The Best Job I Ever Had!
Let me be clear about something: I made more money in HIGH SCHOOL than my first year as an entrepreneur. Results like that make you seriously evaluate your decision to "go it on your own." People tell you that you want to be self employed...until you start making less...
5 Reasons My Sister Won't Buy My Product
Some salespeople quote their sales philosophy as, "Relationships based." After a conversation I had last week with the CEO of a marketing company, I realized that good relationships do guarantee a sale. As we talked, I realized that in spite of the great relationship...
Do Financial Advisors Need to Be "Social?"
My pastor uses Twitter to announce his sermon topics and share scriptures. My daughter's Girl Scout Troop uses Facebook to post upcoming events and share pictures from camping trips. My wife's hair stylist posts new styles and creations on Pinterest. What about my...
How To: Manage Top Talent
Microsoft and other organizations have had a practice in place to eliminate the low performing people in their organization - the annual running of the pink slips. Management makes it clear that the lowest performing 5 - 10% of employees will be let go. This practice...
When Is It Time To Hire?
I'm working at least 14 hour / day. I'm conducting research. I'm finding new clients. I'm responding to email - A LOT of email. When it's time to make money, I'm the one who stands in front of the audience and speaks. It is an exhausting process! One day I analyzed...
5 Things to Know About Your iPhone 6 – Before It Arrives
Apple sold more than 4 million iPhones in the first 24 hours - that's almost 50 new phones per second! Although the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be the largest iPhones Apple has ever made, the larger screens, are not the only take aways from the "big reveal" last...
The Magic of Disney – Customer Experience
Disney Trivia Disney employees are called Cast Members. Disney customers are called Guests. When working with guests, Cast Members are "On Stage". Work done "behind the scenes" is called "Back Stage". Walt Disney designed everything to be a production. It should be a...
The Magic of Disney – Innovation
True Innovation When I think innovation, I think of Apple's iPhone, Google's X Lab and the Square credit card reader. I never thought about Disney - until my recent vacation. This marketing behemoth is on the cutting edge of technology, and most people don't even...
The Right Attitude for Business Success?
Don't Worry, Be Happy Every boss I ever had has told me the same thing, "Eric, your best quality is your attitude." That used to annoy me! I wanted to be known as the smartest, the best educated or the most driven. As an entrepreneur, I can see that having the right...
It's Not 1984 Anymore
I was awakened recently to some alarming news. Apple is partnering with IBM? Steve Jobs must be rolling over in his grave! The award winning, famous 1984 ad (the one that only ran one time on national television) is hereby debunked. However, that's not the only thing...
Handling Rejection
Like many other people, I have felt the sting of rejection. There have been jobs I was not hired for, contracts I was not awarded and keynotes I was not selected to deliver. To make matters worse, my 8th grade girlfriend broke up with me (Ocotber 1984). Ugh! No one...
My Experiment with LinkedIn: Premium
I now admit - I was operating from a position of ignorance. I had never actually used the LinkedIn: Premium service. I taught weekly classes on LinkedIn and people always ask me about it. What did I say? "Not worth it." I was telling people the juice was not worth the...