Ask the Experts

While many feel it is contributing, humble and useful to say “I’m sorry,” as well as “I can help you,” these statements can be distracting and even annoying, especially when you’re not at fault or when someone is not actually seeking help. How so? While there are occasions of regret and instances where help is

If you’re reading this article, chances are pretty good that you’re a business owner, general manager, company executive or sales manager. And, as we’re heading into the fourth quarter of the year, you might be thinking, “Do I have the right sales team on the bus? Maybe I need to reassess and, perhaps, even upgrade

Question: When should you tell your “significant other” that you love them? Answer: Before someone else does. The same basic principle holds true for your clients and customers. Your best clients really are your competitor’s best prospects. That’s why every business owner, and sales professional, should include specific customer success behaviors in their account plan

It’s wonderful we are all getting out and getting in touch with clients, buddies and others in, and around, the community, state and beyond, isn’t it? Those encounters might feel familiar and, yet, they are not the same as they were in the past. They are similar and there are differences in who we are

I recently spoke with a man in his 50s who built a successful accounting firm and sold it for a competitive price. You would assume that he was proud and happy about his accomplishment, but two years after the sale and he was still harboring a sense of loss and remorse. He was telling me,

Most successful business people are early-morning risers. Did you also know that most have a mentor? Well, you might not be a “morning person,” but you can get a mentor. Additionally, these successful businesspeople usually maintain a relationship with a mentor throughout much of their careers. I still communicate with one of my mentors, who

Welcome to the dog days of summer—that time when the temperature and humidity are still unbearable, families are trying to squeeze in the last days of summer vacation before going back to school and (it seems) most of your customers, and prospects, are out of the office. As a manager, it can be hard to

When someone does something for us, or compliments an action, an idea or an accessory, we often say, “Thank you,” or “Thanks.” Sometimes we get a reply, and other times we do not. When we do get a reply, words matter, because conveying a thought with sincerity becomes connection. Keeping that in mind, it is

For more than 25 years, it has been my pleasure to hire, develop and coach, staff, and senior executives, at both startups and Fortune 100 companies. Many lessons learned came from great mentors and from studying best practices. Nearly as many were learned the hard way. I’d like to share some of those lessons with

Organizations must practice diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure people feel like they belong. Why? Because business depends on it. Let’s say you’re an established, well-known, organization in the Tampa Bay area with 100-plus full-time employees and 600-plus part-time employees. For years you’ve been all hands on deck, building, and growing, to become the best.

Whether your company is large or small, whether you have experienced serious disruptions in your business or managed to avoid them, it’s likely that the last year-and-a-half has taken a lot out of you and your team. Either way, one of the big questions we are hearing from clients these days is this: We think

With many of us altering our work environments with fewer remote—and more in-person—conversations, meetings and engagements, such freedom can feel like a reprieve from being isolated, at times, and at other times can seem like a resurgence of everything intrusive, all at once, without a chance to steady oneself. When a change we have craved