18 Most Recent Articles
Written By: Rick Johnson

1	The 'R' Word Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2008-09-30 | - Word Count: 952 | Viewed: 417 | Votes: 8 | Rating: 2.75 In order to survive or even thrive facing today’s economic conditions, which may even see gas prices hit five dollars a gallon, it will require sticking to the basic principles of running a well managed business. Some economists say we are definitely in a recession even though the actual numbers don’t really validate their opinion. The question is... Does it really matter?
2	Succession ----Have You Taught Your Son or Daughter How to Swim? Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2008-09-26 | - Word Count: 1346 | Viewed: 403 | Votes: 7 | Rating: 3.14 I don't have a lot of memories of my Dad since he left the family when I turned six and passed away when I was only nine years old but there is one memory that seems to be burnt into my brain. It was a day when just he and I were together. I was only five years old and he decided it was time to teach me how to swim.
3	It Can Get Lonely at the Top Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2008-09-24 | - Word Count: 1084 | Viewed: 431 | Votes: 7 | Rating: 2.29 Being a President, CEO or the owner of a company can get lonely at times. This is true even if you are an excellent leader and have developed a top notch executive staff. Often times you face decisions, challenges or even just thoughts that you can't even divulge to your most trusted employee. Some CEOs use executive coaches to help them during these times. Often it is just affirmation and validation of one's own thinking but it is important to have that outlet.
4	Think Like Dr Phil and Maximize Your Sales Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2008-09-19 | - Word Count: 948 | Viewed: 572 | Votes: 8 | Rating: 1.38 Becoming a total solution provider means everybody has a role to play in the process. It's about finding the customer's pain. What are the real rules of engagement with the customer? Make no mistake... The customer sets those rules and it's really not about what you are selling. It's about what the customer is buying. Let me put it in perspective using an analogy from Tom Winninger - Americas Marketing Strategist.
5	Empowerment - Are You a Micro Manager? Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2008-09-16 | - Word Count: 1120 | Viewed: 600 | Votes: 10 | Rating: 2.00 Employee development, succession planning and bench strength are just three of the key principles for success. These become obvious once you start developing a strategic plan. Sales growth, profit growth, operational and service excellence are factors we all recognize easily because they can be easily measured.
6	Competitive Advantage ---- Make Your Strategic Plan Your Launching Pad Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2008-09-09 | - Word Count: 1283 | Viewed: 451 | Votes: 7 | Rating: 1.43 Developing competitive advantage in the market place is not the easiest thing to accomplish.
7	Leadership ---- Are You Giving Back? Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2008-09-02 | - Word Count: 1250 | Viewed: 473 | Votes: 4 | Rating: 1.00 We often talk about coaching and mentoring being key ingredients to effective leadership. Two thoughts come to my mind every time I hear the words --- coach and mentor. My first thought is that it is very rare for any organization to provide actual training on how to coach or mentor employees. It is often left up to the individual as a leader to figure that out. My second thought is the realization that most of our actions toward our employees come naturally as a result of the kind of leadership model we have personally created.
8	Wounded Wolves --- The Journey Forward Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2008-08-14 | - Word Count: 2135 | Viewed: 442 | Votes: 10 | Rating: 3.00 This is a story about finding your way. It's dedicated to any and all people that may have found themselves lost, confused, powerless, in a dead end career, going nowhere and those who may have lost sight of what they really want from life. It's a story about 'people (wounded wolves)facing life's challenges' and making the journey forward. Forward to success, self esteem and pride. Maybe a few of you can relate to this as it's happening now. Or, maybe you were wounded once and remember the journey you had to make to create happiness and success in your life. Being wounded can be a result of many things - a personal crisis, family life, a bad marriage, the way you were raised, poor life decisions, limited exposure to education and learning, and sometimes just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It can even be just a matter of heritage and the socialistic environment that you become accustomed to as a child.
9	How Do I Fire My Son Toby? My Wife Won't Allow It... Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2006-08-08 | - Word Count: 1406 | Viewed: 717 | Votes: 10 | Rating: 3.10 I love Toby. He's my oldest son, he's Vice President of Sales but he just doesn't get it. The key word here is family and the closer the family member is to you the owner, the more difficult the decision and action becomes.
10	Superstar to Superstar --- Can Your Superstar Sales Person Become Your Superstar Sales Manager Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2006-08-08 | - Word Count: 1578 | Viewed: 724 | Votes: 11 | Rating: 3.27 Finding the right person to fill the sales management role is a common quandary in wholesale distribution. It can be especially challenging when a decision is based strictly on sales territory performance without regard for the specific skill sets required to lead a sales force..
11	The End Game - Exactly What Does That Mean? Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2006-08-04 | - Word Count: 1174 | Viewed: 732 | Votes: 8 | Rating: 2.38 The End Game is actually a Chess terminology used in the context of the end game strategy to win the game. I am not a chess player. However, the concept of the "End Game" in business is actually quite the same as in chess, the point being --- how do we win the game.
12	Footprints to Success... The Five Priorities of Strategic Planning Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2006-08-03 | - Word Count: 2202 | Viewed: 905 | Votes: 11 | Rating: 2.82 Strategic planning is a management tool. It is used to help an organization clarify its future direction - to focus its energy, and to help members of the organization work toward the same goals.
13	Three 21st Century Leadership Models Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2006-07-27 | - Word Count: 1388 | Viewed: 1319 | Votes: 6 | Rating: 2.17 There isn't much doubt that most effective high impact leaders are driven by a model. This is true even when that effective leader doesn't take the time to define his personal unique model. A model is a tool that leaders use to predict future outcomes of current decisions; a tool that not only enhances personal creativity but encourages creativity in the minds of their employees.
14	Gone Are the Days... Revitalizing Sales Reps for the New Century Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2006-07-25 | - Word Count: 1621 | Viewed: 1743 | Votes: 11 | Rating: 3.27 It's the new millennium - has selling really changed? Is the evolution of change something we as sales people in distribution really need to focus on? Is sales in the New Century really so different that the concept of pioneering a territory and then servicing the customer as a life annuity has gasped its final breath? The answer to those questions is yes. So, now what do we do to prepare ourselves to pass through this time warp and become "A" players in the New Century?
15	Lone Wolf --- Lead Wolf: The Evolution of Leadership Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2006-07-20 | - Word Count: 1826 | Viewed: 950 | Votes: 17 | Rating: 3.82 Family owned organizations, both small and large, with succession issues, family preparation and second and third generation leadership issues have been subjected to the evolution of leadership. These organizations are often founded by an aggressive, highly talented entrepreneur. Many of the principles of leadership that helped build the success that the organization enjoyed in the past is not the type of leadership that will maintain that success through generations of ownership.
16	Five Steps to Maximize Success in Targeting For Growth Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2006-07-18 | - Word Count: 2956 | Viewed: 761 | Votes: 9 | Rating: 3.00 Targeting is the process of selecting high potential customer accounts to receive intense sales focus. Goal setting translates that high potential into achievable numeric objectives, i.e. revenue and margin growth. Each Territory Manager should select a predetermined number of Target Growth Accounts (TGA).
17	Coaching --- A Secret Ingredient for Effective Leadership Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2006-07-13 | - Word Count: 1161 | Viewed: 892 | Votes: 8 | Rating: 2.25 A prerequisite for effective leadership is the ability to coach your employees. Don't confuse coaching with mentoring. There is a suttle difference between coaching and mentoring.
18	Are Employees Really Your Most Precious Asset? Written by: Rick Johnson | Distributed: 2006-07-11 | - Word Count: 733 | Viewed: 888 | Votes: 11 | Rating: 2.45 I have yet to walk into a company during my thirty five years in the industry that didn't have some form of this statement about the value of employees printed somewhere. However, when I think about it, I almost want to puke. Why? Because the majority of the company's that make this claim have no idea what it really means to treat their employees like their most important asset.