The Surprising Mindset of Effective Leaders: Habits of the World’s Most Successful People. While doing research for their Wall Street Journal bestselling HarperCollins book, The Unsold Mindset, Colin and Garrett interviewed some of the world’s most successful people about their work. The list included famous CEOs, investors, athletes, artists, lawyers, educators, entertainers, military leaders, doctors, and innovators. After countless interviews, patterns started to emerge about how all of these unique individuals approached leading and motivating themselves and others, and about the ways they approach their own personal and professional development. Colin and Garrett found that the greatest leaders on the planet are the opposite of who we expect them to be.

In this talk, Colin and Garrett draw from a collection of entertaining and engaging stories to share common traits of great leaders who have made an impact across industries, experiences, and job descriptions, and are proven motivators with the ability to inspire and bring the best out of others. They describe specific ways successful people build habits as learners and growers and explore some of the scientific research behind why these traits and mindsets are so effective. Colin and Garrett will leave the audience with a collection of exercises they can use to cultivate their own mindset of effective leadership and motivation.

Key takeaways include:

• Identifying Who You Are vs. Who You’re “Supposed to” Be: Can you be successful without being someone I’m not?
• Recognizing Love vs. Indifference: Do you have to love what you do to be good at it?
• Balancing Purpose vs. Money: Are successful people motivated by money?
• Comparing and Contrasting Buying vs. Being Sold: Why do we love buying but not being sold to, and what does that have to do with leading and inspiring others?
• Tapping into Optimism vs. Pessimism: Do you have to be an optimist to be successful?
• Analyzing Success vs. Failure: Are successful people better at losing than everyone else?

The Unsold Mindset: Finding Success Through Authenticity and Purpose. There's a disconnect between who we think high performing salespeople (and people who sell) are and who they actually are. Because of this, most people who sell in any capacity try to play the role of a great salesperson, only to end up perpetuating a vicious cycle that results in a well-deserved stereotype and the feeling they have to hide the fact that they are selling. This is true for people selling ideas, people selling themselves, or people who are actually selling goods and services. While we all have an idea in our minds of what a great salesperson is supposed to look, sound, and act like, in reality, great salespeople are the antithesis of what we expect them to be. They aren’t always the best at overcoming objections, they’re not the most articulate, they aren’t even the most extroverted or persistent. Yet, somehow, they are almost always the best in the room at whatever they do, no matter if they are sellers, marketers, engineers, theorists, or highly regarded leaders. That’s because truly successful people are unsold on who and what they are supposed to be, so they have a completely different mindset about selling than most — what Colin and Garrett have identified as the Unsold Mindset. It’s this “Unsold Mindset” that enables them to show up as the most authentic version of themselves.

In this talk, Colin and Garrett break down the key findings from their decades of sales and leadership experience, their expansive work with companies across industries, and their research and interviews with some of the world’s greatest salespeople (especially those without “sales” in their title!) for their Wall Street Journal bestselling book, The Unsold Mindset. This funny, informational, and inspiring session will help groups of any type “unsell” themselves on what they think selling is supposed to be and provide loads of actionable tactics they can use to shift their mindset and sell successfully.

Redefining What it Means to Sell for “Non-Salespeople.” Great leaders, executives, partners, parents, teammates, engineers, and everyone in between sell every day — but most are afraid to admit it. In fact, Colin and Garrett’s Sales Mindset class at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business consists of a third of students that want to sell ideas (marketers, founders, and CEOs), a third that want to sell themselves (to get hired or promoted), and a third that actually want to sell products or services. Yet they all think selling is an off-putting word and something they should be ashamed of. That shame can take a huge toll on well-being and have an impact on their ability to succeed. The word “sales” has been rightfully stigmatized since the days of snake oil. The question is, why does the stigma still exist, and what can we do about it? On a more personal level, how can you be a great seller in any role without trying to be anything other than yourself?

In this talk, Colin and Garrett will help audience members take the first step and admit they are salespeople, just as much as they are leaders, managers, problem solvers, and influencers. They’ll cover the science behind the shame and fear associated with selling, and what can be done to overcome it. They’ll also discuss why the greatest sellers in the world often don’t have “sales” in their title and why we give them permission to sell to us. Lastly, they’ll share ways to get over the “ick” factor to actually enjoy and thrive at selling.

This topic is ideal for groups that are looking to develop new skills for personal or professional development, for people who are turned off by the idea of having to sell, or for diverse teams that need to make the shift to a more revenue-forward culture.

The Best Change Is No Change: Success Begins By Showing Up As Yourself. Change is never easy. Whether internal or external, change requires an advanced level of mindfulness, resilience, self-awareness, and a knack for the art of motivating and inspiring other people, and yourself. Without these things, many people resort to finding ways to mask their perceived shortcomings by trying to become something they’re not in their professional and personal lives.  

In this talk, Colin and Garrett let the audience in on the one thing every successful agent of change they’ve encountered has in common: they are all hyper-authentic. As Colin and Garrett will explain, effective change agents don’t feel the need to conform to a certain role or stereotype that doesn’t fit them. Instead, they are confident and self-aware and couldn't “fake it until they make it” if they tried (nor would they want to!). Audience members will gain a better understanding of authenticity, empathy, the ability to look for (and find) the good, the interplay between goals and purpose, and the roles these principles play in driving change for both professional and personal success.

The Real Future of Selling. Through the years, there have been many sales fads, including SPIN selling, value selling, solutions selling, social selling, the challenger sale, and a host of others in between. While there’s value in many of those methodologies, the world is changing quickly. If you’re only focused on traditional sales training like “building rapport,” “overcoming objections,” and “asking for the close,” you’re going to get left behind. A new mindset is required to rise above the noise and avoid coming off as a “typical” salesperson. Moreover, the future of sales is no longer just about product, it’s about people.

In this talk, Colin and Garrett provide an entertaining, and often surprising, look at the future of selling. They’ll talk about how it’s becoming less important to add value than it is to be valuable. They’ll demonstrate why great salespeople stay “intentionally ignorant” and don’t have all the answers, and discuss when winning is actually losing. Most importantly, Colin and Garrett offer actionable ways for the audience to get better results and greater fulfillment in their jobs, whether or not they have a traditional “sales” role.

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