“Hello, ABC company, how can I help you?”

Just the other day I called a service provider of mine and the employee answered the phone politely but did not meet my requirements, why?

She answered: “Hello, ABC company, how can I help you?”

OK….what’s wrong with that?.....How about a name?!

And yes I have heard all the excuses.
…women are afraid to give out their first names…
…some employees think it is a violation of their privacy…

You know what I say to those excuses… bologna oil!

In the words of Dr. Tony Alessandra, "Treat others the way they want to be treated."
And yes, I am a customer or a potential customer on the other end of the phone and I would appreciate a name so I know to whom I am speaking with.

Thank you, this is Bob Gambone and yes, you can help me, here is how…

Where’s the Rolodex?

I know, it’s a little outdated with all the new technology, but the concept I want to share with you is the same.

Living in the corporate world for 36 years I was spoiled, yes spoiled.

When I needed a professional’s help all I had to do was search the company’s directory or my own Rolodex and wha-laa!; Legal Dept. Real-Estate, Accounting, IT, Marketing, Advertising, Business Consulting, Training, HR, etc…all at my fingertips.

Fast forward to today… Hey, I am an entrepreneur!...I own my own business…guess what? no more corporate Rolodex.

NO PROBLEM! I have something so much better…I have found BNI (Business Network International), and The Referral Institute… tremendous organizations that have introduced me to the process of building my own team with people I can trust.

ATTENTION Business Owners / Entrepreneurs! Being your own boss is a lifetime dream, right? Yes!.... but it can get “lonely at the top”. I know, I have been there, done that!

Don’t procrastinate… do yourself a huge favor and build your team with people you not only know and like, but most importantly--- you can trust.

Please contact me for more information about getting YOUR TEAM started.

Remember; T.E.A.M : Together Everyone Achieves More!

email: bobgambone@bobgambone.com or call me anytime 412-491-7317

Paralysis by Analysis

----------------------- Top 10 Posting -----------------------------


PROCRASTINATION!!!

Calling all Entrepreneurs!....why do we do this?!

Yes, it is good that we examine things.
Yes , we need to be patient and cultivate business relationships.
Yes, we need to do our due diligence with respect to weighing our options.

But what I am talking about is; when the ball is in our hand, not a defensive player is in sight, our Team is surrounding us, and yet, we are afraid to run!?
… because we might trip, fumble, or not make it to the end zone?

*** Here are 7 great quotes about procrastination.
Read them, and then read them again…and oh by the way…read them one more time.

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
Abraham Lincoln

“How soon not now, becomes never.”
Martin Luther (1483-1546) German priest and scholar.

"Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy."
Wayne Gretzky

"Even if you’re on the right track-you’ll get run over if you just sit there."
Will Rogers

“One of these days, is none of these days.”
Proverb

“I remember reading somewhere about an organization called Procrastinators Anonymous. I think they had been in existence for some years but had never gotten around to having a meeting.”
Unknown Source

“By not making a decision, you have made one.”
Bob Gambone - The Pecan Pie Guy.

*** So come on entrepreneurs! Get the lead out of your butt and make a run for it!!!

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Now Available...My Book!

Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!"

BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM --click on link below.
http://lnkd.in/TNNzBM

“Copyright (2-26 -2011) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

The Power of Passionate Enthusiasm!

We all know great storytellers.

Whether it is a family member, friend, or a business associate… when they speak, we listen and with great anticipation.

I have always been intrigued by a great storyteller because of their ability to retell a story over and over again while sustaining the attention of their audience…I attributed that skill to a great memory.

Well....about 3 weeks ago, I had an “Oh Wow!" moment.

I was privileged to be part of a training session conducted by Ivan R. Misner, PhD. (founder of BNI, the world’s largest networking organization).

Ivan had just completed telling a story to the class, one that I know I have heard him tell at least 9 times.

After the applause quieted down, I asked Ivan;
“Ivan, how do you do it? How do you retell a story over and over again with the same passion and enthusiasm?”

Ivan looked all of us in the eye and said… “Never retell a story, RELIVE IT!”

Snow Storms and Heros

The recent blizzards and ice storms remind me of that crazy day in March 1993, when the city of Pittsburgh shut down. I was a store manager for Giant Eagle in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. We kept the store open as long as we could so that customers could stock up on necessities.

The snow continued to fall and all of a sudden we realized that the 24 employees, that were still working, were stranded.

We had no protocol for this emergency. Now I know what your are thinking…we would not starve…correct, but my team needed a place to sleep.

Not far away was a hotel, actually within walking distance, so we called to book some rooms.

SOLD OUT! ...due to the storm…wow, what to do.

I gathered my team and we brainstormed ideas for sleeping arrangements.

Shawn, a challenged employee with a very serious stutter, came up with the solution:

---We called the hotel to rent blankets, they had 30 available.
---We used full cases of paper towels for bedding.
---Men slept in the front common area of the store, the women slept in the backroom.
---The store manager, me, was assigned to make breakfast.

All went well…the store reopened at 2pm the next day.

So what is the morale of this story?

Shawn rarely spoke, he was challenged in doing so, but on that day, at that moment, he did speak.
Shawn became a hero that day and was never afraid to speak up again.

We all learn something new everyday, and sometimes from those we least expect.
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***This is just a sample!... if you would like a full-slice of "Pecans of Wisdom",
be sure to indulge yourself in my new book:
"Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order

"BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM --click on link below.http://lnkd.in/TNNzBM

“Copyright (2-1 -2011) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

You! Can Make It Happen.

They Did Not Give Up ...

Thomas Edison's teachers said he was "too stupid to learn anything." He was fired from his first two jobs for being "non-productive." As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4-years-old and did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was "sub-normal," and one of his teachers described him as "mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in foolish dreams." He was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the world reknown Zurich Polytechnic School.
Well...he did eventually learn to speak and read, and oh bye the way, he even learned to do a little math. :-)

A young man went to war a captain and returned a private. Afterwards, he was a failure as a businessman. As a lawyer he was too impractical and temperamental to be a success. He turned to politics and was defeated in his first try for the legislature, again defeated in his first attempt to be nominated for congress, defeated in his application to be commissioner of the General Land Office, defeated in the senatorial election of 1854, defeated in his efforts for the vice-presidency in 1856, and defeated in the senatorial election of 1858. On November 6, 1860, this man was elected as the sixteenth president of the United States. This man was Abraham Lincoln.

In the true spirit of American Entrepenurism, Robert F. Kennedy said it best:
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly."

Jack, The Meat Guy

********** TOP RATED POSTING **********


Customers loved Jack and trusted him to solve their daily dilemma of “what’s for dinner tonight?”

I remember one day walking up to a customer, after Jack had served her, and I said…
“Thank you for your business ma’am, I see Jack has taken care of you… so what did he suggest?"
“Oh," she said so confidently, “I'm not sure what cut of meat this is, but it sounds delicious and Jack gave me all the cooking instructions, he is such a sweetie pie!"

And to top it off, after further inquiry, I found out she never even asked about the price!
This phenomenon happened repeatedly for months with thousands of customers!
I was amazed!

Customers were actually buying Jack, and not the products. He had branded himself and created a point of difference as “The Meat Guy”....Jack literally had customers buying whatever he wanted them to buy.

A few months later, Jack was transferred to a store about 5 miles down the road... sales in my meat department dropped 18%!
Why?
Customers followed Jack to the other store, because he was their ...“Jack, The Meat Guy.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
***This is just a sample!... if you would like a full-slice of "Pecans of Wisdom", be sure to indulge yourself in my new book:
"Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order"
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM --click on link below.
http://lnkd.in/TNNzBM

“Copyright (1-16 -2011) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”