Monday, December 23, 2013

New Year, New Opportunities.

From my 1980's archives-


“…NEW YEAR, NEW OPPORTUNITIES…
FROM HOUR ONE OF DAY ONE,  YOUR LIFE, YOUR CAREER, WILL BE BENCHMARKED BY YOUR ACTIONS PUT FORTH AT THIS TIME…BE ASSERTIVE, BE POSITIVE, BE A WINNER.”

q  Daily / weekly planner…get yourself organized (calendars, charts, files).
q  Business plan; plan your work and work your plan.
q  Things you have let go… Procrastination ends now!
q  Personal growth and health. If you are not having fun….that’s your fault.
q  Know where you ended the year; sales/gross/budget and move forward, set goals.
q  Training; in your absence does someone know what to do? Are you being aggressive about getting yourself trained…success does not come to you, you must go get it!
q  Team communication/meetings, share the knowledge, and create a sense of ownership. Meet one on one with employees, what are their future plans?
q  Customers /Clients, get out of your shell and talk to them, if this is new to you, call one a day.
q  Recognition…  “Reward want you want repeated”.
q  You set the standard; You are on a stage.  “Attitudes are Contagious”.
q  Be a LEADER, not just a manager. “Call it a problem & it will BE one, Call it an opportunity, and you will HAVE one.”
q  “The customer may not always be right , but they are still the customer” Ray B.
q  Think like a customer: present a professional image, smile and eye contact, seek out customer contact, solve customer problems, use proper body language, thank every customer.
q  “…you’re only as good as your last solution.”  “we learn from yesterdays we live for tomorrows”.

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Friday, December 13, 2013

A Christmas Eve Story

***Reposting from 2010***

It was 5:00 pm Christmas Eve 1989, and I was locking the front door of the supermarket where I was Store Manager.

Over the years, I had made it a tradition for me to be the "closer" of the store on Christmas Eve.

Inside the store, my employees were rushing around counting their register tills, sweeping the floor, and generally preparing the store for closing down, so they all could rush home to their families for Christmas.

At approximately 5:30pm, I heard someone tapping on the front door.

“I just got off work and I need to shop for my family", the gentleman on the other side of the glass door shouted.

“Sorry, we are closed.” I answered.

“Please, I really need to shop and you are the only grocery store open.”

In the background several of my employees yelled out to me… “Mr. Gambone, I hope you don’t let him in, we all want to go home.”

I turned to my office manager and said , “Cindy, I feel bad for this guy…will you stick around with me until we get him checked out.”

She looked at me with a frown, “Well, I hope he only needs a few things, OK.”

We let him in…he was very gracious, grabbed a buggy and started to shop.

“I’ll only take a few minutes,” he said.

Then all of a sudden, he turned around and looked at Cindy and me in desperation… “Shit!..I’m sorry for swearing, but I left my wallet in my overalls at work….I can’t believe this!!!”

He abandoned the buggy and started walking towards the front door to leave.

Cindy looked at me and said… “Well, I guess we can leave now.”

“Hold on!” I said… “Sir, you pick up what you need and come back the day after Christmas and pay us.”

Cindy looked at me as if I was crazy. The gentleman was overjoyed and continued to shop.

When he completed his shopping, Cindy and I checked him out and bagged his groceries. He purchased lots of milk, cereal, bread and basic groceries along with some gift-wrap and children’s toys.

We wished him a Merry Christmas as he left and Cindy and I locked up and went home to our families.

...............the gentleman never returned...................

Yes, I took some heat from my boss when he found out…but that’s okay. I knew in my heart that it was right thing to do at the time.

It is moments like this is my life when I am reminded of the words a mentor of mine once shared with me early in my career...“The good you do, will come back to you.” Lou Z.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and may you and your family have a glorious New Year.

Bob Gambone, The Pecan Pie Guy!
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Sunday, December 8, 2013

Lou, The Nabisco Guy

...A Holiday Memory...

Lou, The Nabisco Guy, never used selling strategies …Lou had a culture of “selling.”

I was 23 years old when I first met Lou. He was the region’s number one salesman for Nabisco from 1974 to 1985.

One day I was eating lunch with Lou and asked,

“Lou, so what do you do, to be so good at selling?....can you share some tips?”

Lou replied, shaking his head and smiling, “Bob there is really no magical tips, but I do have five core beliefs about selling.”

1.) Love and believe in your product.
2.) People like to buy, but not to be sold to.
3.) I never sell anything, I solve people’s problems.
4.) Never talk yourself out of a sale.
5.) and….Never close a sale, open an opportunity.

Lou died in 1985 from a heart attack at the early age of 63.

Lou’s culture of selling has lived on. Those who adopt it become very successful.

To be the best, you need to have more than just strategies, you first need a culture, a core belief.

Dr.Ivan Misner, New York Times best selling author and founder of BNI (Business Network International) says it best, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

Around the holidays,  when I enjoy my favorite Nabisco crackers,  I always think of Lou…
Lou, The Nabisco Guy.

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Thursday, November 28, 2013

5 Ways Giving Is Good for You*- 'Tis the Season


Giving makes us feel happy: Harvard Business School conducted a study in 2008 and found that when a person "gives" endorphins are produced in the brain creating what is known as "helper's high".

Giving is good for our health: Studies conducted by University of Michigan, University of California, and John Hopkins University conclude that "giving" reduces stress, help prevents some major diseases, lowers blood pressure and may add up to five years to our lives.

Giving promotes cooperation and social connection: When we give to others, we don't only make them feel closer to us; we also feel closer to them. "Being kind and generous leads you to perceive others more positively and more charitably." (from the book,  The How of Happiness).

Giving evokes gratitude: "When you express your gratitude in words or actions, you not only boost your own positivity but [other people's] as well. And in the process you reinforce their kindness and strengthen your bond to one another." (from the book, Positivity).

Giving is contagious: When we give, we don't only help the immediate recipient of our gift, we also ignite a ripple effect of generosity throughout our community.

This holiday season, however you choose to give; money, time, or special gifts... please keep in mind that your giving is so much more than a year end tradition. Giving is a process, "If you always give, you will always have."- Chinese Proverb

* Greater Good
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Thursday, November 14, 2013

HEART Goals for 2014

The "G" word!

Goals, we all need them, yet many of us avoid them.

The acronym "SMART" goals is very popular and has been around for years.

A few years back I was introduced to a NEW process that combined SMART goals with HEART Goals.

SMART goals generate from the mind, so to speak, while HEART Goals are from...you guessed it, the heart.

When you combine both into your goal setting process, the result is a Win - Win!

HEART Goals :
H- Heartfelt driven: a goal you really want to achieve.
E- Energy: motivate and energize yourself to stay focused.
A- Attitude: be passionate and positive about your goals.
R- Rewards: visualize yourself enjoying the rewards.
T- Tranquility: "Motion is Tranquility"-Stirling Moss.

...you may need to think about the " T ", I would love to discuss it with you.

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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

You're Welcome

Whatever happened to "you're welcome"?

Just last week, I had someone open the door for me, I said “Thank you!” …his response, “Sure”.

Then the server at lunch brought me an extra napkin. I said “ Thank you”…she replied, “Don’t mention it”.

Next, I dropped my pen at the bank, the person behind me picked it up and handed it to me, I said “Thank you,” he said… “No problem”

“No problem” ?  ... Well I’m glad I wasn’t a problem!

“Don’t mention it” ?… Okay guess what, I did!

“Sure” ? … Sure of what?

When a person says, “you are welcomed” or even “you’re welcomed,” they are basically saying thank you,  to you,  for thanking them and responding with politeness.

Leadership lesson?  Yes!
Saying “you are welcomed” is letting the person know that you are thankful to them for giving you the opportunity to help them.

"Leadership is Giving" ---- Sven Goebel
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Saturday, November 2, 2013

We are what we think...


"Open your eyes and your future is right in front of you, 

open your mind and you will find endless possibilities, 

open your heart and your possibilities are endless."

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