THE ONE THING

1. Use Stories to Sell Olives

“Try one. They taste great.”

Or

“You know how Italy is shaped like a boot?

And the boot looks like it’s kicking an island?

That’s Sicily.

On the west side of Sicily is a small town called Castelvetrano that has the perfect climate conditions.

Warm days. Cool nights. Humidity is just right.

The town is blessed with the right combination of soil, elevation, heat, and water to make the perfect olives.

The olives are so good that they named them after the town itself.

Castelvetranos taste like no other olives that exist.

They’re the olive for people who hate olives.

They’re firm and buttery.

They’re bright green but have a tender and mild taste.

Perfect for snacking. Or for spreading.

Try one. They taste great.”

Stories sell everything.

They can sell someone on a product, service, or mission. They help salespeople generate more business and CEOs lead their teams.

They can even sell someone on tasting an olive.

The takeaway

Use a story whenever you want to engage or motivate your team, especially when the stakes are high. If you’re not a great storyteller, borrow stories and make them yours.

INSIGHTFUL THOUGHTS

2. How to Win in Business According to Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos literally wrote the playbook for how to win in business back in his 2015 annual letter to Amazon shareholders.

NEW COURSE

3. Write a Bestselling Book (& Elevate Your Status as a Leader)

I just pre-launched access to the next iteration of my “4-Week Write Your Book on the Side” system.

It’s a course that will help you write and publish a bestselling nonfiction book in just four weeks (using AI to write it quickly and in your own voice).

The course used so be a live cohort-based course, but I’m now building a couple of different versions of it (with updated content).

There will be limited seats when I launch it so if you’re interested in getting notified as soon as it’s out, click here to fill in your info:

Click here to be the first to know before I open the course to the public.

FUNNY STORIES

4. Read a Quote Before Repeating it

THE 80/20

5. An 80/20 Tip You Can Apply Today

Here’s a low-effort, high-impact tip you can use with your team today:

• What: For every virtual meeting, you need 1) a leader and 2) to document it

• Why: Because 1) no leader = a waste of time and 2) no documentation = a useless meeting

• Example: For every meeting, the assigned meeting leader should, at a minimum, document the following: decisions, action items, and any risks or issues (you can use AI, but you can’t rely on it).