Build Relationships to Earn Sales
Would you rather purchase from a serious, black-and-white-type salesperson, or one who is easy to talk with and who might also become a good friend?
While that might sound like a dumb question, too many business and salespeople are afraid to go out of narrowly defined boundaries. They ignore references to personal events such as …
Give Kick-Butt Public Talks—Even If You’re Terrified
Whether you are a salesperson, aspiring public speaker, or college student, chances are you will have to speak in front of a group. Are you afraid of speaking in front of people? If so, you’re not alone. In …
Mixed Messages Cause Confusion & Drama in Many Workplaces
“There is no confusion, I was quite clear!”
So proclaimed my client in a conversation last summer as I was helping evaluate the under-performance of an employee recently transferred to a new role.
My client made this claim when I brought to his attention that his employee told me he was confused by what was …
Tips for Writing a Succinct Brand Bio
I have to provide a bio for a guest post and I’m stuck. What types of accomplishments or positions are worth mentioning in a limited amount of space (and what should I drop)?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. …
How to Repair a Tarnished Brand
It takes years to build a reputable brand; one that people trust and talk about positively. Unfortunately, a brand image can be ruined in an instant. Just ask Paula Deen or Mike Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, whose careless remarks sparked outrage and damaged their otherwise positive images. It’s Murphy’s Law that says things …
13 Questions You Should Ask When Developing Your Personal Brand
What is the #1 question I should ask myself as I try to figure out what my personal brand stands for?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship …
Personal Brands: Managing Third Party Validation
As a small business, you are out to provide a unique customer experience that will keep bringing back customers to your business. Banking on this is the fact that a great reputation does a lot for your business. In this digital age where a majority of consumers turns to online review sites and social networks …
Starting over: Growing Business Slowly, But Surely
Areas of San Francisco are known for their lineup of gourmet food trucks. The old style “roach coach” has made way for some of the best ethnic food in town. Many of the food truck owners emigrated from other countries. They found their way to building a small business based upon serving their hometown food.…
Why People Don’t Buy: No Trust
If you have been around the sales and business owner block for a while, you understand the mental strength necessary to cope with rejection. Sometimes becoming numb to the rejection can be both a blessing and a curse. How many times have you submitted a proposal, giving free consults and went through presentations where the …
Open Door Policies Don’t Work
In interviewing a client at the end of our project I learned how ineffective “open door policies” are by organizational leaders.
My client said, “Before we started our work together I couldn’t understand why employees who knew I had an open door policy, didn’t come to me when they knew another employee was doing things …