One of the most critical problems in all workplaces across the world is communication and interpersonal relationships. People just do not seem to get along
Discussing taboo topics is like opening a can of worms- once you discuss it, you can’t ignore it. Taboo topics, if left ignored, can start
Is an employee romance something that management should consider handling Among those who are married or in a relationship, meeting through friends or family is
Communication skills in the workplace are a crucial element in effectively fostering a good relationship between management and employees. Coaxing employees to speak up about
Building successful workplace relationships have both tangible and intangible benefits to the organization, and the cornerstone is communication. Communication affects everything that works or doesn’t
Telling white lies is one of the most common practices in the office, despite the fact that it’s a known problem in business communication skills.
How often have you felt a surge of optimism and declared goals that reach for the sky? When the initial fire ebbs away and reality
Are you consistent about creating realistic and actionable goals for your company? A lot of business owners and managers set goals for their team without
It’s not surprising when people confuse business strategies with business plans. Many business owners still don’t know the difference between the two. Why is this
Managing change continues to be at the top of the corporate leadership agenda and is often seen as a core leadership development issue. We all
“Nothing is more permanent than change,” the old adage goes. Yet for employees, nothing can be more harrowing than corporate culture change. The office environment
There is so much going on at work and in our personal lives that employees are often on the verge of burnout and exhaustion. Stress
You can safely assume that there will be market crises that will affect your business from time to time. Running a business is far from
Leaders today have a lot of stress in their professional lives. They are doing more with less, have boards to answer to which make high
Employees are always at the verge of burnout, exhaustion, and stress. In highly stressful moments, it is the task of the manager to avert disasters.
Feeling uncomfortable is certainly not pleasant for anyone – in any situation. Because of this, a lot of people will do everything possible to avoid
As a good leader, you know that everyone in your office is different from you. They understand things differently and do things differently. This is
How much does customer service relate to the likelihood you will use the company again? Well let’s think about this…if you feel like you were
If you are in a business, you will eventually have to interact with disgruntled customers and the way you handle the issue is the way
Good customer service is an important part of any business. A company’s most vital asset is its customers, and without them, no business can exist.
How many of you would say the true value of customer service is customer retention or future sales? How many of you would say that
What happened to the concept of customer service? Isn’t part of having a successful company a commitment to excellent customer service? Go on the Internet
Customer feedback is crucial to the success of any business. Knowing what your customers think will help you improve on areas where your business needs
No customer wants to hear a lame excuse about why you can’t solve a problem for them…would you? As a business owner or as the
Every day we influence people. Whether it’s convincing our team to see it our way, our children to do it our way, or getting someone
Customer service trumps almost everything, even your marketing and product improvement efforts won’t amount to anything if customers are leaving—and spreading bad reviews about your
You want to sell. You think you have a good product or service and people need it. So how do you get started? You can
Customers are getting more aggressive these days. They try to use all the tactics they know to get what they want. In fact, lots of
The last several months I have been conducting workshops on sales training and helping design sales training programs for several companies. It’s been wonderful as
Sales are the driving force behind any company. And to make and improve your ability to make sales you must understand what it takes to
If you think that sales skills are exclusively the prerequisites of salespeople, you could not be more wrong. Why? Because each of us, whatever field
Are your marketing efforts focused solely on attracting new customers? In this article I share 3 ways to get more out of existing and loyal
If you think that sales skills are exclusively the prerequisites of sales people, you could not be more wrong. Why? Because each one of us,
What manager doesn’t want motivated employees? Absolutely every manager I have ever talked to asks me the same question: “How do I motivate employee performance?”
What’s the first thing you do when you’re looking for a lawyer, babysitter, bank, real estate agent, or consultant? Ask your friends for referrals. Yes,
In discussing the relevancy of culture to businesses, there is one mistake that lots of businesses make; thinking that the success of their establishment depends
In sales training, assuming your company actually provided you any, you learn about the product or service you are selling. Maybe they teach you how
You can’t pick up a magazine or book, read something on the Internet and realize how important good communication skills are in business. In fact,
A consistent theme I notice for sales teams is that they simply do not do enough sales training. They train new salespeople on their products
Every business needs sales. That goes without saying. Yet I often find that sales people simply jump into a sales interaction without much thought as
As a CEO you have the opportunity to directly increase sales…if you don’t agree, read on because what I have to share will have you
Ask any boss what part of their job they dread the most and they’re likely to tell you that it’s about terminating key executives. It’s
Sales and business development are just two different words for the same activity. Right? Aren’t the terms interchangeable and it’s just who we are talking to
Don’t believe what you’ve heard about sales, selling and business development. It’s not all hog wash, but a whole lot of it is. I’m not
Dealing with drunk and hung-over employees can be a tricky situation for any boss, so how does one deal with this in an effective manner?
Communicating with a prospect is like communicating with anyone else in your life, if you don’t listen effectively you will never reach the conclusion you
Are sales and customer service the same? I bet you are saying no. Sales is what happens when someone buys and customer service is after
Being a successful sales person takes a lot of practice. Talking to people and persuading them to make a decision towards your product is tough
Why would I write a post about measuring the performance of sales personnel? Aren’t the only criteria that they make their numbers and close the
One of the most difficult actions any executive has to tackle is that of terminating employees. And I believe that going about the task of
In order to win sales, it is important to understand why you must be yourself and not who you think your customer or your boss
Anyone in the sales industry knows it is a full time job constantly finding new customers to keep your pipeline full. You have to cold
If you’re just like any consumer, the first thing that will always come to mind when deciding whether or not to buy a product or
People in sales, especially ones early in their career reach out to friends and family as prospects. They spend a lot of time schmoozing with
Being in a leadership position always requires you to make decisions, sometimes it requires you to make big decisions, and sometimes they are smaller. No
Perhaps one of the most intimidating parts of the sales process is overcoming the objections you are bound to face. Simply put, not everyone is
When it comes to hiring and retention, you might be surprised to find out that a high percentage of sales managers still make bad hiring
In this video, Linda Finkle is asked by Dean Newland host of the Business of Intuition Podcast, in this world of AI becoming so prominent,
In this video, Linda Finkle is asked by Dean Newland host of the Business of Intuition Podcast, what do you think the workplace of the
In sales training, assuming your company actually provided you with training, you learn about the product or service you are selling. Maybe they teach you
In this video, Linda Finkle is asked by Dean Newland host of the Business of Intuition Podcast, what do you think is the role of
You don’t know it yet, but in the next 7 minutes you’ll discover why you’re not selling as much as you thought. A few months
Anyone in the sales industry knows it is a full-time job constantly finding new customers to keep your pipeline full. You have to cold call,
Planning is a leadership skill you want to develop Among the skills one would expect from a leader, planning is one of the most important
Is strategizing the same as planning? We can all agree that strategizing and planning are part of running a successful business. In some organizations, strategic
When I talk to leaders and mention the concept of mastering small talk, I usually get the same response. “I’m busy, Linda, and don’t have
Acquiring and being able to retain top talent is tough. Once they are on board you don’t want to lose them. And you want to
Anyone doing sales for any span of time would agree that it is one of the toughest, trickiest businesses today. Dealing with people, winning their
Sales and prospecting go hand in hand, it’s important that even when someone says no, it doesn’t mean forever. Relationships are perhaps one of the
It’s not always easy making decisions. As a leader, you are often faced with many crossroads that will test your decision-making skills. Most of the
Sales is a tough profession. Part of the reason people are in sales is that they are able to make more money than they would
One of the questions I am often asked when I do sales training is “how can I sell to every prospect?” My response is “why
Employees are the heart and soul of every successful business. Making employees’ concerns and welfare one of the top priorities of an organization is universally
The definition of employee motivation is defined as a high level of energy, dedication, and focus that employees bring to their jobs. Wouldn’t it be
I am often asked, by my clients and other leaders, what’s the #1 secret to increase employee motivation? I wish I had an answer to
Have you ever wondered what factors affect how much employees dedicate themselves to work? These factors form what is called motivation. Motivation is a phenomenon
Brian, one of your most important customers walks into your store. But instead of the usual smile, he greets you with an angry look. You’re
Companies come across situations when it becomes really difficult to meet the expectations of the customers. For instance, suppliers fail to deliver the products that
Perhaps the best question I’ve heard after they have provided no help and no service is “would you mind taking our 2-minute survey to tell
When you read the phrase sales culture, what does that mean to you? When I ask folks I get responses like ’having our salespeople focused
In the third installment of this series, we’re going to focus on handling lack of accountability and what it takes to get everyone on board
Different Results Require Different Actions Can you build a corporate culture where management and employees go the extra distance and are willing to take some
Effective goal setting will help get you out of feeling like you have to micro-manage everything because you want to make sure that the task or
Key Performance Indicators tell you how well your business is doing. Knowing what they are and how to use them will give you a competitive
Organizations spend so much time attending and sitting in meetings whether for reporting purposes, planning, meeting with suppliers, organizational meetings, brainstorming sessions, employee assessments… the
If you’re a CEO, your work and personal life is probably largely managed by your executive assistant. Even if you’re a small business owner or
Most employers I know make big mistakes when hiring. Yes, I know every hiring manager could talk about the person they hired who seemed to
We all have plans in life. Whether it’s a long-term business strategy or planning a menu for a family dinner, it is but natural for
As executives and business owners, planning is a natural part of your business life. You plan for product rollouts, employee growth, projects, revenues, and more,
One of the greatest challenges for leaders is ensuring the cooperation of its employees to change. Many people in companies are averse to change, some
Success for any organization depends on teams working well together. Every manager would love for this to simply happen organically. Yet it takes a lot
Organizations strive to improve productivity and results. Though there are some great teams out there, many fail to produce the desired results because of the
Working remotely is becoming more common as people look for increased flexibility in balancing their work and personal life. As companies become more global they
How do you become a successful salesperson? In today’s world, every business and profession depends upon how well you can sell it. Whether you are
There are two types of bad sales calls. The ones you shouldn’t have made in the first place or calls that should have been terminated
Selling is an art. No selling is a science. Look at all the sales training programs and you’ll see they teach you sales techniques. Techniques
We think of time management as the ability to do more, to be more productive, and at the end of the day or week to
Are sales and customer service the same? I bet you are saying no. A sale is what happens when someone buys and customer service is
With working professionals spending more than half their working time sitting in meetings it’s important to avoid wasting time in meetings. Meetings with clients, co-workers,
Does this sound familiar? You have had a problem with a product you purchased or a service you have. You call the company and the
I found information on the SBA (Small Business Administration) website. It says that roughly 25 percent of small businesses never reopen their doors following a
Think of ten companies you buy from often. They can be restaurants, stores or anything else. Make a list of who they are. Now write
When an organization faces big challenges such as a huge loss of market share, a public image crisis at the senior leadership level, a shift
Do you compare yourself to others when setting goals? We live in a competitive world, both personally and professionally. It’s difficult not to constantly be
Decisive leaders are valued. They make decisions and go with it, and seemingly never look back. How often have you heard from colleagues about
In this article, I cover why the business management skill of planning is an overlooked and important skill you need to run any business effectively.
I’ve been writing business plans and project plans for as long as I can remember. Early in my career, I was running a quality control
When it comes to business planning we often use return on investment or ROI to determine if we are allocating our money in the best
One of the most challenging aspects of communication is having those ‘difficult conversations’. Examples of those difficult conversations might be: Critiquing a colleague’s work Talking
Why It’s Important to Pay Attention to Partner Relationships. We are a disposable society and it’s easy to simply toss away partner relationships that aren’t
If you hate negotiation, you are not alone. Even though this is a critical business skill, many people find it uncomfortable. They don’t like confrontation, and
Leaders are encouraged to know the answers. In fact, in some organizations, those who don’t or who aren’t willing to give their opinions are frowned
Every company I know wants a high-performance culture. Leaders want employees to be highly productive and perform their jobs well. Makes sense, for sure. The
I work with a lot of people and companies on improving their communication skills. Whether a company or individual hires me because there is a
Let me ask you…do you think you need to improve your communication skills? Whether you realize it or not, words you use in conversations make
Effective communication skills in the workplace seem to not be a priority…Have you noticed how emails, texts, and group teleconferencing are slowly replacing face to
Each of us wants to believe we are successful communicators. Truth be told, though, when things don’t work out as we expected we want to
Is there anything more frustrating than to have gone through a series of interviews, identified a candidate you like, spent time doing reference and/or background
Recently, I wrote an article titled Everything Starts with Hiring Right. The article focuses on how hiring the right people impacts everything else that works or
What does this title mean, Everything Starts with Hiring Right? When I owned a recruiting firm, I always said that the single biggest asset a company
For the last several years YPO (Young President’s Organization) has held a “Raising Capital Conference” to teach entrepreneurs and CEOs who want to raise venture
There will always be workplace conflict, there is no getting around this fact. The question is, however, what is management’s role in creating employee conflict,
Executives and leaders know the importance of consistent execution, so why do they frequently not stick with the plan and company strategy they originally created?
Do you think leaders are born with courage and confidence and maybe even believe that they wouldn’t be leaders if they didn’t have this? If
Closed deals are important, let’s not pretend otherwise. However, sales activity starts the process, and you can’t close deals without the activity. I know this
Back in the old days, good customer service was the expected norm. I say back in the old days because it seems that it was
If you are older than twelve, someone in your life has talked to you about setting goals. I picked the age of twelve because
In this article, I want to share with you sales skills lessons that I wish I had learned earlier in my career so you can
There are a lot of myths about selling, sales, and business development that I want to dispel in this article. Not everything you’ve heard is
I can’t begin to tell you how challenging 2016 was for me at many levels. Seemed like everything we wanted to do at Incedo got
Resumes and Interviews The job of anyone interviewing is to paint the best possible picture of themselves to you, the interviewer. I read a statistic
Of all your corporate assets, employees are the most valuable. It doesn’t matter whether you offer a premier product or service, if you are first
Top Talent is Difficult to Find Every organization wants top talent. We all want employees who are technically outstanding, great communicators, team players, have positive
The Advantages of Diversity Co-workers with diverse backgrounds bring unique experiences and perceptions to the table. This diverse knowledge and skills can strengthen the productivity
Diversity is a hot topic for many corporations and something to pay attention to regardless of the size of your company. Great leadership means recognizing
Dictionary.com defines diversity as variety, difference or unlikeness. That certainly covers a lot of ground. I want to talk about diversity from many angles so you
For many of us, the “American Dream” has been translated to mean owning your own business, calling the shots yourself, answering to no one. Many
Nothing is more important than building relationships. Your relationships with your employees, customers, and vendors all play a critical role in growing your business. But
It’s that time of the year again. Internship season! In some cases, its campus fair season, too. Every year, tons of universities host annual career
No business is immune to the high cost of employee turnover. Even multinationals lose thousands of dollars, as much as one year of an employee’s
Comcast changing a customer’s name to a**hole brown after trying to cancel a subscription, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and General Motor’s massive recalls –these are
Today’s headlines are full of negativity. Oil price is tanking, China’s boom is over, and Target is closing yet another dozen locations. Businesses, big and
Building a business has a steep learning curve, one that has a high opportunity cost. That opportunity cost may come in the form of losing
There’s an alarming myth making rounds in the business world: fast growing businesses have found the recipe for success. I can’t blame the admiration, and
Business partnerships, like most romantic relationships, start with dating (finding potential partners, and checking for a perfect fit), progresses to a honeymoon (trial phase) and
Succession planning is one of the most overlooked responsibilities of the company’s board. That’s why the sudden departure of the CEO causes many a company
Recently I was having a conversation with one of my daughters about what it takes to get ahead in life. It was a deep conversation,
When I was writing this article I found myself distracted. Distracted by my email, the phone ringing, people IMing me, some thought I had to
Over the last couple of months I keeping hearing the word ‘trust’ used. As in “I don’t trust my partner” or “How can I know
I guess this is my month for rants. Gosh I hope I’m not coming across as a complainer as that’s not the message I want
Life’s lessons are all around us if we take the time to notice them. I tend to pay attention and thus I suspect I’m attuned
Recently I hired someone to help me with a piece of my business I couldn’t manager myself. For two years I attempted to handle myself
Today’s business world is volatile and it’s often difficult to determine what we should do next. Just as the stock market seems to be moving
So many organizations have remote teams, multiple locations, or employees working virtually these days. I want to state right up front that I have limited
When you improve your communications skills, the impact to your organization is huge. Why do I say that? Here are some examples of how improving
A couple of months ago I wrote a blog post on why it’s necessary to improve your presentation skills. If you missed it, you can
FounderDating, a website designed to help entrepreneurs connect with each other for mentoring, business partnerships and JV ventures is gaining traction in the startup community.
Recruitment and human resources has evolved over the years. Before, almost everything was done in paper: resumes, contracts, cover letters, memos, circulars, but now almost
Last week we talked about how communication affects everything that works or doesn’t in an organization. This week I want to discuss how communication is
They say having a business partner is like having a second spouse. I guess they’re right, a business partnership is pretty much like a marriage
BYOD stands for Bring Your Own Device (tablet, laptop, smart phone); a trend in corporate culture change steadily sneaking its way into offices, big and
Know your customers and know your business, perhaps those two commandments are the most worn out mantras in the business world. But there’s another, lesser
Talking about money has a big impact on hiring and retention of employees. A recent CareerBuilder survey found out that only about 11% of employers
Team building in the workplace is important but it’s not the solution to every problem in your company. Team building activities are there to help
Employee problems are inevitable; even the world’s most employee-friendly companies are not immune to it. Among all employee problems, perhaps one of the most difficult
Developing employees is a major concern of any organization, but with the current mix of employees, specifically fresh graduates and the millennials, it’s hard to
What’s the first thing most entrepreneurs write when starting a business? A business plan. These plans are often comprehensive, detailing what they will do during
Family business succession planning may not be very popular, but it’s certainly picking up the pace. Mom and pop businesses are thriving and it’s slowly
When an employee resigns for whatever reasons, it is called employee turnover. It is a measure used by the management to evaluate the health of
Let’s get realistic here for a second. Do exit interviews really work? Yes, you can gather information about an employee’s decision to leave during an
I’m sure you often hear of companies making a significant profits, product advancements, or business expansions, and yet, are criticized by investors and Wall Street
All successful business strategies are founded on certain guiding principles, like Google’s famous maxim, “You can make money without doing evil.” Whatever your line of
Many entrepreneurs treat their business like their child, and like mothers, they have trouble letting go. They’re overprotective; they want to be involved in every
All businesses regardless of their size and market should have goals. This sounds obvious enough, but some entrepreneurs don’t take the time to focus on
The applicant interview is the most critical part of the hiring process. After looking over an impressive resume, the next step is to look deeper
How happy are the people in your organization? Are they happy because they have a job? Or are they happy, as in happy? Do you
Many managers and business owners do not realize that an unorganized recruitment and hiring process can drain your company’s time, effort, and money. Often times
We’ve heard it all too often, managers assuring the organization that their employees are the most important part of the business. But why is it
Executive coaching is no meager investment, and it does come with risks. Companies pay for executive coaching to hone the leadership skills of their senior
It’s time for a mid-year business evaluation and planning. This is when executives and leaders gather to discuss the organization’s accomplishments, challenges, and what if
Negotiation is a skill that you can learn, it’s not an elusive skill given only to those who were “chosen.” If you want to start
The Challenge: You have a small or medium business, so you often lose top recruits to big name companies. Let’s face it; you can’t exactly
Gone are the days where the most powerful and most influential corporations reside in the first world countries like US and UK. Businesses are booming
Every employee needs some sort of motivation every now and then, and in the corporate world, this is best done through reward system. Employee job
Employee promotion isn’t only about a salary raise or a change in position name, a promotion means bigger responsibilities, managing people, and taking on more
Employees have their weaknesses and bad habits. Some are likely to procrastinate; others have problems with coming to work on time, or are constantly absent,
So much more is expected from managers and leaders today. You are supposed to be skilled leading people to get results. One of the most
Employee salaries constitute almost half of your monthly business expenses. The bigger your business, the more people you need to employ to run its day-to-day
One of the most important steps in setting up your business is creating a corporate structure. There are certain misconceptions as to what a corporate
Anyone can turn out to be a problem employee for different reasons. There are instances when an employee is responsible for the problem, while in
Employees are the cornerstone of every company. When they perform well, the company soars, but when they start to lag behind and neglect their duties,
The advent of social networking sites has revolutionized the way managers and company owners approach hiring and retention. Facebook and Twitter has now become a
When your company isn’t as profitable as you had expected and you have tried to cut costs in all departments, but still, it seems that
Every company manager has to deal with employee resignation eventually. The best and the brightest could have chosen to leave your side due to a
Don’t you just hate it when someone whose qualifications and personality have impressed you during the interview, can turn out to be a constant source