Person of the Year: A fictional short-short story

A Salesman Turned Fundraiser Talks to His Dog; A short-short story

An Atheist Pew Salesman: A short-short story

Should You Consider a Career in Sales?

As my PsychologyToday.com article today, I ask six questions of people considering a sales career. The profession is underrated when done right but it's appropriate only for a special kind of person.

The World's Shortest Course in Ethical Selling

We all sell, whether we're a salesperson or not. 

A caller to my radio show asked for my thoughts on how to be a good salesperson. 

As my PsychologyToday.com article today, I posted an edited transcript of what I said to him.

A Workover: Still in his 20s, he fears he's reached his career peak

A college grad in biotech has stayed stuck in a just-okay job for a few years and is told that the competition for moving up is very tough. He fears that even though he's still in his 20s, he's not going to make further career progress. 

That was the concern of a caller to my radio program. The transcript of our exchange is my PsychologyToday.com article today.

Making the Ask: Getting a yes, resisting unwanted solicitations.

Fundraisers are experts at getting people to say yes. And fundraisers who specialize in getting bequests are among the most sophisticated. 

My PsychologyToday.com article today is a distillation of an interview I just did with Russell Brand, one of the leading experts in the field. HERE is the link.

Are You an Ethical Employee?

Many people think they're more ethical than they in fact are. My USNews.com article today: Are You an Ethical Employee? 

How I Got a 100% Response Rate to Cold Calls

Conducting the research for my book, How to Get an Ivy League Education at a State University, required my getting 115 specific colleges to submit a set of six in-depth student questionnaires and one administration questionnaire.

I was able to get all 115 sets. How?

1. I phoned (leaving voicemail if necessary) to say the packet of questionnaires was coming, and passionately explained how much students would benefit from the book, which would be based on the questionnaire responses.

2. I immediately sent the packet.

3. The day after they received the packet, I called (again, leaving voicemail if necessary), asking if they'd mailed the completed questionnaires back. Again, I passionately explained the importance of doing so.

4. If I didn't get the packet back quickly, I called again the next day and, if necessary, the day after that. 

I never had to make more than 3 follow-up calls--I got the completed packet from 115 of the 115 colleges. 

So, in short, my approach to getting a high response rate:

Call (passionately), email, call, call, call.