BLArticle®
The personal touch of a blog; the informative touch of an article.
Whoever Finishes First… Wins!
One of my guilty pleasures is leaving the office and having lunches with others. It can be a lunch with a friend or a client; I enjoy good food and good conversation. The other day, I had lunch with someone who was both a friend and a client. I noticed something...
The Function of Dysfunction
I respect anyone who meticulously prepares to do the very best he, or she, can, no matter what the task. I certainly expect that same preparation from my doctor, my lawyer, my accountant, and the many other people I count on. I also expect that same level of...
Double-Check Your Checklist
It seems like such a simple matter. You’ve been scheduled to deliver a short presentation, perhaps a keynote. As with every presentation you deliver, a lot is riding on this one. In your mind, you’ve prepared in every way imaginable. Your checklist looks something...
The Power of One
No matter how talented one may appear, every presenter typically has a few habits he or she is trying to break. I’m referring to the habits that just don’t seem to want to go away, such as body rocking, pen twisting, lectern clutching, or the dreaded “umm and ah”...
You Just Can’t Hug A Porcupine
One of the unique challenges of delivering workshops is working effectively with the various personalities that populate your audiences. In most workshops and in some presentations, it’s not unusual for there to be a lot of contact between speakers and their...
It’s Online Training Knocking
I want to be emphatic when I say this: I have never been a fan of online training. This form of training has been knocking at my door for years, and I’ve done a magnificent job of hiding under my sheets - hoping the knocking would stop! I have been bred to present...
Imaginary Friends
It’s pretty difficult to live our lives without having to deal with high-pressure situations. Perhaps it’s a critical interview, an important presentation, or a key sales call. You showed up with a lot on your mind - usually too much on your mind. You tried chanting...
Follow The Leader
This past weekend, we were all treated to some amazing golf as the United States won the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is a golf tournament played every two years, and it pits the best golfers from the United States against the best golfers from Europe in a series of...
The Sum Of It All
There’s something special about having a dog in the house. I grew up in a family with dogs, and we raised our kids with dogs. Sadly, our sweet dog Zoey passed away about eight months ago, and the house just hasn’t felt the same since. So, we’ve decided to begin the...
Why Sales Training So Often Fails
Part Four The failure to properly sales train our sales forces can be attributed to a handful of different factors. In this final entry of this BLArticle® miniseries, I’ll finish telling you what has created this problem, and exactly what can be done about it. We...
Why Sales Training So Often Fails
Part Three The failure to properly sales train our sales forces can be attributed to a handful of different factors. In this four part BLArticle® miniseries, I’ll not only tell what has created this problem, I’ll show exactly what can be done about it. We desperately...
Why Sales Training So Often Fails
Part Two The failure to properly train our sales forces can be attributed to a handful of different factors. In part II of this BLArticle® miniseries, I’ll continue with my explanation of what has created this problem. I’ll also show exactly what can be done about it....
Why Sales Training So Often Fails
Part 1 The failure to properly train our sales forces can be attributed to a handful of different factors. In Part I of the miniseries, we’ll be looking at one of the most important issues that can affect sales training: Problem #1: Confusing “Product” With “Process”...
“Who Do You Know?”
Many salespeople will not argue about the need to ask for referrals. Like so many necessary and supposedly simple tactics, few people can actually explain to you how to do it. They’ll just tell you that “it’s easy,” and “just do it.” There is, however, a right way and...
Something Lost – Something Gained
They say that in every life a little rain must fall. This is a story about a man and his father, and a little bit of rain… In the spring of 2003, my family and I came face-to-face with what most would call a disaster. Our disaster was defined as a severe fire...
The Fallacy of Learning From Your Mistakes
“I could have told you, but you had to learn this lesson on your own.” How many times did you hear that phrase as a child, or as a young adult? How many times have you heard it as an adult? I’m not very fond of that phrase. Wait, that’s not strong enough: I detest...
Six Words That Will Calm Your Nerves
When you speak for a living, you get all kinds of questions. One of the most common questions has to do with conquering the fear known as “stage fright.” One of my answers to how one can address that fear is this: “Do anything a few thousand times and you’ll no longer...
The Words Between The Words
Let me set the stage for you: You are about to walk into a high-pressure situation, and there’s a lot riding on the conversation that’s about to take place. This isn’t just any conversation, but one that requires you to find the courage to ask for something from...
Finding Your Communication Rhythm
I’ll never forget the first real job I ever had. At age sixteen, I was an usher at Roth’s Seven Locks Movie Theatre in Potomac, Maryland. I proudly wore my red and black blazer and manned my flashlight like a pro. Leaning on the back wall of the theatre, I also saw a...
The Power Of “What If?”
I was raised by a salesman, and you could say that selling is in my blood. Between boy scouts, sports teams, and school clubs, I have sold a bunch of different things. I have sold light bulbs, first aid kits for cars, doughnuts, fertilizer, toothbrushes, and I sold...
“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!
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