The Profit Prophet

If your goal is to become a great company or even improve your existing one, every employee in you company should be able to “sell” the product or service that you are merchandising. Since that is usually not the case, you are forced to hire sales people to help implement the objectives laid out by upper management. A national study indicated that less than 3% of the population has an inherent penchant for sales, and as much as 50% of all salespeople really do not know how to sell. During my 20 odd years in sales, I have hired, worked with, and observed great sales people (yes, both men and women). Being the observant type and believing in best practices, I have complied a listing of questions you should ask any salesperson before you hire them, and should use this Litmus Test to review of your existing sales force to determine whether to keep them or cut them loose.  I hope you find it useful. Psyching Out the Test : People always try to answer questions the way they thin...

As you know, I am a big fan of quotations as I believe they are like pearls of wisdom handed down through the ages that we can wear and that can sustain us in difficult times.  Like little beacons of light to remind us about what we should or could do. So, when an Elementary School Teacher presented each child in her first grade classroom the first half of a well-known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb some incredibly random wisdom occurred. It is hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are first-graders, 6 & 7-year-old’s! 1. Don't change horses until they stop running. 2. Strike while the bug is close. 3. It's always darkest before Daylight Saving Time. 4. Never underestimate the power of termites. 5.. You can lead a horse to water but how? 6. Don't bite the hand that looks dirty. 7. No news is impossible 8. A m...

While I am a big fan of Marriage, sadly in our modern age, it has become more about entering into a business contract that the blissful relationship of love.  And, since many now see it as a business I thought I would list some marriage wisdom, so to speak.    +++++++++++ You can stay single and be miserable, or get married and wish you were dead. +++++++++++ At a cocktail party, one woman said to another, 'Aren't you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?' 'Yes, I am. I married the wrong man.' +++++++++++ A lady inserted an ad in the classifieds: 'Husband Wanted'. Next day she received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: 'You can have mine.' +++++++++++ When a woman steals your husband, there is no better revenge than to let her keep him. +++++++++++ A woman is incomplete until she is married. Then she is finished . +++++++++++ A little boy asked his father, 'Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?...

There are many things or factors that can determine a person’s success or failure, but one thing that cuts across EVERY successful person I have met or read about or studied is perseverance, persistence, stick-to-itiveness, and determination. As I say, "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. The desire and ability to press on has and always will solve the problems of the human race and divide those who achieve from those who might have been." Incredibly, this ONE characteristic is really what makes a true entrepreneur as testimony to these little factoids: Coca-Cola only sold twenty five (25) bottles in its first year of business! They grossed $50.0 and spent $73.96 on merchandising. But they kept on going and never gave up, and nowadays the sell more than one billion bottles per day! Apple Computer co-founder offered the computer design to Hewlett-Packard five times and was rejected by both HP and Atari (the giant at the time) for acquisition. A...

Hypergrowth is when a company has 5 or more years of 40% plus growth year after year. This is a very rare, and usually unsustainable situation, but believe it or not, any company can achieve this if they just plan and organize for it. Yes, not all companies will experience hypergrowth, but it is not because they cannot, it is because they did not PREPARE for it. I could not imagine any championship team or athlete NOT preparing to be a champion; of not working everyday to win the cup, or series, or world title? Amazingly, most companies that do not experience hypergrowth never see themselves has champions. So, how do you prepare you and your company for hypergrowth? I have listed 10 Commandments which at a minimum will set you on the path to hypergrowth, and yes, it goes for high tech and traditional companies as well. I. Set a Big, No Humongous, Goal As Marianne Williamson is quoted as saying, “Playing small doesn't serve the world in any way.” Companies need a ...

We all want to be more successful, or popular, or liked, or have a greater sense of belonging. As such there is a very robust self-help industry which includes seminars, webinars, books, tapes, videos…the list is endless? Why? Because deep down, we all want to feel important, and know we cannot do that by ourselves (hum, sounds like a quotation).. Nonetheless, I have posted what is now called life hacks that have been practiced by successful people for years. A lot of them have to do with ‘body language’ and Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.’ These small shifts in behavior or awareness will give you greater control of potentially important outcomes, from everyday situations to stressful job interviews. Of course, do not stop reading books on how to win friends and influence people, but at least this list gives you some sure fired tips to deploy now. 1. Primacy and recency: people most remember the first and last things to occur, and barely the ...

If you have been working for any amount of time, you have most likely have taken the Myer-Briggs personality indicators (introvert v. extrovert; sensing v. intuition; thinking v feeling; and perceiving v. judging).  Here is an infographic created my mbti that has been broken into five sections.  It is pretty informative and goes on to show what types of indicators prefer which types of social media. Myers-Briggs Type   The about graphic describes the various characteristics of the Myers-Briggs personality types and how they would be inclined to use social media. There are 4 types that can combined to create 16 "personalities." To enlarge picture, just click on the image.  Do You Use Facebook   This is an graphic on how your particular personality type would use Facebook. It seems like extraverts and intuitive individuals prefer using Facebook. Social Media Use at Work   This graphic explores how different types use social media an...