The art of sending notes and cards to people is something that is rarely seen any more.  Hand written notes are always well receieved.  But what if you want to kick it up a knotch?  Try out these plantable seed cards next time you get in the mood to write.  7 out of 10 times, your client will call you back and thank you specifically for the card.  In fact, they will also want to know where you got them.

I thing I learned many years ago was that if you want to be successful in building relationships, you need to encourage and lift up people.  All people really want is to know that you care anbout them.  Send a 2 hand written note cards out each day and watch your sphere of influence grow.  All it takes is a few minutes a day and they will remember your kind gesture for months.  These cards are also available with paper ornament shapes as well.  They are also made using a wide assortment of seeds that might fit your business of theme.  My favorite is the Forget-Me-N-not seeds.  If your company is at all concerned with the environment, this is another way to show your support.

And yes, you guessed right.  Seed cards can be purchased by emailing sales@caseandtote.com.  Price is approximately $3 each, depending on style.  Minimum order is 25 cards.  Drop them a note and they will mail out a free sample. ]]> http://www.execmagazine.com/plantable-seed-cards/feed/ 0 http://www.execmagazine.com/new-appointments/ http://www.execmagazine.com/new-appointments/#comments Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:40:18 +0000 admin http://www.execmagazine.com/new-appointments/ ROO Group Inc., Announced several new additions to the management team.

Bert Solivan is Executive Vice President and General Manager. He will lead all
U.S. operations.

Paula Balzer is Chief Marketing Officer. She will develop and manage the company’s
business-to-business and business-to-consumer (B2C) strategies, including developing a
go-to-market strategy for B2C.

Rick Gell is Chief Content Officer. He will add major brands, Web-original and multi-language content to the company’s core collection of daily video offerings.

The company is preparing to expand into the business-to-consumer market, and to launch its peer-to-peer, user-generated content and other applications.

SimpleTuition Inc., http://www.simpletuition.com Announced the appointment of a new Vice President of Business Development.  Christopher Stevens is Vice President of Business Development. He will manage and expand the company’s partnerships with educational institutions, lenders and other affiliated organizations.

Prospero Technologies LLC  http://www.prospero.com Announced the appointment of a new Director of Worldwide Sales.

Michael Millet is Director of Worldwide Sales. He will extend the company’s market leadership, expand its sales team, and implement processes and tools to accelerate its global market presence.

The company plans to expand its sales team in New York, Los Angeles and the United Kingdom, and then widen the team to the rest of EMEA, APAC and MLSA as its customer base increases.

]]> http://www.execmagazine.com/new-appointments/feed/ 0 http://www.execmagazine.com/freedom-use-it-or-lose-it/ http://www.execmagazine.com/freedom-use-it-or-lose-it/#comments Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:43:23 +0000 admin http://www.execmagazine.com/freedom-use-it-or-lose-it/ This week, Americans celebrate our declaration of independence from British rule back in 1776. In the midst of the fireworks and ball games, we forget how courageous the signers of the Declaration of Independence truly were. By signing their names, they risked their lives for values and a vision they believed in.

It has always seemed to me that July 4th really ought to be a day for affirming our values and our highest aspirations.

In fact, let me re-phrase it for emphasis:

One of the great failures of modern life is that so many of us do not USE the freedom we have to create the life we want.

Take a moment to consider the freedoms you have right now:*** You have access to a world of education and ideas
*** Your public library has the greatest books ever written
*** You can live anywhere on earth
*** You can live with (or without) anyone you please
*** You can learn as much as you like
*** You can earn as much as you like
*** You can CREATE as much as you like!

And yet, as Thoreau wrote over 150 years ago, too many of us continue to live lives of “quiet desperation.”

I am appalled at the number of Americans who live “paycheck to paycheck,” using credit cards to survive! We are the richest, most educated, most financially literate people in history! Why do we live this way?

I am appalled at the number of people who do work they find boring or unsatisfying. You can change careers with a bit of education, a bit of networking, a bit of effort, and while millions of us “start over” every year, others stay in unsatisfying situations year after year after year. Why!?

I am appalled at the people who call or email me to say they have a dream they want to pursue, but they “can’t afford” a coach, or they “don’t know how to start,” or they “can’t rock the boat.” Folks, there are a million reasons to stay in a situation that is less than ideal – and if that is your choice I respect it – but don’t use the excuse that you “can’t” change it! That’s just wrong!

This week, we celebrate our “Independence Day!” We are also starting the second half of the year.

PLEASE – take time to review your most important goals, your highest aspirations and your biggest dreams, and if there are changes you want to make, then do so! If there are things you need to be doing, please begin.

Decide NOW to make the second half of 2007 your time of transformation and personal independence. Declare that you will USE your freedom to do what makes you happy, fulfills your destiny and gives meaning and purpose to your life. Do not “go to your grave with your music still inside you!”

I’m a firm believer in the power of small steps. It is rarely necessary to take big, dramatic (or risky!) steps, but it is always necessary to begin. Think clearly. Take notes. Talk with loved ones. Admit your dreams out loud, and if there are steps you need to take during the rest of 2007, start walking.

Source: http://www.philiphumbert.com  ]]> http://www.execmagazine.com/freedom-use-it-or-lose-it/feed/ 0 http://www.execmagazine.com/people-on-the-move/ http://www.execmagazine.com/people-on-the-move/#comments Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:35:13 +0000 admin http://www.execmagazine.com/people-on-the-move/ Tim Ellis is the new Vice President of Sales and Marketing for eAutoClaims.com. He will lead the company’s marketing and sales efforts with its direct sales channel.

Greg Marek is Vice President of Marketing for GuardID.com. He will drive the company’s marketing plans and play a leading role in creating new products.

Todd Johnson, M.D., is Senior Vice-President for Strategy and Corporate Development for MDS Pharma Services. He will lead efforts to accelerate growth through strategic partnerships and acquisitions.

Melissa Neal is Vice President of Channel Sales for Mi-Co.  In this newly created position, she will identify and recruit partners for the company’s channel sales strategy.

NaviSite announced the appointment of Rathin Sinha as new Chief Marketing Officer.

Solix Technologies announced the appointment of new members of the management team. They are as follows:

Craig Bradley is Vice President of Sales. He will drive business development and revenue through direct sales and channel partners.

Greg Duplessie is Vice President of Strategic Alliances. He will establish strategic relationships with technology partners and build the company’s indirect sales channels.

Prasada Pyala is Vice President of Engineering-SAP Solutions. He will enhance the company’s solution offerings for SAP.

]]> http://www.execmagazine.com/beyond-eitheror-thinking/feed/ 0 http://www.execmagazine.com/get-focused-in-college/ http://www.execmagazine.com/get-focused-in-college/#comments Fri, 25 May 2007 14:29:10 +0000 admin http://www.execmagazine.com/get-focused-in-college/ I asked my son and a few of his friends (high school graduates) to come to my office to help me hire someone.  They were not all able to come out at the same time so when the first friend came over I handed him a stack of 50 resumes.  I asked him to pick out the best 3.  As each kid came in I gave them each the same task.  Finally my son came in and I gave him the same task.  After he was done, he proudly came back in the room and shared with me his results.  After listening to his reasons why he chose them, I revealed to him the small marks I made behind each resume.  All 3 boys had chosen the same 3 resumes.  All for the same reasons.  The average GPA was 3.8 or better.  These individuals all participated in the community and were involved with non profit organizations.  All 3 had jobs during the summers that they would go back to year after year.  And all were able to communicate their passion for landing this type of position.

The moral of the story to high school kids going into college is this.  When you go out looking for your first job, you will likely be competing against 3-400 applicants, not just 50.  Your history of top performance can only be judged by your grades.  Employers want to know that you care about others and that you are reliable and consistant.  Prove that you have these qualities and you will have no problem finding a job.

Source:  Tom Smith, VP Sales, Quality Systems

Interrupting can cause a whole stream of problems and challenges. It reduces our effectiveness as a listener, negatively impacts relationships, shuts down communication, reduces our ability to learn and much more.

If interrupting causes all of these problems, and we all seem to do it, the logical question is, how can we stop interrupting?

Read on, because the rest of this article offers seven ways to change your approach to listening and to kick your interrupting habit.

The Seven Ways

Don’t talk. If you aren’t talking, it is hard to be interrupting. The goal is to develop the habit of not interrupting. So just stop interrupting. This could be called the Nike™ approach – Just Do It (just stop interrupting). Seems simple enough, but unfortunately this is a habit that many of us haven’t yet developed. (If we had, I likely wouldn’t be sharing these ideas.)

Close your mouth. Believe me, this is different than “don’t talk.” In the last point I said, “If you aren’t talking, it is hard to be interrupting.” This is generally, though not universally, true. Many times (including several times yesterday) I find myself not audibly interrupting someone, but I do open my mouth as if I’m signaling to the other person that I am ready to talk. Is this better than talking over them? Perhaps slightly, but you still have communicated to the other person that you are done listening and are ready to talk.

I read once that the best thing we could do to be a better listener is to imagine that we have a drop of glue on our lips. Keeping our mouth closed, whether we speak or not, will definitely keep us from interrupting.

Source: Kevin Eikenberry ]]> http://www.execmagazine.com/seven-ways-to-stop-interrupting/feed/ 0