Can a very good employee make you money and bring in repeat customers?

The answer should be obvious – yes they can – and they do! In my opinion the problem is not so much finding these “rainmaker employees.” Rather it is coaching them to “go the extra mile” and to develop their own personal style.

Last Friday evening, I found such an employee. No, actually he found me!

Here’s the scene: I was killing a few minutes while waiting for my connecting flight home. Dead time! I had just completed an intense two-day training session. I was wandering in the in Portland, OR terminal. Then the sign for “Powell’s Bookstore” caught my eye. Perhaps you have heard of Powell’s – the legendary “street block of books” in downtown Portland. It was refreshing to see them here in the terminal; I perked up and walked inside. Continue reading “Have you been encouraged to buy recently?” »