How to Motivate/Demotivate Employees
Lessons in Leadership: Observations from My Career I have encountered numerous managers who exhibited substandard leadership qualities throughout my c...
Lessons in Leadership: Observations from My Career I have encountered numerous managers who exhibited substandard leadership qualities throughout my c...
I recently received a call from a sales professional seeking assistance with her strategy to beat her primary competitor, referred to here as ACME, on...
As a former accountant, sales manager, economics instructor, and someone who spent many years calling on large financial institutions and major corpor...
This is paraphrased from a famous line in a song written by Bob Dylan. The song suggests youthful idealism often gives way to realism with age. Many t...
Some people struggle to get started in the morning. I never have had that problem. I’ve always approached mornings with a clear sense of pur...
You are the CEO of your personal brand. What does this mean, and why does it matter? In today’s world, whether you’re building a career in a corpo...
I love sports and often use sports analogies. Now is the time of Major League Baseball’s Spring training. At every team’s camp, at least o...
My background has primarily been selling enterprise-wide financial, human resource, medical, anti-money laundering, and manufacturing solutions. In ...
This past week, I had a case of influenza. It reminded me of an incident many years ago when I began my career as an accountant. I joined the cost acc...
“Catch-22” was a popular fictional book and later a movie published by Joseph Heller in 1961. In Heller’s book, an Air Force lieutenant desired ...
One of the most overlooked keys to sales success is Attitude. A positive attitude consists of being mentally optimistic and self-confident. It is esse...
Some sales pros work for companies that furnish adequate suspects and unqualified leads to keep them busy achieving their sales goals. I was not as fo...
Many sales pros ask me what to do when the prospect doesn’t return calls or emails. You have been calling on a prospect for several months and bel...
This sounds like an obvious statement. Wouldn’t Homer Simpson say “duh” if I said this to him? Isn’t it a binary condition—e...
I am often asked this question: If a buyer gives you the choice to be the first, middle, or last seller to present your proposed solution to the evalu...
When I became a sales manager, I believed I had to treat all the salespeople who reported to me equally. As a first-time sales manager, I thought it...
I was grocery shopping with my wife a while ago when we perused the jellies and jams aisle. My wife selected a well-known jelly brand that was on sale...
I recently wrote about an episode early in my sales career when I worked in a shared office environment with salespeople and remote workers. I overh...
Many assume that sales is a serious profession—and it certainly is. There are times when it can be very entertaining. Indeed, interacting with poten...
Salespeople often ask me to explain the best method of identifying the highest-potential prospects to target. “How can I find these prime p...
Your sales manager is anxious and wants you to close additional sales this month. Perhaps she is worried about meeting her quarterly or annual new b...
I have seen examples of people who achieved highly successful careers but were still unsatisfied with their situation. Something compels them to make ...
Sometimes, well-meaning people plan or take actions that they intend to create a social good or results for the betterment of all, but their actions r...
We have reached the time of the year when sales managers carefully examine the opportunities forecasted to close by the end of the calendar year. Most...
What is the “best” sales presentation? How can it be defined or characterized? Is it a flawless presentation, perhaps utilizing the most up-to-dat...
“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ― Mark Twain All of us wish to do what we love (or like) to d...
I have read that we must keep lowering standards, such as the educational requirements for elementary and high school kids, where graduation rates and...
I am often asked this question, and the answer isn’t straightforward. Even the most skilled sales managers can attest to the challenge of findin...
Recently, my electric garage door opener malfunctioned. I called Bob, a repairman I had used before, who diagnosed the problem over the telephone as a...
Recently, an interviewer asked me what the best advice I had ever received was and, on the contrary, what the worst was. These were very challenging...
Executives at many companies often become what I call “prisoners of the past.” There has been a decision made in the past, by them or somebody els...
The thought has occurred to me that we trust “experts’ to judge hiring, promotions, selections for athletic teams, qualifications for music progra...
“The Greatest Obstacle to Discovery is Not Ignorance – It is the Illusion of Knowledge”1 Our local high school, Adlai E. Stevenson, in Lincolns...
Pausing AI Development Is Not Feasible Many in politics, academia, technology, and the media have recently called for a cessation or pause in Artifici...
What is AI? Artificial intelligence (AI) is not just another trendy technology. It’s a truly transformative force that will reshape our lives in 202...
Many of us are familiar with the concept of leverage in negotiations. Leverage is not just a tool; it’s a mindset. It’s the perceived powe...
McCormack & Dodge scheduled a User Conference for its customers in San Francisco in August 1983. I was asked to find a luncheon speaker. Usually...
Several years ago, I found myself in a rather comical situation as a junior accountant at a mid-size suburban Chicago manufacturing company. It was a ...
Have you ever read the tag on your bed mattress (or your pillow or winter coat) that says removing it is illegal and punishable by federal fines of up...
Several years ago, I lived in a home adjacent to a private golf club. My telephone number was similar to that of the golf club’s clubhouse. One afte...