by Nido R. Qubein Peter Drucker claims that more than 60% of all management problems result from breakdowns in communications. A major study by the Rockefeller Foundation found that 68% of the customers who quit buying from their regular suppliers do so because employees fail to communicate effectively with those customers. Efficiency experts claim that at least 40% of the …
Bad Luck, Bad Choices, and Bad Habits
by Chris Widener We were at some friend’s house the other day and the wife mentioned some other acquaintances of ours. “It sure is too bad, all the bad luck they have,” She said. My first thought was, “Bad habits, not bad luck.” My second thought was, “Or is it bad choices?” You see, there is a difference. What we …
Choice: Privilege, Opportunity and Responsibility
by Chris Widener One of my absolute favorite quotes is from Dwight D. Eisenhower. If you have been a subscriber for long you may have heard me use it before. Eisenhower said that, “The history of free men is never written by chance, but by choice – their choice.” What a powerful truth. We can, and do, write our own …
Eight Choices You Can Make Today that Will Change Your Life Forever
by Chris Widener The history of free men is never written by chance, but by choice – their choice. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower The above quote is one of my favorites. The direction of our lives is determined by the choices we make everyday. They accumulate and add up to our ultimate destiny. The choices we make …
Elements of Change
by Chris Widener The key to achieving more than you currently are, no matter which area of your life or work you are focusing in on now, is change. The old saying rings true: If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you’ve already got. If you keep eating and exercising the way you …
Transformation: From Customer Service to Customer Focus
by Sheila Murray Bethel, Ph.D. Two decades ago, everyone began talking about ‘customer service’ because, frankly, things had gotten pretty bad. Either we didn’t think excellence in service was important, or we were so wrapped up in the service process that we’d forgotten what the end game was all about— that of satisfied, happy, loyal customers. Enter the 2000 shift …
Why it’s a Mistake to Offer to Split the Difference
by Roger Dawson In the United States, we have a tremendous sense of fair play. Our sense of fair play dictates to us that if both sides give equally, then that’s fair. If Fred puts his home up for sale at $200,000, Susan makes an offer at $190,000, and both Fred and Susan are eager to compromise, both of them …
Top Ten Rules for Effective Presentations
by Chris Widener I am of the belief that the majority of people can improve their presentations dramatically by focusing on eliminating bad habits and presentation skills more than seeking to add anything on. How often have you come out of a seminar and overheard someone say, “Wow, she was great! Did you see how effectively she used her hand …
The Top Ten Sales Whines: They Get Better With Age
by Jeffrey Gitomer Why do salespeople whine? And why do they whine about the same things? “The guy wouldn’t return my call.” HUGE sales whine. One of the biggest. Why does this objection occur? Well I could offer you twenty things salespeople tell me — but the answer is: The voice mail you left sucked. No reason to call back. …
Making Sales in Tough Times
by Tom Hopkins The best way to sum up a strategy for succeeding in uncertain economic times is a very old saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” When business as a whole slows down, many business people say there’s little they can do to change the market and they have to just ride it out. If …