Introduction: Read with Avil Episode 1
Hi there. My name is Avil Beckford, and this is episode one of Read with Avil. I've been wanting to do this for a couple of years now. However, I wasn't sure what format it would take. You may wonder why now. This seems like the perfect time. I recently watched a video where entrepreneur Dan Henry talked about four books he read that made him over $30 million when he applied the knowledge from the books.
Reflection on Applying Knowledge
Why I Haven’t Made Millions Yet
Now, two of those four books I already read, and yet I didn't make millions. So I asked myself, why? Because I'm reflective and I think a lot. I'm pretty good at applying the knowledge from the books I read.
The Problem: Not Thinking at the Level of Successful Entrepreneurs
So what is the issue? The answer I came up with is that I'm not thinking and acting at the level of successful entrepreneurs, and that is something that I need to change so that I can level up. I remembered I read a book called Rich Habits by Thomas Corley. Now, in the book, he writes about the 10 Habits of Rich People. In another video of the series, Read with Avil, I'll talk to you a bit more about that book.
Rich Habits to Level Up
Two habits I wanted to flag were that he was saying, that's the author, Thomas Corley, is that one of the rich habits is that rich people set aside time for self-improvement every day. That's something that I practice. Another habit is that they engage in rich thinking. So this encompasses things like they're optimistic, they're enthusiastic, and all of that stuff. They have a growth mindset.
The Four Books That Changed Dan Henry’s Life
Overview of the Books
The four books are:
- Sam Walton, Made in America – that's the biography of the guy who founded Walmart
- Exactly What to Say by Phil Jones
- The Game by Neil Strauss
- Object Lessons for a Year by David J. Claassen
The two books out of the four that I read are Sam Walton: Made in America and Exactly What to Say.
Application of Book Knowledge
Sam Walton’s Attention to Detail
Sam Walton: Made in America had some good lessons, but it's not one of those books that captivated me. One thing that Dan Henry talked about was Sam Walton’s attention to detail. He paid attention to detail and he was always testing things. Henry used that strategy in his business, actually in several businesses, and it served him well. So I thought I'd revisit the book. I went and read my notes.
Exactly What to Say and Sales Conversations
The second book is Exactly What to Say. A few years ago, it had to be before 2020. I think Sarah Arrow recommended this book to us. And I read the book, and it was a really good book. I did a workshop called Sales Accelerator, where I was teaching sales leaders how to read strategically. This was one book I chose for them. Essentially, the book is filled with many phrases that you can use in a sales conversation. And many of these people who took the course commented that it was so good because when they're calling people to have a sales conversation, there were phrases in this book, Exactly What to Say, that you can use.
Using the Phrases in Sales Copy
How I started using it, starting last week, after I watched the YouTube video, was that I'm writing it in sales copy. It's still a bit too early to tell, but that's one way that I'm using it. The book has some really good phrases. Dan Henry talked about five phrases. I won't go into it because I already talked about it in another video. Essentially, what he's saying is to combine more than one of those phrases, and that's how he made so much money.
The Key to Applying Knowledge Effectively
Learning from Object Lessons for a Year
After watching Dan Henry's YouTube video, the light bulb went off. Yes, I'm accustomed to applying information from the books I read. Now that I've read the book, now that I've seen the video and the way he's doing this, it's teaching me how to level up. I'm grateful to him.
In future episodes of Read with Avil, remember, this is something new. It's going to be evolving and growing. I think what I'll do, talk about some lessons, perhaps even talk about the problem that the book addresses, the solutions, and it will grow. It will become what it will become. So thank you so much for watching this first episode of Read with Avil.
About Avil
Avil Beckford is the Founder of The Invisible Mentor and the Art of Learning Leadership Academy. Her podcast is called The One Problem. You can find her on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Next Steps
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