Blog Archives
Some Awesome Zig Ziglar Quotes!
I was flipping through the latest edition of the Toastmasters International magazine earlier this week, and stopped in my tracks when I spotted a Zig Ziglar article.
The late great motivational speaker, author and sales expert was known for many things, including creating memorable quotes. They included five awesome ones at the end of the article:
- “If you go looking for a friend, you are going to find that they’re very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”
- “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”
- “Your attitude, not your aptitude will determine your altitude.”
- “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”
- “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”
Make it a great Thursday!
My Video – We All “Default” To The Couch
I have wanted to do some new videos over the past couple of months, but just have not made the time. I will finally be “taking action” over the next few weeks and develop some new ones. I can’t wait!
In the interim, I wanted to share a couple of my favourite videos today and tomorrow. I hope you enjoy them!
Couches are a comfortable place to hang out. Most of us spend too much time relaxing on them. Check out my latest video to see why less couch time leads to a more fulfilling life!
Most Popular Have A Laugh Friday of 2012
It blew my mind how many times people landed on my blog because of this topic coming up on search engines this year!
It is very funny, and so true!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone…
Tim
Automatic “Disconnect”!
Twitter has an “unfollow” button which many people use when necessary. Unfortunately LinkedIn does not have a “disconnect” button, where you can “relieve yourself of the burden” of networking with somebody who just does not get it! You can remove a connection, but it takes some work.
I recently had a request to connect from a gentlemen on LinkedIn, which I accepted. I sent a personalized thank you note, and made mention of the other places that he could connect with me.
To my surprise, I was then sent a generic email (with my name inserted) promoting their business and asking me to get involved. There was no acknowledgement of my personalized reply, just them “barfing out” their sales pitch. Usually I let this type of interaction slide, but I had a little “bite in my step” that day, and wanted to give them some friendly advice.
My exact response was:
“I appreciate your connection, but I don’t think that you should be “flogging” your products the moment that we connect.
Just a friendly suggestion to change-up your approach as you attempt to attract partners.
Thank you,
Tim”
I thought this was going to go one of two ways. I would either never hear from them again, or they could come back with some defence of their sales strategy. Instead I received:
“Dear Tim Mushey. Thank you so much for your reply”…
Followed by a canned sales pitch being “barfed” on me a second time, but now TWICE AS LONG!
Did I mention that he also sent me one of those generic LinkedIn invites ? Yuk.
At the end of the day, those who are engaging online, specifically for business purposes, should know better. This is networking 101! Would you try to sell somebody your products and services from the moment that you met them in person? I would hope not! So why should it be ok online?
Network “virtually” like you would “personally”. Show up, be responsive and care about your connections. The last thing you want is for people to “unfollow” or “disconnect” with you soon after accepting your requests.
That would be a huge red flag that you need to adjust your approach.
Paul Castain says “Screw The Water, Go Brand Yourself!”
For those who have followed me for any length of time, will know how much I admire the work that Paul Castain is doing over at YourSalesPlaybook.com
This quick 3 minute video will get your week off to a great start, I guarantee it! If people have made “zillions of dollars” by branding water, why the heck can’t you brand yourself?
Enjoy and have a fantastic Monday…
The Five Star 5 – “Dinner? Not Again!”
How do you spell sales team dinner? “B.O.R.I.N.G.”
Ok, it is not always boring, but over my career the team dinner concept has been uneventful most of the time. Why not mix it up and plan an event that will be memorable to the team in the future?
If you are having trouble deciding what to do, ask them! Reward the winning creative idea with a gift card.
I can honestly tell you that I barely remember anything that happened at team dinners over the years. But from my list below, I have vivid memories of laughter and fun that will last a life time. You don’t have to make a big splash with an expensive outing for this to be effective. Just try something new to show the team that you are thinking outside the box.
I could blog for a couple of weeks straight sharing stories from participating in these events:
- Weekend retreat at a Sales Manager’s cabin
- Go Cart Racing with the sales team
- Movie Night with the sales team
- Golf outings (many gatherings were at dream locations in the picturesque Rocky Mountains)
- Professional sporting events
Have A Laugh Fridays – Yep Need A Really Good One Today!
I had a crazy 38 hours of air travel the past two days due to a snow blizzard in my community.
I thought this would be a good time to pull out an “oldie but a goodie” from the Have A Laugh Friday archives!
Enjoy, keep smiling and have a great weekend!
Have A Laugh Fridays – Excellent Phone Cold Call – NOT!
OUCH! This video is a beauty. If you are picking up the phone to contact potential customers, please do not do this!
Have a great weekend!
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 