Remember President Bush’s program to recognize individual Americans who completed acts of bravery or selflessness, and in so doing, brightened the lives of those around them? It was called a thousand points of light. The idea was that one person’s act, doesn’t, by itself, do much. However, when joined together with a thousand others, like a candlelight, it can light up the entire country. It’s time for businesspeople, professionals and sale people to step up and light one candle.

If we chose to, we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes. Within every failure there is the seed of a lesson well learned, of a solid character trait emerging. It is our failures that contribute most intensely to our development. Let’s unpack this.

Q.  How do I ensure that I get the last look in a competitive bid situation? Q.  Occasionally, customers may say they have seen or received a lower price for the same product in order to receive better pricing from us. How would you handle that type of call? In this session, we're going to answer these two questions, providing you with guidelines you can implement for the balance of your career.

One of the watershed moments in the life and growth of a business occurs when the executives design and implement a system of measurements. This signals the development of the business from an entrepreneurial effort to a serious organization that can exist outside of the hands-on involvement of the entrepreneur. In this piece, we unpack that idea and show you how to create and implement a series of measurements. To dig deeper: https://bit.ly/35V1zY5

“Why should someone spend time with you?” That was the question I asked the six sales people who were the subjects of an intense week-long training session. The response? Some uncomfortable fidgeting. Nothing anywhere close to a coherent, persuasive response. That experience made me realize the need for what I call a “value-added proposition” -- an “elevator speech.” It is a well-thought-out, meticulously prepared, and memorized set of ideas that ultimately answer the question above.

What sets the exceptional professional apart from the average? Regardless of what the profession, from sales to psychiatry, the exceptional professionals share certain characteristics. Here’s one: The propensity to take risks. Join with me as we unpack this character trait.

For a professional or salesperson, your job is much more than just a job – it’s a profession. But what does it mean to be more professional? More importantly, what can we do to make sure that we, and our associates, are becoming ever more professional?

We’ve all heard the numbers: Consumer confidence is down, retail sales are down. Confidence – an attitude – is down, so sales are down. When confidence is up, sales follow. The principle at work here is this: Our actions follow our attitudes. The relationship between actions and attitudes is hand-in-hand, and our actions can be seen as outward expressions of our attitudes. You can influence that attitude, and be part of the solution, or be influenced by it, and thus contribute to the problem.

We are all familiar with the Pareto principle, which, when applied to the world of sales, says that 80% of the business comes from 20% of the customers.    As a general rule, that 80/20 rule is accurate in lots of different situations.  Whenever there is a large group producing something, 20% of the people produce 80% of the results.           The “Five Percent Principle” states that five percent of the people produce 50% of the outcome.  It can become a powerful marketing principle in

Unemployed?  I can empathize.  I have been there.  In my life, I’ve had three major periods of unemployment. I understand the uncertainty, anxiety and self-doubt that comes with that.  You just don’t feel like life is as worthwhile unless you have a solid, fulfilling job.      Because of my experience, I have made it a point to be available to friends and colleagues who are unemployed.  I’ve met with dozens.  Here’s some of what I have learned about finding your next professional job.