Road Rage is a terrifying thing.  

It starts off when someone does something to slight another driver...and then it escalates to the point where the actions become crazy and downright scary.

It's the same when an email exchange turns nasty.  This happens often, and it happens with friends, business partners and even co-workers.

I was involved in one of those recently, and had the good sense to not inflame the situation by responding.  Sometimes it is better to walk away.

Here's what you can do to avoid these things:

1. Pick up the phone:  Sometimes, we read things in email that aren't in real life.   When we do that, we inflame the situation by responding.  Instead, try to pick up the phone and call the other person.  It works. This is always the best way to settle it.  People tend to be more level headed over the phone and they tend not to over-react in person.
2. Walk Away:  Don't respond.  Understand that the other person may be having a bad day or may be looking for a fight.  You don't have to be a part of it.  Chances are that if you ignore it, the person will stop inflaming the situation and forget about it.  You can chose whether you want to continue talking with this person again.  If you have to work with them, then you may want to weigh your options if this is a regular occurance.  
3. Kill them with Kindness:   My father used to tell me to do this to people.  Make light of the situation and don't feed the troll.  Agree with them, tell them that they are correct, and move on.  Be careful...this may make the person even more mad.
4. Sever ties with this person:  Sometimes, these people are more trouble than they are worth.  A wise person once told me not to get in a pissing war with a....well you know.

Have a great weekend, and keep fighting the good fight.

Thinking about sending those Kate Upton photos to your pals at work?  Think again.

Thinking about sending that racist joke around the office?  Are you crazy?

Today, the internet is abuzz with another bonehead move by someone who should have known better.  Bruce Levenson, future-former-owner of the Atlanta Hawks apparently didn't get the memo.  

While I have no idea whether Bruce is a racist, or whether he deserves to lose his NBA team, I know this.  If you think that your emails are safe from unintended recipients, you are wrong.  Emails are very easy to forward...so if your personal emails would make you look bad in the public eye, you shouldn't be sending it.

13 years ago, I was at a bar at a company function.  I walked up to my CEO who was having an engaging conversation with a gentleman that I will refer to as “Joe S”.

As I walked up, I watched Joe get all animated…this guy was a talker.  

My eyes turned to our CEO, who had a priceless look on his face.  He looked at me.  I looked at him with a bewildered look.  I shrugged my shoulders, and made that weird puzzled look with my lips like you make when you have no idea what to say.

“So, do you want me to send it to you”, asks Joe.

Not sure where Joe works now.  True story.  Not kidding.

1.     E-mail is not your friend.  People send a lot of things, and a lot of it is NSFW.  Try not to read it, and NEVER forward it. 

2.     If your boss sends this stuff out, you do not have permission to send it out. 

3.     Think two steps ahead.  Someone sends you a joke which may be offensive.  You send it out to your buddy.  Your buddy sends it out to 25 of his closest friends.  One of those friends is a prospect, and is offended.  He looks up the email trail, and sees it originated from you.  Good job.

4.     You can always send stuff from your private email, but I have always found that racist, sexist, porn and other off color humor is usually something I don’t want my name attached to.

One of my friends posted this on Facebook today.

If you are in sales, your LinkedIn profile is important.  Probably the most important tool in your toolbox.

Tom (a guy I work with) walked in my office the other day, telling me that he doesn’t do much on LinkedIn.  It just doesn’t get him much business.

After looking at his profile, I understand why.

• Tom has been with us for 3 months, and his Linkedin profile doesn’t reflect this.  It still has his old job on there....One he hasn't had for a long time.
• Tom has very few contacts who he is connected to on LinkedIn.  Tom knows a lot of people.  If he would just connect with them on LinkedIn  he could actually drum up business with people without doing a thing.
• Tom's profile on LinkedIn looks like he isn't open for business.  LinkedIn has become a welcome sign on the internet.  
  
• LinkedIn is not Facebook.  Not even close.  LinkedIn is the business classifieds.  

I tell everyone this.  LinkedIn is the most important place to be if you are a salesman.  It is at the top of the list when someone Googles your first name.  It is your business card on the web.

Your profile should:

• Have a Photo:  Have a professional photo of you, taken wearing a suit.  Pictures of you with your dog, wife, child, boat, motorcycle are not encouraged on LinkedIn.  This isn’t Facebook.  This is the biggest mistake that I see on LinkedIn.  And ladies, no bikini shots, unless you sell bikinis.  I shouldn’t have to type this.
  
• Job Title:  Your job title should be all encompassing.  It should include your title, as well as your profession.  Add your phone number to the end, so that people can easily call you.  Mine is

Senior Sales Director /// Solution Sales /// Author /// 248-233-0792

• Summary:  Your summary is a summary about you.  This should come from your resume.  Years ago, I had my resume done by a professional, Deb James ([email protected]).  I refer business to her all the time because she can sell me better than I can.
  


• Experience:  I have every position listed here, including every promotion that I have had.  I also put all the awards and honors that I have received.
  


• Education:  Put all relevant degrees in LinkedIn.  Refrain from including your high school diploma, as this isn’t really a draw.  If this is your highest level, leave the education part blank.  There is nothing wrong with not going to college.  I know very successful people who didn’t go to college.   
  

• Recommendations and Endorsements (R&Es):  Give glowing recommendations to people that you do business with.  I typically write specific, unique paragraphs detailing the person that I am writing about.  When you do that, you get three benefits.  You should also ask your close contacts to give you recommendations.  In your request, you should ask them to make it unique to their experiences with you.

1. You do something nice for someone who you like working with or do business with.
   
2. Typically, 75% of the people that you R&E will return the favor.  Their R&Es will build your profile up.
   
3. Whenever you give an R&E, it actually makes you look good.  People who aren’t connected with you will see that you said something nice about someone else.  I have had a number of people click on my profile after reading one of my recommendations.
   

• Pay for the premium version of LinkedIn.  The premium version allows you to see who looked at your profile. 
  
• Join groups that relate to your business.
  
• Post articles of relevance on your news feed, but make sure to refrain from posting advertisements for your service as articles.  You can even post this blog post on your LinkedIn...I won't complain.
  

It is the end of the month...

Salespeople tend to get desperate at the end of the month.  This is not a good plan.

So here is the problem.  I told them in my initial inquiry that I would be looking for a vehicle towards the end of September.  This is 2 months away, but I want to start the process now...and I didn't want to be pressured into making a decision in July.

SALES IS A LONG TERM THING, so when a prospect pushes back that you are laying too much pressure on, you should lay off.  If you respect your  prospects, you will get the business.

If someone wants to buy from you, they will...and it won't take 9 emails to get them to buy.

This is a mistake I see often. It is one thing to make fun of your competitor when you are speaking with people within your company. We always “dis” our competitor when we are puffing our chests at our company functions. It’s harmless, and it makes us feel good.

In front of a prospect or a client, it is looked at differently.

Your prospect / client may very well see things from another perspective, and badmouthing someone doesn’t make you look stronger, it makes you look scared.

I have been told many times that my competitors badmouth us all over town.  Every time I hear it, a conversation ensues about how this competitor must be feeling pressure to sell against me.  Leaders don’t badmouth.

What you can do to avoid messing up: 

1.     When comparing your product / service to another, state the differences between the two and explain why yours is better…not why theirs is worse.

2.     Remember that sometimes your prospect is already doing business with the other guy. If you tell him that the other guy is terrible, you are insulting his previous buying decision. Your prospect will subconsciously use that against you when he is making a decision.

3.     You should know the details of your competition. Ask your clients why they switched from your competitor to you. You will get your ammo there. If your competitor has poor customer service, then you can explain that your customer service department has gotten rave reviews. Explain that some of your clients have recently switched to your company and have found the customer service department to be one of the best reasons to switch.

4.     If a client / prospect tells you that your competition is badmouthing you just say that you are above this, and you are sure that their company is a very fine one but that your clients have chosen you because of your reliability, dependability, excellent customer service, etc.

5.     Talk to former clients who went to the “Dark Side.” Ask them why they switched. Don’t be condescending or critical of their decision. Don’t be defensive. Listen to the other person talk. Pose the question as an opportunity for you to better service your other accounts. 6 months later when you are trying to win that business back, you can use your rebuttal.

6.     Ask the prospect about the competitor. “If there is one thing that my competitor could have done better during your last interaction, what would it have been?” Listen for the answer and later on in the process, differentiate yourself with this. 

Happy Father's Day, Sydney Weinstein.

While I have newer pictures of my father, this one is my favorite.  

Presumably, we were on our way to Northern Michigan for a family vacation.  Mom was taking the picture.

My father has taught me so much, that I felt it appropriate to take father's day to spread some of the wealth that he has taught me.

Here are just a couple...

1. Always be a man of your word:  This one seems simple.  When you say you are going to do something, do it...even when inconvenient.  People will always remember if and when you don't.
2. Always be on time for a meeting.  My father is obsessive about this.  While I am not  perfect, and I have the hardest time with this one, I always strive to be on time.
3. Dress well.  Don't wear cheap clothing.  People notice.  My father always said that your necktie should have red in it.  While I am not a believer in this anymore, red is supposed to signify power.
4. Always refer business to the most qualified person, not the one who gives you a kickback.  My father routinely declined a referral fee because he didn't want there to be confusion as to why he referred it.
5. Always make time for your family:  While my father always worked late when I was little, he always did his best to come home and spend dinner with us, even if he had to go back to the office afterwards.

Any good advice you got from your father?