With the world economy now in an uptick, many sales leaders are coming out of the slump with a newly invigorated sense of sales force management and a commitment to ensuring the right talent is on board and in the right roles going forward. As of late, a theme among blogs, newsletters and clients seems to be a movement of "getting back to basics." However, in good times and bad - the concept of basic solutions for specific problems is destined to be a failed one because of its one-size-fits-all approach. Getting specific is absolutely critical to hiring and developing the right sales talent for the right sales roles. As the old saying goes, the devil is in the details.

Kimberly Cortz uses this fun opener as a way to generate great discussion on poor assumptions made with very little or no information. What openers do you use for your training? Let us know at EzineEditor@BobPikeGroup.com.

Robert F. Kennedy said, "Some men look at things the way they are and ask why? I dream of things that are not and ask why not?" Imagination is relating the unrelated. Making new connections instead of old ones. How many new uses can you find for a paper clip? A brick? A wire coat hanger? A used tire? How many newer faster ways can you find to do old things? Our annual training and performance improvement conference can help you do that.

Gallup Organization says actively disengaged employees cost companies billions of dollars each year. What can be done to counteract that expense?

In 2009, social networking became the number one driver of online traffic, surpassing even pornography. This year's Training and Performance Improvement Conference, held in Minneapolis in September, will have 20 new concurrent sessions, including one on Social Networking and Its Uses in the Training Room. A second new session is on simple openers and closers using props you can find in your kitchen or office.

As a company, The Bob Pike Group uses brain-based research to create our training principles and promote our participant-centered methods with research. Here is part four of a four-part series that gives you the why behind our instructor-led, participant-centered how.

What do Hormel's canned Spam and good training handouts have in common? They both have an indefinite shelf life. Because of its longevity, Spam is every trainer's good example of what a handout should be-something that gets put on the shelf, and not in the "circular file" before the participants have even exited the training room. Here are some easy and inexpensive tips on how to turn your handout into a takeaway.

What does it take to perform and how can we influence that? Performance coaching is a good phrase. It's what all training should be about - helping people achieve results. What does it actually take to help people improve their performance?

We have eight great webinars on eight great topics for only $59 per webinar. Check this out!

"May I throw this away?" "Do we have homework?" "May we use pen?" As a classroom teacher, does this sound familiar? My five sections of eighth graders were draining me with the number of questions asked on a daily basis. No matter how clear my directives were, five minutes later, students were asking questions concerning what they should do next. How can you use creative competition to lessen the dependency on you?