The Crucial Factor Missing from Your 2024 Sales Plan
As you create your sales plan for 2024, what's the one issue you must pay special attention to? That one issue is your ideal customer profile, because that's going to determine whether or not you gain velocity in your sales efforts. Picture business 2012: I was just voted as the Vice President of the National Speakers Association, meaning that, two years from that date I was taking over as president. It was like having two full-time jobs. One was on...
Happy Thanksgiving
Gratitude fuels success! Your leadership lights up the business world, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to support your journey. May this day of thanks recharge your Velocity Mindset® for even greater achievements ahead. May the food taste great with the company of friends and relatives providing you with all the warmth your heart desires. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Karr Associates, Inc!
What Is The One Element tThat Can Bring Velocity To Everyone On The Project?
So, what is the one element that can bring Velocity to everyone on the project? Awhile back I was the opening keynote speaker for a luncheon hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers. The room was filled with mall owners, construction company owners, and big real estate tycoons. The first line of my speech was simple. I asked why, despite each participant having their designated part of the project, they consistently ran behind schedule. This lateness, in turn, affected...
How “The Negativity Fast” Can Elevate Your Success
This week, we're going to be talking about fasting. That's right. We're going to be talking about “The Negativity Fast,” a great book that I just read by Anthony Iannarino. Why is this so important? It's simple. You cannot have both a negative and a positive thought in your brain at the same time. The negativity of any kind saps your creativity, and it prevents you from seeing the opportunities that are in front of you. So, let's take a look at...
Does thinking big impact your Velocity?
Thinking big does indeed positively impact your Velocity but it also involves taking some risks. Let me give you an example. In the mid-80s, Apple came out with a new PC. It was called the Apple II. Around the same time, IBM, which was making most of its money on mainframes, recognized an upcoming threat. So the chairman of IBM challenged an executive, Philip Don Estridge, to come up with their own PC within six months. The challenge was that...
Are You Being Present in Your Conversations?
Do you know that being present in your conversation is the key to gaining Velocity in life? When I'm presenting, whether virtually or in person, I like to engage the audience in a fun game. It's called “Build a Story One Word at a Time.” Here's how it works: Someone in the audience suggests a starting word, like “ocean,” and then we begin building the story, one word at a time. It's an improv game. What's fascinating about this game...
The Answer to Success is in the Questions You Ask
In the early ‘90s, I trademarked the phrase “The Question Man™.” I believed then, as I believe now, that the answers to your success lie in the questions that you ask. At that time, I had a great client, Hertz Equipment Rental, that rented backhoes. It was a division of Hertz Rental Car Corporation. The VP of Sales was Bud Howard, who hired me for three consecutive years to work with his team and loved the results. He and I became lifelong friends. While...
Man Plans, and God Laughs: Be Prepared to Pivot
A few years ago, my opening story for a keynote involved reenacting a CPR scene. CPR is what you use when someone's heart stops beating. In my twenties, I was a volunteer medic in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. The whole point of the story was this: “Look, I'm not here to suggest that you start beating on your customer's chest, but I am here to suggest that you breathe life into their lives. When you do that, there is no...
Do you know why McDonald’s doesn’t sell onion rings?
Do you know why McDonald's doesn't sell onion rings?
The reason why McDonald's doesn’t sell onion rings is because of the old adage: rinse and repeat. That’s right! If you really want to scale an organization, how can you rinse and repeat the steps so that they’re easily replicable? That is where the profit is. You see, french fries are among McDonald's highest profit-generating items. This is why they do not sell onion rings. Onion rings are not as efficient, and...