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Daniel Sitter is the author of both Learning For Profit and Superior Selling Skills Mastery. He has garnered extensive experience in sales, training, marketing and personal development spanning a successful twenty-six year sales career. Fueled by an insatiable hunger for knowledge, solutions and personal development, Daniel continues to apply the principles he has learned into all aspects of his life on a daily basis. The results are continuously evident. He consistently writes about sales, ... [More]

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Superior Sales Managers - Their Effectiveness Defined
[Business:Sales-Management] Historically, salespeople have proved themselves difficult to manage. The very qualities that combine to form a successful salesperson are the same traits that make us inherently difficult to manage. The superior sales manager effectively leads via inspiration, understanding and experience. Effective sales managers communicate what is possible and achievable. My proven approach to managing salespeople is simple yet highly refined. It consists of three basic elements...

Salespeople Are Forged by Fire
[Business:Sales] Hot fire and increasing pressure forges hard metals in preparation for a tool's function, providing the durability and long life expected. There would be little endurance if not for the conditioning provided by the fire. The heat and pressure forever alter the core composition of the metal, enabling it to be far more useful that it would be otherwise. The same is absolutely true for people. Be thankful for the tough times. The old adage says "that which does not kill me only serves to make me stronger."

Effective Salespeople Are Hard to Find
[Business:Sales] Successfully selling in specialized industries requires not only stellar sales skills but broad experience and industry-specific knowledge. Employers and salespeople alike need to focus on the salesperson's personal development, selling skills enhancement and their industry-specific training as well. Wake up Mr. Employer! Your revolutionary products or incredible services will seldom make their way to a customer if not for the skills and efforts of effective salespeople.

Salespeople - It's Time to Innovate
[Business:Sales] To satisfy our income needs, we must use innovative approaches to learning new technologies, understanding industries, bolster our sales training and deciding upon the best path to the successful completion of our goals. What worked for us yesterday will not necessarily work for us tomorrow. Innovation demands constant personal development and improvement in our relationships. It all starts within each of us.

Are You a Non-Productive Sales Manager?
[Business:Sales-Management] The outstanding sales manager that desires to catch the "eye" of corporate management knows that it is solely the bottom-line sales and profitability figures that will be noticed. She or she must be a team player, a resource and advocate for the successful salesperson. Just how is this accomplished?

Are Your Sales Growing Despite the Times?
[Business:Sales] The volatility of the present economic climate has left many people, including salespeople, in a state of fear and uncertainty. We now have the highest number job losses in five years as business are trimming both people and operations. How do you sell in this environment?

Selling Successfully in a Recession
[Business:Sales] Downward trends are indeed a stressful time posing numerous challenges, yet they do indeed present many opportunities. You might ask a certain real estate agent how his business is; he responds saying it is the worst market he has seen in years and does not know what to do. Ask another and she might tell you that she is excited and it is the best market opportunity that she has seen in years. It is truly a matter for one's perspective. For those clients who are financially able, now is an outstanding time to acquire property at a huge discount. She chooses to focus on those clients looking for bargains. The other agent already gave up, saying "woe is me." What can you do now to help ensure your income and peace of mind in troubled times?

Will Your Sales Plan Deliver Desired Results This Year
[Business:Sales] Seth Godin gave some timely and prudent advice for real estate agents in a recent post. His hard-hitting advice is actually quite relevant to every salesperson and entrepreneur who would listen. He pulled no punches and as usual, had a great deal of wisdom to offer.

Viral Selling and New Social Media Marketing
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Social-Networking] Marketers are beginning to understand both the emergence and importance of social networking as a new media marketing tool. They are now able to grasp the concept of social media networking as a tool for viral marketing and achieving the resulting sales. Sales strategies are becoming more conversational as social media marketing unfolds. How is this impacting your sales efforts?

Selling is an Open Communications Channel
[Business:Sales] When a partial payment is part of the order process, the customer becomes committed and serious. In like manner, our customer expects the same commitment and dedication from us. They expect us to proceed in a timely manner, communicating with them regularly throughout the process and delivering their system on-time. What can a salesperson do to ensure that the selling process evolves to this point?

Sales Lessons Learned From the Apprentice
[Business:Sales] Watching the celebrity edition of the Apprentice on television proved to be far more than solely an entertaining experience. Knowing in advance that Gene Simmons, the brains behind the KISS phenomenon and the self-proclaimed god of women, would take episode charge over the female celebrity group, I could not resist watching. Frankly, I was somewhat surprised at what transpired during the hour. This reality show actually provided a healthy dose of business reality, demonstrating many valuable sales lessons that we can all benefit from.

Sales and Life Baggage - 8 Steps to Effective Dumping
[Self-Improvement:Self-Esteem] As human beings, we are a sum of our parts. It is unrealistic to assume that emotional baggage in our lives will not overflow into our sales efforts as well. While I certainly am not a psychology expert nor is this an attempt to solve everyones issues, there are indeed daily adjustments that can be made to improve our outlook, expectations and results. Try implementing these eight steps...

The Selling Strength of Influence
[Business:Sales] It has been said that "we are a product of the five people we hang around with the most." That includes all influences, not simply personal ones. Those persons and entities we choose to surround ourselves with will become our closest advisers. The role of adviser is a critically important one, providing insights and advice filtered through their unique expertise and experience.

Ideas Sell
[Business:Sales] Ideas need work. Whether your strategy for developing great ideas includes the development of mind-maps, the use of mastermind groups or simply dreaming, the creative process must prevail if you are to be successful in selling your ideas. Being intangible, your ideas come to fruition when they are painted and constructed in the mind's-eye of your customer. The successful sale of your ideas is...

Old Sales Message is Now a New Sales Message
[Business:Sales-Training] Joe Wilson, the CEO of Xerox in 1960, starred in an early company video that was shown to all new employees as part of their orientation program. His message conveys truths that transcend time and speak to us today as well. He was a cheerleader for embracing change and fostering personal growth. To paraphrase, he demanded consistent outward development of one's comfort zone if an employee intended upon remaining a Xerox employee.

4 Steps to Realizing Your Sales Potential
[Business:Sales-Training] I believe that the trigger for unleashing our potential is a Tipping Point, one that is arrived at by invoking the cliched expression "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." It is the point at which we realize that we must begin to live and act differently if we intend to realize our dreams.

Sales and Entrepreneurial Success Formula
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] Well, you do not necessarily need to be a math genius to understand the success process, yet a clear understanding of how entrepreneurial success is derived is crucial to its achievement. Please note how the various components interact, especially the leverage factor. Leverage is our key to exponential growth. We each have the same 24 hours/day available to us, yet given similar resources, some entrepreneurs are far more sales productive than others. Let's take a closer look.

How To Be A Successful Entrepreneur
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] So, you want to be an entrepreneur. Good for you! That decision may the most exciting step forward you have ever taken. Entrepreneurship is a way a life, a choice, a decision to move in a particular direction. Entrepreneurs are all about innovation, about seizing an opportunity. Are you a self starter? Can you make timely, tough decisions? Are you on board 100%?

7 Ways to Experience Warmth This Holiday Sales Season
[Self-Improvement:Motivation] Many salespeople experience a flood of negative emotions during the holidays. Retailers notice both an increase in hostility and a decrease in patience and manners among customers. Field salespeople, often already isolated from their co-workers, often experience a discouraging slowdown in business and the customer's desire to put off purchasing decisions until after the first of the new year. Furthermore, these salespeople often are on the front lines of poor human behavior, sometimes falling victim to the wrath of an angry customer. What can we do?

Obama and Oprah Selling Machine
[Business:Team-Building] Remember that our success in selling our ideas and products is indeed a team effort. Even if you are a self-employed company of one who handles everything from sales to accounting, you too rely on vendors, FedEx, US Mail and reliable technology to ensure your sales success. You are indeed part of a team effort, albeit the focal member. People interact with people to make things happen. Respect your team and warm up your sales.

10 Activities Guaranteed To Prime The Sales Pump
[Business:Sales] We must continuously develop and invest the proper skills, materials and time in order to reach a wellspring of selling rewards. The following are 10 activities proven to get you moving towards success.

Creating a Sales Superstar
[Business:Sales] Salespeople are not born that way, they are made. Like any other profession, selling is a choice that requires the development of both a skill-set and passion. While an extroverted personality is a plus, it is not a requirement. While most casual observers might concede that talented sales superstars are great talkers, the reality is that they are far better listeners and are empathetic with their customers.

3 Factors Determine an Entrepreneur's Sales Success
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] Many entrepreneurs view the task of selling their ideas, products and services as an undesirable necessity. Some are fearful at the prospect of calling and visiting others in the hopes of growing their business. Sales is neither a job that they typically enjoy nor one for which they are particularly skilled and well-prepared for. What then is to be done? Who is going to do the selling?

Are You Informed or Transformed?
[Self-Improvement:Success] Are we merely informed are we truly transformed by what we learn? Information as available knowledge will affect no one unless it is internalized and acted upon. Once information is processed and applied it can stimulate change, actually transforming people and circumstances. Are we listening or simply hearing? Is it time for a change?

6.5 Ways To Irritate Your Customers
[Business:Customer-Service] Our customers want to know that we value them. They want constant validation and will reject being taken for granted. If we ignore them and fail to continue the courtship, someone else will step in and fill those needs. What practices need to be eliminated and what needs to be enacted to ensure long-term customer satisfaction?

All Credit Applications Will Be Accepted
[Finance:Credit] Deceit is not an acceptable business or sales practice. That is not the way to operate your business, especially in the long run. Earning profits and having satisfied customers are a good thing, but honesty and integrity should not be sacrificed in the process. How can you operate a profitable business and sleep well at night?

Market Your Expertise By Sharing It in Writing
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Internet-Marketing] The methodology is simple: Write about topics of interest to your market and customers. Include an author tag-line at the bottom of the article for inclusion of your name, business, web site, etc... Then, publish these articles in a variety of highly-targeted publications for maximum market exposure. Do this on a consistent basis and remain focused upon your mission. You might be thinking; that sounds great and I can see the benefit, but I am not an author nor could I ever afford such a service. Well, I have good news for you! You can do this.

7 Words You Can't Say In Sales
[Business:Sales] Incorrect usage of words displays ignorance, causing others not to take us seriously. This is critically important, especially in selling, where perception often means everything. Choose your words carefully if you expect sales success.

So Why Should I Buy From You?
[Business:Branding] Your branding efforts require constant and consistent attention. You cannot afford to let up or allow your image to be tarnished in any way. On the contrary, you must do everything possible to keep your brand spotlighted and ready to deploy, realizing that every decision you make and direction you move in will effect your brand image and thus, your income. Your sales efforts could be quickly nullified by a branding blunder.

The Answer is Always NO Unless You Ask
[Business:Sales] Asking is critical, no matter your field or situation. Whether it is help you seek, a review of your progress, an assessment of your skills, an opinion or an order that you are seeking from a customer, you must ask for it. Without asking, the close, conversation is all you have.

Never Quit, Never Surrender
[Self-Improvement:Success] Adversity is both strange and compelling. It affects people in various ways, depending largely on their character and value system. Uniquely, adversity can either cripple or encourage. The choice is always ours. What's your?

Narrow Your Selling Focus
[Business:Sales] We often approach a sales target in a broad sense, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it, often before we make the assessment as to whether or not the particular sale is worthwhile. After all, what will it cost us to pursue it? What is the opportunity cost?

8 Habits of Highly Successful Salespeople
[Business:Sales] There are many skills and traits that help define successful salespeople. These traits are beneficial regardless of whether you sell products, services or your ideas. Developing these skills will benefit every entrepreneur and business owner who must deal with others to transact business.

Fire Customers As Necessary To Ensure Business Success
[Business:Strategic-Planning] The bottom line is that we must be continuously monitoring our customer base. As the source of our revenue and the objects of our resource allocations, the correct mix of customers is critical for the profitable operation of our company. Being busy is not the same as being profitable. Which customers do we need to be rid of to ensure our success.

Sell More by Saying Thank You
[Business:Sales] Once the sale is completed, salespeople have a tendency to pay less attention to their customers. A follow up call or visit goes a long way toward guaranteeing customer satisfaction. Service after the sale is often critically important. How good are you at expressing your gratitude?

Customers Buy The Who, Not The What
[Business:Sales] Let's face it salespeople - Assuming that your customer knows what he needs, almost without exception, he can locate an alternate source for almost any product that you sell, many times at a lesser price. The internet is loaded with sites ready to sell almost anything at unbelievably low prices. The question becomes "what are you going to do about it?"

Unleash Your Selling Creativity
[Business:Sales] Unleashing creativity in your sales efforts will indeed serve to further differentiate you in the marketplace. Your creative sales effort will offer your customers one more reason to think of you instead of a competitor, endearing you to your customers.

Salespeople Under Construction
[Business:Sales-Training] As salespeople, we too must be under construction, re-inventing ourselves, always learning and expanding our comfort zones. If we consider ourselves under construction, we are always improving, sharpening our skills and enhancing our value in the marketplace. Re-inventing ourselves is a healthy and prudent practice, one that may certainly ensure our continued success.

Customer Service Selling Savvy
[Business:Customer-Service] It's so easy to take good customer service for granted. Once we find it, we naturally gravitate towards the source and bathe in it's glow. We tend to hang around where it is offered. It makes us feel good. Customer service must become a component of our being if it is to mean anything to your customers.

Would You Buy From You?
[Business:Sales] Our first impression, as revealed to others, actually begins within ourselves. People tend to see us as we see ourselves. Let me repeat, others will evaluate us, sizing us up, based upon how we feel about ourselves. Others will buy from you only when you feel good about yourself.

Sales Is Not About Playing It Safe
[Business:Sales] You must consistently stretch out of your comfort zone to expect growth and higher performance. There are no exceptions. Playing it safe, being conservative and staying with your old strategy will not even allow you to keep up with your current level of business, instead losing ground daily. You must take charge of what is happening or you may soon be finding yourself feeling bewildered, scratching your head and saying to yourself "what happened?"

There is No More Job Security!
[Business:Careers-Employment] How can any company be expected to provide such a thing? You've got to be kidding. Companies have been forced to become more efficient, to automate, to eliminate unnecessary jobs, all the while combating escalating raw material costs, skilled labor scarcity and health-care expenses rising at 25-30% per year. The best way for an individual to guarantee their financial security is...

Sales Commissions Earned
[Business:Sales] As a career salesperson, I have strong feelings about commissions and an important message to all business owners who utilize salespeople to penetrate new markets and grow the customer base. Here is my recipe for a win-win pay-plan that works well for both the business owner and salesperson alike.

First Contact - Establish Your Credibility
[Business:Sales] Our first contacting effort must establish us as valuable and necessary, a great find. Our prospect must see enough value to warrant additional visits, leading to the opportunity to provide real solutions, culminating in new sales. If handled well, our new customer will become a source of referrals, providing many additional first contact opportunities.

The Role of Leadership in Selling
[Business:Sales] Customers are looking for your leadership. While there is certainly evidence to support that some areas of leadership are ineffective and perhaps lacking, there is also a great deal to get excited about. Leadership requires leaders. Are you up to the task?

Speaking The Language of Our Sales Prospects
[Business:Sales] We need to speak the language of our prospects. It is only after examining our prospects and customers at such a level that we can effectively communicate with them and interest them in our message. If we are genuinely interested in others and seek to understand and know them better, we have a much better chance of achieving our goals because we need their help to succeed.

Thwarting Your Success Nemesis
[Self-Improvement:Success] Dr. Shad Helmstetter's once revealed that we are typically engaged in regular self-defeating conversation with ourselves. We doubt our capabilities. We learn to fear both success and failure. We develop an attitude that we cannot be winners so why even try. This is a sickness that must change now. Life is too short to live in such a quagmire of mediocrity or defeat.

When The Heat Is On, Step Up To The Plate
[Self-Improvement:Motivation] Many salespeople endure a slump at one time or another. It may be severe enough to end a career, to cut and run. Slumps however, are usually of our own making. A sales slump is a product of lackluster effort during the previous several months leading up to the slump. It is the resulting state after a lack of focus, action and abandonment of a sales plan. Instead of feeling beaten and conceding to this adversity, it is actually time to rise up and get busy!

The Vince Lombardi Sales Approach
[Business:Sales] Vince Lombardi believed that success is found through the mastery of basic skills. How do these athletic skills and the Lombardi method translate into successful sales techniques?

Selling Through Entrepreneurial and Social Networks
[Business:Networking] The remarkable principle of Six Degrees of Separation states that we are all related somehow within six iterations. Since that is true, our very relationships will eventually provide the exposure we desire. It's not so much who you know directly, but rather who you know who knows who you need to know! The resources you need are there, you simply need to connect the dots.

Learning An Exponential Entrepreneurial Mindset
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] Leverage is truly the key to wealth-building. Leverage is what gives the successful entrepreneur his competitive edge in the marketplace. Leveraging our assets, especially our time, must become an exponential process rather than the familiar linear method of exchanging our time for income. We must learn to think differently, adopting a new paradigm. Leverage is truly the key to wealth-building.

What Is The Value Of Your Personal Selling Time?
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] Most self-employed people are acutely aware that their time investment must produce immediate income. Most generate income in proportion to the amount of hours spent working each day. We must have a plan and execute it to the best of our ability, leveraging time to our greatest benefit.

The Melding of Sales and Marketing
[Business:Sales] Trouble often erupts between sales and marketing people in the absence of good communication channels. Sales and marketing functions must undergo a "melding," where physical, intellectual and conversational barriers are dismantled, truly encouraging a synergy previously unavailable.

Cold Calling for Winning Sales
[Business:Sales] In the world of sales, few tasks will turn the stomach of an entrepreneur as much as the thought of cold calling for new prospects. Cold calling can be an exciting adventure yielding great results and experiences or one that leads you to the medicine cabinet for some antacid tablets. It actually is your choice. Either way, it may make or break your business.

Selling Is An Effective Conversation
[Business:Sales] A mere century ago, we relied on newspapers, telegraph, cryptic radio and telephone and the mail to spread the word. As a result, change was slower to occur. Speed up the rate of communications and you increase the rate of change. Today, information that may alter the face of an industry is available instantaneously - at least for those who are paying attention. The savvy salesperson is positioned to be a foot-soldier and a ground-level conversationalist. Having an "ear to the ground" or "nose to the grindstone" so-to-say enables us to respond to market changes more rapidly.

Play Host to Gain Networking and Selling Skills
[Business:Networking] Take it upon yourself to help make others feel comfortable, helping them to maximize their experience. You will not only make many new friends, you will successfully network with countless others who will genuinely think the world of you and be most interested in what you do.

Champions Never Quit, Never Surrender
[Self-Improvement:Motivation] There will always be that quiet temptation to quit, to find a job and escape, but the serious entrepreneur realizes that during those disconcerting moments, success is often waiting, just ahead, obscured by the next curve in the road. Though currently unseen, triumph awaits beyond the coming dip. That is the winning attitude that separates champions from everyone else.

Designed in America, Manufactured in Korea
[Business] The backbone and the financial strength of our country has traditionally been our innovation and manufacturing prowess. We have previously been the envy of the world. Now, our textile and consumer products industries are all but gone and our American automobile industry has been surpassed for the first time. What is next? Where is this all going?

Talent Alone is Not Enough - You Must Market and Sell
[Business:Marketing] Do you know what your strengths are? Where do your talents lie? Do you have a secret dream that you have never shared but are haunted by daily for expression? Many of us do. You may have a dream of taking your stellar idea to market, but have never pursued it. Why not?

Bold and Memorable Branding for Marketing Success
[Business:Marketing] A successful sales strategy often comes down to keeping your brand and company in front of your customers, constantly on their radar, unfiltered and ready to grab their attention. We must learn to stand out in the crowd. So how exactly do we accomplish that feat?

Selling at a Discount Shortchanges Your Business
[Business:Sales] While important, the price we ask for a product or service is far less important than you might think. Our customers want value. They are paying for solutions. They expect results and they are not put out by paying a fair price to get what they need.

Use Once Daily For Natural Sales Enhancement
[Business:Sales] My experience among entrepreneurs has demonstrated to me an overall sense of fear or hesitation when it comes to sales. Some business owners dread the subject. Some hope that marketing alone will sell their products, alleviating them of the perceived selling chore. Most would rather do almost anything to avoid a cold call. Many do not feel comfortable picking up the telephone to initiate a sales call. The fact remains, that an integral component to success in most business endeavors is the sales function. Learning sales skills, via formal sales training, must become a high priority for every business owner.

17 Sure Ways To Increase Your Blog Traffic
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Blogging] All of these suggestions take little time or effort, and will make a huge, positive difference to others. That alone is worth the small price you will pay. There is, in fact, another huge bonus: All of these suggestions will benefit you as well, perhaps even more than the one you are helping. You will learn much in the process, and learning is often considered the primer step to earning.

Selling To The Opposite Sex
[Business:Sales] Effective communication is critical to any business relationship, especially those involving a mix of the sexes. Simply being mindful of the fact that the opposite sex processes information differently may keep you way ahead of the curve and generally more able to build a successful, empathetic relationship.

Selling - Getting Your Prospect's Attention
[Business:Sales] It is up to us as professional salespersons to offer significant value, providing both substantive and compelling reasons to allow us access to them and their precious time. When we get that open window of opportunity, we must be fully prepared to promptly get their attention and fulfill their needs if we are to count them among our customers.

What Influences And Sells You
[Self-Improvement] We each are a product of those influences that have the greatest and most consistent access to us. Today, the relevance and potential impact of these influences is far greater than at any other time in history.

How to Say "NO" Graciously
[Home-and-Family] What do you say to someone when asked to do something or take responsibility for a new work project, or sit on another school or church committee or become a scout leader or bake cookies for the local fund-raiser or anything that will require more time than you realistically have available? You may be feeling overwhelmed and stressed-out, but you still tend to say yes, adding even more to that already overflowing schedule. So how do you learn to say "no" when asked?

Learn to Deal with Busy-Ness
[Business:Productivity] As the distance to the world market is shrinking, opportunities have grown at a record pace and the speed required to act upon new information is unprecedented. Today and tomorrow, "He who hesitates truly loses." Opportunity waits for no one and richly rewards the decisive.

Learn to Sell Only to Deserving Customers
[Business:Sales] I have several ex-customers and prospective accounts that I choose not to do business with. That's right… I choose. While the reasons vary, the common thread is that pursuing their business is not a wise use of my time or company resources.

Mistakes To Sell By
[Business:Sales] When the inevitable happens, and your customer is now upset with you; how will you respond? Here's an interesting thought: Instead of making excuses, pointing fingers or stalling, first acknowledge the error, taking personal responsibility regardless of who is actually at fault. That alone will likely change the tone of the conversation. This brief respite will allow you the necessary and brief pause to introduce a technique, so rare and infrequently utilized that your customer may temporarily be rendered speechless...

Sales 101: Beware the Dreaded Cell Phone Ringer
[Business:Sales] Salespeople are notorious for consistently searching for ways to improve their performance, provide additional services and increase sales. Sometimes however, despite their very best intentions, salespeople "shoot themselves in the foot" allowing disaster to replace success at the most inopportune time imaginable.

We are Naked to the World
[Legal:Identity-Theft] Learn, that despite our best efforts to protect our privacy, to cover our "nakedness," there is virtually very little that can be effectively done to stop or even slow this practice. This is perfectly legal and most companies have no malicious intent. This information is collected for marketing purposes. Where this practice becomes dangerous is when our precious and private information falls into criminal hands.

What Are You Waiting For?
[Self-Improvement:Motivation] Whatever your age, or position on your life's storyboard, there are seldom enough years to satisfy us. We always want more time. The paradox here is that we also believe that we have more than enough time to procrastinate, to tackle things later. ." Someday must become today.

Your 8-Step Strategy for Success
[Self-Improvement:Success] Can you imagine finding success in every venture that you pursue? You can, and you will. Granted, it is seldom easy, but it is simple. Almost any pursuit can be mastered by utilizing the following simple, eight-step process.

Sales Success: Nowhere to Go Today?
[Business:Sales] When a salesperson opens his calendar for the coming week, disclosing little but white space, he is definitely going to experience "too much time on his hands" with "nowhere to go and all day to get there." This is neither a desirable nor profitable position to find yourself in.

Challenging Conventional Wisdom
[Business:Marketing] How few of us are willing to risk moving out of our comfort zone, learning to push conventional wisdom aside and grow. Why is it called conventional wisdom anyway? Why; Perhaps, because the very idea of it is associated with being safe and secure. Is that where we really want to be?

Distance Yourself from Your Competition
[Business:Sales] The time and effort invested in developing a solid customer relationship will always pay dividends in the long run. The steps you take to differentiate yourself from your competition are your only real hedge against the continuous onslaught of your competition’s marketing and selling efforts.

Integrity and Prosperity
[Business:Ethics] The word "integrity" is passed around a lot. Many people use it without proper reflection upon what it encompasses. It is bantered about as a much more casual word might be. Why is that? Could it be that it's far easier to use the word that it is to live by it? A life guided by integrity is certainly not a rare occurrence, but one that when observed, yields a sense of completeness, harmony and prosperity that transcends more than just the monetary.

Sales Success… Who Do You Really Work For?
[Business:Sales] Regardless of the source of your paycheck, who is it that you actually work for? Many will answer that they work for their sales manager, vice president of sales or the company owner. I submit that regardless of who signs your paycheck, in reality, you actually work for yourself. Surprised?

My Plumber - What a Salesman!
[Business:Sales] Sales professionals are found in many fields, some of them rather unusual. It's easy to identify the standouts, however, regardless of the industry in which they work.

Set Yourself Up For Success - Uploading in a Download World
[Self-Improvement:Success] In the early days of the internet, "Electronic Bulletin Boards" required you to upload so many files in proportion to the number of downloads you grabbed? File contributions were not only necessary, but were required. In fact, if you didn't adhere to this policy, you may have been barred from downloading altogether. Similarly, giving, a critical component of success, when done in the right spirit, is actually an investment in ourselves, in our future, that will cause us to reap far more than that which we sow.

Simply Do What You Resolve To Do
[Self-Improvement:Goal-Setting] It's that time again, when many of us are attempting to decide upon those New Year resolutions that we intend to institute and commit to. We are already well into January 2006; Have you started your New Year yet? Have you already decided upon your resolutions? Will you continue or have you already conceded failure? Will you try again? Why is it so difficult to do this one simple thing?

Closing the Sale is the "Tipping Point"
[Business:Sales-Training] As a professional salesperson, think of the close as simply the "Tipping Point" in the selling process. Perhaps this idea will remove some of the pressure so many salespeople feel when considering closing.

Closing the Sale Opens the Door
[Business:Sales-Training] Closing the sale, that mystical, elusive, magical moment when your sales presentation climaxes and the "Tipping Point" is reached, is really just the beginning. Your relationship with your new customer will grow from here. Or will it? That, my friend, is up to you.

Sales 101: Learn How to Close the Sale
[Business:Sales] There have been countless books written, audio and video programs recorded and seminars created for the sole purpose of teaching salespeople how to close sales. While there are a great many ideas to be gleaned from each of these sources, the art of closing sales does not need to be that complicated!

Sales 101: Your Most Important Sale
[Business:Sales] Selling requires a skill set, hence is an art that must be successfully learned. Yes, while it is true that some persons are predisposed to a career in sales because of their extroverted personality and charm, there is far more contributing to their sales success than mere congeniality and charisma. There is often one single trait that is evident among successful salespeople across the board. It involves the most important sale each of us will ever make…

The Secret to Achieving Maximum Productivity
[Self-Improvement:Time-Management] We all have the same twenty four hours. How is it that some persons get more done in that period of time than most people might in a whole week? Some people do more work than five others, without a sense or overload and overwhelm. Two employees in the same department work side-by-side, but one is five times as productive. How does she achieve this?

Luck and Other Lies
[Self-Improvement:Success] There is no such thing as luck. I once saw a definition of the word "luck" that stuck with me. I believe it to be a wonderful statement, an accurate description and one that teaches a great lesson simultaneously. Luck is simply "the point where preparedness meets opportunity!"

Perception is Real; Reality is Not
[Business:Customer-Service] In the active area of delivering superior customer service, perception of an issue by the customer is often a very different matter than the actual circumstances might describe. Our awareness of the facts is necessary but sensitivity to customer perception is critical.

Learn How to Relax Then Do It
[Self-Improvement:Time-Management] Today, prescriptions for dealing with depression, anxiety, stress and other similar ailments are at record highs. The need for these medicines did not even exit just a short while ago. What has happened to us? When our operating pace begins to infringe on our health, we should learn how to step back and evaluate the road we are on before it is too late.

Sales 101: Learn How to Collect Your Money
[Business:Sales] Getting paid. Isn't that the ultimate goal from each and every sale? It had better be, or you are in the wrong business! Although there is no absolute guarantee, there is one technique that will certainly reduce or eliminate the incidence of non-payment and no commissions.

Success and Your Self-Esteem
[Self-Improvement:Success] Success has been defined in many ways by dozens of people over the years. I prefer to view success as a worthwhile journey whose reward is evident as the result of embarking on, staying the course, and completing that journey. Self-esteem, the manner in which one feels about herself at the deepest level, influences virtually every aspect of our lives, hence whether we are successful or not.

Learning Superior Customer Service Skills
[Business:Customer-Service] Is customer service an empty shell, long on rhetoric but short on delivery? Does the term customer service actually mean anything, or is it a leftover expression from an era of days gone by?

Accelerated Learning and Webucation
[Self-Improvement:Motivation] Webucation is a relatively new word, coined from the combination of the words web and education. Many people have previously referred to any form of education via the web as e-education or education (eed u k' shun), however, the new term webucation just might catch on. Regardless of what you call it, accelerated learning and continuing education via the scope of the internet makes good sense for a great many people.

Sales 201: Learning Tools of Your Trade
[Business:Sales-Training] Superior salespeople are always interested in maximizing their time and effectiveness in front of the customer. Superior salespersons will develop tools and systems that will aid them in their time management and sales effectiveness. Average salespersons tend to meander, wandering to the next call without any real purpose. They appear busy, but their inconsistent results leave a great deal to be desired. Which best describes you?

You Choose To React or Respond
[Self-Improvement:Stress-Management] Each day, we must decide how we will spend our precious 24 hours and deal with all that the world presents to us. We choose how we will be affected by both everyday occurrences and those that are much more extraordinary. Whether consciously or unconsciously, we choose to either react or respond. These are not the same, for one is negative and one is positive. Which we choose may have a significant impact on our life and possibly those close to us.

The High Cost of Doing Nothing
[Self-Improvement:Success] Many of us freeze when facing decisions. For some reason, decision making becomes complex, paralyzing and even painful for many people. It should not be this way. Making a decision is simply the act of choosing between alternatives.

Accelerated Learning is Profitable
[Self-Improvement:Success] Accelerated learning is not only practical, it is profitable. Acquiring the ability to learn new skills faster is undoubtedly the most direct path and fastest means possible to enhance your earning power and hence, your income. Learning faster is a valuable skill that will benefit you no matter your profession.

Sales 101: Handling The Angry Customer
[Business:Sales] No one enjoys being yelled out, cursed at, bullied or manhandled in any form, whether physically or verbally. It does however, happen at times. What options do you have to diffuse the situation? Can you separate yourself from the abusive behavior being directed at you before you lose your cool and strike back? How can you keep your emotions in check so that you might still accomplish your task?

Real Charisma, Clinton Style
[Self-Improvement:Leadership] A great example of a well known charismatic person is former president Bill Clinton. Whether or not you agree with his politics or antics, most people would agree that he might arguably be one of the most charismatic leaders of our time. What President Clinton has is an uncanny ability to persuade people to his point of view. His influence on others is profound. What exactly makes him so charismatic?

Sales 101: Learning about Price vs. Cost
[Business:Sales-Training] Ask almost any average salesperson what his greatest problem or objection is and more than likely you will hear the word price. "My prices are higher than my competitors" or "Our prices are too high" are often the mantra or excuse for lackluster sales figures. Ask a superior salesperson however, and I suspect that you will find, in reality, she has learned that price is seldom the real issue.

Branding: You are the Brand
[Business:Branding] As an entrepreneur, a small businessperson, you have to be ever so keenly aware of every minute detail and opportunity to brand yourself. You need to be the expert. Your product must solve the problem, and the world needs to know about it. Branding therefore, may be the most important marketing challenge you face as your business plan unfolds.

Small Business 101: Deadly Ignorance
[Business:Small-Business] Too many people leap prematurely into business only to fail because of poor planning and insufficient financial resources. Do not get caught in this trap. Don't quit your day job until you have enough cash on hand to pay the bills for at least a year into your new venture. Become aware of and develop the resources available to you. You want everything possible going for you as you make this leap of faith into the entrepreneurial world.

Growing Out of Your Comfort Zone
[Self-Improvement:Motivation] Is staying within our comfort zones really a safe bet? I suggest that it is not. Our comfort zone is dictated by change. The harder we fight change and resist its force, the more difficult it is to break through our current comfort zone and move forward.

Expect the Best and Get It
[Self-Improvement:Spirituality] Do you expect the best each day, or do you simply go with the flow? Do you expect to close each sale or are you simply busy with activity? Are you actively working a daily plan to achieve your goals or are you simply wandering around hoping to make your quota? None of these are acceptable for the professional salesperson. Positive expectancy is the only attitude to have. Why else would we make a sales call unless we expect the sale?

Sales Training from the Ghostbusters
[Business:Sales] Picture this scene from the 1984 comedy movie, Ghostbusters: Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, aka… the Ghostbusters, are involved in a heated meeting with the Mayor and the Head of the local environmental agency. The city is in shambles because a legion of evil spirits has invaded and is currently wreaking havoc and chaos throughout the land. The perplexed Mayor feels that these Ghostbusters may be his only chance at saving the city, although he is not altogether convinced. Conversely, the Agency Head wants these Ghostbusters arrested and jailed for fraud. It is at this point that Murray’s character delivers the most incredible closing statement, one that should be a pivotal component in the curriculum at every sales training facility and secondary school.

Learn The Truth About Identity Theft
[Legal:Identity-Theft] Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America, according to a recently released FTC study. Did you know that the term “identity theft” did not exist until just a few years ago? It is a recent phenomenon that is causing a great furor around the world. The pace of this danger is quickening. Many of the largest data collection companies and banks have experienced substantial fraud issues affecting millions of Americans. The IRS recently admitted that their complex and detailed financial records are not protected well enough at all. The fact of the matter is that we are all at risk for identity fraud and there is little that we can do about it.

You Are What You Eat?
[Health-and-Fitness:Nutrition] The old computer adage of “garbage in, garbage out” is quite literally interpreted when it comes to our human body. If you load your incredible machine with simple carbohydrates and saturated fats, you will find it somewhat difficult just staying awake long enough to learn anything, let alone experiencing all of the energy-robbing additional weight that you’ll soon be carrying around. Think before eating that fourth donut! What and when we eat has a great deal to do with our ability to learn, concentrate, remember, stay alert and perform tasks.

Wake Up and Learn Something New
[Business:Careers-Employment] Are you comfortable? Do you feel stable? Have you yet realized that there is no such thing as job security anymore? That concept is gone. Unlike our parents and their parents before them who could count on working in a selected field for a given employer for life and then retire, we of this generation, working in any aspect of manufacturing, have no such luxury. Our job, or even the company we work for could change overnight or possibly be gone in a heartbeat.

Success: The Slight-Edge Formula
[Self-Improvement:Success] Many times, we set out on a self-improvement course of action with literally no idea of how to proceed, with only a loose idea of what we really want to accomplish. Basically, at this point, it’s just a dream of a better day. Imagine an incremental system where you consciously plan to improve just 1/4% each day, or even each week...

Sales 101: Asking for the Order
[Business:Sales-Training] As professional salespoeple, we must always perform the next natural step in the progression of our wonderful sales presentation, after the objections have been answered, and that is to ask the customer to make a buying decision now. This is the reason why there are salespeople. We would not be needed otherwise.

FEAR: How to Defeat the Monster
[Self-Improvement:Stress-Management] What is fear? We all know what it feels like, but what exactly is it? The dictionary defines fear as “A painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger; apprehension; anxiety; solicitude; alarm; dread; to be anxious or solicitous for.” That sounds rather ominous, and it is. Our bodies react in the same manner whether our fear is real or imagined. Now, what do we do about it?

Learn Faster, Change is Coming
[Self-Improvement:Success] What if anyone could learn new material faster than they have ever dreamed possible? What if people could digest change easier and more quickly? Could that have an impact on careers and earnings? We must diligently seek to maximize every learning opportunity, for therein lies our ability to earn more income, gain career stability and to get ahead.

Networking: Strangers, Friendship, and Business Growth
[Business:Networking] You already know that uncomfortable feeling, that knot in your stomach that forms, when you enter a room, a bus, or any other location where only you and a total stranger occupy the formerly quiet space. What do you say? Do you say anything? Do you even dare make eye contact? Why is it so difficult for some people to reach out their hand in friendship to another human being? Fear is the reason.

Presenteeism: The Hidden Costs of Business
[Business:Management] Presenteeism is the complement of Absenteeism. It is defined as the measure of lost productivity cost due to employees actually showing up for work, but not being fully productive because of health and life issue distractions. Beware, it may be costing your business an enormous amount of money each year.