Inner Work with Steli Efti
329 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsThe (strictly no-business) podcast that shall never become yet another to-do item in a busy CEOs life. A storytelling playground and save space for irresponsible experimentation. We willll talk martial arts, ponder the nature of life, have conversations with weirdos and misfits, shamelessly fail in public, and share what we learn along the way.
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Episodes
015: Want that startup job? Let your CV tell a story
December 21, 2019 04:33 - 9 minutes - 22.4 MBThousands of people apply to join my our startup every month. Lots of “why you should hire me”-style pitches coming my way. Once you’re on the receiving end of screening job applications, you realize: CVs suck. Almost nobody is good at writing CVs—even badass marketers and great sales people are surprisingly bad at it. I’m pretty sure I missed out on hiring some amazing talent, just because the CVs they sent me unsold me on learning more about them: A list of places they studied and wor...
014: Building a Remote Sales Team? Avoid These 3 Common Mistakes
December 14, 2019 10:30 - 9 minutes - 22.5 MBThe future of work is going to be more and more remote. Not just for designers, developers, and marketers, but also to sales people. But you can't execute the same remote playbook that you applied with your remote engineering team—sales is a very different kind of work, and sales people are uniquely different creatures. There are 3 common mistakes I see again and again that ruin remote sales teams. Mistake #1: Hiring inexperienced sales people. Mistake #2: Being too nice...
014: Building a Remote Sales Team? Avoid These 3 Common Mistakes
December 14, 2019 10:30 - 9 minutes - 22.5 MBThe future of work is going to be more and more remote. Not just for designers, developers, and marketers, but also to sales people. But you can't execute the same remote playbook that you applied with your remote engineering team—sales is a very different kind of work, and sales people are uniquely different creatures. There are 3 common mistakes I see again and again that ruin remote sales teams. Mistake #1: Hiring inexperienced sales people. Mistake #2: Being too nicey-nice. Mistake ...
013: Creating Reality Distortion Fields
December 06, 2019 06:15 - 9 minutes - 21.4 MBSteve Jobs wasn't the only person who could create reality distortion fields. Most really good sales people do it all the time. And while it can be a great blessing in life—it can also be a curse. I know this from firsthand experience. At some point, you become so good at sales that people will buy whatever you're selling. You become so good at understanding how to talk with people that they'll get on board with your proposal. And in some cases, what you're selling mig...
013: Creating Reality Distortion Fields
December 06, 2019 06:15 - 9 minutes - 21.4 MBSteve Jobs wasn't the only person who could create reality distortion fields. Most really good sales people do it all the time. And while it can be a great blessing in life—it can also be a curse. I know this from firsthand experience. At some point, you become so good at sales that people will buy whatever you're selling. You become so good at understanding how to talk with people that they'll get on board with your proposal. And in some cases, what you're selling might be an idea tha...
012: How to Practice Gratitude
December 01, 2019 01:18 - 15 minutes - 35.3 MBWhat are you grateful for today? It’s one of the most important questions I ask myself every day. I once said that appreciation is the currency we pay the universe with—and I still think that’s true. So at the end of each day, I ask myself: Have I paid what I owe? Have I settled that bill with the universe? In today’s episode, I talk about gratitude, how I practice it in my own life, I share what I’ve learned from asking my two sons what they’re grateful for every night whe...
012: How to Practice Gratitude
December 01, 2019 01:18 - 15 minutes - 35.3 MBWhat are you grateful for today? It’s one of the most important questions I ask myself every day. I once said that appreciation is the currency we pay the universe with—and I still think that’s true. So at the end of each day, I ask myself: Have I paid what I owe? Have I settled that bill with the universe? In today’s episode, I talk about gratitude, how I practice it in my own life, I share what I’ve learned from asking my two sons what they’re grateful for every night when I put them to b...
011: Want to Become a Top 1% Sales Pro? Master the 4 Levels of Emotional Competence
November 22, 2019 13:50 - 20 minutes - 47.5 MBNo matter what you sell and who you sell it to—sales ultimately boils down to a transfer of emotional energy. That's how you win deals; by changing the way people feel about buying your solution. Everything else is not a sale—it's merely a transaction. And the kind of sales person that is basically a "transaction manager" is the kind of sales person that will be made obsolete by advances in automation and machine learning. On the other hand, if you're a sales professional with a high deg...
011: Want to Become a Top 1% Sales Pro? Master the 4 Levels of Emotional Competence
November 22, 2019 13:50 - 20 minutes - 47.5 MBNo matter what you sell and who you sell it to—sales ultimately boils down to a transfer of emotional energy. That's how you win deals; by changing the way people feel about buying your solution. Everything else is not a sale—it's merely a transaction. And the kind of sales person that is basically a "transaction manager" is the kind of sales person that will be made obsolete by advances in automation and machine learning. On the other hand, if you're a sales professional with a high deg...
010: When a Sales Prospect Goes Silent, and You Don’t Know Why... Do This!
November 16, 2019 02:31 - 7 minutes - 16.4 MBHave you ever been in the middle of negotiating a deal, trying to close a contract, and then something stalled the deal—but you didn’t know exactly what? Maybe the client has gone quiet and is unresponsive even after you’ve followed up multiple times already. And you’re starting to get worried. Has this deal fallen apart? What should you do next? I’m going to be candid with you: You messed up. You shouldn’t have let things get to this point in the first place. And I...
010: When a Sales Prospect Goes Silent, and You Don’t Know Why... Do This!
November 16, 2019 02:31 - 7 minutes - 16.4 MBHave you ever been in the middle of negotiating a deal, trying to close a contract, and then something stalled the deal—but you didn’t know exactly what? Maybe the client has gone quiet and is unresponsive even after you’ve followed up multiple times already. And you’re starting to get worried. Has this deal fallen apart? What should you do next? I’m going to be candid with you: You messed up. You shouldn’t have let things get to this point in the first place. And I know exactly how...
009: Turn Rejection into Progress with This Old-School Mind Hack
November 08, 2019 11:11 - 8 minutes - 7.82 MBIf you're facing a lot of rejection, here's an old-school hack I learned early on in my sales career. You might have heard this before: The trick is to just turn every rejection as a stepping stone on the way to your goal. Work out the math. If out of 100 people you ask for a yes, 95 give you a no, and you want to get 1 yes per day, then make it your daily goal to get 20 nos. In this episode I dig deeper into why this reframing technique works, share some personal stori...
009: Turn Rejection into Progress with This Old-School Mind Hack
November 08, 2019 11:11 - 8 minutes - 7.82 MBIf you're facing a lot of rejection, here's an old-school hack I learned early on in my sales career. You might have heard this before: The trick is to just turn every rejection as a stepping stone on the way to your goal. Work out the math. If out of 100 people you ask for a yes, 95 give you a no, and you want to get 1 yes per day, then make it your daily goal to get 20 nos. In this episode I dig deeper into why this reframing technique works, share some personal stories, and a few ext...
008: Broccoli & Sweat
November 02, 2019 05:06 - 6 minutes - 5.99 MBMost of us are spending too much time searching for a better way of doing things, and not enough time actually doing them. Yes, there might be a better, more efficient way to lose weight than eating more broccoli and breaking a sweat at the gym. Eating better and working out more works. And it probably works better than at least 70% of the diet systems, weightloss books, slimming widgets, fatloss supplements that all add up to a multi-billion dollar industry. You already ...
008: Broccoli & Sweat
November 02, 2019 05:06 - 6 minutes - 5.99 MBMost of us are spending too much time searching for a better way of doing things, and not enough time actually doing them. Yes, there might be a better, more efficient way to lose weight than eating more broccoli and breaking a sweat at the gym. Eating better and working out more works. And it probably works better than at least 70% of the diet systems, weightloss books, slimming widgets, fatloss supplements that all add up to a multi-billion dollar industry. You already know what to do. ...
007: How to deal with rejection
October 18, 2019 10:46 - 9 minutes - 9.04 MBIt's one of the most valuable skills in my life: The ability to get rejected, and keep moving on. In today's episode, I share my principal thoughts on dealing with rejection. Most importantly, how to not let rejection slow down your momentum. If you feel that your reaction to rejection has been holding you back from being all you can be, listen to this episode. I'm even gonna work with some of you personally to change the way you handle rejection.
007: How to deal with rejection
October 18, 2019 10:46 - 9 minutes - 9.04 MBIt's one of the most valuable skills in my life: The ability to get rejected, and keep moving on. In today's episode, I share my principal thoughts on dealing with rejection. Most importantly, how to not let rejection slow down your momentum. If you feel that your reaction to rejection has been holding you back from being all you can be, listen to this episode. I'm even gonna work with some of you personally to change the way you handle rejection.
006: The Path to Creating Great Work? Create a Lot of Crappy Work First
September 03, 2019 11:15 - 32 minutes - 44.6 MBContent is so obvious, so often. Useless. No value. Yet, others are touched, amazed, impacted, and inspired by the most obvious truth of content consumed. Different people, perspectives, and points in their content journey: Sparks interest Generates surprise reaction Feels compelled to share message Challenge of crappy vs. quality content: Practice creating and sharing content Publish all content - good, bad, or dumb Stimulate engagement and discussion If you forget how much fun...
006: The Path to Creating Great Work? Create a Lot of Crappy Work First
September 03, 2019 11:15 - 32 minutes - 44.6 MBContent is so obvious, so often. Useless. No value. Yet, others are touched, amazed, impacted, and inspired by the most obvious truth of content consumed. Different people, perspectives, and points in their content journey: Sparks interest Generates surprise reaction Feels compelled to share message Challenge of crappy vs. quality content: Practice creating and sharing content Publish all content - good, bad, or dumb Stimulate engagement and discussion If you forget how much fun...
005: Knocking Down a Bully
July 01, 2019 09:01 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBThe first time I knocked someone down during a fight, they collapsed and couldn’t continue sparring. I‘m not bragging or super tough, but it felt good. It inflated my ego. My opponent was younger, shorter, bulkier, muscular, and aggressive. Every gym has a few of them. Those guys who didn’t get the memo that sparring should not be a fight to the death. When faced with frustration and fear, most of us decide to never spar again, ask the bully to take it easy, or ask a trainer for help....
005: Knocking Down a Bully
July 01, 2019 09:01 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBThe first time I knocked someone down during a fight, they collapsed and couldn’t continue sparring. I‘m not bragging or super tough, but it felt good. It inflated my ego. My opponent was younger, shorter, bulkier, muscular, and aggressive. Every gym has a few of them. Those guys who didn’t get the memo that sparring should not be a fight to the death. When faced with frustration and fear, most of us decide to never spar again, ask the bully to take it easy, or ask a trainer for help....
004: Never Ever Stop in the Middle
June 01, 2019 06:00 - 7 minutes - 7.4 MBHere’s a Steli Efti exclusive just for you! Never, ever, ever stop in the middle. I’ve given that piece of advice several times, but never publicly; until now. No matter what you’re doing—a sales presentation, keynote speech, podcast recording—finish it. Keep going, even if your inner voice tells you to stop: This isn’t going well. I could do this better. I wanted to say something different. Can I stop and do this again? No! There are no redos in real life. You can’t st...
004: Never Ever Stop in the Middle
June 01, 2019 06:00 - 7 minutes - 7.4 MBHere’s a Steli Efti exclusive just for you! Never, ever, ever stop in the middle. I’ve given that piece of advice several times, but never publicly; until now. No matter what you’re doing—a sales presentation, keynote speech, podcast recording—finish it. Keep going, even if your inner voice tells you to stop: This isn’t going well. I could do this better. I wanted to say something different. Can I stop and do this again? No! There are no redos in real life. You can’t start over. Don’t ...
003: How to Overcome Your Fear of Creating (And Publishing) Content
May 15, 2019 17:11 - 10 minutesIt’s late at night. I’ve been waiting for hours to be produced. Be excited. Be motivated. To create content! Before you start a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel, ask yourself: Why do I want to put myself out there? Why do I want to create content for other people to consume? Can I make a commitment to create and publish content? Doubts and fears that come with creating content can stop you in your tracks. Do you believe that your content is important and worthy of an audience? Are...
003: How to Overcome Your Fear of Creating (And Publishing) Content
May 15, 2019 17:11 - 10 minutesIt’s late at night. I’ve been waiting for hours to be produced. Be excited. Be motivated. To create content! Before you start a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel, ask yourself: Why do I want to put myself out there? Why do I want to create content for other people to consume? Can I make a commitment to create and publish content? Doubts and fears that come with creating content can stop you in your tracks. Do you believe that your content is important and worthy of an audience? Are...
002: How I Lost the Joy of Public Speaking
May 07, 2019 07:30 - 16 minutesWhen creating and preparing for speaking engagements, my process is brief, but painful. I suffer a lot during each “joy of birth,” but always follow the same formula: Open laptop, open PowerPoint, and think about what to say. It’s fun for me to step on a stage and interact with the audience. I’m good at it, and people enjoy listening to me. So, why isn’t preparing for talks and speaking as much fun as it used to bei? Show Notes: Peace vs. Wartime CEO: I know what to do in a crisis a...
002: How I Lost the Joy of Public Speaking
May 07, 2019 07:30 - 16 minutesWhen creating and preparing for speaking engagements, my process is brief, but painful. I suffer a lot during each “joy of birth,” but always follow the same formula: Open laptop, open PowerPoint, and think about what to say. It’s fun for me to step on a stage and interact with the audience. I’m good at it, and people enjoy listening to me. So, why isn’t preparing for talks and speaking as much fun as it used to bei? Show Notes: Peace vs. Wartime CEO: I know what to do in a crisis a...
001: This Podcast Shall not be another “To Do” Item
June 15, 2016 21:45 - 12 minutesWelcome to the first episode of The Steli Efti Podcast. Steli is the co-founder/CEO of Close.io, startup/entrepreneur advisor, and author of The Ultimate Startup Guide To Outbound Sales. Once again, Hiten Shah, is by Steli’s side to offer support and content. Hiten has successfully started two SaaS companies, Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics. He’s also an advisor and investor. If you tuned in to listen to Steli and Hiten talk about the business world, that’s a different podcast. The Steli Efti ...
001: This Podcast Shall not be another “To Do” Item
June 15, 2016 21:45 - 12 minutesWelcome to the first episode of The Steli Efti Podcast. Steli is the co-founder/CEO of Close.io, startup/entrepreneur advisor, and author of The Ultimate Startup Guide To Outbound Sales. Once again, Hiten Shah, is by Steli’s side to offer support and content. Hiten has successfully started two SaaS companies, Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics. He’s also an advisor and investor. If you tuned in to listen to Steli and Hiten talk about the business world, that’s a different podcast. The Steli Efti ...