⚡️ Today’s level up ⚡️

Today’s edition talks about the impact of saying no to more things can have on freeing up your calendar and boosting your earnings potential.Let’s go!Read time: <7 minutesIf you missed last week, read it here.

Saying “yes” all the time shouldn’t last forever

“When you say yes to something, it’s imperative that you understand what you’re saying no to.” — Gary Keller

​Last week​, I talked about the trap sellers face when starting a new role at most SaaS companies, which is the false sense of security the typical onboarding process gives you.

The antidote is saying yes to more business conversations as early as possible. But at some point, which I found to be after my first year as a Strategic Account Director, shifting from constantly saying “yes” to defaulting to “no” is a better way to operate. Not only does it give you the ability to focus on the right accounts, but it helps you to weed out what’s not serving you well in your broader life.

On my path to repeating 7-figure earning years in the corporate SaaS world, my mindset was fixated on this theme: “How can I do the fewest things that make the biggest impact?”

That’s not to be confused with laziness. Instead, it’s a filter in which I wanted to weed out the non-essential things that don’t serve me or the VIP people in my life well. Although I think this endeavor is a lifelong journey (it’s certainly still a work-in-progress for me), I’ll unpack a toolkit that has served me well.

Let’s dive in.

The First Thief of Productivity

“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” — Josh Billings

I’ve recently shared the love I have for the book ​The ONE Thing​ by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.

In chapter 17, the authors focus on the four major obstacles or "thieves" that steal productivity and prevent people from achieving their highest potential. These thieves are identified as the primary barriers to focusing on the ONE Thing that truly matters. They are:

1. Inability to Say “No”2. Fear of Chaos3. Poor Health Habits4. Environment Doesn’t Support Your Goals

I highly recommend you picking up this book and reading it in full.

I want to highlight all four of these “thieves” preventing you from having a more uncluttered calendar and a more robust bank account because they are not separate from one another. However, I do want to focus this edition primarily on the inability to say no.

Keller and Papasan argue that people often fall into the trap of saying "yes" to demands, requests, and opportunities without considering their alignment with their primary goals. This tendency to accommodate others can lead to a dilution of focus and energy, preventing individuals from concentrating on the most important tasks that contribute to their success.

The chapter emphasizes the importance of learning to say "no" strategically. By doing so, individuals can protect their time and resources, ensuring they are invested in activities that align with their core objectives. The authors suggest that saying "no" is not about rejecting every opportunity but about discerning which opportunities are truly beneficial and which are distractions.

They highlight a story about Steve Jobs to illustrate the importance of saying no to more things in your life:

In the end, the best way to succeed big is to go small. And when you go small, you say no - a lot. A lot more than you have ever considered before.

No one knew how to go small better than Steve Jobs. He was famously as proud of the products he didn’t pursue as he was of the transformative products Apple created. In the two years after his return in 1997, he took the company from 350 products to ten. That’s 340 nos, not counting anything else proposed during that period.

At the 1997 MacWorld Developers Conference, he explained, “When you think about focusing, you think, ‘Well, focusing is saying yes.’ No! Focusing is about saying no.” Jobs was after extraordinary results and he knew there was only one way to get there. Jobs was a “no” man.

The authors go on to say:

The art of saying yes is, by default, the art of saying no. Saying yes to everyone is the same as saying yes to nothing.

Each additional obligation chips away at your effectiveness at everything you try. So the more things you do, the less successful you are at any one of them. You can’t please everyone, so don’t try. In fact, when you try, the one you absolutely won’t please is yourself.

I get it, saying no, is hard, especially to new prospects or needy clients. That’s why you need to take some time out of your hectic schedule to get clear on what you need to say no to. Below I share a framework that worked wonders (and continues to serve me well).

Saying yes pays you 6 figures, while saying no pays you 7

“Focus is a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.” — John Carmack

You’re not a machine, you’re a human.

That means you have to be purposeful with the finite resources of time, energy, and attention and you need to understand clearly what activities and types of accounts are delivering the most money and satisfaction for you.

This will be how you explode your net worth using tech sales all without burning out. Here’s a motion that was passed on to me that helped me earn nearly $4M in four years:

Run an audit of your 30-day performance on the first business day of every month.

Use the TEAMS framework to guide your analysis:

(T) Time

- How much time did you work?- Where did you spend your time?- Where do you want to spend your time?

→ Try using a time tracker like ​Timeular​ to get accurate insights.

(E) Energy

- What gave you energy, and why?- What drained your energy, and why?

→ ​Manage Your Energy Like a Pro Athlete​

(A) Attention

- Who/what got the most attention, and why?- Who/what do you want to give more attention to, and why?- What is the thing distracting you the most, and how can you reduce or eliminate it?

→ ​Here’s How To Protect And Leverage Your Attention​

(M) Money

- How much revenue did you generate?- How much income did you make?- What is your hourly rate?- How much did you spend?- Where did you make investments, and why?- What should you invest in more, and how do you automate it?

→ ​Build Your Financial Freedom OS​

(S) Score

- What is your win rate?- What is your average deal size?- What is your average deal cycle?- What went well, and how can you repeat it more?- What needs to improve, and how can you ensure it does?

→ ​The only scoreboard that matters is the one you keep with yourself​

Making life-changing income in strategic sales is possible. But the first step is knowing clearly what to say no to. Once you do, your earnings skyrocket!

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY READING: The Fast Path To Transforming Your Sales Career Is Thinking Big (And Acting Small)

That’s a wrap! See you next week.

Here’s how I can help you right now (big changes coming- get these while you can):

1 | Unlock the 7 Figure Seller OSLearn how to use design and systems thinking to become a 7 figure seller. There are 3 options to allow you to customize your learning journey.2 | Download The 7 Figure Open LetterGet the creative strategic selling strategy that landed a $5.9M deal with a top 4 major global airline. Bonus inside!3 | Book a 1:1 coaching session right nowYou can book a 60-minute coaching session with me (although the Pro above option provides access to 1:1 coaching with me at a 70% discount).