There is a natural no-man’s land for privately owned businesses that are between $1 million and $5 million in revenue. If your business is one of those that is stuck in the “black hole of business,” rest assure there are reasons for the challenge and hope for your successful escape.

John, a seasoned manager, is growing weary of receiving 2-3 daily email complaints from his employees, the employees of another manager, and occasionally a customer. They are not ordinary complaints. John is not a customer service manager and does not interact with customers. Frustrated and battle-weary, John has to deal with an employee who meets the expectations of the job but is described as “bullying,” “intimidating,” “inappropriate,” and even “terrorizing.”

The development of high Emotional Intelligence (EQ) by better tracking how emotions affect others and yourself can establish an advantage in all aspects of life, including sales.

Some of the most valuable insights often come from unusual and unexpected encounters. In her chairman’s remarks at National Association of Independent Life Brokerage Agencies’ (NAILBA) 2011 annual meeting, Christi M. Daughenbaugh told of talking to her hairdresser, a 24-year-old mother-to-be, about life insurance.

The careful and effective integration of humor into a sales presentation can provide the presenter with much more than a few laughs — it can build sales.

Which are you more likely to believe: a company representative telling you how great a product or service is or a recommendation from another person about how it worked for them? If you’re like most people, the words from a fellow consumer pull more weight than even the best written ad copy. That’s why no matter what product or service you’re selling, you need to use testimonials from satisfied customers in every ad and marketing piece you create.

Today’s complicated office structure is made up of several different generations of employees, yet there are two that can be radically different: Baby boomers (approaching retirement; born between 1946 and 1964) and Millennials (entering the workforce; between the ages of 18 to 30). Each age group is distinct in its own way.

People, like rubber BANDs, can bend, while remaining strong

03.26.2012 | Agent Success

Seldom does anyone have a perfect day. On the manufacturing floor it’s discovered that a vital part doesn’t fit or a customer calls at the last minute with a design change. You worked hard to put together a project status meeting and at the last minute two critical participants call to say they aren’t coming. A financial planner faces a market crash leading to panicky investor calls, while a writer faces a computer crash, leading to the complete loss of last week’s work.

What distinguishes the mediocre leader with so-so results from the effective leader who makes a big impact every time? The answer is the ability to take effective action.

If you look back over your career, chances are you can identify one or two people who stand out as memorable leaders. Even if these people didn’t hold an official leadership role, their actions and words rallied people together to achieve a common goal. And whether that goal was large or small, far reaching or contained, you remember these leaders for a long time.