Enrollment.
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Notes
Most people (including salespeople) try to avoid it.
Sales is:
- Changing minds (“never heard of it” –> “no” –> “yes”)
- Upending the status quo (changing the world)
- Not selfish—focuses on benefits of the change
- Creating tension (possibility of failure)
Creators dance with that tension. We need to “sell ourselves on it” before we sell others on it.
Learning to sell to others is the best way to learn to sell yourself on the work (trust yourself): answer objections, hear people persuade themselves.
“Ultimately, a successful sales call results in enrollment.”
Thoughts
I’ve heard Seth talk about “enrollment” in other contexts. (I see that the next chapter is called “Enrollment,” as well.) He uses the word especially when he talks about learning (as opposed to, he says, education). But the idea is that getting people to “enroll”—to be sold on the idea—is the key to a successful project.
I am—apparently like most other people—not pleased with the idea of selling. Here, Seth manages to take the literal sense of the word and blends it with a metaphorical sense (tricky!). And when I add the metaphorical dimension, I see that we’re back to “Trust Your Self“—believing that the creative work you want to ship has value—not for everyone (and not just for anyone, as has been my modus operandi), but for “someone.” And, when the creative work lands, that someone becomes enrolled.
When I think of this, I think of Amanda Palmer’s TED Talk about “The Art of Asking” (also a book, with a Foreword from the wonderful Brené Brown). I know she got some flack for how she did tours—having local musicians play for hugs and beer, couch surfing with fans, etc.—as some people thought she was taking advantage of her fans. But she definitely has enrollment: her fans want to help, despite (or because of) the controversies that surround her.
Anyway, I’m not sure yet what that means to me. Perhaps the next chapter will make that clearer.
This series is meant to capture my thoughts as I work through Seth Godin’s The Practice. It’s a book with over 200 (very short) chapters, which I hope to work through and, I further hope, to implement over time.
If you’re interested in more of Godin’s ideas, or my thoughts about them, you can check out this collection of posts. Note that if you’re more interested in the former, you should probably get Godin’s book and read it yourself; my notes will be both incomplete and idiosyncratic, and my thoughts will relate to my own experience.
But if my thoughts resonate with you, or if you think I’m just silly, I welcome your comments.