One of my favorite icebreakers is to provoke a group of adults with a question with no logical right answer, but quickly move the networking from small talk to more interesting dialogue.

“In the last 100 years, what three inventions have profoundly impacted human society?”

“Do you prefer prequels or sequels, why?”

“Do you prefer stand-up or improv comedy, why?”

This past Wednesday evening, my wife and I attended The Set Up a local LA standup show. Living in Los Angeles, we are spoiled with tremendous comedians and venues. Regardless of which style you prefer, it's easy to see the overlaps between being a successful Business Artist and the qualities of a great comedian. Like rappers, jazz musicians, and gifted sellers, you are watching someone who is prepared, practiced, and able to get into a state of flow.

Many hardcore business types dismiss concepts like flow out of hand. Perhaps it feels like too much of a touchy-feely concept. I can tell you it is not only a vital part of your creative life—it’s also something you can experience for yourself. In my sales and consulting experience, I found a disproportionate amount of successful people had some live performance experience in their background.

Getting Into a State of Flow

My most memorable experiences of flow have happened when I’m being challenged or operating at my peak capability. If I’m in front of a large audience giving a speech, I will find ways to work with the crowd to pace my content. If I’m doing work that is too repetitive, I’ll find ways to innovate. If the work is not challenging or doesn’t push my capabilities, I’ll flex until I get into the flow.

When I consider how flow relates to sales, I like to think about both the sellers' and the buyers' desires and competence.

Desire refers to questions such as, “Do I want to work with this person? Do I trust them? Are they saying something unique? Do they arouse my curiosity by how they show up in the world?” Competence refers to questions such as, “Are they good at what they do? Do they believe what they are saying? Has their product or solution worked before? Will it work for me? Is there value I can put in their promise?” With Desire on the vertical axis and Competence on the horizontal axis, the chart would look like the one below. This could be read from both the buyer’s and customer’s perspectives.

Where do you find yourself in most of your work today?

Keep exploring and keep creating,

Adam

Business Artist Book Update

From airplanes, to bedrooms, to sandy Spring Break beaches, thank you for those of you who have been reading The Business Artist book. I would be grateful for any review you can do on Amazon. Doesn't need to be anything more than "what part of the book resonated with you and why". I really appreciate it!

For those of you holding out for the Audio book, stay tuned! I've recorded all of the files and am just in the process of editing/mastering them for your ears.

Business Artist Spotlight

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In our journey together as Business Artists, I always enjoy meeting and welcoming new members into our growing community. This week, I'm thrilled to shine a spotlight on Robert Throckmorton, a Principal at Prophet, a consulting firm that helps leaders unlock uncommon growth. I was delighted to find that 17 of my LinkedIn connections already follwed this company....they must be doing something right.

Robert was kind enough to take a meeting after a cold outreach from my Meahana.io co-founder Matt Archer, who did a demo of the software for him. After a quick glance at his profile, I saw his background in the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and thought anyone with this background and subsequent career in innovation and consutling, must have an interesting story to share about bringing artistry into business. I was correct.

In speaking with Robert, he shared with me that when he is plugged in (in flow) and what brings him joy is when he can make people feel something before they think something.

He added that stories are a huge part of where he focuses as they help to define the experience you want the participants to be in at any moment. He also coaches people to use their own voice and find ways to use emotions and bring people in.

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Meeting new people like Robert fills my cup, we could have talked for hours. I was also excited to hear that he also has an identical twin! The team at Prophet is lucky to have a Business Artist like him leading meetings and workshops. Kindred spirits indeed:)

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