Sprouting Ideas Blog

If you know anything about my professional career, I’ve done a lot of work in the broad area of peak performance, but more than anything else I’m branded as a business development and sales guru. I wear that badge with pride since I’ve been teaching sales and management teams how to sell with complete integrity and go against the grain of what is common practice for many years. I know what works and what doesn’t and I see much more of the “what NOT to do” when I’m meeting with potential clients or seeing what is being disseminated out there under the guise of effective sales training. Lately, I’ve seen a pattern of developing conditions that most organizations are failing to address properly. So my bold prediction is this: The tipping point is...

I was reading a blog article this morning on 40 tips for a better life. It was full of  snippets that we’ve all heard before but are great reminders none-the-less. One of the items struck me though. Not because I find it to be true. But because it is what most people do, and what I refuse to follow. The item was: Don’t overdo. Know your limits. Now, an argument could easily be made for not overdoing things that really don’t matter. I think we all can get caught up in stuff that, in the long run, really doesn’t make a meaningful difference. And if that’s the case, I whole-heartedly agree…”don’t overdo.” But the second part of the tip – “Know your limits” –  tells me that is not what the original author had in mind. The truth...

Having spent the last two decades working with individuals and teams to improve performance, I’m constantly amazed that even when people want change and give it lip service, they fall woefully short. It’s usually not because they don’t’ want to get better. It’s simply that they don’t know how to make learning and development stick. The problems or potential pitfalls are many but four of the biggest obstacles to your future success and ongoing growth boil down to: 1. Not figuring out what you need to focus on. In other words, accepting the status quo and getting lulled into a comfortable place where you don’t stretch and grow. So step one is to decide where you want and need to grow and develop as an Association. The biggest mistake that most...

Your success today may actually be giving your future a strangling choke-hold. In fact, I would argue that your past success may be your biggest threat for a bright future. Sounds counterintuitive, I know. The problem is that success breeds contentment and satisfaction. It causes us to feel like we “made it.” And that is a very dangerous place to be for both individuals and organizations. That’s because our success often leads us to stop taking risks, stop innovating and stop growing. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Right? Last week, I spent a couple days with a group of senior leaders from a Farm Credit Association. The average tenure of the participants with the organization was over 25 years. While the room was full of wisdom and experience, it was...

I’ve been lucky. With the work that I’ve done, I’ve traveled around the world working with sales teams and leaders so they can perform better, build stronger relationships and grow their sales. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Mostly, I’ve seen people in organizations who wanted to improve but were unsure what exact steps were needed and how to create a lasting change in their organizations. And I’ve seen sales approaches that simply haven’t changed with the times. Unfortunately, to many folks even the word “sales” is still a dirty word. It’s not their faults though. What do you think of when someone says the words “sales” or salesperson? If “used car salesperson” came to mind, you are not alone. In the opening of my book, Six...

It’s a common rule of thumb in business. Are you using it to boost your success? The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, can help you prioritize your most important tasks. Named after Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, the principle recognizes that 20% of your activities give you 80% of the value. The challenge, then, is to focus on those high impact tasks. Simply ask yourself, “Am I doing the activities that give me the biggest return for my time and effort?”