Just got done having coffee over the past two days with two great guys, both of whom are doing all the right things in this difficult economy…leveraging their strengths and networking.  Gary Greene, President of Greene Resources (www.greeneresources.com) and Barry Leffler, President and General Manager of NBC here in Raleigh (www.nbc17.com).  During the course of the conversation, the objective was simple - find out about each others business and see how we might be able to help each other out.  What was great is both instances produced some to do’s, referrals, good reads, other people who may help us, even a referral for one of their wives to help out a friend of mine.  It is incredibly productive to simply meet people and not sound like pitching your product.  Just listen and try to help them and you’ll be surprised how the seeds you plant today will generate fruit in the near future.

Unbelievable day in Chicago working with one of my favorite clients who needed to close business.  We started off the day with everyone changing their shoes with someone else in the room for the purpose of understanding what it’s like to “walk in your customer’s shoes.”  We ended the day with everyone changing their behaviors and closing a total of $2.9 million and an additional $600,000 of up sale business.  AND THIS WAS OVER 50 DEALS!!

This was an incredible day all put together in less than 24 hours!!

The facts:

$8 Million in HOT LIST

$2.9 Million sold

$1.2 Million qualified out

$950,000 - will confirm yes or no by Friday

$2.95 million - no response back as of yet

GREAT JOB IN CLEANING UP THE FORECAST!!!

I can’t remember a day where this much energy and production happened.  Congratulations!!!

Got the name Johnny Lotion a few weeks ago due to the fact I was putting sun block/lotion on my face prior to golfing on a hot sunny day.  And I referenced it on stage when there was a picture of Tiger Woods and an older man handing him a trophy and my face was super-imposed.  Of course, the hands looked 103, so hence, another joke about lotion needed in the mock up picture.

I know…I know…whatever.

Anyway, THANK YOU to the over 1,000 people who I was fortunate enough to speak to in the last 72 hours from the company Daiichi Sankyo.  Their enthusiasm and passion was just incredible!!  Actually, it was OUTSTANDING!!  The most amazing “tour” I have ever done!!  Yes, it was only 3 days - New Jersey, Orlando, Myrtle Beach, 3 Hotels, 3 days, over 1,000 people.

But the people were incredible!!  Bet the ranch on this company.  They are the real deal!!  Thanks again to all of you.

A wonderful story about a woman who gave away my CD’s to help somebody else.  It made us brainstorm and we said we’re always talking about trying to help other people but let’s now do something about it.  I think too many times we talk about things but we don’t actually do them.  So now we have a new policy in place where anytime you take our CD’s and give them to somebody else to help them, we will replace them for you for free.  It’s all about just helping people and we make sure we fit in line with that as well.

Thanks again Carrie!!

I just spent two days at the University of Florida attending and speaking at a basketball coaches clinic.  It was such a privilege to meet all those involved with the Gators as well as the other NBA and NCAA teams in attendance.  These coaches work in such a competitive and challenging industry and I was very impressed (and a little surprised!) with how self-less the group was.  Everyone was there with one purpose - to help each other by sharing information and learning what works and what doesn’t.

There is a lot of joy that comes from working with organizations who don’t make it about themselves and instead strive to help others.  I am happy to say that I am seeing more and more of this and it was absolutely the case at the University of Florida.  Our company recently had the opportunity to donate sales training to the American Red Cross.  Being able to assist them in fulfilling their mission to help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies in the community helped them enormously, but the point I want to make is that by helping others, (as Keith Ferrazzi says, “without keeping score”) our company has grown faster than it ever would have if we chose to make it all about us.

At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.  Helping people.  If you focus on that, the business will come.  It may not happen in 5 minutes, or 5 months, but it WILL happen.

This weekend was nothing but fun.  I spent my time caddying for my son Jack and going to see a 3-D movie with my daughter Gracie…it doesn’t get much better than that!

It’s times like these when you truly begin to realize what’s important in your life.  I think too many times with our crazy schedules and workloads, we have a tendency to forget.

So now it’s back on the road…up to Boston for some chowda and to go work with good people at QAS.

Have fun and be outstanding!

4:25 am…Just got to the hotel…what a night.

8:00 pm flight out of Raleigh takes off at 11:15 pm.  Storms in Chicago force a diversion to St. Louis.  Sit in St. Louis for almost 2 hours.  Take off and land in Chicago at approximately 3 am (4 am my time.  Ouch!)

O’Hare looks like someone is having the world’s largest slumber party.  People in cots everywhere.  Hertz has over 100 people waiting for their cars because their names aren’t on the board.  Oh yeah, ONE person is working the counter.  Not sure if you saw that.  Let me type it again.  ONE!!!!!

Outstanding.  Trying to stay positive.  The 12 Diet Cokes I consumed on the St. Louis tarmac are starting to wear off…right along with my patience.

I jump BACK into the Hertz bus to head back to the airport to get a cab.  But, yes, I am smart.  I get off the bus outside the airport because I know how bad the line will be at O’Hare to get a cab.  And yes, it works.  I grab a cab in 2 minutes before it enters the large holding bin that all cabbies must go through to get into O’Hare.  (I’m so money, right?  WRONG!)

I take my cab ride all the way out to the suburbs, get to my hotel, open the trunk of the cab to find the luggage I grabbed off of the Hertz bus is not mine.  OUTSTANDING!!!!

The gentleman, a great guy from SAP, picks up his cell phone (his number was on his bag tag) and says, “Hi.  I don’t know your name, but this better be the guy who has my luggage!”  I said I was sorry and he said, “Yes, I have your luggage.  I wasn’t going home empty handed.”

I asked him where he was and he said, “I am STILL at the cab stand waiting for a cab!!”

OUTSTANDING!  WOW!!

I then tell him to do what I did, get out of the airport and grab a cab.  I pay for him to come to my hotel and we finally get our luggage exchanged at 4 am.  Get to bed at 4:30.  Training starts at 8 (and yes, they don’t care…it’s showtime).

OUTSTANDING!

P.S. Could have been worse.  Not sure how, but I’m sure it could have been…

Night…

I recently watched HBO’s Inside Sports with Bryant Gumble.  They had a special on Lenny Dykstra, the former baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies.  Great story!!

Here is a guy who had an epiphany.  When he retired from baseball in the 90’s, he found out most of the millions he made had dwindled down to 400K.  No, nothing illegal; just bad investments by an investment broker.  He then walked out of the meeting and said, “I will never have that happen to me again.”  He took a year to study the market, read everything he could on investing and began to build an empire which is now worth millions.  Example: He just sold three car washes for $55 Million!  The point is - and he makes this claim as well -  you can do ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHING if you have the desire and you love what you do.  Ask yourself…do you LOVE what you do?  Not just like it…I mean flat out LOVE what you do?  What do you love?  Speaking, writing, art, driving, travel, selling, making money, investing, managing people, numbers, recognition, animals, deep sea diving, geology…we all love something.  You just have to dig deep within yourself and figure it out!  When you do, you have to be obsessed by it!  For example, a friend of mine is a marketing genius.  He can’t look at a gum wrapper without thinking about how he can make that a marketing message.  He’s the kind of guy that fast forwards TO the commercials, not past them, with his TiVo.  You gotta love what you do!!!

In Chicago at the Bob Panzino Memorial Golf Outing. Bob was a dear friend of ours who died 9 years ago from brain cancer at the young age of 44.

He lived life to the fullest and his friends have carried on his legacy by holding a golf tournament each year to raise money for cancer research. It still amazes me how much people want to help out.

This Friday, we had 72 foursomes. That’s 288 golfers all raising money in the memory of one man. Pretty special. Quick question: What do you want your legacy to be?

Tim Russert reminded all of us how fragile life is.

Off to Dayton, OH.  While driving to the airport, needed gas.  At $4 plus for a gallon of gas, thought I had to give them my mother’s maiden name and fill out a credit application just to get to 3/4 of a tank.

Leaving Raleigh where it’s 102.  Landing in Cincinnati where it’s 91.  Where’s my scarf!