’s mind. If the roles were reversed, why would I buy the proposal? Empathy is a rainmaker’s secret sauce. — Sakfucius
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Focus Time
Rainmakers focus efforts on the opportunities with the greatest value and best odds of success. It sounds simple but most salespeople split their time far too much. — Sakfucius
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Value the Problem
Most customers buy to solve a problem with a financial benefit. If you want to make it rain, make sure they agree with the problem, the urgency, and the projected financial gain. — Sakfucius
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Relationships 301
Have you learned to be happy when indefinitely alone and independent? Only then can you draw an uncompromising line of expectations and have the patience that leads to quality relationships. — Sakfucius
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Improve Weekly
Do you really believe that you are indispensable and irreplaceable where you work today? The only security within your own control is to continuously improve yourself. — Sakfucius
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Any Given Day
Even when you have done everything right, luck can play a role on any day. Don’t lose your enthusiasm or drive when things outside of your control go against you. — Sakfucius
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Aliens
Why do all our Hollywood aliens have two eyes, one nose, one mouth, and communicate with sound waves? — Sakfucius
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Happy Spouse 101
Everyone wants attention, affection, and respect. Do you really listen to your spouse and respect their thoughts, opinions, and dreams? Everything starts with listening. — Sakfucius
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Communication
Since the most successful people are usually great at effective communication, what are you doing to improve? Hint: Listening is top of the list. — Sakfucius
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Optimist Plus
Optimists who confront reality with patient determined action, drive nearly all meaningful change. Have you chosen to be an optimist? — Sakfucius
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Guard Prime Time
What have you planned for your prime time, two best hours today? Real progress requires investing your best time wisely, not ceding it to others’ petty urgencies. — Sakfucius
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Left Behind
AI is about to change our world. Will you be left behind or will you embrace it to become better at everything you do? — Sakfucius
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Fun
What do you plan and do just to have a little fun? When is the last time you had fun? — Sakfucius
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Friendship
Friendship requires really listening and empathizing with each other. Two people just taking turns talking about their own stuff rarely lasts. — Sakfucius
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The Monthly Quit
What’s the one thing can you quit that would reclaim a lot of time, but not damage your longterm outlook? — Sakfucius
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Work Ethic
What’s your work ethic, because it matters a lot? — Sakfucius
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Lies
Does lying actually get you ahead, and is it worth the price you will pay someday? The more often you get away with lying, the deeper the bad habit’s roots grow, until the day when you lose someone’s trust forever. —,Sakfucius
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Risky
Many of the people who think trying something is risky don’t realize doing nothing is risky too. — Sakfucius
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Seek Perspective
How thoroughly do you seek to understand another’s perspective before you tell him that he is wrong? — Sakfucius
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Expertise
Do you readily admit that you are not an expert on a topic? There’s a trap in reading some Google, ChatGPT, Quora, Medium, and CNN — and suddenly preaching your expertise. — Sakfucius
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Creativity
You can’t be creative if you are afraid of being wrong. When is the last time you were wrong? — Sakfucius
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Coverup
Do you own your mistakes or do you cover them up and blame others? Only when you take ownership, you grow as a person. — Sakfucius
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Generous with Credit
How often do you celebrate and give credit to someone else? When is the last time that you took the initiative? — Sakfucius
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Better Meetings
What if you always asked the quiet participants for their thoughts during a meeting? — Sakfucius
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Meetings Improved
What if included a simple agenda to your meeting invites? What if you always sent a recap too? — Sakfucius
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Unsolicited
Do you give unsolicited advice? How often have you met a person who wanted to be critiqued, unless they asked? — Sakfucius
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Distractions
If you want to achieve great things, get rid of every distraction while you work, especially your smartphone. — Sakfucius