From the category archives:

Sales

A Little Sales Kick In The Pants

October 1, 2009

I do a lot of networking and relationship building and what I ask everyone (people I know and people I don’t) is “How’s business?” I do that because I care and because I’m really interested in their response.
Most everyone I speak with lately has said that their sales are down. And not just down, but [...]

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The Tattoo On Your Forehead

September 29, 2009

There are a lot reasons people get tattoos. For some, it is to have a memorial of someone they love. In other parts of the world, it is to demonstrate a person’s move from being a child to being an adult. Gang members get tattoos to show affiliation with a group of people. But most [...]

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Please Dont Like Me

September 17, 2009

This is one of my favorite scenes from the movie “Ocean’s Eleven.” This is where Rusty (played by Brad Pitt) is instructing the newbie Linus (Matt Damon) how to con the casino owner.

Ever felt that way?
Just like Rusty, well-meaning people in your life will tell you what you need to do to be successful. “Do [...]

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Could Should or Want (Target Market Part 2)

September 10, 2009

In my last post “Are You a Crystal or a Magnifying Glass” we talked through the importance of having a laser-focused, clearly defined target market for your products or services. The next step is actually defining it.
News Flash

Defining your target market does not begin with market research, demographic analysis or a business plan. Defining your [...]

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Are You A Crystal or Magnifying Glass™

September 8, 2009

There is a common theme emerging among my business coaching clients; it is a death knell that most fail to recognize. What are the symptoms of this downward progression?

A sense of being overwhelmed
Frustration that sales haven’t significantly increased, despite time and effort
The inability to clearly and powerfully articulate what [...]

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Is Your Picture Worth A Thousand Hits

September 2, 2009

I was on an excellent conference call Monday with Bill Boorman. The topic was, “how to get noticed in social media.” When I was asked what causes me to pay attention to someone on Twitter, my response was “the picture.” I’m not certain that answer went over well; perhaps everyone was expecting something a bit [...]

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Touchy Feely A Legitimate Business Strategy

August 24, 2009

August 21, 2009 – Day 5
Today was the last day of the five-day Disney Institute program; I learned a great deal about Disney and how they do business. A friend of mine challenged me to distill a week’s worth of learning into a single sentence applicable to business owners. I’ve thought about it quite a [...]

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Rational Or Emotional Decisions At Disney

August 21, 2009

August 19, 2009 – Day 3
When I heard that the Disney Institute was going to take us through new employee orientation (called “Traditions”), I was skeptical. I’ve been in the HR field for over 15 years. I’ve participated in and facilitated countless orientation programs and I was not looking forward to this.
Surprisingly, I saw something [...]

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The Secondary Guest at Disney World

August 18, 2009

August 17, 2009 (Day 1) – 5:35 pm
This was the first day of formal training in the Disney Institute program. We are getting a behind-the-scenes peek at what Disney does that makes them so successful. After six hours of training, it is a little difficult for me to decide which golden nugget I should write [...]

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The Fight Club Guide To Selling (Part 2)

August 11, 2009

Fight Club is one my favorite movies and stars Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. It’s pretty graphic at times, but the truth is there are some great lessons to be learned from it about life and believe it or not – about sales.
Lesson 1 – It Takes Pain to Win
“Without pain, without sacrifice you have [...]

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