Last week, we considered the concept of having a truly thankful heart every day, not just on Thanksgiving Day.  A genuinely grateful attitude is empowering and uplifting for both you and those around you at home and at work.  However, with the holiday season upon us, ‘giving thanks’ takes on a whole new meaning as everyone scurries to buy gifts not only for loved ones but also to those for whom we are thankful.  In the world of business, that includes clients, hard-working employees, key referral sources, and important vendors. At this time of year, the focus shifts more to the ‘giving’ as a way to say ‘thanks.’ Continue reading →

With Thanksgiving Day just past, I’m sure many took time last week to think about all the things for which they were grateful.  As Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing.”  Perhaps you took a moment silently to give thanks for family and friends, health and work.  At school, children made crafts and wrote poems enumerating all the things for which they were thankful.  Families went around the table sharing the many things for which they were grateful.  On Thanksgiving Day, thankfulness was served out in full measure.  Yet, in asking a colleague if he celebrated Thanksgiving, he replied “Yes, every day.” Continue reading →

What does it mean to be a trusted advisor?  The term ‘trusted advisor’ has been used and abused to the point where it has lost its meaning.  Salespeople, pushing to establish overnight relationships and quickly gain unearned trust, dub themselves ‘trusted advisors.’  They often fall short of that coveted position. Continue reading →

It used to be that if a person wanted to make ‘big money’ fast (and they weren’t technology gurus, inventors or scientists), he or she became a salesperson.  Case in point.  During the most recent real estate boom, tens of thousands of people – who had never thought about selling or sold anything – flocked to the real estate market to make easy money.  They became Realtors, new home salespeople, mortgage lenders, and the like. At most companies, top salespeople were treated like gold. Big firms sought to ‘lure’ the top producers away, offering bigger commissions, better benefits and nicer work conditions.  Many of those leading performers became difficult to manage, as their egos inflated along with their commission checks. Continue reading →

Are you e-mailing hundreds or thousands of anonymous prospects in lieu of calling them?  Has e-mail become your selling ‘crutch’ of choice because it gives you the impression that you are bypassing the gatekeepers?  Does email save you from hearing the dreaded rejections that come with cold calling?  Do you send e-blasts and then follow up only with prospects who give you the green light to move the sales process forward?  Are you using e-blasts as a way of ‘showing’ management that you are ‘selling?’  Continue reading →

I’m sure every entrepreneur, salesperson and business owner has thought, at one time or another, “I know I could help (fill in the person or company’s name) if I could just get them to talk to me for 20 minutes!”  The problem is that most people in decision-making positions have dozens (or hundreds) of people asking for their time. If they gave every salesperson or business owner who asked 20 minutes of their time, they would never get any work done!  These are busy people who are not just sitting around waiting for salespeople to contact them. They have their own objectives, issues and concerns.  Most of the time, a salesperson or entrepreneur is lucky to get a minute or two of their time. Continue reading →

Everyone knows the cliche  “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.“  Getting off on the right foot when meeting someone new cannot be overemphasized.  People tend to stereotype each new person they meet based on their first impression, even if they don’t mean to do so. We get a first impression of a new person that creates a mental image of his or her personality in our minds.  That image often lasts and can affect the relationship that follows.  This is true whether you are meeting a potential client, a new boss, a new employee, a colleague or a classmate.  Continue reading →