Not that you asked, but I have some things to say.

Shot, stabbed, stolen from??? From your client?? Then you are indeed a victim. Lied to, left in the dark, led to believe something other than what you wish???? Your fault. You, sweetheart, are not a victim. Stop acting like it, stop feeling it, stop expressing it in whatever simple way you might to your management. I've been reading a book about psychopathy, and how its root is a lack of empathy. Often a mistranslated word, empathy is the ability to understand and relate to others feelings. All salesfolk must have empathy. We will not win every deal.....but we should always be in a position to fire the client, before they fire us. Anything less is a lack of understanding on our part, and a derelict of duty.....sound extreme? Learn. I lost a deal the other day....a large one.....I was flabbergasted. After roughly 10 minutes of analysis, however, I realized exactly how and why I lost. I sold too high up the food chain, not realizing that who I saw as influencer was actually t...

I bought a Mexican produced half-liter of Coca-Cola today. It seems in many countries Coke still uses cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). I do not want to debate the health issues that concern many in regards to HFCS. I do believe HFCS is evil, but I will save that for a later discussion. So...what's my point?? Taste. Quality. Refreshability (yes, I just made up a word). The old taste tests that were popular advertising when I was growing up should be re-introduced. We should taste test Coke against Coke. There is a distinct difference between the two, and a Coke with HFCS pales in comparison to it's cane sugar cousin. I will not preach on this issue, but I could....just try it for yourself. Because of some very interesting economic and political issues, HFCS is cheaper than cane sugar. Go Google this....decide for yourself if you like....or just trust me, It ain't good. So as we see the Orange Revolution, the Jasmine Revolution, the Green Revolution....h...

Today was out to get me. It began at 12:01am, yes one minute after midnight....with a zeal that seemed to justify the personification I am giving to 'this day'. I put on a mask when dealing with some folks.....I vented like mad to others....and pushed forward. I probably brought a few people down today. My apologies. But, I still see every problem that arose today (and there were about 5) as what I consider to be "Problems of Abundance." My dog, who has turned me into a crazy dog person, is fighting cancer. He had a bad reaction to his treatment. I'm happy to have him at all. My new house has a small creek.....on the inside. Just to clarify, it shouldn't be there. I was given a repair quote of roughly $25,000. I am blessed to own a home, even if I decide to say to hell with the basement and buy a kayak. I had a gas leak that needed repair today. I'm glad for the gift of fire, but more importantly the indirect compliment the old fella from the gas company ...

I had lunch with an accomplished and respected member of the Nashville Technology community today....we'll call him Joe (not his real name). We discussed action items for a committee that combines the local business and educational worlds. Sort of an oil and water situation (business world and education world) but we will succeed. This, however, is not the topic I want to discuss. In the course of our lunch, I requested that Joe send an introductory email to another member of the Nashville business world, a man I had actually met the day before...we'll call him Ike. Joe reminded me that he had, just the day before, introduced me to Ike. The setting was frenetic and I did not speak to Ike long. It was possible Ike might not remember me, as I had not told any inappropriate jokes or made any overt comments (my standard calling card). I had Ike's card, with his email, and could have easily shot off an email. It would have been the typical, and very general, "I met you, we ...

I spoke to a contact with one of my largest clients the other day. He was newly hired, and this was our first conversation. He mentioned the great reputation that both my company, and myself, had within their company. We have been a large service provider at their corporate HQ location for over a decade. In that amount of time, of course, we have had some issues. We hit the issues head on, resolve them, and have a high level of success with issues (higher than any of our competitors). But....I know for a fact that there are individuals within their company that would talk negatively about my company......and me. One guy absolutely hates me. The feeling is quite mutual. So...what's my point? Well, this one is a tough one. Statistically, many people/clients will be in the midst of a problem at any given moment. Ask them their opinion of their provider when the problems are at their peak. When the problem is solved, ask them again. See below for a breakdown: If they are calm during th...

Do you remember the G.I. Joe series? Not the 'Kung-Fu Grip", bearded, larger model. Think more of the later series where there seemed to be as many specialized characters as there are Hindu gods....Got it? Good. I recall snow specialists, explosives experts, HALO jumpers, communication engineers, Ninjas, and a flame-thrower operator. The folks that made these action-figures would crank out a new one, seemingly every few days. So....what's my point??? They were really on to something. The 'Team Joe" mentality translates well to the world of sales teams. They all were focused on warfare and the defeat of COBRA (if you don't understand, go look it up). But they were defined specialists that put forth a unified point. None of my team can be summed up very easily. We all have specialties that transcend our job titles, we all have specific approaches. My team seems to use the GI Joe approach. As we target our clients (for this analogy, COBRA is the client...which is...

Today, I took a nap on the couch I have in my office. Yes, I have a couch that is designated for nap time. It's quite comfy. Mid-day naps are endorsed by many psychologists and Japanese businessmen. Also....I am at roughly 200% of my monthly quota, and about 170% YTD. So....what's my point?? Well, other than the fact that I am a tad lazy? It's that I have 10 years plus of momentum under my belt. In my last blog titled "There is no Secret Sauce (Part 1)" I discussed the fact that there are really only two ways to be/get better. The first is to work your ass off. Hustle, hustle, hustle. Set 2, run 2, smile and dial. This level of activity drives the second part. OTJ!! On-the-job training. Be a sponge, soak up knowledge, make contacts, build relationships, etc. Unless you are a moron (and many in my line are) you will grow away from outright activity and gravitate towards an approach with more finesse. If not, activity will be your friend. And the world needs the bac...