I have been known to suggest that when somebody crosses your mind for no apparent reason, it would be in your (and their) best interest to contact them… sooner rather than later.

The mysticism in this advice escapes me, but I hold firm in my belief the effectiveness behind this practice. This past week, I was the recipient of such a contact when an agent from the west coast sent me an email with an article of supposed interest attached. In this case, the agent thought I might want to discuss the topic at one of my future workshops or podcasts. I opened. I read. I agreed. And here it is.

Although there may not be any “do-overs” or mulligans in business these days, there is certainly time and rationale for “pressing on.”

Allow me to explain.

I recently sent out a blast email promoting my new series of “More-On” books.  What better way to start promoting you, or your business, than by telling people you are alive and ready for action.

Twelve years ago, I wrote an article that caught the attention of more than a few readers. I thought it might serve another purpose today. Here goes:

The scene was Annapolis, Maryland, the home of the United States Naval Academy. Annapolis is one pretty town—especially on a bright, clear Saturday morning in late May. Weather-wise, my wife and I hit a home run as we sauntered in and out of the cute little shops along the main drag.

Just when you think you have all the letter shortcut meanings down pat, up pop a few new ones. You already know what TGIF infers. LOL in text refers to something that triggers your funny bone. ASAP is another way of implying that sooner is better than later. One of my recent favorites was CAVU. You aircraft pilots out there might recognize this as a sign of good news. (Ceiling and visibility unlimited.) Then there is the ever-popular FOMO* and, for you travel professionals, let’s not forget TWA and KLM. *FOMO = Fear of missing out.

According to me, February can be a funny month. Not “ha-ha” funny, but perhaps a better inference might be peculiar, or interesting, or often-times even mildly depressing.

Based on my 73 Februarys to date, I can say this will some degree of accuracy. I gently approach this infamous month from two angles.

Let me set the stage for today’s message. Imagine it is a warm sunny day in southern Florida and you are about to play your first round of golf while on vacation. You left the cold January winds from up north yesterday, and you have been looking forward to this day for months. Got it? Here we go.

It is prudent advice to learn to accept reality for what it is. And the reality is nothing short of the truth. And the truth is that we are all playing on an imperfect game board. Once you feel like you have figured out how to play the game of life, ZINGO—somebody changes the rules.

Those of you who have come to know me, realize that I am a bona fide bookstore junkie. On my way to somewhere recently, I was once again sucked into an airport
bookstore (they build them for people like me) and I exited the facility 20 bucks lighter.

I was soon the proud owner of The Daily Drucker, a 360 article composite of business-related thoughts penned by the famous Peter Drucker himself. | flipped to January 25, page 27 to the article titled Reinvent Yourself.

I recently heard myself say it again. “I can’t motivate anybody. You have to find something that motivates yourself.”

For nearly 45 years, I have been promoted as “Motivational Speaker.” The fact is, nothing could be further from the truth. What I am, and what I always was, was a speaker who got paid to share many of life’s experiences in an effort to “stimulate” others to action.

I know you are good. I know you are smart. I know you have accomplished a lot. But I also know you can get better. I know you have a lot more to learn. I know you must get better.

Being receptive to constructive “coaching” is a sign of an intelligent person, regardless of age and/or experience. It is important to understand the difference between “criticism” and “coaching.” They are not the same. Criticism has no apparent benefit. It is a verbal attempt at headlining one’s shortcomings, usually for the enjoyment of the person doing the criticizing.

There is not a day gone by that I do not stop to think how lucky I am to have “stumbled” into a career that has allowed me to stay at five-star hotels, get paid to visit over 19 countries, meet many hundreds of nice people, take numerous cruises on both sea and river, and do it all by verbally sharing my experiences along the way.

Of course, there were more than a few downsides along the way. I remember one night in particular, sitting in my hotel room in Kansas City thinking to myself, “It is 7pm on a Tuesday and I am about to take the elevator down to the ballroom to talk to a room full of strangers. I’d rather be home with my wife. What am I doing here?”

What is the definition of a good business decision? What is the definition of a bad business decision? I recently found myself thinking about these two questions and decided to put my thoughts down on paper.

A business decision often surfaces as a result of actions taken that stem from input—input from an outside source. In other words, something beyond your immediate control enters the picture, and you are faced with several viable options. Selecting the appropriate response often defines a stressful decision. What to do? Should you do anything at all? What if you make a judgment error? Time is running out. Pull the trigger. Make a decision.

There are a couple of numbers I would like you to get comfortable with. More than just “comfortable,” I want you to embed these numbers in your brain and consistently endorse their implications.

50/25/80

Once you internalize the significance of these three numbers, you will launch yourself to the head of the selling profession. The good news is that your competition does not have a clue as to the significance or meaning of these three numbers. This, in and of itself, will differentiate you favorably from the pack.

Here is some food for thought that is designed to take much, if not all, of the stress out of your sales responsibilities.

I will use two examples to deliver my point. The first involves a house visit while the second involves a telephone.

If you invited me to your home, I would enter looking for directional cues coming from you. You would tell me when it is time to sit and where to sit. You would tell me when it is time for a drink and when we will be eating. You would be in control. I would be on my best behavior and wait for instructions.

This marketing practice has many analogies or anecdotes to explain its logic. Going with the flow; swimming with the tide; sailing with the wind to your back; picking the low-hanging fruit. I am sure you have a few analogies of your own to remind you that it doesn’t make sense to spit into the wind or pull on Superman’s Cape.

As logical as these reminders are, you don’t have to travel far to see people banging their heads against a wall in an attempt to get things done. It is still true, that in many instances, less is more.

If you believe what I am about to tell you, and make it your business to do something about it, your future success will almost be guaranteed.

Not enough of the right people know you are alive.

The lesson shared in today’s lesson is also what I term “a keeper.” That means that, if you learn nothing else from our time together, I want you to (at the very least) believe the ten words printed above. And if, by chance, a good number of people know you are alive, I want you to memorize the following eleven words.

Sales is hard enough without voluntarily making it more difficult than it has to be. In today’s message, I am going to share with you four myths usually connected with the selling profession… and what you can do about them.

Myth #1: The belief that selling is simply a number’s game.

This implies that if you do enough “stuff,” call enough people, write enough letters, make enough appointments, send enough postcards, or return enough phone calls you will be rewarded handsomely for your efforts.

I am not disagreeing that if you throw enough marbles into the air, one or two will land in the cup situated ten feet away. There is some interesting data supporting The Law of Numbers.

However, this does not take into consideration Read the rest of this entry »

Sales today, regardless of your industry, is more competitive as ever. The old style of selling simply doesn’t work today. Buyers, customers, and clients are too smart… too street savvy… too educated to fall for any textbook trick from some fast-talking salesperson “with the “gift of gab.”

On the other hand, people still have needs and will continue to buy goods and services at an unprecedented rate. So, what is one to do if the future of their business relies on finding and serving new customers. Should we learn how to “up-sell?” Overcome objections? Close sales with a vengeance? No, to all three. The answer may be as simple as your first kindergarten lesson in getting along with others. Become more likeable.

This lesson was driven home to me earlier in my Read the rest of this entry »

Once upon a time, a college friend of mine spent a few days with me. He was driving his son to his first job in Washington, DC from Massachusetts, and my house was directly in line. In a very few hours, it became apparent how people grow in different directions. My friend took the athletic route after graduating and is a very fine physical education teacher at his local high school in Massachusetts. He has spent the last 30 years of his life in the gymnasium—working with other people’s children. The morning after he arrived at my house, we no sooner poured our first cup of coffee when he asked if he could see the comics section of my morning newspaper. This section is always free, as I immediately grab the business section in order to get my daily “marketing fix.” My wife starts at the beginning and my son disappears with the sports section. Read the rest of this entry »

I am currently experiencing a little mental discomfort. I thought I would share it with you to see if there was a message buried in my uneasiness that could benefit your immediate future.

The question is, at age 73, am I physically capable of swimming, biking, and running a total of 70.3 miles in less than 8.5 hours? (An Ironman Triathlon) Perhaps more to the point, do I really want to find out? It is not as if I have never accomplished this feat before. I have. In fact, I covered the full Ironman Triathlon distance of 140.6 miles back in 1997… and lived to talk about it.

The question remains. Do I want to prove to myself that the “old man” is not ready for the rocking chair just yet? As I am typing this the smell of Aleve X ointment on my sore shoulder Read the rest of this entry »

I spotted the following in a popular e-zine I like to read.

Word count for this issue: 888

Approximate time to read: Just over 3 minutes

Why bother spelling out the length of an article you ask? There is a very good reason for doing this. It is a small courtesy that supports one of my sales lessons which implies that it is smart to let people know what they are in for.

In this case, 888 words tells me how much effort I need to invest if I decide to read this information Read the rest of this entry »