There are often three levels of problem solving and management. Here are some examples: You want to reduce tardiness and absenteeism in your business ... Level one is to establish policies to address these issues. Level two is to make sure that the policies are being enforced (with consequences for repeated offenses). Level three is to do a better job of selecting responsible people when you hire and rewarding perfect attendance every month.

What is an open ended question? One that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. In my program last week “Seven Strategies to create Profitable Sales” one of the strategies presented was to ask open ended questions to your customers and prospects to find out what they really want and need.

The main premise of Relationship Selling is that you first develop a relationship with the buyer and then sell to them based on the trust you have earned with them.

One thing that works for me and many others is that when you give something of value to someone you develop a connection with them.