Latest News from Joe Mechlinski

Attention Leaders: What you say – matters.

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:04:59 EDT

When The SEED School of Maryland asked me to give a speech to 308 middle-school students, my reaction was one part flattered, one part nervous. I’ve spoken to high-schoolers, sharing my experiences as a Baltimore City kid and my path toward business ownership. But a gymnasium full of young, boisterous adolescents? I worried that I [...]

5 Internal Factors Critical To A Company’s Growth– Part 4 of 5: Value within an Organization

Tue, 01 May 2012 07:00:42 EDT

Ensuring your employees feel valued is a major key to your company’s success. When employees feel valued, or important, they are much happier. And we all know people perform better when they’re happier. A recent Gallup study quantified the link between employee feelings and corporate outcomes determining that employee disengagement costs US companies $300 billion [...]

Slow Down and Hit the RESET Button

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:00:22 EDT

Usually, I try to avoid making assumptions, but I’m going to go out on a limb and make a couple here. I think it’s safe to assume that for every time you’ve read an advice book, attended a seminar, or made a New Year’s resolution with the goal of improving some aspect of your life [...]

The Side Bar -The Most Overlooked Opportunity in Business Meetings

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:35:05 EDT

Imagine you’ve just spent the last 18 months preparing for a big meeting with a new prospect. Ever since your team was selected as a finalist, everyone’s energy has been focused on the big presentation and now: The agenda is finished. The last slide in the PowerPoint deck is complete. The binders and inserts have been [...]

Five Internal Factors Critical To A Company’s Growth – Part 3 of 5: Goal Setting

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:47 EDT

Goal setting is helpful for managers and employees. Managers have multiple opportunities to provide employees with feedback during this process, and they are able to identify their employees’ strengths and weaknesses. Employees can see how their individual contributions affect and support their company’s bottom line when they begin making goals. If goal setting is done [...]

5 Growth Factors for Instituting Change

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 03:00:11 EDT

An interview with Doug Beigel, CEO of COLA, a nonprofit organization in Columbia, Maryland that offers training, accreditation, and consultation to medical labs, regarding his pattern for successfully instituting change. Joe: Harvard Business School professor Dr. John Kotter says that seventy percent of organizational change initiatives fail.1 I think the failure rate is so high [...]

Five Internal Factors Critical To A Company’s Growth and Success Over Time – Part 2of 5: Team Meetings

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 02:00:50 EST

We can all agree there are good meetings and there are bad meetings, and there are even meetings about meetings… All joking aside, in order for your business to be successful it is critical that team meetings are meaningful and productive for all members of the team. And the responsibility for making sure meetings are [...]

Make 2012 The Year That You Keep Your Promises

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:00:58 EST

The best way to maintain a steady business course under constantly changing conditions is to keep your eye on the big picture. But the stream of dramatic headlines over the last three years has made the big picture a little blurry for entrepreneurs like us. “The world is falling!” shriek the pundits. “Wait, the world [...]

Five Internal Factors Critical To A Company’s Growth and Success Over Time: Part 1 of 5

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:39:25 EST

In January, we shared data from five of our more recent surveys; and how that data led us to what we believe are the five internal factors critical to a company’s growth and success over time: performance reviews, team meetings, goal setting, goal accountability, and value within the organization. Together these factors, when executed correctly [...]

It’s Just A Game

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:30:39 EST

“What keeps you going isn’t some fine destination but just the road you’re on, and the fact that you know how to drive.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver Of course we Ravens fans are disappointed. We wanted a trip to Super Bowl XLVI so badly we could taste it, and the way in which we lost that [...]

entreQuest’s 2012 Predictions

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:23:11 EST

It’s the dawn of 2012 – the year we’ve all been waiting for, thanks to the Mayans and their spooky calendar forecasting the end of the world in December. Some of my friends have jokingly threatened to max out their credit cards, take up smoking, stop exercising, move to a beach house, and live it [...]

eQ Data Reveals Five Factors Critical to Growth in 2012

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:00:23 EST

First things first: we at eQ want to thank every one of you reading this message. We are continually grateful for the knowledge and experiences gained through our work together. It is an honor to know you, and it has been an absolute privilege working alongside you this past year. As the sun sets on [...]

Looking For New Employment? Tell Someone!

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:49:45 EST

Isn’t it strange that even with an unemployment rate of nine percent, people still feel uncomfortable saying that they are looking for work? It seems to me that people hesitate sharing this information because they think the only way to tell someone they are looking for new employment is to use words and phrases like, [...]

The True Meaning of Thanksgiving

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:33:19 EST

Thanksgiving evokes images of football, family reunions, roasted turkey with stuffing, and pumpkin pie; but all too often the true meaning of Thanksgiving is lost in the shuffle of the festivities. This year, as we think about the true meaning of Thanksgiving, the entreQuest team can’t help but express our absolute gratitude to all the [...]

entreQuest Profiled in the Wall Street Journal

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:23:00 EST

Our move to the cloud, guided by LiftOff, is discussed in an article in the Wall Street Journal. Our part of the article explains how we continue to find new and innovative ways to leverage the collaboration components of the Microsoft cloud.

The Hit List

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:53:59 EST

At the core of every company is a promise to improve its clients’ lifestyles in some way. Oftentimes, this promise is articulated in a mission statement or story. It is practiced through corporate values and behaviors. It is delivered through the employee and client experiences. In the Microsoft Partner community, this promise is understood to [...]

Longtime Leaders Choose to Win

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:38:31 EDT

With all that has been written in the days following the death of one of America’s greatest corporate leaders, it would not be of the Apple kind of creativity if we just repeated what is already out there. In honor of Steve Jobs, we’ll try to “think different.” Though his body proved vulnerable in the end, the mindset [...]

4 Lessons from a Soccer Mom on Being a Team Player

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:40:38 EDT

It occurred to me the other day while sitting at my son’s soccer game (or more correctly cheering hysterically when anyone of his teammates touched the ball) that you can learn a lot from 6-year old soccer – lessons that can even help you in business. I’ll even venture to say that you can learn [...]

Bye Bye Food Pyramid, Hello Achievement Model

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:51:23 EDT

Twenty years ago, there was one model that every America could reference for healthy eating – the USDA Food Pyramid. Taped up to the walls of public school cafeterias or illustrated on the back of cereal boxes, everyone from expert to everyday citizen seemed to agree on the definition of the optimal diet. Daily, it [...]

Corporate Collaboration and Action Learning Projects

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:09:28 EDT

In November, a group of researchers will be publishing a study titled ”Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes” to prove that in the working environment – the higher the power, the less likely the collaboration effort. To put it more bluntly, individuals in managerial or other leadership roles often dismiss their coworkers’ advice when making decisions. Inflated confidence is the primary reason cited [...]

Clarify Your Culture to Solidify Your Success

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:39:29 EDT

If you’ve ever been to Epcot in Disney World, then you can appreciate the value of culture. Walk around the pavilions representing the World Showcase and your nostrils alone are in for an exciting ride from the scents of zesty marinara sauces out of Italy to the fresh baked buttery breads coming out of the [...]

Driving the Accountability Moment for Your Workers

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:25:24 EDT

The American auto industry is unique but in many ways it is no different than every one of our businesses. Leaders of all types must find the right incentives to drive their teams towards success. These incentives must be applicable enough to affect the entire organization but meaningful enough to inspire each individual. Sadly, the [...]

Excuse Making Kills Sales Productivity

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:57:24 EDT

The #1 priority of sales management is people development – that is to help each salesperson grow both individually and collectively as a team. It’s through people development that we ultimately achieve our goals and generate results. Do your salespeople make excuses for lack of results? Worse yet, are your managers? “It’s the economy…” “It’s the [...]

Full Out Leadership for the Top 20 Percenters

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:17:57 EDT

One of the most important characteristics of a good leader is the ability to find and appoint the right individuals to assume leadership roles themselves. A successful organization is not structured so that the CEO just leads a pack of followers. That’s the kind of human formation that seems more appropriate for a biblical story [...]

Corporate Values put into Community Action this Friday

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:10:10 EDT

In the official entreQuest story guide, our ultimate goal is defined as: “Behind everything that entreQuest does – from the tiniest task to the most expansive engagement – is a desire to make the world a better place.” We think that sounds pretty good on paper but we’re positive it looks a lot better in [...]

Enhancing the Employee Experience for the Remote Employee

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:38:50 EDT

In managing projects for several of eQ’s client companies that have remote employees and having been a remote employee myself, I am very familiar with the challenges that can arise for leaders in creating a remarkable employee experience for everyone on their teams including those not in the office every day. There are obvious benefits for [...]

The Hustle, Heart, and Humility Needed to Lead the Private Sector

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:57:31 EDT

As I think about this year for every client, partner, and friend in the eQ community, I can’t help but think about how this relates to the perilous times for our country as a whole. Ideologies aside, both political parties seem to presently lack the key ingredients necessary to empower, inspire, and rejuvenate America. [...]

Increase Your Chances of Being Lucky in Sales

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:37:29 EDT

Luck isn’t by chance. If you believe that some people are just lucky, you’re accepting a victim’s mentality. That would mean you didn’t have a direct impact on the results you get. Yet, that’s almost always the case. Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet. It’s that fifth quote that you finally converted into an [...]

Increase Your Chances of Being Lucky in Sales

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:29:20 EDT

Corporate Core Values from an Intern’s Perspective

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:37:31 EDT

On my last day as a summer intern at entreQuest, I can’t help but look back on my original goals back in June and assess whether or not I accomplished them over the past few months. I am currently enrolled as an undergrad at Temple University and according to our Office of the Provost: “Internships [...]

Becoming Models of Trust in Today’s Society of Salespeople

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:19:52 EDT

Before you can deliver a remarkable client experience for the purpose of building growth in your organization, you must win the opportunity of partnership with your prospect. In order to do that, you must build trust. In order to do that again, you must hold trust. entreQuest considers trust the culminating force of three factors: [...]

Chick-ful-fil-A Mission and Watch Your Business Grow

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:55:59 EDT

The importance of an organization outlining its values and behaviors cannot be understated. These are the principles and activities that align to a company’s mission, that tell a company’s story, that define a company’s experience, and that motivate a company’s team. Therefore it’s no mystery why entreQuest’s official explanation was in an article titled “Values [...]

Freshening up Your Sales Message

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 09:30:03 EDT

The image above is a bittersweet ode to Atlantic City, a vacation destination whose time has come and gone. You may recognize The Tropicana Resort and Casino where I recently vacationed with my family. If you look closely, you’ll see an attempt at a renaissance. Yet not unlike so much of this town, it’s just [...]

Phone Etiquette Calls upon the Client Experience

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:59:24 EDT

As a project manager at entreQuest, I make a lot of phone calls throughout my day. Whether it’s dialing into a conference call with a client or phoning up a variety of service providers to plan an event, my work is literally my calling. Years and years of this kind of experience has helped me [...]

Do You Set up Your Staff to Win or Lose?

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:55:23 EDT

Over the past few months, I have encountered several job candidates whose resumes revealed a past position which they had only held for a mere matter of months. For the most part, all of these candidates had stellar work history before and after this particular position so it struck me as very odd. I know there [...]

Detroit’s Coney Islands Create Value-Based Solutions

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:13:02 EDT

If you’re ever suddenly saddled with a craving for a chili dog in downtown Detroit, you’re going to face a dilemma. Do you go to Lafayette Coney Island or American Coney Island??? The two age-old hot dog establishments sit right next to each other in just about as bustling a district of the Motor City can get [...]

Simplify the Complex and See Your Business Grow

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:35:39 EDT

The best salespeople… simplify the complex. Here are some real life examples of “sales speak” lines that are word-for-word out of the mouths of sellers: “We leverage channel partners to integrate cross-platform solutions.” “Our carrier rating allows us to tap into guaranteed underwriting across census sizes.” “Our SFA cloud solution allows us to revolutionize legacy systems [...]

Corvette Is to Chevy as Value Is to Process

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:45:44 EDT

One of the most important principles that entreQuest espouses for growing businesses is the power of mindset. Clarity on the company’s goals, focus on the necessary action, and willingness to execute the work required make up a winning mindset which is the foundation for an effective process and ultimately great achievements. It’s not just [...]

Make the Most of Time with More Effort

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 14:21:08 EDT

Since my freshman year in college, I have kept a personal journal. As it’s been about ten years of writing now, I have several journals filled up with entries penned down during the most interesting years of my life. From the craziness of college, to meeting the man who is now my husband, to landing my first [...]

Resolving Mistakes on Vacation Time and during Office Hours

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:26:20 EDT

While on vacation at the beach, my husband and I met up with some friends for dinner. We went to a small restaurant with a great reputation for its menu. Called Off the Hook (http://www.offthehookrestaurant.webs.com/), the first five minutes of our dining experience was not exactly exemplary of its title when the bus boy accidentally [...]

Do You Believe in What You’re Selling?

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:32:54 EDT

Do you believe? That is, do you believe in what you’re selling? Are you convinced, truly convinced, it can help people achieve a goal, solve a problem, and satisfy a need? If you did an honest assessment, when you’re on the phone or in-person with a buyer, do they believe that you believe? If not, [...]

Surging “Onward” to Meet a Client’s Ends Needs

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:54:22 EDT

If we want to deliver a remarkable experience to a client, we have to earn the prospect first. And if we want to deliver a remarkable experience to a client continually over the long-term, we have to understand more than just their problems on the surface to which we can offer quick solutions. We have to understand [...]

Chesapeake City’s Client Experience

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:03:03 EDT

entreQuest believes in a number of fundamental principles when it comes to building a better a business but the two that particularly resonate with our people and our partners are: 1) deliver a remarkable experience to clients and 2) make a difference in the community. A couple of weekends ago, my family was treated to a [...]

Overcoming Obstacles Like Owens

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:12:12 EDT

In any profession that involves facing clients, delivering remarkable experiences, and increasing sales, there will always be obstacles standing in the way of winning. That is not a question. What can be disputed, however, is whether or not we can still control the outcome. Whether or not we can affect not losing. entreQuest argues that you can still win [...]

Why the Enrollmentality Works

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:44:12 EDT

One of the greatest gifts in the world for any business, but especially a small to medium sized company in the B-2-B realm, is the surprise referral. The testimonial that comes out-of-the-blue. The unexpected rave review. Not only did you not have to do any extra work to obtain it from a client but it genuinely [...]

Don’t Burst the Bubble of Reliability

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:35:15 EDT

“Sorry Jim, we really liked your proposal but the price was too high.” “Sorry Ann, you guys were in the running but your competitor had this other feature that management really liked.” Sound familiar? Anyone who’s been in the sales arena has felt their bubble burst with statements similar to these. It would be easy [...]

Character over College Classes and Competency

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 08:32:21 EDT

How do you hire new talent? New candidates will have a direct impact on your business but this can be a double edged sword. If your new person goes to their tasks and masters them quickly, they will give off a great impression to everyone they deal with in the company and particularly your outside partners and [...]

How Businesses Can Memorialize Memorial Day

Tue, 31 May 2011 13:08:30 EDT

At the beginning of this four day work week, Memorial Day weekend and its many festivities might still be on the mind for many of us. In between the vacation of yesterday and the business of today, an opportunity to merge these two states of mindset manifested. Personally speaking, it is my hope as a member [...]

When the Prospect Is Just Not That Into Your Offering

Wed, 25 May 2011 10:29:19 EDT

When you spend a lot of time coaching frontline staff members, you spend a lot of time trying to move their prospects towards saying “yes” and their current clients towards saying “yes” again. But the corporate trainers at eQ never neglect the “no” either. Believe it or not, both decisions are equal in value. Maybe not monetary [...]

If People Hate Being Sold to, then What?

Fri, 20 May 2011 10:33:19 EDT

“People hate being sold to…” Some of you may have heard this quote before and can complete the sentence. Let’s come back to that. Can you think of the last time someone tried to sell you something. Maybe it was a time share. Maybe it was a lawn service. Maybe it was Aflac or Amway. [...]