Becoming an expert not only establishes you as a leader in your field, it will make you a trusted resource that people can rely on for new and innovative ideas. In addition to raising the stakes and helping you increase your income, your expertise will serve to make a powerful first impression, which will truly help you shine and stand apart from the crowd. Having fun and meeting interesting, incredible people along the way is an added bonus!

Don't you love the sense of personal power you feel when you've got your act together? When your life is in order, you’re organized, and you have everything you need?

Whether you're delivering a sales presentation to a new client, going on a trip, speaking in front of a thousand people, or handling a customer complaint, when you are prepared, you are more empowered to do your best and perform at a higher level. It feels great!

Preparation will not only fortify your confidence to approach life from a position of strength, but it will impress other people as well.

Do you approach people with a heart of service or with a hidden agenda? Make no mistake, will feel your intentions, even when not spoken.

Mary Kay Ash, the founder of the Mary Kay Cosmetic empire, taught her teams that most people have a sign hanging around their necks that says, “Make me feel special.” Answer that need in others through nurturing words, deeds, and actions, and you will be amazed by the ease with which people respond to you. What can you do to make other people feel special?

Every time a new client hires me for a keynote, workshop, or coaching session, the first questions I ask them are, “What are the 3 top challenges your organization is dealing with? What are your goals? What problems would you like for me to help solve?”Using their own answers, I am able to design a program that is customized specifically around their needs. It takes the focus off of Susan and centers my complete attention toward making them feel important.

Many salespeople make the mistake of talking about how great they are and what they bring to the table. If they would simply take a breath, shift their mindset, and instead present ways to help solve their client’s problems, they would capture more new business.

International speaker and business consultant Jill Konrath authored the book, How to Sell to Big Companies. Jill shares that when sales people make prospecting calls to large companies, they may have only one-and-one-half minutes on a voice mail to make a great first impression. If they don’t captivate their customer in that brief moment, their phone call will probably not be returned.