We've all seen the contestants on American Idol – some of which are horribly self-deluded. They think they have talent when they don't. Unfortunately, that trait of self-delusion is common among more than American Idol contestants. Join with me as I dig into this issue and see to what degree you may be suffering from it.

Great leaders have a number of character traits in common. This is the third in a series of articles dealing with the set of character traits that great business leaders exhibit – A continuous quest for MORE.

In this session, I respond to two questions from salespeople: One has to do with the idea of 'finesse' and the other on methods to insure that you get the 'last look.' My advise may not be what you were expecting.

More important than the business model in the long-term success of a business is the character of the CEO. In this series, I describe the top qualities of character that mark the successful business leaders. This is number two – the ability and propensity to learn.

Effective salespeople think about what they do before they do it. That's called planning. And, good planning requires disciplines and routines. In this podcast, I unveil a planning process that has focused and energized thousands of B2B salespeople.

Great business leaders invariably exhibit the same qualities of character. In this first of series, I look at the qualities of character that mark great leaders, with a deep dive into the first: An unshakeable work ethic.

This is my answer to a question submitted by a sales manager: How many sales calls should a salesperson make? The answer may surprise you.

Every profession produces a set of best practices. Despite the excuses we make for ourselves, what is true for every other profession is also true for sales. There are best practices for salespeople and the best salespeople study them, and embed them into their routines.

It is the information age, and effective sales people and sales organizations understand the value of collecting good information about their prospects and customers. Good information leads to good decisions. Sales Potential is one often neglected piece of information that every sales person needs to collect.