To Karen - a wife and MOTHER

What is a MOTHER?

If you came from far away - somewhere in outer space

And didn’t know anything about this planet or place

You might wonder about another

And ask – what on earth is a MOTHER?

We earthlings have an affectionate term

And a holiday each year for Mothers is confirmed

One day at least to honor and praise

To ensure Mother is more than a term or passing phrase

And this year once again I must point out

That Karen wins the Mother prize – of this, there is no doubt

And what, you ask, qualifies her to be the very best

Let me start with some facts and others will surely provide the rest

I've been hacked...No way!

It’s 2013, expect your everyday digital devices to be breached more often and in more ways.  In today’s world of social media, mobile communications and wireless connectivity, the bad guys are out in force, and these devices make it easier than ever to gather information on you, your bank accounts, and much more.

Cyber security is becoming more front and center.  You may be surprised to find out that most of your daily routine opens you to effortless attack.  Where your information is easily accessed by guys wishing to steal your identity, and sell it on a web site built for this specific purpose.

Hackers have moved from destructive behavior to hide and seek gathers-of-intellectual property (IP).  In fact no longer do these guys wish to be known.  Stealth is the order of the day and their primary method of operation (MO) seeks easy access to commonly used devices.  You probably  have been breached already, and don’t even know it.

Scary isn’t it, and it should be.

Start at the top and sell more!

As a former CEO of a good size industrial company, I always found it strange that I didn’t have more salespeople call me directly.  Did they know I always answered my own phone?   Did they not intuitively understand that, at some point, I would be involved in any major buying decision?  Did they not grasp that getting to know me and understand my thinking would be a smart move in closing any sales with my firm?  And, to me, starting at the top seems to be the best place to begin any sales cycle, yet my phone rarely had salesman attached to the other end and many studies on sales techniques confirm this.

Would you be surprised to find out that more than seventy-five percent of high-level decision makers are involved early-on in any major buying process? A more shocking statistic yields that less than five percent of all salespeople talk to the high-level decision maker.  Why is this?