When I asked to try-out for the University of Pittsburgh’s Division 1 Wrestling Team having never wrestled a day in a my life, the head coach warned me that “natural athletic ability isn’t good enough to be successful here.” I was insulted. I proclaimed that I had no natural athletic ability (true but perhaps not…
No News Is Good News
For most of my life, I loved reading the newspaper. As a kid, I started by reading the comics. Then I moved on to the political cartoons. Over time, I grew to enjoy articles about politics, the economy, business and lifestyles – pretty much everything except cars, sports and fashion. Reading exposed me to ideas…
You Might Not Need a Sales Manager
As someone who’s been in sales management for most of his professional life, it may be sacrilegious for me to say it, but you might not need a sales manager. For some companies, a sales manager can make or break your sales team. For others, a sales manager is a waste of money. Money that…
Math Geek
I have loved numbers for as long as I can remember. As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a counter. As a child, I’d count the steps it took to walk to the grocery store. I’d divide my toy soldiers into equally numbered teams. I asked people’s ages and would figure out how many…
I Don’t Want Your $2.7M Penthouse Condo
Last weekend my son did an art event in a penthouse condo that was on the market. My wife and I went to the event to support him. The artwork was incredible. The artists and their families were an eclectic cast of characters. The condo, not so much. Even if I had the money to afford…
How to Make Sales with No Leads, No Marketing and No Track Record
Once upon a time, I joined a 3 man startup to sell Intrusion Detection Service. I realized in my first week that our product was vaporware – we had no software, no service and no customers. But we needed to generate sales so we could make payroll and run the business. Not to mention, I needed…
Old Man
Last year I had a work trip to Pittsburgh, my old hometown. While there, I arranged to have dinner with some friends who I hadn’t seen for several years. We planned to meet at my hotel and walk to a nearby restaurant. Since it was summer, I took advantage of the great weather to take…
What is it you do and how do you make money?
Recently I had a conversation with a former colleague who asked me, “So what exactly is it that you do and how do you make money?” I’ve gotten this question several times in the past year, so I thought I should share my response in a post.
Fashionista
My wife says I dress like nobody loves me. But her attempts to shame me into dressing better will never work. I already know she loves me. I’ve never had much of a sense of style. As a child, I couldn’t figure what colors matched. I hated having to wear uncomfortable “school clothes” and couldn’t wait…
Crunch Time
My dog Snickers is spoiled. I’m up first, so every morning, I feed and walk her long before my wife Ellen wakes up. Then I head into the garage to work out. A few hours later, when Ellen wakes up, she feeds Snickers “dog cookies” (dehydrated chicken jerky that costs as much as filet mignon)….