Scattered around my house are approximately ten Cuban oregano plants. They explode out of mason jars and thrift store flowerpots with thick, fuzzy leaves. When you rub those leaves your fingers come back with a delightfully spicy smell. My wife uses them in the place of regular oregano in all sorts of recipes. But that's not why I have so many of them. They have taken over as our houseplant of choice because a few years ago I learned: You can put a branch of Cuban oregano in water and it will sprout roots. It's the start of a whole new plant. And as long as you give that plant even a little bit of attention, it will grow … [Read more...]
What to Do When You Feel Like a Fraud in Sales
An early mentor once described sales as a "transfer of confidence from you to your potential client". So what should you do when you can't find your confidence? Even worse, what if deep down you think that you're a fraud and that everyone is just about to figure that out? Feeling Like a Fraud When Selling At its core, impostor syndrome reflects a lack of confidence in yourself and your abilities. It's the impulse to look at our inadequacies and failures as the defining feature of us, even in the face of evidence to the contrary. It's important to understand that all of us have doubts and fears about our capabilities, but what … [Read more...]
The Right Questions Make All the Difference
I was catching up with my friend Ian yesterday and our conversation turned philosophical (as it usually does when we are sharing a few craft beers). At one point he asked, "Do you think that American society is on the path to solving its problems, or are we not even asking the right questions?" This morning I'm thinking about how that same distinction can apply to us as individuals. We worry about coming up with the right answers, but we actually need to start by examining the questions we ask about our lives. The quality of our answers, in fact the possible answers we can come up with, are dependent on the questions. And I'm not … [Read more...]
The Confidence that Will Make You Comfortable on Zoom, on Stage, and in Zumba
Updated March, 2021 Years ago I read through Scott Berkun's Confessions of a Public Speaker and I came across the line: Know that your response to a mistake defines the audience's response. And I thought to myself, "Dude, you couldn't be more right." It's continued to stay relevant to me as I've moved beyond my normal public speaking and into the digital realm. Because now I can often see the mistakes I make in real-time! When you have a camera on you, and a little window of yourself in the corner of the screen, it can be a little intimidating. The Audience Only Cares if You Do And now everyone is a public speaker because of video … [Read more...]
Why You Need to Follow Sales Scripts if You Want to Build Trust
Over the years I've heard thousands of sales professionals say, "I don't like using sales scripts. It sounds so robotic and stiff and it just doesn't work." Actually, let me restate that: Over the years, I've heard thousands of unsuccessful sales professionals say that. Successful sales professionals understand that having a script - a set process that they follow when interacting with customers - is key to success. There's a reason why following scripts can help: Used correctly, they help build trust. Prospects Respond to Confidence You've probably heard the advice, "It's not just what you say but how you say it." That connects … [Read more...]
Good Networkers Always Have Jobs
People that are good at building and maintaining a strong professional network are rarely unemployed for long; and it’s not just because they know a lot of people who can hire them. It’s because the competencies that are necessary for successful networking are highly sought after in the job market. When you are actively networking, you are both a) continually honing these skills and more importantly, b) proving that you have them! Intangible Business Skills Here are a few of the areas involved in successful networking that have an impact throughout your career: Interpersonal Communication Skills Networking is communicating. If you … [Read more...]