Latest / The Pausecast / The Pausecast Ep. 49 - Simon Severino - Strategy Sprints

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The Pausecast Ep. 49 - Simon Severino - Strategy Sprints · The Pausecast

0:06
Hi, I'm Rachel O'Meara. I'm the host of the podcast.
0:09
I'm also the author of pause harnessing, the life-changing
0:13
power of giving yourself a break, as well as a private
0:17
coach for men and women who are struggling with, how to get out
0:22
of overwhelm and reclaim their lives.
0:24
The pause cast is dedicated to helping individuals, learn the
0:30
tools and be more self aware that we can all be more capable
0:33
of To live our best life, to reach our potential.
0:38
Whether this is your first time listening or you're a regular, I
0:41
invite you to download my free gift to you, which is a
0:45
blueprint called the three keys to stay out of overwhelm and
0:49
Thrive. The blueprint is available at my
0:52
website www.hiwayfx.com. Welcome to the podcast.
1:06
And I'm so excited today to be here with Simon Severino as we
1:12
say. Hi Simon, how are you?
1:15
Hey Rachel hey, everybody comes to be here.
1:18
Great, that you are here with us today and I want to introduce
1:22
you a little bit. I want to introduce all of you
1:24
to Simon and then Simon has graciously accepted the
1:27
invitation to lead us in a oz. So Simon you're based out of
1:33
Vienna which I loved because we just talked about me being there
1:36
a couple years ago. You are the author of strategy
1:39
Sprints and habits of success two great books.
1:43
You're also the CEO of a global consultancy strategy.
1:46
Sprint's, I know you work a lot with Business Leaders on how to
1:49
improve our Roi and sales and increase productivity.
1:53
All these great things. You're the creator of the
1:56
strategy, Sprint's method. We're going to talk a little bit
1:59
about that. You're also a contributor to
2:01
Forbes and Entrepreneur magazine.
2:04
You are a member of the SVS Silicon Valley blockchain
2:07
society, that sounds exciting and mysterious to me.
2:12
And then you are a number one speaker on a jolt strategy and a
2:15
job sales and of course, your Ted Talk.
2:17
The be a tell me the title again.
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I just watched it be a category of one category of one is such
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an intriguing topic and important I think to.
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So welcome it's great to have you here.
2:30
As we talk about all of these great contributions that you
2:33
work with an Shannon how to integrate being with you're
2:37
doing in the world of pause. So with that, I'm going to hand
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it over to you to lead us in your flotool.
2:42
It sounds really, really good. Thank you, Rachel.
2:46
So yes. I'm 42.
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Now, I have three kids. I run a global business.
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I had at some point to learn how to pause.
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It did not come easy to me. I think I'm still learning but
3:00
there are a couple things so. Well I scale the A couple
3:04
businesses and I helped many businesses scale, probably over
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2,000 so far in like 20 Industries. 40 countries.
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So and I managed to do that without ever burn out.
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So I might have found something and I'm happy to share the
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nuggets on the way knowing that I'm probably not the best poser
3:25
on the planet. I'm more, you know, I'm the CEO
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of strategies prince. It's like it sounds it's quick
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and it's intense but When do when you yeah.
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But a Sprint training, if I think that's such a, that's a
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North like to me, that's what I feel.
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Like we all struggle with, we're all in my sense.
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If you're listening to this, you like you're likely a high
3:47
achiever, you're likely someone who Sprint's and does a lot and
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leads a hive of Life, velocity life.
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So I am right with you, right? I know I talk about pause and I
3:57
still know, I need a lot of work with it and I think we all do
4:01
which is all this challenge. It's all about what this
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challenge is. Is, is how do we integrate being
4:05
with are doing? So you're right, you're exactly
4:07
in the right place. Simon II started in a very
4:12
competitive, very intense industry, which is management
4:15
consulting being the strategy, advisor to the big brains BMW
4:19
Google Etc. And so I love to fly in the same
4:24
week to New York and to Paris to help teams there and for the
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first four years I had no brakes just no weekend.
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But I also didn't have kids and I was in my 20s and I enjoyed
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it, I liked it until my friends said someone, I don't think this
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is the smartest way of living, right?
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We want to play tennis with you. We want to play soccer.
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Where are you? We're barbecuing you're not here
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and so I said oh you're right. Maybe it's not that smart.
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So let me find a more balanced way and now that I run my own
5:02
business I don't have Excuses, right?
5:04
I can say yes and no to projects.
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So the first learning for me was, I have to fire myself from
5:11
operations. I cannot be the delivery.
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You know, you, if you run a business, imagine how many hats
5:18
you have? You have the marketing hat, you
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have the sales hat and you have the operations have plus.
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You are also management, right? You are the CEO, even if it's
5:30
just one person and you are a solopreneur, you are the CEO.
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You're the marketing department, says Department of State
5:35
Parliament. So one, important realization
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when I saw that it stressed, me totally and and so I was looking
5:44
out for a business coach and said, please help me get out of
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fulfillment. I might be the head of sales and
5:50
marketing, I might be the CEO and the coach to my coaches, but
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I cannot be for rolls all the time.
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That's too much. It was a big lever.
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And so it took me maybe half a year that was five years ago.
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And that was, that gave me back 40 hours of my week, which, and
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I had around the 50 hours a week, probably.
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So I'm now adds 10 hours per week and this is when I was all
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cool. Now, it's fun.
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Now, I can start writing the book that I always wanted to
6:26
write, and so I pull out my daily flow, which is my daily
6:31
habit and the day Flow is really just okay, some on.
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How are you going to allocate your day tomorrow?
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What's a good flow for you? And I call it flow instead of a
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to-do list or actual list because it is about balance.
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I think about working in and working out in one day and so I
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think okay, what's good for you Simon?
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What is me time and I go, oh, me time is running in nature me
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time. Or me is reading a book.
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Me time is watching YouTube, whatever.
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Fun stuff me time is cooking me. Time is playing with my kids.
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So, to the last two hours, I have been playing with my kids
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rates afternoon here in Vienna and I was rollerskating with my
7:22
boys. There are six in three and and
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two hours before I have closed a deal of it in a six figures
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range. A big deal, close the deal.
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That was 22 and a half hours of very intense workout and then
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going around with my boys, in the sunshine afternoon of a
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column City, like Vienna that was for be working in that that
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doesn't cost me energy. So I think which things are
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costing, me energy, but are important.
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And then afterward, what can I do?
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That gives me energy. And then, that's right.
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That's the flow that you go through.
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How long does that exactly in that the principles are
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alternate, work in at work out faces and you know, what's
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what's working for you? Because it gives you energy and
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work out because afterwards you are depleted and but it's
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important. So, okay, let's trunk it in two
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hours, three hours, four hours of of blocks until hundred
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percent. It's important.
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You don't stop at 85%, not even 95%, you have to complete it
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because then is the energy of letting go.
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Okay, I've done it. I let it go and now let me get
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out here and do something completely different.
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And they might be different for everybody.
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So it was different when I had zero kids.
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Now that I have three kids, it's different but my me time starts
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before anybody in my family, wakes up that the first two
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hours of the day before they wake up because I'm a morning
9:01
person is my me time then you know breakfast preparation
9:07
bringing them to kindergarten Etc and then it's Heads down,
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work, deep work. So, in my world, I have heads
9:17
down, work heads up, work and heads together, work.
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Heads down, Simon finish this offer until hundred percent and
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then you send, it takes me two and a half hours.
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I'm going to do it or Simon bride. 600 Pages for your book.
9:35
Sorry, 600 words for your next book, right?
9:38
600 words takes me. Three hours, heads down and I
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have to go through it. I have my tea here or my coffee
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and I do it until it's over that.
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And then, but later on, And, you know, I cook my own lunch and I
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enjoyed the cooking itself and this males and then in the
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afternoon, more of a heads-up work, because it's a different
10:02
energy. So now, I will have interviews
10:05
and three for interviews. Every day meetings with people,
10:09
I call it coffee with Simon, its affiliate meeting new affiliate
10:12
Partners or recurring affiliate partners and then heads
10:18
together. Work it, Mighty, okay.
10:20
My team needs me now and they have fixed.
10:22
Fixed slots, each department, we have the sales meeting, the
10:25
marketing meeting, the Ops meeting Etc.
10:27
The team analytics where we go through or numbers of the week.
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They are fixed slots but in the afternoon in the morning nobody
10:36
will ever get Simon in the morning on a meeting.
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The only time. Yeah, me time in the morning,
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that's that's very early and then from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. for
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me it's just Work heads down, heads down.
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Get stuff. Done, Simon.
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Yeah, perfect. So, I'm hearing there's a very
10:59
good boundary structure, you've set up for yourself.
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So you work in you workout, you have heads up, heads down, heads
11:07
together, and it all is in a flow, it all works because you
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set that intention and, you know, the Sun was shining, my
11:15
boys had time. And I said, hey, do you want to
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go out and roller skating and they go?
11:20
Yeah, sure. Let's go.
11:22
And I could do that. Yeah.
11:27
Yeah. With the four wheels.
11:28
Yeah. And and we only could do that
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because I could only do that guilt free.
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They are amazing. Living in the moment they are
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built for that but I would normally be full of Gil.
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Do I have to take my phone? Maybe somebody calls me and I
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wouldn't really be present in the moment.
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I would have this guilt feeling lingering around, but I had zero
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because I completely That my deep work in the morning
11:53
already. So it closes Mark, the check, is
11:58
there some roller skating or some fun activity to celebrate?
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And me? That's the ideal of Ozzie and I
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think you contrary to what you, what you believe, I do think you
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are actually pretty good at some pausing because that's a, that's
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a skill to be regimented, to know you can play and in service
12:15
to your doing celebrate. It's actually a hard skill
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sometime. So, nice work.
12:20
I like I use the daily flow. Every day and in the evening, by
12:24
the way, people can later on download it for free in the
12:28
evening. It asks me to reflective
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questions because in when I close down work then I have to
12:34
prepare the next state and it asked me Simon of all the things
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that you did today which one will you delegate tomorrow?
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Very important and delegate can be just cut.
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Can be outsourced. Somebody else does it outside of
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your team can be a freelancer? Does it with you?
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Can be a software? Does it will you can automate
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many things? You can automate nowadays?
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This, beautiful software for many things.
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And and and the last date is, okay.
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It may be delegating to somebody in your team.
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If you have a team or hiring and the second question, this is
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really important thinking in delegation early, don't think.
13:13
Oh, yeah. I have a million in Revenue then
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I would start delegating. No, no start with small
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delegations, very, very early. Like bookkeeping scheduling,
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that's these are easy starts and when you get started, then you
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delegate the whole marketing department, the whole sales
13:35
department, and the delivery. Yeah.
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And that's a great approach. So we'll be sharing that tool.
13:44
Yes. To get in the show notes so that
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you can all check out the the flow tool from Simon.
13:51
Thank you for sharing all that and just that process It sounds
13:54
really impactful. And I know that's what you're
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all about. And, yeah, I'm packed.
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And I know, I feel like the whole, like, your whole world is
14:02
about Sprint's like you said. So let's talk about strategy,
14:05
Sprints. And like, how did how to double
14:07
sales and Sprint's? I know I came from a world of
14:10
sales myself and I'm curious, you know, what could we, what
14:14
can we learn from you in this world?
14:16
And how does it work? Tell us about about that.
14:21
I like sales because it's the oxygen of the organization as so
14:25
no sales, no party. You don't come far if you don't
14:28
have Revenue, right? You're always selling as we say,
14:32
yeah, good work, sales, right, good products, sell.
14:36
And if you have sales, you have a long Runway, you can do great
14:41
stuff. If you don't have it you have to
14:43
work on it. And so many people call us and
14:46
say, alright, I'm ready, I think we can scale it from here.
14:50
Leave your blueprints. I need your professional Sprint,
14:53
coaches. Can we do that?
14:55
And I'm surprised because they quadruple sales sometimes and on
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average, they double sales in 90 days.
15:02
It's not that hard. We have to get three things up
15:04
by 25%. It's reducing the sales time
15:08
increasing the price for the same offering, which is usually
15:12
doing eight specific things in positioning and then you can
15:15
raise the price by 25% without losing any offers.
15:19
And then Not more than usual, right?
15:21
We without losing deals because we have your same closing rate
15:27
that you have. Maybe it's 35% of its 40%, you
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stay at that one but you charge 25% more and then the third
15:36
lever is Conversion rate. So increasing In your same
15:45
number of conversations that you have per week but increasing the
15:49
closing rate, the conversion rate of your conversation.
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And if you if we get these three things right by 25% of compounds
15:58
to plus 99 percent in revenue and that's enough to have a lot
16:03
of freedom. A lot of oxygen in the system.
16:06
Now, we are not under that pressure anymore and now we can
16:10
start working on form fit and function of the sale.
16:14
Is them getting you out of the weeds systemizing organizing
16:17
better. So you feel more relaxed because
16:20
remember as printer if you look at the athletes that the run
16:24
like a hundred yards 400 yards, do they ever look stressed in
16:31
marathon runners. They look stressed and thin and
16:35
as printer is always relaxed muscular crack but yeah they
16:42
look amazing and there must Ocular there there?
16:45
Well, well, they have a great color and they, they are
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relaxed. Most of the time, they are
16:52
relaxed. If you look at sprinters in
16:54
nature, my boys, they love the cheetah.
16:56
So we go to the zoo. Look at the cheetah, the cheetah
16:59
is never stressed. Usually, they are relaxing.
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They're cuddling their kids. They're having fun and then,
17:05
there is a couple seconds when they Sprint this, the get it
17:10
done. And then they relax for the next
17:11
four hours, they're just this is Flintlock.
17:14
Kill. They just got and they're happy
17:16
cats. Yeah, they're very focused for
17:18
that, 20 seconds. And the rest of it is just happy
17:21
cats. We all want to be happy cats, I
17:25
think. And I like that analogy as a
17:27
sprinter knowing that it's a short literally, like amount of
17:32
energy but it's I high return and that's what I think you're
17:36
saying, right? And yes, that's all the time.
17:39
And so these, so these three levers sound, like that's the
17:42
formula for this strategy Sprint so that can work.
17:44
In any industry, right? You could be a coach like me.
17:47
I, if I work with you, I'll triple my my business or
17:51
something like that, or you could be in any industry because
17:54
we work only with B2B businesses so coaches.
17:57
Yes, because they usually coach other leaders in the row, then
18:00
yes. Yeah.
18:02
Need to be great. So it could be like a technology
18:05
firm or could be? Yeah.
18:07
And you're factoring or anything.
18:09
As long as it's beat up, beat at Cha, Cha k0 great and, and So
18:15
I'm curious I know you've got a couple things that I think are
18:19
important to cover. Well one is I know what the Ted
18:22
Talk. I encourage everyone to check
18:23
out Simon's, Ted Talk. I'll put the link in the show
18:26
notes as well and it covers this concept of being a category of
18:30
one, but can you just really boil that down for us and like
18:33
two or three sentences? What is that?
18:35
Why is that so important in your world?
18:38
Yeah, if we think of the second lever, increase your prize by
18:41
25%, what's the, What's hard about it?
18:46
The hard thing about it is that many people go, oh my God.
18:49
Now I can do that because then people compare me with people
18:53
who charge less and and I lose the deal.
18:58
So the comparison is one thing that we have to swim away from
19:04
and it's easier than you think. So.
19:08
What is really your position in your positioning is what your
19:12
potential client thinks that you stand for.
19:14
So, whatever you think is not really important what they
19:17
perceive as your brand, as what you stand for.
19:21
That's that's what matters. And so, if they think that you
19:25
are, your offer is comparable to other offers, then we did not
19:31
finish our positioning work, our positioning work.
19:34
Is eight steps. They are very, very specific.
19:37
We do those. Those without literally 12 times
19:40
every day with our clients and they are quite specific when
19:43
you've done your positioning know but then it's clear, your
19:47
uniqueness is very clear and you don't get even compared to the
19:52
wrong people that are just cheaper than you because it's a
19:56
different thing. So for example, do you ever walk
19:59
into a an Apple store and start negotiating the price?
20:06
Probably not. You can try it, you will not get
20:08
very far. And most people don't even try
20:11
because that's not what they stand for.
20:13
You know what they stand for, and they don't, they do not
20:16
stand for, okay, to feature less, and that is cheaper.
20:19
That's not what they stand for. And same thing with Tesla, I
20:23
would never negotiate a Tesla, because it's clear what they
20:26
stand for transitioning to a better smarter energy
20:31
consumption and It's not on the table and in my TED Talk, I
20:38
shared the example that I am in a social situation and I feel
20:42
awkward. I'm different than the others.
20:45
Now, I can say, okay, let's say that's a problem.
20:47
Simon, you have to go to HR and the improve something or I can
20:51
say, wait a moment. That's my uniqueness right
20:54
there. This nerdiness that awkward
20:57
thing about me. That is my asset.
21:00
That is my strategic differentiator.
21:05
And, and I can say, hey, yeah, I'm different.
21:07
I'm a sprinter is printer is different than other animals.
21:09
So that's, that's who I am. You want somebody?
21:12
Who is patient? That is low, it's not me
21:14
darling. I was printer and so that's the
21:18
kind of animal that I am anything else.
21:20
Don't expect it from a cheetah we can only do one thing.
21:24
Be a happy cat. And from time to time, be the
21:26
fastest, that's it. That's what we can do.
21:29
You want this? This is where you get it.
21:32
It doubles, your Revenue in 90 days, and that's the price,
21:37
that's it, are you B2B business? Are you ready to double its for
21:40
you? And you are a category of one
21:43
and that's the essence of this model, I think.
21:47
And what we can all aspire to be which is our uniqueness
21:50
embracing that like you're saying your nerdiness and you're
21:53
sprinting capabilities, all of that adds up to a premium value
21:58
that you offer. And I feel like that's
22:00
something. You know, if I ask myself, what
22:02
is my what is my uniqueness that I bring to the table for
22:06
anything or if when we all asked ourselves that I think that we
22:09
could come up with some pretty great category He's that we
22:11
could then use to differentiate ourselves whether it's a job
22:14
interview or are dating dating profile or the business that we
22:20
run. So that's a really I am 100%
22:24
sure everybody listening to this is unique and and then many have
22:30
have a clear positioning and everybody knows their uniqueness
22:33
and their superpower. Some of them, they are also
22:35
absolutely unique. They just didn't polish the
22:38
positioning and, and stand by it.
22:41
Buy it in it and say, hey, this is what I stand for.
22:44
Yeah. Yeah, right.
22:46
And and I know I want to have one more question and then we'll
22:50
probably wrap it up here. Regarding you talk a lot about
22:55
rol, right? We turn on luck which I love as
22:58
a phrase. How do you maximize your return
23:02
on luck? Because a lot of times I think
23:04
that does play into our businesses and and how we are as
23:08
well. Yes.
23:10
So everybody gives their Best right now.
23:12
Everybody, listening everybody gives their best.
23:14
So how is it possible that some people just get Super Lucky and
23:18
luck lens on their desk and other teams they don't get luck
23:23
landing on their desk. So, what's exactly the
23:26
difference, in their behavior. What do they do differently?
23:29
And in the book, all the 13 chapters, instead of these
23:32
prints are, literally my description of what I have seen
23:36
working over the last 21 years of daily Consulting of Open ours
23:41
and there are exactly 13 things that they do differently in
23:46
chapter 1. Describes how they Market
23:48
chapter 2 describes how they sell Etc.
23:51
And then chapter 12 is how they hire.
23:53
And so it's really literally, what I have seen working is they
23:59
run things differently. They they chop they chop up work
24:05
in smaller packages. That's why they can get them
24:08
done and they don't get stuck in.
24:11
Overthinking because they have such small short packages of
24:15
work that it's fun to do them. And every, every time they
24:18
finish them, they get feedback, they kept, they get energy back
24:23
because they shipped it. And now they can say wow cool,
24:26
it's like Angry Birds they should the bird 500 points.
24:29
They shoot again. 600 points and then go.
24:32
Oh that was a cool week next week, we're going to do 800
24:34
points and so work doesn't really feel like work.
24:38
It feels like you are playing basket with your friends.
24:41
And that that's the momentum. And those teams they have a
24:45
higher return on luck because because they have a more playful
24:51
way, they Explore More, they learn more and they ship more
24:56
making it happen. Yeah.
24:57
And I know like that's something I talked about with the world of
25:01
pause is that play is actually really powerful way to learn,
25:04
and it's one of the ways, our kids are Naturals at that,
25:07
right? Like with your three kids, I'm
25:08
sure. You see it all the time and we
25:10
need to learn We need to relearn how to play to maximize our
25:15
return unlock. It sounds like that's really
25:16
exciting ball. All right.
25:18
Well Simon, thank you so much for being with me today.
25:23
On the podcast, we mentioned your tool so where can people
25:26
find more out about you and and get this your flow question?
25:30
That sounds really good. Yeah, the daily flow.
25:33
They can download it for free on strategies, prince.com slash
25:36
tools and this is also where I hang out strategies prints.com.
25:41
I run also two YouTube channels if people like YouTube they can
25:45
find me on on the channel Simon see Reno and on the channel
25:48
strategy, Sprint's those are podcasts to.
25:51
So yeah, sounds like there's more there's more there.
25:54
So I'll put all those links in the show notes today and you
25:57
have one last hot tip for us or one.
26:00
One thing you'd like to leave us with in terms of making sure
26:04
that you are equipped for really running running the best
26:09
strategy Sprint's you can possibly run in Your world?
26:12
Yes, make your life, easy invest 20 bucks on Amazon.
26:16
Instead, it is Prince and have it on your desk.
26:18
Like I have, I literally use it as a checklist, so my sales is
26:22
not working this month. Let me go to chapter 3.
26:24
Oh, yeah, I did that. I did that all, I forgot that
26:28
literally, it's my checklist, it's how I run my company.
26:32
And, and sometimes I just forget.
26:34
And so I use it as a checklist, make your life easy.
26:37
You don't have to reinvent the wheel.
26:39
Yes, checklists are so good and I Wait to get my hands on your
26:42
book to Simon. So, thank you so much for
26:44
sharing it today. Thank you for being a guest with
26:47
us and you'll see you soon. Thank you for calling everybody.
26:51
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