Posted: April 28, 2017 | Categories: Leadership, Management

Last week I was talking with a business owner who operated several franchises in the Chicago area.  She wanted to do some teamwork training, and when she went to her Controller, he talked her out of it.  He said, “Look, our numbers our fine.  Sales are where they need to be, and we are making a profit”.  That was his whole argument.  Here is what he did not pay attention to:

• The employee turnover rate was 20% above the industry average.
• The absenteeism was up 40% over last year.
• Their district supervisor referred to the store managers as a “bunch of dummies”.

Most of us would say that these symptoms are not good, and very costly.  We wouldn’t have to be brilliant to predict that this company is headed for trouble.  Eventually, the sales numbers will go down, and by that time, the river may be too wide for crossing.Read More…

Posted: April 12, 2017 | Categories: Sales

As a sales professional, have you ever had a meeting with a prospect and afterwards realized you were not talking to the right person?  Uh-oh, now what?  Time to talk to the “right” person.  And what happens if we do that?  We will have done an “end run”, and turned the first individual we talked to into a non-person.  That can kill a sale.Read More…

Posted: March 23, 2017 | Categories: Sales, Self-Improvement

The most successful people I know are excellent at managing relationships.  Everything they do is intended to strengthen trust and better serve their client’s needs.  With all this in mind, I have a recommendation for you:  STOP LOOKING AT YOUR PHONE!Read More…

Posted: March 7, 2017 | Categories: Management

I am hired by companies to help build top-performing teams.  One of the biggest challenges a manager faces is keeping team members accountable for results.  If ownership is established and roles and expectations are clear, we must insist on each team member delivering desired results.  I find that managers often fall short in this area. Read More…

Posted: February 24, 2017 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

As a professional coach, I help companies build top-performing teams.  This week I was reminded of one of the biggest challenges in building strong teamwork:  The ability to confront someone who has either made a mistake or needs re-direction.Read More…