Certainly, I have the Recession to thank for my very positive turn of events. During good times very few marketing decision-makers need a guy to increase sales when sales are booming. But, when the ‘cupboard is bare’ as it has been for the past year, I have been busier than a one-armed paper hanger!

Sadly, a few of these inquiries waited too long and found themselves already drowning in negative cash flow or worse having their assets repossessed. They just waited too long to take corrective action.

I’m not a miracle-worker. Granted, I’ve been fortunate to account for some very exciting turn-arounds but only because the opportunities and circumstances were aligned with my expertise and skills and the clients followed through with my timely recommendations.

The old definition of luck of ‘when opportunities meet the prepared mind’ may seem trite but it’s true and I have my father and my old high school Latin Teacher, John Bell, to thank for his often quoted, “everything one experiences in life is grist for the mill”.

For years, I labored diligently and stayed the course pursuing my laser-focus of mastering the sales prospecting process rather than wandering off course and trying to become all things to all potential clients who needed presentation, closing, and customer service skills training.

Make no mistake; many times I was tempted to accept sales training assignments outside of my area of expertise to pay the bills. I stayed the course and remained focused on b2b (business to business) sales prospecting and new business development challenges and now, I’m thrilled to say, it was the right thing to do!

This past weekend, I finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, the best-selling ‘success’ book, which was filled with countless stories and affirmations of why it pays to become an expert in a discipline and how where we come from and how those around us are truly responsible for our successes in life.

“I chose the path less travelled and it has made all the difference’ Robert Frost’s memorable poetic words ring true, again. My purpose with this blog posting is to remind those who are at the crossroads of their careers to pursue a life’s work they genuine enjoy and a career where their expertise can be counted on to deliver relevant and timely value to others.

Years ago, Zig Ziglar, whom I once met at a National Speakers Association Convention, advised me to follow my heart and do well what I enjoy most even though the compensation (at that time) may not meet my expectations because eventually I would triumph and be paid what I am worth.

Those ‘years ago’ are now and I’m thankful I followed his sage advice!

Recently, a client, who was interviewing b2b sales candidates, asked me: What one question would you ask each sales candidate, and why?

My reply surprised him when I quickly answered, “Name the title of the last non-fiction book you read and why you read it?”  One’s reading habits reveal much about one’s priorities, disciplines and motivations. Success in the sales profession requires balanced doses of each.

Selling is more of an art than a science. If we reverse a few steps in the sales process we may still close the order. Do the same with a scientific experiment and the desired chemical reaction is not likely to occur. As an art, there are variations which will work to accomplish the end result of a successful sales transaction.

While understanding and learning the sales process is best achieved by doing rather than passive learning such as: reading, viewing a video or computer-based-training course; or, completing a game-based learning challenge; reading about the experiences of sales experts, in other industries, is a valuable and relevant learning tool.

Reading combined with these two disciplines: 1] Re-composing, in one’s own words and adding memory hooks to the recently-read concept and; 2] Hand-writing a short explanation of the same concept. Just the process of writing our interpretation improves our memory retention of concepts we may wish to recall and apply at a future time.

Reading to improve one’s job skills and to acquire new techniques should become a weekly habit. Product knowledge is essential and so is reading to improve one’s selling and communications skills. As an art, we can personalize a sales process which best matches our personality and vocabulary and apply it to our specific selling style.

Sadly, the attraction and lure of the Internet’s on-demand social networking participation prevents many new sales people from becoming serious printed book readers. Add to this, the mistaken presumption by many that once one leaves the hallowed halls of learning, formal learning is over. 

This mindset can retard a person’s career growth. Aside from the pure joy which accompanies an ‘aha’ learning moment, becoming a lifelong learner pays huge career-related dividends.

When a sales candidate struggles to recall the last non-fiction book they read, it’s a sign of someone who isn’t motivated to improve their skills; or, who lacks the discipline to prioritize self-improvement. Self-learning of new concepts is an essential ingredient of a sales person’s progression.

We are all too busy, but finding the time to read won’t become a priority unless we make it one. Others judge us by how well or poorly we communicate in writing; by our e-mail composition, and our speech. 

Reading extends our vocabulary and introduces us to words and phrases that color and anchor the mental images we paint when we attempt to communicate.

So, take a tip from this 31 year sales veteran and make reading a priority to become the sales professional you aspired to be when you joined our noble calling. You have so much to gain.

Besides, you may be asked this question on your next job interview: “Name the title of the last non-fiction book you read and why you read it?” Your answer may well determine the successful outcome of your job interview.

What if ‘John Hancock’ had signed his name as ‘John H’ or just ‘JH’ instead of his bold first and last name signature stroke for all to view? This was truly a proud, bold statement of one of the few who stood against the Tyranny of the Oppressive Rule of King George in Colonial America.

This was a stroke of penmanship which could lead to dire consequences and did for many of the original Declaration of Independence signors and their families.

I’m challenging all you ‘big talkers’ out there in the blog sphere to cease being so critical and to start applying your skills and talents to initiate something constructive.

Is action too much to ask? I don’t think so. I’ll publish your relevant, verbatim Comments if there is no abusive language and your comments are formed sentences, not just Tweets.

Yesterday, while enjoying a cigar with a good friend, we mused at how few people, today take serious action to convert their opinions into concrete actions. Flapping one’s lips versus walking the talk has become the safe, acceptable behavior.

While freedom of speech is a wonderful expression of what we cherish as Americans and blogging has unleashed millions of individual opinions, isn’t it time to take action to convert concepts into practical realities to give them legs and feet not just voices?

The great divide or chasm between thinking and doing remains broad because of the fear of consequences, scorn by peers; or, it may require effort to do more than lift a finger at a keyboard. Action requires effort, commitment and exposure.

Lately, the Radio Talk Show Media has moved millions of Americans to attend Tea Parties to protest out of control government spending. In cities across America protesters have registered their dissatisfaction with our current Federal Government Policies.

Fair Tax Advocates have formed local groups to take constructive action to move their cause out of the discussion stage. Strong feelings and opinions have motivated some groups to form lines in the sand and to create plans of action.

Whatever your cause, I encourage you to take the next step to take action because we only have to take note of the ultimate sacrifices of our defenders of freedom at the far outposts they guard to preserve our July 4^th Freedoms we sometimes take for granted.

While July 4^th Celebrations reminded us of our consecrated values, lets demonstrate to those in uniform that we seriously appreciate their actions on our behalf. That we too are brave enough to stand up and be counted and held accountable for our actions.

Do you agree?

Just 3 months ago, an acquaintance, at a business networking function, asked me, “Do you Twitter?”  In true Toastmaster fashion, I replied, “Only when I drink too much caffeine!”

FACT: I didn’t know what she was talking about when she asked me about Twitter. In a true defense mechanism fashion: I delivered my humorous reply. Since this verbal exchange, I learned enough about Twitter to now, reply: “I don’t Twitter and with good reason!”

Unless, one of you will comment about the merits of Twitter and justify why I should become a card-carrying ‘Twitter-er’ I see no reason to invest precious time to become adept at using another useless, interruptive technology. I choose to avoid useless, time-intensive technologies which contribute little or nothing to my work day waking hours.

Abbreviated English ‘Text Messaging’ and ‘Twittering’ share the same appeal to me: None. Too often, I receive barely legible text messages laced with callous misspellings. Callous, because Spell-Checker is a built-in free program which only requires a sender to execute a few extra mouse-clicks.

There is no excuse for not taking a few extra minutes to Spell-Check my message before I transmit the contents. Why bother? Because each time I send an e-mail I am broadcasting how well or poorly I communicate. Like it or not, recipients will form an opinion about my educational credentials.

A speedy reply is no excuse for misspellings or abbreviated wording. Useless, interruptive technologies share the blame for these two alarming electronic communications trends. The second culprit is the decline in reading printed books. A habitual readership discipline enriches one’s vocabulary.

You only have to look at the lack of sentence structure to see we are becoming a society content to communicate in sound bytes rather than whole sentences which convey thoughts and meaning.

Laziness and acceptance are to blame! As long as the majority of readers condone sloppy word use, we are all doomed to mediocre prose. I say, enough, already. It’s time to re-focus and apply our God-given communications skills on what matters most: meaningful communications.

OK, it’s your turn Twitter Fans. Let’s see if you can communicate effectively!

You say, you couldn’t make payroll yesterday because your clients have stretched out their payments. Or, you can’t sell products because your bank has frozen your credit line. Maybe, your Horoscope Sign was a 5? Because, because; we can always find excuses upon which to blame our troubles.

FACT: even though the stock market declined 83 points yesterday and the new Stimulus Plan will place future generations at risk, guess what didn’t happen, yesterday?

Brian Williams on the NBC Evening News didn’t broadcast any report by IMS (Immigration Services) about an alarming number of visa application cancellations. Foreigners are still lining up at the gates of our great, but temporarily troubled country, waiting patiently for their legal entry papers. Illegal aliens are still tragically dying in rickety old leaky boats on the high seas off the Florida coast. I’m sure, a few even came across our Southwestern border in the past few nights.

No matter how good or bad Friday the 13^th was for us, it was still a better day than for most foreigners.

Whatever daily calamities challenge small business owners like us, we have much more to be thankful for than when my father first set foot on US soil in 1919. Nicholas Demetrious Alagazakis (Nicholas D. Allen, the Americanized version) was a Greek Immigrant who found himself in a strange, foreign country in a time of war.

Not quite penniless, but with just the clothes on his back, and a working fluency of English; he was destined to make his family of four boys proud of his American Legacy.

Thanks to an established Greek Community in New York City, where he quickly made friends, he found employment and later became an insurance salesman for the Prudential Life Insurance Company.

At the end of WW1, he brought my English mother, Dolly Fortune, to this country where they became citizens. Hard work and good fortune empowered him to become a ship owner of the Prudential Steamship Company headquartered at Battery Place in New York City.

In WW2, he and his company prospered and he moved his growing family to Florida in the late 1940’s where he settled into a new business as owner of the Florida Yacht Basin on the Miami River.

When my brothers and I were growing up, a day never went by when Nicholas didn’t thank this great country for the opportunities it afforded he and his children. While TV and radio were daily distractions, we were constantly infused with his spirit of gratitude and reminded to fulfill our individual American goals and destinies. And, we have. My brother Homer became a ship owner; Winston, an architect; Milton, a software company executive; and me, a sales training consultant.

Our legacy was repeated millions of times in every corner of our great country. Through the Great Depression and the many peaks and valleys of historic economic trends; we have weathered harsh circumstances and still prospered individually and grown our nation.

That’s my story. That’s why I am eternally thankful to be an American. That’s why I still count Friday, the 13^th, as my Lucky Day. Every day I breathe our air is my blessing.

I’d like to hear your story.