Dr. Gary S. Goodman - EzineArticles.com Expert Author

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Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top speaker, sales, customer service and negotiation consultant, attorney, TV and radio commentator and the best-selling author of 12 books and numerous audio and video training programs. He conducts seminars and speaks at convention programs around the world. He can be reached at gary@customersatisfaction.com.

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What Sacrifices Are Your Customers Willing to Make For You?
[Business:Customer-Service] A professor that teaches at a small, distinguished school, located in a leafy community known for its trees and Ph.D.s, was scheduled to die a few months ago. He hadn't committed a crime, and the executioner's chair wasn't waiting in the shadows. With so much going for him, including a career that only ramped upward, he certainly wasn't going to take a hand in his own demise. But he was on a timetable, one that counted down to zero very quickly because of kidney disease.

Refined Judgment is One of Social Networking's Best Benefits
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Social-Networking] This last week I posted a question at an online forum for people in the public speaking business. I challenged my colleagues to give me one good reason I should accept a speaking gig an ocean away, when all I was being offered was economy-class travel and a couple of nights in an unremarkable hotel. There was no fee, no honorarium for the talk, itself.

Want Better Relationships? Gift Your Customers!
[Business:Customer-Service] "Relationships cannot be managed!" said Peter F. Drucker several times in my presence. He was especially emphatic about this point when he learned about the birth of my first daughter. "Don't try to manage your family, Gary!" he warned. "It's impossible." And of course, as with so many things, the Father of Modern Management was right on the mark.

Sorry, But the Trojans Are Not a Top 10 Team!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Football] The USC Trojans have a top 10 coach. They have top 10 cheerleaders. They are certainly in the top 5 of the schools from which I earned a degree. But they aren't a top 10 team, and if this is where they're ranked by the BCS this week, you'll know that system is ready for an overhaul.

The Secret Power of Books is Time Travel
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] I just put down a twenty-year old copy of Wayne Dyer's book, "You'll See It When You Believe It!" But before I did, I noted that the book was speaking very much to me in this exact moment of my life. You could say I NEED and WANT to get the message that the author encoded some two decades ago, or more.

Don't Let Criticism Become an Excuse to Procrastinate!
[Self-Improvement:Motivation] You've heard of throwing good money after bad. It's the practice of trying to salvage a gain from a loss that just keeps losing. And there's no gain to be had in doing that. Yet, this is something we do when we feel we absolutely must respond to unfair or unintelligent criticism. By succumbing, we allow procrastination to take over, notes this top international speaker, best-selling author, and celebrated consultant.

Serve Well Or a Machine Will
[Business:Customer-Service] If you look at the history of automation, you'll see that practically nobody wanted it to arrive on the scene. Secretaries battled word processing and answering machines. With good reason, as it turned out, because these devices made most secretarial jobs redundant. Even the most fumble-fingered executives found they could hunt and peck their way to finished memos if they persisted, providing they hit the backspace button often enough.

You Can Make Any Negotiation Work!
[Business:Negotiation] Recently, I was invited to speak in Europe. My main expenses would be paid, but there would be no honorarium, no fee for researching, developing, and delivering the talk. What is in such a deal for me, apart from investing about a week of my time in preparing, traveling and performing?

Yogi Was 110% Right!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Years after I hung up my spikes I still revel in decoding the mental mysteries of the game. Why do some teams seem steely eyed and completely focused from spring training until the post-season, such as the 2009 Yankees, while others ride an emotional roller coaster?

Orville Wright Didn't Have a Pilot's License!
[Self-Improvement:Success] I just returned from delivering two keynote speeches at an international conference pertaining to innovations in customer service. The event was exhilarating, but there was an extra taste of frosting that I found in the form of a poster hung on an easel. It read: "Orville Wright Didn't Have a Pilot's License."

Dear Writers - The Money is in the Message, Not the Medium!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Professional scribes everywhere are wringing their hands over the fact that free content, especially proffered through the Internet, is driving the perceived value of the written word to practically, ZERO. "How can you compete against that?" is the question du jour. You can't. "But I'm a GREAT writer!" you counter. "That has to be worth something!"

The Dawning of Non-Contingent Customer Rewards Programs
[Business:Customer-Service] Frequent flyer programs and their progeny, including much of CRM, owe their efficacy to the assertion that behavior that is rewarded is repeated. Typically, that is a correct statement. But the quid pro quo, one-hand-washes-the-other, contingency aspect of rewards programs may have seen its day. In the world of FREE services, especially those promulgated by the Internet, contingency based rewards programs aren't sufficient to surprise and delight customers, especially when competitors use them. Above all, they don't create the sort of loyalty that eventuates in long-term bonds between purchasers and providers.

A Relentless Approach to Reforming Poor Customer Service
[Business:Customer-Service] Yesterday, in my seminar "Best Practices in Negotiation," I mentioned that the quality of the customer service we receive is negotiable. I also said, if you want better treatment you must insist on getting it, and repeat your claim to it, again and again. A case in point is my "I'm still not shopping here" campaign. A supermarket, part of a huge chain, that is nearby has abysmal service, notably behind the CUSTOMER SERVICE counter.

You Can Make Any Book a Bestseller!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Publishing] If there is a single motivation that informs most authors it is the desire to see one of our works become a genuine bestseller. I've had the privilege and it is a heady, if not lucrative experience. I've also published books that have garnered disappointing sales. What's the difference? There are several factors that auger well for a title. It should be timely. It should appeal to a clearly identifiable audience, and if it has a sharp angle on a topic, it can rise to the top. But even more important is promotion, says this top international keynote speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Is This Online Discussion Hosted Or Ghosted?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Forums] I have a confession to make. Sometimes I'll start an online discussion and instantly press the STOP button. The discussion will take place, but without my participation. I won't be notified by email when people have posted comments, nor will I read them.

I May Have to Shop Here, But it Will Cost You!
[Business:Customer-Service] Recently, I wrote an article describing how I am responding to a local supermarket's dreadful customer service. I stopped shopping there. But before I did, I announced this intention to the manager and specifically told him why. Then for a number of days afterwards, I'd pop in to remind the staff that I STILL was not shopping there.

Five Rules You Must Break to Get Published
[Writing-and-Speaking:Publishing] I belong to a number of online writers' groups and it is heartbreaking to witness so many dysfunctional rules being propagated and mindlessly echoed that actually deter folks from getting their books published. Most of these maxims can be summarized in one sentence:

Joe Torre's Genius Shows Against the Cardinals
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Without question, some of baseball's very best managers are leading their teams to victory in the 2009 post-season. Joe Torre is one of them. What makes him so effective? Article after article notes his steadiness at the helm, his patience, and abiding optimism. But when the playoffs start, he has learned to not hesitate in following his gut.

Isn't it Better to Reach Out & Sell Someone?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Publishing] You can banter about whether to self-publish, find an agent, polish your writing skills, make social networking productive, and distract yourself with a multitude of other nonsense issues. Isn't it easier and better to simply REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE?

A Martial Artist's View of the Film, "A Little Princess"
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] The movie. "A Little Princess" is a touching tale about an affluent, imaginative, English girl that was spirited out of India by her widowed father. He was about to serve in the trenches of World War I, so she was sent to boarding school. Though he was wounded and suffered amnesia, the story demonstrates that she was perhaps an even more impressive warrior, possessing an unconquerable spirit, upon which she had to draw as she was tormented and marginalized by a jealous, authoritarian, and callous schoolmistress.

You Cannot, Not Self Promote!
[Business:Marketing] There is a grand misconception about promoting your interests and career. Simply put, it is the notion that you can choose to NOT self-promote, that there is a message strategy available that disables the hype button, rendering you pure and outside of the cacophony of the self-promotional marketplace. I see this delusion in online discussions that tout the sanctity of social networking. There are a number of groups that try to discourage people from self-promoting, which, frankly, is impossible, according to this top international speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

The Best Web Presence You Can Create is by Writing, Posting and Profiting
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online] It may have been one of those memorable New Yorker cartoons that in the first frame showed a professor speaking before a bored class. In the second frame, the professor replaced himself with a tape recorder that delivered his oration from the lectern. In the third, students had replaced themselves with their recorders, leaving only a machine talking to other machines.

Will the 2009 Dodgers Be Remembered As Winners Or Losers?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Before their victory over the Colorado Rockies that enabled the Los Angeles Dodgers to clinch the National League West title, the Blue Crew seemed ready to utterly collapse as the 2009 regular season concluded. All they needed during the previous five games was a single win and they would have clinched first place, long before October 3rd.

I'm Not Shopping Here Today!
[Business:Customer-Service] Most companies lose business and never realize it because customers vote with their feet, so to speak. We march off to a competitor without voicing our complaints. I am resolved to do the opposite, to not only say it once, but to retell the story, time after time, to drive home the true costs of customer abuse, says this top customer service, sales and negotiation speaker and author.

Shouldn't You Be Writing?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] I believe it was Ray Bradbury that said writing is one of the few human activities that "resists collaboration." I get that, especially when my editors try to buddy-up to my work and take an active role in shaping it. Recently I've been tracking and participating in online discussion groups populated by writers and editors. If these folks are truly into their occupations, how do they find time to chum around with their peers? I think they're making a Faustian pact, of sorts. Breaking out of the isolation that comes with the literary life entails being taken away from that very literary life. How can you write your book if you're occupied bantering with your colleagues about the superiority of big-house publishers versus self-publishing?

Dumb Scripts - And Today You Saved Nothing!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Scripts work, much of the time, and when we're lucky, most of the time. But they never work ALL of the time. Be on your game when an encounter calls for a customized response instead of a memorized one, advises this best-selling author, top sales, service and negotiation speaker, and international consultant.

Studying With Great People Energizes Your Life!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] I was about to board a train from London to Bath, England, when I felt an irrepressible impulse to visit the book kiosk on the platform. I expected the ride to take more than an hour and I wanted something that would feed my mind.

Martial Arts Training Could Be a Tragic Mistake, Part 2
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] Recently I submitted an article titled, "Martial Arts Training Could Be a Tragic Mistake" to an online forum. Taken at face value, these are fighting words, at least to fellow black belts that have invested 8 years as I have, or even longer, earning their rank and skills.

Martial Arts Training Could Be a Tragic Mistake
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] As a martial artist, when you read the Tao, an ancient book of wisdom attributed to Lao Tzu, certain passages can leave you breathless. One of them whispers, "The greatest tragedy is to have an enemy."

Einstein's Perfect Question
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] When we think of Albert Einstein, naturally we consider his contributions to physics and his famous equation. But he was also a very decent practical philosopher. Recently, I came across a question that he raised that has produced several meaningful insights. Einstein reportedly said the most important question each of us has to answer for himself is: "Is this a friendly universe or is this a hostile universe?" How you answer this will determine to a large extent.

How Many Times Can the Dodgers Play the 2008 Season?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] We know that baseball players and their managers are superstitious. Even in Little League, if our team was on a winning streak, some mate would cry out after the latest victory, "Whatever you do, don't wash your socks!" Until we lost. But we were forbidden to even think about such a possibility.

When "I Understand That" Sounds Utterly Phony to Customers
[Business:Customer-Service] One of the tools I share in my customer service teachings is the Transition Phrase. Typically, it consists of a conciliatory set of words, followed by vital information. But there is a dark side to this technique, when it seems absolutely insincere, and consequently it fails as a technique, potentially ruining not only a conversation but also a customer relationship.

To Read Reviews Or to Politely Ignore Them - That is the Question!
[Writing-and-Speaking] Jude Law is finishing a stint as "Hamlet" in, of all places, Denmark. His portrayal will be haunting New York in the coming months, for a limited run. Commenting to an interviewer from The New York Times, Mr. Law said he doesn't read reviews of his performances. "If you read good reviews," he says, "You become self-conscious about the bits they like, and it starts to make those bits tacky - as if you're churning them out." "And if you get bad reviews, they're going to crush your ego. It's like vinegar in the wound. So there's no point in reading them."

What Do Today's Brittle Ballplayers Have in Common With Soaring Healthcare Costs?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] In the days of flamethrowers Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax starting pitchers were expected to go eight innings or all the way. If they were pulled earlier it meant they were being pummeled or they were literally worn-out. Now, we have starters, long-relievers, middle relievers and closers. It takes three or four specialists to do the work of one capable generalist. What is this-modern medicine or the game of baseball?

How Do You Win a World Series? Ask the McCourts
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Having the biggest, glitziest payroll in baseball is no assurance of participation in the post-season, as the New York Yankees discovered, in 2008. Winning the most games of any team in the league during the regular season is also no guarantee that your team will get out of the first round of the playoffs, as the '08 Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels can attest. So, if money does not conquer all, and winning the most games doesn't catapult you to the top, permanently, or at least through November, what does?

Spend, You Mothers, Spend!
[News-and-Society:Economics] A family member and I shared some emails about our sagging economy and how to jumpstart it. Her tip for braving the recession is to pretend you can spend, but you choose not to. If this makes you feel affluent, go for it, I say. But that's not going to help the economy much.

Dodgers' Management Plays Percentages in Acquiring Garland and Thome
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] In a surprise move, the Los Angeles Dodgers improved their team by acquiring veteran pitcher Jon Garland and the number 12 all-time home run hitting, Jim Thome. Garland is expected to pitch every five games, which would put him on track to take the mound six times between now and the post-season. Thome, who hasn't played a fielding position for two years, is expected to pinch-hit off the bench. Exactly how much have the Dodgers improved through these pick-ups? Hard to say, really, but if the presence of Garland and Thome makes the team just 2% better, then they will have pulled their weight, says this top keynote speaker, international sales, negotiation and service consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

In the ER - From the Best of Care to No Care
[Health-and-Fitness:Healthcare-Systems] Over the last five years I've spent much more time in the ER than I ever expected, mostly caring for loved ones, though a nasty kidney stone sent me there once. While no expert, I do consult and write extensively in the fields of customer care and client relations, so I tend to be attuned to obvious wins and losses in patient treatment.

Major League Baseball's Best and Worst Dressed List
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] I spotted my neighbor wearing the U.S Navy's dress whites the other afternoon, about to take a snapshot on the lawn, with family in tow. What a sight! Crisp, well tailored, and even sexy. I had no idea a woman in uniform could look so appealing. Speaking of uniforms, which major league baseball teams can boast the best ones? Here's my list of the best and worst, says this professional keynote speaker, best-selling author, and popular media commentator.

Should You Send Direct Mail Before Trying to Sell Someone by Phone?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] In a recent online discussion the question was asked: Does it pay to send out a direct mailing piece before trying to sell someone by phone? I had a slightly unconventional slant on this topic, as I think you'll agree.

Matt Barkley is USC's Starting Quarterback (Thanks to Mark Sanchez)
[Recreation-and-Sports:Football] About to finish my Ph.D., I was discussing a possible teaching position with my academic advisor. The job was at a small, liberal arts college.

I'm Ready to Cancel the Recession, What About You?
[News-and-Society:Economics] There used to be a joke that was popular in Hollywood: If you grow tired of a war and wish to end it, simply put it on TV and it will be canceled in 13 weeks. Americans have a famously short attention span. We want what we want, and we want it now, and if we no longer want it, we want it, GONE!

Free Trade Or Protectionism? Or Both? Ask Your Jeans Retailer
[News-and-Society:Economics] My wife and I took a stroll into a store in Santa Barbara last weekend. I had some gift cards that I paid for in frequent flyer miles, and they were burning yet more holes in my slated-for-replacement jeans.

Sanchez's Promotion to Jets Quarterback Might Have USC's Coach Fuming - Again
[Recreation-and-Sports:Football] Mark Sanchez left USC early after only one season of play as the team's quarterback. His coach, the ever-verbal, wear it all on your sleeve, Pete Carroll, said Sanchez was making a big mistake by turning pro, prematurely. He needed more seasoning, more time at the helm of college football's most visible west coast team, seemingly a perennial BCS contender. Carroll implied in a widely re-played press conference that Sanchez, despite his gifts, just wasn't ready. Now, about seven months later, Sanchez has been named the starting quarterback for The New York Jets, as a first year rookie. This has to make Pete Carroll and every other big school sports administrator red-hot and sweating bullets.

Need Inspiration? Check Out These Famous Bankruptcies and Comebacks!
[Self-Improvement:Success] Dominick Dunne, the celebrated Vanity Fair essayist and fighter for crime victims' rights, just died at age 83. I was reading his obituary that recalled his life as a successful and then fallen Hollywood producer. Before turning to journalism after the tragic murder of his daughter, his fortunes were so bad that he "sold his dog." But he climbed out of the morass to go on to great accomplishments.

Don't Worry Dodger Fans - Even the Worst Teams Win Four in Ten!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The Los Angeles Dodgers aren't the team they were for two-thirds of the 2009 season. Their clutch hitting has evaporated. Manager Joe Torre seems to have run out of smoke and mirrors. And Jim Tracy, that cast-off Dodger manager, now skipper of the Rockies, looks like a genius, General Patton in front of the Third Army. Things are pretty bleak, with the Dodgers grasping a slippery two-game lead over the Rocks, a team that they go mano-a-mano against during the next two days. But all is not lost, and why? Look at the standings. Baseball's best teams win about 60% of the time, and the worst, about 40%.

Are You a Writer Or an Imposter?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] I've been tracking and participating in a number of online discussions of interest to writers. Many of these chats pertain to questions such as "How do I get published?" and "Should I self-publish?" and "What should I look out for in a contract negotiation?". Fair enough inquiries, but I detect some of the posters and participants have a more fundamental problem than dealing with the do's and don'ts of publishing. I believe they're seeking authentication that they truly are writers.

Apply the Law of Large Numbers to Job Interviewing
[Business:Career-Advice] When I was a manager with Time-Life, one of my best sales reps relished going on job interviews at the same time he was employed with us. And he freely and openly discussed them with me, which goes to show that I didn't mind. I trusted him to put in his shift the next day, and to come back from his interviewing forays with juicy intelligence about what my fellow employers were offering. Cary had a lot of advantages as he bounced from one interview to the next...

Is it Far Better to Have Won & Lost Than to Never Have Won at All?
[Self-Improvement:Success] We know all about loving-and-losing: It happens to the best of us through disgust, divorce, or death-or all three, for that matter. But what about winning: Does the same principle apply? Is it better to have won and lost, than to never have won at all?

When We Eliminated the Middlemen Did We Terminate the Middle Class?
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] You can still see one of the discounting "kings" in Southern California promoting mattresses on TV. He flips his toupee and beams, "Our secret is low overhead!" In days gone by, the monarchs of merchandising used to boast that they "Cut out the middlemen; you're dealing factory-direct!"

The Team That Fell to Earth
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] From the get-go there was something otherworldly about the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers. The signs of an ET sort of season set in early, around November of last year, to be exact. Their top star, Manny Ramirez, who bears a striking resemblance to the dreadlocked "Predator" of sci-fi movie fame, was an off-season holdout, refusing to play by the rules of cause-and-effect, give and take, every motion sets into effect a counter-motion aspect of bargaining physics. The Dodgers offered once, and offered big, and Ramirez and agent said, "Offer again!"

September-October Schedule a Mixed Blessing For the Dodgers
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Under the prudent stewardship of Manager Joe Torre, the LA Dodgers are taking the 2009 campaign one game at a time; or at least he is preaching that inch-by-inch, sober approach. But you can't help looking forward, at least as a fan, especially to the schedule between now and playoff time in October. What's coming up? Let's start backwards, shall we?

Yanks Knock Dodgers Down to Second Place
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The refrain has been the same in story after story: "The Los Angeles Dodgers, with the best record in the major leagues..." Last night, on an extra-innings game-winning homer against archival Boston Red Sox, Alex Rodriguez stole that distinction and brought it to the Bronx.

How to Get a Big Discount on Prescription Drugs You Can't Do Without
[Health-and-Fitness:Medicine] It's enough to give you heartburn. The price of some acid reflux medicines, that is. I needed to fill a prescription for a family member when I remembered with a twitch that the last time we got a month's supply it set us back more than two hundred bucks.

If You Really, Really Try Sometimes, You'll Get What You Need!
[Business:Customer-Service] I'm breaking in a new auto mechanic, today. Or is it the other way around? My first encounter with professional mechanics occurred in a beach town. The VW dealership was anything but laid back. Once you waited your turn, the service advisors in long white coats, seemed to emerge from an ultra-secretive experiment. Stoically, they would break the bad news the only way they knew how...

Did the Dodgers Slow Walk Reliever George Sherrill Into the Bullpen?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] During the long, 50 game suspension of slugger Manny Ramirez, the Los Angeles Dodgers played as a team should play. They wouldn't let the absence of a key player keep them from winning, and they stayed in first place and racked up the best record in the major leagues.

5 Reasons Salespeople Should Study Acting
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Shakespeare famously said, "The play is the thing." Acting is all about PLAY. It's fun, and salespeople should approach their craft in a light, it's only a game, frame of mind.

Your Underutilized Assets Are Telling You It's Time to Let Go!
[Finance:Budgeting] My brother-in-law was fond of the expression, "The two happiest days are when you buy a boat and when you sell a boat." He knew this from experience. He had been the proud owner of an almost-yacht; officially it was one foot shy of that vaunted designation. Thus, its price tag was materially less than that of its longer and more prestigious kin.

Is Sensitivity to Criticism a Good Or Bad Thing?
[Self-Improvement:Personal-Growth] Last night, my father spoke to me in a dream. He recalled the time he produced a TV show in Chicago. The host snickered at him: "Well, nobody can be as perfect as you are, right?" Bristling from the remark, I recall thinking my dad must have been rebuked in public. "Did he say that on the air?" "Yes, he did" my dad winced, still feeling bruised by this episode, several decades later. "Gee, my dad was sensitive to criticism!" I noted, still dreaming. Then it hit me. "So am I!"

In Bad Times Don't Let Good Be the Enemy of the Get-By
[Self-Improvement:Success] You may have heard the expression, "Don't let great be the enemy of good." More or less what that means is if you have a good job, don't quit in the belief that you can achieve a great job, faster, by having 100% of your time to pursue it. Or, if there is a solution to any problem that is good, don't pass it over because you're convinced a great solution is somewhere down the road. There's nothing wrong with "good." But let's move down the food chain of achievement a little, shall we? Is there something short of "good" that we're letting good get in the way of? There is, especially in this recession of ours. It is called survival, or as sales trainer Zig Ziglar dubbed it, the "Get-By."

Best Practices in Negotiation - Reviving Dead Deals
[Business:Negotiation] Negotiations break off for several reasons. So, the question is: How can we revive deals once they seem to die? How do we get back on track? A top negotiation consultant and sought after keynote speaker reveals the secrets.

Lucky For Books That We Don't See Them in a Realistic Light
[Writing-and-Speaking] Ask an artist about light and you'll partake in a very detailed discussion that inevitably leads to colors. For instance, I am told that the natural light in and around Europe several hundred years ago, during the time of the Dutch masters, had a green hue to it.

Three Types of People Succeed - The Smart, the Lucky, and the Persistent
[Self-Improvement:Success] I just finished reading a great article in The New York Times about the role gut instinct plays in surviving enemy ambushes, especially in Iraq. The article says billions are being invested around the world in brain research. Some of that bounty seeks to learn more about how our "second favorite organ," as Woody Allen dubbed the cortex, gathers information, particularly that which has survival value.

Recession Tip - If it Isn't Essential Cut it Out Now!
[Finance:Budgeting] You know about the various 80/20 rules of thumb, right? For instance, if you're in business, 20% of your customers might account for 80% of your profits. In any walk of life 20% of your exertions will bring you 80% of your results. The other way of saying this is 80% of what we do is wasted activity. Though the proportions are not 80/20, I suspect a significant amount of our expenses are discretionary, inflated, or outright unnecessary.

Why Must You Publish a Book?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Publishing] There is a lot of buzz on the Web about building one's "author platform." But platform building is a waste of time until an author addresses two essential questions, says this top negotiation speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

I Can't Hear What You're Saying Because What You Are is Deafening!
[Business:Ethics] There is a genuine, persistent communication problem that becomes front-page news whenever a great crime is committed. For example, investment advisor Bernard Madoff allegedly absconded with billions of dollars in an unprecedented Ponzi scheme.

Count Calories & Compliments!
[Health-and-Fitness:Weight-Loss] It's amazing how affected we are by our partner's supportiveness. It's one thing to cut back on desserts or to eat healthy together, but if one person gets diet or exercise fatigue it can capsize the discipline for both, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Good Times Or Bad, What Goes Around Comes Around!
[Self-Improvement:Success] Toward the beginning of my consultancy I approached a public television station to help them in their fundraising efforts. My overture wasn't encouraged, to say the least. Indeed, I felt I was treated very impolitely, and this came as a surprise.

Best Practices in Negotiation - Dealing With the Three Types of Liars
[Business:Negotiation] One of the toughest decisions you'll make in negotiating is what to do once you have proof your counterpart is a liar. Do you cut off all contact, withdrawing on the spot from any current transactions? The answer is a little more nuanced than a simple yes or no, says this top keynote speaker, international consultant, and creator of the popular seminar and training program, "Best Practices in Negotiation."

To Succeed in Tough Times Adapt & Avoid Over-Generalizing!
[Self-Improvement:Success] Tough times certainly seem to be on everyone's minds and lips. I was returning from my morning jog yesterday when I overheard two neighbors commiserating about how "under water" our local mortgages are.

5 Reasons Everyone Needs Formal Negotiation Training
[Business:Negotiation] When it becomes clear to both sides in a negotiation that they are savvy, many of the gimmicks, ploys, and dirty tricks are discouraged. This is helpful all around, because it reinforces the serious business purpose that is to be served through well-informed bargaining.

Will This Recession Boost Union Membership?
[News-and-Society:Economics] The Great Depression spawned certain economic reforms, but one that hasn't been touted as such, at least recently, was the rise of labor unions. Unions promised many things that economically dislocated people crave: wage stability and growth, benefits--including health care, formal grievance procedures, and collective bargaining. These perks look pretty good right now. That fading bumper sticker we'd see on tired pickup trucks, "Live Better-Work Union," might crop up on hybrids, next predicts this top keynote speaker, best-selling author, and radio and TV commentator.

Can You Afford an Original Sales Script?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] How much does it cost to "write" an original, successful sales or customer service script? If you have to ask, you probably can't afford an original, says this creator of the legendary call path for customer service, which has been successfully performed more than a billion times.

Best Practices in Negotiation - When a Ploy Seems Like a Ploy, it Fails
[Business:Negotiation] Some negotiators are a little too "cute" in how they play the game. They decide that a deal is an opportunity to assert their power, to preen, and to create confusion. They like being the center of attention, and while ostensibly striving for agreement, they're simply cruel kids pulling the wings off of bugs. I'm here to tell them that their ploys however derived, from the purported gurus in the negotiation field who nibble for free nachos and neckties, or hatched in the reptilian swamps of their own minds, these tactics, if obvious to one's bargaining counterparts, fail. When normal folks spot slithering snakes and gaping gators, we run the other way, warns this top negotiation speaker, best-selling author, and creator of the popular training program, "Best Practices in Negotiation."

Best Practices in Negotiation - Mastering the Art of Clockmanship
[Business:Negotiation] It's 9:11 on a Friday morning. I'm in the middle of a negotiation, and there is a pause in the action. For strategic purposes, I have resolved I will not communicate, next. If this means the deal, as offered to this point, is off, so be it. I can and will live with that. But in the meantime, I'm tracking very carefully the sequence of give and take, who is offering what, and most important, WHEN? "Clocking your negotiations" is as critical to making a good deal as monitoring the way your opponent is "playing the clock" in football or basketball. Are they letting the clock run out, as I'm doing right now, in this negotiation?

Best Practices in Negotiation - Sharpen Your Skills 24-7
[Business:Negotiation] There are several ways to make any deal, yet for the most part, 99% of bargainers select the obvious path, which often leads to an impasse. Business negotiators should sharpen their skills 24/7, and especially when they have their consumer hats on. This enables them to try new tactics while matching wits with others, from whom they can learn in a low-threat environment.

Best Practices in Negotiation - Consider Accepting Donations in Lieu of Pay!
[Business:Negotiation] When I was running an honors conference at a fine liberal arts university, one of my guest lecturers, a chap I knew in grad school who had later become a minor academic luminary, asked attendees at the end of his talk: "Would you pay me for the quality of information you received, here?" He wasn't asking them for money, but to endorse the value of what he already tendered.

Best Practices in Negotiation - Earning Your Patience Premium
[Business:Negotiation] Can you imagine how much better we would fare, simply in dealing with others at whom we unleashed our wrath? How much more congenial would our relations have been if we invested just a few more minutes each day doing more listening instead of wedging our words into conversations?

Best Practices in Negotiation - The Art of Using a Guarantee
[Business:Negotiation] In tough times, most negotiators look for a rock solid path to commitment, a line or an inducement that will put deals over the top, and nudge fence sitters and naysayers into accepting the terms put forth. In my experience, there are few devices that are as useful in this respect as the guarantee. At its most generous, it tells a negotiation counterpart, if you're not happy, the deal can be undone. It takes the risk out of saying yes, and in the law it is called a contract subject to a condition subsequent, counsels this top negotiation consultant, best-selling author, and internationally sought after keynote speaker and seminar leader.

To the Brand Born
[Business:Branding] They used to charmingly call new arrivals one's little "tax deductions." Today, we're smarter than that. We can see quite clearly, that our wee ones are really conscious consumers, little buying machines that are raring to go, within months after the stork delivers them, muses this top keynote speaker, best-selling author, and internationally sought after consultant.

Best Practices in Negotiation - Don't Misread Your Opponent's Pain Threshold
[Business:Negotiation] As students of negotiation, one of the first questions that comes to mind is how can we accurately assess our counterpart's inclination to bear pain, to persist in a state of siege or relative privation? If we're using the stick instead of a carrot, seeking leverage through aversive means, is there a way of determining how much pain is necessary to do the job? And most significant, are there certain adversaries that will, literally, fight to the death, permitting complete destruction of their assets or culture, to deny an adversary an enduring advantage or a victory?

The San Francisco Giants - 5 Reasons It's Great to Be Number Two!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The Los Angeles Dodgers ease into the 2009 All-Star break with the best record in baseball, but as I predicted in a recent article, the San Francisco Giants are closing in on the leaders, now trailing by a paltry seven games. Imagine you play for the Dodgers or Giants. Which team would you rather be, right now: number one or number two in the standings? Before you reflexively reply that this is a no-brainer, that you'd vastly prefer to be sitting on a seven game cushion, consider these five reasons it's also good to be the "chaser," suggests this top sales, negotiation, and motivational speaker.

Don't Trash Any of Your Writing!
[Writing-and-Speaking] How many sketches, paintings, and sculptures did Picasso, Dali, and Erte throw away? Wouldn't you like to rummage through the rubbish of the world's best artists, writers, and creative types? Can you imagine what treasures we'd salvage from items that for one reason or other the artists themselves, spurned? This thought occurred to me when I was assessing the value of being able to post articles on the Internet. Whether you employ ezines, blogs, your own web sites or those of others to display your work, you are part of a revolution in artistic productivity that only comes along so many generations, notes this best-selling author of 12 books, more than 1,500 articles, and numerous audio and video programs.

5 Things I Learned From Time-Life About Selling Books
[Writing-and-Speaking:Book-Marketing] Big publishers can be great learning partners, and I look back on my formative years in sales and management with Time-Life as having been especially valuable. Here are five things Time-Life taught me, says this top keynote speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Best Practices in Negotiation - Can You Afford to Say Yes?
[Business:Negotiation] A wise saying maintains there are two tragedies in life: (1) Not getting what you want, and (2) Getting exactly what you want. While this may be a bit overstated, it makes a good point. Getting what we want can usher in a number of problems, and this is especially the case after we have negotiated, says this top negotiation speaker, seminar leader, and internationally respected consultant.

Best Practices in Negotiation - 5 Ways Car Dealers Get the Drop on You
[Business:Negotiation] At the end of the recent holiday weekend I hastily left a car dealership with a relative in tow. If we hadn't bolted, she would have succumbed to that heady combination of new car smells wafting through the dealership as well as to the superior negotiation skills of the sales staff. Car dealers have been sharpening their negotiating talons for more than a century, so they have a bag of tricks that can hypnotize almost every shopper, no matter how savvy they might be in other contexts. Specifically, there are 5 ways dealers get the drop on customers according to this top negotiation speaker, best-selling author, and international consultant.

Best Practices in Negotiation - How to Quickly Cool a Heated Exchange
[Business:Negotiation] Why do so many negotiations stalemate, where parties dig into entrenched positions and refuse to budge? Here is simple way to break through deadlocks and to quickly cool down heated negotiations, according to this top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Best Practices in Negotiation - 5 Reasons No Strategy is the Worst Strategy
[Business:Negotiation] I have trained countless salespeople who believe they are "naturals," that anything they do is bound to achieve great results and put business on the books. Their self-confidence is admirable, and I suppose it, along with a certain amount of bluster, does see them through to a given number of orders.. But there are few naturals in negotiating, making the development of strategy essential, says this top negotiation speaker, best-selling author, and popular expert commentator on TV and radio.

5 Reasons We Need to Become a Participant-Driven Sports Culture
[Health-and-Fitness:Exercise] Have you seen Kobe Bryant move on the basketball court, or Manny Ramirez swing a bat? It's grace in motion, right? But when was the last time YOU put a move on a ball or an opponent in such a way as to impress, if not observers, then yourself? Not long ago, I finished my black belt in martial arts after having invested eight solid years in development. By the time I tested, I had stunning mastery over my body, which forgot it had entered middle age.

Health & Fitness Tip - Treat Your Body As If You Are Leasing It
[Health-and-Fitness] Leased cars have to be returned when their terms expire, and they must be in great condition. What we consider normal wear and tear for a personally owned car is big time body damage on a rented unit. What if we regarded our bodies, not as if we own them, but as if they were leased?

Salary Negotiations - Is Slave Labor Making a Comeback?
[Business:Negotiation] The concept of making people work without pay, without the ability to freely offer or withhold or negotiate the rate for their services, is so antiquated that the Miriam-Webster Dictionary doesn't even mention involuntary servitude, or toiling without pay as a component of slavery. Indeed, the synonyms offered by M-W are "drudgery, toil." In other words, we moderns believe BORING, but still compensated work, is slavery.

They Boast the Best Record in Baseball But Only Three Dodgers Are 2009 All-Stars
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There are three interpretations of the fact that the Los Angeles Dodgers (1) Have the best record in the major leagues, but (2) Only three players on their roster have been voted into the All-Star game, explains this top keynote speaker, best-selling author, and sales, negotiation, and customer satisfaction consultant. The first one is that they simply don't have any more personnel that qualify for the mid-season classic. Some teams will be sending one, so the Dodgers should actually be thrilled to have three times that prize.

Best Practices in Negotiation - Your Worst Enemy is in the Mirror!
[Business:Negotiation] I accompanied a relative to a car dealership yesterday after having briefed her thoroughly on our purchasing strategy. "No matter what, you are NOT going to drive out of the lot with a car; not today, right?" No problem, my comrade in arms concurred. This visit is exploratory, preliminary, and for "show."

How to Gently and Firmly Enforce a Pay-to-Play Policy
[Business] The Internet age has ushered in a peculiar expectation on the part of many people that they can get professionals to help them to improve their businesses and careers, for free. Here is a good way to decline, without getting defensive, says this sales and negotiation expert, top keynote speaker, and best selling author.

The Third Most Important Success Secret in Life!
[Self-Improvement:Success] As President Calvin Coolidge famously put it: "Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

Best Practices in Negotiation - Price is Simply an Invitation to Negotiate!
[Business:Negotiation] Bill, everybody's favorite salesman, has fallen into a slump. When you ask him what's wrong, he says: "It's price, price, price. Everybody wants a better deal." As long as Bill treats price as an objection, he'll keep selling value, which is what modern doctrine urges. And the glaze will come over his prospects' eyes, and he'll miss closing another deal.

5 Ways Video Kiosks Deliver a Better Customer Experience
[Business:Customer-Service] Video kiosks deliver a better customer experience than retail stores, in five ways, says this celebrated customer service consultant, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator. Since kiosks have arrived a number of months ago, I may have rented twice from traditional video stores, including Blockbuster. Frankly, I see kiosks as the wave of the future, though vending machines, of which kiosks are a modern variant, have been around for more than half a century.

The Quayleling of Sarah Palin Stops Here
[News-and-Society:Politics] Sarah Palin has been treated like Dan Quayle, former Vice-President. But her career, and future comeback may end up bearing more similarities to Richard Nixon's by 2012, predicts this top keynote speaker, best-selling author, and popular TV and radio commentator.

How to Master the Art of Everyday Negotiations
[Business:Negotiation] I have to admit that I invest much of my time teaching "big-ticket" bargaining in my seminar, "Best Practices in Negotiation," that I conduct at colleges and onsite at organizations. This is only natural because on an intuitive level we believe we have the most at stake when we're bargaining for cars, homes, better compensation, and on behalf of our employers.

Best Practices in Negotiation - How to Avoid Offering Too Little & Asking Too Much
[Business:Negotiation] There is a clear point I make in the "best practices in negotiation" seminars that I conduct through colleges and at organizations: The more you ask for, the more you'll get! Another point is: Don't be afraid to tender a fractional offer!

Best Practices in Negotiation - The $35K Corporate Commode
[Business:Negotiation] Former Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain was awarded $1.2 million to remodel his office, $35k of which went to purchasing a new commode, according to news reports. You might get a whiff of these stats and think, "Whew, that's a ton for a toilet!" Can't blame you for that, but what is even more rudely assaulting is that all of Mr. Thain's perks were presumably negotiated.

Litigation Costs Much More Than You May Think!
[Legal] Before I invested the time and money to study law and become an attorney, I retained one whom I thought was a wimp. He urged an informal resolution of the matter, and as he did so, I recall thinking that he simply wasn't up for a fight, that I had selected the wrong lawyer for the job. Now, having waged numerous battles to their conclusion, with mixed results, I can see I was brash and naïve, and his advice was right on the money. I simply didn't want to hear the truth, recalls this celebrated consultant, attorney, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Sorry, But "You're a Great Salesperson!" Means the Opposite
[Business:Sales] If you met a great ballplayer, surgeon, investor, tennis player, or employee, you'd want them on your team, wouldn't you? Right, it only makes sense, so if you were to tell them they're great at what they do, they could interpret that as a compliment, a genuine endorsement.

Should You Sue Them?
[Legal] Over the course of your life there are going to times when other people will seemingly trample your rights, or at least frustrate you from achieving health, wealth and happiness. You'll want justice. There are eight often essential things an attorney is trained to do, says this celebrated consultant, popular keynote speaker, and attorney.

Can He Do That to Me and Get Away With It?
[Legal] Your boss told you in the initial interview that your job would probably last for a minimum of six months to a year, but he terminated you after only three weeks. You call a lawyer and ask: "Can he do that to me, and get away with it?" The lawyer hesitates before answering because you have asked several questions while falling into a common, but important trap. Let's start with the trap: "Can he do that...?" suggests this attorney, radio and TV commentator, and best-selling author.

Do You Have a Legal Problem Or a Communication Problem?
[Legal] It is always a good idea to seek a lawyer's opinion if you believe your rights have been compromised or trampled, and many will give you an initial consultation, free of charge. But you can save yourself much time, money, and hassling, if you seek to mediate your dispute, with or without a lawyer at hand.

Today's Vanity Presses Were Yesterday's Major Publishers!
[Writing-and-Speaking] Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, writers wrote, and publishers printed, distributed, and actually marketed books... But then something dramatic changed. Publishers started gobbling each other up, reducing their number, but accentuating their need to show regular, quarterly profits.

Right on Time, Here's Manny!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The Dodgers have just lost two of their last three-game sets, against the Chicago White Sox and the Seattle Mariners. This is a season-first. They're hoping it is a last, with the impending return to eligibility of Manny Ramirez, the slugger that is returning from a 50 game suspension. On July 3, Manny can play once again in his Dodgers uniform. Will he be up to it?

The Number Two Success Secret in Life
[Self-Improvement:Success] Recently I wrote about the number one success secret in life, which turns out to be: ENTHUSIASM CONQUERS ALL. If you're enthusiastic, people will forgive most of your foibles and shortcomings. This doesn't mean you can be a gushing incompetent, but when you do err, folks will tend to cut you a lot of slack if you are enthused. But how can you become enthusiastic, especially if you're feeling like an utter loser? Ah, that taps into the second most important success tip in life, says this top sales, negotiation and customer service speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Did Michael Jackson Die Young?
[Health-and-Fitness] Pop legend Michael Jackson just died at age 50. "Gee, that's young!" more than one person replied, when I shared the news. But he lived several lives within those 50 years, including one as a boy wonder with the Jackson 5, and another as the King of Pop. He also lived as a recluse, on acreage that mixed Toyland with a zoo, and that life was curtailed by the one he lived as a defendant in a criminal case, from which he was exonerated.

The Number One Success Secret in Life!
[Self-Improvement:Success] Imagine going into a restaurant, being seated and summarily ignored for ten minutes, and then, reluctantly, a waiter arrives, his eyes downcast with pencil in hand, and then he impatiently asks for your order. The food may be fine, but if it is reluctantly or half-heartedly tendered, the overall experience loses its flavor and leaves a bitter aftertaste.

5 Reasons to Write Or Promote a Book
[Writing-and-Speaking:Book-Marketing] Day in and day out, I read about writers that have a burning desire to get a book into print. But I sense many of these works, undoubtedly labors of love, aren't worth writing or promoting. As I see it, there are mainly five reasons you should write and promote your book, says this celebrated consultant, best-selling author, and top sales and negotiation speaker.

The Irresistible Secret to Selling
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] We get what we aim at, and if we don't aim, we get random results. Taking aim, in a selling context, means more than selecting someone to call, and then dialing the phone. It requires formulating the irresistible intention to sell this, specific prospect, right now, says this celebrated consultant, top sales and negotiation speaker, and best-selling author.

When Prospecting For Sales Treat Two Silences As One Big No!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] You can cut through the Gordian Knot of selling by answering a perennially perplexing question: Who should I persist in ensnaring, and whom should I cut loose? Unfortunately, the answer is elusive, and instead of assisting, most lead tracking and CRM software leads us astray.

Seven Critical Questions We Don't Ask Our Clients and Customers
[Business:Customer-Service] I was looking over the evaluations from a recent seminar I conducted, and I concluded two things: The program was successful, given the criteria I have established; and I am simply not learning enough from my clients. You would think I'd be happy with high scores and even with the critiques that said, mostly, that the class should be LONGER, meaning, participants liked their experience and want more of the same.

Brace Yourself For a 2009 Dodgers-Red Sox World Series!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There are a zillion storylines that will make the 2009 World Series match-up of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox a closely watched event. But, hold it! We're not even at the All-Star break and I'm predicting the Series?

You May Do Better Without a Literary Agent!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Book-Marketing] I pitch and sell my own books, audios and videos. Among my 12 published books are best-sellers that have sold hundreds-of thousands of copies. Having worked through agents and on my own, I prefer to represent myself. It is more efficient and more effective. Literary agents are like real estate folks--and equally skilled, which you may find very disappointing, says this best-selling author, top keynote speaker, and celebrated negotiation consultant.

Conquering Call Screening - If You're Credible, You'll Get Through
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Two of the most grueling aspects of prospecting for business and selling by telephone are: (1) Identifying current decision makers, and (2) Being put through to them or to their voice mail. These challenges require you to solicit the assistance of the screener to be provided intelligence about who buys what, and to be ushered to that person.

The Best Way to Counter Dirty Tricks in Negotiation
[Business:Negotiation] I've been negotiating contracts as an entrepreneur and lawyer for more than 20 years and I've found one of the greatest challenges we face in making deals is countering the "dirty tricks" others try to pull on us. I catalog more than 101 good and bad techniques in my university and corporate classes. Dirty tricks range from purposely missing deadlines, to crying poormouth, to outright lying about pertinent details such as prices. What can we deploy as countermeasures, without falling into the ethical trap of using deceptive and underhanded tactics, ourselves?

Regarding Your Inquiry - I Can Help, But You'll Need to Pay!
[Business] People who charge us for their services do us the very important favor of getting us more involved in putting those services to work. They motivate us to get down to business. By the same token, those that give away their knowledge and advice and skills aren't doing us any favors. They're reinforcing our tendency to remain tourists on the road to self-improvement, content to dither, to stray, and to go home before the entire tour has concluded...

Never Underestimate the Power of Great Speeches!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Public-Speaking] If you have ever wondered about the power of oratory, or thought its impact has been blunted somehow in the age of mass media sound bites and Internet twitters, I suggest you pay closer attention to recent dramatic events on the world stage. Specifically, two critical changes occurred in the Middle East immediately following President Obama's speech, delivered in Egypt. Moderates unexpectedly defeated Hezbollah in a democratic election in Lebanon, and Iran's election has been hotly contested through recurring, massive public protests, says this top negotiation and sales speaker, celebrated consultant, and best-selling author.

Negotiate Reconsideration If Your Job Application is Unfairly Rejected!
[Business:Negotiation] At first, Derek was shocked, then flummoxed, then outraged, and finally energized. An email stated his application had been rejected for a teaching position because he "failed to meet minimum qualifications" for the post. That was a hoot. His credentials so surpassed the minimal requirements that they probably put to shame 99% of other applicants. Clearly, something was wrong, and Derek suspected cronyism and bias were to blame. He knew it was up to him to negotiate a reconsideration of his application, says this celebrated negotiation consultant, top speaker, and attorney.

See My Name Often Enough and You'll Find Me Credible!
[Business:Branding] Free publicity is a wondrous thing, and just as it helped me to launch a very successful training and consulting business that prospered for decades, it can help you to establish yourself in any occupation or business. But there is one precept you must embrace; pardon my authoritarianism: Through sheer repetition, you will make a name for yourself and for your brand.

Are You Sure You Are a Writer?
[Writing-and-Speaking] As I see it, very few people "write" for a living. If they're novelists, they're entertainers. They entertain, for a living. Most novels are read for pure enjoyment, for pleasure. Readers don't purchase words, per se, or seek to make a donation to needy, deserving, authors. Book buyers are after the feelings, imagery, and transcendence that novels and their authors facilitate. How-to and self-help books are purchased, mainly, to promote personal change. Readers are shopping for enhanced abilities and a freshened outlook. The writers that serve them are change-agents, coaches, counselors, teachers, and advisers. Their assistance occurs through the written word, but to say they are primarily "writers" is to mistake their medium for the message, says this celebrated consultant, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Quantity Over Quality - How One of the Internet's Worst Writers Became One of the Best!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] "John" is one of the most prolific writers on the web. His many thousands of articles appear in 250,000 ezines and web publications, by my estimate. From what I can surmise, he has had little formal education, perhaps benefiting from only a high school level of English language training. When I first read his pieces, his lack of schooling in writing was obvious. Errors abounded, and his contributions were shallow. But then, over time, something rather incredible happened. He improved, dramatically. His articles were easier to read, and his thinking was deeper. He transformed himself into a capable journalist, over the course of three years and thousands of creations. Her's how he did it, according to this top keynote speaker, best-selling author, and celebrated consultant.

Writers - Turn Waste Into Treasure & You'll Be Well Paid
[Writing-and-Speaking] Recently, a number of blogs have fixated on the subject of compensating writers for their work products. Some people argue that pay and performance should go hand in hand. If you are a true pro, you'll receive money for your ministrations, wampum for your writing.

Seven Crucial Elements of Customer Satisfaction
[Business:Customer-Service] I received a very polite inquiry from India this morning. It read: Can you please tell me exactly, "What is customer Satisfaction?" My first impulse was to suggest reading my book. But after a few seconds, it occurred to me this is a genuine question that is foundational.

By July the Giants May Be Breathing Down the Dodgers' Necks!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Like a long distance runner that is trailing the leader by a sizable but shrinking margin, the San Francisco Giants are poised to make a move on the men in blue, the LA Dodgers, before this year's All Star break. What tells me this? Despite the Dodgers winning ways, the Giants haven't folded. At one point ten or so games back, they are a mere seven decisions behind, now.

Beware of the Collateral Damage of Career Choices
[Business:Career-Advice] On the whole, I'm very happy with the occupational life I have led, though it has been fraught with ups and downs, plenty of uncertainty, and an ongoing, vexing lack of security. When I read about people that have chosen other professions, especially stressful ones I've been associated with indirectly or briefly, I breathe a sigh of relief and feel at least a tingle of gratitude, says this celebrated consultant, top speaker, and popular TV and radio commentator.

Is Workplace Stress Negotiable?
[Business:Negotiation] It is helpful to know that effective negotiation goes well beyond the subject of money. It affects nearly everything, including things that are worth much more, including workplace stress, says this celebrated consultant, top speaker, and best-selling author.

Are Editors the Doomed Secretaries of Literature?
[Business:Careers-Employment] Now that amateur journalists have blogs, and aspiring novelists have e-books, the corner copy shop, and printing on demand, what is to become of editors? Aren't they the go-betweens, the doomed sentries and secretaries of literature?

Take it From Mark Twain - Writing & Wealth Go Hand in Hand!
[Writing-and-Speaking] For anyone that cons himself into believing that writing and wealth are mutually exclusive pursuits, I recommend a revelatory economic biography of Mark Twain. Written by Peter Krass, "Ignorance, Confidence, and Filthy Rich Friends: The Business Adventures of Mark Twain, Chronic Speculator and Entrepreneur" captures the exploits of a high roller, who also happened to make an indelible contribution to world literature.

Sales - If You Can't Close Them at Least Learn From Them!
[Business:Sales] Whenever we don't convert a lead into a sale, there are at least two opportunities we lose: (1) Obviously, we fail to earn the revenue, profits and other benefits that accrue from adding an account to the books; and (2) Typically, we fail to learn WHY we didn't convert, which means, unfortunately, we may be doomed to repeating our mistakes over and over, without end. Which failing is more significant? I believe it is #2, says this celebrated consultant, best-selling author, and top negotiation and motivational speaker.

Could the Era of FREE Be Coming to an End?
[Writing-and-Speaking] It is a very heartening moment. A writer mentioned he is going to be publishing a journal featuring fiction and poetry. He invited submissions, making this announcement in an online blog for writers and editors. Apart from the many congratulations and best wishes he evoked, his announcement was greeted with the same question, nuanced various ways: "How much are you going to pay?" His reply: "Uh, well, I'm not going to pay anything." (He couched it a little more eloquently, but it was the same admission, nonetheless.) What raises my spirits, so?

Would You Pay to Search Google?
[Business] Recently, I delivered a keynote address to a conclave of graduate students and alumni at the Annenberg School For Communication, at USC. Among other things, I railed against the new marketing that insists that publications should be free, as the New York Times and several big city newspapers are, now, online. (I know. Advertising is supposed to pay the freight, but will it? I have my doubts.) I chatted after my prepared remarks with an administrator. She brought up a very interesting question: "If you had to pay for Google searches, would you do so?"

Five Clicks Reveal a Best-In-Class Leader is Aboard
[Business:Management] Scan my articles and you'll see I am an ardent baseball fan, and a former player with a highlight reel emblazoned in my memory. So, I'm especially attuned to noting the impacts changes in team leadership can have on a club, starting with ownership and moving down to the general manager, managerial, and coaching levels. Typically, I've noticed that when a "best in class" leader is introduced and given broad latitude to do-his-or-her-thing, the franchise quickly ascends into a golden era. We're witnessing that with the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers, under skipper Joe Torre, says this celebrated consultant, international keynote speaker, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Sizzling Sales Contests Offer Three Prizes
[Business:Sales-Management] The good news about conventional sales contests is that there is a big winner, and generally, that person is very, very happy. The bad news is that everyone else is a loser.

Writers Take Note - Activity Does Not Equal Results!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] "Do writers need a web presence?" If being on the web advances your career, enabling you to showcase your wares, or if it enhances your credibility, then fine. Providing you do not invest a fortune establishing or maintaining that web presence, you're in good shape, ahead of the game. But if you-serve-your-site, as in the tail wagging the dog; if you're working too hard for that "presence," and most important, if that effort is not getting you big results, then it is wasted activity.

We're Alive & That's Perfectly Good Enough!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] I was gazing at the pre-summer sunlight, streaming through the window at such an angle and intensity, as to make everything in its path appear beautiful. In a rush of pleasure, I noticed anything you're doing, anywhere you are, can give you a great chance to appreciate the magnificence that surrounds you, or that is, you.

The Next Stop May Not Be Mannywood
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Manny Ramirez isn't a train wreck. When he's on track, hitting baseballs out of the park, spreading sunshine with his cheery disposition, he's as refreshing as Amtrak's Surfliner, careening along the Pacific Ocean, so close and effortlessly, you think you can touch the sand. Pundits and sour Boston fans predicted this fellow would break hearts and let the team down. Were they right? Yes and no, says this celebrated consultant, top sales and motivational speaker, and popular radio and TV commentator.

If I Can Make it Now, I'll Make It, Anyhow!
[Self-Improvement:Success] They play it at Yankee games. They play it in Times Square on New Year's Eve. But as far as I'm concerned they don't play it enough-Frank Sinatra's recording of "New York, New York." This rousing tune contains one of the greatest lyrical accompaniments you can find, if you're looking for inspiration. "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere!" This message resonates far beyond the lights of Broadway and the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. In this challenging economy, where your skills, savvy, and grit are tested daily, wherever you look, you're in the New York of Sinatra's song--a tough place, but rewarding, providing you summon the right mix of smarts and gumption.

Manny Who?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the hottest team in baseball for much of the season, which is at this point, about one-third concluded. They have the best win-loss percentage in the majors, and they are outscoring opponents consistently.

Five Great Reasons to Continue Marketing During Tough Times!
[Business:Marketing] In a recent Internet blog, one person asked a truly important question that I'd like to address, here: "Does it make sense to continue marketing during a recession?" There are 5 great reasons to continue marketing during a downturn, says this celebrated consultant, top sales & motivational speaker, and best-selling author.

Let's Invite the IRS to End This Free Giveaway Madness!
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] A profit is necessary to assure that businesses will survive and thrive. If we get into the habit of working for free, it upsets the applecart of the marketplace. Yet, that is what is happening. Handouts are being asked for and being delivered across the economy, especially by knowledge workers. Hundreds of people email me every nibbling for free advice. And that number is multiplying. There needs to be a stop placed on the endless buffet that is available on the web, especially through search engines. Finally, I have figured out how to do it.

Imagine This - You're Bill Gates & Just Starting Out
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] I just read about a plug-in mini-computer the size of a lime. The manufacturer doesn't quite know what to do with it, but he assumes it will succeed. It runs the open Linux operating system, so millions of software engineers can develop applications without interference. You are Bill Gates, and you developed the best-selling "closed" operating system in the world: Windows. Your company, Microsoft, has just has its first losing quarter, and the open-system revolution, or evolution, depending on your viewpoint, is well underway. How do you compete against "free?"

Unfit Military Reporting in the Press
[News-and-Society:Military] On May 22, 2009, this headline appeared in The Christian Science Monitor: "Iraqi Army: almost one-quarter lacks minimum qualifications." I'm not sure, but I suspect this headline is calculated to concern American readers. But before we sound the alarm, let's tweak it.

How to Save on Eating Out - Leave an Accurate Tip!
[Business:Customer-Service] When it comes to tipping, says this celebrated customer service consultant, "I use the buck-a-mistake formula. If I ask for a diet coke, no ice, slice of lime, and I get ice and no citrus, that's a one or two-buck deduction, depending on how many mistakes you compute. A tardy meal, or one that arrives cold, or no utensils to eat with, each earn at least a one buck deduct.

How to Save on Eating Out - Bring a Toddler Or Two!
[Finance:Budgeting] Given a shrinking economy, it has become somewhat of a national passion to see how much we can cut out of our discretionary spending. A good place to start is looking at what and how we spend when dining away from home. There are five ways to save, big time. This article suggests you take advantage of the child's menu, says this top keynote speaker, celebrated customer service consultant, and best-selling author.

How to Save on Eating Out - Share a Meal!
[Finance:Budgeting] Given our shrinking the economy, it has become somewhat of a national passion to see how much we can cut out of our discretionary spending. A good place to start is looking at what and how we spend when dining away from home. There are five ways to save, big time. This article shows you how to save up to 50% of the overall tab, when you order, says this celebrated customer service consultant and best-selling author.

How to Save on Eating Out - Bring Your Own Bottle!
[Finance:Budgeting] Given a shrinking economy, it has become somewhat of a national passion to see how much we can cut out of our discretionary spending. A good place to start is looking at what and how we spend when dining away from home. There are five ways to save, big time. This article suggests you bring your own bottle of wine or spirits with you. Not only will you save money, but you'll probably bring in a better beverage than what you'll find on the menu, says this celebrated consultant, international convention speaker and best-selling author.

How to Save on Eating Out - Become an Early Diner!
[Finance:Budgeting] Given a shrinking economy, it has become somewhat of a national passion to see how much we can cut out of our discretionary spending. A good place to start is looking at what and how we spend when dining away from home. There are five ways to save, big time. This article suggests you take advantage of early-diner menus, which will not only save you a lot of money, but help you to effortlessly lose weight, advises this celebrated customer service consultant, best-selling author, and international convention speaker.

Beat Writer's Block by Getting Something, Anything Onto the Page!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Ray Bradbury said a real writer can write anything, and I'm starting to believe him. Your task could be crafting a technical manual, shaping a haiku, or composing a theme for an advertising campaign. If you are a writer, you can do it all, though you might have a special gift with a particular subset of scribing. No matter your forte, the essential thing every real writer knows is that you absolutely must BEGIN, somewhere, notes this celebrated consultant, best-selling author, and top motivational speaker.

Cure Writer's Block by Dashing Your Fear of Transparency
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] I'm noticing, in my own work a tendency toward deeper autobiography. I'm recalling tales from my childhood, such as that of the friend I knew that I later learned killed multiple people, in self-defense. Or the time I was assigned to remain after school in Detention, so ordered by a History teacher who was trying to keep me, to no avail as it turned out, from playing in a championship game with my basketball team. Are these stories necessary? Should I disclose them? Is there a danger in becoming too transparent to my readers? When I second-guess self-disclosures, something creepy happens, says this celebrated consultant, best-selling author, and top keynote speaker.

Cheney Inaugurates America's Loyal Opposition
[News-and-Society:Politics] In a speech before The American Enterprise Institute today, former Vice President Cheney defended the Bush administration's post 9-11 interrogation methods of suspected terrorists. By doing so, he set into motion a new dynamic for America, where past partisans will now freely and openly challenge their successors in the policy debates of the day. The presence of a vigorous "loyal opposition" has long been a feature of parliamentary politics, but it never took root in America. That may be about to change, especially if Mr. Cheney and former administration officials continue to weigh in on contemporary issues, notes this celebrated consultant, top keynote speaker, and best-selling author.

Rejection Gives You a Second Chance!
[Self-Improvement:Success] Several years ago I wrote a book that my editor bled all over with required revisions. She did such a hack job on the manuscript that I was faced with nothing less than having to rewrite the entire work. I didn't think the text was disappointing. In fact, I felt her criticism was unfair, was proceeding from an odd viewpoint, and even if I revised, I'd be faced with more red ink upon submitting the next version. So, I took my title and project, elsewhere. Along the way, I revised anyway, not based on her demands, but rather resulting from my instincts regarding what would make a more satisfying read. In short order, I found a better, more prestigious publisher that more than doubled my advance, and that book flew through the editorial process as I expected it would, as had all of my other books, with various big-time publishers, across more than a dozen years of writing. The initial editor was furious upon seeing my book in print, recalls this celebrated consultant, prolific author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Nothing is Lost Until We Say it Is!
[Self-Improvement:Success] I pedaled my bike faster than ever, so tirelessly, up and down hills, mile after mile, through stop signs, past cars. Nothing could or would get in my way. I was headed to a basketball game, and I was late.

Free is a Very Expensive Word!
[Business:Sales] I have earned a living for many years based on offering information at a price. As college professor, granted, I undersold the value of what I knew, but there have been other times, say as a keynote speaker, where I have been handsomely rewarded for content. But now, gluttons are coming to me on a daily basis, asking for a free nibble of what I know. This puts me into an odd situation, says this celebrated consultant, top sales speaker, and best-selling author.

The Secret to Achieving Customer Loyalty
[Business:Customer-Service] You've heard it, read about it, and discussed it to a point of exhaustion if you're in business. How do we retain customers over the long haul, making them as profitable as possible, while stabilizing and growing our income streams? Moreover, how do we make customers less likely to bolt to a competitor, especially when our foe is offering an irresistibly low price? The secret to achieving customer loyalty is contained in how we frame our questions, and especially in noting how our questions are backfiring. If you examine the queries I inscribed above, what term is repeated in each one, a word that we utterly take for granted?

Did Your Teachers Contribute to Your Writer's Block?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] I suspect there are two kinds of writers: (1) Those that were schooled by language teachers, and (2) Those that were schooled despite language teachers. I'm a teacher, so I would not minimize their importance. They are so crucial to our development that having bad ones is a special curse. Happily, many recover. For instance, I know a foreign born American whose English teacher in her native country predicted: "You'll never learn this language!" Nice comment, right? The student became fluent in English, thank you very much!

Exercise Your Way Out of Writer's Block!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] I get a lot of great ideas, and especially titles for books and articles, when I jog. Why this happens, I don't know. But it is a reliable enough occurrence, a strong enough correlation that I think there could be some causation involved, says this celebrated consultant, prolific author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Overcoming Speaker's and Writer's Block in Business
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] I was doing some consulting work for a division of Kraft Foods when I noticed something out of the ordinary. Everyone I interacted with was outgoing, well-spoken, and dynamic. Maybe this division spiked the barbecue sauce we were promoting with some secret ingredient that made all aboard hale and hearty, effusive extroverts. I should have asked what their secret was, because when we electrified New York City after work, you never saw anything like this band of merrymakers, who by day, at will, wore convincing Clark Kent and Lois Lane disguises. Comparatively, most folks I encounter in business are wallflowers.

Businesspeople Suffer the Most From Writer's Block
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] When we conjure the image of someone plagued by writer's block, usually a literary person comes to mind, someone who is otherwise adept at putting paws to the keyboard, or ink to a page. My experience in business, as a sales manager, management consultant, entrepreneur and publisher, tells me this stereotype, while somewhat accurate, only reveals part of the story. Most sufferers of writer's block don't know they're blocked. Partly, this is the case because they don't define themselves as writers. They're businesspeople, says this celebrated consultant, prolific author, and popular TV and radio commentator.

Branding - Is Truth in Photography a Necessity?
[Business:Branding] I just replaced my photograph at various web sites with a shot that was taken last Saturday, at the graduation ceremony at the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University. I began to think about people I have encountered in business whose photos are dramatically out of date. For some reason, real estate agents seem to keep their "oldies but goodies" on business cards and literature, long after their "use-by" dates. One agent comes to mind. Her headshot had to have been taken 30 years before we met. She looks just fine, today, and she is one of the nicest folks you'd want to meet.

Procrastination - I Don't Want to Do it and I Can't Make Me!
[Self-Improvement:Motivation] Can you put a car's transmission into a forward gear and into reverse, simultaneously? Not without dropping it right there, on the street, as I did once in North Hollywood, California. Literally, before becoming immobilized, I recall thinking two conflicting thoughts at the same time. The transmission simply acted out what was paralyzing me, professionally, at that exact moment.

Overcome Writer's Block by Embracing Uncertainty
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] My first editor at Prentice-Hall sought me out. Having noticed I was doing successful seminars around the country, he pursued me and sold me on writing my first books for his firm. With his unequivocal support, I produced six books in five years. Four went on to become bestsellers and book club selections. Hundreds of thousands of copies were purchased. No matter what I proposed, I felt my editor would give it a green light, freeing me to focus on writing, while his publishing firm did the rest. That was a beautiful relationship! But all things change, recalls this top motivational speaker, celebrated consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Writer's Block - If You Stop They Win!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] You've heard the expression, "The only way to avoid criticism is to do nothing!" I'm not so sure that sloth will avoid rebuke, either, but there is truth in the idea that people stop doing things because they fear criticism. This is one of the major reasons writers stop writing. They block themselves from doing the very thing they want to do because they fear their output, or they, personally, will be rejected. Guess, what? Rejection goes with the territory. If you wish to become accomplished in anything, get used to it...

Beat Writer's Block by Admiring Your Work
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Let me share a wonderful experience with you. I was browsing in a bookstore when I spotted a lady perusing business books. "Wouldn't it be nice if she picked up one of mine?" I thought. Within moments, she did just that, picking up two different titles. "Please, buy them!" was my next thought, not so much for the small royalties that would trickle back to me, but for the thrill of seeing a real reader, "in the wild," doing what readers do. Slowly, she mad her way to the cash register. "Don't turn back!" I'm pleading, silently. Without further ado, she rang them up and departed with them in a nicely creased bag..

And So? Is a Great Way to Avoid Writer's Block
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] There is a wise tale appended to the Tao, an ancient book of Chinese wisdom attributed to the sage, Lao Tzu. (If it seems familiar, a version of this story also happens to be repeated by a character in the recent film, "Charlie Wilson's War.")

Like Depression, Writer's Block is Deeply Known Only to Sufferers
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] I posted an article dealing with some aspect of writer's block, that peculiar inability to put paws to the keyboard and pen to paper. One reader, a fellow writer, wrote me a personal note of protest "Writer's block doesn't exist!" he asserts. What he didn't say, which should be appended to his statement is: "for me." Writer's block doesn't exist for him. And that could very well be possible. He may be one of I would think many folks that has never hesitated to express his opinions, craft a memo, inscribe an academic tome, or to play with the language, at will, simply for the joy of it...

Overcoming Writer's Block by Looking the Part
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Bette Midler once noted that she could play any dramatic or comedic role providing she had the right shoes. Actors can work both ways in developing character: Inside-out or outside-in, as Midler does, so why can't writers do the same thing? I can imagine dressing-for-success as yet another way to end a writer's block...

The Three C's of Great Business Writing
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Wouldn't you agree that business writing has exploded during the past decade? Who doesn't spend a significant amount of time sending and receiving emails? Web sites depend on the written word. Graphics are secondary to the all important textual messages businesses are trying to get across. Memos, advertising, press releases, training and employee manuals, performance appraisals, and other documents all need to be composed and read. With these tasks in mind you can see when you add all of today's opportunities to communicate through the written word, they are multiplying rapidly. It makes sense to improve one's capabilities in every significant way.

To Stay Positive, Choose One Great Affirmation & Stick With It!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] I've been doing a little experiment. Whenever a negative thought creeps into my mind, I utter Emile Coue's famous affirmation aloud, or silently: "Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better!" So far, I'm getting great results, whether I do this upon awakening in the morning from an unpleasant dream, or when any "can't do" thought enters my consciousness. Instantly, the offending perception vanishes, and I feel at ease and refreshed, notes this top motivational speaker, success consultant, and self-help author.

The Secret to Better Writing & Speaking
[Writing-and-Speaking] One of the very best communication classes I ever took in college was with an instructor that had a good academic background from Stanford, but more important, he was one of Dale Carnegie's initial cohort of trainers. A member of and past president of Toastmasters International, Sheldon Hayden loved to speak, and I'm sure he was most gratified by the adoration he received from pleased-as-punch audiences. One of the secrets to his success as a speech teacher was the fact that at each class, every student had to deliver at least one brief talk, this top keynote speaker recalls.

Writer's Block - The Sword of Disapproval
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] As a toddler, I'd scribble with a very serious intent and then suddenly whisk my document to my mom, for her appraisal. "Ah," she'd say. "Very nice".

Every Day in Every Way Your Writing Gets Better and Better!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] I'm making what I consider a deep inquiry into the sources of and cures for, writer's block. I'm examining it from various viewpoints:

Insights Into Writer's Block - The Role of Self-Importance
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Belonging as I do to a number of online writing groups, I'm always surprised to find how much of a scourge writer's block is to so many people. To me, the solution is simple: However poorly you must do it, simply put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. Compose something, even if you're convinced it has no merit.

Procrastination Isn't Your Fault Alone!
[Self-Improvement:Time-Management] Anticipating long delays, who among us is eager to book that next appointment, irrespective of how ill he or she is? Let's say you do schedule a visit, when the time arrives, are you going to procrastinate a little before you trek over to the medical suite? You have to be thinking, "Heck, he's going to make me wait, anyway, so what good is it to be on time?"

Thank You Mr Commissioner For Making the Hall of Fame So Very Empty!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Maybe the new "position description" for Hall of Fame candidates should bear the inscription, "Flawed people need not apply." I suggest we go one step beyond that. Let's empty the Hall, by digging up all the dirt we can on its current inductees, and then by retroactively punishing them for their alleged or proven frailties and misdeeds, suggests this top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Peter F Drucker - Reconsidered
[Business:Management] I don't have to tell you that the late Peter F. Drucker is still one of the most revered names in management circles. Shortly, those of us that studied with him directly, and the business school named in his honor at Claremont Graduate University, will celebrate his centennial, the 100th anniversary of his birth. This presents an opportunity to refresh some of his most profound insights as well as to reappraise and reconsider some of the areas in which people have misunderstood his concepts, or have simply taken them too far.

Again & Again Werth Proves His Worth to the Dodgers
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Jason Werth of the Phillies stole his way around the base paths last night, scoring one of the game winning runs against the Dodgers I want to get this right, for the record. Werth was with the Dodgers a couple of seasons ago, correct? And they traded this guy, a young player with an entire career ahead of him. And the same Jason Werth is the fellow that plagued the Dodgers in the League Championship series of 2008, sending the boys in blue packing for the year.

Start-Ups Need to Offer Exceedingly Generous Sales Commission Plans
[Business:Sales] If you're a start-up, you'll need to offer an exceedingly generous commission plan to your salespeople. But only if you really want big sales, and a lot of them, says this top consultant, sought after keynote speaker, and popular radio and TV expert commentator.

A Martial Artist's View of "No Country For Old Men"
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Movies-TV] The 2007 Academy Award for Best Motion Picture went to a Coen Brothers film, "No Country For Old Men." I just saw it on DVD, and it is the first film in a long time that I care to comment on from a martial artist's perspective. Javier Bardim portrays a man that is incessantly referred as, "pure evil" in movie reviews. I beg to differ.

College - It's About the Ideas, Stupid!
[Reference-and-Education:College-University] It's so easy to get swept up in the anti-college debates of the day: Should tenure be abolished? Are the liberal arts necessary? And at the top of the list, causing the most hand-wringing: What can we do to tamp down the rising costs of a college education? Let's remind ourselves of the reason we attend, in the first place. If your answer is "To qualify for a job," you're off base...

Why Do We Build-Up & Then Tear-Down Our Heroes?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] I read somewhere that people with great strengths also have great weaknesses. One comes with the other, and on the threshold of their greatest accomplishments, or shortly thereafter, the weaknesses become quite prominent. Heroes, people that can do no wrong, suddenly fall from grace, shaming themselves and their cohorts. This is such a fable, so much of a commonplace throughout human history, that it seems all the more mysterious not that it happens, but that we mere mortals who observe it in our time are so surprised and so disappointed by its recurrence.

Two Faces of Grief - The 2009 Angels & Dodgers
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The Los Angeles Angels lost one of their rookie pitchers in a tragic car crash as the 2009 season just got underway. Understandably, teammates were shaken by this experience, and they played below their capabilities, sinking quickly to the bottom of their division. The Los Angeles Dodgers just lost their marquis hitter, Manny Ramirez, for fifty games due to his suspension for failing a drug test. His team quickly surrendered their next two games in a row, snapping a record setting series of 13 wins at home to start the 2009 campaign.

Manny's Worst Punishment is Yet to Come
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There's all this talk in the press about Manny Ramirez's punishment for testing positive for drugs. He'll lose fifty games during which he could homer aplenty and set personal records. He'll forego about $7 million in salary. And he'll make the "Wait and see!" pundits in Boston and elsewhere cackle with joy over their prediction that his feet would slide in due time, as Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards might have predicted it, centuries earlier. But that's not the worst of it. The greatest punishment for Manny, whose dreadlocks glow in the Chavez Ravine spotlight, could be irrelevance.

Write an Owner's Manual For Yourself
[Self-Improvement:Success] Try writing an owner's manual for yourself. Focus on what you need to stay in top form. You may find a few surprises in there, predicts this top motivational speaker, best-selling author, and high-performance consultant.

Five Common Obstacles Between You and Your Dreams
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] If anyone deserves the great things in life, it's you. Go get them, if you don't have them. If you do, appreciate them to the max, says this top motivational speaker, best-selling author, and popular TV and radio commentator.

Got a Great Idea? Put it Out There, NOW!
[Self-Improvement:Success] I've always had a secretive side. I remember taking one of my former associates to lunch in my new Mercedes sports convertible, a few years after graduation. "Where did all this come from?" he asked in true awe and admiration. I explained my concept for a consulting business, which was almost an overnight hit, bringing me best-selling book contracts and lucrative speaking gigs. My consulting field was something that I sat on, like a long-gestating egg, during my doctoral studies.

Without Manny the Dodgers Are Still a Great Bet
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Over the next two to three months, the Los Angeles Dodgers get a chance to show that they are a true team, that they aren't dependent on any given player, even if he is one of baseball's most celebrated and highly-paid. They're losing slugger Manny Ramirez for the next 50 games, because he failed to pass a drug test. Having won every home game so far this year-a record 13 straight-and leading MLB in the win column, you have to wonder if the Blue Crew will even miss Manny, at all, says this top motivational speaker, negotiation consultant, and best-selling author.

The Day Credibility Workers Lost Credibility
[Business:Consulting] My oft-quoted professor, the late Peter F. Drucker, popularized the phrase "knowledge workers" to define that subset of the service economy's participants, those of us that labor with ideas, instead of bending sheet metal or pasta noodles to our will. But there is even a narrower guild of toilers to which I belong: "credibility workers, and on a particular day in late 2008, we lost our credibility, says this top consultant, sought after speaker, and best-selling author.

Geniuses Commit to the Law of Large Numbers!
[Self-Improvement:Success] There is a stereotype of the prototypical genius. He is a typically snotty and snobbish sort, above the fray, choosing to indulge his gift as he sees fit without any excessive pain or strain. While the rest of humanity toils away seeking mere competence, the genius never has to log long hours, or rappel grueling learning curves. Well, that image is about to be shattered, according to New York Times columnist, David Brooks. Citing newly published books, Brooks maintains that geniuses toil relentlessly...

Five Reasons Writers Block Themselves
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] It seems to me there are five reasons writers choose to block themselves: You have nothing to say. You're timid about saying what you want to say. You feel you've said it before; and said it better. You've been shamed by someone who has less talent, yet the criticism is sticking to you like an egg on car's fake chrome. You're afraid to see how bad your writing really is. So what? Let's take these in order...

There Has to Be a Better Way!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Especially in daunting economic times, you need a catch-phrase or an affirmation that can help you to chug-chug along toward optimism. There are several choices, some of which have been memorialized in song. The Beatles tune, "It's Getting Better All the Time" is one such phrase. Perhaps the Fab-Four took their cue from that immortal saying coined about sixty years earlier by psychologist, Emile Coue: "Every Day In Every Way I'm Getting Better & Better." These are dandy and certainly helpful, but I came across a line today, uttered by a contemporary inventor, Mr. Fuchs. He was asked why, in his 80's, he is so committed to innovating: "The thing is," he told a New York Times writer, "There has to be a better way!" Keep this in mind the next time you're facing one of life's biggest challenges, advises this top consultant, best-selling author, and popular TV and radio commentator.

True Champs Solve the Paradox of Caring
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Right now, economists are debating what is termed, "The Paradox of Thrift." It means when consumers save a good proportion of their pay, deferring purchases, this makes available cheap capital. That in turn stimulates investment and job growth and prosperity.

How Much is Dodgers' Skipper Joe Torre Worth?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Unbeaten at home, the Los Angeles Dodgers have improved to an impressive 17-8, a great start to the 2009 MLB campaign. The last two victories have been especially sweet. The Blue Crew prevailed by just one run in each, pulling out the wins in the late or extra innings. Not to take a thing from the players, I see this fine start as a tribute to the prowess of skipper Joe Torre. Since he came aboard, I've always speculated that his stewardship was worth at least five extra wins over the course of a 162 game season. That's just a bit more than a 3% edge from April to October, but it's enough to to be a major headache to the opposition, says this internationally sought after motivational speaker and TV and radio commentator.

5 Ways to Get Up on Yourself
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] I was just shaving, and for a fleeting second I saw my father's visage in the mirror. He was happy, which was his general state of being. No matter how tough life got, and believe me, he had his share of trials, he stayed positive. Most important, he always seemed to like that fellow that greeted him in the mirror. Dad shared some of his secrets with me, and I'll pass them along to you. I find them helpful and I hope you will, too, says this top motivational speaker, success consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Five Great Reasons to Procrastinate!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Procrastination gets a bad rap. Nearly every book and article on the topic treats it as if it is a scourge. But is there a silver lining to be found in putting things off? Actually, there are at least five great reasons to postpone certain tasks, says this coveted keynote speaker, best-selling author, and popular media commentator.

Does Bill Murray Own Or Rent and Does it Matter?
[Real-Estate] I was watching a soundless clip from a new movie by enigmatic director, Jim Jarmusch. Bill Murray sits in a cement bunker-like office, the only ornament in view a wigged skull propped on his otherwise nondescript desk. As Murray dials the phone, I wonder: "Does he own or rent this place?"

Loyalty is Precious, So Why is Tenure Under Attack?
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] When Dr. Natalie phoned the department chair about the vacant business instructor position, she mentioned, among other classes, she could teach Business Law. "We already have two excellent part-timers doing that," the departmental head replied. "So, I wouldn't feature that prominently in your cover letter," he went on to advise. This was why she called, instead of relying only on the posted position description. She needed a better feeling for what the job entailed and she figured the chairperson could give her a heads-up; which he did. Still, her competitive juices coursed through her veins...

Consumer Tip - Use Those Frequent Flyer Miles Now!
[Travel-and-Leisure:Airline-Travel] The Swine Flu is going to take its toll on the airlines just as the busiest travel season gets underway. Not to say I have a computer model that says this bug is going to become more virulent. We're all praying this scourge abates, and quickly.

Is Your Coach Ready For Your 15 Minutes of Fame?
[Self-Improvement:Coaching] All of us have moments during which we can seize a chance to shine, to get ahead, and to even get rich. What we're missing is the right preparation and the best helpers to take advantage of these moments. I was offered a lucrative deal to do a video training film, to be distributed by a famous media company. It would have been a first for me, operating on a major "stage," with worldwide distribution. I selected the wrong attorney to represent me in contact negotiations. While he was an intellectual property lawyer, specializing in copyrights and trademarks, he wasn't an entertainment lawyer. By the time this became apparent, the damage was irrevocably done. Seizing an obscure part of the tendered contact as a point of contention, he scared away the deal, much to my financial and career-building chagrin.

Have Some Somalis Seen Too Many "Pirates of the Caribbean" Movies?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] Do you suspect some Somalis have simply seen too many "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies? Are they choosing piracy because it promises glamor, and loads of laughs on top of material treasures? Before you dismiss my question as utter lunacy, consider this. Art imitates life, but life also imitates art.

Quick! Who Invented Coca-Cola?
[Business:Branding] When you're branding a product, it is essential to ask whether promoting your name along with what you're selling is necessary, or even desirable. For example, Polo is a brand name used for a certain clothing line and auxiliary items created by Ralph Lauren. When Polo was first on the market, Mr. Lauren's name was invisible. Instead, the logo that appeared on the front of every Polo shirt, depicting a polo player, was sufficient to carry the brand identity forward, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and internationally sought after consultant.

Confronting the Petty Tyrants in Everyday Life
[Self-Improvement:Personal-Growth] Petty tyrants exist, people that can upset one's peace and tranquility, on the job, at home, on airplanes, in restaurants, in fact, anywhere. They induce needless fear, anxiety, and stress. What can we do about them? Is there any way to fight back?

Should You Be Worried That Intellectual Property is Under Siege?
[Legal:Intellectual-Property] Just this week, an article ran in The New York Times that shed light on the burgeoning knock-off trade in cell phones that is taking place in China. For a fraction of Apple's iPhone, you can buy a Hi-Phone, with much of the functionality of the original. A Hi-Phone will cost you $39.95. An iPhone can cost ten or more times that price. Forgetting for the moment that imitation phones might explode in your ear, you have to admit, for the average person, a rip-off is a hard temptation to resist. How can Apple compete against such counterfeits?

Did You Take Your OPTIMISM Pill Today?
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] What if you could access OPTIMISM pills? Would you take them to achieve more in your daily life?

Selling Tips - The Best Training is the Game Itself
[Business:Sales] I'd like to make the same point about selling. By making presentations to "live" prospects you learn how to make better presentations to "live" prospects. Everything else is secondary, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and international radio and TV commentator.

Was it Self-Defense?
[News-and-Society:Crime] I went to school with a tank of a young man. He played football and wrestled, and he was my pal. Fairly quiet, he was a great audience, laughing easily, especially at jokes that had a tone of menace to them. To those that didn't know him, like a feral animal, he emitted something that made him a spirit to encounter only at a distance. Whatever that aura was, it had worn off by the time he graduated high school and became one of our town's entrenched homeless. I heard he had killed one of his ranks in a turf battle, another street-guy. When that news was delivered, the first thing that came to mind was his Cheshire grin, signaling he knew more than he'd ever tell, and no force on this earth could ever make him tell. That quality made him someone you could count on, the type of guy you wouldn't mind having in a foxhole next to you. Years passed, about a dozen, when I got a call from a mutual friend. He informed me that our killer had done it again. Same M/O-he stabbed and mortally wounded a homeless confederate.

What Do You Do?
[Business:Career-Advice] During a recent keynote speech at the Annenberg School For Communication at USC, I emphasized to a gathering of students and alumni that they should use great care when characterizing what they do for a living. For instance, if you label yourself a writer, in some circumstances you'll be lucky to be paid a dollar per word, upon publication. That's not bad if your articles are syndicated widely. But if they are not, you're seeking starvation wages. I mentioned one of my most successful "writings" is a conversational path that I penned a number of years ago. By my admittedly imprecise metric, it has been "performed" in more than a billion phone conversations...

A True Professional's Value is Priceless
[Business:Consulting] Mastercard's ads say a hot dog at a ballpark is $5 and a ticket near the field is $75, but seeing your kids having the time of their lives is "priceless." The same precept applies to hiring professionals, such as lawyers, accountants, and consultants. We might agree that the average urban professional charges somewhere between $150 and $350 per billable hour. But what is it that the best advisors deliver? The "priceless" part of their contribution can be summarized in a single word: Judgment, says this top speaker, management consultant, and attorney.

Train For the Fight of Your Life!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] The other night over dinner we had a bit of a family reunion. My relative wanted to catch up with my exploits, and there was one topic in which she seemed unusually interested: my martial arts training. Knowing I was a black belt, she insisted on hearing how last summer I stomped a rattlesnake to death on my backyard steps, just as it was threatening to strike. "We train for that," I remarked, dryly. "To kill snakes with your feet?" she teased. "Not exactly. To kill PEOPLE with our feet or hands or with whatever is convenient," I clarified, not amused by her levity.

Men Should Return to Their Strength - To Direct Selling!
[Business:Sales] Those that are trying to realize a direct return from an indirect medium, such as Linked In, Facebook, or Twitter, are kidding themselves. It simply won't work the same way as the phone, or direct mail, or direct response advertising in hustling products and services out the door. When men, especially, awaken to the fact that they have been wasting their time online seeking business indirectly, while eschewing their penchant for directness, they'll return to those media that enable them to operate from their strengths, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and international business development and client relations consultant.

Use Mental Math to Stick to Your Exercise Program!
[Health-and-Fitness] My arms want to work out a little. They're encouraging me to hop on my Soloflex machine. But that device is located in the guest bedroom, currently occupied. I'm also feeling a small inclination to jog, but it is unseasonably warm outside, probably hitting the mid-80's in a few minutes. Plus, jogging necessitates a clothes change, another shower, and possibly exhausting myself during the last third of a Spring flu that I'm cautiously navigating my way out of.

Google Me!
[Business:Sales] Increasingly, when I'm pitching people I invite them to "Google me." Why would I entice prospects to Google me, when by doing so, I am implicitly asking them to enter a space with limitless competitors? Isn't that about as dumb as sending out a proposal and attaching a stack of your rivals' ads, for reference? Crazy as it may seem, here are five very good reasons you might want to make the same challenge to your buyers, says this top keynote speaker, best-selling author, and popular expert guest on radio and TV.

How the Internet (Temporarily) Ruined the World of Selling
[Business:Sales] A few years ago, I started worrying that scoundrels had suddenly pirated the ship of sales and marketing. Reading print ads, listening to radio and watching TV, I noticed nearly every pitch concluded with the plea, "Visit our web site at such-and-such-dot-com." I had always been raised in the applied persuasive arts to go for the jugular. "The fastest path to a yes, is best!" goes the admonition.

That Oh-So Familiar Rarity-Digging Down For Something Extra!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] It is remarkable how often spurned ballplayers players burn their former teams with stunning reunions, how they dig down for that extra something that helps them to send everlasting messages into the hearts and minds of fans, team managements, and the record books. "Why can't we do the same?" wonders this top keynote speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV expert guest.

In a Shaky Economy Customer Retention Must Yield to Customer Acquisition
[Business:Customer-Service] You've read the startling statistic that is recited with astonishing frequency and variability: "It will cost your company "6 times less" or "10 times less" to keep an existing customer on the books than to acquire a new one. We might quibble with the precise numbers, but it would appear to be a bedrock truth that saving customers, or more to the point, not losing them, is worthwhile. By itself, that is a valid statement. But when customer retention initiatives are pitted against marketing and selling, trying to add accounts to the books, "I start to squirm." says this top management consultant, best-selling author, and international keynote speaker.

Summon the Courage to Cold Call!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] As a sales manager, you've heard the excuses time and again. "I hate cold calling!" and "I shouldn't have to cold call!" and "Cold calling wastes my time!" All of these are ruses. What's really happening is the speakers are gripped with fear. They're afraid to fail, so sound foolish, and to even try, says the author of the monster best-sellers, YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE!

Salespeople - Try the Road Less Traveled!
[Business:Sales] Poet Robert Frost took "The Road Less Traveled," and it made "all the difference." As a salesperson, perhaps you should, too. Increasingly, I'm entertaining the thesis that you'll earn more sales, faster, with less effort and rejection if you deliberately select a sales medium that your competitors don't use. But there's more.

Scripting - Do You Have Enough Monkeys For the Job?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I was conducting a seminar in Cleveland for sales managers and one of my attendees asked a loaded question: "When it comes to telephone scripting, can't we simply write our own and do just as well as we'd do with an expert's?" Another participant instantly retorted: "Sure you can, and if you put enough monkeys at keyboards sooner or later one of them will write WAR & PEACE!" That exchange ushered in a memorable teaching opportunity, because both commentators are somewhat correct, says this top trainer, best-selling author, and international convention and conference speaker.

I'm Cold Calling Right Now - Are You?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] There's quite a debate raging between article writers that are claiming their cold calling tips work best and others that contend cold calling wastes one's time. Who's right? Neither. How come? They're so busy stroking their keyboards that they don't have time to actually do what they're claiming to do.

Persistence is Good, PESTistence is Bad!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I was courting a company recently that specializes in lead tracking software. Reviewing its procedures for outbound selling, I came upon a curious edict: All of its own leads must be contacted at least 4 times. Why 4, not 3 or 2 or 26? On what evidence was this rule substantiated? I suspect someone at the firm, perhaps its founder, once earned a sale after three contacts were made. He rejoiced, and he promptly taught himself the wrong lesson...

Why Fly? Suffering Travelers Happily Ground Themselves
[Travel-and-Leisure:Airline-Travel] Do you recall your first airline trip? The roar of the engines, lifting off, doting flight attendants that sweetly asked your name and handed you some plastic clip-on wings? Who knew that was as good as commercial aviation would ever get?

Are All Home Runs Equally Beautiful?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Gary Sheffield just signed with the Mets. He is one home run shy of his 500th. He's playing in a new stadium, and he's 40. There is a remote possibility that he could sock a caroming shot in the alley and bag an inside the park homer. Would that be sweeter as launching a "no doubt about it" rocket into the stratosphere? Does the type of home run inform how we feel about it as players and fan?

Every Seller Should Be a Bit of an Actor Or Musician
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I understand there is a revival of the Broadway hit, "Hair" that is expected to be packing them in, this summer. But imagine going to this production and finding, contrary to the title that the entire cast appears with totally shorn heads and wearing overcoats. You'd be rightly confused, and very possibly disappointed. Or, if you saw the production on Friday night, recommended it to a cohort, who saw it on Saturday, yet the two presentations were 100% different. That would be odd, yes? We expect consistency in theater. After all, it's simply not the same play or musical if there is a radical script change. Scripts matter, in the theater and in selling.

Getting to No
[Business:Negotiation] There are some very decent negotiation books on the market. "Getting to Yes" is a stalwart, and "Getting Past No" is a sequel. But sometimes, with people that are especially dour, negative and taciturn, it pays to "Get to No," as a shortcut to negotiating your way to an ultimate yes, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and creator of the course, "Best Practices in Negotiation."

All Watched Over by Machines of Thrifty Entertainment
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Movies-TV] Next to my quaint suburban village, across bridges and channels stands a supermarket. When you enter, trumpets don't blare or drums roll. A smallish machine, the size of a jukebox, silently greets you. It invites you to participate in a subtle home entertainment revolution. This machine dispenses video DVD's for only a buck. Unless you enjoy paying four or five times as much at Blockbuster, where you cannot also purchase a bunch of bananas or a gallon of milk while you're there, this deal is nothing less than irresistible.

When Reps Are Scripted, Managers Must Be Scripted, Too!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] One of the biggest vacuums in an inside sales, customer service or technical support program is the absence of successful front line scripting. I've written at length and developed seminars and training programs emphasizing the need for calls paths in these functions. When they're well crafted, scripts elevate both efficiency and effectiveness. They save time, money, and effort, and build sales and customer satisfaction. I can't sing their praises, enough. But what I haven't weighed in on, outside of the programs I conduct on-site for managers is that THEY need to become scripted, as well, says this top sales, customer service, and technical support consultant and international trainer.

A Kindhearted Message of Toughness For Tough Times
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] I happened upon Robert Schuller's book a few minutes ago, Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! This yellowing paperback copy has been of service to me for years. Written in 1983, during America's last severe recession, it is perhaps more of an inspiration than ever, and I heartily commend it to you.

Beware of Negotiations That Limp Along
[Business:Negotiation] I am probably one of the few students of bargaining who takes an ultra-serious look at what occurs AFTER official negotiations have concluded. Specifically, I'm interested in what impact the negotiation PROCESS had on the participants, especially when they were dickering for human services, and the negotiations were stretched beyond the customary time limits.

The Billion Dollar Question - How Will Boras' Bluff Impact Sports Negotiations?
[Business:Negotiation] I've written quite a few articles about the protracted negotiations that recently concluded between superstar Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers. That story seems to have a happy ending, with Manny inking a two-year deal with the Blue Crew, cancelable after one, at the slugger's discretion. But what is perhaps even more significant than the substantial bucks the Dodgers committed to Manny, a reported $45 million, is a billion dollar question, notes this top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV expert commentator.

If They Didn't Want Manny, it Was a Great Way to Not Get Him!
[Business:Negotiation] You have to hand it to the Dodgers management. If they were prize fighters on the take, their nosedive would have looked just like a knockout. Not a trace of artifice, a genuine effort to walk away with the title.

A Failed Negotiation is Not the Worst Possible Outcome
[Business:Negotiation] Imagine negotiating to purchase a big airplane, like a Boeing jet. As negotiations conclude, a few feathers have been ruffled, but the metallic bird will still fly as it was designed to do, without hesitation. After all, that big jet doesn't have feelings that can be hurt, so it doesn't matter one whit that the bargaining got moderately contentious or acrimonious. But what if the jet were human and more than a little miffed?

From Dreadlocks to Deadlocks - Winning Strategies in the Manny Ramirez Negotiations
[Business:Negotiation] At long last, after several months of prolonged silences, news leaks, and bellyaching on the part of all parties, Manny Ramirez is once again a Dodger. What did we learn about negotiations from this protracted voyage with the Blue Crew? The clear point is this: Negotiation "basics" are still effective, and we benefit from knowing and using them, according to this top conference and convention speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV expert commentator.

Call Them All - You Never Know Who Will Say "Yes!"
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Call every name on your list. Don't skip any, especially those that you may not be able to pronounce. Reason: You never know who will say YES, according to this top professional speaker, best-selling author, and creator of the popular Nightingale-Conant audio seminar: THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Is Conventional Book Publishing Essential?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Publishing] Yesterday, returning from an urgent visit to the pediatrician's, we drove past one retail business after another. I quipped to myself, "Essential" or "Not Essential" as I read each business sign. "Tanning Salon" and "Cosmetic Dentistry" and "Wall Units" were in the latter category. (The Wall Unit biz--note for storing books?-- was already on the block. A second glance revealed a For Lease sign in the window...) As I motored past the storefronts, it was almost too easy to erase the inessential and marginal enterprises. I believe some industries are surviving based on sentiment, book publishing included.

Secrets of Natural Born Salespeople
[Business:Sales-Management] Who is your best salesperson? That is an easy question to answer. Simply consult the numbers, right? Here's a much harder yet more rewarding question: WHY is she or he your best seller? Specifically, what is it that your top salesperson does, that others don't do? Also, what is the wasted activity that he DOESN'T do that enables him to be especially effective? Answer these questions correctly, and the rewards are phenomenal. You can "clone" the strengths of your finest contributors, creating a team of up and coming superstars, says this top consultant, best-selling author, and international conference and convention speaker.

It's Not What You're Selling - It is How Important You Make It!
[Business:Sales] To a first class cellist, that instrument is the penultimate in grace and expressiveness. Although she might respect every other instrument, the cello is the most important in all of music-dom, at least to her.

5 Ways the Law of Large Numbers Can Help You to Succeed - At Anything!
[Self-Improvement:Success] When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And like the Energizer Bunny, they keep going, and going, and going, and going. They know that if they do an astonishing number of repetitions of nearly any constructive activity, they'll succeed. From bodybuilding to building wealth, The Law of Large Numbers promises these things: Do a lot, and you'll succeed.

Did Papelbon's "Cancer" Remarks Libel Manny Ramirez?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] When a couple of multimillionaire baseball players get into a tiff, they have lots of options for dueling it out. In the current Jonathan Papelbon-Manny Ramirez feud, the courts might be where the spat will land. Papelbon called Ramirez "a cancer" in a recent interview in Esquire magazine. He said: "It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that's exactly what was happening," in Boston, for whom Ramirez was playing at the time. "Once we saw that, we weren't afraid to get rid of him. It's like cancer. That's what he was. Cancer. He had to go." Are these words defamatory? Have they injured Ramirez' reputation? Has Papelbon's rant hurt Manny's reputation, earning power and career, making him a less desirable employee to the Dodgers and anyone else?

In a Dire Economy, Philosophers Suddenly Have the Edge
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Philosophy] There is an old quip that says if you're in a good marriage, you're happy. In a bad one, you become a philosopher. The same can be said for the economy. In a good one, you have a job, credit, and at least theoretically, cash to burn.

Is the Internet Destroying Knowledge Work?
[News-and-Society] From a consumer standpoint, the Internet has been an unqualified hit. It offers an endless buffet of entertainment and diversion. But ask yourself this, as a knowledge worker: Professionally speaking, are you better off today, poised for even greater success than you were 5 or 10 years ago?

In the Toughest Times, Who Should You Be Selling?
[Business:Sales] You can tell something about the temper of the times based on how people treat you if you're trying to sell something. In economic booms, as in a 1940's oddball comedy, tipsy from the bubbly, people are pleasantly evasive, tickling you with wry questions such as: "Would you be trying to SELL me something? But when the champagne turns flat, or disappears from the menu entirely, spirits deflate as well, and rejections can take on a punitive, desperate, sobering tone.

Extremism in the Pursuit of Clients is No Vice!
[Business:Sales] I just finished a consulting project for a firm that helps people to reduce their debt burdens, and when appropriate to use the full measure of the law to modify their mortgages, and when there is no viable alternative, it recommends relief through bankruptcy. Return to this sentence and point out the operative term, the action word that denotes the value this client of mine tenders.

The Manny Ramirez Story
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] My wife and I recently screened "Cinderella Man," an inspiring biopic about boxing champ, James J. Braddock. Braddock struggled during the Great Depression to keep heat in the apartment and food on the table. At one point, his sick kids were shuttled off to stay with relatives, so they wouldn't shiver to death or starve. So, what does "The Manny Ramirez Story" have to do with Braddock? Absolutely nothing; and that's the problem.

Reach Out to Sell Him in the Morning!
[Business:Sales] Today, in The New York Times, I read a piece that cited research about whether men and women make the same sorts of decisions. Among other things, that research said men make riskier decisions because they are driven more by testosterone than by their rational faculties. And the riskiest decisions men make are the ones that occur when their testosterone levels are the highest: In the morning.

Leverage Has Always Been a Way to Grow Rich Or to Live Like It!
[Finance:Wealth-Building] "Leverage," the concept of putting out relatively little money and controlling or developing assets worth much more, is being derided in the press. Debt is a bogeyman, the purported scourge that has contributed to the perilous condition of the world's economy. I find this a very interesting revision of sentiment, and I do not expect it to last for long.

Negotiation - The One-Bite-At-The-Apple Threat
[Business:Negotiation] The Dodgers and agent Scott Boras seem to be at an impasse. They are negotiating Manny Ramirez' 2009 major league baseball contract. The team has offered a two-year deal, while Manny's agent asserts it will take four or more to tango. Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti is trying to avoid what is called, "negotiating against oneself," but it may it may backfire, according to this international convention speaker, corporate consultant, and creator of the course, "Best Practices in Negotiation."

Negotiation and the Forget-You Response
[Business:Negotiation] Manny Ramirez is considered by a consensus of fans and sportswriters one of the best hitters in baseball, and unless he takes steroids or bets on games, he is expected to be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, when he hangs up his cleats. Having said that, why is it taking so long for this king of the batter's box to sign a rewarding contract for the 2009 season?

The Worst Telephone Script is No Script at All!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Why won't your sales, customer service, technical support, and professional associates willingly use scripts? By "scripts" I mean explicit conversational guides that pave the way to success.

Zero-Potential Prospects Are the Pits!
[Business:Sales] As a sales manager I used to walk to the front of our bullpen and make this announcement: "From now on, only call those people who are going to say YES!" Of course, it was a joke-sort of. Wouldn't it be great if we invested 100% of our time pursuing prospects with 100% potential? Talk about efficiency! That cannot happen, but we can do something nearly as canny.

No More Freebies - Negotiate With Prospects and Clients to Pay Something!
[Business:Negotiation] Call it positional negotiating, which has its detractors, but sometimes I admire and advocate using it. I believe being able to assert and to justify your prices is in keeping with another piece of sage advice: Never work for free, or give away your stock and trade.

Be Glad the Hard Times Are Upon Us!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] If you ever had a hard-driving athletic coach, these and other phrases will probably bring back memories and might even summon his screaming face back into view: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going!" "Show me someone who loses and laughs, and I'll show you a loser!" Vince Lombardi, legendary Green Bay Packers coach, said there's something in "good men" that loves a struggle.

When the Economy Falters, Selling Must Step-Up
[Business:Sales] One of my favorite professors, the much-quoted management sage, Peter F. Drucker, was fond of saying: "If you do a good enough job of marketing, selling becomes unnecessary." I've never been convinced that selling ever becomes completely unnecessary, though every businessperson has probably fostered a fantasy of how easy commercial life would be if selling became superfluous.

Loose Lips Lose Customers!
[Business:Customer-Service] Times are tough, and according to news reports, they're going to get tougher. Customers will be harder to find, and even harder to keep, with price-shopping becoming the norm on less costly goods and services. Business people need to learn to respond to pricing pressures and competition constructively, or they'll accelerate the demise of their firms.

McCourtonomics - Coming to a Professional Sports Team Near You!
[Business] Los Angeles Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt are smarty pants, but they should take a tip from colleges if they want to consistently field a championship team and keep raking in the profits. They purchased the Dodgers with leverage, meaning they invested very little of their own cash and took on a lot of debt to control the team. Using their know-how from a past biz, they raised the cost of parking and nearly everything else at the Stadium.

How Can We Stay Positive After Repeated Failures?
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Have you ever wondered what separates the winners from losers in life? It isn't that winners lose less often. Babe Ruth held a record for being struck out the most times as well as a record for hitting most home runs. You might say he was the biggest winner and the biggest loser, simultaneously. Obviously, to accomplish both, he couldn't let his euphoria become too extreme or his disappointments grow too severe. Like a warrior, he had to heal his wounds quickly, take victories in stride, and battle on. In a word, Ruth and all winners, world-beaters, record breakers, must become impeccable, says this best-selling author, top motivational speaker, and international TV and radio commentator.

Salespeople Should Negotiate the Biggest Guaranteed Salary They Can Get!
[Business:Negotiation] A mere 90 days ago, I published an article touting the glories of being paid on a straight commission basis, if you are a salesperson. But now, the world has changed, based on plummeting home values, worldwide recession, and a tanking stock market. Money is tight. Access to credit, by businesses and by individuals is being restricted by miserly lending practices. Even bailout funds, issued by the government and backed by taxpayers, are being hoarded.

Writer's Block is a Voluntary Disablement
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Recently, one of my readers asked me to elaborate on an idea I shared that maintains writer's block is a voluntary, self-induced condition. Here are the five points I made. If your output has diminished or stopped, I hope this material helps you to produce again.

An Open Letter to Ned Colletti Re - Negotiating Manny's Deal
[Business:Negotiation] (In a matter of days, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is expected to barter with Scott Boras, to retain the services of his client, Manny Ramirez.) Ned, if you really want Manny, you're going to need some creativity in your negotiation strategy. Here are a few tips from the textbooks, and beyond, according to this top negotiation speaker and consultant.

Do Happy Negotiators Make Better Negotiators?
[Business:Negotiation] People who know themselves, have clear and sound goals, and are fundamentally at ease, comfortable in their skin so to speak, make the best negotiators. This flies in the face of our stereotype of the best bargainers; those sly, slick, and secretive souls that we may expect to meet at car dealerships or at opposing tables in a courtroom, says this top negotiation consultant and professional keynote speaker.

When the Angels Sign Manny, Dodger Fans Will See Red & Wear It, Too!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Don't worry about Manny Rodriguez leaving LA. "He has just started putting his name on the map!" says this professional keynote speaker, best-selling author, and sales and negotiation consultant.

Positive Beats Negative 2 to 1
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] A few weeks ago, I performed an experiment, almost by accident. I wrote a negative sounding article and editorially, I delivered what I promised, along with solid content. But I wasn't quite happy with the piece given its downcast spin, so I wrote another, more upbeat version. I won't say the content was exactly the same, because there were key differences, especially in elaborating certain supports for my thesis. Both articles were published on the same day by the same ezine. Guess what?

Invest in Customer Relationships - They're the Only Things That Endure!
[Business:Customer-Service] Don't skip lunch! That's partly what I'm going to tell you, but it has nothing to do with nutrition. Lunch could be just the thing you need to grow your business, that is, if you don't dine alone and you make it a point to invite your clients and prospects to break bread with you, advises this top keynote speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Sales Managers - Forget Efficiency, Focus Instead on Effectiveness!
[Business:Sales-Management] Peter F. Drucker never revealed in his books certain things he told us in class. For example, some Europeans are tremendous alcohol consumers, and they regularly get drunk on Sunday, and are hung-over by Monday morning. But they're wonderful workers, even when drunk or disabled. So, instead of insisting they arrive on the job 100% non-inebriated, their managers take the more sober approach of cutting them some slack. If the boozers are on time and do their work well, managers look the other way.

Five Questions to Ask Before Attending Your High School Reunion
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] I was just about to remit my check to attend my high school reunion, when I stopped myself. Suddenly, a number of questions cascaded through my mind that you might want to consider before you agree to go, says this way-too-young-to-be-that-old author.

That Perfect Summer When Manny Was a Dodger
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Nostalgia isn't what it used to be, so true. Yet one can't help recalling with a grin and a sigh how transforming The Might Manny's presence was when he was wearing the Blue Bandanna at Chavez Ravine. Young players suddenly caught on. A veteran, like Jeff Kent, earned his last hurrah at 40, connecting with his bat better than he had done all season; heck for two or more seasons. Manager Joe Torre had real, performing ballplayers to guide, who played as a team, battling back to pull out victories against all odds.

Tale of the Two Joes
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] You've heard of the "Curse of the Bambino," that winning drought that Boston brought upon itself after trading Babe Ruth to the Yanks. 2008 could be the first season when the New York Yankees suffer "The Curse of the Torreno," according to this top speaker, seminar leader, and sales and customer service guru.

5 Essential Ingredients That Make Straight Commission Compensation Appealing
[Business:Sales] In a recent piece I outlined 5 tip-offs that reveal when straight commission jobs are rip-offs, or at least "opportunities" you should decline. But that article left me feeling I created a vacuum. I didn't disclose the five ingredients we should look for, so here they are.

Are Sales Suffering Because Rejection by Email Feels Better?
[Business:Sales] Today, the rejection-avoidance medium extraordinaire is email. By sending electronic messages, we can almost completely take the sting out of being brusquely pushed aside by sales prospects. But is email as effective as selling in person and over the phone? Is there a way to minimize rejection while maximizing sales?

Five Tip-Offs That Commission Sales Jobs Are Rip-Offs
[Business:Sales] On a conceptual level, I support merit pay, at least as a portion of overall compensation. But as a bill-paying person, I also realize that a situation has to be nearly ideal for 100% merit pay to be attractive. Here are five tip-offs that certain straight commission "opportunities" are rip-offs, says this professional sales and customer service speaker, best-selling author, and management consultant.

Welcome to Your Glorious Portfolio Career!
[Business:Careers-Employment] My college Sociology teacher predicted that the average person to my right and left would engage in four or five careers in his lifetime. A radical thought, but it seems Dr. Quinn was prophetic. What he didn't predict, however, is that some of us would enjoy as many as four or five occupations, SIMULTANEOUSLY. But that is precisely what "Portfolio Careerists" are doing. Risking the smear that "Jacks of all trades are masters of none," PCs are finding ways to practice law, do some real estate transactions, consult, publish, and accept speaking engagements, not only in the same lifetime, but in the compass of a few weeks or months, as this multi-faceted author personally attests.

Mid-Season Trades Heat-Up Major League Baseball
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There are lots of suggestions for making Major League Baseball more exciting to watch. Many of them have to do with speeding up the game's pace. I'm not sure that's the answer. But I can say the recent big-name trades that have occurred at mid-season are doing the trick for me.

At the 2008 All-Star Break, I Should Be Happy
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Three of my four teams are in first place in their divisions on this morning of the 2008 All-Star Game. The Angels are a respectable 6 games up in the A.L. West. The Cubs lead the N.L Central by 4.5 games, and the White Sox lead the A.L. Central by a game and a half. Even the Dodgers are only a game behind the Diamondbacks in the N.L. West. For the first time in memory, all of my teams could make it to the post-season and we could even see an El-Train World Series featuring the Cubs and Sox. So, I'm happy, right? Sort of.

Spike Your Phone Team's Performance With a Script Change!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] As you may know, I speak and write extensively about telephone scripting, whether it's in cold calling, appointment setting, prospecting, inside sales, customer service, or technical support. Every help desk, telemarketing, and sales manager knows.

You Don't Have to Be Excellent on the Phone to Succeed!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] If you're an achieving type of person, you probably relish the idea of being the best at what you do. But pursuing excellence in telephone selling, cold calling, prospecting, and appointment setting is unnecessary. It can actually promote failure.

5 Elements of a Perfect Telephone Script
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I launched my very successful training and consulting business a number of years ago. Focusing on college sponsorships at first, I thought through very carefully what it would take to devise a script that: (1) Stodgy university personnel would be persuaded by; (2) That would operate stealthily; and of course, (3) One that would produce wonderful results: lots of college bookings of my seminars. My script nearly achieved "perfect" results, but how? I crafted it based on these five, fundamental postulates, says this top professional speaker, telemarketing and customer service guru, and frequent radio and TV expert guest.

How to Get Free Publicity in the Mainstream Media
[Business:PR] Unlike what we've been taught to think about journalists, fearless Clark Kents and Lois Lanes are not sleuthing the streets for scoops and breaking stories. What they are doing, as a general practice, is sitting on their bottoms or strolling a few feet to the fax machine, screening inbound news releases put out by swarms of publicists that are hoping to nuance the public's trust and create demand for products and services. Here's how to get their attention, especially if they have every reason to ignore you because you aren't a lucrative advertiser, says this best-selling author, top professional speaker, and frequent expert commentator on TV and radio.

How to Break Into the Professional Speaking Business
[Writing-and-Speaking:Public-Speaking] Though I refer to myself as a sales, customer service, and telemarketing consultant, I make much of my living as a professional speaker. From time to time I'm asked: "How can I break into the world of professional speaking?" Here is one of my extended replies to that question, according to this best-selling author, noted seminar leader, and TV and radio commentator.

Five Earmarks of a True Expert & Genuine Leader
[Self-Improvement:Leadership] I just read a fun first-person account of the folks that navigated Venice, Italy's Grand and lesser canals in of all things, a kayak. They bought the watercraft on eBay for under $200 and folded it into a sixty pound checked airline bag. Does their novel feat make them "leaders" in a certain sense? To be perceived as a leader, do you need to be considered an expert, and how do you become one? Let's look at what they did and then assess their accomplishment using five criteria that distinguish true experts and leaders in a field from the run of the mill.

Use A Telephone Script That Highlights Your Strengths!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] When we talk about using scripts, we're aspiring to reach a degree of UNIFORMITY in text, tone, and timing, and the typical goal set by managers is that everyone will be doing everything the same way, garnering the same great results all around. All that manager has to do is walk through the call center, and like a symphony conductor, he'll detect who is sticking to the score and who is striking false notes. But there are alternatives, if we're sophisticated in our scripting and management strategies. Literally, we can let a thousands presentations "bloom," enabling each telephone rep to do his or her own thing with the full blessing of management, advises this top speaker and trainer, best-selling author, TV and radio commentator, and creator of the innovative PhoneMasters Training Program.

Five Great Ways To Merchandise Your Ezine Articles
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] You may be one of the folks online that just can't help yourself. You write article after article, post them at an ezine or in a blog, and do no more with them, minimizing their value. Here are five easy uses to which you can put your articles that can bring a big payoff to you, according to this top speaker, best-selling author, and popular Tv and radio commentator.

Today, There Are No Meaningful Differences Between Conventional And Self-Publishing
[Writing-and-Speaking:Publishing] "The Tom Sawyer Model" of business relations is gaining momentum in the book publishing industry. Once respectable publishers are insisting authors whitewash their fences and pay them for the privilege. Today, there really isn't a "choice" that authors have, to use conventional publishers or to self-publish. TODAY, IT IS ALL SELF-PUBLISHING, says this top speaker, seminar producer, and best-selling author of 12 books and several audio and video training programs.

Motivate Yourself to Greatness By Cherishing Negative Role Models
[Self-Improvement:Success] There are a zillion expressions that size-up the motivation challenge, and many of them say exactly the same thing. They range from the brutally blunt to the academic. Among them are these two...

Yes, I Am Trying to Sell You Something And I'm Proud of It!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] If you follow proven sales practices, which include opening conversations well, probing for needs and the qualifications to buy, describing your products and services enticingly, asking for the deal more than once when necessary, and deflecting, delaying, and fully answering objections, while using them as closing devices, believe me, you'll sound exactly like a salesperson. And that is precisely what you are paid for in the same way that doctors, lawyers, and other professionals are paid, says this top speaker, best-selling author, international consultant, and popular TV and radio expert commentator.

Beware of the Tom Sawyer Model of Employment
[Business:Careers-Employment] From what I'm observing, it seems more job seekers are being required to buy their way into occupations. Instead of being welcomed with first-class, company paid training and related subsidies, more industries are turning to what I see as the Tom Sawyer Model of Employment, something you should avoid falling for says this best-selling author, international consultant, California attorney and real estate broker.

Road-Test All Telephone Sales Applicants by Telephone
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] You might think selling by phone is a challenge. You face a lot of rejection, and if you do business-to-business calling, my specialty, you need to confront and conquer secretarial screening and voice mail, before you can even earn a shot at wooing your ultimate buyer. But the selling part, if not easy, is manageable, if you know what you're doing and your have hammered out your value proposition and a great script.

How Can You Develop Telemarketing Pro's in Four Hours or Less?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Sometimes it amazes me when I think back to my earliest telephone selling days at Time-Life Books. Like most starving students, I was squeaking by, lucky to pick up odd jobs here and there when I spotted a flyer in a guy's hand at the college job placement office. "WANTED: BRIGHT, ARTICULATE STUDENTS!" it bellowed. "That's me!" I announced from over the guy's right shoulder. "Are you really interested in bright, articulate students? Well, I fit that description."

Rigged Customer Satisfaction Awards Replace Genuine Service
[Business:Customer-Service] The simple truth is a neutron bomb has hit most American customer service units. The walls are still standing, but legions of customer helpers have been annihilated. In light dramatic service cutbacks, and the substitution of self-service for the real thing, how is it that companies can get away with claiming "We're Number One in Customer Satisfaction!"?

How to Become The Very Worst Salesperson in the World
[Business:Sales] I was mulling over my give and take with some prospects yesterday, critiquing my sales techniques, when I heard two voices in my head. "What if you're not such a great salesman?" "It might be slightly embarrassing. I am an acknowledged sales expert and I've been selling pretty well for decades."

How to Coach The Sweet & Sour Sales Rep
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] From all appearances coaching salespeople is pretty straightforward. Observe your reps in action. Then, tell them what they're doing right and doing wrong. Sign-off with a pep talk, and when their sales falter, begin the process again. But it's more complicated than that.

Thanks, But I'd Rather Reach Out & Sell Someone
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] You know airlines are desperate when they replay the TV ad showing a boss distributing boarding envelopes to his minions as effortlessly as dealing a deck of playing cards. He mutters something to the effect that they should get out there to speak to their customers. The implication is clear: When your business really needs sales or to retain clients, there is no better way to do so than by getting on planes, securing rental cars, burning fossil fuels, spending impulsively on open-ended, unrestricted tickets, and ...

Every Business Should Unleash the Power of The "Green Machine"
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] While many notable onlookers attribute Detroit's decline to being insulated, arrogant, and slow to adapt, having been in the car business right out of college, I see their problems differently. To me, car retailers are hopelessly stuck in a business model that depends on doing business by car. They haven't fully grasped the implications of the Internet, and still insist on seeing prospects face to face.

How Green is Your Telephone?
[Communications] In business, pressing the flesh, meeting people face-to-face, and commuting long distances, especially by car and jet, all once mundane activities are now having global consequences. Economists are hard at work calculating the carbon footprints left by casual car trips to supermarkets. Environmentalists are fuming over a recent commercial flight that carried only five passengers from the States to London, saying the trip was "criminal" based on its deposits of ice crystals in the atmosphere and unabashed fuel guzzling. Which leads us to the all important question: How can we make our companies "greener," both by lessening harmful environmental impacts and by ringing the cash register? The answer is as close as your desk and your purse or pocket. It's that technology that is now more than 100 years young: the telephone, says this top speaker, international consultant, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

A Great Telemarketing Script is a Money Machine
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] There is a good reason a productive telemarketing or customer service script has been called, a "money machine." It manufactures money on a consistent and reliable basis, providing it is professionally produced, tested, refined, introduced, and managed, says this professional speaker, best-selling author, and creator of the popular programs, THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

How Can I Convince My Sales Reps to Use Scripts?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I live within a few hundred yards of a legend in the advertising copywriting world. This gent wrote the famous TV commercial: "This is your brain...And this is your brain on drugs." The camera flashes to a frying egg. The same sort of economy and punch need to be written into phone scripts.

Improvise Your Way to a Great Telemarketing Script!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Some people bristle at the idea of using a call guide that they believe will inevitably make them sound, pardon the pun, phony. If you're one of these folks, I have an alternative for you, which blends the best of both worlds.

The Role of Scripting in Telemarketing
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] A script is to telemarketing what an extemporaneous speech is to a public speaker. The key points and flow of reasoning are in front of the performer, but he is free to highlight, to amplify, or to minimize certain points to adapt to his specific audience.

Welcome Back to The Hard Sell!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] You have mouths to feed, bills to pay, and time is running short. (1) You can pick up a book about selling the nice, slow, easy, and agreeably consultative way; or (2) You can buy a text on mastering the hard sell. The first tome will win friends and admirers. You'll love yourself for seeming so easygoing. The second text will win you sales. Yes, there may be some nasty fallout.

Don't Let Your Sales Prospects Sell You Their Cynicism!
[Business:Sales-Management] "I'm sorry," my prospect whispered hoarsely, "but I guess I'm in a cynical mood." He didn't need to tell me. As he strode down the surrealistically dark corridor to greet me, I could detect something was askew. His gait, the slightly off-center ambling of a once proud but now humbled individual, spoke volumes about how beaten up he had become over the years. Backing up a few days to when I had requested our meeting over the phone, he sounded as if he was teetering on the edge of an abyss.

Five Ways to Make Cold Calls Fun
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Way too many articles dealing with cold calling touch on the negative aspects of it: handling rejection, getting through secretarial screening and voice mail, and finding the right decision makers. While I've developed great tools for accomplishing these tasks, I try to remind my trainees and clients to have fun when they're reaching out to sell someone.

Five Reasons to Reach Out & Sell Someone in 2008
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Doing business by phone, which includes prospecting for new business, performing customer service and tech support, setting appointments, interpersonal networking and closing deals, has never been a better idea or a cheaper medium to use. Fuel costs are soaring, making personal meetings, whether we fly or drive to them, more expensive. When we do get together in meetings, egos clash, time is wasted, and meetings seem to beget even more meetings, without great results.

Professional Speakers Know Low Aim Is Better Than No Aim
[Writing-and-Speaking:Public-Speaking] I was just reading about a professional speaker whose forte is reaching out and inspiring young people. That's not easy to do. Facing the typical teenage cynicism and distrust of authorities, even those who speak well and use lots of teen-friendly anecdotes aren't assured of success.

Please Say No!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I'm a salesman. I sell professional services to corporations and to other organizations that are seeking consulting, training, and management guidance.

Bailouts - Today It's Financials - Tomorrow, Airlines
[Business:Customer-Service] With escalating fuel prices, a recession descending on us of yet unknown proportions, and who knows what other ills to come, he airline industry is bracing for more shocks. How is it responding? It is cutting back on customer service, scrambling to find ways to generate revenue; the wrong strategy, one that will "ground" its best customers, says this top speaker, management consultant, and best-selling author of MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Would You at Least Ask Them?
[Business:Customer-Service] I was doing everything I could to dart across the San Fernando Valley to get to my favorite breakfast joint on time. They have an 11:00 cutoff. If you come late, you'll miss an unusually tasty Mexican Scramble, a mixture of moist tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs, fried onions and red and green bell peppers. I've never tasted anything quite like it.

Success & The Law of Large Numbers
[Self-Improvement:Success] How can you guarantee you'll become successful? Apply The Law of Large Numbers, says this professional speaker, best-selling author, and creator of numerous audio and video self-improvement programs.

How Many Copies of Your Book Are You Going to Buy?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Book-Marketing] When you hear a publisher asking you how many copies of your book you're going to buy, or an Internet radio station offering to give you your own show for a small production fee, you are really hearing the leper's bell-a signal that a looter is in your midst. Guard your purse, accordingly, warns this professional speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV expert commentator.

He May Be Dead, But He's Still Our Guest
[Business:Customer-Service] A top consultant, radio and TV commentator, and professional speaker asks: When is it time to "just say no" to a client's requests for uncompensated goodies? When can we know for sure that there is no future with an account that may have at one time delivered a steady stream of profits?

Self-Publishing - How to Avoid Alien Abduction
[Writing-and-Speaking:Book-Marketing] Some wise, devil may care individual once said, "A full life entails thousands of mistakes. "Try telling that to the anal retentive types you're bound to encounter in so many occupations, and especially in book publishing. If you seek to get a book published you can't let yourself be daunted by these uptight beings that fear making mistakes more than anything else.

You Hate Me, You Really, Really Do!
[Writing-and-Speaking] I was speaking to a zesty MBA student the other day about the odds against something or other and she snapped back: "I love doing what people tell me I can't do!" I admire that attitude. And we should bring it to publishing, says this best-selling author of 12 books and several successful audio and video programs.

We Respond in Six Months (Are They Kidding)?
[Writing-and-Speaking] I was just leafing through the 2008 edition of the reference book, The Best of the Magazine Markets for Writers. If you write articles with any frequency, you might want to have a look at it. A number of the listed publications pay by the word for what they acquire, and while it can add up if you have a number of outlets on the string, it won't make you rich. Still, it's nice getting little checks, say for $100 each in the mail on a quarterly basis, as I do from some magazines to which I contribute. You'll find this book eye opening in some unexpected ways, says this professional speaker, international consultant, and frequent expert commentator on radio and TV.

Borrow Heavily When You're Young
[Finance:Personal-Finance] In this Unofficial Time of National Contrition, ushered in by the sub-prime mortgage crisis and real estate meltdown, many pundits in the press and commentators from the financial industry are flogging consumers for their free-spending, credit indulgent ways. "Shame on you for spending beyond your means!" has been the rebuke. But this professional speaker, top consultant, and frequent commentator on TV and radio offers a contrary view.

I Should Have Spent More Time at The Office!
[Home-and-Family:Retirement] When you reach AARP age, 50 and up, the Social Security Administration sends you annual forms recapping your accumulated contributions to the fund. Based on these figures, the notice tells you how little you'll get if you retire at 62 or later. It's shocking. A baby-boomer, who started paying into Social Security when he was in his middle teens, and contributing every year since, could retire at 62, and get the grand sum of $986 per month. That might be enough to pay his utilities and insurance. How is the rest of the nut going to be cracked? The simple answer is by working until he drops, says this professional speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Like Sinatra, Telemarketing Keeps Ringing Cash Registers!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] In a jab at today's music industry and its lack of bankable talents, a recent article noted how Frank Sinatra's renditions, many of them from the 1950's and 1960's, keep ringing cash registers while sales of new musical acts are making a thud. Sinatra isn't "back." He, like many other quality contributors, never went away, or at least he never went completely out of fashion. The same can be said about telemarketing, says this professional speaker best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

ESP - An Underestimated Benefit of Great Martial Arts Training
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] Yesterday, just as my expectant wife, our 12 month old and I were about to turn into the parking lot of our favorite specialty market, my bad-guy radar instantly took over and made me steer clear of the area. One of the most underestimated benefits of great martial arts training is that it gives you a sixth sense, a kind of ESP or precognitive ability to spot and skirt danger before it threatens you, personally. In typical dojo training, too much attention is devoted to fighting your way out of dangerous circumstances. By the time you're besieged, you could be so compromised that find it's too late to stage a successful defense or counterattack, says this professional speaker, best-selling author, and Black Belt in Kenpo Karate.

Seven Freaky Sales Prospects
[Business:Sales-Management] You've heard that the customer is always right, haven't you? It's true, but the operative word in that sentence isn't "right." It's "customer." People that are on the books with us now, spinning off profits; they're the ones who are right. Mere prospects are not customers, yet.

Today's Conservation Choice is to Squeeze or to Be Squeezed
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] The idea of doubling the EPA's gas mileage requirements is becoming an election year issue. When we double our gas mileage what is to prevent OPEC, Russia and other big oil producers from doubling the price of a barrel of oil, to say $200? Absolutely nothing, and you can be assured they will, wiping out the gains we have made, says this top speaker, best-selling author and TV and radio commentator.

What is The Industry Standard When Negotiating Sales Commissions?
[Business:Negotiation] One of my readers, a commission salesman, sent me a question the other day that I've been asked several times: What percentage is the industry standard when it comes to negotiating sales commissions? I'll share with you my response to him, and I hope it gives you some guidance as you negotiate compensation.

The Telemarketing Prayer
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] You can be the most experienced and best-trained salesperson in the world and still deliver flat, lifeless presentations, while the rookie next to you could sound inspired and break all sales records using a fraction of your skills. Have you ever wondered why you can descend into a slump while they're soaring, defying gravity? Could it be a matter of hope and faith? Are they asking for and receiving help?

Ask The Right People!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Ask and you will receive, says the Bible in an often quoted passage from Matthew. This is sage advice, and every successful salesperson follows it in the form of asking for the sale, also known as closing. But relatively few salespeople invest enough time in determining exactly WHOM to ask. If we're to update and sharpen Matthew's wisdom as it pertains to selling, it might read this way: ASK THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND YOU WILL RECEIVE, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and creator of THE NEW TELEMARKETING AUDIO SEMINAR and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE, published by Nightingale-Conant.

What Closing Ratio Can You Expect in Outbound Telemarketing?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Twice this week I've been asked what closing ratio can we expect to get when we do outbound telemarketing. So, I thought I'd share my reply with you, because it departs from conventional wisdom. There are ten variable that you should consider right away, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and creator of THE NEW TELEMARKETING AUDIO SEMINAR and Nightingale-Conant's popular program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Tired of Rejection? Promote Acceptance!
[Business:Sales-Management] Rejection can drill you down, nick you with a thousand paper cuts, make you cry uncle, and hide under the sheets. How come? Most of us have been programmed by family, friends, teachers, and bosses to crave approval and when it isn't forthcoming, or we're zapped by the thunderbolts of disapproval we turn tail and run. But it doesn't have to be this way. I'm not going to tell you to toughen up, to eat rejection for breakfast or to count the "no's" you receive on the inevitable path to the glorious yeses. I'm going to entreat you to deal with rejection the only right and proper way, says this top speaker, international consultant and coach, and best-selling author of THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE, published by Nightingale-Conant.

You Always Get a Second Chance to Make a Good First Impression!
[Self-Improvement:Success] I just banged-out some fresh promotional copy for my popular audio seminar: THE NEW TELEMARKETING. Without hesitating, I sent it to two universities, my literary agent, and to the producers of my audio programs. I like the copy very much.

Do Martial Arts Schools Create Followers or Leaders?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] In previous articles I've asked if dojos are cults. I've questioned the reasonableness of permitting instructors to inflict injuries on students. I have also asked if we would be served better by eliminating the belt system of promotion in the martial arts. All of these are somewhat iconoclastic questions. Yet I'm going to ask another, here, that may be the most "outside the box" and tradition-busting, yet, says this top speaker, TV and radio commentator, and Black Belt in Kenpo Karate.

A Telephone Script Can't Be Too Simple
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] You've heard the esteemed sales adage: KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID. Abbreviated, it is called the KISS method of selling. The only thing that's methodical about it is the fact that you should abide by this principle repeatedly, habitually, reflexively. And that means you should eschew, avoid, and disavow all things COMPLICATED. Leave subtlety for academics and retirees to debate.

Seven Ways to Become a Winner in the Recession
[Self-Improvement:Success] The Fed just cut interest rates by three-quarters of a point in an "emergency" move to stave off an even more widespread economic crisis. The world now believes the U.S. is either in or headed directly toward a recession, which optimists might think of as "wrong-way growth." Instead of caving in to what will undoubtedly be an avalanche of bad news, it's time to think about getting as much from this downturn as we can. Here are seven tips for becoming a winner in the recession, according to this top keynote speaker, best-selling author, and international consultant and performance coach.

It's Not Working - I Give-Up!
[Health-and-Fitness:Weight-Loss] I've been dieting and doing a special exercise regime and there is a guy who lives behind my eyeballs who expects to see instant results. When he doesn't see his ideal staring back at him in the mirror, instantly, he gets introverted and negative. "Where are my results?" "What have I been sacrificing, for?" "It's not working-I give-up!" That last statement is the improvement-killer. You have to beware of it, because you're going to hear it if you suffer from low frustration tolerance or exaggerated expectations, says this top speaker, TV and radio commentator.

The Winner's Time Management Playbook
[Self-Improvement:Time-Management] You can read a ton of articles about time management, and most of the will say the same things. Make lists. Multi-task, if you can. Get things accomplished during "down-time." Bring a book to read when you're stuck in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Is it Embarrassing When Top Salespeople Earn More Than Sales Managers?
[Business:Sales-Management] What if there were lotteries that nobody won? Or, slot machines that never hit the jackpot? Consider Blackjack hands where drawing 21, paid zip? You'd probably cry, "Foul!" along with most of the world. After all, what good is it to come out on top if there's no prize? Could anything be worse? In the sales world, the answer is "Yes," says this top speaker, best-selling author, and creator of the internationally acclaimed seminar, MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING HUMAN FACTORS IN SELLING.

You Deserve to Succeed!
[Self-Improvement:Success] When I'm doing "all basics," a series of martial arts strikes and kicks while on the move, some interesting insights pop into mind. One of them came to me this morning, and I thought I'd share it with you. "No One Has a Superior Right to Succeed than You." The instant these words formed, I knew my unconscious had struck a bedrock truth, says this top conference and convention speaker, best-selling author, and popular expert commentator on radio and TV.

Look for The Three C's in Choosing Where to Live & Invest
[Real-Estate] "California's booming real estate values" is a phrase you haven't seen much during the last year and a half. But you'll see and hear it again-I promise you. I'm not a prophet by any means, or a real estate developer. But as I look at the purple mountains forming a beautiful backdrop to another unremarkably remarkable sunset, I know why, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and TV and radio expert commentator.

Three Reasons You Should Say "No" To That Survey
[Business:Customer-Service] There are three reasons you should politely decline if people are asking you to participate in a survey: Your view will probably not be represented in the questions, at all. I received a phone survey that asked me if a repair person was "neat," which is not nearly at the top of my priorities. He didn't repair the item as he should have done, but I wasn't asked about whether the main purpose of his visit was fulfilled.

Ten Ways to Conquer Your Fear of Failure
[Self-Improvement:Success] Sometimes we feel so emotionally brittle that any setback, disappointment, or reversal can seem capable of tipping us over the edge and into despair. At other times, we don a devil may care attitude, and boldly move in the direction of our dreams, parrying and deflecting the flak that gets in our way.

Work The Law of Large Numbers But Remember It Only Takes One to Succeed!
[Self-Improvement:Success] The Law of Large Numbers is a pivotal success secret inasmuch as it says: (1) Do enough of anything and you'll succeed; (2) Do more and you'll prosper, and outdo even that amount and (3) You'll become a legend. We've seen how this operates in all walks of life. Having said this let me temper The Law of Large Numbers with this admonition: IT ONLY TAKES ONE TO SUCCEED!

Chemistry Can Make All the Difference in Choosing A Decent Boss
[Business:Careers-Employment] It was the summer of my high school graduation and I needed a job, and fast. I hiked up to the Sunset Strip and started knocking on doors, asking retailers if they were looking for a clerk or a salesperson.

Where Will Tomorrow's Above-Average Investment Returns Come From?
[Investing] A number of years back, a broker bought me a bond that yielded over 14%. I sold it before its maturity date, making a tidy profit on it. Had I held on instead of selling, I would have lost a significant amount of my principal.

The Recession of 2008 Will Make Consultants & Coaches Wheelbarrows of Dough
[Business:Consulting] It was more than a decade ago, and I was visiting a franchisee of a well known, publicly traded executive search company. Through an odd confluence of factors, I was pitching the president of the Los Angeles branch, who asked me, more or less, "Why are we having this meeting?"

Cold Calling Tip - Pursue Your Prospects Until the End!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Once I'm convinced my prospect: (1) Has a need; (2) It's important to him to fulfill it; (3) He has the authority and budgetary clout to fulfill it; and (4) He's open to receiving my help; then I'll dog him until I have a deal or he starts blocking my calls and emails. This especially applies if he is in the sales game.

Improve Customer Retention by Abolishing 90% of Your Service Policies
[Business:Customer-Service] There is a memorable moment in a Woody Allen movie when a guy pompously tries impressing his date by quoting Marshall McLuhan, the media guru. Out of nowhere, McLuhan himself springs forth and says: "Young man, I'm Marshall McLuhan and you don't know the first thing about my ideas!" Devilishly, Woody Allen looks into the camera and asks: "Wouldn't it be great if real life worked like this?" Sometimes it does, especially in unmasking silly and ostentatious policies that diminish the positive perception people have of the customer service they're receiving.

Never, Ever Mess with a Safeway School Graduate!
[Business:Customer-Service] Last night I needed to pick up a few groceries and at the last minute, before leaving the house, I remembered something that I would usually forget. I needed to return two items to the store for credit.

5 Success Secrets Professional Speakers Know
[Writing-and-Speaking:Public-Speaking] A moment ago I was thinking about how much we could do, learn, accomplish and succeed if we only lost our self-consciousness. The great composer Aaron Copland said creativity might be super-consciousness or even sub-consciousness, but it is never self-consciousness. Apparently, we have to forego focusing on ourselves to create anything of lasting value.

It's Time to End the Witch Hunt of Major League Ballplayers
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] Let's grow up and face facts. Competitors will try to get an edge in any way they can, and that includes drug use and experimentation with strength-building and pain deadening potions. What really matters is how that plays out on the field. If it enhances the enjoyment of sports for fans, who cares if the most magnificent home runs hit by Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, or Mark McGuire were made possible by aspirin, "The Cream," or in Mr. Palmeiro's case, by Viagra?

Negotiate Meeting Times The Efficient Way
[Business:Negotiation] When someone asks you to call him back, he wants a call back and not an email, instead, right? But what if I instructed you to violate his request by emailing him? That wouldn't make any sense, would it?

5 Traps to Avoid in Preparing for Negotiations
[Business:Negotiation] The most irksome, nasty, peevish, and stingy negotiator in creation resides between your two ears. It's you, and of course, it's me, too. We are our own worst enemies in a negotiation because we fall into five traps:

Negotiation Sails Smoothly When You Cast Bread Crumbs on the Water
[Business:Negotiation] Some people foster the idea that expert negotiators are visibly strategic, uptight, and miserly souls who relish "beating" their counterparts at the bargaining table. The more lopsided the deal they can engineer, the better. Of course, there are some folks that fit this description, but most smooth professionals seldom do. They know when it pays to appear generous, says this top speaker, corporate consultant, and teacher of "Best Practices in Negotiation" at U.C. Berkeley Extension.

It Pays to Track Your Car's Value Very Carefully!
[Automotive] At 21, I learned a ton about the car business by working as an account executive for a Beverly Hills, California leasing company. While some things have changed over the years, especially the relative popularity of leasing versus buying, most things haven't.

Beware of Article Marketing's Worst Business Proposition
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] Article marketing involves a very simple exchange of value: writers compose articles that they submit to ezines and to other web based publications; and those ezines publish the articles, listing them with search engines, while providing readers and publicity to the writers. Ezines receive much of their compensation from running Google ads. But what if a writer submits nothing, no articles?

Five Reasons 2008 Will Be a Great Year for Telemarketers
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] About ten years ago, things couldn't have looked worse for telemarketers and others who make their living by dialing and smiling. Congress was about to pass legislation enabling tens of millions of Americans to opt out of receiving unsolicited sales calls at home. The Internet was in its infancy, but it promised a more antiseptic way of marketing; indeed, a method to get people to discover you, instead of reaching out to sell them.

How Can You Tell When You Are a True Martial Artist?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] How can you tell when you're a true martial artist? I raise this because I'm increasingly convinced seeking the approval and endorsement of outside authorities, while commonplace and customary, is something that leads us away from self-discovery and true wisdom, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and Black Belt in Kenpo Karate.

The Case of The Stolen Dojo
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] Dojos that have been training students for 35 years aren't supposed to simply vanish. But this one did, leaving only a hand-scrawled note in the window, saying the school had been "stolen," according to this top speaker, popular TV and radio commentator, and Black Belt in Kenpo Karate.

Should Martial Arts Instructors Be Allowed to Injure Students?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] It would seem self-defeating for an instructor and especially for the head of a martial arts school to purposely injure those that are paying the rent, preventing them from training. However this happens far more often than is reported, for at least five reasons, says this top speaker, international consultant, and Black Belt in Kenpo Karate.

Can Your Sensei Be Trusted?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] I was training at the Brown Belt level at a dojo when the Sensei of the school leaped onto the mat to teach a one of my peers a sparring "lesson." In a rapid flurry of kicks and strikes the student was buckled to his knees, and a moment later, he tipped over, blood gushing from his chin. I volunteered to drive him to the hospital, where his facial lacerations required several sutures. To this day, I'm not clear about the precise nature of the "lesson" that the Sensei was trying to deliver, says this top speaker, TV and radio commentator, and Black Belt in Kenpo Karate.

Can Joe Torre Catapult the Dismal Dodgers into the Postseason?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The biggest acquisition of the off-season so far for the Los Angeles Dodgers hasn't been getting Andruw Jones from the Atlanta Braves, impressive as he could turn out to be. Jones, as you know, is a perennial Gold Glove outfielder, and though his home run production was relatively low last season, it would have put him at the top of the Dodger charts. The biggest find of the off-season was incoming Manager Joe Torre, who may end up being the greatest bargain, as well, "flies notwithstanding," says this top conference, convention, and sales meeting speaker and popular TV and radio expert commentator.

Five of the Worst Imaginable Reasons to Become A Writer
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] I've become a writer, I suppose, especially if the measuring stick consists of output or even readership. But, why did I do it? And is there any escaping from it? I thought I'd help others to avoid making this career mistake by providing 5 of the worst imaginable reasons to become a writer, says this best-selling author, top speaker, and popular TV and radio commentator.

Are You Truly Poor, or Simply Broke?
[Self-Improvement:Success] Legendary Hollywood producer Mike Todd once quipped, "I've been broke many times, but I've never been poor." It's one of my favorite quotes, because it fits so many of us. During college and graduate school, which seemed to last forever, I was usually without a lot of disposable income.

Customer Service Tip - Don't Hire Smooth Talkers!
[Business:Customer-Service] Think back to all of the TECHNICIANS you have called on throughout the years. This includes plumbers, computer software and hardware gurus, car mechanics, electricians, tree trimmers, carpenters, washer and dryer specialists, and other folks with fix-it capabilities. Which ones were the most competent and the least competent?

Beware of the Hypnotists & Black Magicians in Your Midst
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Lately, I've been doing a lot of research into CULTS and into the HYPNOSIS they, and many, many others use on their fellow men and women every day of the year. To me, their manipulations go well beyond cute parlor tricks, or even the intention to sell us products and services we don't need. They strike at the heart of our freedom. Here's what you can do to counter the hypnotists and black magicians in your midst, according to this top speaker, best-selling author, and popular TV and radio commentator.

What if We Eliminated The Belt System in Martial Arts?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] Are you in the martial arts training field or in the "belt business?" And what would happen if you decided to eliminate the various belt ranks, which range in most cases from white to black? Would you go broke, or thrive?

Can Businesses Discriminate Against Certain Customers?
[Business:Customer-Service] Can private establishments discriminate against certain customers and get away with it? Very often they can.

How Much is "Enough" Martial Arts Training?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] "How much is enough martial arts training?" is a highly individualized question, and it should remain that way. I'd be cautious about dojos that hold forth the idea that they should determine when you've had enough, or that formal training should last a lifetime. In our commercial times, sadly, what most of them are really saying is their incomes from trainees should last forever, long after the students have achieved optimal value for themselves, says this top speaker, international consultant, and black belt in kenpo karate.

Is Your Dojo a Cult?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] When we mention the word, "cult," many visions come to mind. There's Jim Jones, charismatic leader of a religious group in Guyana who was photographed while inducing his entranced followers to famously, "Drink the Kool-Aid," which had been spiked with poison.

Spotlight on Scripting - Can You Write a Great Tone Guide for Me?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] The major reason canned scripts fail is that they contain only words, a Text. To bring a script to life we need to orchestrate Three T's: our Text, Tone and Timing. When you ask someone to write a script for you, make sure he includes a great tone guide, as well, advises this top trainer, international consultant, and best-selling author of The New Telemarketing Audioseminar and several best-selling telemarketing books.

Hey Mitchell Commission Fans - Go Stick Your Asterisks!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Based on the Mitchell Commission's revelations, more than 90 ballplayers, including pitching aces Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite, are presently implicated in having used performance enhancing drugs. Does this fact mean their achievements will also bear the stigma of an asterisk next to them? Will all records be subject to revocation or redefinition? When is this silliness going to stop?

How Clever Companies Bill You Double or More by Using Just One Word
[Business:Customer-Service] Most businesses seek some sort of advantage so they can justify charging premium prices. I encountered a company today that tried to DOUBLE its billable rate by invoking just one word, and I'm sure its people get away with this ruse all the time.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Needs an Overhaul
[Business:Customer-Service] This morning, I received an automated survey call from a major appliance manufacturer. Earlier in the week, its service people had been to my home to repair a leaking washer. This was their seventh trip this year. The first question was: "Did the technician treat your home and appliance with care?" It should have been, "Did the technician fix your problem?"

We're Number Two in Customer Satisfaction!
[Business:Customer-Service] Finishing second in most contests has been likened to eating pancakes without syrup and kissing your sibling, which may be sweet, but not sweet enough. Yet there's actually a lot to be said for finishing second in customer satisfaction contests, though we seldom hear runners-up touting this feat.

We're Number One in Self-Service!
[Business:Customer-Service] Welcome to the Modern Company, where we do everything the modern way, including training customers to serve themselves. We believe these ten truths to be self-evident...

Baseball - Why Not Cancel Every Game Except The Yanks Versus the Red Sox?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Every other team, apart from the Red Sox and Yanks should be demoted to the minors, where they belong. They might be allowed to play exhibitions against each other, and the very best might qualify to play the two star teams, but only on occasion, where all in attendance know the outcome, yet still cheer their hearts out in the remote hope their amateurs can beat the pro's, says this top speaker, sales and negotiation guru, and TV commentator.

The Utter Truth About Telemarketing Scripts
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Scripts and telemarketing go together like Mother and apple pie. Well, not exactly. We LIKE Mom and apple pie! But we love to hate telemarketing and those that do it, especially the ones that struggle through their poorly crafted presentations. I'm here to tell you that scripts (and telemarketers that use them) get a bad rap.

Smashing The Myth of the "Internal Customer"
[Business:Customer-Service] Much has been written in recent years about the need to service INTERNAL as well as external customers. I'm here to tell you this is a major error in thinking, and a waste of a company's time. Internal customers are a fabrication. They don't exist because they don't PAY VALUE for services.

You're a Real Writer When Not-Writing is Not an Option
[Writing-and-Speaking] When can you tell that you're a REAL writer instead of being a mere aspirant? Here's one major clue, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and TV commentator.

Let's Do "Whatever it Takes" Marketing
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] The entire idea of claiming one marketing medium is supreme is like saying my big brother can beat up yours. It's a goof, and the key is to use the medium or media that will secure the results you need, says this top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author. For instance, let's say you need to get your message in front of a highly fortified CEO...

It's Time to Price Telemarketing Services by Results!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Try asking a call center or a telemarketing services agency if they'll price their services based on what you're really seeking, such as appointments. Will they deliver a solid, qualified appointment with a key executive in a targeted industry for $50 or $100, or even $500 or $1,000?

Why Today's Terrible Telemarketers Are Forcing Me to Make Calls, Myself!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] On one level you can't imagine how disappointed I was with the telemarketing pilot program I purchased from an experienced firm. I got ZERO appointments. On another level, I'm thrilled that they're as bad and incredibly deficient as I found them, because I am going to compete against them, knowing my firm will do a lot better. Apart from the fact that I am the best-selling author of such telemarketing classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE, I am also the best telemarketer I've ever known, and I've known and worked with thousands, says this top speaker, international consultant, and CNBC expert commentator.

Major League Baseball - Too Many "Champs" and Too Few Real Winners
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Many moons ago, in Major League Baseball, there were only two prizes awarded along with one grand prize. The National League and the American League awarded pennants to the teams with the most wins, and then those teams played each other in a series of seven games with one emerging as the World Champion. Only if there was a tie between two teams as the season ended, was there a playoff game to determine the pennant winner. Now, as you know, there are three times as many prizes, totaling nine, in all. With three divisions in each league, there are six division champs, two wild card teams, and one World Champion left standing after all of the eliminations.

Our Customer Service Sucks and We Know It!
[Business:Customer-Service] Increasingly, companies are growing unapologetic for offering sub-standard, and even punishing customer service. Airlines, especially, are throwing in the towel, and I don't mean that refreshing steamed mendicant we used to be gently handed in business class.

Dogged Determination Isn't Taught in Business School!
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] They don't teach dogged determination in business school, but I think this quality is probably more important in making people successful and in changing the world than any other, says this top speaker, international consultant, and former Peter F. Drucker MBA student. But Drucker, to my knowledge, never built a business from scratch.

Negotiating Like a Child Works!
[Business:Negotiation] Whining, throwing tantrums, refusing to play nicely with others and pouting are generally considered to have no proper place in business. But that doesn't mean they aren't engaged in quite successfully in the 8-5 world. Take the example of one bad boy I encountered at a software company. He wanted his own large, private space away from others. But instead of earning the proverbial corner office through years of toil he decided on a short cut, recalls this top negotiation speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author.

Negotiation Tip - Offer Something Free to You, But Valuable to Them!
[Business:Negotiation] There is a lot of room for creativity in negotiating, but few folks pay attention to the possibilities. If you do, you can make what would have been a busted deal a great one, says this top negotiation speaker, best-selling author, and international negotiation consultant.

Five Reasons This Is a Great Time to Lease a Car!
[Automotive] Now that Thanksgiving is over, oil is at record highs, the financial and stock markets are reeling, and Christmas is approaching, auto manufacturers are starting to panic. And that's great news for consumers, making this one of the best of all possible times to lease a new vehicle, says this top negotiation consultant, best-selling author, and CNBC expert commentator.

Best Practices in Negotiation #5 - Use Meta-Communication to Counter Crafty Ploys
[Business:Negotiation] I was negotiating a significant consulting contract with a very straight-laced Midwestern natural resources corporation. My counterpart, a fellow who seemed to handle himself very well, was not at all cooperating with me to seal a deal, so instead of walking away from our negotiations, I simply said: "You're following an interesting negotiation strategy here, but I'm sensing it's not a good fit.

The Shrug is One of The "Best Practices in Negotiation"
[Business:Negotiation] Somebody makes you an offer that is so low, such a shock, and so upsetting that you don't know where to begin to respond. Or, a person makes a perfectly suitable first offer, which is in the range of acceptability, given what you've plotted in advance. These seem to be dramatically disparate scenarios that would evoke entirely different responses from you, correct?

With Any Luck the Recession Will Destroy Homes with "Integrity" and Cars with "Road Manners"
[Real-Estate:Homes] The late Theodore Levitt of Harvard said a certain amount of "fluff" is necessary to sell anything. Thankfully, hard times thin this stuff substantially, says this top speaker, sales and negotiation consultant, and CNBC expert commentator.

Are The Cards Running Cold In Your Life? Use Casino Savvy!
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Casino-Gambling] Casinos are high tech palaces of pleasure, offering games of chance that have been scientifically proven to favor the house. Whey then, do these bastions of business know-how still rely upon instincts, a sixth-sense, and their guts when making personnel changes?

Exercise May Be the Key to Maintaining a Positive Mental Attitude
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Starting out modestly, we'd stroll downhill from our forested perch, so slowly that local dogs wouldn't even bother sniffing us as we descended. Upon reaching the flats, I'd shuffle my feet at a slightly quicker pace in an impression of a geriatric jogger.

5 Elements That Make A Business an Exciting Place to Work
[Business:Careers-Employment] Periodically, it pays to ask yourself is there is a sufficient E.Q. at your workplace: An Excitement Quotient. If it is lacking and cannot be cured, it may be time to move on. Here are five elements that can make a business exciting and successful, according to this professional speaker, international consultant, and CNBC expert commentator.

Exactly How Smart Are You? And Does it Matter?
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] I'm a fairly competitive guy so when one of my salespeople challenged me to literally match wits with him, I rose to the bait. "What's your I.Q.?" "I dunno." "No, really, what is it-Have you ever been tested?" "In school I took some exams and they said I was a classic underachiever, so I suppose they wouldn't bother saying that to a dunce." "You should have it tested."

Reconsidering the Profit Motive in University Continuing Education
[Reference-and-Education:College-University] When I conducted my first continuing education seminar through Cal State Los Angeles, we had a magnificent crowd show up. I think the grand total, including those I solicited personally, came to 6 or 7 people. And our session was a smash hit. Okay, something's wrong with this picture-is that what you're thinking? How can a turnout of six or seven be considered even a marginal success? The concept that course enrollments correlate with course quality is fundamentally flawed and it's hurting university continuing education, says this top speaker, international consultant, and CNBC expert commentator.

#3 of 101 Best Practices in Negotiation
[Business:Negotiation] I just finished conducting my "Best Practices in Negotiation™" seminar at UC Berkeley, and we found a lot of appreciation and even some sighs of relief when discussing #3 of the 101 Best Practices in Negotiation: "Always leave yourself an OUT!" says this top speaker, international consultant, and CNBC expert commentator.

Great Sales Scripts-- "How Do You Like to Buy?"
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] My late professor, the distinguished Father of Modern Management Theory, Peter F. Drucker, was fond of saying: "Learn how people like to buy." This is sage advice. What Drucker didn't tell us is HOW, EXACTLY, CAN WE LEARN HOW FOLKS LIKE TO BUY? My take: Simply ask them, and this can be done as a very effective opener in a phone conversation, says this top speaker, international sales, negotiation, and telemarketing consultant, and best-selling author of several popular audio and video programs including, THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS.

#2 of 101 Best Practices in Negotiation
[Business:Negotiation] I just finished conducting my "Best Practices in Negotiation™" seminar at UC Berkeley, and we found support for the #2 Best Practice in Negotiation: "If you make a concession, get a concession in return," says this top speaker, international consultant, and CNBC expert commentator.

Customers Beware - Retailers' Receipts Are Printed With Disappearing Ink!
[Business:Customer-Service] I'm holding in my hand a restaurant receipt from five weeks ago. I can barely make out the name of the place, and the charges and total tab are faded beyond recognition. It almost seems as if the receipt was printed with disappearing ink, you know, that fascinating stuff kids used to buy from magic shops to play tricks on their friends and family. Except this time, the trick is being played, deliberately or unwittingly, on millions of consumers, says the President of Customersatisfaction.com, a CNMB expert commentator, international speaker, and best-selling author of MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Win-Win Negotiations Can Make You A Sore Loser!
[Business:Negotiation] Every now and then, a reasonably prominent or especially vocal person has a high-profile catharsis, a moment of revelation in which he pops-off and tells it like it is. A few weeks ago, for instance, I debated a fellow on CNBC and he said he was fed-up with the rhetoric used by companies to make it seem their customers are part of a big, happy family.

Managers - Think Like A Catcher!
[Business:Sales-Management] It's easy to think of catchers as the samurai of baseball. They don armor before going into combat and they withstand a pummeling by opponent after opponent, without expressing a hint of discomfort.

Can't Get Customer Satisfaction? Punish B for the Sins of A!
[Business:Customer-Service] I've had a terrible time getting my new washer-dryer repaired under warranty by a major retailer. It has broken three or four times during the year, and there seems to be a persistent electrical problem. One would think they'd swap machines, to spare themselves from continuously dispatching fixers to my home, and to retain me as a customer.

The A-Rod Saga Makes a 1st Class Negotiation Case
[Business:Negotiation] If you're a baseball fan, or simply a negotiation fan, you can't help but pay attention to the contract saga of that multi-multi-multi-millionaire, Alex Rodriguez. For years, he has been the highest paid player on any team in Major League Baseball, having inked a deal with the Texas Rangers that promised to pay him more than $250 million dollars over 10 years.

Surprise - You're On A Recorded Line, Too!
[Business:Customer-Service] When you hear that nearly universal announcement at the beginning of conversations, "This call may be recorded or monitored," you need to know several things, including the fact that if they are recording you, YOU CAN RECORD THEM, TOO! Telling CSR's you're doing it will definitely enhance your customer experience.

Foreclosures Can't Be Allowed to Reach a Tipping Point
[Real-Estate:Foreclosures] For some time the press has been predicting that cash-strapped homeowners would abandon their abodes as their adjustable mortgages were suddenly recalculated to reflect their true costs, and not the introductory teaser rates. But you have to wonder exactly when a trickle becomes a torrent, when the social sanctions associated with losing one's home, with giving-up on one's debt obligation, morphs from being barely permissible, to acceptable, to trendy and ultimately, it seems "only natural." When that occurs, do otherwise sensible, reliable debtors become flaky, if only because it seems permissible and acceptable?

Smart Negotiators Negotiate the Ground Rules of Negotiations
[Business:Negotiation] One of the most critical, and under-negotiated aspects of negotiating is HOW we're going to conduct ourselves during the process. This includes everything from where we'll sit down to chat, if we're meeting face-to-face, how long our session or sessions will run, the number and duration of breaks, and the people involved in the negotiations and their authority to green-light deals.

#1 of 101 Best Practices in Negotiation
[Business:Negotiation] The seller has agreed to sit down with the buyer, the owner of an adjoining property, face-to-face without the intercession of Realtors. If they can reach agreement, a hefty sales commission of about $50,000 can be saved, making the deal more cost effective for both parties.

What's Your True Goal - Appointments or Sales?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] You're a manager or a business owner and you want to increase the sales your reps make by appointment. That's a no-brainer, right? Set more appointments, they'll talk to more folks, and The Law of Large Numbers will do the rest. They'll close more deals, and what can be simpler than that? It isn't that simple; it's simply wrong, says this top speaker, international sales, negotiation, and service consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular audio seminars, THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS.

Cold Calling - The Value of An Appointment According to a "Pro"
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] In at least one of my best-selling books, possibly in YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE, I declared, "There is nothing as easy to do over the phone as setting an appointment." It's far harder, for instance, to actually open and to close a deal on a single call, which is the way I cut my teeth in selling for Time-Life Books. Getting people to reach for a charge card at the end of an outbound cold call that you initiated is a lot more challenging that asking for 15 minutes of someone's time. But if you chat with some so-called telemarketing "specialists," for-hire call centers that specialize in lead generation and appointment setting, they'd have you believe establishing a meeting is the power-lifting of dialing and smiling, says this top speaker, international consultant, and author of 12 books and the popular audio seminars, THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS.

The Recession of 2008 Will Challenge Indifferent Customer Service
[Business:Customer-Service] Hard times will change indifferent customer service into something much more attentive, predicts this top speaker, best-selling author, and CNBC expert commentator. I had a college Economics professor who used to announce, with his most solemn German accent, "An occasional recession is a good thing. It creates a shakeout in the economy, and weak firms disappear, as they should."

Is Your Company Learning FAST Enough?
[Business] Every few years yet another soldier emerges, blistered, tattered, and paranoid, from the underbrush on an island in the Pacific, only to be informed that World War II ended more than 60 years ago. Here, he has been waging battles against enemies that have been friends for more than a half-century. The picture in his head has been hopelessly out of whack with the "reality" of the surrounding world, but without information, how could he know that? "Make sure you're in a position to learn as fast as possible!" urges this top speaker, international consultant, and CNBC expert commentator.

Customer Service Calls For More Than Single-Handed Help
[Business:Customer-Service] You've heard about doing a job single-handedly, which I've always taken to mean you do it by yourself. There are lots of jobs like this. You can drive a cab, sell magazines from a stall or serve lattes from a kiosk.

5 Tips When Negotiating For Yourself
[Business:Negotiation] In a recent article I mentioned that there are five obstacles to negotiating on your own behalf. We're inclined to get too emotional and to react to offers personally instead of professionally. Add to this the fact that we're more likely to spoil the deal with impatience, a lack of objectivity, and inexperience in negotiation encounters, and you bring to life that adage about lawyers that represent themselves in court.

Cold Calling Tip - Make Your Script As Humble As Possible!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Sometimes it pays to sound as if you don't know what you're doing, you're in over your head, and to come across as an utter screw-up. If you're a humble salesperson, especially over the phone, miracles happen, says this top speaker, international sales and negotiation consultant, best-selling author, and CNBC expert commentator.

5 Reasons Negotiating on Your Own Behalf is Tricky
[Business:Negotiation] You've probably heard the adage, "The lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client." The idea behind that chestnut is the fact that when we represent ourselves in a courtroom or in any negotiation, we're hobbled by at least five things, explains this top speaker, negotiation consultant, best-selling author, and CNBC expert commentator.

I'm Rich!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Oil gushed from the downtrodden farmer's earth and he cried out, "I'm rich!" Instantly, he recognized that his life would be forever changed. Most people wait to see the oil or the money in the bank, before they make this declaration for themselves. But they shouldn't hesitate to realize their wealth. Saying, "I'm rich!" every morning and every evening produces wonderful effects in our lives, and palpable benefits that we can "cash-in" in the here and now, says this top speaker, international sales, customer service & negotiation consultant, and expert commentator on CNBC.

Road Warriors Should Negotiate Higher Compensation!
[Business:Negotiation] If you're seeking a job with a major consulting company, or you're going to sell for a living or manage a national or international division of a corporation, it isn't rare to see that one of the requirements of earning the post is your willingness to travel "50%" or "75%" of the time. This means, literally, you'll be living out of a suitcase. You must ask yourself, "What is it worth to me, denominated in dollars," to forego these pleasures of the rooted life?

Welcome to Time-Life's Fantastic 4-Hour Sales Training Program!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Far too much time is wasted in conventional sales training programs, whether the objective is to produce a telephone seller or a field sales agent. Much of this waste occurs because no one has synthesized the process into a predictable, reliable package, says this top speaker, international consultant and trainer, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular audio seminars, THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS.

Five False "Truisms" in Negotiation
[Business:Negotiation] I continuously make an extensive study of the negotiation literature to prepare and update my "Best Practices in Negotiation" seminars that I conduct around the world. As you might expect there is a lot of consistency among the authors, consultants, professional negotiators, and coaches that weigh in on this topic. But I've noticed that some of these common practices are certainly not "Best Practices." In fact, I believe they are questionable generalizations that you need to scrutinize very carefully before following their advice.

Negotiate With Yourself Before Negotiations Begin!
[Business:Negotiation] Negotiation begins sooner than we think, and usually it begins with ourselves. You need to do 5 preparatory things before you meet with another party, advises this top speaker, international consultant, and CNBC expert commentator.

CRM's Dirty Little Secret
[Business:Customer-Service] Recently, I contacted a car consortium that has been servicing my vehicles for about 10 years. They've leased me a Volvo and a Porsche during that time, but, because of flawed sales and service practices, they've missed out on leasing me a number of other cars.

Negotiating Our Battles On The Cheap is A Bad Deal For Everyone
[Business:Negotiation] According to The Economist, a British publication, "At 4% of GDP America's defense spending is low by historical standards." It was 9% during Vietnam and 14% during Korea. Here' are 5 reasons battling on the cheap is a bad bargain for everyone, whether you support or abhor the war in Iraq, according to this top speaker, best-selling author, and popular TV and radio commentator.

Every Entrepreneur Should Cut His Teeth on Commission Selling
[Business:Sales] Do you have what it takes to succeed in your own business? There's one sure way to tell, and you don't have to get an MBA in entrepreneurship to find out.

Negotiation Tactic - Tell Them, "I'll Buy It!"
[Business:Negotiation] If you're trying to sell something major, such as a house or a classic car or a big contract, what's your number one worry? Your number one worry is that you won't find a buyer. You'll invest in advertising, carefully setting a price, and possibly hiring agents and brokers to assist in the marketing, and after all is said and done, you won't get an offer.

5 Reasons Most Scripts Suck
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] There is a perennial objection trainees raise against using scripts when cold calling, prospecting, setting appointments, and doing customer service, technical support, and telephone sales. They say - "I don't want to sound phony!" Fair enough, no one does. But why is it that there is the very real tendency to sound canned, un-fresh, contrived, and artificial when using scripts? There are 5 reasons that pertain to the scripts, themselves...

Customer Service Reps Need Negotiation Training
[Business:Customer-Service] Most of us negotiate every day, if only when influencing our kids to finish their homework or to come in for dinner on time, when encouraging our co-workers to do their fair share of the heavy lifting, and when scheduling that washer repair appointment at a time when we can actually be at home to meet the technician. But some occupations negotiate more than others. Attorneys are constantly negotiating and salespeople too. And we know dental hygienists are always trying to get us to floss. "But what about customer service reps?" asks this top speaker and sales, customer service, and negotiation consultant.

The Script That Made 100 Million Customers Sing!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] When I was in college I had this daydream about coining a word that would be completely new. Later, when I would see it in print, hear it in conversations, and especially when a dictionary picked it up, I could boast, "Hey, I invented that!"

Attention Road Warriors - It Pays to Fly In & Out The Same Day!
[Business:Management] Take it from someone who has spent a good amount of his adult working life on the road: After the novelty wears off, it's not fun living out of a suitcase. So, I've resolved to fly in and out of a client's town the same day as my scheduled keynote speech, seminar, or consulting engagement. "Isn't this a hassle?" you might wonder. Of course, but the alternatives are much worse.

When Selling by Phone, Target Big Spenders!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Approximately 12 percent of all prospects love to buy. As consumers, they can't wait to load up their new charge cards with heavy debt, because the thrill of buying is so intoxicating to them. And if they're in business, they get equal glee from emptying their employers' treasuries. In the sales field, we call these folks, "Walk-Ins." All you have to do is knock on their door or phone them, and they'll put out the welcome mat. On the other side of the ledger, you'll find about 20% of all buyers. They are tightwads, hating to part with a buck. They hide behind electronic and human sentries, and hem and haw and try to whittle back your margins until they're paper-thin. Selling spendthrifts is cheap, fast and easy. Selling penny-pinching tightwads is costly, slow, and hard. If we're involved in telephone prospecting, cold calling, appointment setting, and just plain old selling by telephone, I think our fortunes are served better by endeavoring to sell "a lot to the few" instead of "a little to the many," says this top trainer, keynote speaker, and international sales and telemarketing consultant.

Is Privacy Becoming a Mere Illusion?
[Computers-and-Technology] Google just acquired Jaiku, a company that broadcasts information regarding what you're listening to, and can announce even where you are, in real time to Google. Enabling your friends, family, and presumably billions of strangers to learn, from moment to moment, what's going on in your head and your life.

Innovations - The Cold Calling Dashboard
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Before cold calling became driven by technology and reps' eyes got glued to computer screens, we used a device at Time-Life Books that was absolutely state of the art, and I've never seen it anywhere else, until I inaugurated it at my clients' sites. It is a cold-calling "dashboard." The dashboard was not only ahead of its time - it still is, according to this top speaker, TV and radio commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books, including YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE!, REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE(R), and the popular audio seminars, THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS.

Avoiding Rejection Is A Waste of Time
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Do you know what a neurosis is? It is the habit of overreacting to a certain kind of event, or trigger. Classic example: You accidentally grab a hot pot on the stove, burning your fingers. The pain is instantly imprinted in your brain, and as a result, you not only exercise caution when approaching hot stoves in the future, which is a suitable response, but you stop cooking, altogether. That last part, the cessation of what is a productive and even necessary activity simply because you associate it most recently with pain, is a neurotic reaction. The same concept applies to selling and experiencing rejection, according to this top speaker, best-selling author, and TV and radio expert commentator.

Commission Earning Salespeople Give Better Service
[Business:Sales] Are today's lazy, unmotivated, no-pressure car dealers providing a service to anyone based on their ineffectiveness? No way. I believe today's car customers are served much better by hungry, commission driven car dealers for 5 reasons.

5 Tips for Polishing Your Script
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] There are two kinds of folks who sell by telephone: (1) Those that deliberately use scripts and respect their functionality, and (2) Those that use scripts, but unconsciously. They are unaware of the fact that we unknowingly repeat phrases and terms that seem to be working for us when setting appointments, qualifying prospects, and closing sales by phone. This article is dedicated to the first group, to those of you who purposely employ a script and who are relentlessly pursuing ways to perfect it. Here are five overarching tips that should serve you well in polishing your selling scripts, according to this top trainer, keynote speaker, and best-selling author of such telemarking classics as: YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE (R), and the popular audio seminars, THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS.

What Kind of Person Makes The Best Telephone Sales Agent?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Mark L. was an aspiring TV actor who just started getting good parts on daytime soap operas. Bob H. was solid student, serious, but I could make him laugh. And when I prodded him to do more than his usual best, especially during contests, he dug down deeper and came up with pure gold. Randy T. spent a good deal of time under the hood of his car, his face obscured by the rising smoke of a joint. And Bunny, ah yes, Bunny, was a bunny, cozying her way to one positive reception after the next. All of these unique characters, and many, many more were my top salespeople at Time-Life, recalls this top speaker, best-selling author, crackerjack trainer, and TV and radio expert commentator.

Sales Smarts 101 - Call Back All Hot Prospects Immediately!
[Business:Sales] There is an auto consortium that offers some of the classiest names in any showroom: Porsche, Mercedes, Jaguar, and Rolls-Royce among them. It can also boast a very poor batting average when it comes to earning my business, despite the fact that it is the closest venue in which to have my cars serviced. But this natural advantage is something the collective dealerships constantly fritter away.

Choose A More Productive Way to Procrastinate!
[Self-Improvement:Success] I'm fairly confident that procrastination, the tendency to put off doing important things, is universal. If Margaret Mead, the famed anthropologist, had sought out data confirming this trait, she would have found plenty, even among remote tribal communities. Happily, there is a better way of overcoming the temptation to procrastinate than by engaging in compulsive list making and self-downing, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and TV and radio commentator.

Scripts Are Essential, But You Need The Three T's to Bring Them to Life
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] There is always the question sellers ask when presented with a script, "Will this work?" but an even more pertinent one is, "Will it work for me?" And the answer is always the same: Unless you're an alien from a distant galaxy, of course it will work for you! But this isn't the whole story, as you might imagine. As a trainer, manager, and consultant I've seen that scripts are only part of the answer. They're helpful and even necessary ingredients of success, but we need more to succeed. Specifically, we need DIRECTION in bringing them to life. And this is where "The Three T's" come into play, says this top speaker, seminar presenter, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular audio seminars, THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS.

The First Call of the Day May Be Your Best!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Don't waste your time by discounting those initial cold calls. They may be the best of the day! As winter approaches you'll see lots of commuters warming-up their cars before leaving for work.

5 Signs Your Articles Are Paying Off
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] In a perfect world authors wouldn't stop to judge the merit of their articles. We'd invest the same amount of time and effort in producing more. But we're somewhat flawed, hopelessly seeking gratification and a sense of where we stand with respect to the quality of our work. Here are five criteria that may help you to be a more effective critic of your own articles, according to this top speaker, professional writer, and frequent expert commentator on TV and radio.

10 Reasons The Donut Diet is One You Can Stick To!
[Health-and-Fitness:Weight-Loss] I had one donut for breakfast with a few cups of home brewed Starbucks coffee, and two more for dinner, accompanied by a glass of cabernet sauvignon, as I sat riveted to a Stephen King thriller on DVD. Between meals, without fanfare or whining, I took a refreshing two-mile stroll at the Venice Boardwalk. And I expect to drop some pounds, firm-up and feel satisfied eating more or less this way for as long as I wish. Admittedly, this is an odd way to get fit, don't you think? But it has a great chance of accomplishing its goal for ten reasons, says this top consultant, best-selling author, and popular TV and radio expert commentator.

Don't Let Data Drift Afflict Your Biography & Resume
[Business:Resumes-Cover-Letters] One of the things we should be cautioned against contributing to, as we write our professional biographies and resumes, is what I call "Data Drift." It is the tendency to: (1) Make these marketing documents longer than they should be; (2) To put far too much detail into them; and (3) To burden them with facts or opinions that might turn off our potential clients, says this top international consultant, best-selling author, and TV and radio commentator.

Cold Calling Is for Winners, Not Whiners
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Peter F. Drucker, management sage and my late professor, said: We don't succeed in areas we don't respect. Clearly, this pertains to dialing for dollars, don't you think? How many among us truly admire and respect cold calling?

The Inexperienced Writer's Guide to Ezine Article Publishing
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] You'd like to join the article marketing game and get some name recognition, ego gratification, and occasional clicks. But you've never written before, and you're not sure you have much to say. What can you do? Specifically, how can you sound impressive and impart minimal content? Here are five tips you can use right away:, according to this top speaker, TV and radio expert commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio seminar, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Customer Service is FREE!
[Business:Customer-Service] A few years ago, Philip Crosby wrote a best-selling book, QUALITY IS FREE. Countering the perception that producing flawless products is costly, Crosby demonstrates that the savings achieved, especially in manufacturing, by doing something right the first time, and by avoiding recalls and repairs, is an effort that more than pays for itself. In the same spirit, I'm here to shout from the rooftops that CUSTOMER SERVICE IS FREE...

Don't You Ever Call Me Again!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] It was a Friday morning and I was already looking forward to the weekend, despite the fact that I sold for Time-Life on Saturday mornings, too, from 9-1. As usual, I was moving down my list if prospects when I saw a fellow's name, nothing odd about it. I dialed and smiled, and began my pitch.

Two Simple Steps to Earning a Sale That The World Forgot
[Business:Sales] Recently, I ran an ad for a web developer to critique and offer a plan to improve my web site. I was deluged with responses, both from the United States as well as from China and India.

How to Be a Heartwarming Cold Caller
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I managed a fellow by the name of Ben at Time-Life Books, and this fellow was special and very much worth remembering and emulating, recalls this top speaker, international sales and service consultant, TV and radio expert commentator...

Lessons in Entrepreneurship - How to Justify an Outright Ripoff
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] You're about to rip-off someone else's business concept or fashion line-up or method for making billions and billions of burgers. You'll become a rich entrepreneur in the process. But how can you justify it to the world, with a smile? This top speaker, best-selling author, and radio TV commentator tells you how to get away with it.

The Blessings in A Little Cold
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] This Fall and Winter, millions will be afflicted by allergies, common colds, and the flu. There's nothing new about this, but if we can make something constructive out of our misery, we might be just a little better off, says this top speaker, international sales and service consultant...

How Cold Calling Builds Careers & Profits
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] From a first sale at Time-Life to becoming a best-selling author, consultant, and expert TV and radio commentator, this writer chronicles how modest cold calls can launch careers and build profits.

Quality Isn't an Option
[Self-Improvement:Success] Of course, by tomorrow morning that set of sheets, pillows and bolsters will be askew, and will probably stay that way for the day, or longer. But for now, the entire ensemble is at blissful repose, as I am. Robert Pirsig, who wrote a national best-seller in ZEN & THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE is one of the unheralded fathers of the quality movement that swept America in the 80's and 90's. His contribution wasn't offered up to big corporations and to countries as were those made by quality gurus Peter F. Drucker and W, Edwards Deming. Pirsig created quality revolutions in one reader at a time, and he still does. I commend his book to one and all, says this top speaker, best-selling author, TV and radio expert commentator, and international sales and service consultant

Lessons in Entrepreneurship - How to Steal a Business
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] While there are successful lawsuits that can be brought against those that steal copyrights, trademarks, patents and the trade dress, i.e. the look, feel, color scheme, graphics, logos, and other proprietary aspects of businesses, the IDEA of a business cannot be kept completely exclusive.

5 Tips to Overcome Your Fear of Commission Selling
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I just got this great question from a reader and I thought you might benefit from our dialogue regarding the fear of commission-only selling. Hello Gary, I've been reading some of your articles related to cold calling in the web. I'm starting a sales position for 2 companies from my own home. Cold calling businesses... But it is scary...

7 Things to Beware of In a Sales Job Offer
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] In a separate article I mentioned that often it pays off handsomely if you accept a commission-only sales job. Typically, if you're willing to work hard and accept some risks, the rewards can be outstanding.

You Can Still Sell Anything By Telephone!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Butcher, baker, or software maker, we're well into the new millennium and I'm here to tell you that you can STILL sell anything by telephone. This seemed like a preposterous boast on my part when I titled my best-selling book, You Can Sell Anything By Telephone!

You Should Say YES To That Commission-Only Job Offer!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Most people in America work on the clock. They earn money by the hour, day, week, month, or year. And that's comforting, because their bills come in hourly, daily, weekly monthly, and yearly. There's predictability and reliability to it. So, along comes a commission-only job offer, especially in selling, and how do these folks react? They're scared, as one of my readers told me in a recent email. This is an absolutely normal reaction. But it shouldn't be the final one, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and international sales and service consultant.

Five Ways to Inject Urgency Into Your Cold Calls
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] In theory, consultative selling, the idea of getting customers to close themselves based on answering clever questions, should be a world-beater, a sure winner. But would you believe me if I told you it is NOT helpful and actually counterproductive in telephone selling?

5 Worst Cold Calling Tips of All Time
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] There are always a few very nice, but literally misguided souls in my telephone sales workshops, cold calling seminars, prospecting programs, and telemarketing training sessions. They preface their questions with these words...

The Million Dollar Cold Call
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] People seem to get a thrill turning up their noses at folks who sell by telephone for a living. But let me say, if they're well trained and compensated properly, they're worth their weight in gold, says this top speaker, international consultant, inventor of THE NEW TELEMARKETING, and best-selling author of 12 books, including such classics as YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE (R).

Let's Buy The Chicago White Sox!
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Just when you think Major League Baseball is getting smarter, that's its teams' managements are becoming more sophisticated and enlightened, one of them becomes so blissfully boneheaded that you feel you're watching sandlot play and the year is 1899.

Call The Job What You Will, Just Keep Cold Calling!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] It's not uncommon to contact a company and to ask a sales manager, "Do you do any cold calling there?" and to have the person flatly reply "No," when this is exactly what he and his minions are doing.

How to Warm-Up Cold Calls & Chilly Emails
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I've been doing a telephone marketing campaign to promote a series of seminars that I'll be presenting in the next several months at various universities. To bolster registrations in my Best Practices in Negotiation, Managing Client Relations, and Building Your Professional Practice seminars, I've been phoning into various practitioners' offices.

Zen & The Art of Cold Calling
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] If you want to make cold calling a peak experience instead of a trek into the emotional depths, there are five things to consider says this top speaker, international sales and customer satisfaction consultant, and best selling author of 12 books and the popular audio seminars, THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Cold Calling - Your First Lesson in Warrior Training
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I've studied Zen, Eastern philosophy, and the martial arts for many years. But some of the best lessons in warriorship come from cold calling. Carlos Castaneda says warrior training should - "Start with a single act that has to be deliberate, precise, and sustained. If that act is repeated long enough, one acquires a sense of unbending INTENT, which can be applied to anything else. If that is accomplished the road is clear. One thing will lead to another until the warrior realizes his full potential." If you take a phone call as your "single act," and you repeat it, you'll perfect it, and you'll succeed. Sticking with this act, you develop "unbending intent."

Loyal Customers Try to Keep You in Business
[Business:Customer-Service] I was reading an interesting story about a small town resident who made a special trip to buy some finished lumber from a local hardware store, to use in a room addition. The lumber, by far wasn't the best quality. The hardware store didn't have convenient parking. The hardware store's prices were substantially higher than the Home Depot's. And the hardware store couldn't offer the do-it-yourselfer any easy financing. Still, the gentleman awarded the local merchant his business, and his reason?

5 Secrets of No-Pressure Cold Calling
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] People are afraid to cold call for a number of reasons. For one thing, they fear rejection. Also, they're concerned they'll sound foolish, or they'll be laughed or screamed at, or hung-up on. All of these cold calling events contribute to a feeling of high pressure on the caller, who in turn, pressures prospects, causing unnecessary failure and bruised feelings. What if you could cold call in utter calmness, as you might imagine the way a Zen master brings a cool cup of water from a well to his lips? Wouldn't that be nifty? Here are five tips for accomplishing this no-pressure state of mind, which will result in greater task satisfaction and produce more sales, as well according to this top speaker, CNBC expert commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books and the audio seminars, THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

"Always Talk To Strangers!" Cold Calling Coach Advises
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] If you've been in and around selling for any length of time you've heard, and perhaps repeated several excuses for not cold calling: "It"s hard!" "It doesn't work!" "Prospects hate it!" "It's a time-waster!" "I'm better at closing deals than at opening them!" These rationalizations are foolish at best. Seasoned professionals know that cold calling is really easy and incredibly straightforward, it works beautifully, those who buy forget they bought via a cold call, it saves time, and opening deals is just as critical to sales success as closing them.

Sales Gems - Ask For The Sale at Least Once Before You Leave!
[Business:Sales] As a sales and customer satisfaction consultant I study the current practices of my clients, and in many cases, they're quite good and I pick-up on new concepts and techniques that work. One of my clients is the head of his own office automation company, and one day, I was watching him train a new batch of salespeople, and he cast a number of gems their way, one of which I'll share with you.

In Cooling Economies Cold Calling is King
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] More than one financial wizard has remarked that the U.S. economy is heading toward recession. Job creation has slipped from years of consecutive advances, the housing and mortgage lending balloons have burst, and the days of easy selling are coming to an end. In a word, I'm thrilled. Not for those who will suffer job losses or crunched-down wages and benefits and the other typical pains of economic contraction.

Cold Calling is Easy!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] There is this knuckleheaded idea that cold calling is difficult. What makes it so? Is it the fact that you're sitting in an air-conditioned office or spare room, where you control 100% of the atmospherics?

Chicago White Sox - From First to Worst in Less Than 24 Months
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] It's hard to believe that the Chicago White Sox were the 2005 World Champions, topping all other clubs in the majors. Today, as I gazed at the standings, less than two full seasons later, they're in dead last in the Central Division, beneath the perennially poor performers, the Kansas City Royals. The good news is that the Sox are a mere four games out of fourth place. They still have a fighting chance to stave off the shame of becoming cellar dwellers during the off-season. But they're not fighting, observes this top speaker, best-selling author, and creator of the popular Nightingale-Conant motivational program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

First-Class Cold Calling Gets First-Class Results!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] One of my client's reps sold an investment to a major bank, earning himself a ONE MILLION DOLLAR COMMISSION. He is a first-class cold caller, according to this top speaker, CNBC expert commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books including such classics as YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE, along with the popular Nightingale-Conant audio seminar, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

How to Keep Cold Calling Companies Honest
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Experience tells me clients as well as the conventional salespeople they employ are so intimidated by cold calling that they'll pay anyone nearly anything under any circumstances if they can avoid making their own calls.

How to Attract Clients to Your Professional Practice
[Business:Solo-Professionals] I was just perusing some of the recent articles posted at an ezine site when I came across the title - "What to Look For in A Good DUI Attorney." DUI means "driving under the influence," as you may know, and if you're nabbed doing this, getting competent counsel is certainly advisable.

5 Ways Ezines Cure Writers' Block
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Imagine being a firefighter and one day, despite all of your training and years of experience, you simply seize up, can't slide down the proverbial pole and hop onto the wailing truck. Or, you sell insurance, and the day comes when you suddenly find yourself at a complete loss to explain the terms of a car policy, though you've done it hundreds of times and the coverage is stated clearly before you, in black and white. Your lips might move, but no sounds come out.

Negotiating With Book Publishers - Retaining Creative Control
[Business:Negotiation] I was watching the Charlie Rose show online, paying particular attention to interviews with Stanley Tucci and Steve Buscemi. You've seen both onscreen in scores of roles. They're fine character actors, as well as writers and people who are simply creative in all major areas of film-craft. Rose asked Tucci how he likes to work with film financiers, especially those who ante-up for small, quirky productions, and his answer was incredibly succinct and insightful: "You just have to find the person who is going to give you the money and leave you alone." This might mean high wealth individuals, bankers, or other sources. Of course, the trick is the second part of his comment, negotiating with someone who will leave you alone, enabling you to retain creative control and to bring your vision to life. I've found the same challenge in book publishing, says this top speaker, best-selling author, creator of the "Best Practices in Negotiation" seminar at UC Berkeley, and international consultant.

5 Reasons to Write For Free
[Writing-and-Speaking] I've published 1,215 articles without being paid a dime. It's not a record. At an Ezine sites where my work appears, there is another writer who is by far the leader, with more than 11,000 submissions to his credit. Aren't I investing a lot of time, and foregoing substantial money, while enriching publishers who sell Google advertising based on my effort? Isn't it also true that many of my direct competitors are advertising next to my articles and near my byline? By "giving away" some of my most contemporary ideas I'm giving-up potential book, tape and speaking revenue. Why would buyers pay money for ideas they can get for free? The essence of professionalism is being paid real money for your efforts. So, if you're giving them away, your skills, your talent, and your time, they must be worthless, right? At various points in my life these questions would have driven me to distraction. But my view has changed. There are five benefits for writers in not being officially compensated. says this top speaker, TV commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio seminar, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Professional Advancement is A Two-Way Street
[Business:Ethics] After being friends with someone for about three years, the day came when I needed some advice from him pertaining to where I might take my media career, a topic he's intimately familiar with because he's in the business. I phoned him and what surprised me was how easily he dismissed the subject of my inquiry, and turned the tables. He said, without a trace of regret or reluctance, "I can't help you, but if there's anything you can do for me, don't hesitate to call!" Thinking this self-centeredness was attributable to his being in show business, I was surprised even more when the same tack was taken by a fellow I knew in the Midwest, only a few weeks later. Did the ethic of "one hand washes the other," of reciprocity leave the business environment around the time "Elvis left the theater?"

Always Cold Call!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Wimps, bozos, geeks, nerds and punks, never cold call. It's not in them. They're gutless, clueless, and cowardly. They, like their fear-of-public-speaking cohorts, will do anything instead of having a show-down with a take-no-prisoners-prospect in real-time. They'll procrastinate. They'll make excuses. They'll worm and weasel their way to one rationalization after another. "Cold calling doesn't work!" "Cold calling is obsolete!" "Cold calling is for the desperate!" "Cold calling is inefficient!" Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong again! Cold calling is the fastest path to a "yes" known to humankind.

Let's Put an End to Service "Schizophrenia"
[Business:Customer-Service] Contemporary customer service makes most people, for lack of a better term, schizophrenic. Literally, we're of two minds about it, making the quality of service in our culture spotty, and a hit and miss proposition, at best. One the one hand, we're consumers. So, we want the most attentive, personalized, caring and efficient treatment possible. Then, we put on our business hats and everything changes. We become like that Batman character, Two-Face, memorably portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones, becoming misers, carefully rationing the amount of service we'll dole out to OUR customers and clients, says this CNBC commentator, top speaker, and best-selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Entrepreneurship 101 - It's Better to be A Be a "Presentist" Than a Futurist
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] My professor, the late and great management guru, Peter F. Drucker, often said: "We can't see the future. The best we can do is to see the present, especially what others haven't noticed about it, and then to take action." One of my favorite examples of Drucker's wisdom relates to Dr. Paul Ehrlich, best-selling author of THE POPULATION BOMB, which caused quite a stir a few decades ago. Ehrlich's premise was at then-current rates of production and consumption the world would run out of food, triggering massive starvation and global unrest. It was inevitable, Ehrlich maintained, and his intellectual forbear, Thomas Malthus was correct: we'd simply have too many mouths to feed. Both gentlemen were wrong. If you bet on that future, you would have been a loser, says this CNBC commentator, top speaker, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Consumers - How to Escalate Your Complaint & Win
[Business:Customer-Service] Escalation has been a term in currency within customer service units for many years. It is the process of moving a client's inbound call or complaint up from one level of support, or discretion, to the next. Typically, at Level One, which is where most of us dial-in, unless we're corporate buyers who are sent to a special cue, CSR's cannot give us anything except excuses. At Level Two, it's an entirely different story, says this CNBC expert commentator, top speaker, and best-selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Prepare Yourselves - There Are Few Easy Sales in Tough Times!
[Business:Sales] As the economy grows tougher, and it will, we're going to witness a resurgence of petal-to-the-metal selling techniques. These are the essentials of traditional selling, and it's very, very possible, even if you're an experienced seller with five or more years under your belt, that you're clueless about these methods. You never had to learn them or deploy them.

Here's Proof - It's Never Too Late To Call Inactive Accounts!
[Business:Sales-Management] I received a phone message from my insurance agent, yesterday. It was a bit of a surprise that he was saying hello. My policy had lapsed and been replaced by two more policies many years ago. And the last time we chatted, I was childless, and now the eldest is 17 and on the way to being a high school senior. I called him back, we had a pleasant chat. He's doing more or less the same-old, but I needed to update him that I graduated from law school, became a licensed attorney, earned my MBA, am a regular on a TV channel he watches, published 12 books, and a few other details. After hearing all about what he missed in my life he didn't hesitate to tell me he has some exciting new financial products I might be interested in! I have to tip my hat to him, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and CNBC expert commentator.

Customer Service - Want a Quick Response? Call Into Sales, Not Support
[Business:Customer-Service] My DSL unit is buggy, and I've contacted A T & T about it, several times. Mostly, my calls are connected to offshore units that have no authority to send me a replacement modem. If I want that, they say, I need to contact the "Product Center," which puts me into cue for 20 minutes and then drops my call with a recording that flatly says I'll have to call back in non-peak hours. So, the tack of doing it the official way, by calling support just doesn't work, and it wastes time.

Negotiating Secrets - How To Self-Publish & Use Traditional Book Publishers
[Business:Negotiation] One of my readers emailed me this question, which is important to every novelist and non-fiction writer and intellectual property negotiator: "I was wondering if I should pursue traditional publishers or if self publishing really is the way to go?" The answer is BOTH, plus there is a THIRD even more lucrative option, says this top speaker, best-selling author, and negotiation pro.

Are Your Martial Arts Lessons Carrying Over Into Your World?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] One of the main reasons folks are attracted to the martial arts is the implied or stated benefit of becoming stronger, more confident, and tougher. In many dojos, without question, you'll achieve these goals. When you step onto the mat you'll spar with fewer fears and butterflies, be able to withstand kicks and strikes, and authoritatively pay them back in kind. "But when you put on your street gear, and especially those business or work outfits, do you step down from being a king of the mat to a doormat?" asks this top speaker, CNBC commenttaor, and black belt in kenpo karate.

A Liberal Education is The Best Defense Against Cults
[Self-Improvement] The other day as I was looking at collegiate web sites, I happened upon Occidental College's home page. Its stated aim, which I paraphrase here, is to help students to: (1) Think critically; (2) Express themselves clearly; and (3) Seek out multiple viewpoints. While I would add a few things to this list, including an appreciation of the arts, I believe it sums up what a well rounded citizen should do, not only to achieve a meaningful life, but to make a contribution and to perpetuate democratic values.

Kicking Versus Kissing
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] Imagine encountering a martial artist who has practiced a certain move, such as a snap kick, a million or more times. It's powerful and more explosive and devastating than any other snap kick in the world. His mastery has become the stuff of legend, so much so that students seek him out. They, too, wish to have such a strong snap kick, but also they bring him their problems dealing with life, in general. "Can this master help them?" asks this top speaker, best-selling author, and black belt in kenpo karate.

Good Customer Service Equals Technical Competence Plus Human Relations Skills
[Business:Customer-Service] Being in a service economy means at least 70% of us are directly, inextricably, and completely engaged for our livings in delivering customer service - literally - a service to customers. (But if you ask most people "Are you in customer service?" they'll say no, thinking you're referring to a specific department or to a narrow business function.) Even if we're employed in the "goods" sector, in manufacturing, we're still tethered to customer service. Savvy economists point out - "There is no such thing as a commodity" a never changing product or raw material, which has no service dimension attached to it.

Heroes In Business Answer The Phone
[Business:Customer-Service] I may not be able to post this article online because my DSL line is acting batty. It drops connections every few minutes, frustrating the completion of even the shortest of tasks. I called AT&T to repair it. First, I reached their offshore call center, which shuttled me to three people. Finally, they concurred I have a hardware problem, that my modem needs to be replaced. But that's the equipment department they said, and they're only open narrow weekday hours. Fine, I phoned them on Monday, spoke to two more people there, was put on hold for twenty minutes, and then I heard an announcement that said I need to call back during non-peak hours. Then, I was purposely disconnected. I say purposely, because the design of the conversation is such that they're hanging-up NOW, and they're utterly remorseless about it. The modem probably costs all of five bucks, if that, presuming it's made in China.

Can A Dojo's Leader Be Replaced?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] What happens when the Sensei or Sifu of your martial arts dojo goes batty, or simply loses the respect of his senior students, or he neglects their training, gets sick, moves away, phones-it-in, disappears altogether, or dies? Can he be replaced, and if so, by whom?

Megan's Great at Selling-Too Bad She Hates It!
[Business:Sales-Management] A few years back I wrote a best-selling book: SELLING SKILLS FOR THE NON-SALESPERSON: FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE TO SELL BUT LOVE TO SUCCEED. It is addressed to the great majority of folks that need to be persuasive, but who lack training, and of course who have titles other than "salesperson." That's a lot of people. I've had quite a bit of experience in training them, too. What I've always found especially interesting is the fact that many non-sellers, once trained, are just as effective, if not more so that their "official" counterparts-the ones with the loftier titles and the bigger paychecks. Still, despite outward success, non-sellers struggle, says this CNBC expert commentator, top speaker, and international consultant.

Customer Relations - Real People Inside!
[Business:Customer-Service] Do you remember those stickers that said, "Intel Inside", that were attached to so many personal computers and that appeared in zillions of ads? It was a very clever attempt at branding something that wasn't visible to a customer, but which was nonetheless important to the functioning of the product, the processor. Manufacturers that could claim their PC's were powered by Intel injected credibility into their otherwise drab and lesser known names on the computer boxes. Equally important, over time, Intel could release increasingly powerful processors and it would give buyers an enticement to upgrade, which stimulated sales throughout the entire supply chain. I'm not here to tell you one chip is better than another, because that may not be the case. But Intel showed us that there is a perception of value that can be built by touting the innards of a product.

Corporate Loyalty - Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, When I'm 64?
[Business] Decency is quickly departing from many American corporations, at least when it comes to how they handle their employees and customers. The kinder, gentler environment that President #41, George Herbert Walker Bush spoke of, remains a distant dream. It has been supplanted by a meaner, harsher reality during the reigns of his successors, #42, Bill Clinton, and #43, George W. Bush. Downsizing, off-shoring, world-sourcing, and other practices of the modern corporation have made temps of CSR's who would much rather enjoy the benefits of permanent employment. Today, it would only be a fool who would expect to invest an entire career at a single enterprise, where a generation ago, this expectation was fostered by a sizable number of employers and employees, alike. I see a connection between diminished corporate loyalty, loosened ties between job givers and job takers, and the plummeting of customer satisfaction, says this top speaker, CNBC expert commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

4 Words to the Wise - "Fail Again - Fail Better!"
[Self-Improvement:Success] You've heard, of course, that a word to the wise is sufficient. In my case, I need a few more. I ran across a short string of four words that I like very much, and I think they contain quite a mighty success secret, worth sharing. Samuel Beckett is quoted as having said: "Fail again. Fail better." Why would we try to fail again? This seems irrational, when it's success we're after.

CorporateSpeak - Your Business is Important To Us, and Other Orwellianisms
[Business:Customer-Service] If you take a close look at corporate rhetoric these days you can easily conclude that we live in an Orwellian time when it comes to customer treatment. You remember George Orwell, author of "1984," a cautionary tale about a totalitarian society where great banners and giant flat-screen TV's were everywhere, touting expressions such as: WAR IS PEACE! HATE IS LOVE! Today's corporations are beaming out similar oxymoron's.

Customer Service - If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get!
[Business:Customer-Service] I contacted a credit card issuer because I had paid off a balance yet the following month my statement showed a finance charge. After wading through the voice prompts a CSR came on the line. "Why am I seeing a finance charge?" I asked with uncharacteristic gentleness. I suspected I might owe the fee, after all, but I wasn't at all sure of it. She explained there are "carry-over charges" that aren't completely retired by a prior payment. If that's so, I thought, these mystery charges could go on without end. How can we know we've totally and completely paid off a card's balance? I shared that concern with her and she agreed it seemed a little strange.

Are Customers Partly Responsible For Lousy Service?
[Business:Customer-Service] It's easy to blame customers for their misfortunes, and companies try this ruse all the time. Bought something that didn't work as advertised? It's your fault. If you knew what you were doing you wouldn't have purchased it in the first place. Did the product injure you? You misused it. You failed to follow directions. You were careless. Want your money back? You just have a bad case of sour grapes, buyer's remorse. You never intended to honor your commitment, anyway.

Cutting Back on Service? Customers Find Ways to Get Even!
[Business:Customer-Service] This decade started out as the era of the customer. It was a WIN + WIN vision. We create value for customers, and they pay us value in return, in the form of profits. But every party has a pooper, and along came CRM, Customer Relationship Management, and a new WIN-LOSE philosophy. Customers were not to be uniformly cherished, revered, and respected, anymore, unless they were in the 20% that presumably provides 80% of one's profits. "The customer is always right" became "Guilty until proven innocent." Today, if you are tagged as a client who needs too much hand-holding, you are thrown off the train, as SPRINT just did to 1,000 customers that called in for support too often. That carrier simply cut them loose, and effectively said find another vendor, go away, you're worthless to us. But you know what? Customers are pesky. You can toss them out, but they won't go gently.

Consumers Beware - 2 Subtle Scams - Fitness & Frequent Flyer Programs
[Business:Customer-Service] Wouldn't it be nice to be in a business where you could get someone's money but only have to deliver the service they paid for when you felt like it? Wouldn't it be great to hook people into subscribing to something that you haven't yet delivered, get them to invest a certain amount, but then before delivering being able to raise the price as high as you wish? Wouldn't it be amazing to sell a service, make it very difficult for the client to receive it, and have the client give-up, forfeiting his benefits while actually blaming himself for what you did?

Will Men Destroy Great Service In The Name of CRM?
[Business:Customer-Service] If men are populating service in greater numbers, or setting the tone of the field through writing and training, how will this affect the type of treatment being dispensed? Will it become less patient, less empathic, and more adversarial?

Blame it On Rio - Reconsider the Value of Delivering International Speeches & Seminars
[Writing-and-Speaking] In a prior article, I mentioned it is very costly to deliver a paid, professional speech or seminar at a distant international venue. You have prep time, visas to apply and wait for, travel to arrange, currency and payment collection issues, language barriers, and days on airplanes en route. Still, after having recently done a first-class program in Brazil, which I had a chance to videotape for release later as a product, I was pleased and said the experience was well worth it.

Customer Service - Good Things Come to Those Who Wait!
[Business:Customer-Service] This concept seems clear until you go to a restaurant as I did this afternoon for a little ravioli and minestrone soup. I've been a customer for about 20 years, and by now, the only face that hasn't changed is Tony's, the owner.

Customer Loyalty Is Not For Sale!
[Business:Customer-Service] Customer incentives tend to create a certain amount of repeat business and brand preference. But these outcomes, valuable as they can be to all parties, are utterly temporary and are not to be confused with LOYALTY. In fact, I contend that THE LESS WE GIVE TO CUSTOMERS by way of extrinsic, cash-types of awards, THE MORE LOYAL THEY'LL BE, says this top speaker, CNBC commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURIING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Client Relations In A Post-Loyalty Era
[Business:Customer-Service] I believe we'll look back on frequency marketing schemes, whether they're offered by your airline, dry cleaner, favorite Italian restaurant, or hair stylist, as wasteful and ultimately, as dysfunctional. For instance, I only eat at a certain restaurant when it offers double or triple points, redeemable for free food. Certainly, they expected me to continue to patronize the place, but find a reason to do it more, if I stood to gain. But like the experimental mouse that will stop pulling the level when its rewards stop, I'm behaving exactly as I've been programmed to do.

Want Faster Service? Just Show Up at Their Door!
[Business:Customer-Service] It can be super-frustrating and time consuming to set appointments with busy professionals by phone, and when you get through and obtain one, frequently you have to wait weeks to be seen. I have a better way, and it may work for you, as well, says this top speaker, CNBC expert customer service commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Client Relations - Tell Us You're Completely Satisfied - Or Else!
[Business:Customer-Service] Customers don't want to be put on the spot, compelled to disclose their attitudes and feelings. Under compulsion, what we say is highly suspect, anyway, and it isn't much good in giving guidance to companies regarding their performance. If companies are after "the truth" they only need to monitor the nonverbal behavior of clients. I walked back into the rental agency to make this point. "If you want to know if were satisfied, look at our faces." I pointed to a fellow to my left, obviously perturbed. "He's not happy, now look at me." "I'm fairly happy; do you see the difference?" asked this top speaker, CNBC expert commentator, and best selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

The Power of Positive Reading
[Book-Reviews:Self-Help] Today, I reached for a little book in my library that I purchased at a second-hand store about a dozen years ago. This volume is a first edition of Norman Vincent Peale's classic, "The Power of Positive Thinking." I can't tell you how rewarding it is. In it you'll find the genesis of many of today's self-help nostrums. There are secrets of achieving self-confidence, restoring your flagging energy, and achieving inner peace, and if you apply them exactly as suggested, they'll probably work very well. What I'm struck by as much as the content is the tone of the book, which is consistently polite and respectful.

Forgetting About Time Is The Secret to Living Richly
[Self-Improvement:Success] If you called me or passed me on the street and asked me what day of the week it is, I'd probably pause for a few seconds that would feel like an eternity, before answering. Frankly, I can go for days at a time not realizing if it's Monday or Thursday. I don't have a hump day, as so many workers call Wednesday. Seldom do I sigh with relief and say, "Thank heaven, today's Friday!" I don't grow uptight as Sunday night gently ushers itself in, while solemnly dreading the Monday to come. None of these days have their customary, widespread cultural significance because I report to myself. My time is my own, literally, and to me, this is the secret to living richly, says this top speaker, CNBC expert commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program: THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Client Relations - How To Get A Shining Reference From Reluctant Clients
[Business:Customer-Service] The best-selling author of SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING and frequent expert commentator on CNBC and worldwide media reveals his secret for getting positive references, along with five reasons clients are otherwise reluctant to give them.

Dear Customer - Welcome to Our Frequent Punishment Program!
[Business:Customer-Service] Rewarding your customers can be a brilliant way to stimulate repeat business and frequent flyer programs did exactly that, in their inception. But now, it's a different story, according to this CNBC commentator, top speaker, and best-selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE. Companies don't understand that disappointed customers, former rewardees that have been shorted, will respond in kind and punish the companies that withhold rewards.

Cold Calling's Secret Advantage
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Cold calling can be more effective that warm calling for the precise reason that you do not know the person you're speaking to, says this top speaker, CNBC expert commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program: The Law Of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable.

Client Relations - At Work, All The World's A Stage
[Business:Customer-Service] Some find this notion offensive, particularly adolescents who perceive that everyone around them, especially their parents, are merely pretending, that they are playing roles; spending many of their waking hours being other than their true selves.

Sales Success- You're Only A List Away!
[Business:Sales-Management] When I was in sales management with Time-Life, we'd assign calling lists to reps before every shift. "I want Canoga Park!" one seller would shout. "Is there any Mar Vista left?" "Just give me something that hasn’t been called a million times," another would wisely request. Lists were, and still are, a big deal. INEVITABLE.

Chicago White Sox Are Facing a Drought That Could Last a Decade
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The Chicago White Sox are recent World Champions, having taken it all in 2005. I need to remind myself of that fact. Looking at them now, more than 15 games back in their division, a season and a half later, it's hard to believe. Across town, the Cubs are closing fast behind division leading Milwaukee. That team went from awful to very respectable as the Sox headed the opposite way. What happened to the South Siders, and what's next?

Customer Service Metrics - Don't Buy Into The Single Statistic Fallacy
[Business:Customer-Service] How much do you weigh? Are you happy with that number? That particular figure may or may not have much bearing on your physical figure, on your shape or your overall fitness level. The same thing applies to customer service, especially to measuring service quality in a call center environment. At present, there is too much reliance on too few statistics that mean little, by themselves, says this CNBC customer service commentator, top consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Client Rewards - Con-Man Exploits Customer Service Policies
[Business:Customer-Service] I was speaking to a lawyer about my recent appearances on CNBC, addressing customer service issues, and satisfaction guarantees came up as a topic. I mentioned Costco, which used to offer an astounding guarantee enabling shoppers to return just about anything at any time for a complete refund. (Recently, it curtailed its generosity. Electronics, for instance, can now be returned within 90 days of purchase.) The attorney volunteered a story about a very successful guy who exchanged his TVs at Costco penalty-free every six months as improved models and better values hit the store.

Client Relations - Let's Find A Way To Say YES!
[Business:Customer-Service] A few days ago I was standing in line far too long, to get a simple prescription filled for a family member. Then I heard the bad news- "Your carrier said your benefits expired on April 4." "That's not true," I replied. "If you look at the card you'll see that's the date when my benefits started!" "Well, they said no. Maybe you can call them," she sighed with no apparent motivation to pick-up the phone, herself. I flagged down a supervisor who then ordered the reluctant clerk to make the call.

SPRINT To Customers - Don't Go Away Mad - Just Go Away!
[Business:Customer-Service] Cellular carriers are famous for dropping calls, but now SPRINT is dropping customers from its system if they phone the carrier for assistance too many times during the month. A thousand or more customers have been involuntarily terminated by SPRINT, which is sending out letters instructing customers to take their business elsewhere. Debating the wisdom of this move on CNBC's "On the Money" program last night, claimed this denial of service is inconsistent with the founding of phone service in this country by A T & T, which undertook the task to provide it universally, no matter the difficulty, distance, or the cost.

Steve Jobs Chains I-Phoners to "Moo-Bell"
[Business:Customer-Service] There is an old country expression: "Never tie a rabbit to a cow if you want to see how fast the rabbit can run!" But this is exactly what Apple has done by chaining itself and its I-Phone customers for five long years to "Moo Bell"--my name for the "new" AT&T, a reconstituted behemoth with sluggish connection times.

Sales Strategy Question #1 - How Many Prospects Do You Have?
[Business:Sales-Management] Your decision as to what sales strategy to employ will be informed to a major extent not by your personal style or even your training in using transitions, important as these considerations are. Your strategy will be governed by the size of prospecting universe that you're tapping into, says this top speaker, CNBC commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books and the Nightingale-conant audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Client Relations - Don't Cut Service - Add Value!
[Business:Customer-Service] The other night I was on CNBC debating the wisdom in the decision by SPRINT to shut off cell phone service to more than 1,000 subscribers that were said to have over-used call-in customer support. SPRINT claims that it needs to shore up profits by cutting costs, and blabbers and dissatisfied customers are disproportionately cutting into them. Of course, SPRINT is chasing an illusion, a chimera - the idea that the path to sustainable profits is paved with peevishness, that paring costs is synonymous with producing profits.

Client Relations - Being In Service Is An Honor
[Business:Customer-Service] We fought back a tear as Nigel said, without a hint of anticipation or excitement, "I'm leaving." "Leaving, what do you mean?" "I'm no longer going to be here at the hotel, here in the restaurant." It was a blow of staggering proportions.

On Writing & Speaking - Does Bill's "Passion" Belong in His Biography?
[Writing-and-Speaking] Check you biography for gender-bias. It may be unconsciously weighted in one direction or another, resulting in needless alienation of what could be a superior market for your topics, and for you as a writer or speaker, says this top keynote speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author.

Close Calls - What DIDN'T Your Parents Name You?
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] I was almost Douglas Goodman. My dad liked that name. Also, I had a close encounter with Scott Goodman, mom's favorite. My parents compromised and I became Gary Scott Goodman. Having lived with this appellation for a while, I feel it simply had to be the way it turned out. But if I had been given one of the other names, what would I have become?

Client Relations - Downsize Client Rewards At Your Peril
[Business:Customer-Service] For years, I could count on my CPA to send me four Dodger tickets, a pass good for admission to the Stadium Club restaurant, and a privileged parking voucher. Some seasons, because of my travel schedule, I was only able to make it to one game, and that one was usually spiffed by my accountant. So, it felt like a splurge on his tab, though if the truth be told, I suppose his fees had the bonus built in. The other day, just as the All-Star break was arriving as it always does at mid-season, I received an envelope from my accountant. There weren’t any Dodger tickets inside, nor the customary restaurant or parking passes. There was a $5 gift card to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Now, I don’t want to sound mercenary about this, but there is a significant difference in the value that envelope contained this year, versus preceding years. Be careful when you inaugurate a customer rewards program of any kind. If you decide to scrimp on it later, your clients will notice, even if they aren’t Dodger fans, says this top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author of MONITORING, MEASURING, & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Client Relations Strategies - Is Your Name CONSTANTLY In Front of Your Buyers?
[Business:Customer-Service] I was asked to appear on CNBC's "Power Lunch" program a few weeks ago, to discuss customer service and customer satisfaction, and I was told I'd be debating a fellow who is also a consultant.

Client Relations- Our Menu Has Changed-And It's Even More Offensive!
[Business:Customer-Service] Have you ever noticed how snippy the automated voice attendants sound when they answer our lines? Their messages are incredibly defensive, if you pay attention to the commands and demands they try to get away with. For instance, one of the commonest admonitions you'll hear is "Our menu has changed." This is like demanding the person "Listen-up now!" or "Listen to the whole thing!" We'd never sound that insistent to a client in real time, but we program our electronic proxies to do it for us. By delegating rudeness to machines, do we diminish it?

Client Relations - Should The Automated Attendant's Voice Always Be A Woman's?
[Business:Customer-Service] The other day I was assisting a Wall Street client with some original phrasing that should be used by the automated voice attendant as it answers and cues inbound calls. My Electronic Call Path will speed the process and eliminate some time wasting cliches such as "Our menu has changed." As I composed the email containing the suggestions, I made a point of appending tonal instructions that should accompany the text. The recording and monitoring notification should go down in tone, for instance, while other phrases should be lifted up.

Always Try to Make The Same Mistake TWICE!
[Self-Improvement:Success] I was just reading a fun article that quotes a lot of folks opining about what makes people successful. One famous Englishman said success is to be found by never making the same mistake twice. Undoubtedly, you’ve heard that as I have, but suddenly it rang false to me. I wondered, are there good reasons to make the same mistake TWICE, or perhaps even more than that? There are five reasons to recommend it, according to this best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS- HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Real Estate- The Virtue of Zero Curb Appeal
[Real-Estate] I grew up in Beverly Hills, California, a town revered for its stately homes and gorgeous, movie-star mansions. I personally dwelled in some of these trophy properties during sleepovers and parties. But there was almost always something odd about those that were the most stunning from the street.

Direct Pointing- A Surer Path to Attracting, Satisfying & Keeping Clients
[Business:Customer-Service] When we engage in communications with clients, we should be crystal clear, especially in signaling three things: (1) Our initial willingness and ability to help; (2) Our belief that we have been of great help, and that we desire to help even more; and (3) Our appreciation for their business.

Client Services Reps - Too Nice to Be True?
[Business:Customer-Service] "My clients are brokers and they're under pressure to make trades and get off of calls. They don't have time for pleasantries or chit-chat!" "If, all of a sudden, I start sounding overly cheerful, my clients will know some thing is wrong!" "I don't want to sound like those drive-through people at McDonald's!" "I speak to the same clients every day. I can't get away with saying the same thing on every call - they'll know it's a script!" These are just some of the excuses, dodges, and justifications I hear when I’m doing my 1st Class Customer Service Seminars and Managing Client Relations classes around the world.

Client Relations- Do A Politeness Check on Your Automated Phone Attendant!
[Business:Customer-Service] I called a cellular company yesterday, on the eve of Apple's iPhone launch, with the thought in mind that I might switch companies in order to be able to use Steve Jobs' latest device. It was obvious to me that the humans had received a lot of training, and they were trying to be polite to a fault.

Client Relations - Do You Have Clients In Order to Build?
[Business:Customer-Service] As a kid, I'd think nothing of organizing a pick-up baseball game. At the playground you could always find a dozen and a half kids who weren't doing much on their own, or in pairs, and they would welcome a little focused exertion. Only later as an adult, belonging to a softball team that disintegrated, did I appreciate what a feat it is to find a minimum of 17 other grown-ups to play ball with. But it's worth it if you love the game. In a similar vein, many professionals do what they do for the love of their fields. And to borrow a line from Ayn Rand's fictional character, architect John Galt, they express their motivation this way: "I don't build in order to have clients. I have clients in order to build."

Client Relations - And Is There A Point Today, Bob?
[Business:Customer-Service] Blabbers. Ramblers, Lonely Folks, and the Unflinchingly Self-Important have one thing in common - They hijack conversations. And in doing so, they put us, particularly if we do client relations or customer service work, at a distinct disadvantage. How can we gracefully draw our chats with them to a conclusion when it is they that are paying for those calls, and our salaries?

Client Relations 101 - How To Say "Yes"
[Business:Customer-Service] The easiest thing in the world has to be saying "Yes!" to a client, right? But lots of people ruin it with a single, ill-chosen phrase.

5 Vital Differences Between "Clients" & "Customers"
[Business:Customer-Service] Please Don't Shoot The Messenger! is a business book of mine that has a subtitle too long to recite here. Part of it contains the words "Tough Customers" and this phrase generated an interesting prepublication discussion with my editor.

What Do Today’s Pornographers & Book Publishers Have in Common?
[Writing-and-Speaking] This morning's The New York Times features an article about how today's pornographers are experiencing a recession, perhaps the first of the electronic age. The Internet, with its zillions of amateur strippers, swappers, and sizzling sinners, is making it harder for XXX video producers to turn a profit. They're not alone. Traditional book publishers are also struggling. Here are five reasons millions of authors are deciding to bypass old school publishers and are giving away their hard work, for free, according to this top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio progra, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCESS INEVITABLE.

How to Snap Out of That Nasty Slump!
[Self-Improvement:Success] I am a Chicago White Sox fan, and have been all my life, though I left the Windy City many moons ago. I rejoiced when they won the World Series in 2005, though I wasn't very impressed with Manager Ozzie Guillen. Now that the Sox are in their second slumping season in a row, I think Guillen's weaknesses are showing. But today I read something very, very smart that he just told his players. I believe we can all benefit by putting this wosdom to work, says this top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author of 12 bnooks and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Who Said You Can't Get Rich Working For Someone Else?
[Self-Improvement:Success] Whatever happened to that notion that "You'll never get rich working for someone else?" It's a falsity, a canard, a prevarication, and an outright lie, says this top speaker, expert media commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program - THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS - HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Costco Whittles Back It's Customer Satisfaction Guarantee
[Business:Customer-Service] In a recent article I asked, "Is Nordstrom Still Nordstrom?" The once ironclad customer satisfaction guarantee that they offered, more or less to accept the return of anything they sold, at any time, seemed to be eroding. I mentioned that a current champion of that sort of guarantee is Costco, the discount warehouse store.

Do You Know What The Odds Are?
[Self-Improvement:Success] Beware of the credibility you assign to statistics, warns this expert media commentator, kenpo karate black belt, best-selling author of 12 books, and creator of the popular Nightingale-Conant audio seminar, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INVEVITABLE.

Putting The Law of Large Numbers to Work
[Self-Improvement:Success] It has been a little over a year since Nightingale-Conant published my audio seminar: THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE. It is selling well, happily spinning off royalties, which every author and publisher relishes. But it would probably be doing even better if I had uncovered one little quote from Thomas Watson, legendary founder of IBM.

Do You Remember The Good Old Days of Rejection?
[Business:Sales-Management] Prospects simply don't say "no" enough, costing the world's economies a fortune in lost productivity, according to this top speaker, sales expert, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program: THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Your Book is Great - It's You I Can't Stand!
[Writing-and-Speaking] The other day, I took the time to read 250 of some 1,200 reviews of a current best-selling book at Amazon, figuring it was going to lead me to some insights about what today's readers and audiences are really buying, and above all, what they are recommending to their friends and work mates. I could sense readers like The Secret's author and whenever there is a criticism of the book it isn't about her, just about the content. This is an amazing feat when you think about it. How can you become rich and famous and not arouse the sort of disdain and disapproval that accomplishments bring? There are 5 SECRETS, according to the writer of this article, who is a top speaker, international consultant, and the best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

5 Reasons It Is Hard To Cut Our Losses
[Self-Improvement:Success] You’re stuck in a dead-end job, and worse the people you work for don't like you. So, your chances of being promoted or getting fat raises are thin and none. But every time you consider seeking a different employer you feel you're trying to sprint through molasses. What's going on, here? I believe the simple answer is that you, and millions of others, find it hard to cut your losses. This problem goes well beyond some cheesy book’s recitation about how hard it is to "change." Change, in general, isn't the culprit. Specifically, here are five reasons it is so hard to cut our losses, according to this top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS- HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Customer Service Legends - Is Nordstrom Still Nordstrom?
[Business:Customer-Service] I was having a delightful conversation with a client the other day when she mentioned that she and her semi-rural neighbors "Think nothing of driving an hour or an hour and a half to get to a Nordstrom store." The reason: "We know we'll be treated right when we arrive, unlike what happens when we visit local retailers." I smiled broadly but invisibly because we were chatting over the phone. She was unwittingly adding to the "Nordstrom Legend." Lots of folks do that. Yes, compared to her local retailers, those hard working but rather unpolished Mom & Pops, Nordstrom is still a refreshing oasis in the Sahara.

Six Reasons I'd Rather Be Selling
[Business:Sales-Management] If someone gave you a choice between selling, being in front of customers, talking to them on the phone, emailing them, or teaching sales skills, which would you select? I've been doing both for several years, but if I had to choose, I'd prefer to sell. Here are six reasons, according to a top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

How Soon Can We Get Underway?
[Business:Sales-Management] If we could absolutely know right away who was destined to buy from us, and distinguish these folks from non-buyers, selling would be a lot easier; don't you agree? Of course, we can't be certain. There are always surprises, like prospects that seem to return from the dead and suddenly buy without any fuss, and become profitable customers. QUALIFYING prospects is the process of determining whether people have the means, the motivation, and the clout to buy. Unfortunately, when qualifying is done, it usually sounds brusque. There is a better way, according to this top speaker, radio and TV expert commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightigale-Conant audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Relationship Secret - If They Don't Want You, You Don't Want Them
[Business:Workplace-Communication] I just read an email from one of the coldest fish I've ever met in business. Not only is she bloodless, but she's a dunce. Even Don Juan, who said we truly sharpen our skills as warriors by dealing with "impossible people" in high places, even that Master of the Universe, would find this mortal, this "petty tyrant," an utter abomination.

Want to Succeed? Don't Ask Permission!
[Self-Improvement:Success] Would you care to start your own business? If you’re like most, you’ll hatch an idea and quickly bring it to your mate, your pals, or your relatives for their stamp of approval. While their interests may be at stake, especially if it means they’ll have to ante up some of your seed money, then it would only seem right and normal to confer with them. But I have a different take on it, says this international consultant, radio and TV expert commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books and Nightingale-Conant's audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE

Success Secret - Don't Wait for Instructions!
[Self-Improvement:Success] But the second time was the charm: About 45 people came, along with ABC-TV news, which interviewed me as the seminar concluded. Within 18 months, my classes were being sponsored through some 35universities that I had contacted. My improbable business plan succeeded; and I along with it. Within a few years, I wrote some best-selling books based on the seminar content, and I was on my way. When I look back on my success, there is one thing missing, and I'm glad. I didn't wait for anyone's INSTRUCTIONS. Nobody taught me how to write a killer business plan or how to market to colleges, how to write a best-seller, or what to charge as a consultant and as a speaker.

Do You Have the Courage to Simply Stop?
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] The Tao, a great book of Chinese wisdom, asks- Can you let your mud settle? I envision a murky glass of water, its contents swirling this way and that. Agitate it more, and you'll get impossibly obscured vision and an inability to get your bearings or to navigate.

The Real Estate Bubble is Still Here!
[Real-Estate:Investing] You've read the headlines about how the real estate bubble has burst in one city after another. But don't believe it. It is a gross generalization, as are so many tales of economic doom and gloom. There are always exceptions, and in some places the bubble got a little smaller but didn't altogether bust. Just yesterday, I was reading about a small, upscale community in Southern California known for its fine public schools and Midwestern atmosphere. In March, 2006, the average sales price of an existing home was about $1.3 million. A year later, amidst all of the hand wringing over the mortgage lending crisis the average price ROSE to $1.73 million, according to this top speaker, sales and negotiation expert, popular radio and TV expert commentator, and best-selling author of the Nightingale-Conant audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Negotiation Isn't a Sometime Thing, It's an All-The-Time Thing!
[Business:Negotiation] When you're buying a car or a house, you absolutely, unequivocally know you're entering a big-stakes negotiation, the result of which will mean thousands of dollars saved, earned, or lost. So, it's fairly easy to get up for the game, emotionally, but that doesn't do much good if your haven’t built your skills to an equivalent point. You need to be READY to negotiate the big items of life, but because most of us do so only once every four or five years, we aren't up to speed. There is only one way to get more experience and that is by (1) Perceiving the frequency with which you actually negotiate, daily, weekly, and monthly; and (2) By deliberately sharpening your bargaining tools within those encounters. Here's how to do it, according to a top keynote speaker, international consultant, radio and TV expert commentator, and best-selling author.

Run Your Own Race to Riches
[Self-Improvement:Success] There was a curmudgeonly newspaper vendor at a major Beverly Hills intersection. I worked for him, so I had a chance to study him carefully. Here's how he got rich, according to a top speaker, radio and TV expert commentator, and best-selling author of Nightingale-Conant's audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Get More Flow & More Dough with Transition Phrases
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] In a prior article I explained how important “flow” is to achieving positive results in our sales activities. I mentioned that in cold calling, prospecting by phone, and tele-selling we fail to achieve flow, that effortless, "in the zone" feeling for a number of reasons. Here, you'll learn how to handle objections while maintaining flow, according to a top speaker, international consultant, radio and TV expert commentator, and best selling author of Nightingale-Conant's audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

How to Negotiate Your Way Into a Great School
[Business:Negotiation] Millions of high school juniors, community college transfers, and grad school bound baccalaureates believe that getting into a great school is a cut and dried proposition. If you have good grades and good exam scores, you're in. But as many of the best and brightest will tell you, these laurels are only part of the story. What they and their parents and well wishers don't get is the fact that the entire college and grad school admittance process is a NEGOTIATION. I don't mean if you offer to pay higher tuition you're in. I mean you are selling yourself or your child's "resume," to the best bidder. And there are ways to make any product more attractive and desirable, and this takes negotiation skill. Here are 5 ways to stand out and to improve the chances of getting into a great school, according to a top educator, international consultant, radio and TV expert commentator and best-selling author.

What A Difference ONE WORD Makes!
[Business:Sales-Management] Selling isn't a game of inches, like football. It is a game of words and symbols. And just as one inch can mean the difference between a crucial first down or touchdown, a victory or defeat, one word can determine whether a seller earns or blows a sale, according to this top speaker, international consultant, radio and TV expert commentator, and best-selling author of Nightingale-Conant's audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Customer Satisfaction Pro Says Expired Coupons Can Still Save You Money!
[Home-and-Family] The author isn't one to take "no" for an answer very agreeably, especially if it seems groundless or simply a way of enforcing a silly deadline or a punitive, anti-customer rule. So, when he tendered his "10% off the total purchase" coupon at the supermarket, and the clerk said, "I can't accept this; it has expired," he was more than miffed. He was motivated. Quickly, he surveyed the scene and took the measure of her mood. She was a steely eyed clerk reminiscent of a grade school librarian insistent on collecting a nickel late charge. So, instead of asking HER to make an exception, which was certain to be declined, he appealed to a higher authority: the computer.

In Shallow Waters Dragons Are the Sport of Shrimp!
[Business:Sales-Management] If you're a salesperson or a marketer, there is a fundamental question you need to answer that is probably never broached in business school or at most workplaces: "Whom Do You Want to Serve?" Answer this incorrectly, and you'll find yourself "gummed to death" by a thousand shrimp, says this top speaker, international consultant, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV expert commentator.

Black Belt Author Says, "Don't Fight It Out, Write It Out!"
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Lately, I've been besieged by email inquiries that are an utter waste of time, because the folks that are sending them are either competitors trying to secretly benchmark my consulting and training business or bored souls that have nothing better to do than to bother me. I shouldn't complain, I suppose, because this infestation of locusts has coincided with the exposure I've been getting on national television and in the press. So, it's really a good news-bad news situation. I've found a great way of making lemonade from these lemons, something that you might benefit from as well, says this top speaker, international consultant, and radio and TV expert commentator.

5 Signs You Selected an Incompetent Professional
[Business:Customer-Service] How can you be sure that the chiropractor, plastic surgeon, psychologist, or attorney that you've selected is professionally competent, that he or she is likely to handle your case with skill and due care? The short answer is you can't. In his book, THE TAO OF NEGOTIATION, author Joel Edelman, a mediation specialist and law professor, says 90% or more of the professionals he has encountered he'd consider so inept that he would not personally use their services. Here are 5 tip-offs that you may have selected an incompetent, according to a top speaker, radio and TV expert commentator.

Handling the Nightmare Customer
[Business:Customer-Service] I received this inquiry asking how I would assess this Customer-Gone-Wild episode. After I share it with you, I'll affix my answer, which I hope everyone will find useful.

Sorry, You May NOT Have a List of My References
[Business:Solo-Professionals] Recently, I wrote an article indicating that client references should not be disclosed until the final step in negotiation is reached, and our prospects are otherwise convinced they want to work with us. By delaying the disclosure of references we accomplish at least five things, assuring that our clients aren't needlessly bothered by strangers or by our competitors, or theirs. But now, in light of another prominent consultant's successful approach, I'm considering not supplying references at any time. Will this discourage clients from working with me? Perhaps some, but I'm not sure I wish to do business with them, anyway, says this top speaker, international consultant, and expert commentator on radio and TV and prominent publications.

When the Seller is Ready, A Buyer Will Appear!
[Business:Sales-Management] One of the cool things about having started my sales career in my teens is now being able to look back upon decades of ups and downs, big and small sales, hits and misses, and miscellaneous windfalls and shortfalls. What are the enduring truths, the bedrock conclusions that I can offer? You’ll see some of them distributed across more than a thousand articles and a dozen books that I’ve written, but for now, let me share this take-away with you: "When the Seller is ready, A Buyer Will Appear." You've heard the kindred expression that this taps into, I'm sure: "When the student is ready, a teacher will appear." Both statements are true. The key here is to understand READINESS, in our case, the readiness to sell someone something, says this frequent radio and TV expert commentator, top speaker, international consultant, and author of the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program: THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAIKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

Peter Drucker's Best Management Tips - "Study Success!"
[Self-Improvement:Success] Now that Peter F. Drucker has passed on, I feel duty bound to share some of his insights with you, little observations, pointers and gems that simply aren’t in his books or popularly known. I had the pleasure of studying with the management sage for two and a half years. Much of the MBA I did at the Drucker School of Management, was earned in classes with Drucker, himself. And I had the pleasure of serving as his informal chauffeur on Saturdays, when many of our classes met. So, we talked. One of Drucker’s recurring refrains was to "Study Success." The idea is simple, really, but we rarely do it, says a top speaker, international consultant, radio and TV commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books.

5 Signs You're Dealing with A Phony Prospect
[Business:Sales-Management] In a recent companion article I supplied "5 Reasons Not to Divulge Client References Up Front." In that piece I mentioned the fact that some inquirers, especially via email, may be set-ups. Their buddies have asked them to gather competitive intelligence so they can outflank you in the marketplace. As fate would have it, within a week of writing that article, I got an inquiry from someone that has the five earmarks of a phony, according to this top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program: THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

What Makes a Professional, Professional?
[Business:Solo-Professionals] Professionals trust by making clients as independent and self-sufficient as possible they'll increase overall satisfaction, generate referrals, and ultimately produce more than enough to support themselves and their practices. Doing your clients a lot of good, and doing well financially, are correlated. But strict businesspeople disagree, says this top speaker, radio and TV commentator, and best-sellign author of 12 books, including SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING.

Dear Customer - Come Back ONLY if You're Buying!
[Business:Customer-Service] Retailers jump through hoops and invest fortunes in advertising to bring us into stores, but then they virtually tell us to stay away if we have an item to return. "Come back ONLY if you're buying," seems to be their lopsided offer. "But it isn't a good deal, for us, or for them," says this top speaker, radio and TV expert commentator, and best-selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

The Importance of Achieving "Flow" in Cold Calling
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] One of the key psychological ingredients of successful cold calling is overlooked, what is known as "flow." Athletes talk about being "in the zone" when they're flowing. They feel they can do no wrong. One move effortlessly follows another, leading to inevitable success. Anything that is completely involving, that requires a certain concentration and mastery can be a "flow" inducing state, whether it is roller blading, writing an article, contemplating your navel, or yes, even cold calling, according to this top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books including YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and creator of the popular Nightingale-Conant audio program, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS- HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

What Do Customer Service People DO?
[Business:Customer-Service] I was involved in a TV debate on CNBC the other day and it struck me that everybody has his or her own definition of "customer service." Circuit City announced it was cutting back on its floor staff, and immediately, people began wondering if customer service would suffer. But are those folks in the vests with name tags on really IN customer service, or are they in sales? And is there a difference? Historically, the answer is "yes." For one thing sales and service folks are rewarded differently, the former often getting some form of pay -for-performance through commissions and bonuses, while the latter are usually hourly or salaried workers. Does this matter? You bet, says a top speaker, international consultant, and the author of 12 books including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

No Service is Better than Stupid Service - CNBC Expert Comments
[Business:Customer-Service] After giant Circuit City announced a cutback in its floor staff, alarmists immediately contended that this would spell the end of customer service as that retailer's patrons knew it. "They probably won't miss these folks," according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com and best-selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE. In an onscreen "debate" on CNBC during the program, "Power Lunch," Goodman said it is the mark of sound management to scale back on staff when they're not achieving, and most service personnel haven’t been managed for results. Substituting lower paid people for those that are more experienced is not inherently problematic, says Goodman, who defines excellence in management as "Getting extraordinary results from ordinary people," apparently Circuit City's intention.

CRM - Customer Relationship "Management" Is a Myth
[Business:Customer-Service] Now that Peter F. Drucker has passed on, I feel almost duty bound to share some of his insights with you, little observations, pointers and gems that simply aren't in his books or popularly known. I had the pleasure of studying with the management sage for two and a half years. Much of the MBA I did at the Drucker School of Management, named in his honor, in fact, was in classes with Drucker, himself. And I had the pleasure of serving as his informal chauffeur on Saturdays, when many of our classes met. He was fond of admonishing us to "invest in the customer" and specifically, to "invest in the customer relationship," because it is one way to get clients to select and to prefer us, a very valuable habit. But to my knowledge Drucker never called the process customer relationship MANAGEMENT. In fact, on many occasions he said relationships are fundamentally UN-manageable, says a top speaker, consultant, CNBC and Wall Street Journal commentator, and best-selling author of MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Customer Service - How to Become the Next Nordstrom in 4 Simple Steps
[Business:Customer-Service] Ralphs is one of the largest grocery store chains in Southern California, and it has been transforming some of its units, into what it calls "Fresh Fare" stores. As the name suggests, there are more trendy and tasty eat-and-run items such as salad bar offerings, crab pasta, and a few exotic options as well. To usher in the latest converted unit, Ralphs has been running some fetching specials in its circulars. Barbecue weather is around the corner, so I have been stocking up on great meat deals, and as I have I've noticed all of the clerks are attempting to be extra nice to customers. But, as with any sudden rash of kindness that breaks out, it makes you wonder, especially if you are a customer service speaker, trainer, and consultant, as I am. When the banners come down, and the specials are over, how long will Ralphs be able to maintain its cheery demeanor? What would it take for Ralphs to join Nordstrom's league?

Confessions Of A Reluctant Cold Caller
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Let me be the first to admit I'm dragging my derriere this morning with respect to cold calling. For my benefit, and of course for yours, let's analyze this little funk before I hit the phone. There are 5 distractions bogging me down, and they can get in anybody's way, according to the best-selling author of 12 books, including YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and TELEMARKETING FOR NON-TELEMARKETERS.

Cold Call Now & Good Results Will Follow
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] One of the greatest obstacles that gets in the way of cold callers and sales prospectors of all types is the DOUBT that our work will be rewarded; the false belief that absolutely nothing, or at best some smidgeon of benefit will accrue. We absolutely have to smash that thought, and before we sit down to make our calls, and whenever we have the most fleeting negative notion enter our minds about prospecting or selling, we must repeat a simple affirmation, according to a top speaker ands seminar producer, and the best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and TELEMARKETING FOR NON-TELEMARKETERS.

The Five Lures of Traditional Book Publishers
[Writing-and-Speaking] "Why don't more people self-publish?" In many ways it's more efficient, and you certainly aren't going to reject your own work, unless you have a genuine self-image problem. What is it about traditional book publishers that keep us aiming for them? 5 things according to this best-selling author of 12 books and numerous audio and video progarms, including THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE, published by Nightingale-Conant.

How to Create SIZZLING Value Propositions
[Business:Sales-Management] You know those dramatic commercials on late night TV for slicers and dicers and steak knives and juicers and rotisseries, don’t you? What do all of them, the successful ones, those that stick around and actually tempt you to buy; what do they have in common? They’re crackerjacks at creating VALUE. Literally, theirs sizzle.

The Reverend Kensho Furuya of the Aikido Dojo Los Angeles - 1948-2007
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] This afternoon I discovered that The Reverend Kensho Furuya, founder of Little Tokyo's Aikido Center Los Angeles, passed away earlier this month, to the sadness of many friends, students, and fellow martial artists. The memorial web page, posted by his dojo community, displays his picture and simply refers to him as "Our Chief Instructor." Some may think this characterization is unduly modest, given the Sensei's many accomplishments. But to be a teacher is a very serious profession, often without immediate gratification and bearing heavy responsibilities for the development of others. Sensei Furuya bore his burden with humility and dedication, sharing this story...

What I Respect Most About Wayne Dyer - Author & Book Promoter
[Writing-and-Speaking:Book-Marketing] Wayne Dyer has written a lot of nifty self-help books, and he has also starred in some very enjoyable public TV shows. So, he has earned every bit of his success, and he has made, and continues to make great contributions to people’s lives. But it isn’t his writing or his ideas or his performances that impress me as much as one thing he did when he was just breaking into publishing. If you follow his lead, you can succeed in book publishing, too, says the best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio seminar, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE.

5 Reasons to Not Divulge Client References Up-Front
[Business:Sales-Management] I just got this email inquiry from a prestigious, international hotel chain: Hello: I am interested in getting information regarding your seminars, speeches and training programs. Could you please forward me details of some of your recent corporate engagements with names and phone numbers of the contact person there for reference purposes. Thank you. Not bad, right? It has all of the earmarks of a serious inquiry, one that is ready to award a contract providing the references check out. But wait a second. Before I divulge references, I have found it is essential to know several things, especially whether there is a viable deal in the offing. Here are 5 reasons to NOT divulge references too soon, says a top speaker, and best-selling author of 12 books, including SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING and HOW TO SELL LIKE A NATURAL BORN SALESPERSON.

5 Ways to Avoid Acting on Stupid Advice
[Self-Improvement:Success] You’ve heard that the path to the netherworld is paved with good intentions, haven't you? Right next to that observation should be a kindred one: Before people experience major life and business reversals or they fail to step-up to the next level of success there is often a flawed tip, a bad piece of advice, or an incomplete or incompetent instruction that was whispered to the falling or stalling that they accepted to their detriment. Here are 5 ways to avoid acting on bad advice, according to a top speaker, management consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books, including SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING.

30 Ways To Not Come Across Like A Salesperson
[Business:Sales-Management] One of my clients has fallen under the spell of a cult. Specifically, it is a sales training cult that has taught him to repudiate everything he thought he knew about selling, including some of the ideas I gave him. "Customers hate salespeople!" his new gurus assert, so no matter what he should never, ever come across like one. If that is his goal, here's my advice, 30 ways to not seem like a salesperson, says the best-selling author of 12 books including SELLING SKILLS FOR THE NON-SALESPERSON.

Should Consultants Cross The Line from Giving Advice To Taking Direct Action
[Business:Change-Management] Migrating from giving advice or running a training program to taking on the duties of a manager is known in some circles as "Blood and Guts Consulting" because it's not nearly as tidy or painless as mere suggestion-making. It is especially tempting to do when you're promoting serious change, according to the best-selling author of SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING.

The Latest Wrinkle in Customer Service - Blame the Customer!
[Business:Customer-Service] Today's warranty service personnel are being trained to fix the blame instead of fixing washers and dryers, according to the best-selling author of MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE, who offers a stunning personal example in this article.

Clothes Certainly "Make" the Person
[Self-Improvement:Inspirational] My Mother, rest her soul, used to speak about the time her Mom made a skirt for her out of her Dad's old suit. The Depression was tailing off, but still having a profound impact on American life and what we would today, trendily describe as "lifestyles." Mom spoke with a mixture of pride and ominous foreboding. Her family got by. She was educated and raised with solid values and in turn had careers and a family. But the grip of privation never quite loosened around her neck. We've learned a lot about economic cycles since the Great Depression, about how to maintain or restrict credit and liquidity, and how to weather rising and even falling prices. But have we learned the grit, the toughness, the resolve, and the sustained optimism of our forebears?

Telemarketing Gurus Get A Clue - Mark McCormack Is Dead
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] What I love about telephone sales and the gurus that dwell in this bizarre micro-culture is the fact that they're almost hermetically sealed off from contemporary life. Talk about frogs that slowly boil to death, the telemarketing industry was in denial about the necessity for self-regulation and improvements in its residential calling campaigns until the very moment the Do Not Call Registry was created. Now, telephone titans are so out of it that they are talking to the dead, says the best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE, YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and THE NEW TELEMARKETING (TM) AUDIO SEMINAR.

5 Reasons Sales & Service Reps Don't Follow Scripts
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him cold call, or follow a script to the letter, or stay at his desk allowing absolutely no distractions to intrude into his work process until an official break time arrives. How come? Why is it that the front lines in sales and service, the work-horses of business and industry- why is it that they bray and buck and perennially bite the hands that feed them? In other words, even when they're shown a more effective way of handling conversations to produce higher sales volumes or more consistent customer satisfaction, why do they revert to indirect, seat-of-the-pants means?

Top Speaker & Best Selling Author Says - "Telemarketing is B A C K"
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Like that scene from the horror flick, "The Shining", when Jack Nicholson axes his way through Shelley Duvall's bathroom, telemarketing is just as dramatically asserting - "I'm B A C K"! Taken for dead, this incredibly useful yet widely misunderstood and abused medium is assuming its rightful place in the pantheon of promotional tools, according to a top speaker and best-selling author of such telephone sales standards as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE!

Are Mortgage Brokers Due for Seven Lean Years?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] The other day I was contacted by an ailing mortgage broker who lamented that times are tough in his industry. He feels the pain because he has plummeted from being the top performer on the sales team to the bottom. Reeling from the roller coaster ride, he's desperately looking for a quick and proven way to regain his equilibrium. He suspects the answer is to start cold calling, especially now that the torrent of inbound leads has been squeezed off to a trickle by rising interest rates and a cooling housing market. He'll get no argument from me. I firmly believe outbound prospecting by phone is everyone's salvation, especially if they have been living off the fat of the land year after year. It is the only proven sales and marketing medium that YOU CONTROL 100%

Sales Regrets - Gee, Did I Push Too Hard?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Sales Regret is what we feel when we've made a bad move during a presentation, like touching a standoffish prospect on the shoulder, or making a stupid remark, or pushing a prospect into a decision. It's the counterpart of "Buyer's Remorse." Here's what you should do about it.

Success Secret - Forget Your Past Accomplishments!
[Self-Improvement:Success] You probably read somewhere in a motivational book or heard a self-help guru tell you in his audios or videos that it will really psych you up to make a list of all of your past accomplishments. While I think this is very useful if you are DEPRESSED, it can backfire, utterly if you're not.

Warrior - Salespeople Always Go For The One-Call-Close!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Fear wears many masks. But if you are a warrior-salesperson, as I think we should all aspire to become, you have to relentlessly unmask this foe. If you don't you'll not only dwell forever in the gray-toned world of the timid, but you'll let a lot of vivid and vital opportunities slip through your fingers. One of the ways people deal with fear isn't by quitting or avoiding challenges altogether, but by insisting that they be confronted incrementally. "Inch by inch, it's a cinch, and yard by yard it's hard," we tell ourselves. But when it comes to selling this advice is utterly wrong. We shouldn't plan, for example, three-call closes as so many investment advisers are taught. We should always go for a one-call-close.

Get Wet, Get Numb, and Get That Sale!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Yesterday, I put my toe into the swimming pool for the first time this season, and as expected, it met with a very chilly reception. I waded deeper, generously sprinkling myself with the icy water. Then I got numb, and it was at that point that I really started to enjoy myself! Call this immersion, "Getting in touch with my inner Swede," if you like. But I see it as the necessary ritual to starting your sales day, whether it is face to face or on the phone.

5 Reasons Call Center Coaching Fails
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Bill walks around the call center with all of the enthusiasm and charm of a meat inspector. "How you doing?" he asks in a monotone. "It's your turn, I guess." He has just invited a phone rep to a coaching session. Three calls will be played and Bill will share his evaluation of each one with the rep. Spying his checklist Bill remarks, "You left out your close in this one." "But otherwise, it's fine. You’'e mostly staying on the presentation, and this is good. Any questions?" And with that, another "deep and meaningful" coaching chat concludes.

What Makes A Cold Call a COLD Call?
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Most writers toss the phrase "cold call" around without ever defining what it means. I think it is worth our time to consider exactly what makes a cold call a COLD call. After all, terms are important; just ask two people if they "like" each other or are "in love" with each other.

Stupid Rejections From Book Publishers: Q & A With Other Writers
[Writing-and-Speaking:Book-Marketing] WHY DO YOU WANT TO PUBLISH A BOOK? If the answer is "To be rich and famous," you may have it backwards. Be rich and famous first, and then publishers might be more interested, not because you can write, but because your fame and buying power will make even a "bad" literary gamble a sure thing, financially. If your reason for publishing is "vanity", then the world is set up to serve you, providing you're willing to pay to print your own works, which I'm contending is the aim, de facto, of what used to be considered stalwart presses, but now they have descended to the "vanity" or "subsidy" press level, themselves.

A Timely "No" Beats A Mysterious "Maybe" Every Time
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Lots of people fear rejection, and of course this afflicts salespeople, too. For this reason, some sellers are afraid to close, which is directly asking for assent, and others fear calling back and following-up because they're concerned they'll seem too impatient and aggressive and this will spoil a deal that may have ripened with time. But I believe it is exceedingly helpful to drive each prospect to a commitment one way or another and the sooner the better!

Stupid Rejection Letters from Book Publishers - Volume II
[Writing-and-Speaking:Book-Marketing] I think it's only fair to share with other authors the absurd logic that book publishers employ to reject our work. Just yesterday, I received this gem, of which I'll explain the back-story: "Hi Gary, I got your message. Book sounds interesting but our sales reps (and the chain buyers) don't go for books like this. Also, when they see that an author has as many books as you do they don't take many copies - they think that the author is just pumping books out and not vested in whether they sell or not. best, M Let me tell you what this note is REALLY about.

Stupid Rejection Letters From Book Publishers - Volume I
[Writing-and-Speaking:Book-Marketing] I'm the best-selling author of 12 books, all with major publishers, and I've written well over 1,000 articles. I just want to say that for the record, to establish my bona fides, to alert you to the fact that I'm actually one of the few "winners" in the publishing lottery. So, when I tell you that the absurdity of traditional book publishers simply grows worse with each passing year, you might want to take note. I've decided to share with you some of the most stupid rejections that I've received, and continue to get. Here's the story behind one of them.

Don't Just Interview Sales Candidates- Interview Past Managers- Too!
[Business:Sales-Management] Why don't we spend more time and invest more effort in interviewing past managers of our candidates? Don't their styles also have a lot to do with the overall success of their "players?" If I'm a salesperson, for instance, and it's your job to recruit me, wouldn't it be useful to know that my last manager elicited my best achievements by utterly leaving me alone and staying out of my way? That may or may not be your style. Wouldn't it be a good thing to know BEFORE you hire someone?

Cold Calling is Like Shaving- If You Don't Do it Every Day- You're a Bum!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] When I was selling and then managing salespeople at Time-Life, we found inspiration by calling a recorded line that had a daily message from the telephone sales guru, Jack Schwartz. Jack was a successful life insurance salesman before launching his telephone training business, and he used every provocative line he could conjure. One of the most memorable was: "Selling is like shaving, if you don't do it every day, you're a bum!" I used to laugh at this one because my face hosted a full beard at the time. But I got his drift. I'd like to make the same point about cold calling.

Gee - I Can't Wait to Cold Call!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] The best-selling author of 12 books, including such classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! still loves to cold call. In this article he tells you why.

Cold Calling Pro Says Don't Ask Questions Too Soon!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] The best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! says we can overdo the amount of participation we require on the part of buyers and create more problems than we solve. Specifically, we should avoid asking too many questions up-front, particularly during cold calls, this international cold calling pro explains.

The 5 Phony Fears of Cold Callers
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] "Of course you're afraid to cold call", the smug article writer said; it's only "natural". I don't believe that and neither should you. The fear of cold calling isn't innate. We don't instinctively leap away from phones when we hear them ring, as we do when venomous snakes rattle underfoot. Your hand isn't hard wired to recoil with the phone in it when you hear a "no" or an objection, the way it flies off a piping hot stove. People are afraid of cold calling, to be sure, that's what they say; but they've learned this very undesirable and self-debilitating response. Specifically, they're intimidating themselves with these 5 PHONY FEARS, according to the best-selling author of 12 books, including the classics, REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE!

Why Use a Coach?
[Self-Improvement:Coaching] When you have someone else to whom you must report, even if you're paying the person, and perhaps especially because you're out of pocket, you tend to stick to the knitting and get more done than you would if you were only accountable to yourself.

Today's Documentaries Are Getting Super-Sized Results
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Movies-TV] The best use to which I put my now-cancelled Netflix subscription was in ordering documentaries that are never in ample supply at my local video stores. Three recent docs have changed our world, if you've been too busy watching "Mission Impossible" for the twelfth time, to notice. "Super-Size Me," about the filmmaker that decided to go on an all-McDonalds diet and chronicle his deteriorating health, actually sparked a national debate on obesity, and the Golden Arches took the rare step of dropping their up-selling campaign known by the questions, "Would you like fries?" and "Would you like to super-size that?" Former Vice President Al Gore's now famous slide show, "An Inconvenient Truth," about the unprecedented climate changes we've been experiencing, is making global warming doubters seem like the flat-worlders of Christopher Columbus' time. And "Who Killed the Electric Car?" about GM's decision to recall and then crush its EV-1 fleet of electric vehicles has created so much bad press for the once gigantic but now downsized car maker that it has just promised to issue the Volt, by the year 2010, an electric vehicle it showcased recently.

5 Reasons Experienced Salespeople Should Cold Call
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] There are five reasons everyone should cold call, at least occasionally, and this includes sales managers, according to the best-selling author of Reach Out & Sell Someone and You Can Sell Anything by Telephone

I Wrote the Book on Cold Calling!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] "Despite the rise of the phone factory, or as it is better known, the call center or contact center, I have never found anyone with my gifts. Specifically, nobody has cracked the code of persuading folks to buy by phone as I have," says the best-selling author of 12 books, including such classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE!

Congratulations Cold Caller, You Walked into a Gold Mine!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Yesterday I was having an animated, robust conversation with a potential strategic partner who said, after we exchanged ideas and got to know each other: "Congratulations, you walked into a gold mine!" She went on to say that there are tremendous opportunities to get a lot done together, and by simply having made a cold call to the top person, her boss, and by meeting with her, the strong number two in the organization, I launched one heck of a rewarding venture. It is THIS RESPONSE that makes cold calling so exciting and worthwhile. Literally, you never know what kind of opportunity you’re going to inaugurate with a simple phone contact, according to the best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE!

Should You Take Karate or a Public Speaking Class?
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] Most responsible dojos and martial arts instructors screen prospective students by asking at least a few pertinent questions. For example, "Why are you interested in learning karate"? If a punk just offers a sadistic smile or he drools, "I want to kill the Boys Vice-Principal at my high school with my bare hands!" instead of a responsible, socially acceptable answer, he is politely turned away. Some folks will say "self defense" or "I want to build my self-confidence", which are perfectly suitable replies. But why don’t they buy a gun or take a Dale Carnegie course? These will do the trick a lot faster, won’t they?

Even Consultants Get The Blues!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] A long-term assignment is wrapping up and you're about to saddle-up and mosey down that dusty road into the warm, golden sunset. Hold it. What's wrong with this picture? If you're a consultant, instead of being that stoic, lean and mean stranger, who rides into town, sets things right, or who stirs them up, depending; you're more likely to be, at the end of that engagement, a wobbly basket case who can barely summon the gumption to press the elevator's down button. The best-selling author of SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING: HOW TO HAVE A GREAT SECOND CAREER, explains why the end of an assignment often brings the blues instead of bliss.

Five Reasons to Lose Sleep Tonight
[Self-Improvement:Success] If you read my title and think I’m going to give you a list of items to worry about, that will keep you awake tonight, and heighten your paranoia, sorry, you're wrong. I'm actually going to give you 5 POSITIVE reasons you should deprive yourself of some sleep.

Article Marketing: Why Buy the Cow When the Milk is Free?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] Dr. Gary S. Goodman, author of the Nightingale-Conant audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How to Make Success Inevitable," says five factors are at work that militate against the idea that writing as many articles as you can is a great marketing idea.

Cold Calls plus Great Graphics = Better Results!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Most folks you're going to communicate with in America, and perhaps in the Western civilizations, are VISUALLY ORIENTED. "Seeing is believing," is their motto. They are more open to being approached by email than by phone. To compensate, you need to invest in spiffing up your email follow-up communications, according to this best-sellling author of Reach Out & Sell Someone and You can Sell Anything by Telephone

5 Ways Cold Calling Lists Are Magical!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] After cold calling all day, the best-selling author of "Reach Out & Sell Someone and You Can Sell Anything by Telephone!" reveals the 5 ways great lists can be magical!

How to Take The Gamble Out of Negotiation
[Business:Negotiation] In a negotiation, the most important thing your counterpart has isn’t power or money or more options than you have. He has INFORMATION that is critical to your success. If you can get him to disclose it, you’ll come up a winner as the author discovered at the gaming tables in Lake Tahoe.

Cold Call With Your Boots On, Pilgrim!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] When I moved into management at Time-Life, one of my reps would occasionally climb on top of his desk and sell. He enjoyed the view from 10 feet in the air, and he lorded over his prospects, who felt his voice sounded extra-authoritative. I get the same "high" from selling with my cowboy boots on. At this very moment, in fact, I'm wearing my Lucchese "Mad Dogs." With them on, I'm about 6-5 or 6-6. (With 'em off, I'm 4-4. Now those are some tall heels, partner!)

Every Business Needs Exercise Equipment!
[Business:Productivity] Imagine, you just got off the phone with a difficult customer. You feel very uptight, defensive, and upset. Instead of taking a smoke or a snack break, walk five or ten paces to the gym rack, pick up a few dumbbells and do about ten pumps. Feel the blood coursing through your body. Enjoy the release of happy hormones. Pat yourself on the back for doing something positive for yourself. Go back to your workstation refreshed and prepared to take ten more calls. All businesses should invest in exercise equipment. It wouldn't be located in one place, like in an official on-site gym. It would be distributed across the company, so clusters of employees could use equipment dedicated to their specific areas while they work. According to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, this would help morale, increase productivity, improve health and fitness, and lower health care premiums.

Should You Take One of Their Free Customer Reward Cards?
[Business:Customer-Service] Dr. Gary S. Goodman's wallet is so fat with loyalty program cards that it barely fits into his pocket. Worse, according to this top speaker, international consultant, and President of Customersatisfaction.com, most of these clubs and frequency plans are NOT REWARDING AT ALL.

How to Make Sure That Reference Doesn’t Hurt You!
[Business:Careers-Employment] n a perfect world, all of us would have impeccable credentials and gushing references. Even Trudy would have them. Who is Trudy? I fired her for multiple reasons, not the least of which was the fact that she crashed a company car and wasted a lot of desk time flirting on the computer. "I'm a natural blond" one of her missives cooed. Within about six months of her departure I got a phone call. "I realize I didn't leave under the best of circumstances", she said, nearly weeping with contrition, "but I'm job hunting right now".

How to Conquer Daunting Distractions
[Self-Improvement:Success] How many times, at work or at home, have you been pressed by difficult personalities and tasks that just seem to multiply? At some point, you feel overwhelmed, that you can’t go on, the distractions are too difficult. Here are five things to keep in mind that will help you to conquer them, according to the best-selling author of PLEASE DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER! and top speaker and consultant.

5 Clues You're in The Wrong Job or Career
[Business:Careers-Employment] Five clues that you may have chosen the wrong job or career.

Do You Use A Writing Crutch?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Ray Bradbury said if you're a real writer, you should be able to write anything. It doesn't matter if the spirit moves you to ink short stories or plays or poetry or even criticism. Nothing is beyond you. Perhaps, but certain writers insist on using crutches in their craft. Without them they feel ineffective. Are you one of them?

Sell to Your STRENGTHS!
[Business:Sales-Management] When selling, each person should highlight his strengths. But most don't so this, for 5 significant reasons, according to top speaker and seminar provider, and best selling author of 12 books including HOW TO SELL LIKE A NATURAL BORN SALESPERSON.

Negotiating Nonverbally: Try to Exploit "Tells," Giveaways, and Expressions Given-Off
[Business:Negotiation] There is a painting in Pasadena's Norton Simon Museum that presents a portrait of a gentleman, or so we would think at a cursory glance.

5 Reasons Right Now is the Best Time to Cold Call!
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I love those timid trainers that try to convince sales novices that there are good, better, and best times to make sales calls. Baloney! There are 5 reasons this advice is utterly bogus and RIGHT NOW is the best time to cold call according to top speaker and best selling author of such classics as YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE.

Want Great Coffee?
[Food-and-Drink:Coffee] I had been spending more and more on coffee, and getting less and less. It was acidic, weak, and stale. I’d go into a Starbucks or a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, order their offering of the day, or dark roasts, and the results were the same. Utter disappointment. Add to that the fact that I had to relentlessly sweeten the brews with more packets of Equal than ever before, and you would think I was a total junkie that needed a heavier fix just to get the same high as before. Yet this is the weird part. I was drinking LESS coffee than ever. I simply wasn’t enjoying it nearly as much. My wife had the solution all along...

Negotiation: How Badly Do You Want the Deal?
[Business:Negotiation] In this enjoyable article, top negotiation speaker, consultant, and seminar producer shows why "He or she, who wants the deal more, loses!"

Guaranteed Selling: I'm Sure You’re Going To Love It!
[Business:Sales] Recently, top speaker and sales and marketing consultant, wrote an article about the awesome value of using guarantees in selling. When properly crafted and communicated, they lower buyers’ perceived risks, making them inclined to agree faster, more often, and to purchase in larger quantities. But there is a warning that should come along with using them. You have to make sure that your MESSAGE doesn’t backfire, according to this top-rated seminar leader and popular radio and TV expert commentator. In this article, he provides the exact language you should use to get the best results.

Salespeople: Build Your Sales by Eliminating Their Risks!
[Business:Sales] If you want to build sales faster than ever before, and close the toughest prospects, follow this tip from legendary sales and negotiation guru, best-selling author, and top convention speaker and seminar provider.

How To Go From Shivers to Chivalry in Cold Calling
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Having been in telephone selling, telemarketing, tele-selling, telephone soliciting, inside sales, call center management, or whatever else you want to name it, for decades, the author returns to the foundational question: Why do people freak-out about cold-calling? The utterly nervous, unraveling caller is focusing inordinately on himself, says the author, top speaker and consultant and legendary author of YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE. In this article he reveals exactly what to focus on and what to ignore in cold calling so you'll be self-confident and successful.

How to Release Your Trapped Energy
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] You may be squandering huge amounts of energy in ways you are not even remotely aware of, says top speaker, best-selling author, and popular commentator on radio and TV. Here's a simple step to recovering your momentum and power.

5 Reasons You Should Slay That Dragon Now!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] I had been putting off a meet with my accountant because I absolutely, totally, and completely dreaded the bad news he was going to give me about my tax liability. Today, the fateful moment arrived and after sifting through my crate of records he didn't give me that look I hate, which I can only characterize as "You poor, doomed, soon-to-be impoverished sap!" Though I'm getting dinged, I'm not getting totaled. And I can't tell you how relieving that is. Suddenly, there was spring in my step, a gleam in my eye, and I was even jubilant about accepting his invitation to lunch, where I always seem to pay.

Tight Lips Float Ships!
[Self-Improvement:Success] If you want to succeed, it is smart to keep your deepest wishes and new initiatives an utter secret from everyone, except those that are in a position to help you to make them come true, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author. In this article he show how tight lips float ships!

Shyness-A Habit That Hurts More Salespeople Than Smoking or Drinking
[Business:Sales-Management] 80% of Americans are shy in at least in some situations, according to Dr. Phillip Zimbardo of Stanford University, who reported this finding in his book, SHYNESS.

Warm-Up Your Chilliest Cold Calls With The Congratulations Approach
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] The author, best-selling author of a dozen books, including such telemarketing classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! knows how hard it is to develop new business if you don't have an original sounding hook. That's why he loves what he calls THE CONGRATULATIONS APPROACH. It can instantly heat-up the chilliest cold calls, as he explains in this practical and instantly useful article.

Am I Nuts? Why Don't I Put My Web Site Link Into My 1,000+ Articles?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author of 12 books and more than 1,000 articles received an email from an Ezinearticles reader who raises some very important questions about article marketing as well as my unconventional approach to it. He thought you might like to "eavesdrop" on their exchange and find it beneficial.

5 Tip-Offs Your Counterpart is a Better Trained Negotiator Than You Are!
[Business:Negotiation] Nobody likes to be snookered, to be taken advantage of, and this is especially so when we’re negotiating. If we're hoodwinked or conned when dollars and cents and promotions and salaries are at stake, it’s especially painful. Before you rush off to that next job interview or performance evaluation, or you race to bargain for that new car or enticing house, open your eyes and take the measure of the people you’re negotiating with. It may save you money, embarrassment, and even your career! Here are 5 tip-offs that they may be more skilled at the game than you are, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, keynote speaker, negotiation seminar producer, best-selling author, and radio and TV commentator.

10 Ways to Play-The-Clock in Negotiating
[Business:Negotiation] You've heard that "Time is money." It couldn’t be truer than in the negotiation environment, so play-the-clock well, and you’ll end up a winner, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman. top negotiation speaker, best-selling author, and international consultant.

Are You Ready to Commit To Improving Customer Service Results?
[Business:Customer-Service] Have you ever wondered exactly what an intellectually honest person sounds like? Let me share a brief passage from one of Dr. Albert Ellis' books, HOW TO REFUSE TO MAKE YOURSELF MISERABLE ABOUT ANYTHING. Speaking of his early career he recalls: "For several years I was a highly successful psychoanalyst and thought that I was greatly helping my clients by exploring the gory details of their early life and showing them how these experiences made them disturbed—and how they could understand and remove these early influences. "How wrong I was!" Ellis goes on to disclose that his "cures" were actually making some people worse by tethering their focus to the past, and subsequently, he went on to pioneer an improved, vastly shorter, and more effective form of assistance he called Rational-Emotive Therapy or R.E.T. Likewise, typical Customer Service "therapy," or as it is more commonly called, Customer Service Training and Development, fails to produce concrete results, until it is re-focused, says top consultant, and best selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE.

5 Insights Regarding Ezine Marketing
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] A nice chap from Australia, with some four decades of business experience emailed me after seeing that I have more than 1,000 articles posted on the web. He wants advice regarding Internet, and especially Ezine marketing. Here's what I shared with him, which I hope will help you, too...

Global Warming's Gift to Sales Managers
[Business:Sales-Management] You think you've covered every imaginable topic in your sales meetings. You've praised, criticized and humored your troops, sometimes in the same run-on sentence. You've heard a litany of excuses from underachievers and from the "undead," the perennially under-quota zombies. "It’s tough out there!" they lament. "Yeah, you should try getting back into the field and you'll see!" "The competition is eating our lunch!" "Our prices are too high!" And then the ultimate challenge: "This new product (or service) simply can't be sold!"

Consultants & Coaches: Don't Let Your Clients Deskill You!
[Business:Change-Management] Do you remember that brave guy who jumped into the icy Potomac River to save some of the passengers from a plane that slid off the runway into the drink? Without doubt, he was a hero, hurling himself into harm's way as he did. But the greatest threat he faced wasn't the frigid water or the potential of the damaged jet to explode. It came from the very people he was endeavoring to save. As is the unfortunate case so often, drowning people inadvertently drown their would-be saviors, because they're panicking. So, we end up with a tragedy on top of a tragedy. A similar, though less dramatic phenomenon occurs in consulting and coaching, according to Dr. gary S. Goodman, top speaker and best-selling author of 12 books, including SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING (AMACOM).

Success Secret: It's Great To Be A Goodman!
[Self-Improvement:Success] Maybe you're like me... A certain swagger runs in your family. Man, woman, or child you're just a little cocky, if not unbearable. That's not altogether bad. For one thing, it raises your aspiration level, a key ingredient in success according to Harvard research. "It's great to be one of us", says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top convention speaker and best-selling author, in this humorous article.

Negotiation: Do You Want a Good Deal or a Great House?
[Business:Negotiation] People can plunge themselves so deeply in dickering and trying to beat the other party that they forget negotiating is about optimizing as well as maximizing. Sure, we want to save as much as we can, but what we really need is VALUE. Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker and trainer and best-selling author shows how this principle applies to real estate negotiations.

Customer Service Managers: Are You Going to Make Your Troops March?
[Business:Customer-Service] Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, top speaker, and best-selling author says simply ORDERING people to do their jobs is the last thing most managers wish to do, yet it is necessary. In this article you'll learn how one company soared in its industry wide customer service rankings after it learned the value of imposing DISCIPLINE on its CRS's and managerial staff.

How To Spot A "Replicant" - A Phony Author And A Purchased Article
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] Is this Ezine article an original? Or is it something that has been sold to thousands of other writers, enabling each to claim authorship, for a fee? Here's a way to detect and to deter phonies, according to genuine author of more than 1,000 articles, numerous best-selling books, and internationally acclaimed speaker and consultant.

Small Businesses Need Sales Scripts, Too!
[Business:Sales-Management] Scripting has been employed in selling for at least 80 years, and perhaps a lot longer. It is the use of patterned sales talks, predictable and reliable conversational strategies that garner consistently high sales, and beat "winging-it," using whatever pops into mind. There is a basic misunderstanding about where scripts apply. Some believe they’re only useful in high-volume tele-selling and customer service applications. But in reality, they are used by small businesses every day, sometimes very successfully and at other times very poorly, as top speaker, sales and negotiation trainer, and best-selling author explains.

5 Reasons Customer Service Reps Should Record Themselves
[Business:Customer-Service] Major call centers use centralized equipment that records ALL calls, and generally this is thought to make the rep evaluation and coaching process easier and more efficient. On one level, it does. Calls can be “drawn” by evaluators on a random basis with no obvious intrusion into conversations. Reps are believed to be behaving as they normally would, not trying to spiff up their chats simply because they know they’re being monitored or judged. However, I believe what appears to be a primitive means of recording calls is preferable. Reps should record their own conversations using portable, “hand held” equipment while at their individual workstations. There are 5 reasons this improves achievement and efficiency, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, top speaker and trainer, and best selling author of 12 books including MONITORING,. MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE (Jossey-BASS/JOHN WILEY).

3 Steps to Appealing to Customer Values
[Business:Sales-Management] Would I continue to patronize an airline that is consistently fifteen minutes late, but which treats me like a prince? Or, would I defect, giving my loyalty to a no-frills, cattle-call carrier that ignores me but gets me to where I need to go on time?

Aunt Cecile's Tremendous Negotiation Tip
[Business:Negotiation] The idea that you simply MUST ANSWER all questions posed to you is absolute nonsense in a negotiation. As I observed, there are hostile and disabling questions that simply must be ignored.

Losers Ask "Why?" and Winners Ask "How?"
[Self-Improvement:Success] I thought of something this morning while reading a very interesting article in the paper about gamblers, those that succeed and those that lose everything and hit rock bottom. The losers are stuck asking themselves: "Why did this happen to me? Why did I lose?" Losers seek a cosmic or at least a psychological explanation or handy excuse for their mishaps. Winners have a setback or experience a loss and ask: "How did this happen and how can I do better next time?" Want top win? Change the questions you ask yourself, advises Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

A Sales Tip You Can Use: Don't Step On Your Buyer's Toes!
[Business:Sales] Salespeople blow it all the time by stepping on their buyers' toes, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top sales speaker, best-sellling author, and sales seminar expert. This problem is easily avoidable according to this international consultant and popular radio and TV commentator.

Negotiation Pro Says: Leave Them Feeling They Made A Great Deal!
[Business:Negotiation] One of the most important tricks of the best negotiators is they make YOU feel you got a great deal. But there's a right way and a wrong way to do it, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author, top negotiation speaker, seminar provider, and consultant. Goodman, a popular radio and TV commentator, reveals how car dealers play to our egos, making us feel we won, which makes us run back to them with money in hand, time and again.

Teach Your Teens The Zen of Dishwashing
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] It’s sad to see strapping, 6 foot 4 inch, 16 year-old boys, who could fell trees with dull axes, recoil from diswashing duty and shout to the heavens, "I'm not Cinderella! Why are you making me do this?" You can quell teenage rebellions, according to author and professional speaker Dr. Gary S. Goodman, if you simply teach your teens the Zen of Dishwashing!

Try Business to Business Prospecting Door to Door
[Business:Sales-Management] By doing your prospecting on foot, or by car, you can gauge what's really going on in a business. Instead of seeing just another "tombstone" description of your prospect on a computer screen, you can gaze into the parking lot at that distributorship and see that there are some very upscale sports cars parked in the executives' spaces.

What is a Great Appointment Worth to You
[Business:Sales-Management] What do YOU think a great appointment is worth? What would you willingly pay to hook a high-level seminar participant who'd be happy to hear your pitch for upscale products or services? I believe each outcome is worth a ton, but presently, we're not able to attract effective enough communicators to the tele-selling field in order to produce quality results. More important, we're trying to use ever cheaper substitutes, working in call centers in India and elsewhere, who are next to useless when it comes to engaging senior executives in what one of my clients termed, "Meaningful Conversations." "Let's turn this around," urges Dr. Gary S. Goodman internationally renowned tele-sales and service consultant and best-selling author of YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE.

Forget About Customer Service & Satisfaction: Pursue Customer VALUE
[Business:Customer-Service] For the longest time I have been uncomfortable with the various labels we place on our customer facing activities. They are referred to as

Your Money or Your Life: Need a Minute to Think This Over
[Self-Improvement:Success] Peter Drucker, Dr. Gary S. Goodman's former professor and renowned management guru, proposed that companies should force themselves to engage in "systematic abandonment," canceling programs and projects that aren’t delivering the profits as they once did. Standing in the way of rational discontinuation we find managers who insist "Why, that widget built our company; we can't simply turn our back on it!" “We’ve always done it this way, so we are destined to always do it this way,” they maintain, with no little nostalgia for the good old days. Goodman says, as individuals, we should also systematically abandon what isn’t delivering the goods for us: emotionally and financially. Doing so requires we set aside time, perhaps daily, weekly, or at least monthly, to scrutinize our recurring behaviors and commitments that have us acting on auto-pilot.

Why More Customers Aren't Complaining About Shameful Service
[Business:Customer-Service] I earn a living training service folks and their managers to be better in their occupations, so you might expect me to not bite the hand that feeds me; to be respectfully silent about corporate miscues.

Top Customer Service Speaker Shares His 10 Favorite Customer Service Lies
[Business:Customer-Service] (1) Your call is important to us. If this were true, companies would staff adequately and not discourage call volumes through daunting electronic menus, long waiting times, and incessant prodding to seek alternate help at web sites. It is precisely because calls are UNIMPORTANT that they are handled so poorly.

Your Service Sucks!
[Business:Customer-Service] I didn't realize how bad service had become until recently when I tried to get a brand new dryer repaired under warranty. I did everything right. In fact, I didn't even press to get an earlier appointment.

Secrets of Self-Defeating Salesmen
[Business:Sales-Management] "I'll show him; I won't call him back!" "I don't need his business. There are plenty more where he came from." "Maybe he can thin other people's margins, but not mine!" "I'm going to quote just one price and he can take it or leave it." These are just a few of the lines self-defeating salesmen use to rationalize their often bizarre behavior, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author, convention speaker, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Monitor, Measure and Manage Your Arbitrary Customer Service Reps
[Business:Customer-Service] When reps have the power to act arbitrarily, service suffers, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, and best-selling author of 12 books including, MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE. (Jossey-Bass/John Wiley)

The Zen Chair & the Art of Staying Positive
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] I just got off the phone with a business associate who shared some bad news. I was particularly displeased because she didn't convey the right information in a timely way, and that's what fouled the deal; or at least that's what I was telling myself as I was on all fours in my office. She couldn't have broken the news at a worse time. I just sliced open a box containing my new office chair, which I have to assemble, one of my least favorite activities. This is a chance to practice a little Zen, I thought. Let's see just how positive I can be right now...

With Teens, Make Sure to Distinguish Temporary from Permanent Understandings
[Home-and-Family:Parenting] Teenagers are like those trapped wolves you hear about who look a lot like tame-able dogs, but the second they’re in captivity, they do everything to break free, including the unthinkable: chewing off their feet to emerge from the traps that you so carefully laid for them. They’re wild at heart, to borrow the title from a memorable movie from a decade or two ago. One of the sanest things we can do is to distinguish temporary from permanent understandings with them, according to top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Forget What They're Getting: Focus on Your Wins When Negotiating
[Business:Negotiation] Too often, we gauge our results from a negotiation based on what we perceive the other party is getting from the deal. If we think they’re asking for something "they don't deserve," our mission shifts from getting what we need to preventing them from getting whatever it is, however minor, that they're demanding.

Here Are the 4 Keys to Success - HOSS
[Self-Improvement:Success] Just as I was taking my first sip of a fresh coconut on the world famous Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, a rail thin, haunted looking youth of about 10, lurched in front of me and crudely demanded money, a handout. This wasn’t your typical American plea for assistance, "Spare change, Mister?" It was a guttural, spiritual attack, meant to pummel the listener into compliance, to wobble after feeling a concussion grenade. Though he doesn't know it, he possesses one of the four critical ingredients to succeed in any walk of life, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author.

Facing the Martial Art of Life
[Recreation-and-Sports:Martial-Arts] If you feel you’re peaking in your dojo skills, maybe it’s time to take them outdoors into the bright sunshine and the dark alleys of reality. Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and Black Belt in Kenpo Karate says you’ll find enough self-doubts and fears to conquer there that you could ever ask for!

Writers Gotta Write!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] There's a classic number in American musical theater, "Gotta Dance!" that sums up the creative urge. If you're creative, and this doesn't pertain only to writers, singers, dancers, actors, and performers; but to entrepreneurs and to scientists, you don't have any choice over the matter. You must do your thing, or you die, at least, emotionally.

How to Write 3 or More Articles from One Great Statistic
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles] A part of the Ezine publishing game is to get as much mileage from your writing as you can. This could involve spinning off multiple articles from the same premise, or breaking a large topic into several sub-topics, and then exploring them separately. With more articles you can drive additional eyeballs to your web site and obtain better search engine rankings, so it pays to be creative in your elaborations.

Add Nine Years To Your Life Without Diet or Exercise!
[Health-and-Fitness:Anti-Aging] There are so many diets and exercise programs out there that promise renewed vitality that you can get dizzy just considering their pro’s and con’s. Which one should you believe? There was that prestigious west coast professor who touted near starvation as a path to a long life. He researched rats, finding that he could extend their tiny lifetimes by a substantial amount through “caloric restriction.” I don’t know how happy they were, but they were skinnier, and yes, they stuck around, probably looking for food, for a statistically significant greater amount of time than the chubbier control group. What happened to that lean scientist? He died fairly young, when you consider that he didn’t make it out of his seventies. Remember Dr. Atkins, another diet guru? He’s dead, too. What we need is a sure-fire way to expand our lives without diet or exercise, and here's mine, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

New Year’s Resolution: Try Unplugging!
[Self-Improvement:Motivation] On January 4, 2007 I’ll be celebrating one year without cable or satellite TV service. That makes me a little unusual, to say the least. According to the A.C. Nielson Company, the average American can be expected to invest the equivalent of 2 full, nonstop months watching TV next year, and a total of nine years in a 65 year lifetime. That works out to about 4 hours per day. Here's what Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator has accomp[lished with the extra time.

Negotiation: Sometimes That Item is Worth the Full Asking Price!
[Business:Negotiation] Most people foster an image of the expert negotiator as the one who seems capable of getting a discount on anything. “Joe, you’re going to need bypass surgery right away, and it will cost about $10,000.” “Doc, is that the very best you can do?” “Okay, Joe, just because it’s you, I’ll do it for half.” Of course, savvy negotiators do better than others when it comes to the give and take of bargaining, but sometimes the very best at the game will tell you that they AREN’T necessarily looking for a discount. In fact, sometimes they’re more than happy to pay the retail price, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top negotiation speaker, best-selling author, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Let’s Just Make It Friday
[Business:Sales-Management] Every seller has been afflicted by the buyer who neither says yes nor offers an objection. He is the fence-sitter, the person who seems almost biologically unable to arrive at a decision, no matter how much prompting you do. So, how can you get a sale if he won’t at least give you an affirmative grunt? It’s tough, unless you come to the situation armed with a very special type of close, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Selling Them Again Tests a Customer's Loyalty
[Business:Sales-Management] What right-thinking consumer really says: "Gee, I've always bought my life insurance from Ted and even if his rates are nearly double that of another source, I must keep doing business with him. I'm a loyal client and I owe it to him and to his family!"

That Porsche is Nice in the Red, or Do Your Prefer the Blue?
[Business:Sales-Training] A “close,” as you know, is a stylized way of bringing a sales conversation to a positive conclusion. Technically, it is the place at which we ask for approval. We’re seeking a yes, but not in a way that sounds dumb, insecure, or undeserving. Thus, we’re not asking: “Would you like to buy this?” though this is probably better than not asking at all. A close is stylized, there’s thought put into its construction. One that has achieved "classic" status is the cloice close which needs to be done just right, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

UCLA-USC Fan Assesses The Recent Upset at the Rose Bowl
[Recreation-and-Sports:Football] I teach at UCLA and my Ph.D. is from USC, where I have also taught, so you can imagine how conflicted I am on game day. The UCLA-USC cross-town rivalry has led to divorces, and worse. But this odd straddling of two campuses, I like to think, gives me a certain degree of distance, and objectivity. So, here's my analysis of USC's recent loss to the Bruins of UCLA.

Wanting To Be a Great Writer is Not Very Helpful
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Many of us dream of dazzling people from the platform or through our prose, and this may be a key source of our motivation to become successful speakers and writers. But are we served well by these dreams of glory, especially as we initially embark on our careers or dabble in these vocations? You've probably heard the expression that says "Aim for the stars, and even if you don’t make it, you might reach the moon!" And we’ve been taught, even as youngsters, that "The only failure in life is low aim." But should writers set their sights super-high? I'm not sure we should, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Writers: Choose Your Article Categories Carefully!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles] I write in a number of categories, most of which deal with business. But if I want to maximize readership or to make the most of my writing I need to place my articles into the proper categories. Let's say I’m writing an article about "scripting" sales presentations. It could go into one of several categories: (1) Sales (2) Sales Training (3) Sales-Telesales (4) Sales Management Common sense would lead me to place the article where I'll find the most readers, but I don't, and neither should you, if your purpose is to build your business.

Writers Take Note: Nobody Bats .1000!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Take the best hitter in baseball over the past five years. Who would it be: Barry Bonds or Albert Pujols, or someone else? It doesn’t matter who you name because I can tell you one simple fact about EVERY major league ballplayer. Nobody bats .1000, which means nobody gets a base hit every single time at bat. What does all of this mean to you if you’re a writer? Sometimes your work products will be dogs. Whether they’re articles, poems, novels, or nonfiction, they’ll be the equivalent of strikeouts. Not because you didn’t try, but because nobody is perfect, and some compositions are simply superior or just lucky. They click with audiences and with editors. No matter, the key is to write more, and you'll succeed more, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, popular radio and TV commentator, and author of the Nightinale-Conant audio seminar: "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable."

Negotiation: Is The Seller Motivated?
[Business:Negotiation] Whatever you’re negotiating, it is essential to gauge the urgency with which the other party wants to or needs to make a deal. When you’re buying a piece of real estate, for example, one of the key questions to ask the listing broker is: “How motivated is this seller?” Usually, you’ll get an answer that will tell you something significant, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top negotiation speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Heat-Up Your Negotiations by Using this Refrigerator Salesman's Trick
[Business:Negotiation] I was working with the owner of a rather large appliance store in Los Angeles and he gave me a tutorial on the three grades of refrigerators. In doing so, he gave me a super-valuable insight into negotiating, says top negotiation speaker, best-selling author of PLEASE DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER! and popular radio and TV commentator.

Six Significant Benefits You'll Get From Article Marketing
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] I've been corresponding with a writer with extensive experience, especially in Ezine publishing, and I want to share with you some of the thoughts I discussed with him regarding article marketing. I told him, here's how I look at the Ezines submission game, now that I have more than 1,000 articles to my credit, says top speaker, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

You Can’t Negotiate with a Dictator
[Business:Negotiation] Some negotiation gurus claim you can negotiate “anything.” Perhaps, but you can’t negotiate with ANYONE, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top negotiation speaker, international consultant, popular radio and TV commentator, and best-selling author of PLEASE DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER!

Selling: The Art of Skating Deals
[Business:Sales] There was saying in the car business that always made me smile: "Skating deals." Every seller has a golden opportunity to do this today, no matter what business he's in, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commntator on radio and TV.

Do Friends Let Friends Publish E-Books?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:E-Books] I was exchanging correspondence with a fellow writer when he mentioned his interest in morphing from being an article contributor into becoming an e-book author and publisher. I want to share my take on this with you, as well as what I told him regarding conventional book publishing, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Speaker Negotiations: Offer a "Plain-Wrap" Version of Yourself, Too
[Business:Negotiation] The other day I was approached by someone who wants a Webinar speaker, and I am an experienced one, in addition to being a conventional platform type. But he wanted to pay less than my prevailing rate for a performance. So, I made him this offer. I would consider doing the program for close to his budget providing he (1) Sell my audios and videos, so I can recoup my investment; or (2) If he agrees to not use my name or any reference to me in promoting his event. In other words, if he wants a discounted "plain wrap speaker," somewhat like that store brand of ketchup or mayonnaise we see in markets that costs less than the household name, then he can bargain for that. Just don't tell your clients they're getting Kraft or Best Foods or Heinz, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

The Miraculous, Curative Power of Selling!
[Business:Sales-Management] Jim’s dad died when he was just 15, and he had a stay-at-home mom who didn’t have marketable skills. So he dropped out of high school to work, choosing encyclopedia sales as his ticket to an income sufficient to support himself and his mom. There was only one small, technical difficulty. Jim had a terrible speech impediment, a stutter, so how could he make it through presentations? Read on, and you'll learn how selling cures all ills, including Jim's...

Developing Your Sales Personality Is a Fine Art
[Business:Sales] 90’s. Most people look at a Picasso drawing, consisting of a few lines, and they think: “Any kid could do that!!” Of course any kid could, or anybody else for that matter, but they don’t. Picasso’s work seems deceptively easy, but that’s because it already exists. He had to conceive and execute it. Somewhere in that process we can infer a genius was at work. The artist makes something out of nothing and so does the salesperson. He creates, seemingly out of thin air. And what he does for a living also seems ultra-simple and to many, he seems overcompensated. What the seller does also looks easy—after the fact...

Mission Accomplished: My 1,000th Article
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles] Well, I've done it, I'm happy to say. You’re reading my 1,00th Ezine article, and to commemorate the occasion, I've decided to do an interview with myself, to see what I really think of this feat.

Sweating the Details Is a Good Thing!
[Self-Improvement:Success] I'm a lucky guy. I've been the beneficiary of the teachings of people who have cared enough to "sweat the details." What do I mean? They just would let the get-by be good enough. They insisted on being specific, particular, emphasizing quality every step of the way.

Ezine Publishing: The Only Sure Thing in a Writer's Wobbly World
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles] Imagine wanting a date with an attractive stranger, but instead of feeling the customary jitters about asking you're filled with confidence knowing you'll hear a "Yes!" Or, if you're a salesperson, wouldn't it be nice to absolutely know without a doubt that every prospect you encounter for the next year is guaranteed to sign-off on your proposals? Well, if you’re a writer, the equivalent is in store for you in Ezine publishing.

So, Let’s Move Forward and I Know You’ll Be Pleased, Okay?
[Business:Sales] Why waste time? In the title of this article, I have given you my favorite, all-time close: “So, Let’s Move Forward and I Know You’ll Be Pleased, Okay?” It works like a charm, but why? Here are five reasons, according to top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

People Don’t Buy Relationships, They Buy Specific Proposals
[Business:Sales-Management] There has been a lot of ink spilt over the topic of customer relationships. But people don’t agree to developing relationships, as a general rule. They buy specific proposals, says top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Hey, Sales Guru: Don't Try To Teach Me Anything!
[Business:Sales-Management] "I could be in front of buyers right now, earning a commission. Instead, I'm stuck here, listening to a sales guru who probably earns half of what I earn!" "Who does this guy think he is? I don't care how many degrees or phony speaking certifications he has after his name. He's never sold MY PRODUCT to MY CUSTOMERS, so all of these clever formulas are just a lot of theoretical garbage." "I'll tell you this. Nobody ever bought anything from anybody he hated. If they like you, they'll follow you to the ends of the earth. If they don't, I don't care how sharp your selling skills are." "If we didn’t get a chance to play golf and to throw back a few, these yearly sales meetings would be a total waste!" This is what your trainees and audiences are really thinking, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator. Are you equipped to handle it, sales guru?

Why Should Bill Be Concerned about Co-Worker Megan’s Customer Service?
[Business:Customer-Service] Imagine two customer service agents, Bill and Megan, who sit on the far sides of a room containing about 200 of their peers. Bill struggles on every call to provide the best care possible, going out of his way to curb his temper when customers inappropriately challenge or even insult him. Megan is wrapped up in herself and it shows. She sounds curt and impatient and gives off the impression she’d rather be doing anything but taking calls. These two sit so far away from each other, more than 150 feet to be exact, that they could almost be working in different buildings. Nonetheless, they’re impacting each other in very meaningful ways, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author.

Simple Pay Plans Can Make Sales Explode!
[Business:Sales-Management] Last week, I conducted a new seminar in Sao Paulo, Brazil. My audience consisted of about one hundred sales managers, directors, and business owners, and we covered in depth the topic of motivating and compensating sellers. I unveiled a pay plan that in my experience is the very best one of all. It keeps top sellers’s noses happily to the grindstone and it produces overall equity. Someone who sells three times more will earn triple what his peer earns. But this isn’t a harsh commission-only plan. Anyway, it is very simple. I asked everyone in the room if THEY would like to be paid this way. Nearly all would, and would their salespeople like it and perform well under it? Yes, again, was the answer. But how many of them felt they could recommend it and have it be adopted? Very few hands went up. Why? The plan seems “too rich” one of them pointed out. It’s “too good” another one said. I think what they were really saying is it’s too obvious and too simple, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Five Ways to Beat Writer’s Block Today!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] This is the latest in a suite of articles I have written about the affliction known as writer’s block, where our productivity plummets or stalls, entirely. I’ve said it is a malady that occurs more by choice than by chance, and there are even several perverse satisfactions we glean from it, including sympathy and attention from others. But here are five things you can do to beat it today, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commenttaor on radio and TV.

Five Satisfactions from Suffering Writer's Block
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Writer's block is a malady that afflicts hundreds of thousands of writers, worldwide. Suddenly, productivity plummets or stalls, and one's mood tanks, as well. Usually, it is seen as a curse that no one would wish on himself. But lately, I've been thinking writer's block and most creative stoppages offer some bizarre satisfactions to sufferers. Here are five of them, some of which you might recognize, suggests Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Writer’s Block Is a Choice
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] In a recent article I surprised myself by saying: “Writer’s block is a choice. It isn’t a villain who shackles you and then either decides to free you or to keep you in his evil clutches. You bring it onto yourself…” I was surprised because until the moment I uttered those words, I believed, at least in part, that a block is like depression, that it can overtake us, without any participation on our part. I’m changing my mind about this because I have examined those times when I have succumbed to blockages. Here’s are five things I have noticed that might help you, says best-selling author, top speaker, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

What Can Writing 1,000 or More Articles Teach You?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles] I feel like one of those senior businesspeople who writes his memoirs about deal-making; looking back on zillions that went awry and a few that broke the bank. Having penned more than 1,000 articles, many of them for Ezines, here are five things I have learned that you might find beneficial to know, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Customer Service Mistakes Can Be Entrepreneurial Opportunities!
[Business:Customer-Service] I called Domino’s Pizza the other night as I was watching the USC-Notre Dame game on the tube. Expecting to get exactly what I had purchased twice during the past three weeks, I quickly dialed the phone and recited my order: “I’ll have the three medium pizzas with unlimited ingredients. Here’s how I’d like them. Two with triple mushrooms, and one with double pepperoni, and a single serving of mushrooms, onion, and beef, please.” “We can’t do that,” the voice responded flatly. “Why, not?” I shot back. “What’s the problem?” “You can’t double one ingredient. They have to be different ingredients,” he claimed. “You must be in MANAGEMENT, am I right?” I challenged, knowing only a dumb bureaucrat could enforce such a senseless rule, recalls top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Credentialing: An Essential Part of Promoting Yourself & Your Small Business
[Business:Small-Business] You’ve just opened your own small service enterprise or coaching or consulting practice and you want to earn some business. Millions have done it before you, and millions more will do it afterwards. But why does it seem so tough? One reason is credibility. When you’re just starting out, you don’t have much, so your prospects will be reluctant to believe your assertions about the good you can do for them. How can you get them to trust that you’ll deliver if you don’t have a blazing track record? One answer is that you need CREDENTIALS that portend a positive outcome, that signal the probable value to come. Here are a few examples of how to do this and to jump-start your sales, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Five Reasons I Still Write For Ezines
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles] Read my last dozen articles about writing for Ezines and about Article Marketing and you'll come away with the impression that I hold them in some disdain. I believe writers waste a lot of time and energy in writing Internet pieces, yet I do it, still, for five significant reasons, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Article Marketing & Self-Delusion
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] Once we have invested energy in a project, especially a lengthy, costly, or arduous one, we are the most unlikely people to claim our efforts have been for naught. We'll make ourselves see what we want to see. Why? We don't like to admit we were wrong, that we erred. Article marketers do this all the time, wasting their energy and time, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Writers: Fresh Pens and Fresh Pads Bring Fresh Ideas
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles] To me, there is nothing quite as pleasant as having lots of fresh pens and a few fresh writing pads available at any given time. Literally, when my supplies are fresh, I find my ideas are, too. I read somewhere that comedian Jerry Lewis used to change his shirt up to a dozen times a day, when his career was going great guns. Some people thought this was eccentric, to say the least. Not me. Fresh "tools" of your trade are not only fun but they can help us to feel motivated and more productive. If that's where we can find inspiration, who is to say we're wrong?

Success: USC Shows How to Win by Losing
[Self-Improvement:Success] Last night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum the USC Trojan football team crushed the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by a score of 44-24, before more than 91,000 fans. But it was an improbable triumph if seen from the perspective of a mere month ago. That was when USC fell to lowly Oregon State by a score of 33-31. Most folks thought the Trojans were finished, at least when it comes to contending for a national title,having slowly eroded in points scored during their three pre-Oregon State games, having to rely on 4th quarter heroics just snare victories. But the opposite happened. Losing seems to have been just what the doctored ordered to invigorate a team that seemed to have lost its motivation. After the OSU defeat, the Trojans came back and shutout Stanford and convincingly trounced Oregon and a very strong California team. And this isn't the first time USC has used defeat to forge a stronger team, an example we can all benefit by emulating, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Sales Managers:There Is No Cure For Affluence!
[Business:Sales-Management] Let's say you have a sales crew that is used to receiving warm or hot leads from the house, and suddenly, your supply of them runs out. Now, your reps have to beat the bushes and survive by their wits, cold-calling, soliciting referrals and the like. Or, sweeping change is underway in your industry, threatening margins and sales. Having suffered from continuous doses of easy success and affluence, will your sellers be able to snap out of their blissful narcosis quickly enough to adapt? It’s not likely. They're spoiled. This happens all the time by sales managers and business brass that devise compensation systems that encourage reps to "retire on active duty," or to respond with verve only to dazzling sales contests, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, international consultant, top speaker, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Writers: Are You Green & Growing, or Ripe & Rotting?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] I've been watching other Ezine writers, tracking their productivity and success. And one of the things I find very interesting is as they reach certain numerical thresholds, such as 100, 250, 500, 750, 1,000 or more articles, they slow down or entirely stop producing. When they were "green and growing," they banged out what appeared to be five, ten or more pieces a day. Now, their pens are motionless. They "ripened" into writers, but now they're on the shelf, "rotting" away. Some say being goalless is tragic, but I don't think so. Not having a goal is temporary, for most. What I believe is worse is having set a high goal and then having achieved it, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular expert commentator on radio and TV.

The Iraq War Was Over When We Debated the Word "Timetable"
[News-and-Society:Military] There was a grim joke in Hollywood during the Vietnam War: “If ABC puts the war on TV, it will be cancelled in 13 weeks!” In the same vein, the moment the Bush administration and the now Democratic Congress started debating “Timetables for Withdrawal,” this was a clear signal that the United States and our allies were lame ducks in Iraq. “Staying the course” was dead, history, kaput. Even fortifying the Iraqi government became a mere pipe dream. The “Timetable” discussion said “We’re leaving and our involvement is over. The only reason we’re not airlifting our personnel out immediately is to salvage our image and credibility,” says top speaker and international consultant, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Thanks For Your Persistence!
[Business:Sales] Usually, customers don’t bother to thank us for selling them something. They believe we’ll receive our rewards in the form of commissions and bonuses and occasional pats on the back from sales managers. More to the point, customers don’t stop to remark about how deftly we dispatched one of their objections, or how powerfully we closed them, leaving no choice but to say, “Yes!” So, you can imagine how surprised and gratified I was after one of my consulting clients bade me farewell at the portal of her Northern California company with the words: “Thanks for your PERSEVERENCE!” recalls top speaker, international management consultant, and popular expert commentator on radio and TV.

5 Ways to Detect a Phony Ph.D.
[Business:Sales-Training] I was sharing the regional Toastmaster’s International podium with a fine, enthusiastic speaker. He was fun, his stories were crisp, and the audience loved him. So, when one of my clients asked if I knew a speaker they could hire for an annual sales meeting in Palm Springs, I mentioned this guy. But as I did, I felt just a little uneasy about recommending him, so I decided to perform a little due diligence by researching his credentials. What really stood out for me was the fact that he called himself “Doctor.” In itself, this is no big deal, as my trade name is Dr. Gary S. Goodman, so who am I to take issue with this? If you have a Ph.D. or an M.D. or other “doctoral” credentials, you’ve earned the right to use them, especially in professional settings. Dr. Robert Schuller, for example, earned his degree in ministerial studies, so he is entitled to use it, and of course, he does. But I felt the speaker I was recommending wasn’t the real deal. So, I called him and asked where, when and in what subject area he earned his doctorate, and he mentioned a place I had never heard of before. I contacted the research librarian at USC, where I earned my Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication, and I asked him to look into this obscure school. After a few hours, he phoned back as said, flatly: “It’s a degree mill!” Here are five ways to detect a phony before your hire him to speak before your next sales meeting or convention, according to an international speaker and consultant, best-selling author, and popular commentator on radio and TV.

Commands & Demands Are Guaranteed to Upset Customers
[Business:Customer-Service] Yesterday, I was returning from an international trip, starting the second leg of the way home. Already, I had been in the air about 10 hours, and it took another hour to clear customs and to re-check my bags. This followed conducting a new seminar, in two languages before an exacting audience and I was exhausted. Still, I had another three hours to go, from Houston to Los Angeles. I was flying First Class. The flight crew was incredibly self-important, seeming to party on the eve of Thanksgiving while sending the message that the rest of us were rudely interrupting them. I tried to hand my suit jacket to the flight attendant to be closeted and she barked, “Just a minute!” There was no “please” attached to that line; just a grumpy, irritated, impatient tone. This verbal abuse immediately reversed any positive feelings the flight attendant had engendered to that point. The offending message is called a MAND as in command or demand. Any English teacher will say this phrase has an implied “You will wait" or "You must wait" that precedes it. It is guaranteed to make customers bristle with defensiveness, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling

Writers Beware: Ezines Have Mastered the Tom Sawyer Con
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] Charisma: It’s a beautiful thing if you have it. People like you, without knowing why. They just want to hang with you, and if you have a lot of charm, they’ll gladly confer power to you. They’ll let you borrow money, mooch rides, and even thin your wardrobe. In a word, charisma is dangerous. Maybe this is why it is so potent in its appeal. I believe writing Ezine articles, for most folks, is succumbing to the charm of a few entrepreneurs who have donned the role of Tom Sawyer, one of the most charismatic people in American literature, and they're fleecing millions of writers and making them like it, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker and consultant, best-selling author, and popular commentator on radio and TV, internationally.

Internet Marketing Quiz: Are 250,000 TV Viewers Better Than 250,000 Readers
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] "You place your bets and you take your chances," according to the old gambling dictum. You can say the same about writing articles, appearing in a major metropolitan newspaper, or being an expert guest on radio and TV. I've done them all. So, which medium "wins" when it comes to delivering real buyers, not tire kickers or freebie seekers? Here are a few insights that you can chew on as you place your marketing bets, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker and international consultant, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Staying Positive: 5 Ways to Overcome a Desire Deficit
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Alexander the Great, after his army conquered much of the earth, felt so depleted and despondent that he wept, says the historian, “Because there were no more worlds to conquer.” Have you been feeling Alexander-ish, lately? I can tell you from personal experience that this happens to the most accomplished people. In a sense, it’s a good problem. You have distinguished yourself, and I congratulate you! But the bad news is that now, you’re dragging it, and you just aren’t used to this anomie, this sense of being norm-less and rudder-less. What can you do to leave this stagnant harbor and to fill your sails with meaning and motivation? I’ve found five things help me and they might be able to do you some good, too, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker and consultant, best-selling author, and popular commentator on radio and TV, worldwide.

Customer Service to Be Thankful For!
[Business:Customer-Service] Today is Thanksgiving and within a few hours people will be streaming into my house to enjoy their share of turkey and the trimmings and pumpkin pie. It’s my job to cook this feast, or should I say to re-cook it, because for the last several years I’ve purchased a packaged meal from a local market. They assemble the sides and pre-cook the bird, leaving only the heating-up and serving functions to me.

Why Cold Calling Detractors Don't Belong In Sales Work
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] I’ve had it up to here with self-appointed sales experts who pop-off with nothing but disrespect for cold-calling. They don’t know what they’re talking about and they appeal to the worst possible motivation in other salespeople: The desire to get something for nothing. Cold calling takes work, and genuine salespeople don’t mind that one bit. As Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach said, true winners love to not only be on the field of play, but to leave it, exhausted, knowing they did their best. Show me someone who boasts that he “Prefers to work SMART, and not HARD,” and I’ll show you: (1) Either a certified genius who has found or built a perpetual motion machine; or (2) A liar, who not only deceives himself, but others, too. I tell them this: IT IS SMARTER TO WORK HARDER.

Five Ways Cold Calling Beats Competing Methods
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] You've probably been a little confused by the ads and articles that say opposing things. Some tout cold calling as a great tool, while others claim it is a waste, passe, and too difficult. As I've pointed out in my best-selling books, REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE, it is a phenomenal way to get business, providing you do it well. There are at least five ways that it beats the pants off of alternative sales techniques.

Five Things You Should Know About Writing Ezine Articles
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles] Now, with nearly 1,000 Ezine articles to my credit, I think I’ve learned a few things that might be valuable enough to pass on to you, says best-selling author, international convention speaker, and popular radio and TV expert commentator.

Welcome to Soviet-Style Customer Service!
[Business:Customer-Service] I was purchasing a camera for my business at a well known warehouse store when I presented my American Express card along with my associate’s membership card. The associate was standing next to me at the time.

Winners Transform Fear into Exhilaration
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] You've been asked to take on a special project by the boss and you've never done anything like it before. That familiar feeling of tension grips your stomach. You start imagining all kinds of negative outcomes. You could fall flat on your face, embarrass yourself and your co-workers and the even the boss. You could be fired or worse, your career could be put on a back burner for years. What can you do? You can do what winners of all kinds do. They aren't perfectly fearless, nor do they quash it the second they feel it. They put it to work by transforming it into a constructive emotion, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, international convention speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV expert commentator.

Five Ways to Get Un-Stuck!
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Do you ever feel as if you're just not getting anywhere? It’s like you're moving through molasses while everyone else is just zipping along toward their objectives. What can you do about it? I've found five things work for me, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top convention speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV expert commentator.

Winning Is an All-The-Time Thing!
[Business:Careers-Employment] Back in the days when Super Bowls were numbered in single digits, and teams like the Packers and the Steelers reigned supreme, there was a legendary coach by the name of Vince Lombardi. He shared some interesting thoughts about the differences between winning and losing, and between winners and losers. Undoubtedly, you’ve come across his often derided line: “Winning isn’t everything—It’s the ONLY thing!” But that’s not my favorite Lombardi-ism. It’s: “Winning isn’t a sometime thing—It’s an ALL THE TIME THING!” Since when is occasionally doing a good or a great job an option?

“You Tube” Is Beating the Pants off TV & the Movie Industry
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online] No wonder movie studios are trying to cheapskate and strong-arm genuine stars like Tom Cruise. They simply don’t know how to make a buck and consistently put out a product that people will happily stand in line or sit on their couches to see. Check out the web site, youtube.com, and you’ll see more interesting fare in fifteen minutes than you’ve seen on the Silver Screen or on TV in the last year. In fact, search exactly for what you want, from dumb pet tricks to bodybuilding babes. It’s all there, and a lot of the direction and “acting” are first rate, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author, top speaker and consultant, and international radio and TV commentator.

Top Speaker Asks: Are You Just A Trainer or A Performance Artist?
[Business:Sales-Training] I do a one-man show. It goes by various names, but generally it pertains to selling, customer service, and to phone work. I’m held to a different standard than an actor or a humorist. Companies that stage my events and send people to my public performance venues expect me to change the behaviors and the occupational effectiveness of attendees. My art is about delivering unique information in such a compelling way that that listeners will be motivated to return to their jobs and immediately put the ideas into practice, and to work better. In a sense, my task is to make THEM better performance artists, especially as they sell and serve clients. If you do this, too, you're much more than a trainer or a speaker, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author, popular convention speaker, and international radio and TV expert commentator.

Posting Articles at Ezines Is Stupid If Folks Have To Wait Forever To Read Them!
[Writing-and-Speaking:Article-Marketing] What would it be like if you received so many inbound calls at the same time that you couldn’t answer any of them? Or if you sent out a direct mail piece asking for replies and your letter carrier unloaded bundle after bundle on your doorstep? These would be GOOD problems because sooner or later you’d catch up with the volume. But imagine writing and posting so many Ezine articles that it takes, on average, a full minute and a half to two minutes for any given reader to open your files? You’d be a victim of your own success. This is exactly what is happening to some record-breaking writers who have posted thousands of articles, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, best-selling author, Fortune 1000 consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.

Succeed By Conquering Your Fear of Completion!
[Self-Improvement:Success] Procrastination is generally thought of as a self-destructive habit of not doing what we should or must do to succeed. Often, people who procrastinate are thought of as lazy, or listless, or unmotivated. Or, they're labeled immature, seeking endless pleasures and incapable of postponing gratification. Sometimes, procrastination is linked to other, more neurotic tendencies or afflictions such as the fear of failure. Some folks are afraid of COMPLETION. It isn’t that they don't want to do something; they don't want to live in a reality where it has already been done. It isn't that procrastinators can't get around to balancing their checkbooks. They can, but don’t want to confront the reality of what they'll discover when they do!

Success: 5 Ways Prayers Differ From Visualizations
[Self-Improvement:Success] If you talk to religious folks about visualizing success one of the next things you'll hear is that they have that down pat. They visualize all the time, through prayers. If one of their friends or a family member is undergoing surgery, they'll pray for a successful outcome, imagining their cared one emerging from it in a sprightly and healthy condition. The same ap