Welcome to Our Direct Connect Forum
Thank you for your interest in our book summary Connect Forum. We offer a direct 12-minute video summary and an 8-10 question guide to help you apply the topics in the book. Go from reading educational books in 6+ weeks, to just 1-hour each week!
The live forum is held every Wednesday from 4-5 pm at the Deliberate Direction office in Boise, ID, and costs $15 to attend. The benefit to attending in person is that there is a 45-minute group round-table discussion, which allows you to glean from other like-minded individuals and bounce ideas to and from. Come prepared to discuss the topics covered in the books but be aware that there is no requirement to have read the book prior to the forum.
If you are a busy business leader or someone who wants to make an impact in your organization, this forum is the right fit.
For interest in further in-person forums and to purchase a ticket, check out our Eventbrite page.
Post By Anna Thiele, Deliberate Directions Leadership Strategist
Anna focuses on writing website content and hosting a “Leadership, No Homework” book club. Anna received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication, with a certificate in Leadership and Human Resources, from Boise State University. In her spare time, Anna enjoys rock climbing, traveling, music, and the Enneagram.
I find myself constantly looking at ads and thinking about what a wonderful idea that is. Or, as I am talking to a colleague and getting excited about their upcoming event, wondering how I can replicate their energy. Then as I pull out my smarter goal sheet and brainstorm ideas, I realize I have a good idea that I should revise rather than create an entirely new one. So why on earth am I being sold on their event/product and not feeling confident about my own? They must be experts on the DELTA model and they must know that people love to buy! The topic this week is based on Jerry Acuff’s best seller, Start Thinking Like A Buyer.
Jerry Acuff’s DELTA Model:
Develop
Engage
Listen
Tell
Ask
After watching the video on Start Thinking Like A Buyer by Jerry Acuff, make sure you know what is involved in each step of the DELTA model, try your hand at applying it to your Ideal Customer Avatar. Maybe it is a prospective client you have a meeting with or instead it is the client you love working with. Whichever you choose, go through each of the steps and imagine what a conversation would look like with them in specific. Heads up: it’ll probably never go the way you intend, but it’s good to have the practice maneuvering through different situations to get you comfortable.
In Person
My favorite part of studying the books and sharing the topic with others is there is always a part that someone doesn’t agree with. At our live event, August 10, 2022, Scott Robertson, wrote vigorously on his notes page and occasionally shook his head in agreement. When the video was over, I inquired. “The book is saying to grab someone’s attention quickly, but in my experience you want it to take time and the development process is slow and intentional.” We shifted the activity slightly to have a deeper conversation about what the two processes can look like in the DELTA model. In Scott’s opinion, he is in a position at work to be very specific about the clients he takes on. He cares more about a long-term relationship where they can talk about their day and business and him be able to connect them to others because he knows them. This is the long game he was talking about and that type of relationship doesn’t come after one meeting. He emphasized the importance of not rushing the process and if the fit isn’t right, then he will move on. It was refreshing to hear that sales can be a fun process and not this daunting feeling of needing someone else but wanting someone else. Whereas he felt by making an immediate effort to grab a client’s attention, you run the risk of getting a transactional relationship with them.
In the end, we agreed that it is totally dependent on the type of business and service you are offering/selling. Knowing that this process worked extremely well for Jerry Acuff (seeing as though he was able to write a best-selling book on the topic) does not guarantee it will work the same for you. However, it is a good reflection point on how to improve your sales process.
And remember, people hate to be sold but they love to buy! We hope to see you at the next live forum!
Start Thinking Like a Buyer Script
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Start Thinking Like a Buyer in Action
Fill out this worksheet to explore how you’re applying your learnings from Start Thinking Like a Buyer.
