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One Year, Part One - Leaps Of Faith

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On March 30, 2022 Ashley and I will celebrate our first year of living in Costa Rica. As we approach that date, I wanted to take a series of articles to review our first year living as ex-patriots. So many unknowns. So many angels. So much growth. In this first piece I’m going to cover the lead up to the leap. What happened? Why did we do it? What were we expecting? Join me on this journey and find out…   Death, Moves, A Breakdown and the Pandemic The real roots of this story began in the winter of 2017. After taking another leap of faith into the Harley-Davidson motorcycle business in February 2012, I left my incredible learning ground at Woodstock Harley-Davidson in Illinois and returned to where I grew up in Philadelphia’s Delaware Valley. I accepted a promotion from Assistant Sales Manager at Woodstock to General Sales Manager at Rommel Harley-Davidson in New Castle, Delaware. My real desire to return home was driven by the serious illness of my lifelong friend Gary. He was
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PASSION IS EVERYTHING: A REFRESHER ON WHAT MAKES WORK PLAY

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Passion: A strong fondness, enthusiasm or desire for anything. How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? Do you look forward to the day ahead? Are you energized and optimistic about what the day holds? Do you  love  what you’re doing as your career? These are not casual questions. In fact, these questions are fundamental not only to your professional success, but to your happiness with your life in general. Passion is a very powerful thing. It acts as a fuel for our human creativity, confidence, personal magnetism and ability to perform at the highest possible level. From a career perspective, passion transforms a job into a  calling . Work becomes play… Instead of having to spur yourself into action, you’ll have to pull in the reins to keep from charging forward. Imagine all of this comes from a simple decision to do what we love and love what we do. Many of us have heard the following quote:  “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
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MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND IMPROVE YOUR SALES - PART 5

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The  forth segment of this series  highlighted the importance of keeping our sales presentations and proposals simple, straightforward and focused on the benefits we provide to our customers. It also stressed the importance of guiding the customer’s decision process effectively through solid planning and organization. In this final installment of the series you’ll see how connecting with your customers by demonstrating your understanding of their challenges and goals, is the cornerstone of building enduring loyalty. We’ll end with showing you the joy and success that comes with a continuous commitment to learning and self-development. These are points 9 and 10 from the  Make Up Your Mind  essay… 9. That people buy today, not nearly so much because they understand your product thoroughly, but because they feel and believe that you understand them, their problems and the things they want to accomplish. Here’s the cold, hard truth; what customers have to say to us is more import
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MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND IMPROVE YOUR SALES - PART 4

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The third piece in this five-part series zeroed in on the importance of honesty with our customers and channeling our efforts intelligently to obtain maximum results. I also pointed out some ideas on how to create win-win encounters with customers. These encounters lead to successful business results for the customer and for you. Here, in part four, I will cover why simple, straightforward presentations and proposals help you win more business. I’ll also discuss why helping and guiding your customers in an organized way will lead to solid customer relationships and higher levels of customer satisfaction. These are points 7 and 8 from the Make Up Your Mind Essay… 7. That the power of your sales presentation will always lie in its simplicity. All business segments have their unique “speak.” People who might be listening to a conversation between two individuals in the digital printing industry may think they are speaking in code. To them, the conversation might as well be in another la
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MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND IMPROVE YOUR SALES - PART 3

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The second article in this series continued to elaborate on the key attitudes salespeople should adopt if they want get to the top and stay there. It focused specifically on the importance of managing, versus being managed by your time. The piece then went on to discuss how critical it is to know precisely what your time is worth. In the third installment of this five-part series, I will cover why honesty and intelligence in our sales efforts will result in financial and professional rewards. I’ll also discuss why each sales interaction with your customers must be a win for both of you. These are points 5 and 6 from the Make Up Your Mind essay… 5. That honest, intelligent effort is always rewarded. Each year a survey is conducted among customers across a diverse number of industries. These surveys are focused on what customers value and demand from the salespeople they decide to work with and trust. Guess what attribute tops the list year after year after year? Honesty. None of us wan
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MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND IMPROVE YOUR SALES - PART 2

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In the introductory article of this five-part series, I introduced a sales motivation piece I uncovered years ago entitled  Make Up Your Mind  and the positive impact it’s had on me as a sales professional. I elaborated on the importance of being sold on yourself, your company and your products as a foundation for sales success. I also covered how critical it is to focus on the needs of your customers versus any compensation you might receive from them for doing business with you. In this installment I want to cover the importance of efficient time management and knowing what your time is worth. These points, which are the third and fourth points in the  Make Up Your Mind  essay, are the next key building blocks you need to put in place as you work to join the elite corps of sales professionals. 3.  That time is money and that learning to manage your time productively will be one of your most profitable achievements. Many salespeople make the fatal error of mistaking activity f
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MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND IMPROVE YOUR SALES

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I’m a big reader. I was fortunate enough to have worked for a company early in my career that put me through a rapid reading course. Their one-time investment in me has paid life-long dividends for my career. I’m able to read and digest large amounts of information efficiently. Why tell you this? Because I’ve used the training I received to find and read a ton of excellent articles on how to be a sales professional and not just a salesperson. One brief, yet impactful piece I’ve come across during my 32 years in sales and sales management is entitled Make Up Your Mind. I’ve never been able to identify the author of this little gem, but following the simple advice it provides transformed me in several important and valuable ways. The benefits it has given to me pale in comparison to the resulting value it has delivered to my customers. You’ll find the piece below. Over the next five weeks I will highlight and expand on two bullet points contained in the article per week. I hope it
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