7 Minutes to Better Selling Podcast - S2 - Ep. 14

Hey, welcome everybody to season two of the seven minutes to better selling podcast. I'm your host

Colin Lake. All that in mind, I'm going to welcome Megan Thadford to the show. So Megan

so happy to have you. Thank you so much for spending some time with us. Colin, thank you for inviting me. I'm excited to be here

Sure. So it all founded with a Navy SEAL. So, you know, that kind of drove the, I guess

the design of the program and the mission statement and the charter for the organization

saying that Elite Meet was going to work specifically in the transition space with folks coming out of the special operations community

to include Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Green Berets, 160th pilots, civil affairs and SIOP individuals

So really kind of focusing on that elite market because they really do have a different skill set

And there's a different level of performance and experience that comes with folks, you know, that have that military, you know, job functionality in the past

And so how that can apply to the elite corporate space is unique

And the caliber of individual coming out of the special operations community is very different

And so trying to keep that together, it's its own brand, essentially

Right. But what really we've learned in the last couple of years is that as folks leave the military

they're really looking for their next tribe. Loss of tribe is a very real thing. And so keeping that tribe aspect in the form of our organization is a very important thing

A lot of folks that will go on to civilian careers want to come back and participate

in our events. As I mentioned earlier, they're a tremendous resource for those that are transitioning

But more importantly, they want to reconnect with people that understand their experience

and they miss interacting with people from the Special Operations community So it really twofold And so essentially your question is it started in the Special operations community because it was founded by Navy SEAL John Allen And then keeping that close knit group of individuals with this high caliber you know performance experience skill set

That's really appealing to employers because they know that they're going to get top tier talent

And so it's it's a value add on both sides. It's awesome

So Megan, so the whole theme of season two is about selling yourself

Like how do you sell yourself? So I'd be interested in you specifically answering that question as we discussed

But I'd also be interested, like if you've seen the Navy SEALs and the Army Rangers

and if you've seen those folks do anything really well in terms of selling themselves

to continue to perform at this high level, even though they're performing at like a whole different

set of circumstances, right? The military is different than private sector. So both sides

of that question. You in particular, do you have some stuff that you want to share? And then maybe what you've seen some other folks do? Sure. I mean, I think the best way to sell yourself is

being authentic, right? I mean, there's a lot of tools, tips, you know, advice that people give you

in terms of, you know, your social media, your look, your handshake, the way you present yourself

the way you engage with people, the things you participate in and believe in, all of those are

really important. But I think bottom line is you have to be authentic. And so trying to put out

this persona and the things, the checklist that you need to do essentially for personal branding

because someone else said so, that's not authentic. Unless it is authentic to you

you shouldn't be doing it. And I'm a firm believer in who you meet in person should be the person

that you are portraying online And so I think that being authentic to yourself and being really kind of critical about what you putting out there in terms of your personal brand and how you sell yourself If there going to be any opportunity for someone to poke holes in that it not selling yourself You fooling someone on who you think you want

them to see. And so I think authenticity is honestly the best way to do it. I think it's

the best way you can sell yourself, I think hard work and being good human. So when they sell

themselves, for lack of a better way to describe it, they have to use their elite experience in

the military and translate that to the value it's going to add to a corporate employer

But the bottom line is they have to sell themselves as a human. They have to show themselves as a

contributor to the next team. They have to show themselves as a solid, you know, someone who's

going to problem solve or provide solutions for that company. And so they can understand that

a little bit of their former identity is valuable and selling themselves in their next chapter

but it should not consume that next identity and the way that they position themselves is really

important. And it takes a lot of work. And that's why some transition programs and finding a mentor

are really, really critical for people who are transitioning out of the military. That's great. I love that whole idea of the authenticity. Because if you truly do know

yourself and you like yourself, it's easy to convince yourself to perform at that unit's

highest level versus what you think someone else is. Well, what is someone else's perception that you try and perform to that level

That's not like your own greatness. That's what you're trying to strive for. And so I think that's a really good point

And it translates beautifully, just as you suggested, to the like someone comes out of the Navy SEALs and they come into a corporate world

they perhaps could suggest to themselves every day they want me to be this they think I that so I have to try and be that No just be who you are and the best of that So I think that was great Megan So let me ask you

if you will share with the listeners how they get in touch with you or how they find more of

Megan Thadford, because I think we all need a little more Megan in our lives. And then Simon will bring the best way to connect with you up there, and then I wish everyone

a great day and good sailing. So go ahead. Tell us, how do we get in touch with you

Sure. So if you want to learn a little bit more about Elite Meet and the folks that are part of our community, it's the website right there, EliteMeetUS.org

If you'd like to reach out to me, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn, Megan Thetford

Happy to have a conversation with anyone looking to interact with our members, looking to learn how they can bring members from the Elite Meet and Special Operations community into their organization

And more importantly, I'll toss out another resource there. I'll send it over to Simon

And if you really want to learn about being authentic, especially in the workplace and

especially how it plays into your brand, I highly recommend you check out Erin Hostakoskis

She is on LinkedIn. She's a TEDx speaker. She talks about authenticity and building your brand based authenticity and moving ahead

in your career by being your authentic self. She has a company called Be Authentic Inc

And it's been a tremendous resource. And it's something that resonates with folks starting their career

It resonates with people who are in their midway through their career. And then it also resonates with folks coming out of the military

So I think you'll learn a lot from there. And honestly, just truly being yourself is going to be the best way people get ahead and sell their skill sets and their personality

That's awesome. BeAuthenticInc.com. That was awesome. Great share. Thanks for doing that

Megan, again, thanks very much for spending time with us. And good selling, everyone. Well, thank you, Colin

I appreciate it