Can I Please Have Your Undivided Attention?
In a world where everything is rosy for a sales person, there would not be any unhappy customers and complaints to deal with. Actually, that might not be as good a situation as one thinks. I am not saying having unhappy customers is good. Obviously we all want customers who love what we do and continuously come back for more. What I am talking about is the level of attention one gets when a customer with a complaint is on...
Where Have All The Pay Phones Gone?
BellSouth recently announced that it will pull all of its 143,000 pay phones out of service by the end of 2002 according to the New York Times. Reason: Cell phones. Who would have thought that cell phones would one day replace the corner phone booth? In your world, what is becoming obsolete and are you prepared to replace it with solutions worthy of the 21st century? Titans know that change is the cornerstone for future success. If you don't believe...
Transition, The Key To A Leaders Success
Okay, so you have been promoted to sales manager after having broken all sales records within the company. Congratulations! Now what are you going to do? If you plan on operating the same exact way as a sales manager as you did as a superstar sales person, you may be in for a tough time. As a sales person, your efforts as an individual for the most part dictated your level of success. As a manager, your success depends on...
Flying Like a Trapeze Artist
Our Titan of The Month, Richard Burley, sent me this message that really brings home the attitude one has to have to reach new heights. "The only way a trapeze artist can successfully catch an approaching bar is to release the one on which he is swinging. As a metaphor this describes the journey and experience I have had using your material. I was reluctant at first to let go of the trapeze bar I was swinging on. However, after...
Thomas Edison
"If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves." Thomas Edison
Integrity: Do You Have It?
If you were to ask me what is the most valuable tool all successful salespeople have, it is their integrity. There is nothing more sacred than one's word. Recently, my wife and I purchased a new alarm system from a well-known company. When the salesperson came to the house, he gave an excellent presentation. The sales person promised he would be at the house at time of installation. He wasn't and this was the first signal that maybe his word...
How Far Will You Go?
Are you willing to make the same sacrifices you are asking of your employees? In the Dec 11th issue of USA Today, it stated that Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina would return her $625,000 bonus after the company announced last month that it would miss fourth-quarter earnings targets. Her management team also said they would return about $1 million in bonuses. Now that's putting your money where your mouth is. As you know, high tech companies in general have missed their...
Alan Rader, Leviton Mfg Co., Inc.
Alan Rader just celebrated his 25th Anniversary with Leviton and was sent a letter of congratulations by management (I heard there was a big celebration also). In the letter, Alan was cited for his high level of integrity and professionalism, his ability to understand other people's point of view, his relentless pursuit of closure of an opportunity, his desire to succeed, his hard work, dedication and proactive approach to business. In addition, he is considered a cornerstone of consistency. If...
Are your tasks supporting your purpose?
During my sales career, I awoke one day and went from managing a Manhattan sales territory to managing the whole east coast. All of a sudden I had airplanes to deal with and a whole host of other things that took up more of my time. Imagine, if I found it difficult doing what I had to do in Manhattan, how in the world was I going to include the whole east coast in my time management system? As in...