Abstract: People buy for their reasons, not yours. This article covers the key elements that prospects want to hear you talk about. Always, but especially during lean times, effective sales professionals know the importance of communicating value. Budgets - if they ever were discretionary - are tighter. Business customers are being asked to do more with less. Decisions are increasingly less on WHERE to spend the money and more on WHY we need...more
By learning to speak to a diverse audience, you can broaden your client base transfer the learning to more people. We need to be more "PC". Were not talking "political correctness", were talking "Positively Conscious", of who is in our audience and understanding how to make people feel included. The more people feel included, the more they will listen to you, use your information and come back for more. If you offend people they will shut down...more
In challenging times, sometimes your boss's behavior becomes erratic. She may overmanage or undermanage you and your work. She may lose sight of all the things you are working on. You may not be sure what your boss's priorities are; they change daily.The costs associated with this business malady are many including: missed deadlines and opportunities, working on unimportant tasks, avoidance, frustration, the appearance of incompetence, stress, and burnout.What can you do? You have three options:Get in FrontTake time to understand your boss's:- Goals: What are his aspirations? How can you help him achieve them?- Problems: What common problems prevent your boss from being more effective? Are any of your boss's problems your strengths? Can you take responsibility for meetings, communication, planning, follow-up, etc?- World: Describe the world from your boss's perspective. Who are the players?- Pressures: What pressures are placed on your boss? How might these pressures affect him? How might they affect priorities? How might they affect your job?- Boss: What kind of a boss does your boss work for? How might this affect your boss?Proactively approach your boss with a way...more
I've had the pleasure and honor to meet some of the world's greatest leaders and leadership gurus. From Sir Richard Branson, General Tommy Franks, and Captain Mike Abrashoff to Dr. Warren Bennis, Dr. Henry Mintzberg, and Tom Peters. And I get paid to do it! Through our work with Linkage Inc., we help support their broadcasts of these famous...more
It's time to beat the old bad customer service drum again. I know, I'm sick of beating the drum, too, but as long as bad customer service runs rampant through so many businesses I feel it is my entrepreneurial duty to bring it to your attention. So grab a pew and prepare to listen to the sermon I've preached before: bad customer service is the bane...more
If there is not enough diversity in your employee base or there is high turnover with certain groups of employees, your organization will not be able to leverage the power of diversity. Building diversity in a company through recruiting and retention is an important step to creating an inclusive workplace. Are your recruiting efforts doing the following? Here are some tips to help build diversity in your organization through recruitment: - Begin to recruit from middle and high schools. Attend career days and come prepared to discuss the benefits of working for your organization and your industry. - Identify stereotypes of people who work in your industry and develop strategies for changing perceptions i.e. Firefighting should only be a male occupation.- Use more inclusive language and visuals in rule books, orientation, and recruiting materials. - Create cross-cultural and cross gender mentoring programs and provide training for mentors. - Develop relationships with associations and organizations that are geared toward underrepresented groups. - Be aware of your own biases and stereotypes and their impact on the environment. - Create processes to make people who are different from...more
Abstract: Delegation is art and science. Effective leaders know when and how to delegate in order to 1) get more done and 2) develop people. This article provides tips for effective delegation.As a project leader, manager, or business owner, you...more
Real estate success? It happens by way of the many things you repeatedly do right, and it is your habits that ensure they get done. Here are some habits to develop for your real estate investing success.Ask for people's names, and tell them yours....more
It's true, You can make a lot of money by investing in real estate. Yet, many investors are not. And when you look at their real estate investment strategy, it's no surprise.The problem is that they have been brainwashed by the so called real estate...more
A Business Necessity - CommunicationThis business necessity is often something we tend to NOT think about since we feel it's something that is always there. What is this necessity? Communication. Communication happens every day. We talk to people....more
The beginning of a new year is a time when many of us make resolutions, some resolutions are intended to improve aspects of our personal life and some are professional life-based resolutions to achieve certain goals. Among the personal and...more
Successful business relationships are based on Value, Competence, Trust, and Propriety.ValueValue: The customer's perception of your worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance. Value addresses the customer's question, "What can this person or...more