Travel is fatal to prejudice

April 12th, 2010

There is a Mark Twain saying, “Travel is fatal to prejudice.”  I have always liked Mr. Twain’s quote and find much truth in the remark.  This last weekend Mr. Twain’s quote hit me in the face as I traveled and spent time in South Florida.  I travel frequently to Florida and much like other northern weather refugees; I wear blinders and see only the sun, water and the recreation I want to experience.  Before my last visit, I saw Florida as the home of “hanging” chads, Mickey Mouse, retirees, “Girls Gone Wild” (Spring Break Video) and this country’s hurricane magnet.  I have always had great interaction with the residents of Florida but nothing in depth or of the curiosity nature.  I was always focused on vacation and not Florida’s people or culture.  After Saturday night, things changed.   Read More

Potty Training Prospects

April 5th, 2010

I’m sorry but I giggled out loud when this title came to me.  Potty training prospects, are you serious Aaron?  Well….kind of.

One of my favorite Sandler rules is “Your meter is always running.” When I am at home with the family I can stop thinking about work for the most part but the piece that drives my wife crazy is the correlation to everything in sales. Here is what I mean….just last week we hit a milestone at the Prickel-household, our soon to be 3 year old son is finally potty trained.  This did not come easy for us, we tried on 2-3 separate occasions to potty train him and it failed causing us to question what we were doing wrong.  We tried various methods that worked for our close family and friends (reward method, set timer method etc) with no luck. Read More

Break the Routine and Take a Risk

March 29th, 2010

Who has ever been in that safe place called your comfort zone? You are doing well but for some reason are not 100% happy yet for some reason you do not strive for more. Maybe you blame an individual o r a situation –what the company is doing is unfair or that person suffocates me. For some reason every excuse comes to mind but the truth is that you are simply caught in your comfort zone. It is easier to stay here than do something about it. Read More

Presentation Before Diagnosis is Sales Malpractice

March 23rd, 2010

Every once in a while we do things that help us learn a lesson or make for a great teaching moment, I am 99% positive my Dad did not have this planned out but it was a great lesson and one I am passing down to others. Read More

Professional Maturity Starts With Being Self-Aware

March 18th, 2010

To me professional maturity is having self awareness and personal insight on how to act accordingly.

The other day my 8 year old son Bennett spilled his milk during dinner as he usually does about one time per week. Despite repeated suggestions by his mother and me to place his cup of milk to the upper right of his eating plate, Bennett continues to set his drink just outside his right elbow and close to the edge of the table. Can you picture the setting? Because of Bennett’s age and his relative maturity level, he will repeat the process of occasional spills until he grows older and begins to form self-awareness. Read More

Prospects Want Solutions Not Fancy Presentations

March 18th, 2010

Many salespeople believe that great presentations will always result in great deals, but often presentations have little to do with whether or not a prospect buys the product. Prospects are looking for solutions to their problems, not fancy presentations. The only time that a presentation sells a deal like the salesperson wants is when they happen to meet all of the prospect’s needs in their presentation (or with their product). Read More

Behavior Accountability Partner

March 8th, 2010

As some of you may know I am training for the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon taking place in May. I
The training program I am doing is pretty intense as has been the lovely Indianapolis snowy and cold weather this year which has made the long runs quite challenging. A couple weekends ago I had 11 miles to run and the weather was less than desirable – single digit wind chills and snow. My running partner sent me a text the night before saying she was going to be staying indoors to run and I about lost it. Read More

People Like Being Around the Wise and not the Victim

March 1st, 2010

I once heard a saying, “Wisdom is when you run out of personal options.”  After hearing this saying, I have found it to be a useful way to pacify myself when I am experiencing adversity.  More than now, I used to have a “you did it to me” mentality, choosing to be a victim rather than a person who just experienced a life situation.  Don’t get me wrong—I still act victimized at times, but as I have grown older, I tend to react to adversity differently.  Today, my mindset says, “This was done for me. What is the lesson, and how can I use it to move forward?”  Though a tough mindset to have, it has helped me through some of the most difficult times of my life.  I have learned that wisdom is a mindset without victims!   Read More

Stop & Smell the Roses…Or Else!

February 22nd, 2010

Have you ever felt that the universe was talking to you?  Maybe you know what I mean; it’s that message that keeps recurring in your mind and you have no idea of its origin but its incessant message remains constant.  At first we might dismiss the possible meanings and then out of nowhere, it hits you—the meaning, the message and the lesson.   Read More

The Heart Speaks First and the Head Speaks Second

February 16th, 2010

Have you ever been caught up in the guilt-purpose trap?  It is the trap where your guilt becomes so loud within your being that it eclipses your purpose that you feel deep within you.  We all are pre-wired to have a God-given purpose in life. Our primarily purpose involves each one of us to experience joy.  Our heart, when we listen to it tells us without question what authentically causes joy; but soon thereafter we begin to hear what our head says.  Read More