I am working on a project right now where I am implementing a new sales compensation plan that will better align with our new ‘Customer Intimate’ orientation. That being we serve a well defined set of accounts or markets and we bring them solutions, not products, not transactions but complete answers to their problems.
So I [...]

It seems like every year at this time my person to person spirit grows stronger. I generally have a little more spring in our step and a smile on my face.
I also find myself continously reflecting on the past year(s) and doing what I call ‘wisdom development’ meaning that I make conscious some of my [...]

Many of us middle-aged souls spent a good chunk of time honing our public speaking or simple presentation skills at a Toastmasters meeting, usually over breakfast or lunch.
Toastmasters is an organization designed to help individuals improve their speaking skills. One of the things I remember most vividly learning was the need to eliminate fillers in [...]

I love learning about interesting factoids they help me learn about the world and plan for change. Below are some interesting ones from Chief Executive Magazine.

Price of a Venti Mocha in Moscow: $8.98, price in New York City: $4.71
Percentage of Japanese women in their 20’s who own an Louis Vitton item, 94.3%
Average age of US [...]

Are you looking to dive-in to the social networking world for your business but you want to find a service that is ALL business?
Then you should check out Fastpitch. I have been a member for awhile now and am continually impressed with the continous stream of new features, functions and services they are bringingto members.
Exposure [...]

No kidding, duh. We all know that trust is key to effective relationships, selling, leading a business, marriage, friendships all are anchored on trust. It may not be conscious to us but it is true.
How do you get to a trusted relationship? How do you get it on the table with those you want a [...]

At my office I am in the middle of a compensation plan change for the sales team. Unfortunately I did not anticipate the amount of “static energy” that would be generated amongst the team as a result of my authentic and early communication around the changes.
I have outlined the purpose for the change (based on [...]

Source: “Lead Response Management New Research Summary” by Dave Elkington and James Oldroyd.
A recent survey by Inside Sales and MIT uncovers some interesting stats about when the best time to contact new prospects might be. Among the findings:

Wednesday and Thursdays are the best days to contact new prospects. In addition to being almost 50% more [...]

Healthcare cost growth has slowed slightly in the last few years but the overall cost of providing employees of small businesses healthcare continues to be a BIG problem.
How can small businesses compete for talented individuals when healthcare costs prevent them from offering the best total compensation package available.
Listen to Dawn Rivers Baker of the Microenterprise [...]

I am always on the lookout for websites that save me time and have found a new one, All My Faves.  This site aggregates on one page hundreds of the best websites by categories.  Categories such as: Email, Maps, Finance, News, Sports, Community, Banks, Car Rental, Jobs, Gaming and many, many more.
I find myself using [...]