Coach Dan Foster

The world of sales is a complicated one right now. There are new regulations, tax implications, guidelines that have to be followed, and service expectations that need to be met. While information is readily available, certain clients still do not know how to protect their interests and negotiate a successful closing of a sale. Now more than ever, clients need sales professionals that are great advocates for them, take on their vision, and help them achieve their goals.

In these uncertain times I believe one of the most important questions we all need to be asking ourselves is, “What is my opportunity strategy?” My experience has shown that people are seeking, creating, or waiting for opportunity to come their way. The most successful professionals and companies articulate their opportunity strategy and then create objectives, goals, and themes that guide their decision making.

If you knew in the next 20, 30, or 40 years that your memory would start to deteriorate and that you would begin to forget your life story, how would you prepare today? Do you have a plan for not only building a legacy but ensuring that your legacy is recorded and able to be shared the way you want it to be? My guess is that most of us do not, and that we are leaving our legacy to chance.

The more I experience in business and in life the more I am convinced the best leaders use their talents and gifts to serve others. An engaged leader that is able to identify and address the needs of those around them will be more effective and influential than those that do not. Strong leaders don’t avoid people’s troubles; they jump right in and ask, “How can I help?”

The American work ethic is to be admired. It has led to advances in many industries, helped rebuild cities after war and natural disasters, and overall been a positive impact on our society. However, a recent survey by CareerBuilder.com revealed that the American worker is experiencing burnout like never before. According to their survey, American workers have the least amount of vacation time of any modern, developed society. When workers do go on vacation 20 percent say they plan to stay in touch with work. Over 50 percent of workers say they work under a great deal of stress and 77 percent say the feel burned out on the job.