Tony Jeary says "Focus!"

This week, my company thought it would be a brilliant idea to have the sales team go to executive coach, Tony Jeary.

I was down with that. I'm all about polishing up my skills and getting motivated and all that jazz. I mean, hello, I watch Oprah everyday.

Then, I find out this guy lives at Tour 18 estates in Flower Mound and I have to BE THERE at 7:45 AM! Anyone who knows me even slightly knows that I am so not a morning person. I had to leave my house at 6:45 am - yawwwwwwwwwwn. Stopped at Starbucks for a double Grande, non-fat, no foam, 2 Splenda latte and off I went.

Tony's pad was pretty awesome. As you can see from the photo to the left, he has a studio above his multi-car garage at his home. It was a full-on conference center with big screen TVs, computer docking stations, a kitchen, and a library of his books.

His whole vibe is "Focus, Clarity, Execution". It was a great morning session. Lots of brain-storming and talking. Lets face it. In this economy, the old paradimes for sales are not working. Nobody is excited to write you a check and see a branding ad in a magazine.

My new mission - and this is a radical shift in thinking - is not to go in and sell someone an ad but to listen to their needs and consult them on what our company can offer. Even if that means creating out-of-the-box ideas or events. I am now selling a demographic - not a magazine. It's a new world, folks. And I have to adapt or die.

I'm adapting! I'm adapting!

The other good news was that we were done by 12:30 and I got the rest of the day off. Sweet.