Visit the Sage

The Rise to the Top

I met David Garland at a Yellow-Tie event a bit less than a year ago and was immediately struck by how engaging and energizing he is. The guy just oozes passion for entrepreneurship and I new straight away he would rise to the top.

Of course, part of that realization might have been his company name -- The Rise to the Top -- and his mission of putting together a television show for young entrepreneurs.

But I think the part that struck me most was the sly smirk in his eyes as he related his "No pleated pants" and "This is not your grandfather's business show" taglines.

Ya gotta love a guy who is having that much fun.

Anyway, I've been following David's show through all its episodes since November, and had the distinct pleasure to experience his high-energy interview style myself last month. For those of you who missed the show on KDNL the past two weeks, you can get the full deal now on The Rise to the Top.

Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association

Hidden Costs

One of the many things Dad drilled into my head over the years was, "If you insist on buying new vehicles, then you need to drive them 'till they drop or you're just throwing good money down the toilet. I mean, why would anyone pay for a car that devalues by 20 percent the moment they drive it off the lot?"

I won't discuss the validity of Dad's argument, nor the accuracy of his devaluation claim. I'm just acknowledging the fact that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in this case -- the two vehicles Cindy and I have right now are a '91 4-Runner and a '96 Dodge Ram. (We haven't had a car payment in eight years.)

Of course, when you buy a vehicle with plans to drive it until it drops, many of your maintenance decisions are affected. For example, we've always had most of our maintenance done at Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers, because they have a fixed-forever guarantee. Once they fix something other than that which has normal wear and tear, if it ever breaks again you get the parts and labor free.

Late last week, however, I learned the hidden cost of fixed forever when the break lines on our Ram sprung a leak. After analyzing the problem, Dobbs informed me that to replace the break line they'd need to remove the gas tank, and that the whole job would be about $600 parts and labor after sales tax.

As luck would have it, about six months ago William Morris of Oakville Automotive joined Yellow-Tie here in St. Louis -- and his shop is only about three miles from my house. So I decided to give Bill a call and find out what he had to say about the repairs Dobbs proposed.

First, Bill confirmed that the tank would need to be removed to replace the entire brake line, and that the $600 price tag was about right. But then he added, "Of course, most of the time you can simply cut out the bad spot, flair the ends and patch the line back together -- saving you a couple hundred on labor costs."

That's when I realized the hidden cost of Dobbs' fixed-forever guarantee -- they never offer the simple solutions that save their customers money. Instead, they simply replace the entire part -- no matter the cost of parts or labor -- which saves them return-visit repair time that would be free under their guarantee.

I think Dobbs is missing the boat on this one. Perhaps they've never thought this through and don't realize the cost of this guarantee from my perspective. If I was planning to sell the truck tomorrow, for example, then I'd have paid $200 for a guarantee that has zero value to me.

Or maybe they know full well, but have simply chosen to do business this way. (If that's the case, I'll applaud them for their focus as I drive my truck to Oakville Automotive.)

What I can tell you is this. They didn't ask me a single question about my intentions with the truck, so they have no idea whether I value their guarantee. And they didn't explain all of my repair options. Instead they simply gave me one option and asked me to make a yes/no decision.

Do you know the hidden costs your company's uniqueness are generating for your customers or clients? Have you done the math from their perspective? Are you giving your customers all their options, or crossing your fingers hoping they won't learn about the alternatives on their own?

It literally costs nothing to increase the value of your relationship with customers and prospects by being up front on these issues.

If Dobbs had explained my options, I'd probably have let them replace the entire line -- extra labor and all -- because it's a pain in the ass to take the truck from one auto mechanic to another.

But Dobbs didn't give me all my options, Bill did.

Guess who's fixing our truck.

Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association

Customer Appreciation For 2007

How are you thanking your supporters in 2007? If you're doing something special, I'd love to hear about it. Just tell me by either replying or using the comment function of my blog.

Any person who tells me a customer-appreciation story will receive every customer-appreciation story I'm told. (That's the give-first philosophy in action.)

As for me, I'm giving a discount and free tele-seminar to the people who support Yellow-Tie -- the nonprofit trade association I launched a bit more than two years ago.

First, have you ever sat in an audience and literally gotten goosebumps listening to a speaker? Last week, I was listening to some of the speakers who were practicing their material for "The 18 Percent Solution" on January 23. Every one made my skin tingle almost as much as when ...

Anyway, I've been a speaker for more than 20 years and have never experienced such a dynamic group of individuals who so clearly "get it" when it comes to providing real value from the podium.

So here are two things I'm doing for anyone who attends this Yellow-Tie event and uses my name when registering:

1. Saving you $20.
2. Giving you a free seat to my February 13 tele-seminar on "Championship Networking: Using Business Networking To Become A Sales Superstar." (It will be at 10 a.m. Central Time.)

To save $20 and get the free tele-seminar, type "Wagner" in the [Special Instructions] field when you register, then just pick the member's rate of $75 instead of $95. (Note: Register before midnight tomorrow, Jan. 3, or the prices will go up another $30 -- that's when the early-bird deadline ends.)

Full event details can be found at http://yellow-tie.com/18.

Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association

Five Most Important Things Dad Taught Me

Everything good I know about ethics and leadership I learned by watching my father sell remodeling services in the kitchens and backyards of homeowners. The five most important things I remember him teaching me are:

"Be absolutely honest no matter what."
This rule will sometimes cost you a sale, but it will never cost you a customer. And it will always produce referrals you wouldn't otherwise have received. (My top 10 referrals of all time, based on size of project sold, came from people who didn't hire me because I told them the truth.)

FYI: Absolute honesty has also closed untold sales I would never have closed. Despite my not being able to "overcome the objection" the prospect threw in my path, I was almost immediately hired by virtue of the fact that I told the absolute truth.

"Personal relationships based on mutual trust and respect are the cornerstones of all businesses, no matter the size."
I've worked with companies from one person to who-knows-how-many-thousand people, and I can say without reservation that every relationship I've seen that was founded in dishonesty was either a disaster in progress or one waiting to happen.

"The only way to earn trust is to be trustworthy."
Dad also said, "You can't fake trustworthy" and "Anyone who says he can teach you a technique for generating trust should not be trusted." (I smile whenever I think of that last one.)

"If you demand respect, you will get it. Then it is yours to keep or lose based on your actions."
Dad's point was that you don't earn respect, you demand it. Then you earn the right to keep it.

When I work with salespeople it's really important for them to grasp the difference, because it's the key to getting off their knees and to stopping overbearing executives from pushing them around.

"You are your brand. Make it a good one!"
This may sound like a superfluff comment at first, but it's actually the most profoundly important ethical guideline I've ever learned. Whether I'm riding my bike, selling something, fundraising for a charity or stopping to help at an accident, the idea that every action defines my very being has helped me make more smart choices than stupid ones.

Lord knows I've still made my share of blunders, but at least I always found my way back to Dad's advice, and the personal brand it creates.

I wish you your most honest year ever in 2007, and the rewards that honesty will reap.

Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association

I Have To Shut Up For A Change

In my last post, I said that to find new and interesting ideas you should force yourself to try new things. On January 23, I'm putting that concept into practice by keeping my opinions to myself for a day.

On that date, I have the distinct pleasure of filling the role of Master of Ceremonies (which means I must talk, but I don't get to say anything) at "The 18 Percent Solution -- Avoid The Pain Of Business Failure And Win The Race To Success."

It's amazing how much I learn when I zip my lip -- I've learned a ton just by watching this group of dynamic experts and professional speakers collaborate to create a totally unique learning experience that is unlike any conference or training event I've ever seen.

And the really cool news -- as Master of Ceremonies I get to offer the people I know a discount if they want to attend.

Here's the opening blurb for the one-day conference:

The U.S. Department of Commerce reports:

• Only 18 percent of businesses see a 10th anniversary.
• Those that make it do so by seeking knowledgeable help.

Let our powerhouse lineup of business experts and professional speakers be your pit crew on January 23, and we'll help you win the race to 10 successful years.

If you're in (or can be in) St. Louis on January 23, and you want to learn exactly what it takes to ensure that your business sees its 10th anniversary, then here's how you can save $40 off the standard conference price.

1. On or before January 3 (when the early-bird discount ends) visit https://secure.yellow-tie.net/register-stlouis/
2. Fill out the form
3. In the [Special Instructions] field type: Wagner
4. Pick the member's rate for the event

For a full description of this innovation event, see http://yellow-tie.com/18.

If you decide to attend and are traveling to St. Louis, let me know and I'll hook you up with hotel information that will make it a smooth trip. (We can even enjoy dinner together the night before if you like.)

Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association

Competitive Intelligence

I attended today's meeting of the Public Relations Society of America (St. Louis chapter) where Fleishman-Hillard's Robert Peirce, a 30-year veteran of public relations and the media, explored crisis communication trends and fears. (He basically answered the "What the heck do you do when the $#!+ hits the fan?" question.)

In his presentation, Peirce mentioned the critical role blogs play in crisis management. "By monitoring the blogs discussing the crisis," he said, "you can calculate the impact that crisis is likely to have."

The same concept actually holds true in competition. By monitoring what bloggers discuss -- your company name, your name, your competitors' company names, etc. -- you can stay ahead of the curve when it comes to competitive intelligence, and more quickly react to opportunities or challenges.

Here's a very easy, and free, way to do exactly that:

1. Subscribe to one of the free blog monitoring services, such as Bloglines.com, and learn how to use it to monitor a single blog. (These monitoring services inform you whenever one of the blogs you monitor has a new post, but you have to know how to add a blog to your monitor list.)
   
2. Visit Google's blog search (http://blogsearch.google.com), and do a search on the words or phrases you want to monitor, such as your company name. (Type your search, then click the [Search Blogs] button.)
   
3. Treat the search results page as you would any blog to which you wanted to subscribe with your blog monitoring service. For example, Bloglines has a [Sub with Bloglines] button I can add to my browser. So from the results page, I would simply click that button, and -- presto, change-o -- I'd be subscribed.

From that point on, Google's blog search, in combination with your monitoring service, will tell you any time a new blog post meets your search criteria. Just check your blog monitoring service on a daily basis, and you'll stay ahead of the pack.

Technology may be grand, but free technology is grander.

--
Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association

Slam The Door Slowly

Today's visit is a reprint of: The "Aha!" Report #18, September 28, 2006, by Dr. Wendell Williams.

Wendell is one of the top people in the country at helping business leaders determine whether employee candidates are actually capable of performing the tasks for which they're being hired. I've introduced him to several clients already, and they have all been thrilled with his insights, his services and his ability to cull the weak links.

This particular article has significance to sales, because it's yet one more example of how implementing even the simplest of measurements can drastically improve any result.

In other words, it's a great follow-up to:

• My initial piece on the importance of measuring. (Note: Oct. 6 was the four-month anniversary of getting on the scale. As of that morning, I weighed 179 pounds -- that's a 25-pound weight loss in four months. <Very Big Grin>)
• The four-part series on measuring your sales funnel -- 1 2 3 4 -- that I just finished.

Slam The Door Slowly

Those of us in the hiring business can’t be blamed for thinking too much about hiring, can we? We focus obsessively on attracting candidates, screening them, and bringing them on board. Hopefully this includes things like scientific testing (good), data-based selection (better), and ongoing performance appraisal to analyze our success (best).

But when employees quit, we’re not much interested. Their departure typically provides a data point for retention statistics, plus a rather unpleasant formality known as the exit interview. This is a shame, because, along with the box of junk from their desks, these ex-employees are walking out the door with a lot of valuable information. And I don’t mean company secrets – but vital data on why once-promising hires fail on the job.

Getting The Most Out Of Exit Interviews

All too often, the only thing exit interviews really provide is a format for dumping bad feelings. What they should be are opportunities to gather the most honest feedback an employee is willing to provide; that is, if you know what to ask -- and if you’re ready to hear the answers.

If we divide performance factors logically into broad categories, we might identify the following failure factors:

1. The person did not have the skills to do the job.

This first factor is the primary cause of job failure, not because applicants lie outright about their qualifications (although they do "spin"), but because the organization often does a bad job of defining the right competencies, or of measuring whether the applicant has job skills to match them.

Job skills go deeper than OJT [on-the-job- training] or resume bullet points. They include being smart enough to learn and solve problems associated with the job; being organized enough to get work done; having the right interpersonal skills to get things done with other people; and having the right attitudes, interests, and motivations to use the first three skills. Unskilled employees (or if you prefer, those with the wrong skills) will always wind up with job failure and dissatisfaction.

Here are some exit interview questions you might want to ask to discover whether your hiring process is improperly assessing skills:

• When you were hired, did the interviewer really know if you had job skills or not?
• Were you tested (during the application stage) for all the skills you needed to do the job?
• Did the job match what you expected?
• What part of the job was easy for you? Hard for you?

2. The person's manager hindered the employee's performance.

The second most common factor associated with job dissatisfaction is an employee's immediate manager. This person has the power to make an employee's job either wonderful or miserable. I myself have been in several jobs where I went from "fair-haired child" to "redheaded stepchild" overnight. The only thing that changed was my manager.

In all cases, the new managers had impaired management skills. One had a toxic paranoid style that decimated his department; another was a neurotic attorney who never held department meetings, stole company contracts, and expected subordinates to read his mind; and the third was an obsessive-compulsive micromanager. They all interviewed well, but they destroyed employees and were eventually terminated.

Some exit interview questions can help uncover supervisor problems:

• How were you treated by your supervisor? Friendly? Helpful? Respectful?
• Did your manager help you anticipate or coach you through problems?

Treatment by immediate supervisors is among the primary complaints of employees. It is also a major reason for unionization efforts (i.e., the employees seek third-party protection). A good first-line supervisor develops a concerned, developmental relationship with his or her subordinates. Toxic front-line supervisors destroy employee productivity.

3. The organization did not provide the necessary training.

The third failure factor is absence of training. We are not talking about training that changes behavior, but training that provides specific direction, knowledge, and skills to perform the job effectively.

Here are some exit interview questions relating to training issues:

• Did you receive adequate initial training to perform the job? What kind?
• Was training related to job performance?

Good training will not turn the proverbial sow's ear into a silk purse, but poor or inadequate training can significantly interfere with productivity.

4. The organization hindered employee performance.

The fourth factor is the overall environment. This includes things like wages, working conditions, opportunities for enrichment or advancement, and providing the resources to do the job. I worked in two companies where we had to share a single computer among several people. In another company, the president had two assistants, while the rest of the company had to share one assistant four ways. I'm sure you have dozens of your own horror stories.

Some exit interview questions pertaining to work environment:

• Was there anything in the environment that kept you from doing your best? Working conditions? Benefits? Compensation?
• Did other departments help or hinder your performance?

Everyone complains about money and benefits. But they are seldom the “real” reason people terminate unless their organizations are at the trailing edge of the competition. Look instead for factors that hindered or frustrated a well-intentioned employee.

Exit interviews are an excellent time to gather valuable information -- providing you use a systematic approach and are prepared to act on the answers you receive.

Bottom line? Hire well, get out of the way, and don't screw it up! And if all else fails, don’t let the door hit them on the way out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. R. Wendell Williams

About the Author ...

Dr. R. Wendell Williams, founder and managing director of Scientific Selection, is a bottom-line consultant with a message: how to avoid nonsense HR practices, identify top employees, and manage their performance effectively. He combines deep practical experience with academic training to produce competency systems that actually work, tests that accurately predict success, appraisal tools that clarify performance, and HR systems that follow EEOC guidelines.

A self-described “test geek,” Wendell has both a PhD in industrial psychology and an MBA. He is widely quoted nationally and internationally, and is a regular author in ERE Daily, among other publications. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and the Association of Test Publishers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

email: [email protected]

phone: (770) 792-6857

web: http://www.scientificselection.com

Copyright 2006 ScientificSelection.com, LLC | 36 Emerson Hill Square | Marietta | GA | 30060
This reprint was authorized by ScientificSelection.com, LLC.

 

--
Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association

Old Codger Brainstorm

Margaret J. May holds a degree in physical education and sociology, and has certifications in fitness training, sports performance nutrition, and personal and life coaching. She spent the bulk of her business career in high-level information technology implementations with Capgemini Ernst & Young, Price Waterhouse and Andersen Consulting.

Margaret truly hit her stride, however, when she combined her passion for health, fitness and life planning, her naturally motivational spirit, and her love of business and technology, and then launched Champion4Fitness.

I've only recently been fortunate enough to get to know Margaret and the rest of her team, and experience the unique and highly energizing way they have combined the basic ideas of fitness, technology and business. Simply by assembling those things about which she is truly passionate, and determining what she needed to fuel her own passions for those things, she and her group have managed to produce a service that will not only help corporations succeed in implementing health and wellness programs, but actually produce a positive financial ROI for the companies that implement her system. (The ROI comes from reducing the massive cost of health insurance.)

So, why am I telling you about Margaret and Champion4Fitness? Because I'm going to let you in on a secret that helped Margaret launch her dream company.

I've spent my career either building sales teams and systems for my own companies, or helping my clients build their sales teams and systems. Which is to say I've immersed myself in innovation most of my adult life.

And while my bank account would love it if I could say innovation is rocket science and requires a mind like mine to master, the simple truth is that innovation is nowhere near as difficult as most consultants would have you believe.

So here's the secret -- a simple, logical, almost mechanical process for fostering the type of innovation that can help you hit your stride, just as Margaret has.

I call it the "Old Codger Brainstorm," because the best results happen when the people doing the work have more than 40 years of life experiences from which to draw. (Not that you youngsters don't have something to add or can't do this as well -- I'm just saying we old folks usually have more material available in our "attics.")

Like I said above, this is a logical process, so here's a step-by-step description of how to make this work.

Old Codger Brainstorm: A Recipe For Success

Objective

Find your team's common passions for life and business, and combine those passions in an innovative way to fuel your company's growth.

Resources Needed

You'll need at least the following to make this work:

• An expert facilitator who is proficient at conducting innovative brainstorm sessions with high-level executives. (Here, you'll get what you pay for -- the better the facilitator, the better the results.)
• A quality executive assistant who takes outstanding meeting notes.
• The top decision-maker at your company and five to 10 C-level or equivalent executives.
• A conference room with a flip chart that has either paper that can be peeled and stuck on the walls (like self-stick notes) or perforated paper and some tape. (Don't forget your markers.)
• An hour or two when you can assemble as a group.

Meeting Configuration And Homework

The top decision-maker at your company (chairman of the board, CEO, president, managing partner – whomever actually runs things) should schedule a one- to two-hour brainstorm session with his or her executive team (limiting the size as described above).

Prior to the meeting, each executive who will attend must assemble three lists:

1. The five noncareer things about which he or she is most passionate. (Think all the way back through childhood.)
2. The five career things about which he or she is most passionate. (Think at least back to the beginning of college and what guided your decisions about education.)
3. At least one product or service he or she would buy to help fuel his or her passion for each of the 10 items on the lists. (For example, when I did this a few years back for my own company, I noted that cycling is one of my noncareer passions and that I would love to buy a complete set of custom cycling gear. For one of my business passions -- forming groups and leveraging their strengths -- I would love to find or start a program or join an association that would allow me to assemble and lead great business minds.)

Getting Started

When the meeting starts, the decision-maker should explain the purpose of the meeting and introduce the facilitator.

The facilitator will lead the rest of the meeting.

Exercise 1: Share Your Passions
Each executive should report his or her passion list to the group. Either the facilitator or executive should write these 10 passions on a single flip-chart sheet and stick it somewhere around the room when finished. (Don't discuss the 10 products or services that apply to these lists yet.)

At the same time, the executive assistant should be organizing the lists of passions so they can be sorted and weighted by frequency (eight of you love golf; three of you have a master's in anthropology; etc.) A competent assistant will have no problem figuring out the best way to do this.

At the end of the first exercise, the executive assistant should report the three most common noncareer passions, and the three most common career passions from the lists.

Exercise 2: Add Fuel To The Fire
In this exercise, the group will identify the products or services it would buy to fuel the common passions.

Specifically, the facilitator should write the most heavily weighted passion from the noncareer list on the top of a flip-chart sheet. Then all executives who listed that passion should explain the product or service they would buy related to that item, and why. (List these also on the flip-chart sheet.) Then anyone else with a new item to add to the list should do so, and you should post that sheet on the wall.

Repeat this process with each of the top three passions from each list. When finished, you'll have six sheets on the wall with several products or services listed under each passion.

Exercise 3: Brainstorm
The goal of the brainstorm session is to combine shared passions in sets of two (one noncareer and one career), then invent ways to leverage those two passions to produce positive results for your company. (For example, while they are no longer connected in any way, it was my love of cycling and of forming groups that sparked the idea that eventually led to my forming Yellow-Tie International.)

The facilitator should write the highest-ranking passion from both lists on a blank flip-chart sheet. Then he or she should summarize the things people in the room want that would help them fuel those passions. (This helps to get you thinking about the business aspects of your passions -- what people will buy.)

After the summary, group members should let their ideas fly, as the facilitator leads a five-minute brainstorm session on ways to combine those passions to produce positive results for your company. (This is where the facilitator's skill is important.)

And remember, no idea is too silly. During the brainstorm session, no one is allowed to be negative -- verbally or in body language -- about what someone else says. If, for example, someone were to say, "What if we did an anthropological study of how cavemen hunted, and compared it to the competitive aspects of golf? We might find an analogy that proves buying groceries on-line through our company is inevitable -- that it's actually in our evolutionary DNA!" (Okay, that is pretty silly. But the point is, you aren't allowed to say so during the brainstorm session. Who knows, there may just be a nugget in there that sparks that one idea that makes your company millions!)

Repeat this process as often as you can in the allotted time frame -- combining different sets of the top three passions from your two lists, summarizing what people would buy, and brainstorming ways to leverage those passions.

If you come up with a winner idea, then, as Roy Williams ("Wizard of Ads") says, "Pull the trigger and ride the bullet."

Bottom line: You can foster innovation and fuel your company if you learn to combine your passions, just as Margaret and her team combined their personal and professional passions to launch an entire company. And since this type of passion is contagious, I have no doubt whatsoever that Champion4Fitness is destined for greatness.

So what are your passions, and how can you combine them in new patterns and leverage them to generate success?

Answer those questions and let the storm begin.

P.S. If increased employee health and wellness, coupled with sizable decreases in healthcare insurance costs are two things that excite you, visit www.champion4fitness.com and contact Margaret -- she's great.

--
Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association

Limitations

If you've read much of what I've written, you know I grew up helping my old man remodel homes. Dad got 100 percent of his business from referrals and from a three-line ad that ran in the "South County Journal" for almost 30 years.

Every time a local factory shut down, the following week's Journal would have 50 new ads for "home remodeling" services. And every time that factory started back up, 49 of those ads would disappear, and dozens of ticked-off people would call Dad to clean up the messes those guys left behind.

Phil Hamilton is a business consultant located in Austin, Texas. Phil is one of the country's top five experts on business valuation -- he can tell you EXACTLY what your company is worth if you need to know.

Thousands of CPAs dotted around the country throw "business valuation" on their list of services, as though understanding how to read a spreadsheet qualifies them as experts in Phil's field. And the result is tens of thousands of unsuspecting business owners getting screwed when they settle their divorces, divide their businesses or buy/sell their companies.

John Usedom is president of a highly specialized marketing firm located in Chicago, and an expert at getting people to spend their discretionary income. If you run a tablecloth restaurant, bike shop, hair salon, or so forth, John's customer loyalty program can typically double your repeat-business percentage and get your repeat customers to visit twice as often. (Nothing like success squared!)

Yet untold numbers of retail business owners are working 90+ hours a week and barely surviving, because they don't know what John knows -- that the quality of their products, the ambience of their stores, the experiences they deliver and the prices they charge are not enough to win the loyalty of customers spending their "extra money," because these customers expect to get all of that already.

Vic Mattison is president of an Internet service provider/software-development company located in St. Louis -- a one-stop shop for all things Internet-based (bandwidth, websites, e-mail, backups, custom software applications that run across the net, etc.). As you may imagine, Vic's company is full of high-tech expertise. Yet if you call to ask a question, place an order or report a problem, not only will an actual human being answer the phone, he or she will speak plain English as well.

Or you could try one of Vic's competitors. But I've bought and sold a lot of technology in my day, and trained a lot of people who sell it as well. I can promise you that a call to most technology providers, big or small, will either place you in voice-mail purgatory or get you a propeller-head who can't speak a five-word sentence without using 12 acronyms. And none of the decision-makers at these companies seem to understand the impact this lack of communication has on their bottom lines.

So what do these situations have in common?

Clint Eastwood, that's what.

It was Clint Eastwood playing Harry Callahan in "Magnum Force" who coined the phrase "A man's got to know his limitations."

I'm not complaining about having to compete with people who are doing whatever it takes to put food on their tables. I'm not upset that experts in one field claim to have expertise in another, just because they understand one piece of the overall puzzle. I'm all for the entrepreneur who works 90 hours a week doing everything from sweeping the floors to writing his or her own contracts -- God knows I've been there. And some of my best friends are propeller-heads (I just can't understand them).

What I am telling you is that, if you want to achieve all of your goals, join the ranks of the professionals who understand their limitations, not the ranks of those who ignore them, because the price you'll pay for ignoring your limitations is happy customers -- you'll have none.

You build a business by leveraging your strengths. You avoid failure by acknowledging your limitations.

You keep your customers happy and achieve your goals by doing both.

--
Gill E. Wagner, Sage of Selling
President of Honest Selling
Founder of the Yellow-Tie International Business Development Association