BLArticle®
The personal touch of a blog; the informative touch of an article.
The Danger Of Mystery Marketing
I went to dinner with my wife recently, and I felt like having a nice, cold beer. When our waitress came to the table, I asked if they had one of my favorite beers; a Sam Adams. I happen to really like the taste of that particular beer. Turns out the restaurant...
Emotional Momentum
We all want to move forward and achieve our goals, but frequently we are blocked by our inability to begin. Try as we might, we just can’t gain any momentum. I’m not referring to physical momentum - something we see in a science experiment. Strike a cue ball, watch...
The Effort Behind Effortless
One of the kindest comments that can come from those we work for is this: “You make what you do look effortless.” It doesn’t matter if you are a professional speaker, a salesman, a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker; when anyone hears that phrase, it can’t help...
You Schmooze, You Can Lose
When I work with sales people and consultants, I can always count on one question being asked when we begin to talk about opening tactics: “How long do you schmooze for?” It’s a great question… and a complicated answer. For those who don’t know what the word...
Ask Me About…
Isn’t it interesting how guarded we tend to be when it comes to letting others know about personal challenges that require courage? Fear of failure is a mighty foe, but letting others in on our tryst with failure requires even more courage. Well, I’m here to convince...
The Art Of The Spiel
Typically, we talk too much, we listen too little, and we tend to overwhelm others with our vast array of knowledge. That’s neither persuasive nor pleasant. It’s not a secret that I’m not a fan of product pitches. We’re led to believe that, by mastering our ability to...
Getting Good At Doing Things Badly
Think about the last time you learned a new, and difficult, process. You may not have known it then, but learning that process was the easy part. Implementing it, however, was almost always the hard part. It really comes down to one simple question: Do you want to...
Just Tell The Truth
One of the biggest challenges any of us can face is simply to be believed. We need to be believable for our significant others, our friends, our bosses, our coworkers, and our clients. As a matter of fact, the scenarios that would require the need to be believed are...
Second Prize Is A Set Of Steak Knives
The Truth About Sales Contests Companies and sales managers are constantly looking for ways to motivate salespeople and increase sales. One of the most traditional approaches is to create a sales contest. After all, who wouldn’t be motivated by a few extra dollars in...
It Helps To Remember
I’ll never forget my first few weeks on the campus of the University of Maryland. Like most freshman, I was both excited and overwhelmed. The very size of the university was intimidating, and with a wide variety of required freshman classes, it was extremely...
Watch Your Words
“To be honest with you, I’m going to put my cards on the table, tell you the truth, and this time, I mean it!” That certainly was a very passionate statement! For some of you, I’ll bet you can’t wait to hear what comes next. Okay, it’s filled with clichés, but it sure...
“The Can’t Miss Holiday”
I’m a New Year’s Eve man. No doubt about it, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. What can you say about New Years Eve that isn’t positive? Christmas is a wonderful holiday, but not everyone celebrates Christmas. The same could be said for Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, Hanukah,...
Some Rules Are NOT Meant To Be Broken
The other day, I was racing through the supermarket to pick up a few items. I jumped into a “12 Items or Less” line, and I came face-to-face with something that really makes me mad. There, in front of me, stood an individual with 48 items! (Yes, I counted them.) The...
Is There A Penalty For Hope?
Let me start by saying this: I think we underestimate hope. Hope gets us through tough times. Although sometimes we may choose to give up on hope, hope will never desert us. Hope doesn’t hold grudges. Hope is only a thought away, and a powerful ally. Hope sounds...
The Saga Of Soft Skills
The other day, I was talking to a client about working with her sales team. She casually mentioned that the company’s budget was tight, and unfortunately, the first thing to be cut would be the training in soft skills. What are soft skills? The term “soft skills”...
Struggling? Now Is The Time To Celebrate!
There’s nothing like a well-deserved celebration after a hard-earned victory. One seems to feed off the other, and like peanut butter and jelly, victory and celebration just seem to be made for each other. Call me a contrarian, but I think a celebration, during a time...
Pens For Sale!
Good news; I have some pens for sale! You’re going to love them: I’m going to let them go for next to nothing, and I’ve got a lot of them. First, let me tell you about why I created them… If you’ve ever delivered a seminar or a keynote, or even attended one, you know...
What’s The Big Idea?
Who doesn’t like popcorn? Maybe it’s the taste, or maybe it’s the thrill of truly stuffing our face with it, or maybe it’s the sheer quantity that we’re allowed to eat: It’s a terrific food. We are practically raised and educated to enjoy popcorn. But what if you had...
It’s The Little Pieces That Count The Most
I guess my fascination with models started when I was very young. My dad used to love to work on model tanks of all things, and he was darn good at it. He would spend hours working on those models, meticulously putting together every piece, then every decal, and then...
To Believe Or Not To Believe; That Is The Question
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always liked buying live music recordings. Live albums, live eight tracks, live cassettes, live CD’s, and live downloads. I love the music, and I love listening to the performer. I like live music because when I hear it live, it...
“Rob is an expert not only in the art of influence,
but also in human nature.”
~Ken Blanchard,
coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and Trust Works!