Inc. Magazine is a well-known content-driven periodical very much worth reading. In short, it shares a whole bunch of good stuff every month when it comes to entrepreneurial recommendations, ideas, case studies, and overall information. I look forward to receiving their e-zine every month. In most instances, I find myself agreeing with the authors, finding myself interested and stimulated by their views and examples. That is until I read today’s featured article. Read the rest of this entry »

From time to time, my wife interrupts my morning crossword puzzle concentration by sharing an article she feels I will connect with. Such was the case this morning. In this particular scenario, a woman wrote a letter to a celebrity entertainer on a whim and was surprised when he accepted her invitation to show him around Denver. This lesson in “asking” reminded me of a similar story from an agent I once interviewed having been impressed with Read the rest of this entry »

Probably not unlike you, my mind works in funny ways. This morning, I was having a cup of coffee on my back porch allowing my mind to wander. I soon began thinking about the difference between an amateur and a professional. I am sure you share my appreciation for watching a true professional ply their craft. It was approaching 6:30 am when I pictured a professional golfer starting his daily routine of hitting about 500 balls Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s lesson comes via the Bassett Hospital waiting room. My wife is in receiving a follow up x-ray after a recent leg injury. (Let’s keep your hang nail pains in perspective.) A magazine titled Golf Journal was left on a chair, so I decided to thumb through the pages. That is when an article on page 48 caught my attention. It was titled STRESS LESS. Message: Article ideas come from anywhere and everywhere. Read the rest of this entry »

Being a “non-automechanic” I blamed it on the cold weather. I soon caved in and determined the screeching sound coming from the engine area of my Ford Explorer might be a little more pressing than just a cool breeze rushing across the “frigus diametric.” This is an auto term pronounced FREE-Guz Die-a-met-tris. Read the rest of this entry »

It was a crisp fall day back in 1984 when I stumbled upon the travel industry…  totally by accident. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars that I did. At the time, I was interested in turning the page (changing jobs) and my strategy was to spread the word via those vendors whom I had established a good relationship with. My company’s travel agency was high on the list since I traveled quite a bit. As luck would have it Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s begin by focusing on the first word in the title of this report: “Get.” This little 3-letter word is “g-e-t.” Not hope. Not pray. Not wish. Not wait. But “get.” This by the way, is an action word. It infers that you must do something. You must go out and get some more business. The truth is that your future lies entirely in your hands. You are in control. You are driving the bus. All you must do is make up your mind to get up, get out, and get more travel business. Read the rest of this entry »

Booking travel online is just plain dangerous.  The allure of using a mouse and a few clicks to secure flights, accommodations, and exciting activities appeals to most people. But proceed with caution. Last week, “a few beers” with a friend turned into some type of man-splaining about what a travel professional can do. Man-splaining is not the phrase, but travel-splaining sounded stupid! He made a critical mistake somewhere in the fourth beer and asked me to cite specific examples of online problems.  And here’s what I said… Read the rest of this entry »

In the super competitive travel industry, you must be more than average. You must shine like a diamond and blow your competition out of the water. Lucky for you, I’ve got some thoughts to help you do just that. Let’s dive in! Read the rest of this entry »

After reading the book by the title above, I find myself noticing a number of items that, yesterday, would have gone unnoticed and perhaps untouched. I figured if I was not going to complete the task at hand in one sitting, I would wait until I could find the time to do so. This has proven over time to be a wasteful decision.

The Kaizen philosophy goes against the popular teaching that you must finish what you start… at one sitting. Kaizen implies that you will eventually complete the task, but not as quickly as you first imagined. Read the rest of this entry »

When I was offered the opportunity to share some of my sales and marketing information with the readers of TRO, I jumped at the chance. According to me, I have a lot I want to share. You probably already know I look at marketing and sales through my own personal lens. The older I get, which means the more experienced I get, the easier this “selling thing” gets. Read the rest of this entry »

I have always endorsed the practice of identifying one’s strengths and focusing on that strength to make even stronger, or more prominent. Many sales professionals think it is time well-spent to isolate a particular weakness and focus on improving upon that lacking skill. I suppose there will always be two sides to that coin. Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

I am often asked where I get ideas for my articles. The short answer is “everywhere.” Today’s message came from a recent unexpected visit to a dentist for an emergency tooth conundrum. As my wife was settling into the chair, I was cooling my heels in the waiting room thumbing through magazines. The rag in hand was titled BOCA.com.

There is an old proverb that suggests, “The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know.” This adage first appeared in John Taverner’s Proverbs of Erasmus (1539).

This infers that it just might be easier to put up with what you are already familiar with, rather than roll the dice on something unknown. I suppose you could also justify your tendency to remain put by reminding yourself that “the grass always appears greener on the other side of the fence.” (Whatever make you feel better.)

Note: Today’s article is adapted from an article published in Forbes Magazine.

I added my two bits when I thought it appropriate and cut the length to fit my space.

Communication, customer service, and driving have something very much in common. Everybody thinks they are good at these skills when, in fact, very few are even adequate with any consistency.

This overestimation of our communication abilities is magnified when interacting with people we are familiar with.

… or do anything that can lead them to believe that they are not important to you.

Where to begin? So much material. So many messages. Mostly reminders of how not to do things.

I just spent a week filled with negative people. Whining couples conversing over their appetizers at a lovely restaurant. Little eye contact at Best Buy. No acknowledgment when you pull over to allow an oncoming car to pass through a narrow street first. Then, culminating with my insurance agent of nine years actually raising his voice at me when I asked him why he thought it was in his best interest not to return my phone calls.

I Live Where You Vacation. These are the five printed words printed on a wooden sign in my back porch reminding me how fortunate I am to be living in South Florida… especially in the months of January, February, and most of March.

What this factoid has to do with today’s message will soon become apparent.

What you don’t want to do is to look back on your life while uttering the empty phrase, “If only I….”

What you “should have” done, and what you “could have” accomplished while arriving on today’s page of the calendar is yesterday’s news. Whatever opportunity you clearly missed is long gone. Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow a distant dream. Today is your reality. What are you planning to do today to make a difference? Make your answer count, so tomorrow when you look back at today, you can be proud of what you accomplished.

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.

I tell a lie. Not everybody calls me Grumpish. Just those close enough to know that this affectionate nickname came from my nephew’s a three-year-old daughter. I asked Mila’s mother what her small fry just said when looking me square in the eye. “I think she just called you Grumpish.” And I remain “Grumpish” five years later and hopefully for many years to come.

One of my all-time Christmas gifts was a t-shirt with the word “Grumpish” scrolled across the chest. And here comes today’s message.