Hello, this week’s great idea comes from an article I recently read in The Wall Street Journal on Toyota. Please click here and read it; it is very interesting to me. The attitudes of the folks that work for Toyota seem to be superior to that of the Detroit-based groups. Read the last line of the article; no sense of entitlement there.

As you read this article, think about ways you could get your team to understand the big picture. Think of ways you could show your people that success is a marathon, not a sprint. I’m not saying we can simply afford to have all our people on the payroll whether we have work or not; I’m simply saying that the businesses that win are those that have a plan and work that plan. And when we train our people, the return on investment is excellent. Toyota is way too smart to have people sitting around doing nothing; they use the time to get better and while they fall back financially doing this for the short term, their finishing kick puts them first!

Some miscellaneous thoughts from 33,000′ on my way to another speaking engagement

There’s a lot going on right now. We have a rather exciting election underway. Both sides are doing all they can to sell their agenda to the American public. Watch how people do things and watch how the public reacts. I think you will learn a little bit about salesmanship in the process. What do you like and what don’t you like? Is there something you can use in your selling tactics? I know one thing; I don’t want to hear about how bad the other side is; tell me what you can do for me.

Things are never as bad as we think they are nor as good; they are somewhere in between. No, our economy is not in the greatest shape; I’d lose your respect if I told you otherwise. However, it’s also not as bad as the media makes it out to be either. Life is the same way, folks. I have friends who have health issues in their family. I have a neighbor whose house burned to the ground. And I see people every day way worse off than I am. Bottom line–most of us have it pretty good–be thankful for the things you have instead of complaining about what you don’t have.

Finally, a little compliment goes a long, long way. Call someone today–a co-worker, a friend, a client, a vendor, your mom, your child and compliment them. It’s not that hard and you’ll be amazed how much good your kind words can do for these folks. On my way out the door to get on this flight, the ladies in the office told me I looked nice. (I was wearing a new shirt I bought while on a recent trip.) For a 40-year-old, balding, non-model kind of guy, they made my day! And it reminded me how we can live for days off a simple, little compliment!

Talk to you next week. Oh yeah, click here for help with your business!

This year’s presidential election is shaping up to be quite a battle. It’s fascinating, to say the least.

I can tell you I’m going to have a lot of fun the rest of the year marketing, using an election theme. So, my great idea this week is for you to do the same.

Why can’t you get some signs made up like these and play off the election? I’m going to do billboards, radio spots, and even some TV stuff to make people chuckle and create some awareness for Grunder Landscaping Co. in the process. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Hey, judging by the amount of calls we’re getting from you folks, the large number of participants of the teleseminars and what I see myself, many of you need a pep talk. So, remember these words of wisdom given to me by Dave Kay of Centerville, Ohio:

You are NOT finished when you lose.

You are finished when you QUIT!

Don’t Quit … keep working. Call clients, e-mail them, show them you mean business. Do not feel sorry for yourself. My team sold a ton of work last week by practicing what I’m preaching. I know you can too.