Happy New Year!
Happy New Year’s everyone!
Goodbye, 2022!
Hello, 2023!
Cheers and Blessings!
Vacationing and Unplugging As Entreprenuers
Happy Sunday everyone!
Over Memorial Day weekend, my family and I flew to Sanibel Island in Florida and enjoyed our first family vacation in over a year and a half.
We were gone from the Saturday before the holiday to the following Thursday.
Other than keeping an eye on email and Slack and handling invoices and payroll, I was able to disconnect, spend time with the family at the beach, sightsee, enjoy dining out at various local places, and getting out of the normal day-to-day flow. I even ran into a fellow small business owner from Kansas City who was on vacation as well with her family, 5 miles away. We were able to get the families together for the first time and dine out.
I had let my staff know in advance that I was going off the grid and that unless it was an emergency, don’t contact me. That they should contact the two other managers in charge. I’m all about delegating!
As small business owners and entrepreneurs, it’s tough and at times feels impossible to disconnect, unplug, and get away. Our companies are our “babies” and we have the mentality that our firm can’t function without us. For solopreneurs, that may be true.
Yet it’s critical to step away, unplug, rest, and come back with fresh eyes and ideas. I encourage you to get away when possible.
At Connect 5000, we have had some solid growth and have probably doubled the number of reps since last year.
With growth comes challenges and growing pains and the culture kind of takes a life on its own. More personalities and problems to manage and get out ahead of. But such is the life of small business ownership and entrepreneurship!
Happy Summer everyone!
I’m Ray Ruecker with Connect 5000.
(Photo courtesy of Elizeu Dias.)
Greetings From Nashville, Tennessee!
Happy belated 2021 everyone!
I noticed it’s been since mid-December when I last blogged something.
Unfortunately, I don’t have anything earth-shattering to say.
For the first time since September 2019, I hopped on a plane and flew to Nashville. So almost 1.5 years of no travel.
It was surreal to be on a plane with everyone masked up.
I attended a conference as a guest of one of my clients and visited with a few other current ones as well.
Nice to get out of town, meet and greet with clients and have good old fashioned face to face time.
Attached are a few pics from my 2 days there.
Yes, my face was cut off a few times but I wanted the focus to be on the clients, not me.
Here’s to optimism that things will improve for the better in 2021!
I’m Ray Ruecker with Connect 5000!
It’s Official: My Book Is Finished and Published!
Hey everyone!
My 2-year-old “baby” was finally born on October 8, 2020, a few weeks ago.
How to Score from First Base! (In Sales): A Step-by-Step Guide to Shorten Sales Cycles and Multiply Revenue is now available via paperback or Kindle.
Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735638307
If you’re a sales, marketing, or lead generation leader or executive, I highly recommend this book if you have outbound sales challenges or need improvement with your current system.
Here’s the book summary:
Do You Struggle to Get On First Base with Targeted Companies?
If long-term growth is your goal, this is your playbook. Because in today’s business climate, connecting with key decision-makers and securing meetings is a challenge. Executives rarely pick up the phone, typically ignore emails, and if you do happen to make a live connection, you have seconds to gain their attention. But even with these challenges, you can be successful at connecting with targeted companies by generating qualified sales meetings.
Learn how to:
• Write an introductory email or sales letter that gets a response.
• Leave voicemails that pique curiosity and result in a returned phone call.
• Quickly find contact information for direct decision-makers.
• Bypass the gatekeeper and connect with executives.
• Communicate your values and capture someone’s attention in 10 seconds or less.
• Ask open-ended questions that uncover a prospect’s pain, problems, and challenges.
Whether you are a new or seasoned sales professional, How to Score From First Base! (In Sales) will breathe new life into your day-to-day sales activity. Using both creativity and purposeful connection, this playbook provides a step-by-step guide to shortening sales cycles and multiplying revenue. Because if home plate is your endgame, first base is where you have to start.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Everyone,
Just a quick note to wish you all a great Christmas and New Year.
The Kansas City staff of Connect 5000 enjoyed Christmas lunch at Fogo de Chao on the Plaza.
Pictured: Linda Gibson, Patti Mbachu, and Ray Ruecker
Not pictured: Mike Smiley, Sue Anderson, Hanna Rodriguez, and Danita Regher
Talk to you in January!