There is a famous quote by Henry Ford, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right." Some people find it quite inspirational.I strongly agree with part of what he said. If you think you can't do something, your limiting beliefs will prevent you from succeeding. I'd like to push on the idea that if you think you can do something, then you will. It takes more than confidence to turn a goal into reality.  People act in accordance […]

The following can apply to meetings, conversations and most everything else you do every day. Cut through all the clutter by asking this very simple question up front: "What are the actual results I want to achieve?"It may be more helpful for you to think in terms of "outcomes" or "specific measureable results." Whichever is the case, if you want to be more productive, then having clearly defined "Ends in Mind" will help with planning, keep you f […]

You may see that as a leading question. Well, it is. It's not a question of if you are biased or not, it is how. Everyone has bias. It's how we make decisions. We all have favorites and things we dislike and those shape our perceptions. How you see the world impacts how you think others make decisions. It's important to recognize that you have a bias and how it affects your judgment. If you really like a particular type of music, you are apt to […]

Many people address everything else but themselves. In financial terms, people often -- especially in these hard economic times -- serve their creditors, and if there's something left, then it's left for them. And that actually perpetuates that situation -- you continue to serve your creditors. If, on the other hand, you paid yourself first -- set aside 10 percent of your pay and begin to build a nest egg, and then use the 90 percent that's left to take care of everythin […]

Sales leaders, how often do you coach your team on uncovering and handling client objections, concerns and doubts? It's a crucial part of having quality opportunities in our pipeline, yet many of us don't take the time to make it part of our regular management routine. At Ninety Five 5 we refer to these as "Yellow Lights" because unless we slow down and address them we will more than likely lose the opportunity (after needless wasting time, money and effort) or be i […]

Publicly traded companies are driven by the one clear goal: To create greater shareholder value.  Important decisions about strategy and operations are all ultimately weighed against the criteria: “Will this help to boost the stock price or not?” Privately held companies, by contrast, have no such clear mission. Leaders of these companies are continually faced with difficult choices and often need to evaluate alternatives using their own moral comp […]

I recently was in Denver, the home of "The Big Blue Bear." The piece is titled "I see what you mean." I can't say that my interpretation of this cool art is accurate, I can only tell you I like it. The bear is looking at us from outside the building, much like we look at interesting animals in a zoo.We are interesting creatures and many of us love to people watch. It's fun, interesting and ever-entertaining.I thought this was a good thought to focus on. […]

I've noticed that a lot of salespeople overcomplicate their selling environment by focusing on every possible to do of a particular sale.  I have found that if instead I focus on the 1, 2 or 3 most important sale advancing to do's -- selling becomes very simple. At a high level, the job of a sales pro is to talk with people to find alignment of interest or not -- and if there is alignment work through what has to happen in order to decide let's do busin […]

Have you ever seen a hypnotist on stage who appears to gain control over volunteers from the audience?  Some of those stage shows can seem pretty far-fetched.  A subject hears a whistle and all of a sudden, they are clucking like a chicken. In his experiments with dogs, Pavlov proved that conditioning is possible and that a stimulus can bring about a specific response.  Humans have a choice, however, and can elect to choose how they respond to differ […]

There's only so much you can do! Ask yourself, "Of all the things I could do today, what are the one or two most important to get done?" Consider taking this thinking to the next level; what are the most important tasks/projects I need to get done this week, this month, this quarter, this year? Often when I am feeling overwhelmed, I ask myself, "OK, what is the one thing I can do -- personally or professionally -- that if it gets done, will put me back on track?&quo […]