Top 10 Blog Posts for the Week of October 9, 2011

1. Shawn Murphy, "12 Most Destructive Management Behaviors or Beliefs" Giving example after example of things that employees say about their managers, Shawn exposes some of the most demoralizing attributes and activities found in today's managers.
2. Ali Luke, "Are You Relaxing or Just Procrastinating?" Procrastination and relaxation are very different; the former produces anxiety and the latter relief. Ali shows us how to shift our behaviors from procrastination to relaxation.
3. Dan Waldschmidt, "Breathless Business" Today's business is laden with mediocrity. Dan pushes us to adopt business practices that take our customers' breaths away.
4. Brian Vickery, "12 Most Obvious Reasons I Suck at Sales" In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek fashion, Brian explains several things he struggles with that inhibit his sales effectiveness. Working on the things you "suck" at is what makes you better.
5. Paul Castain, "Scouting Ahead" Visualization is a powerful tool in achieving your goals. Paul shares with us how seeing himself in the future on a dream vacation with his family solidified his resolve in getting to that point.
6. Anthony Iannarino, "Are You Missing Out On the Real Value of Social Media?" Meeting via social media should be a catalyst to meeting in real life. Anthony tells us of the real relationships he's created with the people he's met online. All it takes, when you're traveling, is a few phone calls to arrange a dinner and take your community to the next level.
7. Christopher Scirpoli, "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" When you forget about your customers, some other salesperson will get their attention. Chris reminds us to stay on top of our customers and also to acquire customers who other salespeople have let slip through the cracks.
8. Seth Godin, "Open Conversations (or Close Them)" Seth reminds us of the appropriate language we use to facilitate conversation. Open-ended questions prompt discussions while "yes or no" questions end them quickly.
9. Ted Coine, "12 Most Inspirational Ways to Turn Your Attitude Around" Many people in today's economy find themselves stuck in miserable jobs. Ted gives us ways to reconstruct our attitudes to get us through the day-to-day struggles of work we don't like.
10. Jim Domanski, "5 Steps to Overcoming the Fear of Cold Calling" Cold calling strikes fear in the majority of salespeople. Jim gives us some actionable ways to overcome the fear and get to the calling.