I've coached a lot of sales managers and leaders on how to drive business with their teams. One of the most common tools they reach for is the sales contest. They tend to think that a good sales contest is the panacea for all their issues - that the only thing keeping their people from having explosive results is a mix of excitement and fear... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVQPY4LlbJ4] Most sales contests, however, fail to create meaningful change. They usually end up rewarding top performers (who would have produced great results anyways) and demotivating those on the team who could really use the help. Too often they end … [Read more...]
Business Lessons I Learned from B.A. Baracus
I've read a lot of business books on team-building, delegation, and leadership. But some of the best lessons on teamwork are the ones I learned at my grandparent's house on Saturday afternoons when I was growing up. And I'm not talking about the wonderful things I learned by helping my grandma set the table or by playing cards with my grandpa (although they were pretty awesome). I'm talking about the A-Team. Every Saturday afternoon my cousins and I gathered around to watch the reruns of Hannibal and his crew while they protected some poor soul from the villain of the week and then jetted off just before the MPs got there. MBAs Could … [Read more...]
Act a Little Happier than You Feel
A quick tip you won't find in most business books: Act a little happier than you feel. Whether you are talking to a client or prospect, sending an email to your boss, or attending a networking event, make your disposition a little cheerier than you normally would. Smile a little more, be a little more animated, and when someone asks you how you're doing, say "Great! Thanks for asking." Attitude Has Impact Two things I want to point out. I'm saying act a little happier. I'm not saying that you should be inauthentic and Pollyannaish. But if you are having a bad day, it doesn't mean you have to be completely gloomy and whiny. How … [Read more...]
Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
Big Thought: The human mind is capable of astounding feats of memory when using specific memory tools. And examining memory is valuable because it leads us to questions of intelligence, identity, education, and personal development. Having a perfect memory and no memory are both pathological. If you can't forget information, it's impossible to focus because you can't determine what information is worth focusing on and which isn't relevant. If you have no memory, you can't develop a personality beyond the present moment. " Call it a soul, or a self, or an emergent byproduct of a neural network, but whatever you want it, that element of … [Read more...]
Technology Can’t Solve Any Business Problems Alone
Today, as you go through your work day, your goal is to solve as many problems as you can. For most of us, that is actually what our work consists of: solving challenges that pop up consistently through the day. Luckily, since our society has advanced a bit, the problems that we face aren't the dire ones that faced our ancestors, like mystery blights destroying our crops or hordes of marauding barbarians. For us, it might be finding prospective clients, balancing the books, or managing different personalities on a project. Technology is Just a Tool Just like our ancestors, we consistently look to technology to solve our problems. They … [Read more...]
The Quick and Dirty Way to Plan Effective Meetings
In the modern business world, meetings are a necessary (and ubiquitous) evil. There are sales meetings, planning meetings, marketing meetings, debriefing meetings, quarterly meetings, project meetings, committee meetings, meetings to set up other meetings... you got the idea. For all of the meetings that you go to, you've probably found that many are ineffective. Or to put it bluntly, a waste of time. It's why meetings have a bad rep. They often devolve into unfocused conversations about topics that aren't important that finally end without anything being solved or a clear course of action. How to Plan a Great Meeting I can't save … [Read more...]
5 LinkedIn Status Updates You Can Post Right Now
LinkedIn Status Updates are a critical tool in developing your online presence. The opportunity to speak directly to your network is incredibly powerful, but sadly, still underused. Your LinkedIn network is made up of professionals who have opted-in to you, but if you don't share anything, they can't stay informed. They want to know what's going on in your professional world, and they are looking to you for information that can help them. "But I don't know what to share!" I hear that all of the time when I'm coaching and training individuals on how to make the most of their networking on LinkedIn. So let's get tactical. Here are … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- …
- 73
- Next Page »