CarusoBlog

Now Is the Best Time To Be Successful

Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan--

I was working with a client recently and encouraging her to step out of her discomfort zone so she could become even more successful.

I use the word "discomfort" because although the woman is successful at her job, she doesn't really like it.  Her boss and various circumstances keep her from being comfortable, so I was needling her a bit.  After all, anyone who is unhappy with his or her situation is actually in a discomfort zone, right?

(Some people refer to me as a motivational speaker, but I'm more of an aggravational speaker.)

Greek calends is a time that never exists, i.e., "I'll probably leave my job when hell freezes over." 

The opposite of a Greek calends, therefore, is a time that always exists, i.e., I can leave my job and give myself an upgrade anytime I choose.

Indeed, now is the best time to be successful.

What's More Important--Your Past, Present or Future?

Composed in Richmond, Virginia--

What's more important--the past, present or future?

A House Committee of the United States government decided to condemn Turkey this week for its participation in the genocide of Armenians that occurred during World War I.  I'm not sure why it's taken almost 100 years for legislators to take a stand on this issue, but many argue that their timing couldn't be worse. 

As a result of the condemnation, Turkey recalled its United States ambassador and it could be getting warmed up for some aggressive action toward the U.S. 

Should we overlook a bad thing that happened a long time ago or should we dwell on it longer?  When it comes to international politics, the answer is not always easy. 

Allow me to ask a simpler question: What's more important to you -- the past, present or future?

The answer may be easy if you are quite old or newly born, but for those of us in the middle of the game, this riddle is a genuine head-scratcher.

Let's do a little word substitution and see if we can get a sharper perspective.  Let's say the past can be equated with experience, that the present is about talent and that the future is a result of ambition.  That is:

Past = Experience

Present = Talent

Future = Ambition

Then the question might become, what's more important--experience, talent or ambition?

My friend Duane Scherer is a talented artist.  Although he has lots of experience creating and marketing his unique clocks, Duane believes that the future may be most important.  I agree.

Experience and talent, like the past and present, are already captured.  It's what we do with our experience (building on the past) and talent (springboarding from the present) that will marshal our ambition (so we can leverage the future). 

The Edison House Leadership Retreat Was Fantastic

Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan--

I hosted the Edison House leadership retreat at my home last month.  The two-day event was an intimate setting and the attendees had a ball!  According to their evaluations, they learned a lot, too!

Attendee Liane Coates from Royal Victoria Hospital in Ontario filed the following assessment of the retreat:

"You coordinated and facilitated the retreat so that I didn't feel like we were working through learning modules.  If was more like a focused conversation between friends, which was a pleasant surprise since I had not met the other attendees before.  You made the environment casual, safe and genuine."

Sherri Stumpf of The Home Depot wrote:  "I highly recommend Caruso's session for turning your dreams into a reality.  Thanks for the new beginning!"

As promised, there was an opening reception for anyone arriving early the day before and over $500 in welcome gifts for each attendee. 

We convened in the comfort of the sun room and in the afternoon, moved to the patio overlooking Red Run Golf Course.  I provided beverages and snacks while, the group shared ideas about how to grow their respective businesses.  Some attendees were focused on helping their current employer, while others are working on financial independence through growing their own companies

On the first night, Sonya and I cooked dinner for our guests.  My new personal assistant, Barbie, was very helpful, too.  Okay, Barbie didn't help much, but she helped everyone feel comfortable.  Sonya picked out a cute party dress for the chihuahua that made everyone laugh.

There was plenty of conversation, Q & A, laughter and time to show my guests some of my secrets for leveraging the Internet.

I'm thinking of hosting two leadership retreats next year:  an event for entreprenuers at a resort in the spring and a leadership retreat at my home in the fall.  Stay tuned for more details or view my speaking calendar.

How Not to Meet People

Composed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina--

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking at a sales conference.  If you've ever attended one of my presentations, you know that I like to "work the room" before I begin my speech.

There are many benefits to shaking hands before a presentation, but it's a great opportunity to build rapport with audience members and I am religious about it.

Anyway, as I moved from table to table, I encountered a woman who was reading a book.  Imagine that!  We're at a conference to improve selling skills and meet other people with similar interests and this nice lady is sitting at a table by herself reading.

Here's the best part.  She was reading Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Even Technical People Buy on Emotion

Composed in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada--

Recently, I spoke at a Canadian Optimist District conference for a terrific gentleman named Mark Kerr. 

Early adopters of the new are annoyed with Apple for lowering the price of the iPphone by $200 within only ten weeks of the product's debut.  People who rush out to buy new Apple products are big Mac fans and huge cheerleaders for the company.  They were treated rudely, but perhaps their biggest problem is lack of good judgment.

These folks should be embarrassed for camping out at retail stores the night before, tripping over themselves to obtain a product that was guaranteed to be cheaper and better within a few months.

No matter.  This sort of behavior is proof that people often make purchase decisions based on emotion rather than reason.  The iPhone example proves the maxim is true even for technical people who purchase technical products.

Television commercials for the iPhone are slick and fun.  The versions I've seen don't give a single specification about a product that is essentially a computer. 

When I deliver sales training, I always remind audiences that people seldom make purchase decisions based solely on price.  This is even true for technical products.