Posts in General Business Strategy
How to Leave a Phone Message That Gets a Call Back

One of the most important tasks in business is connecting with people.  The problem is, however, that we can't always meet everyone in person to connect with them.  While e-mail or text messaging works okay for sorting out logistics, such as setting up a lunch appointment, e-mail and text messages don't help to connect with people.  Therefore, we often pick up the phone instead of just sending an e-mail or text message.  This helps to build rapport and connect with people.  

But if we can't get ahold of someone when we call, we have two options: to try back later or to leave a message.  Here are ten tips to leaving a message that will get a return call:

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Overuse of the Word Innovation

Innovation.  Everyone is talking about it.  Everyone seems to know they need to innovate.  And everyone seems to try to sell their innovation as a marketing pitch. 

But the word “innovation" has become an over used buzz word.  Even the president of the United States talked about small business innovation in one of his State of the Union addresses.  

The problem is that the true meaning of the word has been lost because of the overuse of the word innovation.

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The 5 Biggest Mistakes Businesses Make in Setting Goals

As the new year is now upon us, resolutions are being made left and right.  For entrepreneurs and business owners, many of these resolutions are actually business goals for the new year.  And rightfully so as effective goals are one of the best ways to transform a business.

However, many businesses will not meet their goals in 2015 because of a few simple mistakes.

Here is my list of the 5 biggest mistakes businesses make in goal setting:

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Setting SMART Goals for the New Year

As 2014 has come to an end and we move into 2015, I can’t help but do two things: reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. 

2014 year was a fantastic year.  I presented over 30 different seminars, traveled to places like Glacier National Park, attended a public speaking conference in Orlando, and met one of my fitness goals.

But I also had some shortcomings in 2014.  While I...

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Getting Things Done as a Recovering Perfectionist

As a recovering perfectionist, my tendency is to want to master something before I share it and find myself in a place of vulnerability.  For this reason, perfectionism is both one of my strengths and one of my weaknesses.  It is a strength as I prefer to offer quality work.  It is a weakness because I often work on things that never get finished as I fear they won’t be able to find perfection.

And then I heard someone say: “If you aren’t embarrassed

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Innovating Litterbox Smell Solutions

As a business owner, I love innovation because it provides a competitive advantage.  As a consumer, I look toward innovation to solve problems.  As a cat owner, well...

Growing up, we had always been a dog family.  But my wife came from a cat family.  So when my two and half year old daughter found a stray kitten, I became a cat person.  And as a cat person, I quickly learned that I needed to look for letterbox smell solutions.

As a dog owner, I had always been accustom to having any animal dirty business conducted outdoors.  Yes, cleaning up the fenced in yard was not a desirable job, but it was better than what I was now facing as a cat owner: cat dirty business is done inside.  So my I knew we had to find a solution.

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Thank You

My readers are amazing.  I am so thankful for each of you and all of the support you show me.  You are the motivation for me to continue writing and blogging.

This last week, I put on two seminars in Illinois and was reminded of something: diligence matters more than preparation or even execution. 

When I teach seminars, I get a survey from every attendee. Because of this, I often

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Understanding What A Sales Process Is - Dissecting The Sales Funnel

A sales process is an intentional strategy used to convert prospects into paying customers.  This is often accomplished by designing a “sales funnel” where customers are given a clear path which walks them step-by-step toward becoming an ideal customer.  

But a sales process is more than just a packaged guide that points toward the cash register - it is something that is big, clunky, and complex, but still needs to be beautifully designed.  To fully answer the question of what is a sales process, I would like to share with you one of my recent experiences.

I found myself somewhere I never expected to be - I was at a Taekwondo tournament watching my son compete on a regional level.  

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Behind the Scenes: My Welcome Video

I final did it.  I made my first video.

To be honest, ever since I hired the videogropher and scheduled a date to shoot this two minute video, I have been extremely nervous.  It is hard to put yourself out there every week when you write a blog, even though you can somewhat hide behind those black and white letters.  But a video is a whole new ball game.

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