What are you enthusiastic about?

Think of all the people that you come into contac with every day. Do they greet you with enthusiasm? Are they interested in what you have to say to them?

How many people do the things they do every day with enthusiasm? I don't necessarily mean outward obvious signs of enthusiasm but sincere eagerness to be open and sharing with others. It is so gratifying when you know that a person you speak with is really interested in you and what you have to say.

As we go through our day, whether it be at work, at play or at home, things would go so much better if we were enthusiastic about what we are doing. The golden rule does apply here, show the kind of enthusiasm that you would like to receive. Give it some consideration.

Magnetic Christianity

In an earlier post, I mentioned tht Catholic Channel on Sirius XM 129 and the morning show hosted by Gus Lloyd. The name of the show is Seize the Day and I recommend it for your morning listening.

Gus has also written a very informative and inspirational book titled Magnetic Christianity - Using Your God-Given Gifts to Build the Kingdom. That is what all Christians are called to do. Having read about one-third of the book so far, I can strongly recommend it.

There are many similarities to the t book called Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly. This is another strongly recommended book.

Branding

Branding is key to any business. Increasing brand awareness causes more customers to know about your products and thus your sales will increase. To read more about business branding please see my other blog http://hydraulicspneumatics.com/blog/michael-ferences-blog-publisher-hp

However, I believe that branding in way actually applies to every individual. Let's only consider the positive side here. Everything about a person is part of their image or, in a sense, their personal brand. Your appearance, actions, and beliefs all make up your personal image or brand.

You are probably not selling a product necessarily but we are constantly selling our best self to others because that is who we want them to know.  Consider your overall self as your brand.  What do you want to do with it?

Some paranoia and repetition

Productive paranoia is what Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen refer to in their book Great By Choice referring to being very vigilant in taking care of all the details in business. Making all the preparations and having redundant plans for success make sense when managaing your business.

Maintaining your process with careful attention and being prepaed for any and all problems allow a business to survive and perhaps thrive in difficult times. It is safe to say that all businesses can expect difficult times to come their way. Being "extra" prepared allows them to manage these challenges.

As for repetition, it also makes sense for a business to figure out what works and being able to replicate it again and again over a long period of time. When a process works, there is less need for change. This is also very true in the field of sales. Repeated service, needs analysis, gathering and using important intelligence all help a sales rep to serve customers.

Seize the Day

When I signed up for Sirius XM radio, I did it because I knew that I would like the music choices. And I do. The factor that I did not expect was that my favorite station would be a mostly talk station and that is Sirius XM 129 The Catholic Channel.

I have mentioned The Catholic Guy which is one of my favorite shows. It is on in the afternoon drive-time and is hosted by Lino Rulli who I have posted about before. Lino and Father Rob have a great show.

Another excellent show on The Catholic Channel takes place every morning Monday through Friday and it is called Seize the Day. It is hosted by Gus Lloyd who does a fantastic job of discussing and explaining Catholic beliefs and practices. On the show, Gus, his guests, and call-in participants discuss many current topics relating to our Catholic beliefs.

Gus always shows the utmost respect to all guests and I find that very impressive. In addition, Gus reads and reflects on the daily Scriptures which I also find very helpful and inspiring. I strongly recommend Seize the Day on Sirius XM 129 The Catholic Channel. Keep up the great work Gus!

It all begins with selling

I have been involved with business for over three decades and directly in sales for most of the time. I have visited many companies and have reviewed their businesses and have studied books on selling. One observation that I can easily make is in line with the old saying that "nothing happens until somebody sells something."

There are many essential parts to a business. Accounting and Finance are necessary for the function of a business. But, without sales, there will be nothing to account for. Designing and producing products that are innovative, useful, and available is what makes a business what it is. However, no matter how good your product is or how fast it is made, without sales they are useless.

Human Resources, Payroll, Maintenance, and Management are all important. Without sales, there will be no business to manage, no reason to maintain machinery, and no resources to maintain a workforce. Our jobs depend upon sales. Let's give our due respect to salespeople. Selling is one of the oldest and noblest professions.

Applying Specific Wisdom

In business and in your personal life, you gain specific wisdom. In business, after applying certain principles and strategies to your business, you learn what works and what doesn't. It is similar to the bullets then cannonballs theory explained in Great By Choice by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen.

You use intelligence from experience to apply best practices to your business. That is using specific wisdom in business. In your personal life, of course, you gain some wisdom and intel every single day.

Again, applying what works to make your life more successful is an application of specific wisdom. It makes sense to keep and use knowledge to make all future decisions rather than guessing all of the time on the right decision.