The Pitch: Now more than ever relationships matter. The right person delivering the right message in the right way is infinitely more effective than thousands of letters from faceless, often fabricated, individuals who have no relationship whatsoever with the official. The RAP Index identifies, quantifies and qualifies key personal relationships within your own company, association [...]
Enthusiasm, initiative, teamwork, curiosity, and a creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial vision are all qualities that employers today are looking for in their employees. These are the same qualities that make for good entrepreneurs. Neuroscience teaches us that the foundations of these traits are built in the first five years of life, meaning it is vital [...]
One year ago, thousands of South Carolina businesses were handed the largest tax increase in the state’s history. Thousands of businesses were hit with such exorbitant increases that hiring was halted, capital investment delayed, and expansions trashed. Understandably, they were mad as hell. As a result, the South Carolina Legislature quickly responded by providing them [...]
As the political campaign heats up this year, the number one issue on everyone’s mind is the economy; specifically, jobs. The past three years we have seen the worst recession since the depression and—regardless of political party—no side has come up with a clear cut fix. One theme that continues to be a drum beat across the [...]
It’s been said for years that word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising, and the reasons are obvious—we only pass on or recommend something that we really believe does the job, saves money or does anything that helps the one tell about it. Word-of-mouth is seldom questioned and often believed because it’s volunteered info. No [...]
It’s hard to believe that it’s been three years since I started sharing with you what I have learned about a career in sales. Hopefully, you feel like we’ve built a relationship and become friends through rapport and trust. If so, that is by design. As you may have noticed, this series—regardless of titles—has been [...]
It’s amazing how we can for struggle days, weeks, or even months in a relationship before we’re really willing to have that critical, high-risk discussion about an offense—an area where we feel we were wronged, about a behavior we feel is unacceptable but we don’t stop and confront it with love. Instead, we treat it [...]
Of the many growth strategies available, finding new customers for your products and services is an essential core competency. The key ingredient is lead generation—finding suspects who might have a need. There are lots of ways—networking, direct mail, telemarketing, advertising, industry events, speaking opportunities, referral sources, search engine optimization, social networking, door-to-door discovery calls—it’s a [...]
U.S. companies currently have more job openings posted than in the past three years. For years I have advised our clients that businesses are always in competition for top talent, regardless of economic conditions. When candidates are considering multiple opportunities, it is more important than ever for employers to recognize the need to sell their [...]
You are living the American Dream. You have built a successful company. You make a great income, have paid for the vacation home and college for the kids and give generously to charities. Unfortunately, there will come a day when you are not around anymore. If you do not plan for it, your dream business may [...]
