EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. tom peters.DSA.Boca Raton.060506

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EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. tom peters.DSA.Boca
Raton.060506
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Life
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Life is not a journey to the grave with the
intention of arriving safely in a pretty and
well-preserved bodybut rather a skid in
broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out,
and loudly proclaiming, Wow, what a ride!
anon.
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This is the true joy of Life, the being used for
a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one
the being a force of Nature instead of a
feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and
grievances complaining that the world will not
devote itself to making you happy. GB
Shaw/Man and Superman
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HTSH Engage!Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Get
up! Try again! Fail again! Try again! But never,
ever stop moving on! Progress for humanity is
engendered by those who join and savor the fray
by giving one hundred percent of themselves to
their dreams! Not by those timid souls who remain
glued to the sidelines, stifled by tradition, and
fearful of losing face or giving offense to the
reigning authorities.Key words Commit! Engage!
Try! Fail! Persist!HTST/Hands That Shape
Humanity, Tom Peters contribution to a Bishop
Tutu exhibit
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In Toms world, its always better to try a swan
dive and deliver a colossal belly flop than to
step timidly off the board while holding your
nose. Fast Company /October2003
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Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre
successes.Phil Daniels, Sydney exec
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Life
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If you dont like change, youre going to
like irrelevance even less. General Eric
Shinseki, Chief of Staff. U. S. Army
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It is not the strongest of the species that
survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one
most responsive to change. Charles Darwin
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The most successful people are those who are
good at plan B. James Yorke, mathematician,
on chaos theory in The New Scientist
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New Economy?!Sergey Larry gt Harvard/370
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Life
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Sams Secret 1!
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Nelsons secret Other admirals more
frightened of losing than anxious to win
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EXCELLENCE.
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P.P.E.E.R.R.E.
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People.Product.Execution.Enthusiasm.Relentless
.Re-invent.Excellence.
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My (Less) Dinner with HenriJUSTWHATIZZITUMAKE?
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EXCELLENCE. THE WORD.
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SynonymsPurityTranscendenceVirtueEleganceMaj
estyAntonymsMediocrity
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EXCELLENCE. GAMECHANGER.
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Excellence1982 The Bedrock Eight Basics 1. A
Bias for Action 2. Close to the Customer 3.
Autonomy and Entrepreneurship 4. Productivity
Through People 5. Hands On, Value-Driven 6. Stick
to the Knitting 7. Simple Form, Lean Staff 8.
Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties
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What is In Search of Excellence all
aboutPeople. Emotion. Engagement.
Exuberance. Action-Execution. Empowerment.
Independence. Initiative. Imagination. Great
Stories. Incredible Adventures. Trust. Caring.
Fun. Joy. Customer-centrism. Profit. Growth.
Brand You. Dramatic Differences.
Experiences that Make You Gasp. Excellence.
Always.
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ExIn 1982-2002/Forbes.comDJIA 10,000 yields
85,000 EI 10,000 yields 140,050
Excellence Index /Basket of 32 publicly
traded stocks
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EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
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Why in the world did you go to Siberia?
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The Peters Principles Enthusiasm. Emotion.
Excellence. Energy. Excitement. Service. Growth.
Creativity. Imagination. Vitality. Joy.
Surprise. Independence. Spirit. Community.
Limitless human potential. Diversity. Profit.
Innovation. Design. Quality. Entrepreneurialism.
Wow.
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Business (at its best) An emotional, vital,
innovative, joyful, creative, entrepreneurial
endeavor that elicits maximum concerted human
potential in the wholehearted service of
others.Excellence. Always.Employees,
Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners,
Temporary partners
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Business The Ultimate Creative Endeavor.
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Business The Ultimate Personal
Development-Growth Experience.
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Business The Ultimate Transcendent Service
Opportunity.
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EXCELLENCE. WANTING.
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Radio City Music HallSeptember 2005
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Franchise Lost! TP How many of you 600
really crave a new Chevy?NYC/IIR/061205
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This is not a mature category.
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This is an undistinguished category.
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EXCELLENCE! ALWAYS!
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798
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415/SqFt/WalMart798/SqFt/Whole Foods
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7X. 730A-800P. F12A.93-03/10 yr annual
return CB 29 WM 17 HD 16. Mkt Cap 48
p.a.
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?
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Its simple, really, Tom. Hire for ?s, and,
above all, promote for ?s. Starbucks middle
manager/field
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1/100 Best Companies to Work for/2005
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Wegmans
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EXCELLENCE. 1T.
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Cirque du Soleil!
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EXCELLENCE. 1T.
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Donnellys Weatherstrip Service Weymouth MA
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EXCELLENCE. AARGH.
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????????Weenie of the year, 2006
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????????6/44
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PG
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EXCELLENCE. FOUND.
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To be a leader in consumer products, its
critical to have leaders who represent the
population we serve. Steve Reinemund/PepsiCo
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AS LEADERS, WOMEN RULE New Studies find that
female managers outshine their male counterparts
in almost every measure.Title, Special
Report/BusinessWeek
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Womens Strengths Match New Economy Imperatives
Link rather than rank workers favor
interactive-collaborative leadership style
empowerment beats top-down decision making
sustain fruitful collaborations comfortable with
sharing information see redistribution of power
as victory, not surrender favor
multi-dimensional feedback value technical
interpersonal skills, individual group
contributions equally readily accept ambiguity
honor intuition as well as pure rationality
inherently flexible appreciate cultural
diversity. Judy B. Rosener, Americas
Competitive Secret Women Managers
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Women who seek to be equal with men lack
ambition. Timothy Leary
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Well-behaved women rarely make history.Anita
Borg, Institute for Women and Technology
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EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY.
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Women are the majority market Fara
Warner/The Power of the Purse
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1. Men and women are different.2. Very
different.3. VERY, VERY DIFFERENT.4. Women
Men have a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y nothing in
common.5. Women buy lotsa stuff.6. WOMEN BUY
A-L-L THE STUFF.7. Womens Market Opportunity
No. 1.8. Men are (STILL) in charge.9. MEN ARE
TOTALLY, HOPELESSLY CLUELESS ABOUT WOMEN.10.
Womens Market Opportunity No. 1.
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10. Womens Market Opportunity No. 1.
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The Perfect Answer
Jill and Jack buy slacks in black
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Women dont buy brands. They join
them.EVEolution
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2.6 vs. 21
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Cases!McDonalds (mom-centered to majority
consumer not via kids)Home Depot (Do it
everything! Herself)PG (more than house
cleaner) DeBeers (right-hand rings/4B)AXA
FinancialKodak (women emotional centers of
the household)Nike (gt jock endorsements new
def sports majority consumer)AvonBratz (young
girls want friends, not a blond
stereotype)Source Fara Warner/The Power of the
Purse
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Faith, Lys, Marti, Fara Targeting the New
Professional Woman How to Market and Sell to
Todays 57 Million Working Women. Gerry Myers
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EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY.
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10.6
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EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY.
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Add It Up!Doing it right
(Men buy things that other men will buy for
women. I buy things that women want.successful
jeweler/F)Greater workforce/global participation
rate (bigger contributor to GDP growth than
technology, China, India)Higher wages (more
seniority, promotionseven if not to
CEO)Women-owned businesses (answer to the Glass
Ceiling)
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Forget China, India and the Internet Economic
Growth Is Driven by Women. Headline,
Economist, April 15, Leader, page 14
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EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY.
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Just Say No. 18-44
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2000-2010 Stats18-44 -155 21(55-64
47 )
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44-65 New Customer Majority 45 larger
than 18-43 60 larger by 2010Source Ageless
Marketing, David Wolfe Robert Snyder
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The New Customer Majority is the only adult
market with realistic prospects for significant
sales growth in dozens of product lines for
thousands of companies. David Wolfe Robert
Snyder, Ageless Marketing
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Sixty Is the New Thirty Cover/AARP/11.03
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EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY.
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Baby-boomer Women The Sweetest of Sweet Spots
for Marketers David Wolfe and Robert Snyder,
Ageless Marketing
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WOMAN of the Year Shes the most powerful
consumer in America. And as she starts to turn
sixty this month, the affluent baby boomer is
doing what shes always doneredefining herself.
Joan Hamilton, Town Country, JAN06
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EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY.
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Fastest growing demographic Single-person
Households (gt50 in London, Stockholm,
etc)Source Richard Scase
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of homes purchased by single women 1981, 10
2005, 20 of homes purchased by single men
1981, 10 2005, 9Source USA Today/02.15.06
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EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY.
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Women.Women business owners.Boomers-Geezers.S
ingle-adults (Urban)
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EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY.
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The Ultimate Culture ChangeHealthcare
vs. Health
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Quality!Prevention!Wellness! Chronic
care!Childhood obesity!H5N1!
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Childhood Obesity gt Terrorism
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If God spoke to me by saying, Mark, youre down
to your last three words What would you want to
say to your fellow humans that would make the
most positive impact? It would be a close call
between Love Thy Neighbor and Wash Your Hands .
A close third would be Move, Move, Move. Mark
Pettus, M.D., The Savvy PatientThe most
important thing you can do to keep from getting
sick is to wash your hands. CDC/National
Center for Infectious Diseases
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Wash your hands.Apply 50 sunscreen.Banish
(TOTALLY) high fructose corn syrup.Exercise
30-7.Breathe.Stockpile for H5N1. (not
Tamiflu!)
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Women.Women business owners.Boomers-Geezers.S
ingle-adults (Urban)Health-Wellness-Chronic Care
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EXCELLENCE. VALUE ADDED.
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55B
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The Only? Answer PSF (Professional Service
Firm model/The Organizing Principle) Brand
You(Distinct or Extinct/The Talent) Wow!
Projects (Different vs Better/The Work)
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The PSF35 Thirty-Five Professional Service
Firm Marks of Excellence
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The PSF35 The Work The Legacy1.
CRYSTAL CLEAR POINT OF VIEW (E very
Practice Group If you cant explain your
position in eight words or less, you dont
have a positionSeth Godin)2. DRAMATIC
DIFFERENCE (We are the only ones who do what
we doJerry Garcia)3. Stretch Is Routine
(Never bite off less than you can
chewanon.)4. Eye-Appetite for Game-changer
Projects (Excellence at Assembling Best
TeamFast) 5. Playful Clients (Adventurous
folks who unfailingly Aim to Change the
World)6. Small Uneconomic Clients with Big
Aims 7. Life Is Too Short to Work with Jerks
(Fire lousy clients)8. OBSESSED WITH LEGACY
(Practice Group and Individual Dent the
UniverseSteve Jobs)9. Fire-on-the-spot Anyone
Who Says, Law/Architecture/Consulting/
I-banking/ Accounting/PR/Etc. has become a
commodity 10. Consistent with 9 above DO
NOT SHY AWAY FROM THE WORD (IDEA)
RADICAL
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PSF (Professional Service Firm) BY (Brand You)
WP (WOW Projects) DD (Dramatic Difference)
E (Execution) E (Excellence) UVA
(Unassailable Value-Added)
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EXCELLENCE. UBIQUITOUS.
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Trapper lt20 per beaver pelt.Source WSJ
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WDCP 150 to remove problem beaver
750-1,000 for flood-control piping so that
beavers can stay. Wildlife Damage-control
Professional Source WSJ
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I. LAN Installation Co. (3)II. Geek
Squad. (30.)III. Acquired by BestBuy.IV.
Flagship of BestBuy Wholesale Solutions
Strategy Makeover.
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EXCELLENCE. EXPERIENCE IT.
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Experiences are as distinct from services as
services are from goods. Joe Pine Jim
Gilmore, The Experience Economy Work Is Theatre
Every Business a Stage
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The Starbucks Fix Is on We have
identified a third place. And I really
believe that sets us apart. The third place is
that place thats not work or home. Its the
place our customers come for refuge.Nancy
Orsolini, District Manager
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Experience Rebel Lifestyle!What we sell is
the ability for a 43-year-old accountant to dress
in black leather, ride through small towns and
have people be afraid of him.Harley exec,
quoted in Results-Based Leadership
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Warren Goes Shopping
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Q Why did you buy Jordans Furniture?A
Jordans is spectacular. Its all
showmanship.Source Warren Buffet
interview/Boston Sunday Globe/12.05.2004
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CXOChief eXperience Officer
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EXCELLENCE. DREAM IT.
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DREAM A dream is a complete moment in the life
of a client. Important experiences that tempt the
client to commit substantial resources. The
essence of the desires of the consumer. The
opportunity to help clients become what they want
to be. Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni
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Furniture vs. DreamsWe do not sell furniture
at Domain. We sell dreams. This is accomplished
by addressing the half-formed needs in our
customers heads. By uncovering these needs, we,
in essence, fill in the blanks. We convert
needs into dreams. Sales are the inevitable
result. Judy George, Domain Home Fashions
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CDMChief Dream Merchant
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The sun is setting on the Information
Societyeven before we have fully adjusted to its
demands as individuals and as companies. We have
lived as hunters and as farmers, we have worked
in factories and now we live in an
information-based society whose icon is the
computer. We stand facing the fifth kind of
society the Dream Society. Future products
will have to appeal to our hearts, not to our
heads. Now is the time to add emotional value to
products and services. Rolf Jensen/The Dream
SocietyHow the Coming Shift from Information to
Imagination Will Transform Your Business
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EXCELLENCE. LOVE IT.
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Brands have run out of juice. Theyre dead.
Kevin Roberts/Saatchi Saatchi
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Kevin Roberts Lovemarks!
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Tattoo Brand What of users would tattoo the
brand name on their body?
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Top 10 Tattoo BrandsHarley . 18.9Disney
.... 14.8Coke . 7.7Google .... 6.6Pepsi ....
6.1Rolex . 5.6Nike . 4.6Adidas .
3.1Absolut . 2.6Nintendo . 1.5BRANDsense
Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste,
Smell, Sight, and Sound, Martin Lindstrom
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CL OChief Lovemark Officer
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Lovemarks are owned by the people who love
them. Lovemarks The Future Beyond Brands,
Kevin Roberts
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EXCELLENCE. THE STORY.
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Storytelling is the core of culture.
Branded Nation The Marketing of Megachurch,
College Inc., and Museumworld, James Twitchell
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CSTOChief Storytelling Officer
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EXCELLENCE. BEDROCK.
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Management has a lot to do with answers.
Leadership is a function of questions. And the
first question for a leader always is Who do we
intend to be? Not What are we going to do? but
Who do we intend to be? Max De Pree,
Herman Miller
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Ah, kids What is your vision for the future?
What have you accomplished since your first
book? Close your eyes and imagine me
immediately doing something about what youve
just said. What would it be? Do you feel you
have an obligation to Make the world a better
place?
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EXCELLENCE. PASSION.
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Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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EXCELLENCE. SALES.
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. Everyone lives by selling something.
Robert Louis Stevenson
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SellSellSell
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Its always showtime. David DAlessandro,
Career Warfare
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This is not about customer centrismintegrat
ed marketingetcetcetcIt is about
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sellin a whole lotta stuff and having
customers go bananas with love to the point
that they tell every blasted friend they have and
then start buttonholing strangers on trains and
planes and busses.
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TAKE THIS QUICK QUIZ Who manages more things
at once? Who puts more effort into their
appearance? Who usually takes care of the
details? Who finds it easier to meet new
people? Who asks more questions in a
conversation? Who is a better listener? Who
has more interest in communication skills? Who
is more inclined to get involved? Who
encourages harmony and agreement? Who has
better intuition? Who works with a longer to
do list? Who enjoys a recap to the days
events? Who is better at keeping in touch with
others?Source Selling Is a Womans Game 15
Powerful Reasons Why Women Can Outsell Men, Nicki
Joy Susan Kane-Benson
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EXCELLENCE. LET. US. MARCH.
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In classical times when Cicero had finished
speaking, the people said, How well he spoke,
but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, they
said, Let us march. Adlai Stevenson
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Let us march.
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The only reason to give a speech is to change
the world. JFK
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EXCELLENCE. BEDROCK.
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Brand Talent.
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Organizing Genius / Warren Bennis and Patricia
Ward BiedermanGroups become great only when
everyone in them, leaders and members alike, is
free to do his or her absolute best.The best
thing a leader can do for a Great Group is to
allow its members to discover their greatness.
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Leaderships Mt Everest/Mt Excellencefree to
do his or her absolute best allow its
members to discover their greatness.
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We are a Life Success CompanyDave Liniger,
founder, RE/MAX
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The leaders of Great Groups love talent and
know where to find it. They revel in the talent
of others. Warren Bennis Patricia Ward
Biederman, Organizing Genius
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The role of the Director is to create a space
where the actor or actress can become more than
theyve ever been before, more than theyve
dreamed of being. Robert Altman, Oscar
acceptance
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Leaders do people. Period. Anon.
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Our MissionTo develop and manage talentto
apply that talent,throughout the world, for the
benefit of clientsto do so in partnership to
do so with profit.WPP
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EXCELLENCE. INDIVIDUAL.
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There is no job that is Americas God-given
right anymore. Carly Fiorina/HP/January2004
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PSF (Professional Service Firm model/The
Organizing Principle) Brand You(Distinct or
Extinct/The Talent) Wow! Projects
(Different vs Better/The Work)
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You are the storyteller of your own life, and
you can create your own legend or not. Isabel
Allende
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12January2006Happy 300 th, Brand You!
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Nobody can prevent you from choosing to be
exceptional. Mark Sanborn, The Fred Factor
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most
people exist, that is all. Oscar
Wilde Make your life itself a creative work
of art. Mike Ray, The Highest Goal
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Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one
wild and precious life? Mary Oliver
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The key question isnt What fosters
creativity? But it is why in Gods name isnt
everyone creative? Where was the human potential
lost? How was it crippled? I think therefore a
good question might be not why do people create?
But why do people not create or innovate? We have
got to abandon that sense of amazement in the
face of creativity, as if it were a miracle if
anybody created anything. Abe Maslow
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Ye gads Thomas Stanley has not only found no
correlation between success in school and an
ability to accumulate wealth, hes actually found
a negative correlation. It seems that
school-related evaluations are poor predictors of
economic success, Stanley concluded. What did
predict success was a willingness to take risks.
Yet the success-failure standards of most schools
penalized risk takers. Most educational systems
reward those who play it safe. As a result, those
who do well in school find it hard to take risks
later on. Richard Farson Ralph Keyes, Whoever
Makes the Most Mistakes Wins
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EXCELLENCE. BEDROCK.
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X.Step 1Buy a Mirror!
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The First step in a dramatic organizational
change program is obviousdramatic personal
change! RG
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You must be the change you wish to see in the
world.Gandhi
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To change minds effectively, leaders make
particular use of two tools the stories that
they tell and the lives that they lead.
Howard Gardner, Changing Minds
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25
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EXCELLENCE. 4/40.
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4/40
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De-cent-ral-iz-a-tion!
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Ex-e-cu-tion!
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We have a strategic plan. Its called doing
things. Herb Kelleher
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This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is
amazing how few oil people really understand that
you only find oil if you drill wells. You may
think youre finding it when youre drawing maps
and studying logs, but you have to drill.
Source The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian
O G wildcatter
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Execution is the job of the business leader.
Larry Bossidy Ram Charan/ Execution The
Discipline of Getting Things Done
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Execution is a systematic process of
rigorously discussing hows and whats,
tenaciously following through, and ensuring
accountability. Larry Bossidy Ram Charan/
Execution The Discipline of Getting Things Done
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The person who is a little less conceptual but
is absolutely determined to succeed will usually
find the right people and get them together to
achieve objectives. Im not knocking education or
looking for dumb people. But if you have to
choose between someone with a staggering IQ and
an elite education whos gliding along, and
someone with a lower IQ but who is absolutely
determined to succeed, youll always do better
with the second person. Larry
Bossidy/Execution The Discipline of Getting
Things Done
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Ac-count-a-bil-ity!
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Realism is the heart of execution. Larry
Bossidy Ram Charan/Execution The Discipline
of Getting Things Done
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GE has set a standard of candor. There is no
puffery. There isnt an ounce of denial in the
place. Kevin Sharer, CEO Amgen, on the GE
mystique (Fortune)
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615A.M.
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????????Work Hard gt Work Smart
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This adolescent incident of getting from
point A to point B is notable not only because
it underlines Grants fearless horsemanship and
his determination, but also it is the first known
example of a very important peculiarity of his
character Grant had an extreme, almost phobic
dislike of turning back and retracing his steps.
If he set out for somewhere, he would get there
somehow, whatever the difficulties that lay in
his way. This idiosyncrasy would turn out to be
one the factors that made him such a formidable
general. Grant would always, always press
onturning back was not an option for him.
Michael Korda, Ulysses Grant
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EXCELLENCE. STRETCH.
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The greatest dangerfor most of usis not that
our aim istoo highand we miss it,but that it
istoo lowand we reach it.Michelangelo
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Kevin Roberts Credo1.
Ready. Fire! Aim.2. If it aint broke ... Break
it!3. Hire crazies.4. Ask dumb questions.5.
Pursue failure.6. Lead, follow ... or get out of
the way!7. Spread confusion.8. Ditch your
office.9. Read odd stuff.10. Avoid moderation!
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Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. Steve Jobs
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EXCELLENCE. TRANSCENDENCE.THRILLS.
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Insanely Great Language! Insanely
Great. Steve Jobs
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Radically Thrilling Language! Radically
Thrilling. BMW Z4 (ad)
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CTOChief Thrills Officer
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SynonymsPurityTranscendenceVirtueEleganceMaj
estyAntonymsMediocrity
196
CTOChief Transcendence Officer
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EXCELLENCE. WOW. NOW.
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CWOChief WOW Officer
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Leadership23
200

Leadership231. Enthusiasm. Energy.
Exuberance.2. Action. Execution.3. Tempo.
Metabolism.4. Relentless.5. Master of Plan
B.6. Accountability.7. Meritocracy.8. Leaders
do people. Mentor. (Success creation
business.)9. Women. Diversity.10. Integrity.
Credibility. Humanity. Grace.11. Realism.12.
Cause. Adventures. Quests.13. Legacy.14. Best
story wins.15. On the edge. (Wildest chimera of
a moonstruck mind.) 16. Reward excellent
failures. Punish mediocre successes.17.
Different gt Better. (Only ones who do what we
do.)18. MBWA. Customer MBWA.19. Laughs.20.
Repot. Curiosity. Why?21. You Calendar. To
Dont. Two.22. Excellence. Always. 23.
Nelsonian! (Other admirals more afraid of
losing than anxious to win.)
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Sir Richards RulesFollow your passions.Keep
it simple.Get the best people to help
you.Re-create yourself.Play.Source Fortune
on Branson
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EXCELLENCE. D.S.A.
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Stream of Consciousness Product! Content!
Low t/o! Stop churn! Women! Boomers! Boomer
women! Women buy!/Women lead! M-F Nothing in
common! WBOs! Singles! Health! Diversity
! International expansion is HARD WORK not
low hanging fruit! EXCELLENCE! ALWAYS!
Lifetime employment D.O.A. Brand You
Life! Brand You and Direct Sales Marriage
made in heaven! BY PSF Professional Services
Firm Wow project Winning Only? formula!
V.A.!!!! TP 2,500 in 28 motto Sell! Sell!
Sell! LET US MARCH! Of course it works! Bad
Rep Somewhat deserved! Best STORY wins!
Best EXPERIENCE wins! Lovemark or bust!
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EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
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Bonus
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The Irreducible209/The Sales122
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The Irreducible209
208
A frustrated participant at a seminar for
investment bankers in Mauritius listened
impatiently to my explanation of differences of
opinion among me, Mike Porter, Gary Hamel, Jim
Collins, etc. Finally, hed had enough. What, if
anything, he asked, do you believe for sure?
I mumbled something, but his query started
rumbling around in my mind. Three days later,
wandering on a Sunday in London, the idea of the
irreducibles occurred to meand I started
jotting down notes on stuff I do indeed believe
for sure. Before I knew it, a few days later,
the list had grown to 209 items. Hence The
Irreducible209 that follows.Tom Peters
209
1. Hare 1, Tortoise 0. (Hare-y times.) 2. Tempo.
(O.O.D.A.) 3. MBWA. 4. Appreciation. (Motivator
1.) (Cant be faked. Good.) 5. Decency. 6.
Hurry. 7. Time out. 8. One matters. 9. Big
change. Short time. (Alt not work.) 10.
Excellence. Always. 11. Passion. Energy. Hustle.
Enthusiasm. Exuberance. (Move mountains. No
alt.) 12. You must care. 13. Emotion. 14. Hard is
soft. (Soft is hard.)
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15. Men. Women. Different. Contend. Connect. 16.
Women. Buy. All. (RU listening?) 17. Quality.
(Mind-blowing. Beyond 6-Sigma.) 18. Re-invent.
Re-pot. (Required.) 19. Jaywalk. 20. Big change.
Small of people. (Always.) 21. Experiment.
Now. 22. Failure. Normal. 23. Most failures,
most success. (Fail. Forward. Fast.) 24.
Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre
successes. 25. Women leaders. (Altered times.)
26. Extremism. (Good business. Bad
politics.) 27. Innovation source. Only. Extreme
irritation. 28. Smile.
211
29. You must care. 30. Mentor. (Highest ROI.) 31.
Best roster wins. 32. Wow. (Okay in biz.) 33.
We all have customers. (Biz. Personal.) 34. All
contacts Experiences. 35. Cirque du Soleil.
(Peerless.) 36. Leaders create space for
growth. 37. Quests. (Only.) 38. High aspirations,
high results. (Self-fulfilling
prophecy.) 39. Attitude 1, Skills 0. (Mostly.)
(Attitude 1, Skill 0.3?) 40. Sometimes Skill
1, Attitude 0.1. 41. Must love, not like. 42.
Wegmans. (No excuses. Mere groceries.) 43.
Less than your best. Cheating.
212
44. Brand You. (No alt.) 45. Self-sufficiency.
(Biggest LT turn-on.) 46. In the moment. 47. The
moment wins. 48. Tomorrow Never. 49. Action 1,
Plan 0.1. 50. Execution can be a system. 51.
Realism. 52. Own up. Move on. 53.
Accountability. 54. Work hard gt Work smart.
(Mostly.) 55. Feedback. Necessary. Fast. (R.F.A.
in RFA times.) 56. Customers. Listen.
Lead. (Paradox.) 57. On stage. Always. (GW,
FDR, RG Supreme actors.)
213
58. Master statistical analysis. 59. Excellence
Set the table. 60. Legacy. (Will it have
mattered?) 61. Great. (Why not?) 62. Radicals
rule. (Think Olympics.) 63. !!! Good. 64. Red
1, Brown 0. (Red times.) 65. Talk. Listen. (Big
2. Master.) 66. Politics. (Normal-inevitable
state of affairs. Master.) 67. Student.
Forever. 68. Why? (Question 1.) 69. Dont
belittle. 70. Respect. 71. All we have this
moment. (Moments matter most?) 72. Now.
(Procrastination. Death.)
214
73. Exercise. 74. Paint. (Leader. Portraits of
Excellence.) 75. Best story wins. 76. You must
be the change you wish to see in the
world. 77. Two big ones. Max.
(Priorities.) 78. No I in Team. (I in
Win.) 79. I in Win. (No I in Team.) 80.
Different 1, Better 0. (Better 0.1) 81.
Imitation Mistake. (Learn, from who?) 82.
Choose/battle the right competitor. 83.
Schools. Creativity. Entrepreneurship.
(Not.) 84. MBAs. Creativity. Entrepreneurship.
Leadership. (Not.) 85. Design. Under-rated.
Wildly. (Still.) (Everything.)
215
86. You Calendar. (Calendar. Never. Lies.) 87.
Laugh. 88. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.) 89.
Dont fold your hands in front of your chest.
Ever. (Never.) 90. Grace. (Works in biz.) 91.
Weird. Wins. (Weird times.) 92. Crazy times.
Crazy orgs. 93. Internet. All. 94. Women.
Boomers-Geezers. Market. All. 95. Passion.
(Repeat. So what?) 96. Energy. (Repeat.
So what?) 97. Hustle. (Repeat. So
what?) 98. Enthusiasm. (Repeat. So what?) 99.
Exuberance. (Repeat. So what?) 100. Smile.
(Repeat. So what?) 101. Care.
(Repeat. So what?)
216
102. Simplicity. Redundancy. Resilience. Bloody-
mindedness. Visible optimism. (Success.)
103. Act. (Repeat. So what?) 104.
Appreciate. (Repeat. So what?) 105. Fun. (Biz.
Why not?) 106. Joy. (Biz. Why not?) 107. Sales
Life. 108. Marketing Life. 109. Long-term. Top
line. 110. Great company Creates the most
individual success stories. (RE/MAX) 111.
Talent first, performance byproduct. 112.
Sustained Wow 1, Shareholder value,
0.2 (Product, People.) 113. Commitment, by
invitation only. 114. Creativity, by invitation
only. 115. HR 1. (Ought to.) 116.
Face-to-face. (5K miles, 5 minutes.)
217
117. Negotiation. Make all winners. (Save
face.) 118. Grace makes enemies friends. 119.
Network. 120. Invest in relationships. (Think
ROIR. Return On Investment in
Relationships.) 118. Relationship investment.
Forethought. Calendar item.
Intensity. 119. Innovation. Easy. (Hang out
with weird.) 120. Weird Win. (Weird
times.) 121. The bottleneck is at the top
of the bottle. 122. Good Board Weird Board.
(At least, surprising.) 123. No
contention, no progress.
218
124. Crucial conversations. Crucial
confrontations. (Study. Learn. Do.) 125. Honest
feedback. 126. Gaspworthy. Yes. 127. Insanely
great. 128. Astonish me. 129. Make it
immortal. 130. Will you remember it in 20
years? 131. No small opportunities.
(Reframe.) 132. One playmate, one playpen
Enough. 133. End run. Sensible. 134. Allies are
there for the finding. 135. Find successes. Build
on successes. (Pos gt Neg. Encourage gt
Fix.) 136. Somebodys doing it today. Find
em. 137. Someone is living 2016 in 2006.
(Find em. Study em.)
219
138. Dont benchmark, futuremark.
(2016. Happening. Somewhere.) 139. PMA. It
works. 140. There are no experts. (You are the
expert.) 141. Life is short. 142. Sustained
success. Fat chance. Make today matter.
(Sustained. Ha.) 143. Collaborate. (Networked
world.) 144. Go solo. (Individual. Unit of
Intellectual Capital.) 145. There are no
perfect plans. (Do. Wins.) 146. Plans motivate.
(Right or wrong. Sense of purpose.) 147.
Never rest. 148. Get some sleep. 149. Winning
Embracing paradox. 150. Ambiguity Opportunity.
220
151. Resilience. 152. Relentless-ness. 153. None.
Above. Comeuppance. (GM. Sears. U.S.
Steel. DEC.) 154. Be yourself. Period. 155. Never
work with jerks. Including customers.
(Life. Too short.) 156. Under-promise,
over-deliver. 157. Talent. (Powerful word.) 158.
Customer Anyone whose actions affect
your results. 159. Competition stinks. (Seek the
soft spots where you can dominate.) 160.
K.I.S.S./Keep It Simple, Stupid. 161. Beauty.
(Good biz word.) 162. See the beauty in a
hamburger bun. (Go. Ray.)
221
163. Own up. Quick. ( Denial. Cancer.)164.
Celebrate. Often.165. 78 people 78 approaches.
(Each. Unique.)166. Weed. Ceaselessly. (Prune.
Stupid. Rules. Non-stop.)167. Get out
of the way. (You The problem.)168. Smile.
Sunny. Optimism. (If it kills you.)169. Flowers.
(Cheery workplace.)170. Enjoy. (Or get the
hell.)171. Be intolerant of sour. (1 Major
pollution)172. No quick trigger on promotion.
(Too important.)173. Evaluation Lots of
study-time.174. Evaluation Life or death to
evaluee.175. 360 evaluation. No fad.176. Exit
when youre done. (Done. Sooner than you
think.)
222
177. Today. Now. My Project. Am. Is. I.
Period. 178. Beautiful systems. (Good biz
phrase. Not oxymoron.) 179. Build on
strengths gt Fix weaknesses. 180. To dont To
do. (To dont gt To do ?) 181.
Leaders Do People. (Period.) 182. Leaders enjoy
leading. 183. Serious leadership training
Serious. 184. Priorities. Obvious. (Or
else.) 185. 5 Priorities 0 Priorities.
(3 Priorities 0 Priorities?) 186. People.
First. Last. Always. 187. It. Is. Always. The.
People.
223
188. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.)189. Dont
fold your hands in front of your chest.
Ever. (Never.)190. Simplicity. Redundancy.
Resilience. Bloody-mindedness. Visible
optimism. (Success.) (Repeat.)191. Employee
Entrance Guest Entrance.192. Put the
customer SECOND. (Thanks, Hal.)193.
Flowers. (Or did I say that before? No
matter if I did.)194. Big Mergers dont work.
Small acquisitions can/do workif you
dont screw with their energy.
224
195. Instinctively head for the front
line. (In all contexts.)196. Success
DDMMPR/"D-squared, M-squared, PR
DramDiff Money-Financial Acumen
Good Marketing Instincts Stellar
People Resilience (The fab five
What. Every. Small. Biz. Needs.) (Big
too.) 197. Core Mechanism (Game-changing
Solutions) PSF (Professional Service
Firm model) Wow! Projects
(Different vs Better) Brand You
(Distinct or Extinct) 198. 2011/2016 has
already happened. Find it.
225
199. Kids know kids. Oldies know oldies.
Women know women. (Staff
accordingly.)200. Everybody is my customer.201.
Cosset vendors.202. I want to run a
Housekeeping department. (And you?)203.
The military doesnt follow the military
model. (Initiative Excellence.)204. No such
thing as going to absurd lengths to
serve the Customer. (HSM Lefties.)205. Forget
the customer. All Clients.206. It takes
decades to get over sleights. (So
dont sleight.)207. Dont dumb down. Ever.
226
208. NO LESS THAN EXCELLENCE.
EVER.209. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
227
Work In ProgressXXX. One size fits. One. Only.
(Evaluations. Period.)XXX. Teaching.
Individualized. Only. (6 billion people
6 billion learning trajectories.)
(Montessori.)XXX. First impression. Matters.
Shapes all that comes. Hard to overcome.
(Understatement.)XXX. Jerks. Dont work with.
(Life Too short.)XXX. Manage the hell out of
first impressions.XXX. Last impression. Matters.
Dominates memory. Hard to overcome.
(Understatement.)XXX. Manage the hell out of
last impressions.XXX. Plain English.XXX.
K.I.S.S. (450/8.)XXX. 798. 55,000,000,000.
3,000,000,000. 7AM-7PM. 615AM.XXX.
Donnelly Weatherstrip rules.XXX. Managers do
things right. Leaders do the right
thing. NOT.
228
GE (more or less)The Sales122 122
Ridiculously Obvious Thoughts About Selling
StuffTom Peters/0402.2006
229
This list was first prepared for GE Energy sales
marketing people in January 2006. It started
with a half-dozen items, and grew like Topsy.
Possibly, given its origins, its a little tilted
toward complex, engineering-based sales. In any
event, it makes a perfect companion to The
Irreducibles209. This, too, is effectively a
list of irreducibles.Tom Peters
230
1. Strategy overrated, simply doin stuff
underrated. See Kelleher and Bossidy We have a
strategic plan, its called doing things.Herb
Kelleher. Execution is a systematic process of
rigorously discussing hows and whats, tenaciously
following through, and ensuring accountability.
Larry Bossidy Ram Charan/ Execution The
Discipline of Getting Things Done. Action has its
own logicask Genghis Khan, Rommel, COL John
Boyd, U.S. Grant, Patton, W.T. Sherman. 2. What
are you personally great at? (Key word great.)
Play to strengths! Distinct or Extinct. You
should aim to be outrageously good/B.I.W. at a
niche area (or more). 3. Are you a personality,
a de facto brand in the industry? The Dr Phil
of ... 4. Opportunism (with a little forethought)
mostly wins. (Successful people are the ones who
are good at Plan B.) 5. Little starts can lead
to big wins. Most true winnersthink search
Googlestart as something small. Many big
dealsDisney Pixarcould have been done as
little-er deals if youd had the guts to jump
before the value became obvious.
231
6. Non-obvious targets have great potential.
Among many other things, everybody goes after the
obvious ones. Also, the non-obvious are often
good Partners for technology experiments. 7. The
best relationships are often (usually?) not top
to top! (Often the best hungry division GMs
eager to make a mark.) 8. ITS RELATIONSHIPS,
STUPIDDEEP AND FROM MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS. 9. In
any public-sector business, you must become an
avid student of the politics, the incentives
and constraints, mostly non-economic, facing all
of the players. Politicians are usually
incredibly logicalif you (deeply!) understand
the matrix in which they exist. 10. Relationships
from within our firm are as importantoften more
importantas those from outsideagain broad is as
important as deep. Alliesavid supporters!within
and from non-obvious places may be more important
than relationships at the Client organization.
Goal an insanely unfair market share of
insiders time devoted to your projects!
232
Everyone lives by selling something. Robert
Louis Stevenson
233
11. Interesting outsiders are essential to
innovative proposal and sales teams. An
exciting sales-proposal team is as important as
a prestigious one. 12. Is the proposal-sales team
weird enoughweirdos come up with the most
interesting, game-changer ideas. Period. 13.
Lunch with at least one weirdo per month. (Goal
always on the prowl for interesting new
stuff.) 14. Gratuitous comment Lunches with good
friends are typically a waste of (professional)
time. 15. Dont short-change (time, money,
depth) the proposal process. Miss one tiny
nuance, one potential incentive that makes my
day for a key Client playerand watch the whole
gig be torpedoed. 16. Sticking with it
sometimes pays, sometimes notit takes a lot of
tries to forge the best path in. Sometimes you
never do, after a literal lifetime. (Ah,
life.) 17. WOMEN ARE SIMPLY BETTER AT
RELATIONSHIPSdont get hung upparticularly in
tech firmson what industries-countries women
cant do. (Or some such bullshit.)
234
18. Work incessantly on your storymost
economic value springs from a good story (think
Perrier)! In sensitive public or quasi-public
negotiations, a compelling story is of immense
valuepolitics is about the tension among
competing stories. (If you dont believe me, ask
Karl Rove or James Carville.) (Storytelling is
the core of culture. Branded Nation The
Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and
Museumworld, James Twitchell) 19. Call this 18A,
or 18 repeat Become a first-rate Storyteller!
(A key perhaps the key to leadership is the
effective communication of a story.Howard
Gardner, Leading Minds An Anatomy of
Leadership) 20. Risk Assessment Risk Management
is more about stories than advanced mathi.e.,
brilliant scenario construction. 21. Good
listeners are good sales people. Period. 22.
Lousy listeners are lousy sales people. Period.
23. GREAT LISTENERS ARE GREAT SALES PEOPLE.
(Listening skills are hard to learn and subject
to immense effort in pursuit of Mastery. A
virtuoso listener is as rare as a virtuoso
cello player.) (If you dont listen, you dont
sell anything.Carolyn Marland/MD/Guardian
Group)
235
24. Things that are funny to me (American) are
often-mostly not funny to those in other
cultures. (Humor is as fine-edged as it gets, and
rarely travels.) 25. You dont know Jack Squat
about other peoples culturesespecially if you
are a typically myopic American. (Like me.) 26.
Are you a great interviewer? Its a make or break
skill. (Think Barbara Walters skill at
extracting unwanted truths from pros in
persona-protection ... in front of 10s of
millions of people. 27. Are you a great (not
merely good) presenter? Mastering presentation
skills is a lifes workwith stupendous
payoff. 28. Work like hell on the Big 2
LISTENING/INTERVIEWING, PRESENTING. These are
the essence of sales lifeand usually
picked-up in an amateurish fashion. Mistake!
(Become a professional student of these two
areas, achieve Mastery.) 29. Are you good at
flowers? Think FLOWER POWER! (see Harvey
Mackays Mackay 66what you should know about a
Client e.g., birthdays anniversaries.) (My
flowers budget is out of control. Hooray for
me.) 30. You cant do it allbe clear at what you
are good at, bad at, indifferent at. Hubris
sucks.
236
If you dont listen, you dont sell anything.
Carolyn Marland/ Managing Director/ Guardian
Group
237
31. The point is not to prove yourself.
(Thats ego-talk.) Let the best person present to
the Clientperhaps a lower level geek.
(Control freaks get their just desserts in the
long haulor sooner.) 32. The numbers will more
or less take care of themselves over the long
haulif the relationship/s is/are solid gold. 33.
The Gold Standard in selling INDISPENSABLE to
the Client. No other goal is worthy. 34. Never
stop growing-broadening-deepening the
relationship. The key to indispensability is to
get the Client more and more and more and
then more imbedded in our web. Hence the
so-called selling process is only the first
step! 35. USE THE WORD WE CONSTANTLY
RELIGIOUSLY! (E.g. Wethe Client meare
going to change the world with this
service.) 36. Dont waste your time on
jerksitll rarely work out in the mid- to
long-term. 37. Genius is walking away from lousy
scores (deals)and accepting the attendant
heat. Big Business is the premier home to Big
Egos overpaying by a factor of 2 to 22 with
billion at stake. (Think Jerry Levin and AOL
Time Warner.)
238
38. You havent a clue as to how this situation
will actually play outbe prepared to move fast
in a different direction. 39. Keep your word. 40.
KEEP YOUR WORD. 41. Underpromise (i.e., dont
over-promise i.e., cut yourself a little slack)
even if it costs you businesswinning is a
long-term affair. Over-promising is Sign 1 of a
lack of integrity. You will pay the piper. 42.
There is such a thing as a good lossif youve
tested something new and developed good
relationships. A half-dozen honorable, ingenious
losses over a two-year period can pave the way
for a Big Victory in a New Space in year 3. 43.
Its a competitive world out there. New,
innovative products are harder to sell than old
stand-bys. Nonetheless, you will be a long-term
star to the extent that you are willing to push
the harder-to-sell-at-the-moment Innovative
Products that cement long-term Client success
(Indispensability!) even if it means a s hit
this quarter. PART OF YOUR JOB TAKE CLIENTS ON
AN ADVENTURE THAT PUTS THEM AHEAD OF THE GAME
CALLED (GAMECHANGINGhopefully) COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGE!
239
44. Think legacywhat the hell is all this
really about for you and the world? (Tell me,
what is it you plan to do with your one wild and
precious life? Mary Oliver) 45. THERE ARE NO
MODERATES IN THE HISTORY BOOKS! 46. Keep it
simple! (Damn it!) No matter how sophisticated
the product. If you cant explain it in a phrase,
a page, or to your 14-year-old ... you havent
got it right yet. 47. Know more than the next
guy. Homework pays. (of course its obviousbut
in my work it is too often honored in the
breach.) 48. Regardless of project size, winning
or losing invariably hinges on a raft of little
stuff. Little stuff is and always has been
everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!or, one mans
little stuff is another mans 7.6 Richter
deal-breaker. 49. In public settings in
particular, face saving is all. When something
changes, allow the other guy to come out looking
like a winner, especially if he has lost. (Even
if you must accept the egg on your facehe will
always remember you!) 50. Dont hold grudges. (It
is the ultimate in small mindednessand
incredibly wasteful and ineffective. Theres
always tomorrow.)
240
51. ITS ALWAYS THE POLITICSwee
private-sector deal or giant public sector deal.
(Every player, small or large, is angling for
something. Master the calculus of advantage.) 52.
To beat the turnover problem in key Client
posts amidst long negotiations, invest outrageous
amounts of time building a wide deep set of
relationships with mid-level ( lower!!)
plodding careerists. The invisible
careerists are the bedrock upon which repeated
success is built! (My Capitol Hill Axiom Its
the 24-year-old LA who in the end briefs the
Senator right before she goes to the Floor to
vote.) 53. Speaking of she Gender differences
are Enormousdealing with a woman and dealing
with a man are different kettles of fishyou must
become an A student of gender differences.
(E.g. Men are typically more interested in the
short-term score. Women are more interested in
the long-term consequences.) 54. LITTLE PEOPLE
OFTEN HAVE BIG FRIENDS. 55. This is not war, damn
it. All parties can win (or not lose, anyway).
And losing bidders can walk away from a deal with
increased respect for you and your team.
241
56. Never, ever dump on a competitorthe Tom
Watson IBM glory-days mantra. 57. Never forget
the Law of Cousins! In developing nations in
particular, power brokers at all levels are at
least cousins! Consideration for a second cousin
can pay off big time. 58. Speaking of favors,
jail sucks. 59. Work hard beats work smart.
(Mostly.) 60. REPEAT HE/SHE WHO HAS THE
MOST-BEST RELATIONSHIPS WINS. RELATIONSHIPS ARE
THE ESSENCE OF THE WORK OF THE SALESPERSON. THE
HARD ... AND LONG ... WORK OF THE SALESPERSON.
61. Mano v mano hardball is seldom the
answerend runs based and patient multi-level
relationship building via deeper-wider networks
win. 62. If the deal is wired from below, truly
wired, than the so-called big negotiations are
essentially irrelevant. 63. If every quarter is a
little better than the prior quarterthen you
are not taking any serious risks. 64. Phones
beat email.
242
Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm. Samuel
Taylor Coleridge
243
65. A THREE-MINUTE CALL TODAY CAN AVOID A
GAME-LOSER OF A FIASCO NEXT MONTH. There was
always a time when a little thing could have been
addressed that headed off a subsequent big thing.
As to avoiding that call, didnt someone say,
Pride goeth before the fall? 66. Be
hyper-organized about relationship managementyou
are in the anthropology business. Study the great
pols! Brilliant NRM (network relationship
management) is not accidental! It is not
catch-as-catch can. (Football analogies are
cutebut deep political understanding pays the
private-school tuition.) 67. Obsess on ROIR
(Return On Investment In Relationships). 68.
THANK YOU NOTES Worlds highest-return
investment!! 69. The way to anyones heart Doing
a nice thing for their kid. (But, gawd, does this
take a gentle touch.) 70. Scoring off other
people is stupid. Winners are always in the
business of creating the maximum of
winnersamong adversaries at least as much as
among partners. 71. Your colleagues successes
are your successes. Period. (Trust me, my
greatest personal successfinancially as well as
artisticallyhas been creating a bigger pond in
which everyone wins, even if my market share is
down.)
244
72. Lend a helping hand, especially when you
dont have the time. E.g. share relationshipsthe
more you give away the more you get in return
(just like they say in church). 73. Listen up
It was much later that I realized Dads secret.
He gained respect by giving it. He talked and
listened to the fourth-grade kids in Spring
Valley who shined shoes the same way he talked
and listened to a bishop or a college president.
He was seriously interested in who you were and
what you had to say. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot,
Respect. (I.e., Respect is Cool.) 74. Mentoring
is a thrilland the practical payoff is enormous.
The best mentors have the whole world working its
buns off for them! 75. Hire for enthusiasm.
Promote for enthusiasm. Cherish enthusiasm.
REMOVE NON-ENTHUSIASTSTHEY ARE CANCERS.
(Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.Samuel
Taylor Coleridge. A man without a smiling face
must not open a shop.Chinese Proverb.) 76. ITS
ALWAYS YOUR PROBLEMyou sold it to them.
245
77. Its never over While there may be an
excellent service activity in your company, the
relationship belongs to You! Hence the
aftersales moments of truth are at least
asif not more than--important to the Continuing
Relationship as the sale transaction itself.
(I vote for more than.) Youll get your
biggest points with the Client for being an
effective after-the-fact go-between with your
company. 78. Dont get too hung up on systems
integrationfirst foremost, the individual
bits have got to work. 79. For Gods sake dont
over promise on systems integrationits nigh
on impossible to deliver. 80. On the other hand
winners clamber Up the Value-added Ladder, and
offer ever so much more than mere product. ALL
SUCCESSFUL SALES PEOPLE ARE IN THE SOLUTIONS
BUSINESSno matter how jargony that may sound.
246
81. Systems / Solutions selling means
grappling directly with culture change in
Client organizations. (The business of selling
is not just about matching viable solutions to
the customers that require them. Its equally
about managing the change process the customer
will need to go through to implement the solution
and achieve the value promised by the
solutionJeff Thull, The Prime Solution Close
the Value Gap, Increase Margins, and Win the
Complex Sale) 82. Shit happens. Thats what they
pay you for. 83. This is not a GE or Ben
Jerrys saleit is a Joe Jones/Jane Jones sale.
YOU ARE THE BRAND THE CLIENT BUYSespecially
over the long haul. 84. Duh You make money, the
company makes moneyon repeat business. 85.
Masteryes, youthe PR Game. Word of Mouth is
not accidental! You want Word of Mouth? Make it
happen! 86. GOAL 1 MAKE YOUR CLIENT A HEROYOU
ARE NOT THERE TO GET CREDIT. (Taking credit is
for egomaniacs. And losers.) 87. Decent
margins, over the mid- to long-term, are a
product of better relationships, not better
negotiating skill. (Mostly.)
247
You cant behave in a calm, rational manner.
Youve got to be out there on the lunatic
fringe. Jack Welch
248
88. In the immortal words of ex-GE Vice Chairman
Larry Bossidy, more or less, Realism rocks.
(Bullshit artist and great salesperson,
contrary to conventional wisdom, are Diametric
Opposites. Truthteller and Great Salesperson is
more like it.) 89. Be the first to tell the
Client bad news (e.g., slipped delivery) his
intelligence sources will tell him fastyou want
to be there first with your story and to enhance
your rep as Truthteller! 90. Work like hell to
get a reputation as a valued industry expert, to
become an industry resource. 91. Work the Trade
Association angle for all its worthit may take a
decade to pay offe.g., when you become an
officer or are on an important panel or testify
Before Congress. 92. PAY YOUR DUES IN THE CLIENT
ORG AND IN YOUR OWN ORG! 93. Its all bloody
tactics. 94. You must ... LOVE .... the product!
(Period.) 95. YOU MUST LOVE THE PRODUCT! 96.
Dont over-schedule. Running late is
inexcusable at any level of seniority it is the
ultimate mark of self-importance mixed with
contempt.
249
97. Women are better salespeople. (See
Addendum.) 98. Women alone understand Women. 99.
Actually, Women by and large understand Men
better than Men understand Men. 100.Women
purchasers buy Stories and recommendations. 101.
Women take longer to become Loyal purchasers, but
then stay Loyal. 102. Men buy Stats. 103. Men
decide fast, but are fickle. 104. Men Women are
VERY, VERY Different. 105. Women buy most
things. Consumer. Increasingly, professional
goods and services. 106. Womens Market is
Opportu