Can You Read?

Can you read? I mean, really read. Not a book, but a room. It is such an underrated skill. Knowing when and how to engage is a goldmine. But so many of us don’t want to read. We want to skim. The result? Missed opportunities.

One of the reasons why I am so good in a crisis situation, is my ability to sell. Being able to sell you on the fact that you’re safe, and we’ll figure it out together. Which coincidentally, is why I am really good at sales as well. Making you feel like I hear your needs and that I care. And you don’t learn that from a book. You learn that, because you live that. Being able to meet people where they are, will take you further than education ever will.

Here’s the secret. Sales is not about selling. It is about making a connection. People crave true connection. If you can do that, you will be successful at sales, love, and life in general. Everyone wants to be heard. The problem is that everyone is talking. Stand out by standing down. Stop trying to influence. Let connections unfold organically. If you can do that, you will win every time.

People {and life} will respond to you when you show up with intentions of fairness. Put me in a boardroom, ballroom, synagogue or {prison} cell. Doesn’t matter where my feet are, I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine because I can read a room. I can read a room, because I truly do care about people. And because I care about people, I have already won.

Forget trying to influence. Forget needing to be right. Forget trying to sell. That is reading a book. Show up, shut up, and take an active interest in people. That is reading a room. And that’s how you’ll win too.