2-1-10: A One-Way Visit to the Sales Underworld

Last Friday I was at sales training. I hate sales training. I hate it when my company hires some dude from outside to come in and tell us things like "people hate to be sold but they LOVE TO BUY!" or "people only buy from people they LIKE!". Great. Stuff it where the sun never shines Socrates.

I was as cynical as ever going into last week's 2-day session. Sittin' there with a total smug-ass look on my face thinking "what happy horse-S am I going to have to suffer through and never get these next 16 hours back?" And oddly the dude worked on me. He was very accredited. Global VP of a large pharm. So he's for real. More for real than I am.

And his tips weren't that bad. I started to look at myself as a 100% guy when it comes to my number. Give me a number - I will hit it. But maybe I want to exceed it. Kill it. Get a bigger payout each year to better-fund this here Be Better Guys I'm playing with!

So I listened. Treat your inside people like customers...yeah I should do that more. The question to ask when a customer comes to you and says they have a problem ("Who else is affected by the problem?" Lo and behold...a pathway to even more $s!). I wasn't grinnin' ear to ear when it was over but I did get a bit rejuvinated. Yep. Cynical smug me learned a li'l something new.

Then I went home and barfed. Twice. Seriously. Had a stomach bug that took over during the 2nd half of Day 2. Happens.

Read about some of BBG's Life at Work tips - like how to report to one boss and dotted-line to another...and another!

1-27-10: Try Yourself a New Grape This Year

I'm gonna bet most of you haven't tried Malbec. What's a Malbec? It's a grape that the French used to blend with bigger boys Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon but which stands apart when grown in Argentina. I've been drinking Malbecs for about 6 or 7 years and what's happened is now you have a range of affordable ones on the market like Alamos and Trapiche and higher end ones that can be laid down for years of improvement.

The Washington Post did a review of affordable Malbecs yesterday. Check it out because these are great everyday wines especially in winter. They're heavier than Pinot Noir and Grenache so they go well with pork or even ribeye and won't bust your bank wide open. For more Be Better Guys recommendations on wine and understanding the nectar of the gods check out a few of our articles. And try something new will ya?

DB

1-26-10: Oh Yeah. You CAN Be Overdressed.

I'm on travel now in Tennessee with some customers that I'm working with. Now coming from D.C. it's easy to bring down my A-list duds and suit up/tie up. But you know - as much as Be Better Guys talk about dressing for the job you want and not the job you have - you can overdo it. See these guys I'm with are pretty salt-of-the-earth folks.

And I want them to buy from me. They won't buy squadoosh if I walk in the room and they think "Holy Hell! Who's this big-city pointy jackass?" That won't work.

So while we encourage you to bring out your best always take this advice - yes...bring out your best. BUT you have to temper it for your audience and your purpose. You can turn people off by over throwing the ball just as much as you can by underwhelming 'em. So when we give you advice take it...but then apply it with your own judgment of what's appropriate.

Had a guy ask me about that last week. Should he get a 3-piece suit? It depends on what you want to say with it. Taking it to a law office? Yes. Taking it to Tennessee? Pass.

DB

1-25-10: Shirts So Bold People HAVE To Notice

A few months ago I bought a pink and white check shirt like the one shown here. It's REALLY pink. It's super vibrant and very bold. You can see me at the other end of the floor...at the other end of the runway at National Airport. And you know why I wore it? Because it was a dreary day when I woke up - cloudy/overcast/drizzle - sucks. AND it's Monday. Every reason to be as beat as a morning can get.

So I reached for my boldest shirt. Put a tie with it and some cords and you know what? Fielded about 8 comments at work and 2 on the street - 10 total. 7 from girls. All saying pretty much the same thing: "Like the shirt."

One guy was like "What'd you come in a little low with the rouge this morning?" but I asked him how far toward his quota he was for the year and that shut him right up.

Point being that we're in the depths of winter - sun goes down early and it's bitter cold. Warm someone up with some bold colors. Be Better Guys did an article on wearing pink shirts and you know what? Most women - if you're trying to look decent for women - will be so amazed that you'd have the balls to sport a pink shirt that they'll comment even in spite of themselves. And in all cases women will say something complimentary.

Men? F' 'em. You're not trying to attract them anyway. And a lot of 'em are to wussy to be so bold. Soldier on!

DB

1-15-10: Buy a Ton for Nuthin'

Fellas (and ladies) - NOW IS THE TIME TO SHOP! I get reminders from Banana and JCrew and Brooks Brothers that they are trying to clear out their winter stuff RIGHT NOW! I'm seeing "Take 20% off sale items" (meaning it's like 70% off) or "Free shipping for $150 or more". Hell today - if you can find your size left - you can get like 8 things for $150!!

Check it out folks. Some sales are final so know what you're doin'. We're only halfway through winter and stuff's just laying around for you to pick off. Read more Be Better Guys articles on shopping for a good deal and then get out your credit card and overhaul your scene. Next time this happens? July 15. That's a long way off!

DB

1-13-10: Gym Dandy

So here's what I don't get - y'all know I'm working out and focusing on dropping the 12 lbs I added to my damn frame over the holidays - eating latkes and having beer at 10:30 am most days for two weeks straight. I added 12 this year after losing 20 two years ago. Well I'm on the road this week. First Denver and now Atlanta.

And I'm a snot. I want to stay at nice hotels. We Better Guys sometimes like that. If I'm going out to sell my company's business (this is my day job mind you) I believe that I should be rewarded for my time away from my wife and kids and bed and pillows with something better than a Fairfield Inn. I was at a Sheraton in Denver. Fine. And I'm at a W in Atlanta - swanky and fulluvshit.

It's the gyms that make the difference to me...always have. The Sheraton had a cardio room and this enormous room big enough to conduct a full-on jazz-tap aerobics class of 50 ladies. No one's in it at 6:10 am but there is something that inspires me: sets of free weights and benches dating back to 1977. They're rusty. The bench padding is taped up from years of splitting. And I'm into it! Why? Because it reminds me of when I first started lifting weights in high school. No glammy gyms or yoga mats! No! It's sweat and iron and rust and tape and things creak and nothing's stable and I was into it!

Then the W. Expected a state of the art facility filled with plenty of "stimulation" for the viewing inspiration. Instead I walk into a basement room that was - no joke - 14 x 20 (that's small if you can't tell space) with no windows and 5 pieces of cardio equipment staffed by 5 middle-aged dudes. It was tiny and claustro. Crappy dumbells. Aerobic balls out of air. And if you've ever been to a W you know they are all about the "airs". All about attitude and pretty people.

But the gym was so ass-crappy that while I did get a workout in I was in disbelief that a place that would charge upwards of $200/night in this economy in the outskirts of Atlanta can't get a bigger/better space for it's type-A guests to live in. And tomorrow I have one more morning of it.

The Southern side of glam my buns.

DB

1-11-10: Taking a Page Outta My Own Book - Back to Yoga

I'm trying to find some motivation in my 2010 workouts and I'm having moderate results. The top priority of mine is to mix it up more - back to spinning class; biking outside more; some ice skating (or whatever you call what I do on the ice); jump rope; isometrics. And yoga.

I need it. Sitting at a desk all day and hacking at a computer keyboard's making me stiff and crabby. So I took my first yoga class in 6 months today and you know what?

It worked. Felt good even though it's hard as hell (you dudes who squat 350 and think yoga's for pussies!) and body's feeling alright now. I was gonna bail and just do some cardio and lift a bit.

But I went for it in class. Glad I did. You got to mix it up to keep yourself interested and not rutted. That's our advice on Be Better Guys but it's easy to stay in that rut and get bored. Check out Brian's article on yoga for those of you muscleheads who can't touch your toes or get winded holding downward dog for more than 30 seconds!