It's Friday The 13th - The Most Popular Posts.

Today I just hit 400 posts on my site. It's especially momentous when it happens on Friday the 13th. (Oh my!) Here are some of my most popular posts over the past three years:

3 Powerful Tips To Energize Your Team

It’s Friday. It’s been a hard week and you’re looking forward to the weekend. Doesn’t your team feel the same way? Here are some quick leadership tips to energize your troops and make them feel like a million bucks.

3 Critical Skills of Effective Leaders

Great leaders translate vision into decisive action — a skill that’s especially vital in tough times. But what are those skills? Do you have a blind spot? Should you be doing more?

Micromanagement Is Bad For You

If you’re a micromanager and want to change, you need to understand why you’re micromanaging and develop skills to allow your team to produce while you focus on leading.

Leadership Blind Spot: Recognizing Your Team

We all forget to do it. You focus on work, meetings, reports, etc. and ignore the most powerful leadership tool you have in our arsenal – recognition and acknowledgment.

10 Simple Tips To Attract The Best Clients

Getting clients is easy, hard, fun, frustrating, energizing and enervating. Most of all, you never know what to expect — one day no one is saying yes and the next, you close five clients. Here are my ten top strategies I use every day to make clients knock on my door.

How To 'Cultivate' New Clients.

Everyone needs new business to survive and thrive. The natural order of most businesses: Clients leave. They defect. They go out of business. They suddenly have no money.  This is normal.

But you need to keep your sales funnel full of possible prospects that slowly turn into converted clients.

You need to be Johnny Appleseed. Johnny (John Chapman) roamed throughout Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois around the turn of the 19th century and introduced apples (and conservation) to everyone he met.

What did Johnny really do? He planted seeds which grew into healthy apple trees. But let's be honest — some seeds never germinated. Some did, but the trees then died off. Other trees never bore fruit.

But that didn't stop Johnny. He kept planting seeds everywhere he went.

You need to do this too.

Most people want clients immediately. That's fine — I like their drive. But it's unrealistic (and sometimes de-motivating) to think clients are going to flock to you.

You need to constantly cultivate clients. What does this mean?

• Get out there and meet people (just like yesterday's video).
• Talk to them, ask them about their business.
• See if you can help them without pushing your products and services.
• Follow up with them regularly. Send them info on topics they are interested in.
• Introduce them to key people that will help them move forward.
• Let them know about what you do.
• Ask them for assistance in connecting you to interested parties.
• Give them something for free — a free trial, a test drive.
• Leave behind your card, a small brochure, an invite to your blog/seminar.

I promise you — they will bite the apple and ultimately become clients. Trust me.

Johnny knew what he was doing — it was a matter of time when the trees started to bear fruit.

The more you seed out there in the 'wilderness', the more opportunities will germinate, grow, and bear fruit.

How long does your 'seed to tree to fruit' sales process take?

How To Energize Your Career.

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How Not To Get Angry On The Job.

"I've had a few arguments with people, but I never carry a grudge. You know why? While you're carrying a grudge, they're out dancing." - Buddy Hackett We all get angry. It's normal.

The real question is WHY we get angry. As I tell my clients, to be happy, we need to have a certain amount of control in our lives. Not totally, but we have to have a handle on many situations to ensure that we don't go quietly insane.

Unfortunately, things do go a little out of kilter. And our natural response is to get frustrated. That's normal — something is knocking us out of our normal routine or belief structure and our body/mind reacts with frustration.

A typical example are KIDS. If you come home and the family room is a mess, you are immediately out of control (a clean room) and you react with frustration. A lot of parents (me included) might move right into anger and yell at the kids to clean up the room.

The same thing happens at work. A client, a vendor, a team member or your boss capriciously changes the project, agreement, or decision and promptly you are out of control, accelerating into frustration-land and anger is right around the corner.

How do you solve this? When you feel control ebbing away and you start to feel frustration, stop for a second and embrace the feeling. Don't zip right into anger — try to leverage the part of your brain that solves problems.

What you've really been thrown is a problem. Work is made up of problems. Your job is to solve these problems. This is just one more problem you need to solve. Take the emotion, your ego, out of the equation. Recognize it for what it really is, a problem that needs a solution.

Because the minute you get angry, you really lose control and it takes you farther away from getting back in control. Take your kids — you can yell at them — your blood pressure rises, they are scared/resentful, there is acrimony in the air, etc.

If you pull back and start directing them to clean up assertively (no anger), you'll find dutiful helpers who actually clean the room - no acrimony, no high-blood pressure.

Focus on getting back into control at work — solve the problem. Here's an added benefit — people notice when you don't get angry or fly off the handle. They pay attention when you are composed in chaos and deliver alternative solutions to solve the problem.

That's the difference between good and great leaders.

What techniques do you use to get back into control?

How To Add Style To Everything You Do.

Yes, I woke up at 4:00 AM this morning to catch the royal wedding. Just finished watching the new couple make it to Buckingham Palace.

What impressed me was their personal style. All of the commentators profusely exclaimed about how the couple presented themselves today.

Kate especially. Think of the pressure she must be under to act and perform according to many rules and royal mandates. So far, she's done an incredible job. She was cool, calm and confident.

Even with all the pressure, it sounds like the couple tried to add their own personal touches to the occasion.

I find 'style' is a combination of what/who you are AND how you want your audience to perceive you. You have to take both elements into perspective. I think it focuses on two areas:

1. Be yourself. Espouse your individuality. Be authentic. Don't be afraid to let your hair down.
2. Focus how your message/individuality plays with your audience. Monitor, measure, tweak, and change as you see fit.

If you stay true to yourself, you will ultimately reach your specific audience. It is then up to you to move the dial to GROW your audience.

I've found if you do both, you will be very successful in any endeavor you attempt.

What do you do to be yourself AND attract larger audiences?

Congratulations to William & Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

How To Energize Everyone You Meet.

I was speaking with one of my incredible clients last week and we began to touch upon how one delivers a powerful and memorable business encounter. What do I mean?

You know when you meet someone and they instantly energize you? Every interaction is not only a positive experience, but also a life-changing one? Where you walk away and say quietly to yourself, "Who is that guy/gal?" You find yourself shaking hands and realizing that you're getting more than you gave?

We've all met people like this. And many people have related that I make them feel that way. So I sat down over the weekend and tried to dissect exactly what I do when I meet people (for the first time and even subsequent meetings).

The best part is they become instant acolytes and customers of YOU. That's a good thing.

It can be broken into four distinct areas:

1. Energy

Summon up the forces within you and exude copious amount of energy when you meet someone. Enthusiasm, vibe, electricity . . . whatever you want to call it . . . you need to grow it within you and then focus it on the person.

A smile, a hearty handshake, a quickness to your step — much of it initially is body language. Focus intently on the person and look them in the eye while you smile.

Talk a bit faster when you first meet and really pound your language with active tones, "REALLY glad to meet you Tom . . . I can't think of a more BEAUTIFUL day outside!"

2. Authenticity

This one is key — many people feel it's what you know or who you know that makes you stand out and successful in today's marketplace. Although they are important, I feel to truly succeed, you need to exude authenticity.

Simply — speak and act truly about your own feelings, thoughts, and desires. Don't hide behind a facade or mask — people can smell it a mile away.

Be yourself — show others who you really are and what you can do. You'll find you will be instantly accepted for being authentic — a rarity in today's business world.

3. Connectivity

Take a concerted interest in the other person — ask questions, listen to their answers, and then interject with follow up questions/builds.

An example: "So where did you go to school? Ripon College? In Wisconsin? I went to Ripon College too! What year did you graduate? Did you know Joe Bestul? Who were your favorite professors? Isn't this AMAZING?"

Try to CONNECT with them — ask loads of questions and find areas of shared interests which will bind you together. Once you make the connection — trust follows.

4. Destiny

Don't leave any interaction, meeting, lunch . . . anything . . . without next steps. If it's a brief encounter — set up a lunch or coffee. If it's a meeting — what will you do for them?

Ensure any interaction has consequence — and hopefully where you provide something for THEM. In doing so, your relationship will broaden, expand, and get stronger.

Try to offer up an emailed article, an introduction, a strong referral — something to make sure you walk away giving more than you received. That's important.

What other areas might I've missed that you find critical to a powerful interaction?

You Can Be A CEO.

That's right. I'm not kidding. Today . . . this minute . . . this second . . . you can be a CEO. In fact, you always have been a CEO and always will be a CEO.

You never realized it.

You are the CEO of YOU, Inc.

And if you don't start regarding yourself that way, you'll never attain the success you deserve.

Here's the skinny — Even if you work in corporate or own your own business, you need to shift your thinking towards a more centric state of mind when it comes to work. If you are the CEO of YOU, Inc.:

• How's your stock doing? Up, down, flat? What are you doing to get it to rise?
• Who knows about your company? Do you frequently market YOU internally and externally to key movers and shakers?
• What's your message? How is it being interpreted? Is there any misinformation out there?
• Who are your competitors? How are you mitigating their threats? What are they saying about you?
• Who are your customers? What are they saying about you?
• Who are your partners? Are you educating them regularly on how they can help your company?
• How is the marketplace for YOU, Inc.? Is there a high demand for your services? Is it waning? Is it dying?
• How can you clone YOU? Delegate non-essential duties to subordinates?

The minute you make a mental shift from dutiful employee/entrepreneur to CEO status, you'll find you will focus on different areas left fallow for months/years beforehand.

And you'll start to see your new company do better and better and better. Try it. I promise you, you'll like it.

This has been another installment in my ongoing series, “Are You A Catalyst?” — today’s focus is how to “Be A CEO”.

The Complete Guide To Getting What You Want.

It's Finally HERE!

I’m excited to announce that my friend Jenny Blake’s book – Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want, a portable life coach for 20-somethings and beyond — hits shelves this month!

Look, I coach all age groups — from the newly minted graduate from college all the way to the energized retiree that wants to jump back into the workforce.

Jenny has focused her incredible book on that time in all our lives, when we've left college and are looking for "THE PLAN" on what to do next (and HOW to do it!). It features practical, actionable advice that helps people focus on the BIG picture of their lives, not just the details.

As Jenny describes it, “There is no need for a highlighter – this book is the highlights: a compilation of tips, quotes and exercises trimmed to the essence, divided into chapters for every major life area. Chapter categories include life (values, goals), work, money, organization, home, friends & family, dating & relationships, health, fun & relaxation, and personal growth.” She covers ALL bases.

While geared toward college graduates, the rapid-fire tips, quotes and interactive coaching exercises would serve anyone looking to find some clarity and direction in their life. To purchase your copy on Amazon (a steal — currently selling for under $12!). You can read more about Jenny on her blog at LifeAfterCollege.org and follow her on Twitter @Jenny_Blake.

As you know, I rarely promote books on my site — but when I do, they're the best you can find. And Jenny is the BEST.

What Is Social Media? It's Right Here.

This is today's marketplace (click on image to enlarge, click again to zoom in): Brought to you by Brian Solis.

How To Make Work Bearable & Fun.

You hate your job. You hate going to work. You hate your boss. You hate the people you work with. You hate your cubicle. Or it's not good or bad — just boring. You watch the clock and pray for 5 PM to roll around.

Welcome to the club. We all have days like this. Here's a little secret: The difference between 1-2 bad days a month and every day being a bad day lies right in your lap.

It's called PERSPECTIVE. Most of the time, we are a huge influence on how we interpret and absorb our environment. If we have a crazy weekend and then have to look forward to the workweek, I know, it sucks.

Here's one rule which works for me and for many of my clients: Add Pizazz to EVERYTHING you do.

What does it mean? From attending a status meeting to delivering a major project — figure out how you can do it better. Make it sing. Go the extra mile to make it stand out.

Now you're probably saying you've done your best. You probably have — but I know you can do a little bit better. Look at all of your areas of delivery and see if you can add a little pizazz to your offering.

It might be offering an additional piece of information during a meeting or re-doing a promo box on your web site. Do Something.

Why does this work? It keeps you at a higher state of consciousness, performance, and focus. You are no longer wandering through your work — you're looking for opportunities to always IMPROVE.

And here's the best part — it's infectious. Your superiors instantly see it — so you get the great projects, the promotions, the spotlight. Your team members feel it — they start performing at a higher level — making you look better. Your peers observe a sea-change in you and it makes them jealous (always a good thing).

Bottom line — adding pizazz to everything you do will not only change your perception about your environment — it will change your career — and your life.

Try it, you'll like it.

Have you ever taken a step and added pizazz to the things you do? What happened?

This has been another installment in my ongoing series, “Are You A Catalyst?” — today’s focus is adding Pizazz to everything you do.

Image provided by Nina Matthews Photography at Flickr.

Be Smart. Know When It's Time To Quit.

I hear it all the time.

“I’m bored with my job,” “There’s no challenge anymore.” “My team is so dysfunctional, I’m tired of leading them around.” “My business model is getting stale.” “My clients are slowly going away.”

I tell my clients without any sugar-coating: “It’s time for you to leave or make major changes.”

But most people don’t want to hear that. They are all comfy with their routine and you know — in a few months everything will be fine again.

Wrong.

Why? Most positions and companies have a lifecycle. You’ve seen it — it goes up, levels off, and then goes back down — a nice bell curve. My experience (20 years corporate and 10 years coaching) — the timespan of that bell curve is 2-3 years.

Now the curve may not go all the way to the top or sink all the way to the bottom, but the general shape or experience is:

Up — learning, meeting, understanding, making a stake, growing reputation. Apex — performing, interacting, growing, gaining major rep, lots of street cred. Down — delivering, accolades, awards, moving on, finding a new home/client base.

Again, your career or business might not match perfectly to this model, but it’s pretty darn accurate to the majority of professionals out there.

If you’re an executive, every 2-3 years you will need to move to get a larger jump in pay, more responsibility, more leadership, a new organization with new challenges and more people to meet. Preferably with another company — most successful executives do this.

If you’re a business owner, every 2-3 years you will need to reevaluate your business model, your client base, your marketing/operations/staff, and financial targets. Not in a minor fashion (that should happen yearly), but in a major way (wholesale analysis and scrapping, and delivery of a new direction). Most successful businesses do this.

If you stay where you are, don’t change a thing, and keep your ship pointed in the same direction, I promise you will be repeating one or more of the statements at the top of this post.

HOW do you do this? Catch tomorrow’s post.

Do you change every 2-3 years? How has this worked out for you?

This has been another installment in my ongoing series, “Are You A Catalyst?” — today’s focus is how to move frequently.

Be A Catalyst: Spread The Word.

Most clients and attendees to my talks ask me how to truly accelerate their career and business. All I say is: "Spread The Word." You see, we're all out there hoarding key information, knowledge and experience in our brains. We think if we do this, it will give us a leg up or a significant advantage over our peers and the marketplace.

You're wrong.

Today, in the 21st century, people who spread their knowledge around are the ones who get the advantages the world has to offer - promotions, projects, more money, clients, customers, etc. Showing people what you know and freely giving away information makes you more attractive and influential than the person who isn't doing it.

You become an authority.

Now most entrepreneurs can do this. There is no regulation, no compliance department to deal with. But for those who work in corporate and their area is highly regulated, it might be a little harder.

I didn’t say impossible. I just said harder.

Check with management, see who is already writing and 'getting away with it'. Look to your industry — who are the mavericks out there doing it? Finally, if you hit too many roadblocks, write for your company's blog — most of them suck and are written by your PR department. I've recommended this idea to one of my clients — it will provide an incredible platform for his ideas and experience to help him get more clients.

Every word you publish out into the world is one more reason why people should do business with you. One more reason why you sell more product. One more reason why you get a new job/promotion with an incredible increase in pay.

Writing gets you noticed. Again, you become an ‘authority’ on the topics you write about. It behooves you to investigate how to start your own blog, book, facebook page, twitter account, uStream channel to spread the word.

Trust me — your career and business will skyrocket. Since I’ve taken the step to publish a post every day, my visitors have jumped from 2-5 readers to 75-100 readers every day. I get clients from all over the world calling me for my services. WOW.

Has anyone taken the step (even though it was looked down upon) and started spreading the word?

This has been another installment in my ongoing series, “Are You A Catalyst?” — today’s focus is how to get published and get noticed.

Want Success? Be A Giraffe.

Most executives and business owners tend to keep to themselves. Of course they go to meetings. They interact with their clients. They even give a presentation or two. But they feel they're work or product will ultimately deliver the success, money and notoriety normally associated to hard workers.

Well — each of these is not enough. You need to be a giraffe.

You need to stand out from the crowd. Be noticed. Have your work seen by the right people at the right time. Stick your head into the trees and grab those tasty leaves.

You need to MARKET yourself. Now how do you do it Rich?

Here are some tips:

Think strategically and broadcast your ideas. Stop messing with all the tactical stuff all the time — think what is going to happen with your company, marketplace, product 6 months, 12 months, five years in the future. Brainstorm with others about what you're thinking. Put a presentation together and present it to people who matter. Get those creative juices flowing!

Stick you head above the cubicle once and awhile. Look around — what's happening in your office, in your neighborhood, your marketplace, the world? If you worked for bookstores, record shops, newspapers . . . you should have seen this coming YEARS ago. But most people stick their heads in the sand. Start using your peripherals — who's moving up, who's going out of business, who's getting fired, who's making the big bucks?

Go where the important people go. This is a big one — mingle with the big boys and girls. If you are an executive, have lunch with them — see how they think, tell them your ideas, mingle! If you own your own business — stop trying to go through intermediaries to get your next client or customer. Go where they go and mingle with them! If you are targeting high-income earners — hit charities, country clubs, salons, gyms — anywhere they might be.

You need to get off the ground and start sticking your head into the clouds. Start thinking and acting that way!

What do you do to be a giraffe? How has it been successful to you?

This has been another installment in my ongoing series, “Are You A Catalyst?” — today’s focus is how stand above the crowd.

The Holy Grail of Getting Things Done.

Face it, we are constantly exposed to obstacles. Those pesky things which get in our way. Sometimes it’s technology, sometimes it’s people, and sometimes it’s US. But that’s what work is — a series of obstacles, problems, and hurdles we overcome. As I always say, “If it wasn’t hard, it wouldn’t be called work.”

The successful executive or business owner accelerates their progress only if they overcome these hurdles quickly, efficiently, and without worry.

So how do they do it?

Five words: Ask for forgiveness, not permission.

Waiting for someone to show you, to give you permission, to get their ‘OK’ will slow you down. Or, it stops you right in your tracks.

If you’re wrong (or ‘caught’) — ask for forgiveness. Most of the time, the person who is delivering the punishment understands you were virtuous in your actions, nothing malicious — you were doing it for the good of the company.

The funny thing is most executives will be impressed you stuck your neck out and pushed the envelope — they see themselves in you. The only people who truly get angry are the people who are afraid of your drive and passion. Take your lumps and try to move on as quickly as possible. Leave them in the dust.

So next time you’re faced with an insurmountable obstacle, a vexing problem, or a gargantuan hurdle — make a decision and just do it. Don’t ask for advice, directions, or permission — get off your butt and get past it ASAP.

That’s how the pros make the big bucks.

This has been another installment in my ongoing series, “Are You A Catalyst?” — today’s focus is how not to ask permission.

Have you ever asked for forgiveness, not permission?

BRAG — Toot Your Own Horn Without Blowing It.

Most people can’t sell themselves.

The Best Salespeople, who obliterate their numbers every year, selling products and services - have a hard time developing a personal talk-track.

Accomplished Executives, who are comfortable pitching in boardrooms, convincing multi-nationals to sign on the dotted line — have a hard time in interviews for a new position.

Business Owners, day-in and day-out, have the best location, web-site, media, and business card — have a hard time coming up with a simple process to close the deal.

Why is this? Why is there such a dichotomy between great sales performance and the ability to apply those techniques and tools to ourselves?

In my ongoing series, “Are You A Catalyst?”, today's focus is knowing how to brag effectively.

Peggy Klaus, author of Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn WIthout Blowing It, proclaims we tend to tell ourselves myths which ultimately sabotage our actions.

Myths such as:

• A job well done speaks for itself.
• Bragging is something you do during performance reviews.
• Humility gets you noticed.
• I don’t have to brag, people will do it for me.
• Good girls don’t brag.
• And the biggest one — Brag is a four-letter word.

Her main drive is to abolish these myths taught and ingrained into our psyche. One has to un-learn past behaviors (taught to us lovingly by our parents and schools) — to be prepared to brag effectively when it feels comfortable — during appropriate times and places.

Some suggestions from Klaus:

• Get a plan in place - be prepared with tight talk-tracks to help you brag.
• Get creative - make what you say engaging and interesting.
• Become the star player vs. promoting team spirit - take credit when credit is due.
• Brag through your weak points - acknowledge liabilities and focus on strengths.
• Make sure your fans get it right - prep them to present your story in the right light.

This book is a keeper — I recommend it to all of my clients when they hit an invisible wall and struggle with self-promotion. Check it out.

What techniques do you use to brag effectively?

Are You A Catalyst? Old School vs. New School.

Buckle up. Here we go . . .

Old School:

Do your work. Get to the office on-time. You're an employee. Keep your head down. Don’t make waves. Don’t screw-up. Do whatever your boss tells you to do. Your boss manages and motivates you. Ask permission. Work late. Stay until you retire (or they can you).

"This is a marriage. Unless you screw up, you can stay on for as long as you want to."

New School:

Do your work (that's a constant). Be visible. Brainstorm new ideas and processes. You're a CEO of You, Inc. Communicate your ideas effectively. Add pizzazz to everything you do. Know the prime movers - people, projects, etc. Connect inside and outside of work to build your power base. Work smart. Not hard. Not long. Bosses don't manage — motivate yourself. Brag effectively. Know your tools cold. As for forgiveness, not permission. Get published - eBooks, blog, media, etc. Move frequently.

"This is not a marriage - we’re just dating. We can whack you at any time." - (remember that - Rich)

Which school do you attend? What obsolete areas can you cast off and which critical areas can you take on?

Over the next few weeks, I will be expanding many of these important topics.

Image provided by dullhunk at Flickr.

1Q11 - What Have You Done So Far?

It's the end of the first quarter of 2011. Three months, 90 days . . . what have you accomplished? This is a great time to look back and review what you did — what went right and what went wrong. Time to measure, monitor and regroup for the next 90 days. Ask yourself:

• What was the biggest thing you accomplished?
• What made the biggest impact?
• Who did I meet and how did they change my business?
• How many clients did you close? Did you lose any? Fire any?
• How much money did you bring in?
• What did you learn?
• Where do you go next?
• Why did I do those stupid things? (my favorite)

I love the end of quarters — it allows me to hone in on what I accomplished, where I dropped the ball, and what I have to do next to accelerate the whole bailiwick.

If you don't do it, someone else will.

How do you monitor and measure yourself?

Go After Your Best Prospects First.

In business, many of us start out the year targeting hundreds of companies and usually by the last few months of the year, we're scrambling. When the prize is too large, we tend to get discouraged by it's size — too much complexity, too many moving parts, too gargantuan to handle all at once. It's because our vision is in IMAX and it really needs to be like a microscope.

Let's take a different approach — cut your list down to the Top 5 or 10 prospects, formally target them, and deliver the needed tools, support, and focus to make each of the 5-10 sales calls powerful and hopefully successful.

We're talking about the BEST prospects — ones who are highly suited for your products and services — ones you know if you just get in front of them, they will be very interested in your wares.

It's then much easier to measure your success — you can probably target your Top 5 in a single month. It allows you to expend maximum focus on your best possible prospects — the ones who may be the biggest or the best suited to your products.

By doing this, it also allows you to better understand the impediments in reaching your selected companies. Is it your message? Is it your pitch? Is the offering not specific? As you move forward, you will quickly uncover what is really holding you or your sales team back.

If successful, you can always look at the next five or ten targets.

Have you ever focused down to a select set of prospects and suddenly saw success? Let us know!

Top 10 Powerful Pieces Of Advice To Be Successful.

As a coach, I run into many great pieces of advice from books, clients, workshops, seminars, and instructors. Here is a powerful cross-section of great advice I’ve used in business and life:

1. “The first few months at a job, just shut up.” You will learn who to talk to and who the idiots are very quickly.
2. “If it takes 60 seconds or less to complete, don't complain or postpone. Just do it now and get it over with.”
3. "Talent without work amounts to nothing". For example: If you take one writing workshop and wrote every day a few hours a day, in 10 years, they'd all have a decent book published. Maybe not the Great American Novel, but a decent one.
4. “If you're at work, take a hour and don't work during lunch.” My old boss (who was very successful in business) took an hour everyday and made us stop working and go to lunch.
5. “When looking for a job, look at the company's mission statement." If you can't figure out what they do in 3 sentences or less, walk away. They have their head up their butts.
6. “Most people who seem confident aren't or started without confidence.” The trick to being self-confident is to fake it until you're not faking it any more.
7. "If you don't ask, you don't get." It’s not rude or out-of-line to ask.
8. A business class professor said on the first day of class: "Look around you and shake the person's hand next you and get to know them and everyone in this class. Over the long run, that will be more valuable than anything I can teach you."
9. “If you want something you've never had, you're going to have to do something you've never done.”
10. “Mistakes are like stones in a backpack, carrying them with you can make you stronger, but theres a point at which you need to drop them to even move forward.”

Do you have any great pieces of advice to share that’s impacted your career?

Image provided by laughlin at flickr.

Get Visceral With Your Business.

I meet a lot of people every day. When I ask them what they do, they tell me, "I sell insurance." or "I'm a financial advisor." What they don't realize is an answer like that tends to 'close' down the other person's inquisitiveness immediately. Unless the person has a real interest in talking with you, they will probably move to another topic or another person.

I tell my clients to 'Get Visceral'. Instead of talking about what you do for a living, tell them how you impact people's lives. Touch their hearts. Engage their emotions. Get them to truly feel how you make a difference.

When I'm at a meeting/expo/conference and people ask me what I do, I say, "I make people's dreams come true." That answer IMMEDIATELY encourages the person to ask me another question, "And how do you do that?" They're hooked — I know I have them and I start reeling them in.

I then talk to all things I do for my clients — rather than categorizing myself into a cubbyhole — I paint a vivid picture of all the areas of business life I touch.

Here's an example — If you sell insurance and someone asks you about what you do — show them. Give them a big hug or two-handed handshake and tell them you make your clients feel infinitely secure — without worry. That will bring up a myriad of follow-up questions.

At the very least, it makes the discussion more fun and lively. If all goes well, you might get a new client.

What do you do to touch people's hearts when talking about what you do?