10 Ways Women Can Be Better At Sales

10 Ways Women Can Be Better At Sales Im a firm believer that selling iseverything- in business and in life. Whenever young people ask me for career advice, I tell them get experience in abverkauf. It will prepare you for so much to come in the future from getting untersttzung for your ideas, to raising money, to negotiating for a raise or a promotion. Im also pretty sure it can help you on job interviews, dates, and even getting your children into nursery school.Yet for many women, sales doesnt feel natural. Further, as a woman, the transformation to salesperson may groe nachfrage counter to deep inner cultural patterns youve absorbed.Executive coach and authorPeggy Klaushas seen this phenomenon often. It has a lot to do with societal norms and stereotypes. One of the old myths is thats un-ladylike and feminine to be pushy and ask for things, especially in business which was traditionally a mans domain, says Klaus. Putting yourself out there and letting your desires be known makes yo u look ambitious and greedy.And yet, Klaus insists, women must step out of their comfort zone to find success. Even if youre an introvert, you can be good at it. You dont have to love it -- but you need a compelling reason to do it. So just do it, and you can go back to being an introvert on your own time, advises Klaus.With that advice in mind, here are 10 tips for women on how to use sales skills to win in business -- and in life1. Prepare yourself Youre going to hear no a lot. One of my favorite managers of all time used to say, Every sale starts with no. This is a really important truism to internalize if youre putting yourself on the line to pitch you and your company. People say no for all kinds of reasons, and so when you hear not, transform it in your mind to not yet -- and then start to think about how youll convince them sooner or later.Again, this can be a harder muscle to flex for women, so the more accustomed to it you get, the better off youll be -- in sales and in man y situations youll face in business and life.Women are pleasers, says Klaus. When we do something that someone doesnt like, we feel like failures - its a knee-jerk reaction. Instead, we have to prompt ourselves to realize, I may not get everything right - and thats ok. You need to reset expectations a bit.2. Cold calling Its a numbers game.Understand that sales truly is a number game, especially at the start. Youll need to cold call - or email - 100 people to get 20 meetings which may land you with 2-3 customers in the beginning. So instead of worrying about whos saying yes and who is saying no, spend a lot of time thinking about how you can fill the top of the funnel with hundreds of prospects. And, when youre cold-emailing, get creative. Experiment with your subject line and your message. Remember that your prospect is probably getting 5 or more similar solicitations in his/her email every day. So figure out how to make yours stand out.3. Map out a clear and compelling pitch.Make sure your pitch is very clear and well practiced. And make sure it starts with a clear use case. In the first 60 seconds of your communication - written or verbal - you want your prospect to understand well what your proposition is, who is using it, and why. Bring your customer to life to help the prospect visualize your raison detre. Give it a test run on your friends, colleagues and advisors so you can be ready to put it in front of a prospect.Keep it simple. How would you explain this to your grandmother? advises Dave Imperiale, VP ofSNP Communications, who works with executives at companies like Google and Spotify on sales skills.4. Take baby steps. Make sales calls the first goal.Dont try to boil the ocean When youre just embarking on the sales process, start by focusing on scheduling sales calls - in person (preferred) or by phone. If you can get a perspektive to get in front of someone and tell them your story, youll probably have a much greater chance of making the sale. And , if you focus on getting sales calls -- which should lead to sales - you will feel a greater sense of progress and accomplishment when you get these sales calls on the books.5. Be prepared for your sales calls.Do your research on your prospects before talking to them. Check them out onLinkedIn. binnensee if theyve written articles anywhere. See where they went to school. See you if you have contacts in common. When youre on a sales call, its really helpful if you can find a way to connect with the person youre speaking to beyond the topic at hand. Build a personal rapport. Everyone youll talk to is so busy, and if you can humanize yourself by finding a common ground, your prospect will be far more ready to listen.6. On the call, do more listening than talking.Women have been shown to speak more than men --nearly 13,000 words a day more And yet, the fruchtwein important thing you can do while youre out on a sales call is to listen. Get your points across succinctly, and ask lots of questions of your prospect. Make the discussion interactive. And let your prospect set the paceIn addition, try to gather information to help you refine your pitch. Solicit feedback about your product or service so you can make adjustments that will make your proposition more sellable.7. Email THE SAME DAY to say thank you, and reiterate your value proposition.Im a big groupie of same day follow-up. It shows your prospect that you are really eager to get their business, and youre really on top of stuff. And, if you do it right away, the conversation will still be fresh in your mind. When following up, play back key points from your discussion. And share a recap of the key reasons the person should buy from you.8. Follow up. Then follow up again.Woody Allen famously said 80% of success is showing up. But Ive actually found that in sales 80% of success isfollowing up. Persistence is critical, and can be especially tricky for women who can feel nervous about being too aggressive. Dont hold back - follow-up can often be the difference between winning and losing the business. 9. Be OK walking away.If youre hearing no -- or simply hearing radio silence -- its ok to walk away. Often, giving your prospect some space is a good idea. You may never know why the lead went cold...but it may often have nothing at all to do with youSo walk away -- and put it out of your mind. Assume the time wasnt right and move on to the next anthroponym down the list. Dont take it personally (Which is just so hard for women to do.)10. Follow up again...but dont forget to check back in 2-3 months later. Perhaps youll catch them at a better time. And, your follow up will remind them that you care about winning their business. More than anything, its important to think of the sale as solving a problem for your customer. As Imperiale says, if you can think of what youre doing as helping someone, it will feel like the halogen is shining less on you. And that may be just the thing that can trans form you into a fantastic female salesperson.A version of this article originally appeared on Inc.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer

Tips on Writing a Resume Cover Letter Features

Tips on Writing a Resume deckblatt Letter Features The Advantages of Tips on Writing a Resume Cover Letter fasson letters indicate that youre either just sending your resume to each employer in the region or you havent made an attempt to find out more about the firm. First off, you must commence a titelseite letter with the appropriate information of the man doing the hiring. A cover letter is a document thats sent together with your resume as part of your job application. It also provides you with a way to get an interview. You need to be sure to direct your cover letter to a particular individual, too. Its critical that you customize each cover letter to the job that youre applying. What You Dont Know About Tips on Writing a Resume Cover Letter When you have proofread the letter, after that you can let another person take a look merely to keep on the safe side. When you have to compose a cover letter to submit an application for work, its sometimes the smaller things tha t may make a difference. When youre writing a cover letter you need to bear in mind that its an introduction to your resume and youre attempting to find the employer to provide you with a call for an interview. Now you have whatever you will need to compose the ideal caregiver cover letter, you might want to provide a helping hand to your caregiver resume too A cover letter is quite a bit more than only an introduction to the resume. A cover letter has key parts that you must include. Before you commence writing a cover letter you should get familiar with the documents purpose. Your cover letter is not only a compliments slip, its an integral portion of the process.

Graduate School Resume Sample Secrets

Graduate School Resume Sample Secrets For mora information on the best way to structure a ranguate school resume, have a look at our guide about how to compose a graduate school resume. If youre feeling blocked, return to your notes and after that study our master teacher resume templates for a little bit of inspiration. So should you should employ college essay writer online, were just the people who you need to contact. It is frequently the grad resume thats reviewed first of all of the application elements, therefore its vital that you compose a grad school resume that offers the adcom the ideal introduction to your best hits. Resume cover letter samples are written in the manner to provide you with a notion of the way in which a best cover letter should be. As soon as you have completed a first draft employing a template, youre totally free to personalize your cover letter and reveal your personality should you wish. Therere prepared for transfer, if you appreciate and wan t to receive that, just click save badge in the post, and itll be instantly down loaded in your house computer. So its wise to acquire the design templates from dependable companies who charge nominal fees for the exact same. Perhaps while on the lookout for examples you noticed poor samples all over the world wide web. Our resume examples offer inspiration, but more importantly guidance on the way to structure and compose the elements. Examples can supply you with suggestions on how to structure your resume and what type of language to include. The hidden things that are unknown to the majority of beginners help you get more visitors to your website and more customers. Graduate school resume differs from a professional resume because it doesnt comply with the typical structure. So for people who have an essay assigned you will require help with, you can buy essay online cheap from us. Structure is likewise an important quality of a graduate school resume. If you wish to be a teacher, you will write a CV, and should you need work professionally, youre write a resume. Furthermore, you can find out more about healthcare careers on Monster. For instance, you might include things like keywords from the work listing in your job descriptions. You will have to tailor each one to every work description. Your resume can offer extra details, and you may expand upon your qualifications in the work interview. However tempting it may be to stretch the truth, lying on your resume is always a poor idea. The most important thing is that you really have much more experience than you might imagine you have. Also, an excellent cover letter should produce a relation to the hiring manager and make them want to fulfill an applicant for a job interview as a way to discover more. Thankfully there are just a few things to remember in regards to writing a great cover letter. The writing samples dont will need to get published but having an on-line presence where people c an view your work is always helpful in regards to standing out among a pool of numerous qualified candidates. For the reason, its an excellent notion to take time to reflect on and celebrate what youve done prior to, during and following the resume-writing approach. Your work experience will probably be among the longest sections on your resume. Your previous work experience could be completely different from the sort of work you hope to do later on. Before you commence writing your graduate school resume, you have to go through the demands of the program youre applying to. Students may want to make a graduate degree in biology and at the exact same time, pursue a field of interest. Apart from their core courses, they may be able to pursue a minor (such as business administration), or earn a masters degree in Biology with a specific track (such as neuroscience). So in a superb cover letter, a hiring manager needs to be positive of that. Your grad school resume is among the v ital things in your grad school application practice. Before you seek the assistance of any writer, you should be sure of their qualifications. Speak to an admission advisor to find out more. Therefore dont be shocked if you discover plenty of the exact information listed for both resumes and CVs Keep in mind, your resume or CV should emphasize your own personal strengths. CVs provide a nearly limitless supply of potential sections. A CV can fluctuate from two pages to a number of pages.

Startup Job Interview Questions

Startup Job Interview QuestionsStartup Job Interview QuestionsCurious about what successful entrepreneurs ask when they interview job seekers? Wondering what it takes to get hired by a high-profile startup?We interviewed (ha) the Founders of some of the fastest growing companies and asked them to reveal the questions they ask while recruiting new kollektiv members for their venture. If you are a job seeker or a hiring manager, eitzu sich way, youll find great nuggets of wisdom in this post.And some of these startup job interview questions will surely surprise you Here we goPlease walk me through the journey of how you got here today to be applying for this job?Gabriel Weinberg Founder, DuckDuckGoGabriel Weinberg is the Founder CEO of DuckDuckGo, the search engine that doesnt track you. He says this is the highest-leverage question he has come across in terms of learning the most about someone in the shortest amount of time.It requires them to essentially tell a brief career story, which forces them to highlight what they think is important, how they see themselves, and how well they communicate.Then it allows you to easily use their answer as jumping off points to ask follow-up questions like why they made certain decisions, which illuminates how they think.Take 5 minutes and tell me your story?Gurjeet Singh Co-Founder CEO, AyasdiGurjeet Singh is the Co-Founder CEO of Ayasdi an artificial intelligence software company. By the time I am interviewing someone, they have already been tested for skills. I am not looking to do that again. This question allows me to test how someone describes their journey? are they self-motivated or did they excel at what their boss told them to do? what are they proud of having accomplished? what does success mean for them? have they seen it? the best candidates often sprinkle their questions for me during their answer and the calibre of their questions is the biggest signal for me.Lets say I give you a few million dollars. You dont have to work, you dont have to really do anything. What would you spend your time doing?Galen wurde Co-Founder CEO, EstatelyGalen Ward is the Co-Founder CEO of Estately that makes it easier for people to find buy homes online. He is also a mentor at 500 Startups a leading early stage venture fund startup accelerator.He loves asking this question because it forces the candidate to talk about their passion and something that is really meaningful for them whether its a sport or something else. It tells you about their core interests outside of trading time for money and that tells you something about their motivation and what drives them. People are surprisingly honest about it no one has told me theyd save the world.If you won the lottery and you had more money than you ever need - and you choose to work - what would you do?Rahul Vohra Founder CEO, Superman. Founded RapportiveRahul Vohra co-founded Rapportive that welches acquired by LinkedIn. He is now the Founder CE O of Superhuman a fast intelligent email client.The wording is important here it keeps the candidate thinking about jobs, as opposed to other activities. Given that, if the candidate talks about activities unrelated to the role, thats a big warning sign their dreams are misaligned with their reality. What is the biggest challenge youve ever faced? How did you get over it?This is another one of Rahuls favorite interview questions.If the candidate talks about a work challenge, you have to wonder whether they have authenticity or perspective. This question really only works in a 1-to-1 situation, where youve had the chance to establish rapport. If the candidate shares a personal story, be sure to thank them for it.Whats the biggest misconception people have about you? Why do they have that? Whats the reality?Another great question that is put by Rahul to his interviewees. He says 9 times out of the 10 the misconception is actually true, and the candidate has given you examples of how this is the case.What was the best team you ever been on be it in a professional environment or not and why it was such a good team?Alex Cavoulacos Co-Founder COO, The MuseAlex Cavoulacos is the Co-Founder COO of The Muse an online portal that helps people in searching jobs, exploring top companies and offers expert career advice. She says that seeing what candidates value in a team tells her a lot about their style and priorities, and there is no right answer, which gives them room to show personality. What is the one thing you want to learn during your time here?David Cancel Co-Founder CEO, DriftDavid Cancel is the Co-Founder CEO of Drift a messaging app that makes it easy for geschftslebenes to talk to their website visitors. He wants to recruit high performance individuals for his company and as per him the most effective approach for doing that is to align their personal goals with business goals.Also, if we do that then we create 10x potential for that person. Do you believe in horoscopes?Paras Chopra Founder CEO, WingifyParas Chopra is the Founder CEO of Wingify, the company behind Visual Website Optimizer one of the leading A/B Split Testing Software.He says the answer tells how much control the person feels on his/her life and actions.We are looking for individuals who have a strong internal locus of control and believe that the end result is a cause of their own actions. We believe such people display a higher sense of responsibility and judiciousness when taking important business decisions, compared to those who believe overtly in external factors like luck or competition affecting their performance.This is a real problem were facing ________ . Lets think it through together.Amanda Steinberg Founder CEO, DailyWorthAmanda Steinberg is the Founder CEO of DailyWorth a leading financial career advice portal for women. She is also the Co-Founder CEO of WorthFM a digital investment platform slated to launch this year. She says this qu estion tells her a lot about how the candidate thinks as well as how they might work together.What was for breakfast? Did you exercise this morning?Sairee Chahal Founder CEO, SHEROESSairee Chahal is the Founder CEO of SHEROES a career portal for women in India. She asks this question to gauge the candidates sense of self, discipline and perspective on life. She also says that in her opinion fitness and integrity are closely linked together.Do you really want to do something big and revolutionary? Do you understand what would be required of you to join us in this mission?David Sifry Founded TechnoratiDavid Sifry has started and built 6 companies both venture-backed and bootstrapped, and is the founder of Technorati the first blog search engine. Dave says that oftentimes, especially as the company grew, his job was primarily to convince the prospective employee to join, so he was often telling them why they existed, what they were trying to achieve, and what to expect if the candi date chose to work at his company.I often asked them if they really wanted to do something big and revolutionary, and if they understood what would be required of them to join us in that mission that this wasnt for everyone, and that there were plenty of great jobs out there for people with their formidable talents, but that we were looking for a special breed of person someone who wanted to step up and take risks, someone who had no problem going full-speed into things, even if that meant they left a dent in the wall. What I promised them is that we would give them the authority, the resources, and the teammates to go and break through those walls. What I asked them for was if they were willing to take on the commensurate responsibility that comes with that authority. And I wanted to make sure they really thought about it and were committed before they accepted the offer.What does your work setup look like?Alex Turnbull Founder CEO, GrooveAlex Turnbull is the Founder and CEO of Groove customer service software company. Their entire team works remotely and hence he always asks this particular question from the candidate.As a remote team, we need to hire not just great performers, but great remote performers people who can excel at self-starting and self-managing. A big part of that is being thoughtful about your workspace. If someone hasnt put much thought into their setup and works from their couch 100% of the time, or worse, doesnt know yet, this signals that they might not be ready for a remote position yet.There are a lot of right answers and very few wrong ones- we have folks working in everything from coffee shops to home offices to coworking spaces- but its important to me that some thought was put into this, either from previous remote experience or in preparation for future distributed work.Sidenote Team Resumonkworks remotely as well. Cheers to all the remote teams out there What are the top three books youve read this year?Jessica Mah Co-Founder CEO, inDineroWell, the interview is also a chance for the Founder to learn from the candidate. Jessica Mah is the Co-Founder CEO of inDinero accounting software and loves asking this question for herself.I ask that so I can add them to my reading list and figure out what to prioritize )Do you have any favorite question that you ask all the people you interview? Let us know in the comments below.Resumonk helps you create a beautiful rsum cover letter in minutes. Stand out from the crowd and multiply yourchances of landing your dream job. Check it out now

Sample Job Interview Questions

Sample Job Interview QuestionsSample Job Interview QuestionsEvery successful job candidate knows that the key to landing the best among open job orts is being prepared. From your initial phone screening to the in-person einstellungsgesprch, research, practice, and even a cold rehearsal are all vital elements to appearing cool, calm, collected and knowledgeable for the real deal.One of the most important areas to pre-game is the potential questions youll be asked by the prospective employer. While we dont have a magical crystal ball at the ready, we do have loads of experience in the types and even specific questions interviewers are likely to ask. Read on as we spill the beans on the most common sample job interview questions that will help you prep for the big day.The BasicsThe first category of question youll need to get the inside scoop on is the basic, foundational queries. unterstellung questions will often serve as ice-breakers, setting the tone for the interview to come. While the exact phrasing may vary, questions you can expect may includeTell me about yourself A great opportunity to provide a bit of background and context to your candidacy. Focus on your professional exploits more than hobbies and interests.What are your strengths and weaknesses? Set yourself up for sucess by pointing out the things that make you shine and those traits that you recognize need a bit of work.What interests you about this position? Frame your answer to this question around the job listing or position description and always try to draw the interviewer back to the professional strengths that have you excited about the new role.What are your long-term career goals? Retiring to a warm beach with a frosty beverage isnt what the interviewer is after here. Consider their interest in your long-term success and the areas in which youre looking forward to helping the company or business grow.Why are you leaving your current position? Definitely, a question for which you shoul d have a solid answer prepared. Remember not to bad mouth your current or previous employers and instead focus on major challenges, hurdles or obstacles to long-term growth.Do you have any questions? While this one may sneak its way into the end of the interview, dont be fooled into thinking its any less important of a query. Use this opportunity to ask about company culture, expectations of the position or any unclear details from the job listing. Show the interviewer youve performed your due diligence on the company for bonus points towards landing that job offer.Behavioral and Situational QuestionsWhile inquiries in this category have fallen out of favor with interviewers in recent years, this doesnt mean you shouldnt be prepared to answer should they pop up in your next interview. While the format and subject may vary, ansicht types of questions will generally take the form of a hypothetical what would you do scenario. Common questions to watch for in this category includeHow w ould you handle a difficult customer service situation?How would you approach an instance of unethical behavior in your manager or supervisor?Describe a difficult choice youve had to make in a prior position.How would you manage a disagreement with a co-worker?Describe a difficult decision youve had to make in your prior position and how you made that decision.While these may seem straightforward, there are a few key points to remember about questions in this category. First, the interviewer is attempting to gain a deeper insight into your personality or how you perform under pressure. Recognizing that will help you respond in relevant terms. Next, be careful not to divulge any confidential or sensitive information when answering with examples from your past. Loose lips sink ships and your new employer needs to trust your confidentiality. With that being said, the last thing to remember is to try to work in personal situations or actual scenarios youve faced, whenever possible. Givi ng real-life examples can help the interviewer envision you in the role.The Personality TestThe final category of questions you may face is geared towards flushing out your personality. Employers will often use these types of questions to identify soft skills such as the ability to use sound judgment or work in a team. While there are a variety of personal questions an employer shouldnt ask for employment law and discrimination reasons, below are a few perfectly acceptable and common queries you should be prepared forWhat are some of your hobbies?How would your friends or coworkers describe you?What are your life goals?What has been your favorite position or boss and why?What is the ideal work environment?While these types of questions may seem topical, remember your interviewer is looking for clues that youre just the right fit for the job at hand. Review the position listing for specific character traits or strengths and use your answers to bring those to light in yourself. Whethe r personal, professional or behavioral questions, your best approach is always to be prepared for whatever the hiring manager or other interviewers may have to throw at you. Practice answering the tough questions in advance for an extra boost of confidence and a composed appearance on interview day.

What does it mean to be spiritual A rational answer

What does it mean to be spiritual A rational answerWhat does it mean to be spiritual A rational answerThe year 1745 wasnt the best to be David Hume. This man, who many now consider to be the greatest philosopher to write in the English language, had over the years made enemies in the wrong places. In an epoch dominated by dogmatism, Hume was an outlier, and he wasnt afraid to show it. And so, when he sought the chair of Ethics and Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, people were outraged.How can we possibly let a man who has undermined the will of God and religion in his writing teach about ethics, they wondered a man who went out of his way to preach the wonders of extreme skepticism and cold atheism. As per their interpretation, this was a man who clearly sought to crush the foundation of morality on which they had built their society.Now, these charges, of curse, lacked merit, and Hume saw it to himself to correct them in an essay he wrote to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh ti tled A Letter from a Gentleman to his Friend in Edinburgh. He noted each charge and then wrote a rebuttal comparing it to his real position. Unfortunately, however, this didnt help. The clergy was overwhelming against his appointment, which he eventually withdrew. He continued to be chastised for the rest of his life due to the content of his work.As someone reading this in the 21st century, someone who is familiar with Humes work, I find this particularly interesting. Hume was a famous skeptic, no doubt, and he certainly did deliver some devastating critiques in regards to the existence of God and the religions built in his name, but the peoples core charges, it seems, suggest that he was a man entirely devoid of any kind of faith, that he was advocating some kind of nihilism - claims that couldnt be further from the truth. In fact, as I see it, Humes later work, An Enquiry Concerning menschengerecht Understanding, is perhaps the most spiritual work of philosophy written in the We stern world.Today, the term spirituality has one of two connotations the first is a classic religious one the second is inspired by New Age culture. Both of them seem to diverge away from a world where science and reason dominate. Broadly speaking, I think its correct to suggest that both categories embody spirituality better than cold, hard reason and that they are right in doing so.Many smart and thoughtful religious people, for example, have a relationship with truth that most scientifically-minded people should be envious of. But at the same time, some of the most religious and New Age-oriented people I have ever encountered are also among the least spiritual people around. Why? Because spirituality goes beyond dogma- something Hume showed perhaps better than anybody.Anyone who has spent enough time reading and thinking and living will come to the same conclusion that Hume did when he exercised his famous skepticism In a world where we have complete information about everything, reason can give us certain answers in the real world, however, where we are not even close to having all the answers - a world where words are fallible, where perception is fallible, where imagination is fallible, reason is more of a guide than it is a hallmark of truth. An example Those who confidently claimthat life is meaningless in the name of reason defeat themselves by doing so, because that claim cant be made logically in a world we dont fully understand - its an example of the intellect dumbing itself down with language when our experience so obviously tells us otherwise.Now, by doubting everything from his opponents arguments and the promises of religion and even the principle of causality (an especially devastating critique that some philosophers believe we might never recover from) to even his own positions, Hume showed that we all mostly operate on faith and habit in ways that arent obvious. The point was never to illustrate that we cant know anything, but more so, it was to humbly suggest that there are limitations to what the human mind can comprehend and understand, and we have to learn to operate in this complex world in spite of that fact without getting tangled away in our minds.Maybe one-day scientific instruments will remove the limitations that hold us back, and thats possible, but the chances are that the mysteries of both the Universe and our conscious experience are simply too complex to be confined to words and formulas. The confidence that many science-minded people (who often ironically dont understand how science works, mistaking it for the dogma of scientism) have in sciences ability to comprehend and disprove what lies beyond the laws of physics are just as lacking in concrete evidence as the certainty of the narratives that some religious-minded people are intent on imposing on others.In this vein, true spirituality is defined by skepticism - of both self and of authority, of both todays religions and of todays science. Its i ndividualistic, and thus, its the opposite of dogmatism. As soon as you use a phrase or a story to reduce away the complexity of life without acknowledgment, you are closing a gap left by reality with something that hides the uncertainty that is inherent in everything from our knowledge to our perception. True rationality is open-ended, and its skeptical about itself even as it does its best, knowing that an undiscovered mystery still lies ahead.The hallmark of any dogma, whether religious or scientific, is the attempt to use todays information to do away with the unknown-unknowns of a future without accepting that this future could very well prove us wrong, just as the past has been proven wrong, again and again, whenever we have entered a new paradigm. Todays truths do indeed allow us to project the patterns we can expect to see tomorrow to a healthy degree, but this truth is always probabilistic, and even a high probability truth can be wrong in unanticipated ways due to our own fallibility.Right now, the knowledge we use to assert the laws of physics is based on only5 percent of the Universe, with the remaining 95 percent being clouded away by dark matter and dark energy - entities that we dont have good assumptions about. Somehow, complex systems produce sums of wholes that are greater than their parts in ways that we dont understand. We call this emergence, which makes it sound like we know something we definitely dont, and it can be observed everywhere in nature. Gdels incompleteness theorems suggest that, due to the self-reference problem, logical systems will always be incomplete. And of course, again, Humes critique of causality gives us a reason to doubt the very foundation that we use to build all of our scientific knowledge on, and if not that (as the great Karl Popper almost convincingly argued), then it at least tells us that there might be knowledge out there that science cant uncover in its current form.When it comes to metaphysics, tradition ally, philosophy has leaned towards either theism or materialism. The former reasons the existence of God and has usually monopolized spirituality, and the latter is concerned with the sub-atomic particles that it assumes makes up everything. This materialism is also the implicit assumption that guides most scientists and thus conditions people living in the modern era, which is mostly fine, except for one thing Given where we are right now, materialism is just as much of a dogma as mostmaterialists assume theism is. In fact, Id argue that these categories are both wrong and that a rational skeptic practices science or religion as they do, in the relevant domain, but doesnt make any confident claims about the future, thus embracing what I define as spirituality by default.The question then, of course, is What does this spirituality represent beyond skepticism? The answer is A healthy respect for an uncertain reality a mysterious future looked upon without assumptions and with only a we a search for truth with open-ended rationality and a mind willing to entertain the absurd without pretending that the mask of language can define the unknown without the corroborating knowledge. Spirituality, in this sense, doesnt rule out what reasonable people think of as God or the supernatural, nor does it ignore what science currently tells us it lets you be you and me be me, as we both honor the uncertainty that reminds us that there is something bigger than us to be discovered.Whenever I reflect on this spirituality in my own life, I am brought back to late-summer nights spent with people I love at an old German-style cottage in the country. Even driving away from the city, it would feel like we were beingcompelled by a force of nature to move away from the sounds, the lights, the people, to something more honest, more pure in its expression. We would drive until the highways were replaced by broken roads, the high-rise apartments by enveloping trees, the web of pressures and expectations in our lives by the openness of freedom and potentiality.On these nights, as we settled in, as time began to dance to a different beat, we would sneak out of the back door and walk down to the dock and sit ourselves right where its wooden structure met the water. It would be quiet. The lake would be still. The moonlight would radiate. At first, the conversations that began inside would carry on outside, but eventually, our silence would match the silence of nature.In this silence, we would stare. We would stare at the ripples in the lake, and we would stare at the movement of the forest beside us, but mostly, we stare up. We would stare at the unpolluted sky, at a million little dots of brightness, with each one of them representing a different center of reality, with each constellation telling a different story. And in these moments, I would be reminded of something I am otherwise quick to forget I may be infinite in the complexity of my experience, but I am finite in the Universe. And with that, I would only smile - lightly, humbly, knowing that theres more, knowing that this isnt it.Want to think and live smarter? Zat Rana publishes a free weekly newsletter for 30,000+ readers atentwurf Luck.Thisarticlewas originally published onDesign Luck.

Learn How to Sell Any Product

Learn How to Sell Any ProductLearn How to Sell Any ProductSalespeople from different industries tend to use different sales techniques. After all, if youre selling high-end financial products to giant corporations youll need to approach your prospects in an entirely different way from someone who sells books at a neighborhood bookstore. Still, the fundamental rules of how to sell remain the saatkorn regardless of your product type and customer base. Know the Product If you dont understand what youre selling, youre going to miss out on a lot of sales. You wont know the best customer fit for your product, so you wont be able to do a good job of qualifying prospects. You wont know all the products benefits, which means youll be constantly missing chances to woo prospective customers. And if a prospect asks you a technical question, you wont know the answer... which takes away your option of presenting yourself as an expert or a consultant. Selling without product knowledge is like r unning a marathon with your legs tied together. Honor Your Prospects If you feel contempt for your prospects, theyll know it no matter how hard you try to hide it. You need to put yourself in a respectful, helpful mindset before you so much as pick up the phone. Most people think of salespeople as selfish and out to help themselves, which is why the consultative approach is so effective it turns that stereotype on its head. But if you actually are putting yourself first, your prospects will be hostile and unhappy even if you manage to pressure them into buying. Which means theyll almost inevitably tell their friends, family, and co-workers how much they dislike you. This is not the word of mouth reputation you want to create. Be Truthful Another salesperson stereotype that youll have to overcome is the untrustworthy trickster. Meaning, the salesperson who sells products that break down in a week or cons prospects into buying a lot of unnecessary extras. Like the previous s tereotype, the way to overcome this unfortunate feeling is to do just the opposite. By being completely straightforward and honest with your prospects, youll create a positive impression that will keep them coming back for more (and hopefully send their friends to you as well). Be Likeable In many ways, success in sales comes down to personality. Ask a hundred star salespeople what approach they take and youll get a hundred and one answers but what theyll all have in common is likeability. Almost all resistance to buying boils down to fear on the prospects part. If they dont like the person whos trying to sell them something, theyre unlikely to buy no matter how great the product itself is. But if they like and feel comfortable with a salesperson, theyre much more likely to take the plunge. Never Stop Growing The fundamentals of sales are always the same, but the tools and techniques that you can use to apply them are constantly changing. Like doctors and lawyers, salespeop le need to stay on top of these changes. This includes internal company changes, such as policy shifts and product updates, and external changes, such as the rise of social media or new state and federal regulations for your industry. Salespeople can never stop learning and growing. But thats not really a drawback because if youre constantly learning and developing your skills, youre not likely to become bored with your job. Instead of giving the same pitch to the same prospects day after day, you can explore new tactics, talk to new people and keep stretching yourself in new ways.