Blog

What three words do your customers NEVER want to hear? “I don’t know.” If you’re a front line employee, you are the face of your company. If you’re a call center operator, you are the voice of your company. As such, you must project an aura of competence, confidence and resourcefulness. That’s what approachable service is all about! So, even if you don’t really know the answer to a…

Everyone is a writer. Writing is the basis of all wealth, as my mentor says. You need to be writing (something) every single day. You can’t keep all that stuff bottled up inside. It’s not good for you. Write, write, write. Everyone is in marketing. Your words, actions, emails and conversations are either supporting or refuting your brand. Everyone in your company is responsible for marketing your company. Everyone…

(Read part one and part deux of this series here!) 1. Every time you travel out of town, ask yourself, “Who do I know that lives in that city?” Call ahead of time and make plans to get together. Heck, you’re there anyway. 2. Every few months, sit down with your cell phone and call every single person in your phone book. When they ask why you’re calling, tell…

Let’s say you’re on a sales call. And in the back of your mind, you don’t care. Which is not to say you’re apathetic. It’s just that you’re relaxed. With yourself. With your product. With your prospect. So, you “don’t care” insofar as you’re not negatively affected by the thought of failure. If I don’t make the sale, no biggie, you think. You do the best you can, be…

1. There are two kinds of publicity: 1) Getting featured on TV, print and radio as a GUEST, 2) Getting featured on TV, print and radio as an EXPERT. Do both. Especially the latter. 2. State your fee confidently and shut up. Seriously. I actually put my hand over my mouth until the prospect responds. Sometimes 10 seconds later. You have to be sure of yourself and your fee….

Since my recent post about The Secret reached so many people… And since I (think) I’ve figured out how to become the luckiest person you know, I now firmly believe: IT AIN’T ABOUT LUCK! Here’s a fun, easy exercise you can do to prove that to yourself: 1. Think about the “luckiest” things that ever happened to you. 2. Write what great stuff happened as a result. 3. Think…

A is for ATTITUDE B is for BREAK PATTERNS C is for CONSISTENCY D is for DISCIPLINE E is for EVOLUTION F is for FRIENDLINESS G is for GOOD WITH NAMES H is for HAPPINESS I is for IDEAS J is for JOY K is for KNOWLEDGE L is for LAUGHTER M is for MUNDANE N is for NAMETAGS O is for OFF BUTTON P is for PAINT YOURSELF…

My Grandpa Frank always told me, “A chicken ain’t nuthin’ but a bird.” For years I struggled with the meaning of that phrase. I even googled it a few times it and had no luck discovering its origin, other than the song by Cab Calloway. So I asked him one day. “Scotty, age is nothing but a number,” Grandpa reminded me. “Especially when customers or coworkers don’t take you…

OK, so, maybe you’re not an extrovert. Maybe you’re not the life of the party. And maybe you’re not the type of person to just go up and talk to anybody. Does that mean you’re headed up Approachability Creek without a paddle? Not at all! Especially when you bring creativity to the table. Because creativity is magnetic. Let me say that again: CREATIVITY. IS. MAGNETIC. For example, think about…

I’m pretty much obsessed with The Secret. You can’t argue it. It really is a cool movie. Smart. Poignant. Inspirational. And of course, deliciously hokey. Which isn’t to say it’s bad. Just because something is hokey doesn’t mean it’s ineffective. I’ve personally applied several visualization tips from The Secret and seen some incredible results in my personal and professional life. But, (and this is a BIG butt, here)… The…