Terence Traut

Entelechy Speaks to Bill George about True North

I've had the pleasure and honor to meet some of the world's greatest leaders and leadership gurus, from Sir Richard Branson, General Tommy Franks, and Captain Mike Abrashoff to Dr. Warren Bennis, Dr. Henry Mintzberg, Marshall Goldsmith, Jack Welch, and To... Read >

General Tommy Franks on Leadership

Recently, I had the opportunity to work with General Tommy Franks (retired), former head of U.S. Central Command, a role that effectively put him in charge of all U.S. military operations in 25 countries, from Egypt to Central Asia. In his role, Franks a... Read >

Time is a Unique Resource

How many times have you thought or said, "Sure, I'd like to (take a course, take a vacation, work on an additional skill or project, etc) but there just isn't enough time." When we say, "There just isn't enough time," we're shirking responsibility. ... Read >

Entelechy Speaks to Bill George about Authentic Leadership

I've had the pleasure and honor to meet some of the world's greatest leaders and leadership gurus, from Sir Richard Branson, General Tommy Franks, and Captain Mike Abrashoff to Dr. Warren Bennis, Dr. Henry Mintzberg, and Tom Peters. I recently had the... Read >

Handling Challenging Situations with a Customer-Focused Mindset

Most Customer Service Professionals deal with many challenging customer situations. These situations may include: • A customer who is upset about the quality or delivery of our product/service. • A product return or a cancellation of services. •... Read >

Managing Upward - Working WITH Your Boss

In challenging times, sometimes your boss's behavior becomes erratic. She may overmanage or undermanage you and your work. She may lose sight of all the things you are working on. You may not be sure what your boss's priorities are; they change daily. ... Read >

Proactive Selling

This article distinguishes proactive selling from reactive selling and illustrates the technique and benefits associated with proactive selling. Are you getting "no's" bleed from customers saying no too often? Try asking questions that can't be answer... Read >

Coaching for Success

Coaching is perhaps the most effective method of increasing performance available to managers, team leaders, and colleagues. This article defines coaching and outlines a process for effective coaching. Coaching Defined Coaching is perhaps the most ... Read >

Communicating Value

Always, but especially during lean times, effective sales professionals know the importance of communicating value. Budgets – if they ever were discretionary – are tighter. Business customers are being asked to do more with less. Decisions are increasi... Read >

Cross-Selling Training

Most companies train their customer service representatives to ask questions to solve problems. Cross-selling is extending those existing skills since selling really good problem-solving. At the same time, cross-selling skills can be unique and can be a... Read >

Cross-Selling – It's About Connecting with Customers

What do TiVo®, XM Radio®, and the Do-Not-Call List have in common? They represent the collective voice of the prospective saying, "leave me alone; do not annoy me with commercials and other direct solicitations for products and services." According to... Read >