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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Sales Tweet #69

by Rick Baker
On Oct 21, 2010
Sales Tweet #69 Ernest Seller has 10 key people he would love to meet. Some day he may do something about that.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
NO HE WON'T! Come on. We can not take this seriously. Ernest has been talking about this for close to 20 years. Sometimes he talks about it while he is drinking his favourite beer - 50.

Tags:

Thought Tweets | Ernest Seller

For Fully-Productive Meetings

by Rick Baker
On Oct 20, 2010
From time to time it is good to check out expert advice for holding productive meetings.
 
Expert advice reminds us of the importance of controlling the meeting process and helps us set better meeting guidelines….this is about clarifying what you mean by Good Habits for Meetings.
 
To maximize meeting results, here’s what Brian Tracy recommends in his book, ‘Time Power”
 
7 Ways to Make Meetings More Efficient
  1. Is the meeting necessary, if not then don't have it. Consider alternatives to holding a meeting. Who should attend? - Only invite those people. And ask - is it necessary for me to attend?
  2. Have a written agenda for the meeting. Write out the purpose of the meeting. Send the agenda to participants at least 24 hours ahead.
  3. Start and stop on time. Don't wait for latecomers. Perhaps, lock the door from the inside so latecomers can not get in…this helps them develop self-discipline.
  4. Cover important items first. That way you ensure they get done.
  5. Summarize each conclusion.
  6. Assign specific responsibility for next action steps. Include deadlines for their completion.
  7. Send out meeting minutes shortly after the meeting.  This will confirm what action will be taken, who agreed to be responsible for taking that action, and when that action will be completed.
Footnote:

Sales Tweet #68

by Rick Baker
On Oct 20, 2010
Sales Tweet #68 Your Top 10 Clients - what are their work hours? Place that in your calendar until you memorize it.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Many of your Top Clients will tend to be creatures of habit. They will tend to have set work hours. Also, according to time-management gurus, they will have 'prime time'. That is, at certain times of the day your Top Clients will tend to be far more productive than they are at all other times of the day. Why not ask your Top Clients about their 'time habits' and their prime time. Why not make sure you are accessible during those prime times.

Tags:

Questions?: The Art of Asking Good Questions | Sales | Thought Tweets

People’s Strengths

by Rick Baker
On Oct 19, 2010
StrengthsFinder* presents Strengths as…
 
Strengths = Talent Theme + Knowledge + Skills
 
If I understand StrengthsFinder properly then our top 5 Talent Themes do not confirm Strengths, rather, they confirm Potential Strengths.
 
To create Strengths we need to:
  1. understand our Talent Themes,
  2. gain Knowledge related to the Strength we desire, and
  3. take planned action aimed at developing Skills that allow us to illustrate our Strengths.
I think StrengthsFinder is directionally correct. It is a tool that should not be used in isolation. It should be used in conjunction with other tools and guides.
 
For example, our ability to exhibit Strengths is influenced by many factors including:
  • Interest…Are we interested in, or passionate about, the end-goal that is the motive driving our actions? A strong and well-grounded Interest increases the likelihood a Strength will be developed.
  • Situation…does the situation allow us to act in accordance with our Strength? As Haidt and the Heaths* explained to us, situations can be designed to promote action aligned with Strengths.
  • Self-Esteem…the higher the self-esteem, the better we feel about ourselves, the greater the likelihood our Strengths will be realized
  • Confidence…if we perceive we can be effective at the task, in the given situation, then the greater the likelihood our Strengths will be realized
  • Mood…we all have good days and bad days…our Strengths tend to shine during our good days
Footnotes:
  1. Web link for StrengthsFinder
  2. Web link for Haidt
  3. Web link for Heath brothers

Sales Tweet #67

by Rick Baker
On Oct 19, 2010
Sales Tweet #67 What sales-education CD are you listening to in your car today?
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Many sales gurus will help you with the math. They will walk you though how many hours you spend in the car every day and recommend you spend at least some of those numerous hours listening to sales-help or self-help CDs. On the other hand, if you are too busy listening to the radio, etc., then you may never listen to a sales-help CD...so you may never hear the sales guru advice about listening to the CDs. [Hence, this Sales Tweet #67]

Tags:

Questions?: The Art of Asking Good Questions | Sales | Thought Tweets

Sales Tweet #66

by Rick Baker
On Oct 18, 2010
Sales Tweet #66 I am smart. I am good looking. Everybody likes me…that’s Ernest Seller doing some self-talk.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Ernest picked that up from one of those Rodney Dangerfield movies. Rodney Dangerfield is one of Ernest's Top 10 actors. Ernest is thinking about self-talk…I mean doing those daily affirmations that many of the self-help gurus promote. But, Ernest gets forgetful...a lot. So, the only time he does the self-talk is when he thinks of Rodney Dangerfield. And, Ernest is pretty content with that. It seems to work.

Tags:

Thought Tweets | Ernest Seller

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