I take pleasure from many things in life … I look for the good, I focus on the positive and I work hard to eliminate or at least negate the negatives.  So, having a built in reason to celebrate makes it VERY easy!!!

Here in North America we are about to celebrate some national holidays … and like many such celebrations they have evolved over the years, people have developed their own traditions and perhaps the original intents are not as important for some.

I’m not so sure it matters … if the essence of a Canada Day celebration for you is the celebration of Canada’s independence OR just a great opportunity to party its all OK.

In Canada we will be celebrating our independence (or just celebrating) on July 1st.  South of the border the US will be celebrating their independence on July 4th.  Its a good week for celebrating!!

To all my Canadian friends … Happy Canada Day.

To my friends in the states … wait another couple of days (or zip up to Canada for the weekend) and then you too can party like Canadians!!!

Find the good things to celebrate in your life … and when people make it easy for you, then make sure you take advantage.  Its time to be with friends and family, its a time to maybe drink and eat a little more than you should, its a time to laugh and tell stories, its a time to watch some fireworks … and maybe a time to reflect a little on those who have helped build these countries!

Let’s party!!!!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
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This is always an interesting topic in sales organizations.

Does more meetings means more sales?  The answer is YES, but only IF they are RELEVANT meetings.  The answer is NO, if they are not relevant … or they are with the same few people all the time (don’t laugh … check who your sales people have been meeting with)!

In a “business to business” world what is reasonable for a salesperson?  My generalisation would suggest that if you are selling large ticket, complex solutions (system integrator) or products (large software vendor) then probably you will have less face to face meetings than if you are selling a high volume, lower complexity service (staffing services) or product (photocopiers).

In my world … the staffing industry … I am always amazed that people can have less than two face to face meetings a day.  In an 8 hour day, they can’t spend 90 minutes to 2 hours with clients and/or prospects … assuming 45 minutes to an hour per meeting (often they are even shorter)!  They don’t even need to be spread out that way … 10 meetings in a week could happen easily over two days!

What is more important as a salesperson than spending time with the kind of people who buy from you?

Some thoughts …

1.  If you think about the parable about the rocks and the sand … the most important sales task is to be in front of clients and prospects.  So BOOK the meetings into your calendar and let every other task work around those “rocks” in your schedule!

2.  If you are not meeting with your clients, you can bet your competition is.

3.  How will you know what is going on if you are not “out there” hearing about it?

4.  How will your clients have you as top of mind if they only hear from you every now and then … and see you even less!

5.  People buy from people, so if you don’t have a relationship with your client (and that is impossible if you don’t meet them regularly) then you will lose to the salesperson that takes that time.

I actually believe that it is possible to average much more than 10 sales meetings a week … if you define a sales meeting as a meaningful face to face exchange with a client or prospect.  How? 

1.  Set up your core meetings … planning your calendar as far out as you can.

2.  Once they are set … look at who else is in the same building or neighbourhood.  Contact them to say you will be in a meeting close by and could you stop by for 10 minutes after?

3.  In preparation for your core meetings identify other people within the client’s organization that you would be interested in meeting too.  Ask your client to introduce you, so that you can then set up a follow on meeting.

Note:  This all requires good time management skills and a willingness to work hard.  Anyone can do it, but most won’t … even knowing that it WILL increase your sales success!

Think about it!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!

Find Canada’s top hot jobs, updated in real-time!  Visit Eagle’s Job Centre!

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Over the last couple of weeks I have been wrapped up moving home and travelling for business … and my workout routine suffered.  If I’m honest it was not doing so well in the couple of weeks leading up to the move, as I prepared for the move.  Over the last few days I have begun to get back into my daily exercise routine and this morning I had one of those GREAT workouts … I didn’t want to get out of bed, my legs felt tired and I really had to push myself to do it.  I had a fairly vigorous 20 minutes on the elliptical machine, followed by a good 20 minute weight circuit that includes some  abs, all followed by some stretching.

After the workout I was very conscious of how good it felt, my body felt strong, I was feeling alive and enjoying one of those natural highs!

This got me thinking about the kind of things, WITHIN MY CONTROL, that can give me those kind of natural highs.

Natural High:   A feeling of sheer joy, or elation related to an activity of event that is not a result of any enhancing agents (drugs, alcohol etc).

Here are SOME (PG rated) things that give me that high:

1.  Exercise as described above.

2.  Soccer … I am not playing currently but since I was 5 years old I have enjoyed this game, and the elation of scoring, making a good pass, dribbling past a defender, winning a game, playing hard all adds up to that special enjoyment!

3.  Business … I enjoy building my business, seeing some of the decisions we made come to fruition, seeing a strategy unfold, winning a key account, giving a key presentation that goes well, having positive meetings with clients, colleagues etc.  I can take great enjoyment from what I do.

4.  My family!

5.  Travel.

6.  Riding my motorbike or driving my sports car … both give that raw feedback of the road you don’t always get in regular driving.

I could probably go on … but it is worth noting that almost everything I have mentioned above could also get me down if I let it.  Exercise and soccer games don’t always go the way you would like (just ask the England team today), business comes with more than its fair share of challenges.

My approach is to actively ENJOY the good … and try hard to NEGATE the bad.

If you can not let ALL the negative stuff get to you, and can enjoy the good times then your life will be that much richer!

ENJOY your life … you only get one shot!

This is the HOLSTEE Manifesto …

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!

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Sales is a profession that can never rest on its laurels … there is always lots of work to be done.  However when things are going well there is a tendency to ease up a little, to take a little extra time off, golf a little more, have “out of office meetings” on Friday afternoons etc.  These are the kind of behaviours that alienate salespeople from their counterparts and when the numbers start to drop off, behaviours that attract senior management’s attention!

So … as a (formerly) successful sales person in that kind of situation what can you do?

Your client’s are not generating the same levels of business for whatever reasons.

Until recently you were bringing in the numbers, feeling good about yourself and taking full advantage of that success … life was good, and you don’t want things to change.

You have options :

1.  You can keep doing what you do and HOPE things change … I’m not a big fan of the “hope strategy”.

2.  You can look for another job based on your past success, stay there long enough to reach the same position and go through this all again.  Its an option I suppose … every industry has a large number of those reps that move every 2 to 3 years, and at some point they run out of options.

3.  You can recognise that you need to do something drastic … its called HARD WORK!  It doesn’t feel good to give up those golf games and Friday afternoons.  It feels like an uphill battle to add more contacts and chase new clients.  It is a grind to research and read about ways to rejuvenate your sales.  BUT when you turn things around, when you see the numbers coming in again, when you get the kudos for success THEN you will feel good and you will have EARNED the right to feel good!

IF you have chosen “Box #3 … HARD WORK” then let me help you on your way.

1.  I wrote a blog entry called Hit the Sales Wall?  7 Ideas to Get Sales Rolling Again!

2.  OK … you took some time and read that blog entry which gave you some ideas.  NOW read my blog entry Everything You Wanted to Know About Sales Success.

In our professional career we like to think that we are good at what we do … in sales it is very possible to enjoy success because of being in the right place at the right time.  Lasting success only comes from a professional approach and that means hard work.

Last piece of advice … don’t ever take advantage of your position as a sales person to slack off, it WILL come back to bite you.  The GREAT sales people are consistent, are driven and don’t need anyone to keep pushing them!

The Sales Manifesto ….

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Gain a competitive edge! Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!

Find Canada’s top hot jobs, updated in real-time! Visit Eagle’s Job Centre!

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Excuses … we all use them, and we likely grew up using them.

We started young … “I didn’t know …”, we said as toddlers.

We carried on through school … “The dog ate my homework!”.

We refined our techniques in University … “I pulled an all-nighter, fell asleep in the wee hours and slept through the alarm.”

In the workplace many have become masters … “The deadline was too tight, and Joe let me down so I couldn’t get it done!”

We can even go to websites that will give us ideas for excuses … this one actually also gives reasons not to use them!

Here is the bottom line …. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN, THEN YOU WILL FIND A WAY!

It may be HARD … but no one promised it would be easy!

It may appear like the obstacles are insurmountable … but if it was easy then how could you prove your worth?

Everything worthwhile requires effort, the question becomes are you willing to take responsibility for making it happen?

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right!” … Henry Ford

If you choose to ignore the words of Henry Ford, and the poster above doesn’t convince you then I will resort to the big guns with Nick Vujicic’s video … No Arms No Legs No Worries.   Try giving Nick your excuses!!!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!

Find Canada’s top hot jobs, updated in real-time!  Visit Eagle’s Job Centre!

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When I was a kid growing up in a working class neighbourhood in Liverpool I dreamed of being a professional soccer player … but figured I would be a car mechanic.

When I was an aircraft mechanic in the Royal Navy I never dreamed I could be an officer, my ambition was measured in small increments … actually earning stripes felt like a big accomplishment.

When I left the navy and went back to school to study computers my goal was to finish college with decent marks and position myself for a good computer programming job afterwards.

During college things started to change … I worked hard, applied myself and found I was achieving top marks (something I NEVER saw in all my previous school years).  I finished top of my class and got a “dream” job as a programmer with Barclays Bank.

What IF I had applied myself like that when I was back in school?

When I joined the bank I thought I might be able to work myself up into management, however I got itchy feet and emigrated to Canada instead.

In Canada I worked through a couple of jobs and felt I had an aptitude for sales … I was given the chance to move into sales and began to see opportunities.  My sales job was the start of a personal growth period, where I really began to believe in myself.

What IF I had seen life that way previously?

I have been a business owner for 16 years, our business has grown and prospered in that time and today I don’t feel constrained by doubts or fears or lack of ambition.

What IF I had that same confidence, attitude and willingness to work when I was that kid in Liverpool?

Don’t get me wrong … I have NO regrets!  I am who I am because of my life journey, and I am quite comfortable with who I am.

The message here is that our success, our ability to function and reach our potential is totally within our own control.  It is purely a mindset.

I am the same person as I was all those years ago … I just don’t think like that person thought!

Don’t let YOUR own inhibitions, beliefs, fears or other mental barriers get in the way of your talents, your potential, your ability to live your life as fully as possible!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!

Find Canada’s top hot jobs, updated in real-time!  Visit Eagle’s Job Centre!

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It is my experience that success in life, in your career and especially as an entrepreneur is HARD WORK!

The hours are long … and I’m not just talking about being available on your PDA.   If you happen to run a business then you need to be working at relationships, “reading, reading, reading”, finding time to plan, selling, increasing your brand awareness … ALL in addition to the day job of ensuring the smooth running of your “ ship”.

Travel is tough.  You can’t use core business hours to travel because they are too precious.  You need to maximise your time when travelling, so you cram in meetings, breakfast meetings, lunch meetings, dinner meetings … and you travel early morning and late at night.  As everyone knows, travel is very hard these days with increased security requirements and airlines cutting back and stress is compounded because of the scrutiny on shareholder value and costs containment.

Even when not travelling there is always work to be done, particularly if you are on that upwards trajectory.  Competition is fierce and you can bet “they” are willing to work hard!

So … in my humble opinion your chances of success are GREATLY improved if you are healthy, if you are fit and if you develop a resilience that allows you to bounce back from those “extra tough”, “extra stressful” times.

With this as a backdrop I read three separate articles in the last 24 hours about obesity in the work place, and the toll it is having on people, on health care systems and on employers.

This Human Resources Daily article, Workplace Weight Loss: Fit to Fail, is an interesting one with some employers recognising the toll on their companies and implementing strategies (for good or bad) to help (force) employees to do something about their obesity problem.

There was an article in The Ottawa Citizen about the link between poor mental health and obesity, which while not suggesting a one to one correlation was demonstrating some links between these two issues.

I was astonished when I saw this infographic which focuses on the cost of obesity in the US.  I have no doubt that a comparison with Canada would suggest that with the population of the US being 10 times that of Canada, it might not follow that Canada’s costs are  between 5% and 10% of the US costs.  That would mean obesity in Canada costs us between $7 billion and $15 billion a year!

These articles about obesity, its prevalence everywhere and the impact on individuals, governments and companies were the genesis for my original argument.  In today’s high paced, high stress environment you need to give yourself every advantage to be successful and that means having the energy to compete!  

So it is TOUGH out there … look after yourself, watch your intake of calories, get some exercise and stay on top of any health problems.  You don’t need to be a fanatic, but it is easy to let it all get away from you … and you won’t be happy if it does!

If you want some practical advice you could read my Healthy Executive series of blog entries (you don’t need to be an executive)!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!

Find Canada’s top hot jobs, updated in real-time!  Visit Eagle’s Job Centre!

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We hear from the “experts” all the time. 

Here are some quotes from former ”experts” in the computer industry …

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” … Thomas Watson, 1943 Chairman of IBM.

“Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.” … Popular Science, 1949.

“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in the home.” … Ken Olsen, President Digital Equipment Corporation.

Experts offer opinions which usually bring value, as we can see from the above, they are not ALWAYS good opinions.  

If you are a business owner, an executive or a manager looking to make an important decision it is prudent to get input from your advisers and experts such as lawyers and accountants.

Just remember the responsibility AND accountability for the decision is YOURS … and experts are not always right!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!

Find Canada’s top hot jobs, updated in real-time!  Visit Eagle’s Job Centre!

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Change …

1.  You cannot expect anything in your life to improve if you are not prepared to change something.

2.  Change will happen, whether you want it to or not!

3.  It is better for you to control the change that happens to you, rather than just let it happen.

4.  The consequences of change are sometimes unexpected … both good and bad.

5.  The more you take charge of your life, by changing your circumstance, the more satisfaction you will have.  This, however, is not a guarantee that everything will work exactly as you thought!

6.  Change does not need to be big to have good results.  For example … if you watched one hour less of TV every day and used that for exercise then you would have a huge impact on your health and fitness.

7.  By actually choosing to change “something” with a goal of improving your life you are already ahead of the game … more than 90% of the population will just “want” things to get better, or “hope” someone will do something!

8.  Start small, get some success and THEN the possibilities are endless.

9.  You are never too old to change … my mother is 90 years old and two years ago bought a new house! 

10.  Don’t procrastinate … the sooner you change something, the sooner you will see results.

A small example of some significant change, in MY life today …

Today, the packers are at my home in Ottawa and as of tomorrow Ottawa will no longer be home.  My wife and I are moving to Toronto. 

I expect this change to be very positive for us … we will see our kids more often, we will be able to travel more easily (as Toronto is a major airport hub), we can operate our business even more effectively from Toronto (our largest market) and we will spend less time in the car travelling back and forth to Toronto (we will be walking to work).

Was this change easy? 

I have lived in Ottawa since arriving in Canada more than 30 years ago, and my wife has been here even longer.  We have a beautiful home here that we designed specially to meet our needs.  We have friends and family here.  We raised our kids here.  We have ties to the community through work and our charitable endeavors.  We are very comfortable here.

SO … NO this was not easy.

Change is rarely easy … but if you want to improve your life then you have to embrace change.

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)

Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!

Find Canada’s top hot jobs, updated in real-time!  Visit Eagle’s Job Centre!

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Sixty-eight years ago today 160,000 young men landed on a 50 mile stretch of beach in Normandy in the event known as D-day.  It is widely recognised as the beginning of the end for Hitler’s evil empire!

My dad fought in that war for all of the six years from 1939 to 1945, joining the British army as an eighteen year old … returning as a very old twenty-four year old.

People like my dad, and the young men who landed on that Normandy beach, made tremendous sacrifices for us.

1.  We cannot let that sacrifice be forgotten.

2.  We have a responsibility to continue the “fight” … to make this a better world for future generations.

3.  The word “sacrifice” cannot be forgotten either … it should not be all about “me”!

4.  Every generation has its challenges … if we can harness the same kind of commitment that my dad’s generation showed then we can make sure our kids inherit a world worth having.