Axiom 29: Sell Yourself First

"Everyone lives by selling something." -Robert Louis Stevenson

"Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman - not the attitude of the prospect." 

-W, Clement Stone

If you're not good at selling yourself then you'll never be good at selling anything else. I've known a lot of talented and smart people that couldn't succeed because they couldn't sell themselves and their ideas to others. Likewise, I've also known many people who were very average in their abilities who accomplished a lot by being great at selling themselves. We're all politicians in our own way, crafting our message in order to convince others to follow us. In a lot of ways it can seem superficial and showy but it is very necessary to completing the sell. Sometimes the way the message is delivered is more important than the message itself.

There are plenty of people that say, "I'm not in sales. I don't need to know about selling". To that I say, "We are all in sales". Selling is the most crucial and vital skill you can learn in life.

Here are some instant ways to sell yourself better:

• Have a firm handshake. Not too soft, not too strong. Never let the other person turn your hand palm up while shaking it because it is a sign of dominance.  
• Maintain strong eye contact. The eyes are the window to the soul. Make sure you maintain strong and direct eye contact. Make sure the other person breaks eye contact first.
• Have impeccable hygiene. Make sure you are well groomed, you smell nice, and you are clean at all times.
• Dress appropriately. You clothes make a strong subconscious statement about yourself. Make sure you are dressed for the situation and that your clothes are clean and fit properly.
• Speak with confidence. Don't stutter. Don't hesitate. Maintain a strong and commanding flow of your speech.   

Utah's Favorite Condiment: Fry Sauce

Around the Salt Lake City area I discovered a condiment virtually unknown to the outside world. It's called "Fry Sauce", a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup, and sometimes other ingredients.

So what's so magical about this special sauce anyway? I was determined to find out myself so I went to the regional fast food chain, Arctic Circle to try some. 

Arctic Circle claims to be the inventor of fry sauce. They even sell it in to-go bottles (see picture above). Many restaurants have copied them with their own fry sauce recipe, but I decided to try the originator first to make my own judgement. 

So I took a fry and plunged it into this mysterious sauce for the first time. My first impression was that is was slightly bland and underwhelming. Then something magical happened. I was devouring this stuff with out even knowing it. Fry sauce has a funny way of flying under the radar and being very addicting at the same time.

While I don't think this stuff will ever reach notoriety outside of Utah, I do think its worth a try for anyone that is in the area. 

Axiom 28: Inherent Value

"Strive not to be a success , but rather to be of value." -Albert Einstein

"What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." 

-Oscar Wilde

A few years ago I was visiting a company down in Houston that I purchase a lot of material from for my job. I was utterly fascinated by the size and scope of the products that they had on the shelf. As I walked through their huge facility I couldn't help but ask a lot of what I thought at the time were stupid questions.

"Wow, how many of those do you keep in stock?" I asked.

"If we don't have at least 20,000 of those on the shelf at all times we're in trouble." he replied.

"That's an incredible amount of inventory for just one item!" I responded.

As we continued the tour my eyes were drawn to a part I had never seen,

"I've never seen that before, how much does that sell for?" I asked.

"Whatever the market will bear." He responded.

"Give me a ballpark figure." I asked.

"I can't. It's really whatever the market will bear. See, the owner of this company places a huge emphasis on inventory." he continued, "That's why when you call us you know we'll have what you want in stock. Depending on the situation the market will dictate the price."

It took awhile for the real meaning of that conversation to sink in but it finally did. Everything has an inherent value, even you and me. That value is not static, it fluctuates, and scarcity is main determining factor in value.

When it comes to buying a product or service something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. It doesn't matter what the price tag says. It only matters what someone is willing to actually pay and scarcity means that people are usually willing to pay more.

So look at yourself like a commodity for a moment. Are you marketing yourself the same way everyone else is or do you have something different to offer the world? As you progress in life you acquire skills that give you a differentiating factor from the rest of the public. Market these skills and use them to your advantage because ultimately the market will dictate your value regardless.