Herr Schwan demonstrated that walking away from the table is not just for when you don’t want to deal. Sometimes it’s the only way you can make the deal you want. If you have to have a deal, then all the other side needs to do to win the…
In ancient Greece, Alcibiades was telling Pericles how Athens should be governed. Annoyed by the young man’s tone, Pericles said, “Son, when I was your age, I talked just the way you are talking.” Alcibiades looked Pericles in the face and replied, “How I should like to have known…
A buddy of mine dubbed my newest book, The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World, “Harvey Mackay’s economic stimulus plan.” It’s custom-tooled to boost the take-home pay of sales pros, from novices to veterans. Right now, war is raging between the old school of pound-the-pavement sellers and…
I was fortunate enough to have the chance to speak with marketing and media guru Chris Brogan recently about my new book The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World and about some more fun and interesting topics. I think we had both planned on a quick interview…
The most efficient way to expand your network is to trade networks with someone else. How big is your network? If you answered infinite, you’re right. At this writing, you’re limited only by the number of people on this planet. And that’s if you don’t count pets. I know…
During economic downturns, most folks are content to maintain the status quo, not expecting to really get ahead. Turns out, a defeatist mindset like that stop someone from living the life they really want to live. And there is a terrific new book that will change attitudes and inspire…
We save it. We shave it. But we can’t store it, speed it up, or slow it down. It’s the same for all of us. Time. I learned time management skills at a ripe young age by following my Associated Press correspondent-father around. He lived by deadlines. And aphorisms….
There’s a story making the rounds that a manager who couldn’t use his concert tickets for Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony gave them to his work study management executive–in non-jargon, the efficiency expert–and received the following report after the performance: 1. For considerable periods, the four oboe players had nothing to…
In our country, and indeed all over the globe, we are facing so many crises that we hardly know which one to address first. But one issue that is rarely identified as a real crisis, which I believe is at the root of so many of these other problems,…
I’m always amazed when I ask someone who their customers are and they say “everyone.” You can’t log on with that one. “Everyone” equals “no one.” I make and sell envelopes. Everyone uses envelopes. So is everyone my potential customer? No way. The margins in the envelope business are…
