Pretty simple really.
do what everyone else does.
That’s the definition of average, right?
These days it’s getting even easier to be average
Open Claude.
Tell it to do whatever you want it to do, and it does it
Congrats! You’re now average
The dictionary describes average as:
‘Being ordinary, usual, or not out of the ordinary.
Lacking special distinction, quality, or rank (mediocre)’
I get it.
No one wants to be that,
but it’s our actions that decide what we become.
Another way to think about average is not putting in extra effort.
I think you know where I’m going with this.
If you continually follow the easier path,
where many people are,
and expect a different outcome, you will be disappointed.
No one I meet wants to be average,
yet how many people are willing to do the extra to separate themselves?
We hear a lot in sales these days that outreach is average,
that LinkedIn AI’s comments are average,
that there’s too much slop.
Rather than talking about it, the solution is obvious
There’s a single word that will separate you from average.
It’s called effort. Effort in the dictionary is described as
‘Effort is a noun defined as the physical or mental energy needed to do something, a serious attempt or try, or an achievement produced by hard work’
I’m not suggesting we don’t use Claude.
I’m not suggesting we don’t use AI.
What I’m suggesting is we add effort over the top.
Don’t be the person who complains about everything looking the same.
Be the person who does something different:
Write your own content
Write your own emails
Make cold calls
Send people physical outreach
Create unique videos of yourself
Do more meetings
Go to in-person events
Think creatively about outreach
In a world where people are optimizing for being average,
if you put in effort you will stand out.
Indeed I think it’s never been easier to not be average,
Logically if everyone’s optimizing for being average,
it takes less effort than normal to not be average.
Because the hard path, that takes effort, is pretty empty
These are the times to put in effort,
because if you do, you’re gonna sell a lot.
Get at it
Content of the week
A movie from space.
It’s Project Hail Mary.
It might be a film about space and a rock from another place,
but it’s also about ‘human’ interactions.
That’s what sales is.
Sales is just how to interact with humans.
A beautiful lesson on listening, understanding, and empathy,
which are some of the greatest traits of sales.
I hope you enjoy it.