Author Archive

Personal Leadership Makes Trust Possible

The probability that he will go to jail for what he did is almost zero. His lack of personal leadership resulted in thousands of people feeling violated, cheated and betrayed. If his patrons trusted him before, his impersonal approach to leadership shredded that trust in a matter of milliseconds. We won’t give our support to [...]

The “Thanks for Your Time” Crime

It happened again, but I’m not surprised. As the insurance salesman was wrapping up our meeting, he shook my hand and said, “Thanks for your time.” I thought to myself, “What a crime.” He was being polite, and I welcome that. He genuinely appreciated the time I devoted to our interaction. His thank-you was acknowledging [...]

What Sales People Need in a Down Economy

It takes something special to sell in a down economy. Unless sales people are properly equipped, it’s easy for them to get discouraged and give up, perhaps before they even get started. When salespeople stop selling, falling revenues eventually cause pain for all employees and can threaten the very existence of the business. That’s why [...]

This Country Walks With Crutches

After taking my order, the young man behind the register announced, “That’ll be $6.96.” I handed him seven dollars and a penny. The puzzled look on his face made it clear he had no idea what to do with that penny. After what seemed like a long time, I explained, “I’d like a nickel back.” [...]

The PowerPoint Dozen Dare

I dare you to reduce your PowerPoint sales presentation to 12 slides or less. You will make your presentation (and you) more persuasive than ever. I contend that I could sell anything with 12 slides or less. Computer software, a downtown development project, or a plan to put a man on Mars. The more complex, [...]

How to Sell Value Instead of Price

Sell value and not price. It seems like a simple concept, so easy to understand. Yet accomplishing it can be elusive especially if we overlook one thing. Do you know the value of what you sell? It may not be what you think it is. There’s only one way to determine your product’s true value. [...]

Gatekeepers Are No Trouble Anymore

Administrative assistants, or “gatekeepers,” have gotten quite good at blocking access to the executives they serve. I don’t know if they go to a school to learn how, but I just learned that they CAN earn an award for doing it well. The Atlanta Business Chronicle, in recognition of Administrative Professionals Day, awarded the title [...]


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