Black Men Book Club Black Men Book Club

Author: Grant Cardone

Get the book here: https://amzn.to/2Tx5B3N

Written by [Rodney Gainous](http://www.rodneygainous.com/)

Edited by [Jordan Coin Jackson](https://twitter.com/jordanwcjackson)

To Sell or Be Sold is to win out in the realm of ideas. In the world of commerce being bought and sold is happening nearly all day. As technology has monopolized our awareness and advertisers know every trick in the book to get us to purchase. We are always being Sold.

I want us to Sell more.

If you're apart of this Club and are listening to these words now I feel confident that you want to too.

There's a few things you must understand to get your way in business and in life. Most sales are lost about unspoken concerns. It's almost never about the price.

You have to get your buyer to want your product more than he wants his money. We must bring **value** to our buyers.

Because they'll themselves this before buying - Is the right product? Will this company take care of me? What will people think of me when I get this? Am I better off with the money in the bank? Will this be a mistake?

Most people at this point, especially early on in their journey to make money outside of a system is to offer low prices. Don't offer a lower price to solve the problem / objection.

Does this mean you push people away? Become snobby and distant? Charge crazy prices and keep a paywall up? NO! Always agree with the customer, always.

Give away free memberships to your biggest advocates.

Give discounts to those who say they can't afford it.

You must take care of your customers.

But.. Customers aren’t always right though. Customers are most interested in you agreeing with them then the facts. So agree first, then sell. Once you agree it’s easier to suggest alternatives.

Remember that not everyone will be a buyer today. "I'm not buying today" is sometimes uncomfortable words to hear about something that's your baby. But it's never personal.

Focus on increasing credibility. Take full responsibility, always assume the buyer doesn’t trust you enough yet. Relationships grow over time. Every person who interacts with you and your business is a seed you have to tend to. These are people on the other end!

People love to see that you’re prepared, have facts, and believe in your product

People want to believe you, you have to help them

Provide clients with multiple options and over deliver.

Do these things and you'll be in a world full of opportunity and people enthusiastic about it.

Let's build greatness together, thanks for listening.

Get the book here: https://amzn.to/2Tx5B3N

Get the book here: https://amzn.to/2LygmOB

At 27 years old Frederick Douglass authored a groundbreaking autobiography on his life as a slave.

Born into slavery, Frederick Douglass endured an amount of pain and suffering not many could withstand. Beaten and abused, left for near death and afraid for his life on a daily basis.

But something about Douglass that was special. A keen eye. Aware and always listening.

At 8 a wife of his slave master began to teach him how to read, until the slave master found out. He still learned just enough about the alphabet to figure it out from there. He taught himself and became one of the most powerful speakers in his time.

And when he couldn't take it anymore as a grown man Douglass refused to be whipped and instead beat his master.

Cunning, brave, and resourceful. He fled for his freedom, married, and moved North and set himself at the center of the abolition of slavery debate. He fought his entire life for the freedom of all peoples.

But to be honest, to understand Frederick Douglass and the struggle he fought you must understand that it's important to note that the philosophy that Frederick Douglass wrote and spoke of about freedom is the same republicanism ideal of the Declaration of Independence.

The profoundness of the connection is something whites in the North including Abe Lincoln, who famously looked towards the Declaration of Independence as probable reason, legally, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and later to abolish slavery in the south.

A linkage that engraved his ideas in the foundation of America. Born a slave but more American then the entire lot.

A true founding father of the country.

Get the book here: https://amzn.to/2LygmOB

Authored by Rollo Tomassi

Link to book: https://amzn.to/2xRki9q

These notes were written by Rodney Gainous and edited by Jordan Coin Jackson

So what is a "Rational Make' in 2020? To Author Rollo Tomassi many men are sleep. it's all about Opening your eyes.

The world is as nuts as you think it is, the pain you feel is real, the eyes looking to you - as a man - are real.

The world softens us up when we're a kid. Isn't it true that those around us tend to keep us under their control? As If we're hulk or some sort of monster that needs to be caged up?

Real power is the ability we have to control the direction of our lives

We've had the keys to our prisons our entire life, fear stops us

You can't negotiate desire.

You don't want a woman to feel obliged to have sex with you. You want her to desire it.

Any relationship should be based on genuine desire.

Experience teaches harshly but it teaches the best.

There's no better teacher than being burnt by a stove.

If you want her, or you want something, you have to have genuine desire. If you fail? Learn from it.

As Men, we want to be attractive to women. No doubt.

But we shouldn't be fake to get their attention.

Play to your strengths.

You're the one with options.

Get rid of the fantasies in your head and come back down to the solid ground.

Because The cultural "solution" to masculinity has been designed to keep the mind in a female mentality. And the same mothers who made the men of this generation are surprised their daughters aren't married.

There are trends in the world that are unseen but all around us.

But wake up. Come see the world in it's truth.

Link to book: https://amzn.to/2xRki9q

By Ryan Holiday

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/2IM548b

If you're new to Philosophy this book is perfect for you. It's all about weaving wisdom from all eras and ideologies into a rabbit hole of truth.

A strong mind in a strong body. This is the goal of Stillness is the Key. Why do we suffer without being in pain? Why is it that we can't sit still and always are on the move.

Peace is when we realize victory and defeat work on the same spectrum.

Showing heart isn’t showing emotion. It’s tenacity and grit.

To be lost in the forest is the standard nature of a creative.

You can't solve it

You can't control it

You have to be above it

Stillness is about being in zen

Floating. Natural. Above the clouds if you could say.

I recently had a conversation about relaxing in stressful times. Being workaholics and not having an off button. Stillness is more than about not working. Stillness is about being in tune with what you need.

Mind

Body

Spirit

To live "The Good Life" requires escapes that don't involve distraction. Games, TV, and social media are not a way to wind down they wind us up.

For **Peace** you must be in constant contact with what is inside of you. We want to build lives we don't have to escape from.

“It is a painful crossroads...

We try to ignore the existential crisis that is boiling to the surface piling on top of them meaningless consumption, more ambition, and the delusion that doing more and more of the same will eventually bring about different results.” - Ryan Holiday

Being still and quiet, alone, at rest. These are not weaknesses to shun away from. To unlock yourself like a chest you must give up the things you think will help you become still.

Stoicism is all about being at one with the moments we have every day. That any option is on the table and all options are A-Okay. Stillness is the key follows that same idea, and gives you a pathway towards a balanced mind, body, and soul.

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/2IM548b

Written by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras

Get the book: https://amzn.to/391H1gY

These notes were written by [Rodney Gainous](http://www.rodneygainous.com/) and edited by [Jordan Coin Jackson](https://twitter.com/jordanwcjackson)

What does it mean to build to build fast and break things? The common Silicon Valley phrase has been used over and over again describing the fast life of founders on the run. It usually doesn't have the best feeling attached to it.

Do you think Quick? Fast? In-Out? I think most people would. That's not my goal. I don't think it's yours either. We want to built to last. I'm from Detroit, I don't like superficial things. I like how when a car is built the metal bends. I like when I turn one object into something else. It got me into software, and it brings me here today.

Companies that last have a bigger purpose than money. Most times, companies can only fake greatness for 5-10 years. You can only play the game for so long, economics is like that. But if you're a great company, you can come back from struggles even stronger than before.

Resiliency over perfection.

Those who make a lasting contribution to society make more money over the long run. To be built to last, you must be built to change. To Build to Last you must always return to the core. It's what stimulates progress and is the motivation to doing the thing to begin with. Only visionary companies are built on strong principles.

The primary accomplishment of true visionaries is building the company, not being a great story teller, or having the right idea for the right market. Many founders don't start with a great idea, for example Mr. Walton… He started Walmart. It was a single store he ran himself. There was a sea of competitors around him and no one would bet on him. Step by step building leads to natural evolutionary insights. Sony, the company that makes playstation, started off as manufacturing rice cookers. That product failed. Iteration is the only way to know the truth.

Remember: Visionary companies are less likely to have initial success

Luck favors the persistent, as Jay-Z has once said "You only need to be right once".

Always be prepared to kill an idea but never kill the company. Ideas come and go, but that vision has to keep clearing up day by day. Don't get lost in charm. It's a myth. Most are far from it and put people off.

It's important to note, visionaries are not defined by the visual only. Think of it like this: You aren't telling time or showing something like a show, you are meticulously architecting a clock. Piece by piece, gear by gear. Moving springs into place, removing debree and clearing the path. You are creating a beautifully architected masterpiece.

Stick with your principles, be outrageously persistent, and keep your purpose above your profits.

Get the book: https://amzn.to/391H1gY

No More Mr Nice Guy
Written By Robert A. Glover

Get the book here: https://amzn.to/2vYbEF8
The world isn't what our mothers told us it would be. I remember growing up thinking that being nice is the way to receive respect and praise.

A world based on kindness. A childish believe. Nice guys finish last. Ever wonder where the quote comes from?

When we were kids, we were the center of the universe. There's no fault in a child's joy and fearless travels into the world. The world is open and free. Free from pain, free from sorrow, free from responsibility.

When I was younger, I grew up in a single parent single child home. My father was not apart of my life. I was showered in the way of compliments about how I was special, how I would be something special. That me being kind was my power. It was a lie. A sweet lie like a candy sucker or refreshing like a cold glass of water on a hot day. It felt good, but never lasted.

Nice guys grow up being told these things, not realizing that when they face any type of abandonment they act out. Being alone, given unrealistic expectations, being shamed, all made me not let people know of my problems, but internalize them. Build resentment, hate, anger. A deep anger that it has taken me years to mature out of.

Do you really wanna be the good guy?

You have wants don't you? You have things within your grip that may ruffle some feathers. So what. What if you went and got it?

The fear that is kept in nice guys is that if someone gets close and can unravel the fake skin they'll see the truth below the layer of lies. The weaknesses revealed, the nice guy feels naked and ashamed. Like a little boy begging for his mommy to come clean up his diaper.

Nice guys build walls to keep others away. Wimps are afraid of conflict and hide from it. It's a natural response from those ill-equipped for combat. Don't hide in fear, face life with courage.

I was once a nice guy. And it nearly destroyed me. Keep your circle honest with you, seek help, be vulnerable, be courageous, adapt, and unleash your alpha energy onto the world.

Get the book here: https://amzn.to/2vYbEF8