“In today’s world, it’s not ok to not know.”

• Steve Heston (b. 1961)

What if your Client doesn’t show up tomorrow? Who’d the new decision maker? What if your Client retires or gets an exciting new gig with another company? Who makes the decisions at the old company? Does the Client take you to the new company?

What if a competitor is working the next three guys in line while you’re going fishing and playing golf with the guy who’s announced his retirement date? Is that a risk you’re willing to take?

There are too many information sources today to not at least have an idea of what comes next. And Difference Makers live in that space. Next.

“I will prepare, and someday my chance will come.”

• Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of The United States

I could have used “men plan and God laughs,” but I can’t fully attribute it.

Look, here’s the deal.

It’s all about what we do next. Next. Not what we did, not what we might have done or could have done. What we do. NEXT.

All that planning and preparation? Maybe it was designed to get us here. Now. Maybe it wasn’t our plan. Maybe it was a grander plan.

Perhaps today is our someday. And perhaps our chance has come. What will we do? Next?

“The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence.”

• Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895 – 1986), Indian philosopher and speaker

It’s also really flippin’ difficult, especially the more laps around the track we have under our wheels.

Some people also say it’s a “guy thing,” that men are wired to fix, not listen and empathize. Regardless of gender, if we’ve “seen this movie before,” it can be far too easy to presume we know how the story ends. As often as not, we don’t.

When we begin a new engagement in a field in which we have extensive experience, we’re called to exercise what Krishnamurti calls the highest form of intelligence. I’d never heard of him until I searched for a quote on this topic, and I don’t know if I agree with anything else he ever said or did.

That said, his “take” is worth considering, and its difficulty will make it even more rewarding the closer we get to executing the discipline.

“Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through your fingertips.”

• Dawson Trotman (1906 – 1956), evangelist and founder of The Navigators

Maybe I missed yesterday’s post due to tangled thoughts or clumsy fingers, but today, we’ll close the week with a case for pen and paper.

AI is pretty powerful, and I’m using it much more than I anticipated. As a guy that’s always preferred a “blank page, from scratch” approach, contracts, invoices, reports; AI has saved me time and even helped me avoid a couple errors.

That said, journaling, note-taking, and letter-writing are still better served with a pen and paper, at least in my world. There is something about the synapses firing in the brain, running down the arm, and interacting with the paper itself that aids my understanding and memory.

Too much to do? Handwrite a list. Unsure where to begin a task? Handwrite the steps and arrange them. Taking notes by typing borders on rude and distracting. Taking notes by recording limits the conversation and may not be legal everywhere, unless fully disclosed.

When thoughts might be tangled, or subject to tangling, let the untangling commence. Grab a pen and a sheet o’ paper and let the untangling commence!

“There’s a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot.”

• Steven Wright (b.1955), dry, dry, dry comedian

The same is true of professional, B2B sales. There’s a fine line between so much of what we do and what we ought to do.

DO: Ask questions, genuinely wanting to know the answer, not to set up what you plan to say next.

DON’T: Bore them with facts and data, features and benefits, until you know if the facts, data, features or benefits apply to their specific need.

DO: Research, prepare, be empathetic, and ready to help, even if your product or solution isn’t a “fit.”

DON’T: Sell through obstacles. Honor them. Own them. Find out why they’re important to the buyer.

Today’s buyers come to the table with a good part of their journey already behind them. Today’s B2B sellers owe it to everyone to ensure that the buyer doesn’t have to waste time in our process.

On Tuesday, I was on the phone with a service provider. It’s one of my favorites. I am, one would think, a pretty good customer of theirs. I entered all my information in the automated phone queue. I then confirmed all that information with the first agent, who very politely let me know she couldn’t answer my question, so she referred me to the supervisor. The supervisor was very helpful and provided me with my answer, but only after I had to reconfirm all the information I had given to the answering system and the first agent.

I’ll might still be a pretty good customer of theirs. It’s just that they’re no longer one of my favorites.

How can we be top of mind when the incumbent stumbles? Be different. Be aware of the buyer’s journey and honor it at every step.

“I’ve had purpose long before anyone had an opinion about it.”

• Jalen Hurts, Super Bowl-winning QB, as quoted by Max Homa, PGA Tour stud and almost Fred Couples-like, in a recent Golf Digest article

What’s our purpose?

Loosely stated, The Heston Group seeks to make a difference. For companies, the individuals within them, the shareholders, and the broader business community that interact with the business.

It’s more bigger than that.

To be a great dad. To learn from mistakes but still make them freely (as long as their of aggression and not passivity), to be a witness for God, to be a friend, especially to those who need one.

Opinions, it’s said, are like poo parts. Everyone has them and none of them illicit a flowery aroma.

Our purpose survives scrutiny. It survives opinion. It’s our heartbeat, our true north, and thirteen other clichés that happen to be spot on in this case and on this topic. That’s SPOT. ON.

Haters will hate. Doubters will doubt. Some of them will be very close to us. Allegedly. If our purpose is well-defined, so then, are the people we ought to let close enough during good times and times of trial.

“You cannot think of big tests and triumphs as final. When we prepare to win, we prepare to win all the time.”

• Bill Belichick, (B. 1952) legendary football coach and 6-time Super Bowl Champion Head Coach

It is easy to view a big deal, a major presentation, an important interview, or a high-stakes rivalry game as being different.

Belichick’s point is to prepare the same way for every deal, presentation, interview, and game. It’s about how we do what we do, all the time, that determines our rate of success.

Today’s post is from an op-ed BB wrote in the Wall Street Journal last weekend. It’s worth the read.

“Never forget these 3 things: (1.) Not all facts are helpful. (2.) You lose sight of the big picture when you get too close. (3.) It’s easy to lie in the language of numbers because people think numbers never lie.”

• Roy H. Williams

“Figures lie and liars figure.”

• Dick Heston (1933 – 2002)

In these data-and-analytics-driven times, let’s follow the advice of two of the wisest men of my lifetime.

Even as we zoom in, let’s keep the big picture in sight. It’s a longer game than we think, and how we finish matters.

“Everyone on earth is stupid except for me and you, and I’m starting to worry about you.”

• Dick Heston (1933 – 2002), my dad and a clever (and funny) dude

“Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not yet completely sure about the universe.”

• Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955), German-born theoretical physicist

Golf matters to me, which might be proof Dad’s concerns were well-placed. Last night, I was two over par through five holes and proceeded to triple bogey the last four. Dumb. Game. Dumber. Player.

Our health system is dumb. Our political system, perfect in design, and now completely wrecked by Einstein’s “human stupidity theory.” (Theory or fact. Let the debate begin!)

Our tax system is dumb, most of our organizational structures are at least dopey. College sports have become dumb. Smart phones are dumb and making us dumber, and — well, before I go too far into “Get off my lawn!” mode, hopefully you’re at least along for the ride.

I only have five “rules” and the fifth one was a gift from a leader of mine about twenty years ago. “Heston, let’s add a fifth rule,” he said. “Rule #5: Let’s don’t do stupid stuff.”

Some people get offended by that, feeling like their intelligence is being questioned. Not the case! It’s our actions that we ought to question, and the smarter we are, the more critical we ought to be in that effort! Not only was Einstein smart (look it up!), but he was also human; yet, he called out all of us in his indictment. Heck, if you’re reading this blog, the odds are, you’re pretty danged smart.

How can we get through today without doing something to refute that?

Does what I’m doing make sense now? What if I didn’t do this thing I’m thinking about doing? What if we spit-balled three options on how to tackle this thing we know we ought to do, before we jump in and just do it? Another great quote from Dad: “Don’t just do something! Stand there!” A pause, a breath, presence, focus – they all prevent Rule #5 violations.

Stupidity, dumbness – call it what you will – wilts in the face of questions. Let’s be curious!

“If we can avoid doing something, we will.”

• Jensen Huang, Co-founder and CEO of Nvidia

File this one under not wearing our busy-ness as a badge of honor.

The to-do list likely won’t get shorter unless we take a razor blade (chain saw?) to it.

Huang suggests focusing on what is both essential and foundational at the expense of luxuries or “nice-to-haves” (quotation marks are mine, not his).

The Heston Group suggests that most sales teams play “less often, and more better.” And, “more better” is a technical term here. Engaging where we have a chance to win makes us grow faster, sweat less and gnash fewer teeth, and tear less clothing.

Make a new list: things we won’t do, and then breathe in the reward of having more time to do the things we must do, better.