Will your business or vacations plans be taking you to Europe soon? If so, here’s some first-hand experiences you might find interesting and useful. I just returned from 12 days in Europe and Germany with my family, and the culture shocks – along with the “economic shocks” – were dramatic.

First, let me say there are some wonderful places to visit in Europe. Being ex-military, we visited many World War II historical sites, including Normandy, France. It’s the location of the D-Day Invasion in June 1944 that ultimately led to the liberation of Europe. And while some people may not like Americans, I can assure you the people who live in the Normandy region understand they owe their freedom to the United States and our allies.

Nevertheless, regardless of where you intend to conduct business or simply enjoy the countryside, you must be aware the U.S. dollar is extremely weak against the Euro dollar. You’re going to feel like you’ve been robbed at gunpoint when you exchange nearly $167 in American currency for $100 in Euros. And if you rent an automobile car, be prepared to pay through the nose, not only for the car, but for the fuel as well. A small car might cost you $150 American dollars a day. Furthermore, I may not like paying $4 a gallon for gas in the States, but it sure beats the $10 per gallon prices in France and Germany. My suggestion – take the trains. In the end, they’ll save you money, get you where you’re going faster – they run on time – and you’ll avoid the stress of driving in cities like Paris where traffic is as bad as any I’ve ever seen, and I grew up in New York.

Hotel rates are fairly comparable to U.S. prices, and generally include a very good European-style buffet breakfast – lots of bread, pastries, fruits and meats – and all very fresh. Depending on the age of the hotel, you’ll probably find the rooms smaller than you’re used to and the bathrooms about the size of a coat closet.

Restaurant meals are also very expensive – portions are much smaller than Americans are used to – which isn’t all bad if you’re watching your weight. However, when you order a beverage, you might as well drink the wine or beer because they often cost less than a soft drink or water. At one Parisian café, we paid about 20 U.S. dollars for four glasses of Coca Cola – without ice and no refills.

Modern hotels have wireless connectivity for your computers and older places may have one computer in their business center; however, be aware the keyboards vary from country to country. For example, in Germany, the letters y and z are exchanged. and if you don’t notice that little fact, you’ll create some humorous looking emails as well as struggle to find your favorite websites. That probably explains why there’s no such baseball team as the New Zork Zankees.

Let me leave you with one more tidbit of information that could add to your comfort level in Europe. Save some change for the restrooms. That’s right – what you can do for free at any rest stop in the U.S. will cost you around a half-Euro in many locations. The fee is designed to pay for janitorial services and ensure the restrooms are kept clean and working. If you’re out of change, you may have to find a tree, but don’t worry, the locals will understand and won’t be offended.

Travel safely and have fun!

Submitted by:

No Comments »

We half jokingly say that if you laid all the sales managers in the world end-to-end, they’d be more comfortable!

We find that over half rarely travel with their salespeople. They “direct” from behind their desk. Dishing out volume, quota, performance orders, but rarely spending mentoring time with their salespeople. Even when they do it’s from the “critical parent” perspective, punitive words or messages, even explicit threats about goals, targets, etc.

Ever consider how your leadership style affects your salespeople? Ever asked or measured its effect? In “First Break All the Rules” authors Buckingham and Coffman point out “that managers trump companies, and people join companies, but quit managers.” No where is this more true than the relationship of salespeople to their sales managers. Have your salespeople “quit” you?

Maybe it’s time to re-examine your role and your influence. It’s worth the effort.

Richard D.

Submitted by:

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading …

2 Comments »

Whether you are consciously aware of this or not, there are some things going on in the workplace and your environment that just tick you off. Know why? Because there are four generations in the workplace today each with their own “correct” points of views, their own sets of values, their own levels of achievement, and their own needs to succeed.

Back in the 60’s, we called it the “Generation Gap.” But today, there is a true generation gap in our world. In the 60’s, my parents thought our generation of Boomers would never “amount to anything. You’re lazy and don’t want to even hold down a job.”

Granted, the Boomers thought our parents were from another planet and were “The Establishment,” and we wanted nothing to do with their backward ways. I personally remember thinking I would never judge a younger generation because I hated to be judged in my teens and twenties. But that has all changed with the Millennial Generation (born 1980-1995).

In this high-tech world of little face-to-face interaction we have created a new generation of self-absorbed, chronological adults who are still living in their adolescent behavior through their thirties. Am I judging them? You better believe it!

Imagine trying to motivate a group in the workplace to just well, work! It’s tough to even understand their point of view or their motivation.

Watch this clip from 60 Minutes and you’ll see the huge challenge employers are facing. We need to act now on changing our approach to managing our future employee pool.

Our March newsletter also covered this topic and can be viewed by clicking here

Submitted by:

1 Comment »

If you have a strong brand or a market advantage, your sales team may not really be as good as you think. As a sales manager, you can’t afford to wait until you get the sales numbers each month - you’ve got to know how your team is doing every day.

In this Webinar, Bill explains 7 ways to determine how good your sales team really is.

But the ideas Bill mentioned in this Webinar barely “scratch the surface” when it comes to the complex job of managing sales performance.

That’s why we want you to take advantage of our Sales Management Symposium. Take a look at what this groundbreaking seminar for sales leaders in all industries has to offer.

If you asked a question during the Webinar… you can see the answer from Bill now by clicking on the “Comments >>” link located at the bottom right of this post.

(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading …

11 Comments »

Thanks for participating. Please visit the Ask Bill post and rate the questions that you would like Bill to discuss next week.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading …

No Comments »