Cold Calling, Coffee, & Books

Are you wondering why something seems off with this title? The first two words make sense, in our field. The other two? Familiar, yes. But related? How??

Yes, like yourselves, Munzai's team from project managers to SDRs also need their caffeine dose before cold calling (Chai, rather than coffee for most).?

Honestly, some are downright grumpy without it.??

But, books...where do they fit in??

Well, since today is International Literacy Day, we dug around and bugged the nerds & the bookish sort to meet the deadline for this newsletter.?

I think that's enough of an attempt at a sense of humor.?

Let's get serious:?

Books - Where would we be without them??

Once upon a time, reading was a mark of the privileged classes. It was their pastime.??

It was something denied to the masses to keep them in darkness.??

Even during those periods, when people could read and write, many literary works were destroyed by emperors & other influential people out of fear that they would sow ideas into people's minds.?

That's the power of books.?

They enlighten the mind. And the soul.?

Fast forward to the age of the internet, there is all sorts of literature out there. In honor of a day such as today which celebrates them, I share below some books which have been eye-opening for many, including myself. This list is not exclusive to sales or marketing; it includes many genres, where some are genres themselves or an author, rather than just titles.??

For brevity's sake, these gems are atop this list:?

Creativity, Inc.??

I am not much of a book reader myself, I find myself drawn to podcasts, youtube videos, news articles and blogs instead. Taking the time out to read an entire book feels impossibl eto me in this day and age. But when I tried reading this book by Ed Catmull, Pixar’s co-founder, it made a mark on me as a person and as a businessman and I had read it cover-to-cover before I knew it. The one lesson that I took to heart and have applied at Munzai is:?

“It's not the manager's job to prevent risks.?

It's the manager's job to make it safe for others to take risks.”?

If you think SDRs don't need to take risks, think again. At Munzai, though we prepare our team for campaigns using tailored scripts, we also encourage them to take initiatives such as going for the tough questions during a discovery call. It's not the go-to method. It's more of a follow-up call thing. But if there's an opening, and the SDR thinks he can skip the steps and get ahead, our managers support it.??

Note: This one I endorse a full hundred percent. I don't force my ideas and inspirations on others, but I made an exception for this one. I ordered a bunch of copies and gave them to my project managers.??

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life?

Ikigai - a reason to live.??

Aren't we all looking to find that???

Maybe not now, but that question does pop up, at some point in life. The secret to true balance; taking family, social events, work, personal time, finances and the need to make a positive difference in the world into account. This book helps you find the reason by overlapping and aligning with four crucial facets:?

• Things that ignite your mind & soul - your passion?

• Things that people demand of you - your mission?

• Things you can do well - your vocation?

• Things that let you earn - your profession??

Even if you have found your ikigai, this book is a silent friend nudging you forward when you forget that reason.?

Dale Carnegie?

I purposely mentioned the American writer and lecturer instead of his massively successful book: How to Win Friends and Influence People. The title was first published in 1936. And it's still effective today. Growing up, my grandfather kept on and on about how important it was to understand and apply the principles in this book. Though I never did it directly, the philosophies and concepts were thoroughly distilled in me courtesy of my bookish & beloved grandfather.??

You may also benefit from Dale Carnegie's other best-selling books:?

• The Art of Public Speaking??

• How to Stop Worrying and Start Living?

The Diary of a Young Girl?

Have you ever felt threatened because of your race, or creed so much that your family decides to go into hiding? Anne Frank, the 13-year-old girl, wrote her fears, and thoughts along with normal teenage things in her diary before she and her family were found by the Nazis and taken to the concentration camps where millions of Holocaust victims had perished.??

Perhaps, we can take heart from Anne Frank's words during those self-wallowing moments when things seem like they are spiraling out of control:?

“There's only one rule you need to remember: laugh at everything and forget everybody else! It sounds egotistical, but it's actually the only cure for those suffering from self-pity.”?

Fiction?

Escaping into epic stories of adventure, fantasy, romance and you name it was once the only entertainment. Today though there are other avenues such as video-on-demand services, the readers in our collective gene pool still go for books. And that's a great thing since fiction reading:

• improves imagination and creativity?

• builds emotional intelligence??

• Increases empathy?

• enhances memory and sleep?

• reduces stress and anxiety?

Moreover, you can draw inspiration from fiction like we did from Alice in Wonderland and implement it into your work life.??

So, feel free to curl up somewhere cozy with a fictional book and a steaming mug of coffee or another beverage.??

Here are the world's favorite novels by numbers:?

• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes – 500 million.??

• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens – 200 million.??

• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – 180 million.??

• The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien – 150 million.??

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J K Rowling – 120 million.?

Psst. Our SDRs voted the last two as their favorite. I am hoping it's because they read the book and not because they watched the movie like the majority of the world.?

Share the Joy?

Don't let the books gather dust when you can spread knowledge, hope, joy and so much more with your books. You can give them to:?

• Friends & Family?

• Library & Schools?

• Retirement Homes?

• Orphanages?

• Used Bookstores?

• Prison?

So spread the good cheer &??

Keep Reading!?