Welcome to SALES with ASLAN, a weekly podcast hosted by ASLAN Co-founders Tom Stanfill and Tab Norris, geared at helping sales professionals and sales leaders eliminate the hard sell. At the end of the day, we believe that selling is serving. ASLAN helps sellers make the shift from a ‘typical’ sales approach, to one that makes us more influential because we embrace the truth that the customer’s receptivity is more important than your value prop or message.

The goal of these interviews is to spotlight various experts in the world of sales and sales leadership – sharing informational stories, techniques, and expert interviews on the sales topics you care about.

The following are notes from Ep. 188 Remarkable...Becoming Someone People Can't Help But Talk About

Today, Tom and Tab have the pleasure of talking to Dr. Randy Ross, bestselling author, communicator, and business culture expert. On this episode, they dive into Randy's book, Remarkable and what exactly a remarkable person does and why this makes such an impact where you work and where you live. Randy gave practical advice for anyone from business leaders to parents of how to create a culture where people care about each other and want the best for each other.  His principles aligned perfectly with the Other-Centered® Selling model we teach at ASLAN. You might want to grab a pen cause this one is worth taking notes! You can also preorder a copy of Remarkable right here! 

Listen to the conversation here:

Or read below- 

00:14
Tom Stanfill
Thanks for joining us again for another episode of sales with ASLAN. But, tab, I just recognized that maybe people have never. This could be their first episode, so it could be. Was that arrogant?

00:26
Tab Norris
Well, I think you're just projecting a good thing upon people, and I think they'll feel kind of left out, like, know, hey, what's wrong with you? You should be coming to these every. You're.

00:38
Tom Stanfill
Everybody listens to this podcast. Everybody. And we also, of course, thank our producer, our behind the scenes producer. Tindell told us that people don't really like our small talk, which hurt my feelings.

00:50
Tab Norris
I know.

00:50
Tom Stanfill
And I said, do you have any data to prove that? And she said, no, it was just an opinion.

00:57
Tab Norris
So clearly she doesn't like it.

00:59
Tom Stanfill
Well, I will tell you, one of our clients told me, yeah, I just fast forward. This is for us, the Tab and Tom banter. But we see each other rarely. Well, not as rarely. We see each other pretty rarely, but it's good to see each other. We love each other, but I am stalling. Tab, let's get to the meat of what we're talking about today. If you can see in the show notes, we have a doctor on the show today. The kind, as he described, doesn't make money.

01:28
Tab Norris
I love that.

01:29
Tom Stanfill
That's not true. Very smart guy's written a lot of books. He is a professional speaker consultant who focuses on helping leaders become remarkable and creating remarkable cultures and also sellers. How do they become remarkable? He has worked with a lot of well known companies and brands, from Delta to Cox to, you know, I love seeing Dan Cappy has endorsed him on his latest book. He's worked with a lot of well known organizations. And we're going to talk about, on this episode, we talk about his most popular book. And also it's coming out with his third edition, his book remarkable. And I thought, tab, it was a great podcast because everybody needs to be remarkable.

02:18
Tab Norris
Yes. And it was so inspiring. I walked away inspired. I loved how his passion about living life with purpose, he was so passionate about that and really just thinking through, about continually coming back to what that is in order to stay grounded and focused on the right things so that we can live a life with purpose and be remarkable.

02:48
Tom Stanfill
Yeah, I agree. It was very inspiring. And for people that maybe not have connected the dots to, how does that translate to our professional life? Okay, so why does that matter? He does a really good job of communicating what happens when your values align. You live a life of purpose. You create a culture and the impact and the value and how it sustains and you become a high performing organization and you become an attractive, you have attractive culture. People are more engaged, they're more motivated. Because he talked about short term, you may be able to hit a certain metric short term, putting pressure, but it's not sustainable. And so I love that. One of my favorite things that he talked about is advertising and prospecting is a tax that you pay for being unremarkable.

03:41
Tab Norris
I know. That was really good. Yeah, I definitely wrote that down.

03:45
Tom Stanfill
I thought that was really good. It's like, hey, if I'm just an oral, average salesperson or I'm an average leader or I'm an average organization, I got to spend a lot of money and work really hard because I'm not remarkable. People aren't talking about me. There's no love. So he got real practical, though, tab. He talked about the three b's, the three best that drive culture. He talked about how the typical approach to metrics don't work. I loved how he flipped metrics on the head. On his head. And he talked about the different ways we can deliver value as a seller and as a leader. So I think people are going to love the episode. So why don't we dive in? And thanks for joining us for another episode, and I hope you enjoyed this one. Dr.

04:27
Tom Stanfill
Randy Ross, we are so excited to have you on the podcast. I know we've bumped into each other in a couple of places. I know I've met you, and you may have personally given me your book because it's back in 2019.

04:45
Randy Ross
Wow.

04:46
Tom Stanfill
And I loved it, and I have it. Okay, so that's over ten years ago. And I immediately knew where it was. I have Paige's dog ears. So I was really excited, and we're obviously going to talk about this, but very honored to have you on the show. You've got it. But I was a little surprised, honestly, when I did a little digging about all the people that you hang with. It was very intimidating. Tru. Kathy. Dan. Kathy. Ken Blanchard, Andy Stanley, Tab Norris.

05:11
Tab Norris
Tom Stanfill. Yeah, it's an incredible group.

05:13
Randy Ross
Yeah. Tom and I first met each other when were incarcerated together.

05:18
Tom Stanfill
No.

05:19
Tab Norris
Well, heard that. Creates bond.

05:21
Tom Stanfill
We had the same parole guy. That's what it was. It was the same parole guy.

05:27
Randy Ross
That was it.

05:29
Tom Stanfill
In our pre show conversation, Tab, Randy made us feel very comfortable by telling us what kind of doctor he is.

05:37
Tab Norris
Yes.

05:38
Tom Stanfill
We were very nervous. And then, Randy, what did you say when you explained what kind of doctor you are?

05:43
Randy Ross
Well, I don't say it this way. My kids say it this way. He's the kind of doctor that doesn't make any guess. That's either philosophy or theology. One of those two, probably a little bit of both.

05:56
Tab Norris
That's probably true.

05:57
Tom Stanfill
Well, you've written four books and you have a very successful company in a big client list. I'm sure that's not true. Of course, your kids probably think that.

06:04
Randy Ross
Well, kids really know exactly what we do. Anyway, that's why I try to take them on the road with me. And even when they travel with them, they still look at me and go, I still don't understand what you do.

06:14
Tom Stanfill
Okay, I was going to save this for the end, but we got to go there. So you have four kids.

06:19
Randy Ross
We do.

06:19
Tom Stanfill
Right. Four kids. And what are the ages?

06:23
Randy Ross
I'll make it real simple. They're all of the age that they're out of the house and they're not coming back. How's that?

06:28
Tab Norris
There you go.

06:29
Tom Stanfill
Now, what about grandkids?

06:31
Randy Ross
What's that?

06:32
Tom Stanfill
What about grandkids?

06:33
Randy Ross
Oh, so now. Okay, you got me. Inside scoop. We have our first grandchild grandson. His name is Cape. Our daughter gave birth in August and she immediately moved to Montana. We're thrilled to have a grandchild. It's like, well, just leave him here. If y'all are going to leave the.

06:52
Tom Stanfill
Well, Randy, you're going to have to go fly fish with us because we're going to Montana this summer.

06:57
Randy Ross
Count me in. I'm going to be getting up there a lot, I'm sure.

07:00
Tom Stanfill
Yeah, that's probably good news, bad news. Good news, dad, I'm moving to Montana. It's the most beautiful state in the country. Bad news is I'm moving to Montana.

07:08
Randy Ross
Well, the fun part about it for them is that they're doing life with several other couples. And so they had a group of friends here. They actually attended the same church together. And they all up and got a wild hair and said, let's all move to Montana. So they all live within a five mile radius of each other. They like the mountains and they just like doing life together. And they say, we're young, we're footloose. We can. Let's do.

07:32
Tab Norris
Damn, I may do that tomorrow.

07:35
Tom Stanfill
They're traveling around. I can work anywhere. Like, what are you talking about?

07:38
Randy Ross
With the remote work.

07:40
Tom Stanfill
Miserable like were when you started.

07:42
Tab Norris
Exactly. Build an office. Get people to yell at you. Yeah, come on.

07:46
Tom Stanfill
Well, the reason I asked that, Randy, is because hopefully we'll get to this. I love to talk about what we do at work also applies to what we do at home. And I've read, obviously, that's important to you as well. As a matter of fact, it was what you said. You honored your family in the beginning of this edition of the book and talked about that. So we'll get to that. At least. I'm going to make sure we at least have a couple of questions about how everything we talk about in this podcast applies to home. But tell us about remarkable. You got a new edition coming out. I guess this is your best selling book. I know you've written four, and I don't know that for sure. But tell us about the new edition.

08:23
Tom Stanfill
What's the premise of the book and why the new edition? I think people call it a narrative nonfiction. You can explain that?

08:34
Randy Ross
Yes. Remarkable is a leadership parable that unpacks the principles of applied axiology. And see, here we go again.

08:44
Tom Stanfill
This is. I was about to say that's.

08:46
Tab Norris
Why you're a doctor, because I can't.

08:48
Randy Ross
Spell that geek stuff that starts pouring out nobody knows anything about. But it's really actually kind of fun. It is the third edition. We're grateful it's made a splash in the marketplace, and now we want to give it a fresh face, a new look, throw it back out there, and let it continue to have an impact. So we're looking forward to that. But the book itself talks about culture, okay? Which is a powerful topic that many organizations now understand the importance of. And it's about customer service. It's about value creation. But it really does unpack some principles of axiology, which is interesting if your listeners aren't familiar. It's philosophy, a strain of philosophy that talks about values, value constructs, and value creation, okay. And it's actually an attempt to define and measure good.

09:43
Randy Ross
And by applying the principles of axiology, you can actually create movements of good within organizational life. And that's what we get the chance to travel across the country and around the globe, talk to organizations about being able to do create movements of good, both internally and externally and the impact that can have on business.

10:00
Tab Norris
Wow.

10:01
Tom Stanfill
So make that practical for us. So obviously, businesses wouldn't bring you in if it didn't drive revenue. Obviously, it's not just about because you mentioned the word values and you mentioned the word culture. And so there's a lot of buzz about that. And I know some people get it. They're like everything you just said, they can connect the dots between what you just said and how it drives results because it drives engagement. Right. And people are more productive, and they're happy and all those things. And people want purpose. But talk a little bit about how does it practically impact business when you maybe focus on culture and we can go from there.

10:36
Randy Ross
So let me back into it and I'll ask you a question, and I don't want you to answer this right away. Okay. This is not a quiz, but for all your listeners, what's the purpose of business? Now if you go to any MBA program in the country, they'll give you a long, flowery academic definition of the purpose of business. But it'll all boil down to one thing. The purpose of business is to make money. Now, I agree, if you don't make money, you're going to be out of business. But I don't think the purpose of business is to make money. Hold on, because, I mean, extrapolate this.

11:05
Tom Stanfill
I read this so I know exactly where you're going.

11:08
Randy Ross
So the purpose of business, I believe, is to improve the human condition, to do good, to solve a problem, to make the world a better place. Because here's the thing. If you do good, if you solve problems, if you make the world a better place, if you make life better, you will make a dollar. But it's a matter of putting, making a difference above making a dollar. Because here's what I know. Be true, guys, that people will gladly pay full price for those things that they deem bring true value to life. Yeah, and a lot of people have to sell stuff. Well, you can sell stuff or you can make life better. If you make life better, you're going to make a dollar. If you sell stuff, you just sell stuff. You got to go back and sell more stuff.

11:53
Randy Ross
If you make life better, here's how I say it, and you'll appreciate the tie in here. But when you live life and you do business in such a way that you blow people away, you provide a world class experience. You exceed all expectations. You make someone's day a little bit better to the degree that when they leave your presence, they have this irrepressible desire to talk about you and the difference that you've made in their lives. When they're out there remarking about you, then you indeed have become remarkable. Right?

12:27
Tom Stanfill
Yeah.

12:28
Randy Ross
And here's the thing. Robert Stevens, the founder of Geek Squad, in an ink magazine article sometime back, he made this statement. He said, advertising is a tax that you pay for being unremarkable.

12:42
Tab Norris
Wow, that is really good. That is really good.

12:45
Tom Stanfill
Say that one more time.

12:47
Randy Ross
Advertising is a tax you pay for being unremarkable. Because when you're remarkable when people are remarking about you don't have to advertise. It's all viral. It's word of mouth. It's your fan base. Your raving fans are out there in the market telling your story because you've impacted their life in such a positive way. And that's really what the principles of axiology are all about.

13:11
Tab Norris
Hey, I got to say this, Randy, I read your manifesto and this feeds right into that. I just got so excited. The whole idea about I will live for a purpose. Right? One of my favorite things you said, which feeds right into this, is I wrote it down. Neon. Be neon in a world of gray. And to me, that's what you're talking about. When you're a neon in a world of gray, you have impact and you will have abundance. I mean, it's all the things you're talking about. It's almost like if we do that, people are drawn to that, aren't they?

13:49
Randy Ross
Oh, absolutely. And the next line in the manifesto is be a symphony where formerly there was silence.

13:55
Tab Norris
Yes, I know. I had a tear. I think maybe two.

13:59
Randy Ross
A little misty eyed.

14:00
Tab Norris
Misty eyed. Randy, it was really.

14:04
Tom Stanfill
Yeah, and it's subtle, but when I hear you talk about like, it sounds almost like you got to take a fork in the road because you can't do both. You can't say, I'm going to care about serving the customer and bringing value and being remarkable, and I'm going to care more about making money. It's almost like you have to choose because there is going to be a fork in the road.

14:33
Randy Ross
That's right.

14:35
Tab Norris
Who are you?

14:36
Tom Stanfill
Who are you? Yeah. Because ultimately, one's going to drive you either going to be about taking care of the customer, what we call being other centered and trying to help them, or you're going to be about, how do I get you to do what I want you to do? Which happens all the way up to the top of the pyramid, no doubt. How do we apply this to. Let's talk about a frontline leader who just heard this and they're in a big organization and they've got their team of ten and they're like, yeah, Randy, but I work at a big company and it is what it is. Can they drive the culture in their organization? Can they apply this and it work even if they're a subset of a big organization?

15:19
Randy Ross
And that's a great question. I really appreciate that, Tom, because, see, culture is just simply defined as the collective expression of the values, the beliefs and the behaviors that individuals bring to an endeavor. So your enterprise is going to have a culture, but your work group is going to have a culture. Your team may have a culture. There's a culture in the church that you attend. There's a culture in the philanthropic organizations where you volunteer your time. There's a culture at the gym held onto this. There's even a culture in your home. Definitely a lot of people don't think about that. Everywhere people get together, there's going to be a culture.

15:54
Randy Ross
So that culture is either going to be by design, you're giving it intentionality, thoughtful reflection, and constantly trying to make it better, or you're going to have a culture, by default, one of the two, and you don't want to wake up one day and have a culture by default. A lot of people do that in their marriages, and that's why the marriages fall apart, because they've not been intentional about growing it.

16:14
Tom Stanfill
Let me give you a little.

16:15
Randy Ross
Here's a litmus test is what we call the trilogy of a remarkable culture, okay? And you can use this to measure your culture, whatever environment you're in. It's a place where people believe the best in each other. They want the best for each other, and so they expect the best from each other.

16:37
Tom Stanfill
I love that.

16:38
Randy Ross
Now, what that is that's the trilogy of trust, compassion, and accountability. But it has to start. We're really good in corporate circles about the accountability. Accountability, right. We know how to drive that. We know how to drive results. But if you don't have trust and you don't have compassion first, then accountability is really hard. And so if you get that backwards, it's challenging. And so we call that the culture, the litmus test of a great culture. And then how do you apply that? Well, there are principles and practices that you can apply from the field of axiology to move things in a better direction. So to your point, whether you're in a small group of ten, a mom and pop shop around the corner, or you're in an organization of 10,000 or 100,000, it makes no difference.

17:28
Randy Ross
Your culture of your subgroup can be radically different. Now, arguably, in the best organizations, you want that culture to be consistent across the board, and it has to begin from the top down and the bottom up, and everybody meets in the middle. But you can still make a huge difference, a huge impact, even if you're a subset of a larger group.

17:48
Tab Norris
Right?

17:49
Tom Stanfill
Well, you also talk about value. I think I wrote down value centricity. The word I think you created is the energy and momentum that can be produced with your values when your values are properly aligned.

18:03
Randy Ross
Absolutely.

18:04
Tom Stanfill
And I want to connect that, because I think of culture also having aligned values, because the way that you talked about that is you believe it's almost like how you treat each other. But isn't there also an alignment to a central purpose where we all have value centricity?

18:21
Randy Ross
Absolutely. And thanks for saying we made it up. Otherwise, you might confuse people. If they go try to look it up, they're going to have a hard time.

18:30
Tom Stanfill
Say what?

18:32
Randy Ross
One of the benefits of being an author and a wordsmith is you get to make stuff up. But value centricity is this idea that if we're all on the same page, committed to the same things with the same values and the same beliefs, then our behaviors are going to be an expression of that. And synergy that's created through unity is a powerful force. Unity is the most powerful force on the planet. But unity comes through clarity and commitment to certain values that will drive our behavior. And also, I always say that the two greatest roles and responsibilities of leaders are to keep their hand on the helm of culture, because there's nothing more important than culture.

19:13
Randy Ross
But the second thing they have to do is to connect personal passion and values to corporate objectives, because when my personal values and my personal passion align with the organization, I get excited to come to work.

19:30
Tab Norris
Yeah, well, and you're intrinsically motivated, and we talk about that with our clients. I mean, if you're having to get people motivated by carrots and sticks, everybody's miserable. Everybody's miserable. But when all of a sudden, people rally around a purpose and it's connected to what they want and their why, then it gets exciting. A fire starts, Tom. Right. A fire starts.

19:59
Randy Ross
Well, and, tab, this is to your point. It's interesting, Tommy, intrinsic motivation, because you can motivate people with a carrot and a stick. But here's the universal maximum, the axiom that most leaders need to understand. It will revolutionize the way you lead. You ready for this?

20:17
Tab Norris
Yeah.

20:18
Randy Ross
People will do what they want to do.

20:23
Tab Norris
It's really true.

20:26
Tom Stanfill
I love that.

20:27
Tab Norris
You don't have to convince anybody.

20:29
Tom Stanfill
Control is just an illusion. You can get them to show up for a meeting. You can get them to maybe be someplace, but you can't get them to do anything important.

20:39
Randy Ross
Well, here's the thing. Because when you try to, and I'm not a big fan of the word motivation, because motivation connotes that I'm trying to get you to do something you don't want to do. I like inspiration much better. Because for me, motivation is character stick. Now, you can call it intrinsic motivation, I get that. But I call that inspiration because I would much rather find the right people whose values are aligned with the organization and their passion can be expressed through the utilization of their strengths. That way all I have to do is I don't have to light a fire underneath them, I just fan the flame that's within them. And there's a big difference between the two.

21:24
Tom Stanfill
This actually applies to both sellers and leaders. Yeah, let's talk about leaders. I want to talk about the leadership, though challenge first, because I also want to apply this to sellers because I think what you're saying also applies to them and how they're working with their customers absolutely can't motivate our customers to do something they don't want to do.

21:43
Randy Ross
Right.

21:44
Tom Stanfill
So there's an alignment, there's a value centricity there that applies. So I'd love to talk about that second, but I'm interested, tab, to see if this is what you think is the toughest challenge with culture is I got a team, I got ten and I got three that are toxic, but they're hitting their number right. And I'm measured by a number. Right. I'm measured by a number. Now, in certain organizations and certain leaders, it's kind of hard to know what people are doing and so they can hide. But in sales, which is obviously the world that we serve, I got ten and the three most vocal are hitting their number, but they're also toxic. We don't have value centricity. They don't believe they're competitive. And so they've created.

22:30
Tom Stanfill
So I think that's a challenge that a lot of leaders have with culture who buy into what we're saying right now because they're looking down and they're going. Now, in our families, we don't have a lot of options.

22:43
Tab Norris
Toxic, you got nothing you can do.

22:45
Tom Stanfill
Well, you're out. I think that's a conundrum a lot of leaders face. Tab, what do you think?

22:51
Tab Norris
I 100% agree with that. I hear it all the time. It's like you're telling me I'm going to take my top two producers and because they're kind of do it their way and they don't really fit with the why and they don't serve their customers, they just pound away and they somehow have success or whatever, I'm going to get rid of them. And it is. We deal with that all the time.

23:15
Randy Ross
It's interesting. I used to work in a space that was very heavily sales oriented. And here's what I can tell you. It's interesting because if you allow toxic behavior to continue, it will destroy the morale of the entire team. We've all been a part of organizations where someone who's great in sales brings in the dollars, but they kill everybody in ops or they kill the team.

23:36
Tom Stanfill
There's only one or two producers in that team and everybody thinks of them as superstar. I've been in many organizations like that.

23:43
Tab Norris
When people leave, they leave because I've seen that happen. This guy, you praise him. Well, I'm doing it differently. I've got a long term play that's going to pay off dividends in the future, but you don't want that. So I'm going to go find a company that does. That's where I see that culture play. Yeah.

23:59
Randy Ross
And I think we've made a huge mistake when we define value as purely monetary means that are brought into the organization, it's all about the money. Because value, I think, is often metrics don't create value. Value creates metrics. And so when you really understand what.

24:20
Tom Stanfill
Say that again. Say that one more time.

24:22
Randy Ross
Metrics don't create value. Values create metrics.

24:28
Tom Stanfill
Okay, explain that, because I think that's super.

24:30
Randy Ross
What I mean is when you get the value construct right, the money will take care of itself. Organizations that put people above profit, they honor their people, they invest in their people, they coalesce their people. They focus on good team unity. They don't let prima donnas dominate at the top who are toxic to the organization. They put their team first because they know that individuals may be able to run faster, but teams run farther. And so it's all about building your team for longevity.

25:07
Tom Stanfill
They also outproduce other people, other organizations who don't work in teams. I just had a meeting with a senior leader in Europe that runs one of the biggest organizations that we work with, and the team far outperforms individual organizations that work as individuals.

25:24
Randy Ross
Right. So the question is, what value do people actually bring? It may be monetary, but their farm, they may elevate the performance of everyone by sharing best practices. They may create a spirit of unity and enthusiasm, and they coalesce the team that's more valuable than any monetary figure you could put on top of that.

25:45
Tab Norris
It's so funny. I saw, I had a client and this guy was always middle of the pack and they kept wanting to fire him. They're just like, guy, he's just not measuring up. He can't get above a six out of our scale to ten. And his skills are not there and whatever, and I get. So why don't you guys just let this guy go? They go because he's average and he gets every ounce of everything out of what God gave him, and he inspires other people. And I thought, now that's cool. That's exactly what you're talking about.

26:18
Tom Stanfill
He brings value to.

26:19
Tab Norris
He brought value. He brought value to the team, and he was a mediocre performer at best.

26:24
Randy Ross
Here's the thing. But will that person attract other people, and will the organization retain those people to do greater good in the long run? Because your overnight sensations who become successful quickly, oftentimes are the ones that crash the hardest longevity.

26:45
Tom Stanfill
And we do have to be honest, I mean, not that we're being dishonest, but to be candid is like, you're going to sometimes pay a price if you take over an organization or you say, we're going to move in this direction, you may take a few steps back. I mean, you look at Chickfila, which I know is one of your, I think you're one of your clients, because it sounds like you've got a lot of connection to chick fil a. And you look at, there were organizations that grew a lot faster, and we're spending a lot of money opening a lot more stores. They'd like, no, we're doing it. And you look at, they dominate now. And I do know it's hard to have a long term perspective in a short term organization. Well, people, I would say, who are you?

27:24
Tom Stanfill
And if you are the, you've got to ultimately say, who are you? Am I a person, a leader who says, I'm going to run my organization my way, regardless of what the parent organization is doing, because I know long term I'm going to be more successful. And so they have to, sometimes there's some sacrifice and some scary decisions that you have to make.

27:44
Randy Ross
Well, it's interesting because just this morning I had an opportunity to be a part of the meeting where my co author, David Sayyers was speaking and he was in the marketing department, Chickfila. He was actually the second person they hired in the marketing department at Chickfila. And people don't realize Chickfila started in 1946.

28:01
Tom Stanfill
Yeah, right.

28:02
Randy Ross
In the first 1015 years, they barely turned a profit, but they built it on the right principles. Now fast forward, they've gone through all the transitions. We could talk over and over about why they're so successful, because they do things in a counterintuitive sort of a way. But David was sharing just this morning that chick fil A has just recently surpassed all of their top five competitors combined. In that space.

28:29
Tom Stanfill
I saw that.

28:33
Randy Ross
With one third the number of retail outlets. It's crazy. Combined. Combined.

28:38
Tom Stanfill
So they have a third of the outlets. So like, let's say they've got 2000.

28:42
Randy Ross
Stores and compared to 8000, they have 2800 stores. 2800 stores. As compared to a total of the other five top brands that are their competitors who have combined almost 11,000 stores.

28:58
Tom Stanfill
Okay. Those stores outperform all of the others combined. Yeah. It pays off. It's so hard to pay the price sometimes.

29:09
Randy Ross
And they're closed 52 days out of the year on arguably as many fast food restaurants consider Sunday to be their most productive day. 20% of their revenue comes from sales on Sunday. And Chickfila won't do that. It's all based on values. But it was a slow grow process. That was the point. It was for the long run. And I think David made a really good point today. He was talking about the fact that most organizations are focused on shareholder value. That's the challenge of a publicly traded company. You got to produce shareholder value. But short term, remarkable organizations focus on stakeholder value, meaning it's about what their team needs, what the clients need, what the suppliers need. And when you focus on stakeholder value, your shareholders will never be disappointed.

29:57
Randy Ross
If all you focus on is your shareholder value, you may compromise a lot of things that are going to jeopardize your stakeholder value. And I think that's the difference. It's a different perspective, it's a different way of looking at business.

30:12
Tom Stanfill
I love it. Talk a little bit, Randy, about some of the things that we've touched on and how it relates to sellers on the front line who are working with their customers because they have a culture, they have values, they can think short term, they can think about making a commission versus serving their customers and providing value. So talk a little bit about how it works at that level.

30:38
Randy Ross
Well, let me just kind of bounce into some of the principles of axiology because I think it applies. The first principle of axiology is we call the principle or the maximum of creativity. And it asks the question, do you create more value than you take? Now that sounds rather simple, but it's very robust when you begin to unpack it for sales. Do you bring more to the table than you take away in every client facing opportunity? Do you bring more to the client than you ask in return? Are you building the relationship? Are you getting to know them? Do you understand the dynamics? Do you understand what their needs are? Do you take the time to listen? Are you involved in deep, rich conversations so that you connect? Do you understand their world? Are you helping to bring solutions?

31:32
Randy Ross
Have you identified the problems, the burning platform that you can address and solve? And are you bringing a response to the table that's going to help them even before you ever close a sale? Now, here's the tough question. Are you willing to point them in the direction of someone else who's selling something else if that's the best solution to their problem?

31:54
Tab Norris
Right?

31:57
Randy Ross
That's all about being more concerned about them than you are closing the sale, because you're not going into it with the spirit of reciprocity. I've been around sales organizations all my life, and a lot of times you give to get. No, you give to give.

32:11
Tab Norris
Right?

32:13
Randy Ross
If you give to get, then you're not giving at all.

32:17
Tab Norris
And it's being a trusted partner is what we call that. What you just said. And motive is transparent. You can't fake that. I mean, you just can't fake it.

32:26
Randy Ross
People see right through it. Right? And so that's the first thing. The second principle is the principle we call of positivity. And this is an interesting one. All the good things you want in life are a byproduct of creating value for others. So people know, what's the number one pursuit of most people? It's happiness. Everybody wants to be happy. But John Templeton, a very wise man, once said this. He said, happiness pursued eludes, but happiness given returns. In other words, the things that you think will make you happy probably won't make you happy. You're happiest when you're doing good for others. So for me, I know that I'm the happiest as a husband when my wife is happy. Yeah, I'm the happiest as a parent when my kids are happy. I'm the happiest as a team leader when my teams are happy.

33:17
Randy Ross
And it gets back to this whole idea that happiness, it's like what ziglar used to say, tom. He'd say, if you want to become successful, then the secret is make everyone around you successful. Because if you make them successful, you will become successful as you get what.

33:36
Tom Stanfill
You want by helping others get what they want.

33:38
Randy Ross
That's exactly right. That's exactly right.

33:40
Tom Stanfill
And you know what I love? Andy says, andy Stanley says it. He says selfishness robs you of the very thing that you want. Yeah, I love that because it's like, here's the thing I want so selfishly, I'm going to pursue it. Selfishness robs you of that thing.

33:53
Randy Ross
That's right. It's elusive. Right. And Templeton was wise. And so I think back to sales. So what does that mean for me? It means that I am so in tune with my customer base, with my clients, the people that I serve. I'm so in tune with them that I'm constantly aware of bringing value to them, answering their questions, solving their problems, helping them strategize, being a trusted friend, a confident, a coach, just an advisor of sorts in my area of expertise, so that therefore I can earn the right, when the time is right, to provide for them a solution that will meet their need, as opposed to pushing my service on them, which they may not need right now.

34:44
Tab Norris
Yeah, it's true. It's taking a different perspective. And this is right in line with what we believe, Randy. It's just true. It's truth. This is not a tactic or here's a great idea to make a lot of money. It's just the truth.

35:04
Randy Ross
Well, there's a reason that truth survives. Yeah, that's good, because it's eternal. It works.

35:14
Tom Stanfill
Yeah. That's the thing that I would say most surprised me about. We share truth and principles in our workshops and I always thought, I guess I got nervous because we're going to talk about some of these concepts and principles and they're biblical and I'm thinking somebody's going to argue with me and then I'm going to have to defend it. Right. I have not once in 30 years deliberate a principle, an actual principle like gravity that anybody said. That's not true. We all intuitively know when you share a principle, everybody goes, that's true.

35:48
Tab Norris
Yeah. I mean, it's amazing. I do a mentor, a little entrepreneur group for seniors in college in the greek system, Randy. And same exact thing. We kick this thing off and we're going to teach you a lot of truths and things we've learned over 30 years in entrepreneurship. But you know what? You know what? We're going to talk about the most important thing, which is live for the line, meaning you got this dot and you can focus on making a whole lot of money in your time on earth, but it will end up empty. So what you do needs to be eternal. And this is not a, quote, christian group. And I'm the same thing. I'm thinking they're going to be a little funny about the nobody disagrees. Everybody goes. I know intuitively that is truth.

36:35
Randy Ross
So, tab, I've got another book that's coming out in August that I'm really excited about. Out of all the books I've written, this one I'm looking forward to hitting the market the most, and it's called make life good. But the full title is this. You've made a good living. Now make life good.

36:55
Tab Norris
Oh, I love that preorder.

36:58
Randy Ross
It's just the whole idea that you can go out and you can make money, you can buy your lake house, you can plan your retirement, but what have you done to make life good? Because there's a big difference between making a good living and making life good. There are a lot of people who make a good living, but they've done nothing to give back. They haven't created a legacy. They haven't mastered this whole idea of living on purpose to make a difference in their world. And I wrote the book about that to really challenge people to think through their life, their leadership, their legacy. What do they want to be known for? What will they leave behind? How will they make a dent in the universe?

37:37
Randy Ross
And it's a fun book that challenges people to ask the question, why do you do what you do?

37:42
Tab Norris
Yeah, I was all about my golf game being the thing, but I've given up on that now, Randy. So I'm going for something else.

37:48
Tom Stanfill
That was a wise choice.

37:50
Randy Ross
Yeah. Well, the way I say that, although.

37:53
Tom Stanfill
You'Re a great putter, but it may not be my legacy, I think it's just one element. It's only one capability.

38:02
Randy Ross
Tab, you tell me truth. Somebody told me. My grandmother told me a long time ago, she said, do what you love to do, and the money will follow. That's what we call a lie. To me, it's not a truth. I love to play golf. No one has ever paid me to play golf.

38:25
Tom Stanfill
I tried to be a professional softball player.

38:30
Tab Norris
But you kept pulling your hamstring.

38:34
Tom Stanfill
But in my little church league, I was pretty good.

38:40
Randy Ross
I was a great athlete, too, Tom. But my career peaked when I was in the fourth grade.

38:46
Tom Stanfill
I was the fastest in my class in the fourth grade. I know exactly what you mean.

38:50
Tab Norris
You guys are bragging now. I never was.

38:52
Tom Stanfill
Of the 30 boys in my class. Now, there were some girls that were faster, but of the 30 boys.

38:58
Tab Norris
All right, Tom, you had something else you wanted.

39:01
Tom Stanfill
Well, we're just going to have to tease, because we don't have time. But the four principles of creativity, positivity. I wrote down sustainability and responsibility. So I wrote down for sustainability, and I just wanted you touch on this. And then I've got to ask you a question about balanced life. Tab, I want to hear about, because here's a man who's raised a family, a large family, and he's also got his own business. So I got to hear about that. I wrote down for sustainability. Nothing of long lasting value ever happens by force. I thought that was a brilliant insight. Anything you want to add to that? Just because I think that applies to almost everything in business. And maybe, I guess, in life it does.

39:52
Randy Ross
And it gets back to this whole idea. People will do what they want to do. Nothing of long lasting value ever is accomplished through force. It doesn't matter what realm you're talking about. And I think it's good for us as leaders to remember that, because sometimes we try to use the wrong tools to motivate, if not manipulate or dominate, dictate all those forms, and it doesn't serve us well in the long run. And so to help people understand these principles, the principle, or the maximum of sustainability is in order to continuously create value, leverage your passion and your strengths to solve problems. You have to solve a problem. People will pay you when you're a problem solver.

40:38
Randy Ross
And I like to say, if you want to create value, find the biggest problem you can find and solve it, because the bigger the problem you solve, the more value you create. The more value you create, the more valuable you become. So that's the principle of sustainability.

40:53
Tom Stanfill
In other words, if we're all aligned and all want this, and we're not trying to force people, we're all aligned. It's got a value centricity, it will be sustained versus every day. I'm going to try to make people do things. I'm going to try to create an atmosphere of pressure. I'm going to hold people accountable to metrics they don't believe in. And if we do that and we crack the whip, it will work. But what you're saying is, short term, that might move the needle. Long term, it's not sustainable.

41:21
Randy Ross
Absolutely. Think about it. Go back to our first principle. Do you create more value than you take? If everybody in the organization is a value creator, they all bring more to the table than they take away. At the end of the day, there will be a surplus on the table that then can be shared by everyone who helped to create that value. And the divas, the prima donnas that were talking about earlier, they're value extractors. They're trying to get to the table and get as much for themselves as they possibly can. And that's all about competition, not collaboration. So, yeah, it's profound. When you begin to play this out in daily scenarios, you'll be amazed. You'll be amazed at how it will shift the culture.

42:03
Tab Norris
It's awesome.

42:04
Tom Stanfill
I have to ask you, before we leave the book and shift to personal, because I've written a book, I went through this long process of research, and so you learn a lot on that journey and a lot of things surprise you. What was the number one thing that surprised you as you sat down? And you've done all the research and now you're on your third edition. In writing this book about being remarkable, what were you most surprised by? What did you discover that you went, wow, I really didn't know that.

42:35
Randy Ross
The thing that most pleasantly surprised me, I'd be candid, was not about the research or the writing of the book. What I was thrilled about was when we threw the book out into the marketplace almost ten years ago now, and people would constantly come up and say, hey, I heard about your book. I picked it up, I read it and I got to thank you. It was amazing. But I really thought it was going to help me improve business, but it helped me improve my home life, it helped improve my marriage, it improved my parenting. That's a win for me because we're holistic creatures and these truths are transcendent. They're applicable wherever you go in life. So be it becoming a better parent or a better community leader or a better business leader, they apply to every area of life.

43:24
Randy Ross
And that was affirming for me. That's what I get most excited about.

43:28
Tom Stanfill
That's exactly what we talked about at ASLAN.

43:30
Tab Norris
That's it. And that's what everybody wants to hear more about. They love it.

43:36
Tom Stanfill
So give all of our parents who have the struggle of raising a family and being successful at work give us some parting advice and wisdom on having a balanced life and keeping family our number one priority.

43:50
Tab Norris
Yeah.

43:52
Randy Ross
Identify and clearly define your values and then live them out, because values always compete. If you want to be a successful family man, sometimes that competes with being a successful businessman.

44:08
Tab Norris
Right. You got to clearly define those so you operate from them, so you make choices around them.

44:14
Tom Stanfill
Don't be great, don't be fuzzy.

44:16
Tab Norris
Don't be fuzzy.

44:18
Randy Ross
Because if you do, then the urgent will always push out the important. It will always crowd out the important. So you have to be a person of principle who lives by your values and you stick to those, even if it costs you something.

44:32
Tom Stanfill
And that's integrity.

44:34
Randy Ross
And that's integrity. It's consistency.

44:35
Tom Stanfill
Also gives you the best life integrity because you've sat down and said, this is what I want. I'm clear about what I want. These are my values. And if your values are, I want to make as much money as possible. I don't really care about my family. Then that's what you want. Now, we can argue about that destination, but at least you have integrity.

44:53
Randy Ross
Right, but integrity means fully integrated. Are you consistent throughout? Integrity means no pretense. So you got to be clear and forthright, not just to embrace certain values, but you have to embody those values. And I think that more than anything else, our kids need to see us live out our values, because you're not going to be defined by what you do. You'll be defined by who you are.

45:20
Tab Norris
If we could all just do just the impact would just be amazing.

45:26
Randy Ross
Yeah.

45:27
Tom Stanfill
Awesome. Tab. Any other thing, anything you want to add?

45:31
Tab Norris
This has just been amazing. I'm so encouraged. And I love your passion, Randy, and it's just you believe it, and I'm glad you're out there sharing it. Keep doing it.

45:46
Randy Ross
Well, I appreciate that, Tab. I'm just sorry weren't able to encourage you more around your golf game.

45:50
Tom Stanfill
I know, but I know he's the world's best putter.

45:54
Randy Ross
World's best putter.

45:55
Tab Norris
I was very positive so far.

45:57
Tom Stanfill
What? Number two? Positivity. There you go.

46:01
Randy Ross
Focus in on what you're good at. That's right. So just put off the t box and you'll have a name.

46:06
Tab Norris
There you go.

46:08
Tom Stanfill
He can make a 90 yard putt. I've seen, or at least two putts. Those are stories from another day. Randy, we are blessed and honored to have you, my friend. You have impacted me. I think you have learned a hope. I know we'll have you back. If you'll come back. And so I know our listeners love it. And to our vast audience, who we have a strong desire to serve, I hope this encouraged you, and I hope you'll join us for another episode of sales with us.