Cold Calling vs. The Economy (Is It Really Necessary?)

   In my previous post I briefly mentioned that I was required to make cold calls to bring in sales for the company that I worked for. That was not my first job where I was required to make these types of calls. At one point I worked for a wireless company selling phones and plans and every once in a while this meant I had to call customers to update their plans. Don't businesses know cold calling is not economical anymore? Why waste money on something most people have taken measures to avoid? Let's go into detail.

My Horrible Boss Story

   In my adult life nearly every job I have had has been in sales. I am not particularly fond of being a salesman, but I am good at it. That is mainly due to the fact that I think like the customer and treat the customer the way they want to be treated. Being in sales does have it's share of great stories. One of these stories came to mind the other day when I saw the trailer for the new movie "Horrible Bosses". I, just as many of you probably have, had a terrible boss at one time in my career. I would like to tell you about him.

Ask and You Shall Recieve

   I posted on Twitter the other day that I wish I was challenged more on a daily basis. Well what I didn't know is that no matter how you say it, whether posed as a question or statement, if you bring this up be prepared for it to come true.

Common Courtesy and Common Sense

   Have you ever had one of those moments where you get an ovation for saying what the entire crowd around you is thinking? I had one of those moments last night while seeing a 9:45 showing of a movie that opened this weekend.

Of Being a Bachelor with No Single Friends

   I have had the unlucky fortune this past week to be a bachelor. Usually the wife and I go every where and do everything together, but she got the opportunity to go on a cruise with her family and I told her to go. Seeing as she loves going on cruises it was the only logical choice. Why did I not go, you may ask? Well her Dad back out of the cruise and there was only one spot available. I am in no way bitter about this. I am glad she went and glad she is having fun. I just completely forgot how much being a bachelor truly sucked!

Of Baseball Legends and Diseases

   During the month of June, CVS/Pharmacy is asking customers to help find a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, otherwise known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease in North America, by donating $1 whenever you make a purchase. CVS/Pharmacy has partnered with the ALS Therapy Alliance for the past 9 years to raise nearly $24 million in support of finding a cure for this disease that effects around 5,000 people in the United States yearly. Currently 20-30 thousand people in the United Stated have been diagnosed with this debilitating disease. What is ALS and why should you support it?

Are You Etiquette Savvy?

   I am no expert by any means about the social web. Things are always changing and boundaries are being broken everyday. I try to stay relevant with the times and follow all the big marketing, media and tech blogs like Mashable, Hubspot, Inkling Media, Chris Brogan and others along those same lines. I even went as far as to get my Inbound Marketing Certification through Hubspot so I could be more knowledgeable if I ever work for a company that needs help in their marketing or PR department. That being said, I have learned a pretty decent amount of how a person should portray themselves on the interweb(yes, I know it's an out dated term, but it is so fun to use). Let me pass along some of what I have learned.

The Concept and Conservation Theorem

  About 3 years ago I came up with this theorem that I feel all fast food, as well as any restaurant with a drive-thru window, should follow. It came about while sitting in line at, insert fast food venue here, notorious for being slow and rude to all customers of any race, color or creed. This is the Theory of Concept and Conservation.

This Blog Post is Brought to You by The Letters That Create The Words Customer Service (or in other words, the longest blog post title in possibly the history of the internet)

   I am a huge advocate of treat the customer the way that you would like to be treated. I don't care if I am getting a mortgage through your bank or if you are handing me a greasy bag of fried food from a drive thru window.  I want to be treated with a smile and a sense that you like your job. I like to walk into businesses and be acknowledged.  A smile and simple "Hi, how are you today?" would more than suffice. With the right attitude those words have a huge impact on the way people view your business and employees.

Broken Traditions Through Growing Up and Becoming an Adult

    For some of you, yesterday being Easter and all,  woke up early for the sunrise service at church, others may have slept in and then hunted for Easter eggs, some may have not celebrated at all. Then there is what I did. Being a supervisor in a retail establishment, I had to work Easter morning.