Interpersonal Business

In our difficult relationships, we always share the blame. Have we only allowed and reinforced negative behavior in others over a period of years; whose fault is that? In the success formula, you are able to create a foundation, criteria, and renewed priorities going forward. Always protect what you have before giving up. Your investment is too high to simply “walk away.”

There is always great risk, but we also must often follow our dream. Proceed with guarded optimism – one blind eye. Do you have the whatever-it-takes factor to succeed, or is it a hobby? Get candid evaluations and advice from individuals with market knowledge. Determine your product’s potential in the market – test, test, test! Remember, the bottom line is always, “will the
ultimate consumer care?”

All too often, management is distracted by the big picture and sends a signal that the details are no longer important. With discipline and focus, attention to detail becomes a way of life. Once the standards have been set, follow up is required; once an expectation is accepted as reality, it becomes a matter of routine. Earl Nightingale once stated that he’d uncovered the essence of doing business – his Greatest Secret – “To succeed in business we must master and be willing to do the little things that our competitors simply don’t like to do.”

Prospecting for new customers takes us out of our comfort zones and interrupts our routine. To take the dread out of “the dreaded cold call,” your sole objective should be making an introduction, not making the sale. Approach rejection as an initial response to a positive outcome still under consideration. For a variety of reasons, nearly twenty percent of a territory’s account base is lost every year. Devote twenty percent of your schedule – a full day each week – to opening new accounts.