Why you can't lead with a bad reputation

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February 20, 2012 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise The Leaderboard  Connection and rehearsal are key to good presentations When giving a presentation, providing information isn't enough if you don't connect with your audience, writes Shannon Alter. Turn your pitch into a conversation and focus on exactly what the client wants to hear. A presentation should be carefully edited and rehearsed, out loud before being given, she advises. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (2/15)      Why you can't lead with a bad reputation A leader's reputation is critical because leaders depend on others to follow along with their ideas, John Baldoni says. It's important for leaders to set a good example, stick to their values and give others reason for hope, he says. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (2/17)      The Plum Card® The Everything, Everywhere Trade Terms CardSM from American Express OPEN • Pay in full within ten days, get a 1.5% discount • OR pay as little as 10% and take up to 2 months to pay off the balance, interest free • No annual membership fee for the first year—a savings of $185 • A powerful cash flow management tool APPLY NOW Sales Strategies    3 tips for creating a high-level sales strategy Sales leaders should set a strategic direction for the sales force to help representatives achieve success, writes Richard Ruff. They should be aware of how their actions will affect members of the sales team and avoid rapid, repeated changes in strategic direction, he writes. SalesTrainingConnection.com (2/15)      Should geography set your sales territories? There are advantages and disadvantages to organizing your sales territories geographically, writes Bryce Record. On the plus side, this approach can reduce travel time and eliminate turf wars between sales representatives, he writes. On the other hand, geographic territories may restrict the performance of talented salespeople and prevent them from gaining specialized knowledge about specific industries, he writes. Sales Benchmark Index/Sales Force Effectiveness Blog (2/16)      Learn about Xerox® solid ink and enter to win an Apple® MacBook Air®— Exceptional color print quality, 90% less waste than comparable color lasers, and speeds up to 40 ppm make the ColorQube® 8570 printer your perfect solution for affordable color printing. Enter to win an Apple®MacBook Air® when you learn more. Daily Data Points    Economic-activity gauge increases again The index of leading economic indicators increased 0.4% in January, to its highest level since July 2008, the Conference Board reports. The index, which forecasts economic conditions three to six months in the future, has increased for four consecutive months. USA TODAY/The Associated Press (2/17)      Other News Consumers initiated 2.75 billion ad views last year MediaPost Communications/VidBlog (2/17)      Political ads should continue radio's winning streak The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Media Decoder blog (2/19)      Turn content assets into online consumer engagement and higher web conversion rates. Download our latest report “How to Master the Art of Content Marketing” to learn content marketing strategies and solutions, keys to content development success, and must-haves for content publishing and distribution. Strategies from Sales & Marketing Management    Want to sell more? Start by talking less Earning prospects' respect is more often than not a quiet process, writes Neil Mahoney. When your salespeople know that their product or services match up beautifully with a prospect's wants and needs, the temptation is to talk too much in an attempt to prove that fact. Listening, good note taking and prompt responses after the presentation will serve them better, he explains. Sales & Marketing Management (2/19)      Learn How to Cut HR Costs Without Cutting Production Entrepreneurial execs know that they need to follow the rules, but they may not realize which decisions will lead to the two vital components that help keep HR costs low. The following paper focuses on minimizing human capital expenses in four key areas. Download the white paper, An Executive’s Guide to Cutting HR Costs to learn more. On the Road  Search for flights based on Wi-Fi and other perks CheapAir.com allows users to view the perks, such as Wi-Fi and live TV, offered by airlines while searching for flights. Airlines are increasingly using perks to draw business travelers, according to Jeff Klee, the company's chief executive officer. CheapAir.com also identifies "Top Picks" based on several features, including travel time and amenities. Fox Business Small Business Center (2/17)      Other News Airlines respond to passenger complaints by expanding legroom Gadling.com blog (2/18)      App Update  5 steps to fixing your Bluetooth connections Bluetooth is a popular choice for allowing devices to connect with one another over short distances, but it's not without its problems, writes Ian Paul. Some competing technologies, such as Wi-Fi Direct, are emerging. In the meantime, Paul provides a five-step process for troubleshooting your Bluetooth connections that includes making sure that you have the right drivers. PC World Business Center (2/20)      Most Read  Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Sales readers in the past week. How to spot superstar sales reps during the interview process (Sales Benchmark Index) 4 examples of incentives gone wrong (CBS MoneyWatch) Bosses should check themselves before they wreck themselves (SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership) Your salespeople need more practice (OMGHub.com) Why your "hunters" deserve more pay (Selling Power) Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. Featured Content    How to Figure Out the Actual Cost of Your Employees Ken Kaufman What Every Successful Small-Business Website Needs Karlee Weinmann 5 Ways to Motivate Your Construction Staff Mark Di Vincenzo How to Find Online Success Anywhere in the World Justine Grey Most Popular Headlines from Last Week 6 Ways to Overcome Stress and Reach Success Karlee Weinmann Would You Fire Someone for Using Profanity? Courtney Rubin Fake-Work Projects: How to Avoid the Ultimate Time Trap Carla Young Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. Making Small Talk  The world's hottest Mardi Gras travel destinations New Orleans is one of the best-known spots to celebrate Mardi Gras, but it's not the only place to let loose before the beginning of Lent. Other travel destinations include Binche, Belgium, where clownlike performers cavort through the streets, and Rio de Janeiro. Reuters (2/17)      SmartQuote  In a complex B2B market without guidance from the top, an individual rep can easily fall into the trap of doing a really good job, doing the wrong thing." --Richard Ruff, Sales Horizons co-founder, writing at SalesTrainingConnection.com      SmartBrief on Sales Partners SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! 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