Welcome to Issue # 9 of THE Peak Performance Newsletter

The Sales and Business Growth Corner

The Huge Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight

I was recently a guest on Damon Pistulka's The Faces of Business podcast, and I mentioned a stat that floored Damon.

What's the staggering stat?

It's that 57% of all B2B buying journeys, end up in the "no-decision" camp, according to research by Gartner.

What that means is that buyers went through all the trouble of recognizing they have a problem, researching possible vendors, coming up with some way to evaluate them, and going through that evaluation process only to come out the other end and do nothing.

Imagine if we could cut that in half - the impact of that would most certainly be hundreds of billions in more sales.

And that's the HUGE opportunity that virtually nobody is talking about.

The big question we have to ask is: Why is this happening?

In my view, this happens because making a big purchase for an organization is complex and has many moving parts and if you don't know what those parts are and how they work, your efforts are doomed to failure.

One of the more critical moving parts is getting the different stakeholders involved in the decision to agree - and that's often like herding cats.

The bottom line is this: if you want to win more of the deals that are lost to "no-decision", you've got to be thinking about how you can help the people (yes, real live people!) on the buyer side navigate the complexity, and confidently come to a consensus that you are the best choice. Easier said than done but well worth the effort.

Maximizing Your Mental Performance

We're All Wired for Stories

I often tell my clients and my students that the most powerful communication device in the known universe is storytelling.

Here's why:

When we hear a story, our brains synchronize with the storyteller's through a phenomenon known as neural coupling.

This synchronization activates multiple regions of the brain, including those involved in sensory experiences, emotions, and memory.

Stories engage the brain's default mode network, which is responsible for daydreaming and imagination, allowing us to mentally simulate and empathize with the characters' experiences.

We can often feel like what's happening to a character we relate to is something that's happening to us.

Also, storytelling triggers the release of neurochemicals like dopamine, oxytocin, and cortisol.

Dopamine enhances focus and memory retention, making the story more engaging and memorable.

Oxytocin fosters empathy and social bonding, connecting us emotionally to the characters.

Cortisol, released during moments of tension or conflict in the story, keeps us alert and engaged.

This explains why stories are so powerful in shaping beliefs, behaviors, and social connections. And it's why many customs, values and traditions have survived throughout the ages and are still with us today.

If you're not using stories when you communicate, the only question you need to ask yourself is: why not?

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Side-note: This kind of stuff has always fascinated me so I'm working on a NEW project to help people improve their mental performance by unlocking the mysteries of how our brains work, and how to keep our brains healthy and effective so we can keep performing at high levels for as long as possible.

If you're interested in learning more, you can check out the details here:
Check out the SuperBrain OS project

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And that's all for this week.

See you in my next issue.

To your success,

Humza

PS If there is anyone you know who would benefit from reading this, feel free to share this with them