When I am hired to speak to a company or association, I typically talk ahead of time to six to eight people who will be in the audience to get a better sense of the group. I ask them a series of questions about creative selling, teamwork, negotiations, how they get close to their customers and so on. Then I surprise them and ask what they do to get better at their jobs.

Over the years some of the typical answers I've received include: going back to school to learn new skills or get another degree, joining trade organizations and attending events, networking, listening to speakers, reading everything they can get their hands on, being more available, working harder and smarter, improving people skills and many more.

These are all great ideas, but I'd like to add to the list and share some of my ideas:

-- Improve your time management. Most people fail because they let time manage them. Time becomes a crook. Often it's the people who make the worst use of their time who complain there is never enough of it.

-- Get organized. This will not only improve your productivity, but it will streamline your life, lower your stress and save you money. The Wall Street Journal reported that the average U.S. executive wastes six weeks per year retrieving misplaced information from messy desks and files. (I'm still working on this.)

-- Stay positive. Positive thinking is more than just a tagline; it changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I'm positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better. Positive thinking turns obstacles into opportunities.

-- Write down your goals. Goals not only give you more than a reason to get up in the morning, but they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap deeper resources and draw the best out of life. Achieving goals produces significant accomplishments.

-- Learn to compromise. When you observe the politics in Washington, compromise appears to be a lost art. Maybe that's because it often is looked upon as weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. Business involves constant compromise -- negotiating contracts, hiring, closing sales and so on. Compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that all parties think they got the biggest piece.

-- Exercise your mind and body. Taking care of business starts with taking care of yourself. Exercise makes me feel better and gives me energy to work more productively. My philosophy is, exercise doesn't take time; it makes time.

-- Develop your confidence. Confidence doesn't come naturally to most people. Even the most successful people have struggled with it in their careers. The good news is that you can develop confidence just like any muscle or character trait. Some tips: Improve your skills, keep track of your success, practice being assertive and step out of your comfort zone.

-- Improve your relationship with your boss. A good relationship with your boss is the foundation of a successful career. Your boss is the person most likely to recognize your contributions and achievements and potentially recommend you for promotions. Strive for a positive work environment.

-- Surround yourself with mentors and coaches. You can't do it all by yourself. Seek out the very best help you can find to take your game to the next level. On the flip side, don't shy away from mentoring younger workers because business is a team sport.

-- Practice public speaking. Most people dread public speaking, but few skills are more important. Public speaking improves your confidence and communication skills and helps you think better on your feet. How you say things can be as important as what you say. Join Toastmasters International, one of the best-kept secrets in the world. (I did.)

-- Learn to love feedback. You can learn from anyone if you are open to accepting feedback from not only your manager, but also from colleagues and customers. If you really believe in yourself, you'll be open to criticism, learn from it and improve your performance.

The main thing is that you keep working on you. Life is like riding a bicycle. You don't fall off unless you stop pedaling.

Mackay's Moral: Improvement begins with I.

The only constant in life is change. And the sales game is certainly doing its share of changing.

One of the biggest shifts seems to be in the buyer/seller relationship. Research shows that buyers are not reaching out to contact salespeople and sales organizations until they're 60 percent to 70 percent along in the decision-making process, according to Jill Konrath, an internationally recognized sales strategist.

"Instead of contacting a salesperson, customers today are going online first," Jill says. "I know that the minute I come up with a question or a problem, I go to Google and I type in what I'm looking for. This puts salespeople in a real one-down position because suddenly they're no longer needed for their product or service knowledge. Instead, they find themselves constantly getting involved in price battles."

Konrath is everywhere these days, and for good reason. She's on the front edge of what it takes to be successful today in the sales game. She's been featured on ABC News, in Forbes, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Selling Power magazine and many more. More than 100,000 salespeople globally read her weekly newsletter.

I asked Jill what sales managers can do to help their team be successful in this ever-changing environment.

She said: "We need to rethink how we do things. Sales managers need to be the change agents out there. The reality is that in many cases, our products or services are no longer the differentiator. The salesperson is now the differentiator. The customer must like the interaction with the salesperson. They're always asking: Is this individual adding value? Are they constantly bringing me ideas, insights and information that can help me run my business better?"

This change in strategy means salespeople need to know a whole lot more about their customers and the people making buying decisions. What are the buyers' business objectives? What are their roles and responsibilities? What's their status quo? What might be preventing them from making a change?

"We need a more in-depth view of buyers," Jill said. "Salespeople need to be business analysts and idea providers, as opposed to product pitchers or just trying to make a sale. This is a real switch from the past and the genesis of a sales manager's job today."

Jill believes one of the most important jobs of today's sales managers is to coach their salespeople. It's not enough to pep them up and motivate them. She suggests that they go out with them on sales calls and see what kind of research they've done to prepare for each call. They may need to be doing a lot more preparation. I always say there's no such thing as a cold call at MackayMitchell Envelope Co.

"You have to be constantly working with them to improve and become better," Jill said. "There are not enough A players to go around. You have a whole slew of B and C performers, and a sales manager's job is to get them to improve. Coach, coach and coach your salespeople. It makes the biggest difference in the world."

The other thing that sales managers must do to be successful, according to Jill, is to get more and better prospects. Sales managers have to work much more closely with marketing staff than ever before.

"The last thing salespeople need are a bunch of crummy old leads from people who aren't really interested," Jill said. "Sales managers need to work with marketing to clearly define who makes a good prospect -- what kinds of companies, what positions and what issues, needs and concerns they might be facing. Equally important is the need to turn the company's website into a hub of great information that will attract these people."

Jill's latest book, "SNAP Selling," focuses on prospecting and teaches salespeople how to reach out to customers in a very different way. SNAP stands for Simple, iNvaluable, Align and Priority.

Jill explains: "In just five seconds, prospects decide if you're worth meeting. Do research first. Then, think about these things before you contact them: Is your message simple or complex? Do you sound like a salesperson or an invaluable resource? Do you align with their business objectives? And finally, are you focused on one of their priority initiatives? If you deliver a relevant message, aligned with their priorities, you have a much higher chance of connecting."

Mackay's Moral: You can't expect to meet the challenges of today with yesterday's tools and expect to be in business tomorrow.

Eugene Orowitz was a skinny, awkward kid from New Jersey. Painfully shy, very self-conscious and lacking self-confidence, Eugene nevertheless said yes when a high school coach half-jokingly asked him to try out for the track team, according to author Glenn Van Ekeren.

"Ugy," as his friends affectionately called him, discovered a talent for javelin throwing and committed himself to being the best that he could possibly be. What Ugy lacked in self-confidence, he made up for in commitment.

By graduation, Eugene had achieved a national high school record for throwing the javelin more than 193 feet. His commitment also resulted in a college track scholarship at the University of Southern California.

A torn shoulder muscle ended his javelin-throwing career and any hope of making the Olympic team. However, while watching a play, Eugene became intrigued by acting. Again, he committed himself to being the best. He was determined to make it as an actor, so he enrolled in acting class. And he changed his name.

You know Eugene Orowitz as Michael Landon, who went on to star in three of the most popular shows in television history: "Bonanza," "Little House on the Prairie" and "Highway to Heaven."

Eugene/� HYPERLINK "http://thinkexist.com/quotation/there-s_a_difference_between_interest_and/222268.html" �Michael demonstrated the difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it when circumstances permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.�

Comedian Bill Cosby dropped out of Temple University as a junior and became a starving comedian. But he was committed to becoming successful, staying up all hours of the night to talk to seasoned comics, research material and work on new routines. I had a chance to play tennis with Bill many years ago, and he told me: "Anyone can dabble, but once you've made the commitment, then your blood has that particular thing in it and it's very hard for people to stop you."

Commitment is a prerequisite to success. Commitment is the state of being bound -- emotionally, intellectually or both -- to a course of action. Commitment starts with a choice and is sustained by dedication and perseverance. Actions speak louder than words.

If you want something, but you're not motivated to do the work required, you will be frustrated and unsuccessful. So take action!

-- Make a list of everything you want. Write it all down. Don't leave out anything you want, from becoming a CEO to getting a date. Then rate each item according to its importance.

-- Consider your investment. Examine each of the items on your list and ask yourself: "Am I willing to invest the time, energy and resources necessary to achieve this?"

-- Make a decision. Look at your list and identify the items you want the most with the highest score for "willingness." Then start working on a plan for success over the next weeks or months -- and be sure to set a deadline.

Rev. Robert Schuller says there are four kinds of people: "First, there are the cop-outs. These people set no goals and make no decisions.

"Second, there are the hold-outs. They have a beautiful dream, but they're afraid to respond to its challenge because they aren't sure they can make it. These people have lost all childlike faith.

"Third, there are the drop-outs. They start to make their dream come true. They know their role. They set their goals, but when the going gets tough, they quit. They don't pay the toll.

"Finally, there are the all-outs. They are the people who know their role. They want and need and are going to be stars: star students, star parents, star waitresses. They want to shine out as an inspiration to others. They set their goals. ... The all-outs never quit. Even when the toll gets heavy, they're dedicated. They're committed."

To be committed, you must be "all in." You can't just do the best you can. You have to do everything you can. Remember, the difference between 100 percent all in and 99 percent all in is 100 percent.

When I think of commitment, I think of the story of the pig and the chicken who are walking down the road. The chicken says: "Hey, Pig, I was thinking we should open a restaurant!"

The pig replies: "Hmmm, what would we call it?"

The chicken responds: "How about Ham-n-Eggs?"

The pig thinks for a moment and says: "No thanks. I'd be committed, but you'd only be involved!"

Mackay's Moral: An ounce of commitment is worth pounds of promises.