First, recognize that motivation is an inside job. The word motivate means to impel, inspire, hope, stimulate, incite, propel, spur, goad, move, induce, prompt, instigate, fire, provoke, actuate, cause, egg on, drive, excite, and to trigger. Don't wait for someone to motivate you, here are 17 ways you can motivate yourself. 1. Set daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and lifetime goals. A goal is a goal if it's writing. Goals get you going in the...more
What's the one thing starting today that you could start doing, stop doing, or change that would have a dramatic impact on your client relationships? It's an excellent question and I hope you'll take a moment to consider your response. It sometimes takes a great deal of effort and an extraordinary amount of energy to close "a big deal." Never forget, it may take even more effort and energy, to keep the business after you win it. It takes courage...more
It pays to be specific. I believe that statement is true. If it is true, why do so many salespeople pepper their sales presentations with phrases of generalities? There are two primary reasons. One is habit and the other is instinct. So many people in and out of sales speak in generalities. It's really hard to pin them down for the details. If speaking in generalities comes so naturally to so many people - it has to be instinctive.In sales it's tempting to impress new and prospective customers. One of the ways salespeople do this is with their product and service presentations. These presentations often include references to the following: How many products are in your product line? How many years your company has been in business? How many customers you have worked with. How much of your business is repeat business? How much of a discount you're planning to offer to get the business? How much your product improves productivity? How much your product reduces the cost of doing something?When the time is right to begin talking about yourproducts you'd be a fool not talk about these things. But for some inexplicable reason salespeople usually follow a similar path. Let's review this...more
First - being before all others. Fast - moving or able to move quickly. Foremost - first in rank, order, or place. Wouldn't you like to be first, fast, and considered foremost in your business. Obviously, the correct answer is yes. Here are nine tips, hints, and practical ideas to get you on your way. These sales tips work. 1. First - All potential...more
This bill of rights was laid out by Franklin Raines, president of Fannie Mae on January 15, 2000. The Mortgage Consumer Bill of Rights is a pledge fof $2 trillion over 10 years to help consumers gain access to home ownership. It also includes an "Open Book" approach to underwriting where customers can see all of the factors that go into evaluating...more
"Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one." Hans Selye - the "father of stress" and founder of the Canadian Institute of Stress. Every worker in America has heard of individual stress management techniques -- relaxation, meditation, and visualization -- good tools for getting through stressful periods. But if they're so great, why do we still have all this stress? We're going to need something more than mood music, aroma therapy, and comfortable lighting to get beyond the stress of today's workplace. We're going to need management's attention because stress control is a leadership responsibility. The US Army has plenty of experience with stress control as front line leaders strive to keep GIs on the job. Traditionally, the US Army has lost as many soldiers to stress as to enemy gunfire - a ratio of 1:1. The most elite units trim this loss to a ratio of 1:10 - one stress loss for every 10 wounded soldiers. Regardless of the ratio, every front line soldier is critical to winning the battle. Commanders know that controlling stress under fire is as critical as food, fuel, and ammunition. The same holds true for corporate America. You can't get high...more
Mistake #1: Going with the flowInexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into the trap of letting the interview become "free form", spending different amounts of time on different questions, basing follow-up questions on on how the candidates answer....more
The period, more or less one year before September 11. The White House Technology Advisor worked in the mankind largest plan until now, to install a fantastic communications and IT network of 100 Mb/s in 100 million houses in the next 10 years. A...more
Beyond magnificence and splendor, the world of diamonds evolves on stirred grounds. When the stake is so important, interests collide. But technology develops following its onward course. Here are some interesting off-stage events in the diamond...more
If you've called for customer service recently you're familiar with this recorded message "This call may be recorded or monitored for quality purposes." I immediately think to myself, "Oh great, here comes the game of 20 questions."Now don't get me...more
If you have integrity, nothing else matters.If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters.- Alan K. SimpsonIf I were to ask you which attribute is the most influential in regard to the success of a business, would you know immediately which one...more
So you've decided to write your own business plan because you know the value that the experience will give you. With the books and software that are out there today you can probably sit down and complete the plan in a day or so, right? Plug in the...more