RVC Design Solutions

There are certain horrible habits that some people have that simply drive others away. As the old saying goes, every person has something good to offer. But for some, it’s when they leave the room. Are people happy when you walk in or overjoyed when you walk out?

Here are five horrible traits that push people away, how to recognize if you have them and how to get rid of them for good.
1. You’re a downer.

We’ve all been around these people. They whine, they complain, they talk about how much is going wrong in their lives and they want to tell you every detail of it.

How do you know if it’s you that’s the downer? Pay attention to what you’re talking about the most. Did you complain about traffic as your opening line when you got to your meeting this morning? Did you make sure to tell those around you how little sleep you got last night, how hard you’re working or how busy you are?

If the constant theme of your conversation is whining or negative, you’re probably a bit of a downer to be around. Notice how you are starting conversations with your peers and if the theme is consistently complaining, it’s time to change your tune. Another sign is if your peers take a deep sigh as you approach or consistently respond “uh-huh,” which is a sign they don’t want to engage.

How do you stop it? This is one of the simplest, but hardest to fix. The simple part is all you have to do is stop talking about things that bum you out and make everyone else bummed out, too. Try starting with noticing something nice or good every time you are about to complain. If you’re stuck in traffic, notice something beautiful around and focus on that to talk about with your peers. If you didn’t get much sleep, try not to talk about it. If someone says you look tired, offer a positive response like, “Yeah, I didn’t get a ton of sleep, but wait until I show you how great the project proposal is that I got done!”

There can always be a more positive counterpoint to your complaining. Find it, and try to change the conversation.
2. You don’t shut up.

Have you ever been around a person who won’t stop talking? Maybe it was a boss, a co-worker, a founder or even a passenger on an airplane. It can feel like bobbing helplessly in the ocean, watching a giant wave come at you that you just know is going to pummel you with a wall of words. You want to take a deep breath, hold on for dear life and suffer through the verbal assault of chattiness.

How can you tell if you’re the ocean wave people are dreading? A few good signs to pay attention to are the airspace you take up in conversations and the reactions people have to your approach. Just like being a downer, when you talk too much, people tend to either scatter as you approach for no apparent reason, or respond in quick “uh-huh” responses to not engage you any further than is necessary.

Do people stand a lot when talking to you? That’s another body language clue they’re looking to get away quick, or aren’t willing to sit, knowing that means you’re going to hold them captive in your conversation. If you find you talk at people instead of with people, that you dominate the majority of every meeting and conversation, guess what? You need to learn how to stop talking so much.

The good news is, just like being a downer, the solution is easy — stop talking! That can be hard for someone used to being a chatterbox. Practical advice is to practice holding your tongue longer. In meetings, try to trade off listening and talking in alternating turns. Share airtime around the table for others to voice their opinions, too. Try counting to three in your head before you speak to make sure you aren’t choking out other voices in the room.

With some practice, you can turn this terrible habit around (and you’ll probably gain a lot of friends back as a result!).
3. You’re distracted.

We all have important things to do in our day, but if you’re the guy or gal that’s always on your phone talking, texting and emailing while others are trying to talk to you, have dinner with you or hold a meeting you’re in — guess what? That’s a horrible habit people hate.

How can you tell if you’re the distracted one? Do you find yourself asking, “what was that again?” often throughout the day? That’s a great sign you aren’t paying attention to others. Do you ever look up from a meeting or conversation and see everyone else is off the phone and laptop except you? If you’re constantly digitally distracted, try leaving the phone, tablet or laptop at home for your next dinner appointment or meeting.

It can be hard to disconnect from your digital devices, but you’ll gain important human connections that you need to garner healthy, happy relationships. Ditch the dirty digital distraction habit and reconnect with individuals, giving them the attention they deserve from you.
4. You’re condescending.

Even if you know more than others, what’s more inspiring: teaching how to get to your level, or talking down to them about theirs? Being condescending is a horrible habit that will alienate others.

How can you tell if you’re condescending? It’s often in others more than you. What does that mean? Look at the people in your life and take stock of how many are better off having known you. Do you mentor others? Have you helped people around you gain skills, knowledge, jobs or in any other way helped to develop others to teach what you know? How many people would come to you for help with a problem or for a question?

Pay attention to the way you treat others. Do you help them, or talk down to them? Do you offer advice when it isn’t asked for (which can be another key sign of condescending, thinking you need to tell others what to do and how to do it)? If these patterns sound familiar, try a change in tone and a change in perspective.

Instead of offering advice, only give it when specifically asked. Stay on topic when asked and don’t make your advice go broader than the request. Try teaching the next time someone makes a mistake instead of berating them.

Patience, an affinity to teaching and some compassion will help you break this horrible habit.
5. You’re insincere.

People can sniff out a fake fast these days. There’s nothing wrong with having an opinion or a perspective that doesn’t match up to everyone else. You don’t have to be fake or insincere about your opinion or others. It’s better to be kind, but honest, than to pretend.

Most people who are insincere either are that way because they’re insecure, which stems from a desire to have everyone like them, or they’re condescending.

If your insincerity comes from insecurity, here are a few ways to tell. Do you worry that saying no or having a different opinion will mean people don’t like you? Do you worry about what others think? Do you constantly go along to get along? The truth is that most people respect a healthy disagreement or can accommodate other perspectives and opinions. You don’t have to be obnoxious or forceful in your opinions, but it’s OK to be sincere about having a different perspective.

A great way to start overcoming this habit of being a contrarian is simply to not offer your opinion at all. When someone tells you something you don’t agree with, try simply saying something neutral such as, “that’s interesting,” and leaving it at that until you build up the confidence to be authentic.

The most important thing is to stop agreeing, or saying yes to things you don’t want to do, don’t believe in or are otherwise faking agreement on. Start slow and you can beat this bad habit

Matthew Toren

Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy. It requires the kinds of habits that most people simply don’t have, along with a discipline, passion and dedication that are unmatched among non-business owners. And while every entrepreneur is different, we all have a lot in common — including many of the same habits.

Here are 10 behaviors shared by unstoppable entrepreneurs:
1. They plan their day in advance.

In business, it’s easy to let other people’s priorities run your day. Phone calls, emails, appointments, meetings — it never ends. Unstoppable entrepreneurs plan their day in advance, before the mayhem begins. But they don’t just make any old plan — they make sure to block out time for their most important priorities.
2. They get proper nutrition and exercise.

This simply can’t be overstated. Being a productive, unstoppable entrepreneur is about your body just as much as your mind and will. If you don’t take care of your nutrition and daily exercise, you aren’t going to be at your best — and you definitely won’t be unstoppable. Drink a lot of water, eat breakfast and get your body moving. You’ll be much more successful as a result.

3. They position themselves to serve.

Those who focus only on their own success are the ones who don’t succeed at all. To be effective as a business owner, you need to serve your customers. That might come through in the way your products make their lives easier or the way your customer service efforts delight them. Whatever the case may be, setting service as one of your top priorities is a surefire way to become unstoppable.

4. They set clear goals.

Every unstoppable entrepreneur has clear goals. Knowing your goals will keep you going when things get tough and give you something to focus on when you’re not sure what to do next. But your goals shouldn’t just focus on the long term. Have long-term, mid-term and short-term goals. Doing so allows you to plan your days and weeks with unmatched focus, knowing exactly what you’re shooting for.

5. They take calculated risks.

People have an image of entrepreneurs as those who take crazy risks just for fun. But while the risks we take may be crazy to those without an entrepreneurial mind, in reality, they’re calculated. Or, at least, they should be. If you’re the type of business owner who jumps in without knowing the numbers and probabilities behind your course of action, you won’t last long.

6. They know their strengths and weaknesses.

Successful business owners are honest with themselves. They know their own strengths and weaknesses, and take them into account with every business decision. It takes humility to really examine yourself this way, but it will pay great dividends when you know exactly who to hire, who to partner with and what skills you can offer.
7. They hire A-team players.

Entrepreneurs that don’t succeed are often those who are afraid to have A-team players on their staffs. They either feel threatened or they won’t offer the incentives needed to hire the best. Either way, they lose. To be an unstoppable entrepreneur, you’ve got to hire the best. Focus on those who fill in whatever gaps you currently have. Doing so will help you create the amazing team that’s needed for success.

8. They are constantly learning.

Unstoppable entrepreneurs know that they don’t know it all. As a result, they never stop learning. Never get so busy that you stop investing in yourself and your knowledge of business, your industry and new technology. Staying up to date is essential if you want to succeed.

9. They are always looking for opportunities.

Entrepreneurs who are really successful don’t rest on their current successes. They realize that life changes quickly, and that business moves at an even faster pace. To be unstoppable, always be on the lookout for your next opportunity. Spot new trends in your industry, or look for a new application of an old tool. You’ll never get stuck in the old when you make it a priority to watch out for the new.

10. They evaluate their actions and priorities each day.

Successful entrepreneurs know that with every day, they’re building their futures. That’s why they rarely let one go by without doing a review. When you review your accomplishments at the end of each day, you’ll be able to celebrate the successes, as well as address the shortfalls. It’s a great practice to begin right away.

As I said earlier, being an unstoppable entrepreneur is no easy feat. If it was easy, everyone would be one. Instead, only a few have the privilege of calling themselves entrepreneurs. If you want to join this exclusive club, make it a priority to practice these 10 behaviors of unstoppable entrepreneurs.

Sujan Patel

One of the best ways for entrepreneurs to socialize with colleagues, customers and potential clients is at networking events. Corporate gatherings, conferences, happy hours and cocktail parties provide an opportunity for you to meet new people and reconnect with old acquaintances.

However, if you have difficulty mingling in a room full of strangers, connecting with other professionals can be a difficult and uncomfortable process. Regardless of how you feel, networking is undeniably an effective way to meet people who can provide new opportunities and help you grow your business.

Many entrepreneurs regularly attend networking events, but few study or practice effective networking. The more practiced you become at starting conversations with strangers, the less anxious you’ll be. Your confidence will attract others and help you become much more than just another business card.

To become a master mingler, employ these tips at the next networking event you attend.

Hone your public speaking skills.

Conversations require just as much speaking ability as a presentation. Practice your skills whenever you can. Take a public speaking class or join a Toastmasters club in your area. When you feel prepared, give presentations at industry meetings or offer to give a guest lecture at a local community college or university.

Start with a handshake.

The type of handshake you extend to a stranger speaks volumes about you and your intentions. When you approach someone new at a networking event, start your conversation with a firm handshake. As you greet the individual, make eye contact, smile, extend your hand and introduce yourself. This nonverbal communication will help you build rapport before you even say a word.

Win the name game.

Remembering names is an essential skill in conversations. When others hear you say their name, it makes them feel more connected to you. If you’ve just met someone for the first time, use his name frequently in conversation. When you forget a name, simply extend your hand and say your own name. The other person will most likely introduce himself in return.

Show interest.

Many entrepreneurs use a popular but ineffective approach while networking. Instead of building relationships, they collect and hand out as many business cards as they can. To form professional connections, approach new acquaintances with a genuine interest in their businesses, opinions and hobbies. When you initiate the conversation, ask open-ended questions to show your sincerity.

Ask a connector for help.

A personal introduction is a winning strategy to start conversations at networking events. If you’re a first-timer at an event and nervous, ask the host or an influential contact to introduce you to others. Most people will gladly introduce you to other entrepreneurs in the room.

Give a sincere compliment.

Everyone is happy to receive a compliment, even from a new connection. Use what you know about the person to choose the best accolade. It’s advisable to compliment someone on his or her business accomplishments or talents. Compliment a physical attribute only when you don’t have anything else to go on. You could say something like, “You look very sharp in that blazer.”

Share opportunities.

Use networking events as a way to tithe your social and professional capital. Seek out entrepreneurs in different industries. When you start a conversation, ask industry-specific questions. Invite the person to share her opinion and then communicate your perspective. Always be on the lookout for potential partnerships and other business opportunities. Train your ears to hear problems so you can present solutions.

Learn to tell a story.

The best way to form connections in networking conversations is by telling your story. Everyone has a story to tell. To discover the other person’s story, ask the right questions. You could say something like, “Who is a special person in your life who influenced who you are today?” It’s a personal question and will help others to open up.

Productivity

1. Prioritize and only do what matters. Avoid busy work and going in all directions. Say no to stuff that won’t move the needle. See the post on the Power of no.

2. When everything is important, nothing is important. Establish a language of P1, P2, P3 — levels of priorities. You only do some P1s in practice. Relentlessly prioritize.

3. Refuse to accept vague goals. Distill to clarity, then execute.

4. Never add new tasks in front of the queue, add them to the bottom. Complete what you are doing first. See my post on action lists for more info.

5. Create and manage your schedule in a calendar. Use time blocks for different types of calls, meetings, heads-down work and even email, family time and workouts.

6. If it’s not on the calendar, don’t do it. Don’t assume that you will be working on something unless it is on your calendar.

7. Tweak how much time you spend on what. Find the combination that works for you.

8. See this post for calendaring tips, this post for email management tips and this post for product prioritization tips.

9. Review each week ahead of time on Sunday so that you are prepared.

10. Avoid synchronous communication channels. Use asynchronous ones.

11. Don’t use chat clients or text messaging — they are a big productivity killer because they disrupt your flow. Be respectful of your own time and team’s time overall.

12. Cut down on unplanned team meetings. It’s OK to pull people into the conference room to brainstorm, but just make it clear this is what you are doing. Don’t turn these sessions into long meetings.

13. Set a time expectation and limit for all team meetings. Typically, one hour meetings are the max. Thirty minutes is way better, unless it’s a long brainstorming session, but even then, break it out into chunks.

14. Be respectful of other team member’s productivity — don’t throw in tasks on top of their queues. This sometimes happens with CEOs, who tend to ask people to just do something quickly for them. A sequence of the quick things becomes very hectic and disruptive to the team members, particularly engineers.

15. Take care of yourself. Take breaks during the day and take time off to rejuvenate.

16. Regular exercise is highly recommended. Block off exercise times on your calendar, or it won’t happen.

17. Make sure you get enough sleep (less than usual but enough). Watch out for signs of exhaustion.

Email

1. It is a beast. You need to rule it or it will rule you.

2. Do not refresh or check for new messages, or have email opened all the time. It will kill your productivity. Establish specific hours for doing emails of different types. Read the inbox zero post for pointers on how to start.

3. Master CC. Don’t CC people unnecessarily and ask not to be CC-ed when you don’t need to be. This particularly applies to CEOs, as they tend to want to be in the loop on everything, and it can be overwhelming.

4. Master BCC. Quickly move people who don’t need to be on the thread (like someone who just introed you). Teach other folks to move you to BCC appropriately as well. Same for reply all.
Use your email signature wisely: Put in information that’s relevant and avoid logos and images. They feel heavy and get filtered.

5. Master the art of the short email — two to three sentences or paragraphs max. Check how it looks on mobile. If you scroll a lot, it’s too long. Use the least number of words possible and iterate on the emails before sending them out.

6. Be thoughtful. Do not copy and paste. It is better to send fewer emails that are thoughtful than more boilerplate messages.

Asking for introductions

1. Avoid cold emails if possible. Use your network to get an intro.

2. Good tools for intros include goconspire.com and LinkedIn.

3. Connect and continuously build and expand your network on LinkedIn.

4. Master reading LinkedIn profiles — for hires, biz dev, venture capital. It’s useful to spend time on the profile to understand people’s backgrounds.

5. Always find relevant people and never ask for open-ended intros. See this post on how to ask for an intro.

6. Don’t ask for open-ended intros to VCs and angels. Study and understand what they are interested in investing in by looking at their portfolios.

7. For biz dev intros, make sure that the person is in the relevant role. Find a few people who could be right, and check their relationship on LinkedIn.

8. Vice presidents are pretty magical in most companies. They either make decisions or will route you to the right director or manager. Focus on getting intros to VPs for biz dev deals.

9. Master forwardable emails. For someone to intro you, send them a brief and clean email addressed to the target, so they can forward it and add their part. This makes it easy to do the intro.

10. Have a preference for email intros, but LinkedIn intros are fine too.

Scheduling meetings

1. Get efficient at scheduling meetings by creating pre-defined time slots for different types of meetings in your calendar.

2. For example, “M-W-F 9AM-10AM 15 mins intro calls; M-W-F 2PM-4PM 30 min follow up mentor meetings, etc.”

3. Always propose three to four specific times for a meeting, depending on the type of meeting, and fit it into available time slot.

4. If the person you are trying to connect with is super busy, be flexible, break your blocks and accommodate them.

5. Minimize the number of emails to schedule a meeting. If a person agreed to a meeting, propose specific times immediately. Don’t ask them to suggest the times.

6. General pointers for durations of the meetings:

• Intro call: 15 minutes — people will love you for sending invites for 15 minutes and sticking with it.
• Intro meeting: 30 minutes — one hour is a lot, stick with 30 minutes for most in-person meetings you are traveling to unless the other person is asking for more time.

If you are not sure, ask them if you’d need more than 30 minutes. This is true for business meetings and those with investors. The exception might be if someone is coming to see you and expects more time because they are traveling to the meeting.

In the meeting

1. Don’t be late. It is rude. Be a bit early.

2. Don’t take up more time during the meeting than needed.

3. Avoid unrelated chatter. Its OK for just a little.

4. Know the purpose of the meeting, and get to the point.

5. Don’t be afraid to make an ask, but don’t be too pushy.

6. Be attuned to who are are taking to and what their motivations and interests are.

7. Do your homework on the person, understand what they do and don’t do, what they invest in and what they don’t invest in, etc.

8. Don’t just pitch, listen. Most business deals are closed not with a lot of talking, but with a lot of listening. Don’t talk past the other person, hear what they are saying. Ask questions.

9. If it’s a no, it’s fine, understand why and move on then follow up later.

10. Sell by being good and finding out what’s needed, not just by upselling. Always explain the benefits to the customer.

11. Always have a clear meeting wrap up — ask or propose next steps at the end, whether it is a follow-up email, call, meeting, introduction, more materials, etc. Summarize the meeting to wrap up.

Alex Iskold

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, scheduled to square off May 2 in the biggest boxing match of the past two decades, both have created incredibly successful personal brands.

But that success has been achieved using two very different strategies. Considering both Pacquiao and Mayweather as potential road maps to entrepreneurial achievement, here’s how the two fighters have reached the top — in their own ways.

Floyd Mayweather

1. Put in the work. It isn’t easy in any industry to do something for almost 20 years and never fail. But there’s Mayweather, with his 47-0 record. This is, in large part, because he’s known as one of the hardest-working boxers in the sport. There have been countless stories in boxing history where a champ slacked off in preparation for a subpar opponent only to be embarrassed in the ring. Mayweather’s never put himself in that situation. He’s tireless in his training and truly obsessed with his craft. That kind of dedication will end in massive success — no matter the line of work.

2. Be selective. Mayweather has something of a reputation for taking on less-challenging opponents. On the one hand, that tactic’s easy to criticize since it may appear as though he’s avoiding the toughest boxers. On the other hand, he’s established a brand as the best boxer alive because he’s never lost. Choosing more reasonable opponents is akin to being selective about where and how a business sets up shop in a new market. As a marketing strategy, it can work to dominate a small market rather than flounder in a huge one — though Mayweather’s had success with both those strategies.

3. Build your brand. Ever since Mayweather served as the focus of HBO’s 24/7 reality boxing TV series in 2007, he’s done everything possible to lift himself up as the premier talent in his craft. This means appearing on TV shows, owning social media and doing countless interviews to keep his name relevant even when he’s not training for a specific fight. These are the types of things a burgeoning entrepreneur needs to do to develop his or her brand, and Mayweather, who’s earned himself memorable nicknames such as Pretty Boy Floyd and Money Mayweather, has made the most of his brand-building opportunities.

Manny Pacquiao

1. Be authentic. One of the things people love about Pacquiao is that he seems genuinely likeable. He’s appeared in several movies and even recorded albums for release in his native Philippines, proving that the public loves him enough to consume his brand even away from boxing. A lot of that has to do with his authenticity. He almost always seems to be smiling when away from the ring, and combining massive achievement and talent with that sort of likeable persona can be key in drawing fans to a brand.

2. Take on the best. Where Mayweather often avoids boxing against the top talent in the industry, Pacquiao embraces the tougher fighters. A 2003 fight against Juan Manuel Marquez ended in a draw, for example, so Pacquiao insisted upon a rematch within five years. Of course he won the second time around. He’s beaten bigger boxers — Oscar De la Hoya and Ricky Hatton — and he’s not shying away from a matchup with Mayweather himself. On the one hand, there’s value in dominating a small market, but when a brand is ready to take on the world, go get ’em.

3. Go global. Boxing is one of the few internationally popular sports, so while he’s loved in the Philippines, his home country, fans worldwide love him too. And that’s by design, since there are obviously more consumers in the world than there are in the Philippines or the U.S. alone. It’s simply a matter of numbers — the more people a brand can reach, the more potential there is for growth. Pacquiao has figured that out, to his massive benefit.

While becoming the greatest in any field can prove challenging, the examples set by these two vastly different boxing superstars can be applied to a number of modern businesses. Entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs, regardless of their field, and these two men have figured out how to play the game.

Robert Tuchman

The Internet connects everyone on this planet instantaneously. Social-media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn are being used multiple times a day to catch up on the latest news, find out what your friends are doing, get attention and to market yourself. Yet there exists one device more powerful than all of that when it comes to making and closing sales — the phone.

The phone is more powerful than all of these other technological developments. This is because at some point in everyone’s career they will use the phone to reach the right person, close a sale, follow-up with a customer or to handle a customer inquiry. The phone is money, and everyone has one. There are almost as many cell-phone subscriptions (6.8 billion) as there are people on the planet. In the U.S. alone, there are just under one trillion phone calls per year!

The phone is a powerful business weapon, whether it’s for making contacts with customers or making cold calls to get new customers. The phone is necessary and integral to your success. Yet, for a number of reasons, most people are terrible at using it. Salesforce suggests that 92 percent of all customers use the phone before making a purchase and 85 percent claim to be dissatisfied with the interaction.

But, like me, you may have been made to believe that you couldn’t sell your products over the phone. Of course that isn’t true. Being in front of someone is the most effective way, but it’s very expensive and can cost as much as 8x more than a call and almost impossible to scale out because of the time it takes. Calls are immediate and powerful if you can get the right person on the phone and know how to use that time effectively.

More than 46 percent of adults have only cell phones and no longer use a home or office phone, according to Pew Research. Combine that with how more than 50 percent of ecommerce traffic comes from mobile devices and it’s clear that the future of connecting with people directly is over the phone, especially in the business world.

At the age of 26 I was shown how to use the telephone to effectively qualify leads, reduce time spent pitching new prospects, determine decision makers and how to keep my pipeline full with appointments. After getting just the introduction to proper phone use my income immediately doubled; I went from making $3,500 per month to more than $8,000.

Here are three simple, yet important tips on how to handle phone calls properly and help you increase your business immediately.

1. Words Matter.

One wrong word on the phone can blow your chance at making a sale. You can no longer say things like, “I hope I’m not bothering you taking time talking about…”.

2. Time is a Killer.

You cannot spend time with small talk and chat with prospects. That’s the old-school mentality — you must get in and get out. You may only have two minutes to get an appointment, find out who the decision-maker is and find out their needs. Use your time effectively.

3. Remember Voice Inflection and Tone.

It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. There are ways to say things so that a customer never forgets you and your pitch — they are called hooks and tone control.

No matter what you do for a living, at some point in your career you will rely on a phone to either introduce yourself or get an appointment. Other than your commitment and attitude about success, the telephone itself will be one of the single most important tools you use in building your brand, your company, and your revenues.

It’s amazing how changing just a few phrases on a phone call will keep a customer from shopping the competition. Or how asking for an appointment with just a slight change in the inflection of my voice improved my show rate on appointments by 500 percent! It was like magic when changing my opening changed the buyer’s immediate impression. And how little urgency strategies could move a buyer from seeing me next week to wanting to see me today.

Grant Cardone

Success is something all career-driven individuals desire yet it eludes many people — at least at the levels desired. Why are some businesspeople successful and others not?

It has everything to do with habits, beliefs, passion, flexibility and attitude.

Often there’s nothing really different between one entrepreneur and another in terms of ability, as each person can do whatever he or she wants. What it all comes down to is having the frame of mind to set practical habits and keep a balance between attachment and commitment and letting things happen.

Here are 10 mindsets for success:

1. Choose courage over fear.

To be successful, you have to have courage. And to become courageous, do courageous things. Much of being successful is about going beyond what you think you’re capable of — venturing into the unknown. Whether you fail or succeed, you will learn and grow.

Growth, in and of itself, means attaining a level of success whether it came from success or failure.

2. Believe in yourself.

Attitude is everything. A negative attitude decreases success and a positive attitude creates success. Without that belief in yourself, you’ll lack a path to success.

Success is something that’s created. It’s not something that merely “happens.”

When you firmly believe in yourself, you can achieve virtually anything: It’s within this belief that you’ll find the power to create the resilience and fortitude needed to keep going when things get tough.

3. Choose good company.

Whom you surround yourself with is among the most important choices you’ll make as you climb up the business ladder. Negativity is contagious and if work groups, especially bosses, are negative, there will be a ceiling to your success.

To reach the goals you desire, be willing to change bosses if necessary. Or if you’re the boss, rid your team of toxic people immediately.

It only takes one toxic person to destroy the morale of an entire campaign. Further, when you surround yourself with other successful, goal-oriented individuals, you can learn from them and take on some of their habits to add to your own as you proceed along your road to success.

4. Adopt self-chosen goals.

Knowing and being clear about where you’re headed in business is something that must come from within. When your goals selected by you, you’re more motivated to achieve them.

That’s because by achieving these goals, you attain a new desired piece of yourself. When your goals arise from your instigation, they carry a deeper meaning and confer a greater impact on your identity.

Each self-selected goal realized adds a depth and an internal expansion to you as a person. Personal expansion is just one of the great gifts to come from succeeding in your business goals.

5. Have a purpose and a vision.

Visualization is powerful because actions follow thoughts. A great technique for nurturing your vision and purpose is to make your goals visual. Some people use vision boards; others opt for treasure maps. And still others set goals identifying specific dates for their achievement.

Whatever works best is a matter for the individual to figure out.

I believe that anything that’s written down is more likely to be achieved than visions kept only in the head. When you make your purpose visual, you make it real. When you keep them in your mind, they remain wishes.

6. Accept the challenge.

There are few easy paths up a mountain and often they’re hard to find. Challenge will be an essential piece in any type of success in business.

And challenge is what creates your growth along the journey. Each challenge obstructing your path provides you with the chance to create a more defined direction toward attaining your dream vendors, customers, managers, employees — and numbers. For this reason, bless each challenge. Each one is a compass directing you toward new business leads, circumstances and opportunities.

7. Be discerning.

Selectivity creates success. You must think deeply and intelligently about the bigger picture and what it is you need for each step along the way to continue articulating and executing your business goals.

Mindfulness means being aware of all angles and staying sharply in touch with the present so that you do not have to clean up mistakes in the future.

Be discerning of group dynamics: which person is the best at what job, which customers or deals will take you the furthest and what it is that each moment is calling on you to do or change to be the most efficient.

That’s how selectivity offers you the pursuit of success.

8. Be willing to take risks.

There are no guarantees on any path to success in life or business. The unknown is always looming. Therefore, risk and education are often the mechanisms necessary for knowing more clearly if you’re on the right path.

If you’re afraid to risk, you will put limits on your success and stay where you’re comfortable. You cannot get what you want if you don’t risk rejection and go for what you desire.

9. Do what you love.

You’re more likely to succeed in business when you’re invested in your passion and making your career fit your personality. There is a way to find passion about anything and everything you do in life.

You may not love every part of your job but tolerating discomforts by looking at the bigger picture makes your investment of time and energy worthwhile.

Be willing to love and find purpose in all aspects of what your business requires, commit to it and see what you’re doing as being a benefit to others. When you love the business you’re in, there is nothing that can keep you from wanting to work at it, nurture it and make it grow.

10. Gratitude.

When you see life and career in terms of the lack in what you have achieved, you cannot drive your business up the ladder of success. Then negativity is impeding your progress.

You must look at all you have and realize how great what you have is as compared to the situation of many others.

When you have this attitude, you stop suffering and complaining about the small stuff. On each receipt you pay out, write thank you. That’s not only to thank the person, event, vendor or customer for what’s provided you but also to give a private thanks acknowledging that you have the abundance necessary to pay for the service, product or event.

Habits coupled with flexibility provide you with a path to success. Success is fluid and so rigidity will stand in its way.

Developing these mindsets give you a compass to navigate the ever-changing tides on the way to business and financial goals. These mindsets allow openness and flexibility while also providing you precise direction.

Sherrie Campbell

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When things go wrong in your business, do you apologize? I’m not so sure that you should — at least not as much.

Just the other week, my Delta Airlines flight was delayed because of the weather. The gate attendant apologized to everyone for the delay. When we eventually took off, the pilot came on the intercom and also apologized for the delay. Recently, I called up Comcast because my Internet wasn’t working. The customer service rep said, “I’m very sorry that you’re having this problem,” and promised to get my problem fixed (which he did).

But why were these people apologizing? In Delta’s case, my flight delay was because of the weather, not the airline. And my Internet problem? Oh, I forgot that I had unplugged a cable when moving my computer. The problem was me. These incidents were not the fault of the companies. And yet they were so “sorry.”

I’m guessing that apologizing is something customer service people learn during training. For all I know, it’s a proven psychological tactic, proven through years of studies with mice.

But businesses seem to apologize a lot. Too much. Customer service agents apologize if we’re unhappy about anything nowadays, whether it’s their fault or not. Waiters apologize to a customer when the customer complains that the food is too spicy (even though the menu says that the food is spicy). A store employee apologizes when something is out of stock (even though the customer is there a day after the big sale is announced). The person behind the front desk apologizes when a room isn’t ready yet, even though it clearly states that check-in time is 3 p.m. A Verizon employee apologies for the long wait on a Saturday even though every person in the store is dealing with customers.

Why are they apologizing so much? At what point does the consumer — your customer or client — step up and assume some responsibility here?

This is relevant in a service business because the definition and quality of a service can be very debatable. What some consider to be satisfactory might be unsatisfactory to others.

My company sells customer-relationship-management software and we have hundreds of happy clients. But we also have our unhappy ones too. It’s the same software, same implementation, different reaction.

If a client is unhappy with the software, should I be apologizing? Maybe they didn’t do enough research. Maybe they’re not devoting the amount of effort into the project that is needed to make it successful. Service businesses seem to apologize for everything — it’s a knee jerk reaction. But often it’s not the right reaction, for three reasons.

1. Apologies change the dynamics of the relationships with your clients.

Saying you’re sorry all the time diminishes your credibility. It puts the client into a superior position and that’s not a recipe for a good relationship. Good relationships are about equal and mutual respect, not one party having dominance over the other.

If there is one party who must have authority over the other, it should be you, the service provider. You are the accountant, the lawyer, the consultant, the tech professional. You’ve been hired for your expertise and knowledge that the client doesn’t have. Saying “I’m sorry” too much (particularly if things aren’t your fault) will make your clients question whether they made the right decision relying on your expertise.

2. Apologies are often empty and irrelevant.

The more that companies apologize, the less meaning it has.

When Delta apologized for the late flight, people just rolled their eyes, if they were paying attention at all. When a customer rep from the Philippines profusely apologizes for my Internet problem, it’s not really heartfelt. Let’s be honest: does she really care? I’m sure she doesn’t. We know this. We wouldn’t care either.

To make an apology meaningful, it should be delivered less often and only when it’s really deserved.

3. Apologies open the door for more costs.

The minute that you admit fault, whether it’s justified or not, a client will see an opening to profit. This is just human nature.

Instead of apologizing, I like to say, “I’m disappointed to hear that.” I’m concerned and want to fix the problem. I’m being empathic without admitting fault. Because in many cases my company is really not at fault and I don’t want to just apologize for the sake of it.

I’m all about making sure my clients are getting value for the services we’re providing and sometimes I remove hours from an invoice if there’s been some problem that we caused. However, I try and leave the question of whether that problem was our fault up to debate and instead emerge as taking the high road by offering to make an adjustment “in good faith” or “in order to move things forward.” By not apologizing I’m keeping that option available and I have a better control over my costs.

This doesn’t mean that apologies aren’t necessary sometimes. When we make mistakes we should own up, apologize and fix them. But the best approach is to try to keep your apologies to the minimum. By constantly apologizing you may be hurting .yourself more than you think. And besides, customers don’t want apologies: they just want to get what they paid for.

Gene Marks

The objective of product training, skill training and sales enablement is allowing sellers to make more effective pitches that result in more sales. Companies hope that the information they provide (and the sellers’ interpretation of it) results in words that resonate during calls on different titles and vertical markets. Unfortunately, that often is not the case. A few critical words trip up even the most eloquent sales pitch.

Everyone is concerned about what sellers say. Few worry about what they shouldn’t say. Words and phrases that are noise, rather than relevant content, can distract or even offend buyers. At that point, you’ve lost the conversation and nothing else you say can get them back. The only thing worse than failing to gain access to the highest executive levels is making calls and not relating to the people you want to impress. Here are some words or phrases to avoid, especially when calling on executives.

Honestly is a dangerous word for salespeople to use. Even worse, the dreaded “let me be honest with you now.”  The implication being that you have not previously been honest. The pervasive stereotype is that sellers take liberties with the truth. Invoking the word “honest” raises red flags from buyers. As you can imagine the phrase “trust me” is another dangerous word. Sellers must earn rather than ask for a buyer’s trust.

Automatically amounts to asking buyers to trust that whatever you are selling works. To imagine how vacuous the phrase is, consider how buyers would react if the term auto-magically were substituted. Rather than saying “server failures are automatically avoided” it would be more helpful to buyers if you said: “When pre-set activity thresholds for a server are exceeded, the system will transfer some of the volume to other servers that have available capacity to avoid crashes.”

Obviously is a completely unnecessary and perilous word. If something is obvious it need not be acknowledged. Saying that something is obvious when it may not be to executives is insulting. If this happens you’ve already lost the relationship.

Filler words. Using verbal crutches can be difficult to self-assess. You may want to engage your spouse or a friend in helping you. Or record yourself and listen to yourself so that you can identify any verbal crutches. During sales calls sellers need to keep conversations going. Rather than pause (which can be powerful in having buyers listen closely when you continue speaking) some sellers use “filler words.” These verbal gems generate noise without requiring thought. These words include: “like, ah, um, basically, you know, candidly, etc.”

I recently had a phone conversation with someone that used the phrase “you know” so frequently it was distracting. For a while I kept count in my notes. In college I had a professor whose pet phrase was “in effect.”  His record was saying it 61 times during a 50-minute class. Most people are completely unaware of this annoying habit and will be horrified to realize they’re guilty of doing this.

Acronyms, especially for technology companies, have become a large part of the vernacular. Calling at lower levels, sellers can gain credibility by using and then being asked to explain what acronyms stand for. That said, if sellers use acronyms executives don’t understand, several bad things happen. You aren’t relating to buyers and, in fact, may embarrass them. They won’t ask what the letters stand for and may delegate you to lower levels that will. This means you’ve squandered an opportunity to gain traction with someone that will be involved in making the buying decision if things progress.

Overused/Overhyped words. Some overused words have become trite, especially to executives: “integrated, cutting edge, robust, elegant, seamless, synergistic, etc.” I can only imagine how many times sellers have stressed that one of their product strengths was being “user-friendly” and needed tech support to do the demo. A string of these words late in the afternoon can induce drowsiness.

Ownership words. Sellers, vendors or offerings taking ownership of achieving a business outcome such as: “I/my company/my software will solve your forecasting accuracy problem.” Oddly enough, this statement borders on asking executive to trust you/your company/your software. Issues arise when this phrase is invoked:

Sellers/vendors don’t have any organizational authority within clients and therefore can’t achieve business outcomes or solve business problems. Many sellers take ownership with good intent with buyers that have been let down in the past. Reliance upon sellers/vendors to achieve outcomes also increases perceived risk in making buying decisions.

Software won’t improve forecasting accuracy. The customer would be responsible for making sure everyone uses the software, inputs clean data into the system and that managers interpret the reports to forecast. Most offerings provide capabilities that buyers can use to achieve business outcomes. Empowered buyers take ownership of results and therefore see less risk in making buying decisions.

Once sellers or vendors take responsibility for achieving outcomes, buyers are within their rights to ask for guarantees. It affords a prime opportunity for watching sellers/vendors stammer and squirm. Their position sounds like a car salesperson – your mileage may vary, so we can’t guarantee it.

Where do I/we need to be? I refer to a phrase used in negotiation as the most expensive six words sellers can utter – “Where do I need to be?” It compromises a seller’s/vendor’s position on several fronts:

• The seller acknowledges discounting will be necessary.
• The seller gives the impression they have tremendous pricing flexibility.
• The buyer can take control by giving a number they want to pay rather than what they’re willing to pay. The lower their response, the lower the final price will be.

There may be times when sellers can ask this question of a person they’ve done business with before, and with whom they enjoy a good relationship, but I suggest never asking prospects this question.

I’m not saying buyers won’t buy if you ever use these words or phrases. The main point here is this: in sales calls, words convey either noise or a relevant message. Relevant words aren’t annoying, insulting or distracting. Reducing noise should make the message more relevant and powerful to executive buyers.

Frank Visgatis