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Advance Confidently in 2014
I’ve been relaxing, reflecting and doing a bit of celebrating. I hope you have also. Tis the season! This is the week where that often...
Keys to Career Transformation: Finding Your Groove
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been mapping out the most important parts of a successful career transformation, using my own experience as an...
Keys to Career Transformation: Getting Help
2014 is almost here. What have you been putting off? Where do you want to be in your career at this time next year? I’ve...
Keys to Career Transformation: Getting Real
The new year is a common time for reflection. How do you get from where you are now to where you want to be in...
Keys to Career Transformation: Getting Unstuck
How do you get from where you are to where you want to be? This is the time of year that a lot of people...
A Contract With Humanity
As 2013 winds down, I’ve spent some time reflecting back on my 79 live events this year. I’ve seen a lot and racked up a...
Leading a Legacy
Tom Heinen is co-owner and operator of Heinen's, a third-generation, family-owned (and much-loved) grocery store based in Cleveland, Ohio. Heinen’s has 18 stores across Ohio...
The Student, Teacher and Storyteller
Customers are more sophisticated and have new expectations about the role of the sales professional and vendor partner. Sound familiar? If you’re a top producer,...
How to Get the Most Out of Feedback
One of the benefits of my business is the feedback loop available from our live events. I usually know exactly how the customer felt about...
Employer Branding Around the World
When it comes to employer branding, there’s no one who knows his stuff better than Brett Minchington. Brett is the founder of Employer Brand International,...
Video: Navigating the New World of Leadership
It’s no secret that the experience economy is disrupting the status quo. When the market moves, leaders are faced with the difficult task of staying...
Best of Breed 2013: Leading Breakthrough Sales Performance
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to give a talk at the 2013 Best of Breed Conference. I spoke about the future sales model...
How Darden Restaurants Surprises and Delights Employees
This summer, I had the honor of speaking to a group of managers from Darden Restaurants at St. Regis Monarch Beach. These general managers had...
Respect the Moment
My walk through the City of God (Rio de Janeiro) ranks among my most memorable travel experiences. Last week, I was excited for a return...
Chief Experience Officer
Who is in charge of creating the vision and designing the strategy to deliver a world- class experience for your customers? How about for employees?...
I’m a Working Mother & There Is No Such Thing as Work-Life Balance
Today’s post is by Lynn Mandinec, Business Manager at Ryan Estis & Associates. Lynn works closely with REA clients to design the right program and...
How Will You Be Remembered?
Four decades ago, my parents took everything they had and put it into a small starter home in northeastern Ohio. Graduates of Kent State University,...
6 Keys to Overcoming Internal Resistance
Today’s post is by Lynn Mandinec, Business Manager at Ryan Estis & Associates. Lynn and Ryan have worked together for more than 20 years, and...
How to Do Better Under Pressure
How do you prepare for moments of major opportunity – and perform under major pressure? I had the opportunity to talk with one of the...
5 Keys to Get a Better Return on Sales Training
The best sales organizations invest in creating a culture of continuous learning. But how do you know when you are getting a good return on...
Do Customers Respond To Your Email Pitch?
I recently received a long email pitch that included links to an online portfolio of work, website, blog and corresponding articles. Following his robust introduction,...
Taking the Leap: A Career Transition Story
I want to share a story that has inspired me this week. If you are on the cusp of a career transition or on the...
I Closed This Sale on Twitter Last Week
Last week, I was preparing to head west to keynote the annual Sacramento Area Human Resources Association conference. I was excited to see Sacramento for...
5 Qualities of a Good Sales Team Leader
The traits of a good sales producer and the qualities of a good sales team leader are very different. As a sales producer, the job...
8 Rookie Management Mistakes to Avoid
Welcome to leadership. You're now a manager, with direct reports. Congratulations! I moved into my first formal leadership role in my late 20s. I was...
5 Keys To Convert A Warm Lead
How do you respond when a warm lead hits your email inbox? A warm lead is the most precious gift a sales organization can receive....
Are You Ready for Disruption?
This week, I watched late-night cable news pundits speculate on why Jeff Bezos would scoop up The Washington Post for pocket change (less than 1%...
The Trust Gap
This week I had the great privilege of working with AgStar Financial Services, one of the Twin Cities’ Top Places to Work (for 3 consecutive...
What Gifts Are You Giving?
We don't succeed alone. Odds are, someone reached out and contributed in a significant way to help you become the leader, person and professional that...
The ECCO Shoes Service Mindset
Last week I visited the US headquarters of ECCO Shoes. Before speaking with the ECCO team, I sat down with Dave Quel, President of ECCO...
Wall Street Excess: My Interview with Turney Duff
Turney Duff spent 15 successful, addictive, tumultuous years working on Wall Street. After earning millions of dollars and finding himself in rehab twice, he called...
Culture Is a Reflection of How We Lead
Raiffeisen Bank headquarters At the beginning of June, I got an email about delivering a keynote on Friday, June 28...in Romania....
3 Questions to Ask After a Sales Engagement
You hang up the phone. You press "Send" on an email. You hop in a cab after a lunch meeting. How do you know that...
An Interview with Liberty Mutual on The Responsibility Project
Responsibility is a core value at Liberty Mutual Insurance -- one that the company expressed in a 2006 TV commercial that highlighted the concept of...
RockStar Selling: 5 Star Traits
What makes a salesperson a rock star? If you look at an organization's sales performance curve, rock stars make up the top 20% of producers....
Giving Is Good For Business
He knew absolutely nothing about shoes. Volunteering on a vacation in Argentina he learned that children without shoes cannot attend school. Turns out a lot...
The Performance Review: Interview with Adobe’s Donna Morris
How much does your annual performance review process cost your company, in dollars and man hours? What are the benefits and lasting effects of annual...
5 Lessons I Learned from Starting a Business
I have been getting asked the same question a lot lately. I get a version of the question after almost every speaking engagement I deliver....
Culture is the Character of an Organization
I recently sat down with SmartBrief leadership editor James daSilva to talk company culture. His questions about culture included: What is culture, and what does...
Customer Experience Sells
A recent buying experience reminded me just how important Brand Ambassadors are to the sales process. We are evaluating new software to support the growth...
To Build a Strong Sales Organization, Start with Strong Competitors
Yesterday I was trading notes with my business manager Lynn, when she shared that she was entering the Dirty Girl mud run competition with a group...
5 Hiring Mistakes to Avoid
When I was working my way up through a sales organization, I looked forward to growing from running my territory to leading an entire region....
Great Leaders Share Information & Help Employees Grow
Every great leader wants to inspire his or her employees and put them in a position to succeed. Our new white paper, "Winning with Culture: How...
The Legends Way
Just after 7 a.m. last Tuesday, I stepped onto the turf at Cowboys Stadium. The seats were empty, but the perspective coming through the tunnel...
Great Leaders Inspire Confidence & Recognize Achievements
How can great leadership and a strong company culture elevate engagement and drive business performance? Our new white paper, "Winning with Culture: How Leadership Drives...
6 Strategies to Make The Experience Economy Work for You
We all know the economy is constantly changing. And when our customers change how they buy, we better change how we approach selling. Here are...
3 Questions to Help You Earn Commitment
If I had to name one of the most prominent reasons that professional salespeople miss performance targets, it would be this: they are unable to earn commitment...
When Technology Fails During a Presentation
I walked onto the stage last Saturday afternoon in Austin, Texas, and immediately realized something was wrong. As I advanced my slide deck, the presentation...
9 Leadership Lessons From the Best Boss I Ever Had
I walked into the restaurant 5 minutes early for our 6:30 pm reservation. He was waiting to greet me by the bar. He was always...
Bold. Fearless. Authentic.
I'll be working with two of my favorite clients in two of my favorite cities this week! I am heading to Denver to deliver Leading...