Posted: January 6, 2016 | Categories: Sales, Self-Improvement

23 years ago a fellow team member and I were sitting in a lobby waiting to see a prospect.  My buddy Joe brings out a copy of Golf Digest to read.  This was the issue that listed the top PGA money winners of the past year.  Joe pointed out who was in first place:  It was Fred Couples.  He had made $1,344,188, participated in 22 events, and his average score per 18 holes was 69.38.  Then Joe showed me the stats for the person in 130th place.  His name was John Mahaffey, his total winnings were $101,512, he participated in 28 events, and his average score per 18 holes was 71.99.  Think about that!  The difference between the person in first place and 130th place was only  a difference of 2.61 strokes per 18 holes.  Does that sound unusual?  Not really.  A major league baseball player  whose career batting average is 300 will probably end up in the Hall of Fame if he plays a full career.  This is what champions call the slight edge.  It means that the person at the top and the person in 2nd are not that far apart.  Instead of thinking we need to be twice as good as our competition, often all we need to do is develop the slight edge.Read More…

Posted: December 28, 2015 | Categories: Self-Improvement

We’ve all heard that one.  The problem is that New Year’s resolutions only have a 10% of success.  As we approach the New Year, would you like to increase your resolution success percentage from 10% to 80%?   I will tell you how:  Learn and consistently practice the “Three D’s”.  The Three D’s are Desire, Discipline, and Determination.  Read More…

Posted: December 10, 2015 | Categories: Leadership, Self-Improvement, Team Building

When I was in my late 30’s, I was attending a 6-week leadership seminar and learned a valuable lesson:  Be careful when you tease.  The subject was teamwork, and the instructor brought up the topic of teasing.  He said, “Teasing can be one of the most subtle forms of cruelty.”  He went on to say, “Have any of you ever been in situation where someone said something to you in jest, you chuckled, and then later had second thoughts?”  “You may have thought to yourself, “I wonder what he meant by that”.Read More…

Posted: December 1, 2015 | Categories: Leadership, Networking, Self-Improvement

“Did you ever feel like the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?”  – George Goebel

Picture this:  You just started a new job or joined an organization.  You don’t know anyone.  It is time for you to attend your first social event.  As you walk in, you hear talking and laughter.  Folks are clustered in groups engaged in conversation.  You want to be a part of your new group, but you can’t figure out how to get started.  Just when you are starting feel completely invisible, an energetic, radiant individual springs from one of the groups.  She approaches you smiling, extends her hand, and introduces herself.  She then starts asking questions.  She wants to know what you do and why you enjoy it.  She then says, “C’mon, I want to introduce you to some folks.” Read More…

Posted: November 27, 2015 | Categories: Presentation skills, Self-Improvement

Now that we are approaching the end of the year, you are probably looking ahead to your professional development plans for 2016.  As you work on your plan, you note that it includes attending a seminar or training program to sharpen your skill or knowledge in a particular area.  Let’s say this program costs $650 to register and you would like your company to sponsor you.  How would you approach your boss?  Here’s one way:

“Mrs. Stanton, I need you to write a check for $650.   Why?  Because I need to attend a class”

I would not recommend this approach.  I have found it has a low batting average.  Let’s try another one:Read More…