By Paul Johnson

1,085 words. Abstract: Billy Mays is dead, but his simple selling system lives on. Employ the single difference that made this pitchman a millionaire.

The late Billy Mays could teach us all a few things about selling. We saw him on TV infomercials selling OxiClean, Mighty Putty, the Awesome Auger, and more. Billy Mays made millions of dollars because he understood how to Bally the Tip, Nod Them In, the importance of The Turn, and the Chill-Down. Do you?

Billy Mays was proud to call himself a pitchman. He understood who bought his products, and why. Vince Offer is another well-known pitchman, and he’s cleaning up selling his ShamWow chamois cloths. These pitchmen are truly celebrity salesmen, known on sight and, often, by just the sounds of their voices. While we may consider them corny, pushy hucksters whose style we would never want to duplicate, most of us would be happy to duplicate their results, at least where dollar signs are involved.

Uncommonly Simple
Their simple selling system can help us all sell more products, more services, and even more of our ideas. Most salespeople are much less effective than these celebrity salesmen. These pitchmen sell more, and they sell faster. You’ll never reach celebrity salesman (or saleswoman) status unless you’re prepared to do one thing.

Sales people think preparation means learning all about the product. They think preparation means learning the sales process inside and out. They think it means doing research on their prospect, and choosing in advance what questions they want to ask. While celebrity salesmen do all these things, too, they do one more thing; they prepare to lead.

Billy Mays learned on the Atlantic City Boardwalk that buyers want to be lead. From the moment pitchmen like Billy Mays open their mouths, they make sure you understand he’s talking to YOU, that he understands the problems you have and, most importantly, he has the perfect solution. When you feel like you are understood, you place more confidence in the salesperson, and you are more willing to trust them to lead you to a successful conclusion, which we call the sale.

Whether it’s firing a flaming fastball or performing the perfect pirouette, professionals execute the seemingly simple with ease. Celebrity salesmen like Vince Offer use a simple system to sell, and they make it look easy. I encourage you to try their simple system, but don’t be surprised if you find it hard to do it well.

1. Bally the Tip
Bally means gather, and Tip refers to a crowd or audience, so Bally the Tip means gather the crowd. Why did Billy Mays seem like he was shouting at you? To get your attention and create a sense of urgency so that you would turn away from whatever it was you were doing. But volume is not enough. That first sentence has got to draw you in, much like the headline on the front page of a newspaper. It’s got to relate to you on a personal level so you want to hear what comes next.

To maintain the Tip, a pitchman has to create interest. He does this with ease because he understands who the customers for his product are so very well that he makes you feel like he’s speaking directly to you. “Have you ever tried to remove ugly mildew stains from your shower walls, only to give up in frustration many wasted hours later?” He understands your pain, and you pray that he brings relief.

2. Nod Them In
When the pitchman asks a question like the one above, he expects to see people nodding their heads. He asks still more questions that hit the crowd right where they live. The frequency and intensity of the nodding rises, and the crowd draws closer to him. Each question not only improves the pitchman’s credibility, but also intensifies desire for the solution.

Often two other techniques are used to heighten desire. Creating a sense of scarcity creates a sense of urgency. Wouldn’t it be terrible if your hesitancy to buy forced you to leave with your problem unsolved and your needs unfulfilled? You better buy NOW before they run out! There’s no time to “think it over.”

The second technique is to use testimonials. If other people are obviously having success with the product, it stands to reason you will, too. Then the herd mentality will take over and a feeding frenzy can begin.

3. The Turn
Now it’s time to ask the Tip for their money. Celebrity salesmen make it clear what they’re selling, but the Tip does not want the product. What they want is to be lead by the pitchman to the answer, and the pitchman reveals the minor investment for the perfect solution. But wait. . .  there’s more! Bonuses push the perceived value even higher, and people are now waiving $20 bills in the air and yelling, “Do ME, do ME!”

4. The Chill-Down
It’s time for action. The celebrity salesman has asked for the order, and it’s time to clean up. The Chill-Down is about completing transactions and fulfilling orders as fast and cleanly as possible so nobody leaves empty handed. Everybody goes away excited and happy, and the celebrity salesman is ready to do it again.

But wait… there’s more! If you’d like to take a deeper dive and learn more about the world of pitchmen like Billy Mays, you’ll enjoy listening to this podcast and related transcript titled, “Pitch Perfect”.

Get the Lead Out
Professional pitchmen make it look easy, but they’ve already worked hard to do the research on the market and craft their presentation into a light, tight, efficient package. Then they test it, tweak it, and deliver it over and over, reworking it to get the dead weight out until the results more than justify their investment in preparation. Celebrity salesmen can make more sales in 10 minutes than most salespeople make all week.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that your customer wants to lead during the buy/sell interchange. In reality, most buyers want to be led to a solution with speed, ease and confidence. To join the ranks of celebrity salesmen, you’ll need to assume the customer wants to be led unless they clearly indicate otherwise.

While you may never be hawking products on TV or the Atlantic City Boardwalk, there’s no reason you can’t learn from professional pitchmen and become a celebrity salesman (or saleswoman) within your industry. When that happens, I’m sure you’ll be happy to clean up.

© 2009 Paul Johnson. All rights reserved.

About The Author:
Paul Johnson of Shortcuts to Results LLC collects business shortcuts and shows people how to find and apply them for performance improvement at http://ShortcutsToResults.com. Learn how to become a niche marketing expert at http://NicheExpert.com.

Note: This article is available for reprint at no charge. We only ask that you include our copyright notice in your reprint, along with the About the Author information we provide at the end of the article.

A Question for your Comments: When have you witnessed an amazing performance by a professional pitchman or pitchwoman, and what made it amazing?

Comments (0) Jul 01 2009

I was reading a post by Roger Dooley about a study being done by 2 doctors in Florida on why some golfers choke under pressure while others don’t. In golfer terminology, the “yips” describes a method of choking where the golfer twitches or jerks while putting, resulting in missed putts, high scores, and lost tournaments.

By using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) the doctors hope to discover why some golfers have the yips and others don’t.

Having been in sales and management for decades, I suspect I know the answer already; lack of confidence. And often lack of confidence stems from lack of preparation and lack of practice.

Fluid performance in most sports comes from developing muscle memory. That comes from swinging the tennis racket or golf club so many times you don’t have to think when you play; your muscles remember what do to. If fact, the more you think, the worse you play.

When we invest in employee training, we may show them what to do and even make sure they know how to do it. However, if we don’t give them a chance to anchor that behavior so that it’s second nature, they will choke under pressure. Give your employees a chance to develop muscle memory so that desired behavior change becomes permanent.

Comments (0) Jun 22 2009

This report on Crowdsourcing in BusinessWeek points out the difficulty in obtaining acceptance for this practice.

My definition of crowdsourcing is opening up the design of anything new to public input. Often the result is a better, faster and less expensive than when the traditional approach — a small, hand-picked team of domain “experts” — is used to accomplish the task.

As is often the case, those defending the traditional design and development approach complain that opening up the process to the masses will cause loss of wages and market chaos. Such is often the talk when a more efficient and creative way of getting things done (a business shortcut) comes into play.

If you have your doubts, read the book Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams. It will convince you that being open to collaboration is key to maintaining competitive advantage in our evolving economy.

Comments (0) Jun 19 2009

Marketers work so hard to keep their brands fresh and invigorated… even “hip.” Maybe that’s a mistake. Maybe they should make their brands age.

I was reading John Caddell’s post, “Why Didn’t GM Use Harry Potter Marketing?” In it, he points out that the books (and the movies) allow Harry Potter to grow up, so that the audience that was engaged with the first book/movie continue relate to the character as THEY aged. Brilliant!

John argues that maybe Saturn would be thriving today if the design had matured the way its demographic, who was much younger in 1990 when Saturn began, has certainly done.

What about your brands? Are they truly timeless, or has your demographic shifted over the years? Maybe being long in the tooth isn’t so bad when your market is going to be needing dentures soon.

Comments (0) Jun 10 2009

DAYTON, OHIO - Bill Nuti, CEO of NCR Corporation, is taking heat from the State of Ohio for leaving Dayton after 125 years. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher said, “Mr. Nuti absolutely behaved shamefully and irresponsibly.”  Fisher went on to contend that Atlanta, NCR’s new home, “needs to be concerned about the lack of loyalty and communication that NCR executives showed Ohio because they may do the same to you in future years.”

I don’t know if Mr. Fisher’s office and the State of Ohio were treated fairly or not. I wasn’t invited to participate in the negotiation process. However, I do know it would have been easier for Nuti to decide to stay in Ohio from the standpoint of PR flack (as is happening), the costs of moving operations and all those people, and the inertia of 125 years of status quo.

Instead Bill Nuti saw a chance to break past the obstacles holding NCR back, and demonstrated Trouble Breaker^® courage by accepting the responsibility for acting in spite of those perceived risks so that NCR — and it’s shareholders — may one day be rewarded.

I don’t know if his bold move will pay off (if I could predict the future, I’d be at the racetrack right now), but it does give NCR a chance for opportunities it didn’t have before. As Yogi Berra said, “Eighty percent of short putts don’t go in.” Bill Nuti has taken a good, hard shot; let’s hope his aim is good, too.

Comments (0) Jun 08 2009

By Paul Johnson

621 words. Abstract: When employees don’t follow the rules, what can you do? Considering their color can give you the answer.

Policies and procedures, processes and standards. Every company has rules to be followed to ensure that expectations are met and disappointment is avoided. But when is it OK for employees to deviate from these rules, if ever?

After we were married, I learned that my wife has rules.

• Toothpaste tubes are squeezed from the end only.
• Clothes go on hangers facing the left.
• When the toilet is not in use, the seat must be DOWN.

While these rules seemed somewhat arbitrary, I was eager to adopt these new standards of behavior because I didn’t want to disappoint her. She had expectations for me, and I am willing to follow these rules to keep her happy — still.

She soon discovered I had a few rules of my own. These, of course, were much more logical and well thought-out, or so they seemed to me.

• Turn your wheels when you park on a hill.
• Get a copy of anything you sign.
• Never discard my beer bottles that aren’t COMPLETELY empty.

Decades later, we still get along fine.

Confusion Rules
In business, rules help us avoid costly mistakes. They enable us to fulfill the expectations of our customers and co-workers. Rules allow us to replace confusion and disappointment with consistency, stability and satisfaction. If rules are so wonderful, why would we ever want to deviate from the norm and break a rule?

We can observe that rules are logical, plainly needed and completely obvious to the person who makes them, but not necessarily to everybody else. All rules have an underlying reason — and sometimes many reasons — for their existence. Sometimes these reasons are simple and other times they are complex and even arcane. Problems occur when all rules are treated as black-and-white. Performance at your company will improve when leadership makes it clear which rules are made to be broken.

Red Looks Black-and-White
Steve Cohn, a customer experience expert at People to People Learning, points out the difference between Red Rules and Blue Rules. “Red Rules are those that cannot be broken under any circumstances ever. They usually have to do with safety, health and legal. Blue Rules are everything else. You can bend them if it means making the customer happy and it doesn’t cost the company an enormous amount of money.”

The Red Rules are those black-and-white rules where deviation can’t be tolerated. Blue Rules reflect preferred standards that should be strived for. But if Blue Rules are meant to be broken on occasion, it’s critical that these rules come with additional information; specifically, the intent behind the rule.

• What greater good is the rule intended to achieve?
• What expectations does the rule attempt to ensure?
• What will disappointment cost us as a company?

Once employees are clear on the proper ways to interpret and apply Blue Rules, they are then qualified to deviate from the letter of the rule when conditions warrant.

Rule Intent
Rules are important to the success of both business and personal relationships, but don’t get sucked into believing that, “A rule is a rule.” Some rules should be held firm, and others need to bend. Make it clear which are the Red Rules, the rules that must be adhered to with no exceptions. After all, when you hear your wife splashing around in the dark, it’s too late to put the seat down. The rest of the rules then become bendable rules, the Blue Rules that carry implied flexibility.  Make sure everyone who must apply a Blue Rule understands the intent behind the rule. When that happens, employees feel empowered to always do the right thing, and deviant behavior won’t be so unwelcome after all.

© 2009 Paul Johnson. All rights reserved.

Paul Johnson is the keynote speaker who describes his approach to transformational leadership at http://TroubleBreaker.com. His company, Shortcuts to Results LLC, collects business shortcuts and shows clients how to find and apply them for performance improvement at http://ShortcutsToResults.com.

Note: This article is available for reprint at no charge. We only ask that you include our copyright notice in your reprint, along with the About the Author information we provide at the end of the article.

A Question for your Comments: What rule do you routinely bend, and why?

Comments (0) Jun 01 2009

People are essentially pack animals, like dogs and coyotes. We like to feel part of the group. And we really like to be in on the joke, when there is one.

The state of Nebraska encouraged online voting to choose the design of its new license plate. The www.CollegeHumor.com editors got wind of it and encouraged its readers to vote… for the most boring license plate. The power of that crowd pushed the plain plate entry to the top… until state officials figured out what was going on and disqualified those votes.  Details at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090523/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_boring_license_plates

This is another example why testimonials are so important to your success. People will like you and your business more when others like you, too. Take care of each customer, generate goodwill, and then harvest testimonials so that you can spread the good word… about you.  www.TestimonialLetters.com

Comments (0) May 25 2009

Mocking the sorry plight of your customers is never a good marketing tactic.

I was listening to the radio this morning when I heard an ad acknowledging all the people who couldn’t afford insurance. How not having insurance was such a worry. And how one company has a solution for all those suffering people.

The next thing I know, Coors is talking about the insurance on the labels of their 12 ounce cans. About how we can all feel more secure knowing that the can labels will turn blue — just like the bottles — to “insure” that the can is ice cold.

Then I thought… I bet everyone knows someone without health insurance. It’s a scary thing when you have to worry about not getting the health care you or a loved one needs, or the astronomical bills you can be stuck with if you do.

Do people without health insurance buy expensive bottles of wine? No, I bet they buy beer. But probably not Coors now.

Humor always carries a risk. Humor at the expense of a segment of your customers is never worth the risk. Customers want their needs to be understood, but not mocked.

Comments (1) May 21 2009

By Paul Johnson

1,111 words. Abstract: Creating the perfect website can be tricky. Fortunately, you can teach a website one trick that will enable you to reach your goals quicker and easier than ever before.

Your website should do one thing really well. Do you know what that is?

Perhaps you own a Swiss Army knife. A marvel of engineering, this clever device packs an array of indispensable tools into a compact and convenient shape that can easily be carried in a pocket. In addition to a sharp and sturdy knife, it’s comforting to know we can also access a screwdriver, corkscrew or can opener at a moment’s notice.

Then why don’t you have several dozen lining the silverware drawers in your kitchen? Instead, your drawers are probably filled like mine with tools suited for specialty jobs. Butter knives, steak knives, the bread knife. Soup spoons, slotted spoons and a ladle. I admit, I’m pretty much a one-fork — the dinner fork — kind of guy, but my wife makes us keep dessert forks in the drawer for when company comes over.

Flexible Failures
Our kitchens are proof that we endorse the notion of having the right tool for each job. However, we tend to view our website as the Swiss Army knife. After all, websites are incredibly flexible. We can easily add pages and adjust navigation links to create a boundless array that can accommodate anything. Got a white paper? Put it on the website. Need to take a survey? Use the Web site. Did you just distribute a press release? Post that to the website, too.

Perhaps the users of your website — your potential customers — aren’t as impressed with it as you are. When you fail to quickly give visitors what they need from your website, you fail to establish valuable relationships with potential customers.

Goal Focus
Your company may be capable of solving many problems for your customers, and that’s a good thing. However, when a person initiates a web search, they only have one problem on their mind. It’s possible they even have a solution in mind, with some idea of which attributes that solution should have. If their problem is they don’t have a carving knife for the holiday turkey, they don’t want to wade past your corkscrews and can openers to find that. Confused customers don’t buy.

The value in the Swiss Army knife’s flexibility is negated by its lack of focus. While we marvel at the ingenuity of the combination tool, the reality is that we as users prefer the “one-trick ponies” and keep carving knives, can openers and #2 Phillips screwdrivers handy to help us get the real work done.

Suicide Gag
I’m in a convenience store watching a youngster at the soda station fill his glass by putting in small amounts from eight different spigots. I ask him, “What have you got there?” He says, “It’s called a Suicide.” I grab a glass, thinking I’ll give it try. One taste and I understand why it’s called a Suicide. I nearly gag.

You may think your Suicide Website is refreshing and satisfying while your customers may be gagging on it. Consider specializing with several “single-flavor” websites.

Confusion Solution
When you look at your website through your visitors’ eyes and see confusion and frustration, perhaps it’s time to consider multiple One-Trick Websites. Using multiple websites gives you an opportunity to trade-in flexibility for focus. Each website can now focus on one pain/solution set based on a common goal or topic that your visitors desire. Sticking with one topic per website allows you to quickly establish:
•    Relevance
•    Understanding of the visitor’s problem
•    Credibility
•    Expertise
•    Focused specialization
•    Experience

These One-Trick Websites benefit your visitors by allowing them to accomplish what they came for without distraction. Bob Scheinfeld of Ultimate Lifestyle Academy calls these TOT sites; TOT stands for The One Thing. You’re focused message makes it easier for prospects to decide to engage with you because we all feel more comfortable using specialists.

If a doctor buddy told you he did Lasik surgery, performed a nose job and did a knee replacement yesterday, you would wonder how good the results would be. Even if he did the three procedures perfectly, we would prefer to believe three specialists could have done them better.

One-Trick Training
To get started with a One-Trick Website, consider the elements of this three-step strategy:

1.  What’s their problem? Get a clear understanding of what pain your customer is trying to eliminate, and what solutions they may already have in mind. Use tools like Wordtracker, Keyword Discovery, and Google’s External Keyword Tool to get an idea of what customers are already searching for on the Web. Better yet, talk to some customers and conduct a survey to discover how people with this problem talk about and describe it so you can use their words in your marketing copy.

2.  What’s your goal? When visitors come to your website, what can you reasonably expect them to do? You may want to design the site to include multiple selling paths to support visitors dealing with different stages of the problem. For instance, for those doing preliminary research your goal may be to get them to download a helpful white paper and give you their email address. For those that have a more pressing need, your selling path may lead them to an on-line transaction via your shopping cart.

3.  What is relevant? Content on your site is a good thing as long as it’s relevant to the topic of the problem your visitor came to solve. For instance, if they came for dress shoes, then laces and polish may also be relevant. Guitars need strings and straps. In addition, your content might include pages for things such as:
•    Credibility
•    Support channels
•    Options
•    Policies and promises
•    Relevant resources, such as how-to guides and manuals

You do want a deep site as long as you stay true to a common problem or topic.

Finders Keepers
Another advantage to creating a One-Trick Website with a single pain/solution set is that it’s easier to rank well in the search engines for relevant terms. If your website is all about carving knives, it’s relatively easy to rank well for turkey carving equipment, turkey carving supplies and turkey carving techniques.

While your corporate website may be your Swiss Army knife for customers who already know you and love you, you’ll likely benefit from having additional One-Trick Websites where each website does one thing really well. Never forget that flexibility can dilute effectiveness. Decide what each of your One-Trick Websites should enable your customers to do, and then help them do that and nothing else. When you help customers cut to the chase, you’ll quickly master the trick of developing valuable new customer relationships.

© 2009 Paul Johnson. All rights reserved.

About The Author:
Paul Johnson of Shortcuts to Results LLC collects business shortcuts and shows people how to find and apply them for performance improvement at http://ShortcutsToResults.com. Learn how to become a niche marketing expert at http://NicheExpert.com.

Note: This article is available for reprint at no charge. We only ask that you include our copyright notice in your reprint, along with the About the Author information we provide at the end of the article.

A Question for your Comments: How has a website you’ve visited confused and frustrated you?

Comments (0) May 01 2009

By Paul Johnson

1,074 words. Abstract: Leadership can find ways to “do more with less” in a recession if they learn to work within certain limits the way a good bikini does. Discover how to fashion a beautiful business when resources are scarce.

The “do more with less” maxim is nothing new, but it takes on new importance during a recession when resources are woefully scarce. When revenue shortfalls at your company are causing leadership to consider painful cuts of personnel, products and projects, perhaps it’s time to consider these new constraints as a blessing instead of a burden. Perhaps it’s time to consider the advantages of a Bikini Budget.

Since the marvelous invention of the two-piece “swim suit” known as the bikini, women have had to actively manage the perils of “doing more with less.” Have men ever complained? No! Now it’s time for men to stop complaining about scarcity and shortfalls and learn from the women who have had to shop for clothing not measured in square feet of fabric, but in square inches. With a similar perspective and attitude, your company’s leadership can refashion your business into something fresh, beautiful and becoming.

Wasting Away
Our consumption economy creates huge amounts of waste; The Environmental Protection Agency reports that each American generated over 1,650 pounds of solid waste in 2007. Because we’re so used to having more than we need, we see constraints imposed by external conditions — such as recession, regulations and tariffs — to be stifling to our business. In some cases, these onerous conditions initiate a downward spiral that creates mounting pain and, if left unchecked, puts some companies out of business.

Perhaps the recession “problem” is really masking an opportunity for your company. Now that there is no excess to waste, now that the very “fabric” of your company is stretched thin, perhaps it’s time for a makeover that will transform your company into something fresh and exciting again. You’ll gain clarity of purpose, renewed vigor, an improved outlook and more profits when leadership looks at business like a bikini.

A Cup Half Full
I’ve never actually bought a bikini, but I’ve been brought along as a technical adviser on many occasions by my wife Patti. I never would have imagined how many decisions are involved in selecting such a small article of clothing. For example:

• Halter?
• Thin or thick straps?
• Underwire?
• Ties, clips or clasps?
• High- or low-cut waist?
• Leg cut?
• To thong or not to thong?
• Probability of “wardrobe malfunction” during water sports activities?

Next, throw in an infinite variety of colors and patterns from which to choose.

And then the BIG question: “Is it flattering?” (Translation for men: “Does it make my butt look good?”)

Despite the mind-boggling minutiae, I’m happy to participate. After all, this isn’t about shoes or a coat, this is about a bikini. Patti is already hot despite being a grandmother, and the proper selection of this particular garment will only make her more beautiful.

We could complain that the constraints that define a bikini are “not fair”, but that would be a “cup half empty” viewpoint. Instead, we have to view the constraints that we operate under as a “cup half full” opportunity.

Constraints enable us to be more creative, not less. Constraints actually allow us to do better work. Given a choice in our youth, we would always grab the biggest box of crayons because it would give us the most choices to succeed. As our leadership matures, we realize we can still create a masterpiece when our choices are restricted. The Mona Lisa was created using only one color.

Bottom-Up Success
Leadership on a bikini budget means viewing constraints as a way to get clear about success.

First, use the downturn in the economy as an opportunity to make more thoughtful decisions. We could all use more practice with critical thinking skills. Today the results really matter, because careless decisions can kill our business. Make time to ask yourself lots of questions, and then get clear on the answers. For example:

• Why do we do what we do?
• Who really cares?
• What is NOT absolutely critical to what we do?
• What do we assume still works like it did last year?
• What business are we really in?

Your list of questions should be much longer.

Next, remember the advice of Curly from the movie City Slickers; it’s about finding The One Thing. A bikini is required to do only One Thing; keep its wearer from getting arrested for indecent exposure. But The One Thing could be about anything of importance. Here’s a warm-up exercise: if you could only keep one coat, which one would it be? If you could only keep one pair of shoes, which would you choose? Likewise, what is the best thing about your business, the most important thing, the thing that is most likely to keep you in business? Get clear on that and focus your limited resources there. If your cup seems half full today, get a smaller cup.

Third, let go. Let go of activities that used to work. Let go of products that don’t represent your best work anymore. Let go of customers that don’t believe in you today. Get rid of clutter. Clear space in the “closets” of your business, your head and your heart so there is room to hang new successes. Make a place for your future to dwell with you. You’ll likely discover a cleaner, simpler business that is the joy you’ve been looking for.

Enough is Enough
The beauty in a bikini is that it is just enough. It doesn’t need buttons or flaps. Pockets won’t work. Paisley or herringbone won’t improve the yellow polkadot bikini. A careful decision process lets go of everything that isn’t essential to the one thing that the perfect bikini does: enhance the natural beauty of the woman who wears it.

When times are plentiful it’s easy to take on too much (I admit, I’ve eaten a few too many Twinkies). It’s easy to be tricked into believing that we are inadequate and that, to succeed, we need still more than we already have. The reality is that you are enough right now. You have everything you need to succeed today.

The only thing holding you back is the confusion of the clutter you’ve let surround you and your business. Get rid of all but what is necessary, and all that is left is exactly what success requires from you. Stop straddling. Pick a lane. Embrace the bikini budget and let leadership begin with you. The results will be beautiful.

© 2009 Paul Johnson. All rights reserved.

About The Author:
Paul Johnson is the keynote speaker who describes his approach to transformational leadership at http://TroubleBreaker.com. His company, Shortcuts to Results LLC, collects business shortcuts and shows clients how to find and apply them for performance improvement at http://ShortcutsToResults.com.

Note: This article is available for reprint at no charge. We only ask that you include our copyright notice in your reprint, along with the About the Author information we provide at the end of the article.

A Question for your Comments: What used to work for your company that doesn’t anymore?

Comments (1) Apr 01 2009