The Blog - Where Business Collides with Human Nature

Book Review: Win Forever—Live, Work and Play Like a Champion - by Pete Carroll with Yogi Roth

I am not a big sports fan and I am certainly not a fan of athletes as heroes. But I have been intrigued by Pete Carroll of the Seahawks. I read that he views his job as making everyone in the Seahawks organization the best they can be. That is how I view the job of any business manager. Which led me to wanting to know more about Carroll’s management style.

Which led me to this book.

Topics: Recommended Books Leadership Guest Writer Motivation

Outliers - the Story of Success & How Talent is Overrated

You’ve heard about the 10,000 hour rule (introduced by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers - the Story of Success). K. Anders Ericsson discovered that elite music performers—more specifically classical violinists—all had one thing in common and it was at least 10,000 hours of practice before becoming a professional.

Topics: Guerrilla Marketing Business Success Recommended Books Personal Development

B2B Websites Holiday Traffic Comparison

The slideshow below reviews the last 36 months from random websites to consider B2B website traffic trends.  Consider these as you answer "Does it matter?" or "Let's take it easy, no one cares".

Considerations:

The charts show 36 months of history. Some websites will only show what is available.

These charts are from B2B websites, and each company have a different level of engagement along with a unique marketing strategy.

All of the websites from this random selection use HubSpot. The reports are from the “Sources” tool inside the all-in-one marketing system.

Topics: Recommended Books Marketing Trends

Spot Pyramid Schemes Before You Sign Up

If you’ve ever been told that you could make easy money and it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Pyramid schemes often sound like enticing business deals, but fraudsters may use this “business model” - to take advantage of you.

"The SEC’s guidance on pyramid schemes advises investors to “exercise caution...if what is being sold is speculative or appears inappropriately priced.” But experts say this can be difficult to judge.

Pyramid-scheme operators have “learned the techniques of saying we’re a legitimate company,” by purporting to want to make money mostly from sales, rather than new recruits, said Joseph Mariano, chief of the Direct Selling Association.

There is no hard-and-fast test of whether a scheme is legitimate, according to lawyers. Instead, the decision rests on what is often a complicated analysis of revenues and other factors. “It can be like nailing Jell-O to a tree proving they’re pyramids,” said Kevin Thompson, an attorney for multilevel-marketing companies." - WSJ,com

Before you invest your time and money, it’s important to ask good questions and research the company.

Here are some typical characteristics of a pyramid scheme:

  • Emphasis on recruiting
  • No genuine product or service is sold
  • Promises of high returns in a short period of time
  • Easy money or “passive income” (money you earn without doing anything)
  • No demonstrated revenue from retail sales
Topics: Recommended Books Legal Pyramid Scheme

Advice for Someone With Expertise, but Afraid to Market and Sell

This topic relates to almost anyone, not just entrepreneurs. If you have a job and a quota, this can still work. Entrepreneurs have a harder time because there is no one standing over their head holding them accountable. Entrepreneurs create their own obstacles since feelings, emotions and comfort levels can have a more dramatic impact until a personal commitment and discipline takes over. 

If you or someone you know has experience, wisdom and high expertise but is afraid to market or sell their products or services, here is a bit of advice:

Topics: Guerrilla Marketing Marketing Selling Recommended Books Personal Development

Achieving an Excellent Culture or a World Class Product - Which Comes First?

An excellent culture might be perceived as a form of "perfection".  At what point does one draw the line, point and say: "Now we have achieved an excellent culture." Once the line is drawn, the excellence achieved, a few will be looking over their shoulder more worried about the achievement of culture vs. the people, purpose and profit of the organization.

Do you look around an organization you lead, are a member of or work for and ask yourself "how long will I put up with this?"  If so, you will not find the answers internally. The answers are external and yes, you can have an impact on the culture at almost any level.

Defined: Organizational culture is the behavior of humans within an organization and the meaning that people attach to those behaviors.

Topics: Recommended Books Leadership Entrepreneurship Business Culture

Pink Bat - Turning Problems into Solutions for Business Success

The Pink Bat Movie by Michael McMillan is a whiteboard video.  

Michael McMillan is not selling a book, he is promoting an idea.  He teaches concepts found within the book and will leave you wanting more.  Instead of a pitch about the book, he spends the time on the topic at hand:  "Do you see problems or do you see solutions?" 

Topics: Guerrilla Marketing Recommended Books Leadership

You Have 5 Brains According to "Conversational Intelligence" by Judith E. Glaser

Creating new success is not based on working harder, longer and focusing on what we know. Our current skill and knowledge may in fact become a barrier to success.  

"We are limited more by what we know than what we don't know."
- Judith E. Glaser

You have learned from Marilyn Schoeman about how to change the way others connect with you by using words and a mindset that are "Greenlight". By now, her book has changed your life.

As you evolve as a leader, you may want to improve your understanding about how the brain works.  To do so, you will turn to Judith E. Glaser who has written the book "Conversational Intelligence - How Great Leaders BUILD TRUST and Get Extraordinary Results".  

She will tell you that in fact, you have 5 brains, each with their own function.  

Topics: Recommended Books Leadership

Harvard Professor Shares a Reality About Wealth

If you believe we live in a world of transparency, you might be correct.  Unfortunately, understanding the difference between facts and fiction is very difficult.  You don't truly know what to believe about almost anything on the Internet.  

Topics: Statistics Business Success Recommended Books

The Top 10 Techniques for Building Quick Rapport with Anyone

"It's Not All About Me: The Top Ten Techniques for Building Quick Rapport with Anyone" - Robin Dreeke

I know exactly what you are looking for: 

More cooperation, more people listening to you, more respect, more people saying 'yes' and more obedience from your kids (if you have kids).

The world gets more difficult to manage because those you come in contact with are more likely to hold the hand out with palm up with the hope of getting something. What you hope for is more people extending a hand as a greeting. 

No need to look further because Robin Dreeke is here to help you build a quick rapport with others.  Robin isn't just any basement author who wrote a book about a few ideas.  Robin Dreeke was in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s elite Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program (BAP).  As you read his bio, you will see that he was tasked to recruit spies. 

Topics: Networking Guerrilla Marketing Recommended Books Leadership

Not the Same Old Garden Path - How we can literally think differently

As we age, neuroscientists tell us, our thoughts and patterns become more ingrained.  The way our brains process, sort and ultimately respond to questions is akin to taking the same path through the garden over and over.  We get to know the path very well, and it becomes familiar to us. As long as the problems we face are familiar, so are our approaches to solving these problems. We are in our intellectual “comfort zones.” 

What happens if our efforts to solve a problem aren’t producing innovative results? The thought might occur to us, “How do I go about thinking differently?”  When we are asked to deviate from the paths ingrained in our minds, it may seem like an interesting notion, but here’s where the going gets tough.  Despite trying to think differently, we typically end up with little to show for our efforts.  Our steps continue to lead us down the same old garden path.

Topics: Innovation Recommended Books Inspiration Entrepreneurship

Unlocking Generational CODES by Anna Liotta

Whether you’re a Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, Gen Xer, or Millennial (Gen Y), Unlocking Generational Codes by Anna Liotta will change how you perceive others and enhance your relationships with everyone you know.

Topics: Guerrilla Marketing Recommended Books Leadership Human Resources