Frank made it! After years of dedication to his craft he was named the new Vice President of Sales. While he was settling into his new office, he received an email from the President of the company asking him for his strategy to achieve the...
So, a salesperson walks into a prospect’s office and sees a large elephant sitting in the corner of the room. It’s clear that the elephant is quite comfortable and has been there for some time. The salesperson stares at the elephant, looks at his prospect,...
The airport was crowded and there were few seats available at the coffee shop. Heading out of town on business, I was in desperate need of a coffee before boarding the plane for a four hour flight. Latte in hand, a table full of strangers thoughtfully offered...
When I hung up the phone from an incoming sales call, I was exhausted. The salesperson asked a number of predictable questions and when he thought he had determined what I needed, he presented a variety of different possibilities. He told me about the corporate...
Imagine a doctor who, as patients come in all day long and tell him what they want, simply gives it to them without asking any questions. “Doctor, I’m stressed. I need Valium,” says a patient. “No problem,” says the doctor. “Here’s your prescription.” "Doctor, I just can't...
One summer I was on the driving range at one of our local golf courses, hitting a few balls before our tee time. I was watching an extremely focused individual working on his driving accuracy. His ball continually floated to the right, missing his intended...
I love patina – on cars, on works of art, on antiques. With exposure to all kind of elements, stresses and time, items are forever changed for the better. They become more beautiful as they age and increase in value. If you are a collector, the best...
Where we set our sights determines the standards needed to succeed. Accountability is how we sustain those standards. Until we know the level of success we want to achieve, we won’t know the standards that need to be set and the activities/behaviours to hold others...
While cleaning out some files I came across an old, wrinkled piece of paper with the following information – I can’t say where this came from (it’s not mine) but I must say it made me laugh out loud and there’s no better way to...
It doesn’t matter what you call it – account management, client success management, strategic solutions advising, marketing, negotiating, presenting, customer service ……. everyone is in sales. Have you ever convinced a toddler to eat broccoli? The only way I could sell this idea to one of...
Edward Lorenz was an expert in the field of meteorology. Awarded with the 1991 Kyoto Prize for basic sciences, he’s known more as the father of the famed “chaos theory”. He came up with the concept that small effects lead to big changes (the Butterfly...
I read a book about the mental aspect of major league pitchers. The name of the book escapes me right now. One pitch after another - a singular task that moves a baseball game from its opening to its close. In order for a pitch to be...
Did you know that most people will spend roughly 46 hours and 26 minutes online per week and that an average person is projected to spend roughly 6 years and 7 months of their life online? Holy Smokes! Now don’t get me wrong, I do understand...
Silence is a powerful tool when used effectively. Too much silence can be a mistake and the old adage “he who speaks first loses” can be a painful experience for everyone. And immediately filling a moment of silence may do more harm than good. It's...
We all know that when you curate something, you are organizing and presenting. Like a museum where you might curate a specific exhibit. You aren’t creating. Creating: Involves the production of “original” content from scratch. The art of generating something new, that didn’t exist before. Its...
We often use the word "hunter" when describing sales people. At times though it can be less about stalking and then pulling the trigger and more about finding those elusive new customers that are swimming about in the market place. Kind of like fishing. Tips from...
Just when you think you've made it, when you think all of life's big challenges have been dealt with, the kids are grown, off to college or married, work has become comfortably routine and the house is paid for, why do we we feel that...
John Mayer, a musician and artist I appreciate, says his generation is waiting for the world to change. They are waiting and not because they don't want things to be different and not because they aren't capable of creating waves of change, but most are...
I paused the other day and considered the past few years and realized that I had, without any real plan, stepped up my giving game for the pure joy of it. As my world continues to change and the race to succeed, to prove myself, ebbs, I...
In Ken Dychtwald's book "With Purpose" he compares life to: A flower that blooms once - the annuals you plant in your garden each year. They are beautiful but as fall approaches the petals fall off and the plant shrivels up in the cold, never to be seen...
Is there a difference between "making it big" and "making a big difference"? I guess wealth can be looked at in one of two ways. There's the financial part and then there's how we live our lives as human beings. What you've gained and what...
At a function I attended not too long ago, an energetic individual handed me their card. Under their name was the title "philanthropreneur". How interesting I thought to combine philanthropy and entrepreneurship. Immediately the likes of Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation popped into my...
The potential of a retirement "movement" where thousands and thousands of seasoned, accomplished men and women use their time, talents and treasures to change the world is staggering. But not nearly enough is being done to harness this enormous resource. Most just don't know how...
I've been fortunate to spend time with many remarkable "Halftimers". What they have most in common is they have decided they simply cannot live a fulfilled second half without purpose. Not that long ago, life for people over the age of 60 was not all...
There seems to be a noticable lack of joy in many retired individuals - not all of course, but sadly more than I imagined. I think many people would describe "joy" as delight or some kind of emotional sensation that follows some event, like winning...
People ages 40 and up are pioneers - pioneers of an entirely different kind. These high performing individuals are learning how to "finish well" in a world that has programmed us differently. These pioneers are rewriting the rules of success for what is clearly going to...
This is the healthiest, wealthiest and best educated generation to ever reach midlife. One hundred years ago the average life expectancy was less than 50 years old, but today when we reach 50 we have thirty bonus years. This is an unprecedented change in the...
There seems to be a point in most everyone's life where we experience a moment like no other. It's like the world stops spinning and everything freezes in time. This might happen at certain birthdays, after a traumatic event has occured, when someone you love...
Finishing well is really what matters. Consider any professional sport - most games are won or lost in the second half. So it is with life. Typical first half pursuits and challenges include: Obtaining an education Getting married or building relationships with friends Building a career and striving to...