Practical intelligence has to do with your ability to communicate well with many different types of people. This ability, under very specific circumstances, can make all the difference when presented opportunities in life.

As I finished up my last sales appointment of the day I looked at the time. Had it really been three hours and 45 minutes since I arrived at this house? The good news was the time put in with this customer paid off. It ended in a $25,600 closed sale.

If you’re the person responsible for sales and you haven’t sold a dime for days, you might be tempted to think negatively. You might become critical of yourself or others. This can do nothing to help you. It’s important that you remain logical and not emotional.

Joe Girard made the Guinness Book of World Records as the all-time record holder for automobile sales. He did it by creating lasting relationships with his clients by staying connected with them. There are many ways to stay connected with your customers, especially in this digital age.

This past week, NBC’s Today show aired a segment that challenged the honesty and integrity of air conditioning technicians. Producers of the show staged a simple, easy-to-fix broken wire in an a/c system. Six technicians failed to make the proper recommendation. I believe that lack of proper training is a big part of the problem.

A cautious thinker is a person who agonizes over a buying decision, especially if there is a significant dollar amount at stake. One of the most challenging situations for a cautious thinker is when they are forced to make a decision prior to completing their psychological process. I encountered one of these situations recently.

Sometimes you may have to play mediator and ask tough questions to get homeowners communicating with each other about a furnace, an air conditioner, or a necessary plumbing repair when they can’t even agree on what’s for dinner. That’s allowing yourself to get naked with homeowners.

There are natural systems in our American society that we just follow. We stop at red lights, go at green lights, and we certainly don't negotiate prices at the local food store. But what if you were born and raised in India, or China, or another country where bargaining was an everyday tool for feeding your family?

First, what is a one-legger?

To help service technicians with lead generation, I make it a habit of riding along with them on heating service calls in the winter, plumbing service calls all year long, and air-conditioning calls in the summer. My service technicians have become experts in the fine art of replacement lead generation when dealing with heating or air-conditioning issues.