The best leaders anticipate changes, challenges and implications. And they succeed by staying grounded in reality and results. Here’s how. Have you ever had the sense you were spinning your wheels as a team member or leader? I think we’ve all had the experience: We attend a lot of meetings, we talk about a lot …
Author: John Stevenson
Give to get ahead – The Sunday Snippet – [4.28.13]
The evidence is clear: You get more when you give more. But you have to do it right. We all receive a steady stream of requests daily for general assistance in the form of ideas, money, connections, resources, and time. These requests come from friends, family, and colleagues, and most of us want to help. …
Build a better ‘about’ – The Sunday Snippet – [4.21.13]
Your ‘About Us’ page should humanize you and your company and cultivate credibility. Here are a few simple guidelines to help improve it. If you’re like most companies, your About Us page is one of the most visited pages on your website. Make sure it gives potential customers what they need to feel comfortable choosing …
How people succeed – The Sunday Snippet – [4.14.13]
The right combination of character traits is essential for success — personally, professionally and organizationally. Here’s what to look for and cultivate. Verbal skills, mathematical ability, and the aptitude to detect patterns – measurements of IQ – are all considered important markers of future potential and success. We teach them, we test for them, and …
Decisions, decisions – The Sunday Snippet – [4.7.13]
You can make better choices by avoiding the most common biases and distractions. The WRAP method can help us make better, bolder decisions. Have you ever agonized over a decision? Ever wrestled with which choice to make? Studies show that our decision-making skills have numerous pitfalls: We’re overconfident. Short-term emotions cloud thinking. We seek out …
A little give and take – The Sunday Snippet – [3.31.13]
Whether you’re trying to finalize a home purchase, or negotiate a multi-year, multi-million dollar service agreement, there are some things to remember in order to keep things moving and get what you want. Local negotiation expert Mike Milich runs SwiftNegotia with his partner Satish Mehta and they work with small and large companies alike to build …
Ban the buzzwords – The Sunday Snippet – [3.24.13]
Everyday words and phrases work best for clear and persuasive writing. Here are some helpful tips for avoiding bizspeak and telling it like it is. You could be losing influence, time and money if your emails, proposals and marketing content fail to win people over. Worse, you could even be repelling readers with two much bizspeak …
Laughing all the way to the bank – The Sunday Snippet – [3.17.13]
Have you been looking for a creative new way to gain attention for yourself, your company or your cause? Humor and custom cartoons like the one personalized for you above can get you noticed and in the door. And Stu Heinecke has the clients and marketing results to prove it. His cartoons have helped double and even …
You have three seconds – The Sunday Snippet – [3.10.13]
Remember to observe the 3:30:3 rule to earn the curiosity and interest of your prospects and foster engagement. At our humble word factory we spend a lot of time on getting the first three seconds of any message or communication just right. We work on it diligently because effective writing follows what’s known as the …
Happy customers shine and sell – The Sunday Snippet – [3.3.13]
How to put the power of testimonials to work for your business. Let happy customers sell for you. Brian Sullivan is president of Kansas City-based PRECISE Selling, and delivers seminars and training programs on sales, customer service, leadership and presentation skills to companies of all sizes. He writes regularly on these issues and his recent post on …