The year was 1783. The Revolutionary War was finally over. The American Continental Army, led to victory by General George Washington, was quickly growing restless and resentful over the lack of pay and support from a financially strapped American government. Talk spread of the Army marching on Congress. Many of…
When you think of Ben Franklin, what do you think of; scientist, businessman, writer, or diplomat? When I think of Ben Franklin, I think of our nation’s first global entrepreneur. In an age when men and women knew less than 600 people in their lives, Ben Franklin may have known and…
Back in 2012 I joined a local referral group, part of Gold Star Referral Clubs. If you aren’t familiar with how referral groups often work, typically it is a group of business professionals who get together on a regular basis, and support one another through referrals and cross promotion. For…
You build relationships through value. If you have not heard this expression, remember it. So how do you do this? When you make a new acquaintance, do not think about what they can do for you; rather, what can you do for them?
On June 11, Market Leadership Journal will be hosting a webinar called Your Foot in the Door. The topic will be on how to get your foot in the door of prospective clients (i.e. to engage) where you otherwise do not have a connection or previous relationship. When I teach…
If you do one-to-one meetings over coffee, be sure to patronize the places in which you are meeting for business. They have a business to run too!
We all have barriers to overcome whenever we are striving to reach any worthy goal. In my book Prospect & Flourish, I outline five basic barriers to successful prospecting. They are: Not understanding the value of what you bring to others Fear of rejection Laziness Not knowing what to do…
Not too long ago, when I probably should have been doing something more productive, I was flipping the channels and came across Batman Begins—the 2005 predecessor to the more recent Dark Knight films. As the movie chronicles Bruce Wayne’s ninja-style training on a remote mountaintop in Asia, I am often struck by the words of Wayne’s mentor, Henri Ducard, played by Liam Neeson:
“Training is nothing! Will is everything!” Ducard tells Wayne as they spar across a frozen lake. “The will to act!”
Fifty weeks a year we focus on how to be better leaders. This week, I’d like to ask you a question that may change the way you live your life forever. The question is, how do choose the leaders you follow?
Not long ago I was conducting an on-camera interview with a business owner, who was giving a testimonial on behalf of a coach who had helped him. When we began our conversation, he talked about how he had decided to launch his own graphic design firm, landed his first client, and, in his words, “…the rest is history. Here we are today.” I felt compelled to gently challenge him on that statement…