Eight Ideas.

It's a vacation week, so I'm shooting out a very abbreviated Drift. For the eighth month, here are eight short ideas. Happy Summer.

Don't compare your insides to other people's outsides. You have no idea what struggles and demons the other person - or the other company - may be confronting.

A customer will always build something bigger with you than he'll buy from you. Participation equals ownership. Let them in.

Don't sell the drill bit. Sell the hole. Stop describing your products and start describing your customer's life with your products.

No customer has ever said "I just wish there'd been more slides." Rethink the nature of your sales calls and how much you really need to "share."

Own your intent. If you're honest with yourself about why you're making a decision, you'll almost always make the right one.

Growth starts at the border of your comfort zone. If you're not feeling a little weird and uncomfortable, you're probably just marking time.

Nothing sells itself. Nothing. Don't just be another person who's out there describing stuff. Your job is to change the outcome...and it's a noble calling.

Stay...just a little bit longer. Selling begins just when most reps are packing up to end the call. The extra question you ask after it all seems done is the one that matters most.