Does your company have a flexible, scalable, groundbreaking, industry standard, or cutting edge product coming out? Well, while that's great and all, every other company has that exact same kind of product description for their new products. 

LinkedIn has about half a billion users worldwide and the chances that your next client are scrolling through their feed right now is likely. The largest B2B social platform in the world has came out with more feature updates in the first half of 2017 than the entirety of 2016. 

The point: LinkedIn is catching on like wildfire! (not a Game of Thrones reference either!)

Have you ever been called up or emailed about someone trying to sell you on their “services”? Of course you have. Well more times than not, this is turn off for many executives and decision makers. This is the case for a few reasons, so let’s take a look at why:

Life in the Army isn’t for everyone. It’s tough, nasty, and brutal at times. The only thing that prepares you for the things you have to do in the military is the training you receive. 

The training serves 3 purposes: 

1.       Skills

2.       Team communication

3.       Adaptability

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I'll have to admit, I've been a big time skeptic. There’s a conversation going around that cold calling is dead, and I just couldn’t bring myself to believe it.

I mean, what happened to being “held to the flames”? My first sales job I was on the floor making cold calls and closing big contracts within a few weeks.

Have you ever went into a sales pitch and started using old techniques to try and close the deal like the age-old SPIN selling tactic? I can remember growing up and watching all those old movies from the 80s that featured "go getters" in suits and screaming out to each other "Always Be Closing!". 

It's week three of the Girl Scout cookies sales season.  It's hard to miss these little girls, decked out in sashes and aprons outside of your local supermarket, drug store or restaurant.  What you may not see is all that goes on behind the scenes of this truly entrepreneurial experience.

My daughter is a third generation Girl Scout. The tradition of selling Girl Scout cookies dates back to 1917 (for the organization, not my three generations) and cookie sales has been many girls' first experience in business, sales, marketing and entrepreneurship.  Few organizations have stood the test of time like Girls Scout cookie sales. 

Here are the amazing skills each girl learns as part of being a Girl Scout...

Ironically, I started my career in the ad business, but have spent much of my marketing career identifying ways to increase credible sales leads without paying for advertising. When I began Marketing Eye Dallas over a year ago, I had the backing of a strong international brand. Unfortunately, the Marketing Eye International name was virtually unknown in my region and my client base started from scratch.  Since it takes time to build a name, network, referrals and  online presence, I started building my business through LinkedIn. 

Here are a few things I have learned in the last year as I have grown my connections x100, built a solid base, and landed some terrific accounts.

I've always said I'd rather give a speech to hundreds than mingle with a small group.  I'm pretty certain I'm not the only one. I'm not a psychologist, so I'm sure there is a more complex answer for this anxiety, but my guess is that it comes down to the fear of not being liked or more plainly stated, being rejected.  This is the same fear that exists in sales.

I love sales, or should I say I like getting the sale and working with a new interesting client.  I don't always enjoy the sales process.  I like talking to people, I like helping people, but I don't enjoy being rejected. After all, it's hard not to take rejection personally especially when you're an entrepreneur and  own the business, manage the work and do the sales. But what if there was a way to remove the rejection, would it make sales and mingling more comfortable? Could removing fear and being more likeable actually make a person more successful?