I was inspired by Mark Morfords San Francisco Chronicle titled Undecided? Really? This article is primarily written for the whopping 18% of undecided voters. Morford write that he can’t imagine how they can still be “on the fence” about Obama or McCain, love or hate, country or disco, Paris or Fresno, oil or water, Porsche or Pinto.

There are many similarities with the undecided voters and undecided buyers today. According to a recent study that surveyed more than 1500 sales organization, 48.7% (almost half) say their reps close the deals in their pipelines. They lose 30.1% but 21.2% end up as “no decision.”

Where are they? -these hard to find voters are not hard-core partisans and manage to stay under the radar by major campaign prospecting. In sales, many of these undecided buyers tend to hide- behind a few gatekeepers or they sit silently on a decision-making committee.

Worried about the economy- many voters haven’t decided which candidate is going to best solve their problems. Buyers are losing faith in the economy and they are paralyzed by fear. Companies still have to buy good and services no matter what the economy is doing. They may buy different, they may buy less, but they still have to buy.

Still not convinced- Voters have not been swayed by any of the candidates after all this time. Buyers are still not sold because the salesperson hasn’t done a good job of persuading, convincing or influencing them.

Completely confused- The candidates have differed in so many areas and some have even changed platforms which has confused audiences more. Buyers are confused today with so many choices starting at them and many hungry salespeople offering more than they can deliver.

Paralyzed by fear- Since decision-making is usually an emotional decision, they may fear taking a stand, having an opinion, believing in something when their job could be at risk.

The impact of not making a decision can be severe. The cost of inaction is worst than action. This is the time to reach out to undecided buyers and ask the tough questions, ask them early, often and reconfirm with more people.

And don’t forget to vote.

When we first started planning their global roll-out, I spotted Italy on the roll-out schedule and said- “I’ll take Italy…. the rest I want to stay in the US.”  Basically because I am so sick of traveling and being part of the aircargo cattle.

Another reason is because I was born in this little town called Livorno, which is along the coast in the Tuscany region of Italy. It’s really no big shakes of a town and for many, it’s just on the way to somewhere else like Pisa or Florence. Telling people you are born in Livorno is like saying you are born in San Luis Obispo- no biggie.  I left when I was 12 years old so I still speak like a little kid. That’s right, I get more animated, giggly and happy when I speak in Italian.

So many years later, I am now a professional trainer, consultant, global thought leader extraordinaire on inside sales in Italy. I am no longer a young 12-year old kid, I am certainly not a Seniorita, I am  a Seniora.

I have an aggressive week of training with two 2.5 day sessions back to back so I decide to announce to my Italian “ragazzi” or training participants that I can speak some Italian. So now the session turns bi-lingual and I spend the next 5 days chasing after every word.

This is how it went for five days: I would explain the concept in English and they would ask questions in Italian that I would answer in English. In the interactive parts of the training, they would role-play in Italian and I would debrief in English, then I would facilitate feedback in English and they would argue about it in Italian. Then they argued more, and more and more. This verbal bantering went on and on.

And I realized that Italians like to analyze, question and confront issues head on. They are never at a loss for words and they welcome differences of opinions. Their discussions are colorful, vibrant, and very persuasive. They also never end nor move on- there is always one more point to make.

Yes, it can wear you down to the point of confusing everyone’s name in there- it was challenging sorting through names when you have an Alberta and Alberto, a Giavanni and Giovanna, a Fabio and Fiorenzo, an Angela and Angelo in your group.

By the end of my training week, I my young 12-year old came back to remind me I was home again.  I understood so much more about the choices of people, design, food, color and culture I choose to have in my life- it all stems from my roots.

Grazie Italia!

We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth. - Virginia Satir

It’s my birthday today and thanks for the e-cards, emails, cards in the mail, phone calls, text messages. Birthdays bring hugs- lots of them. All of them are different.

There’s the one where you just want to run and hide from it all with your special teddy bear who understands more than what you could possibly say.

Or there’s that hug from someone who assures you everything will be okay.

And the one that heals the heart. 

A hug is for the moment and it always delivers more than what you asked for. Now when you either can’t reach out and touch someone,  the “verbal hug” still works. These are words or phrases that describe a deep appreciation and acknowledgment for someone. Try this today and use phrases such as:

“You are great, I really appreciate all your help.”

“That was so kind of you to do all that work.”

“What a wonderful thing you just did”

“Wow, you are fantastic!”

“You are awesome”

“You rock”

“I so much appreciate your help on this”

Join me in a Today is Your Birthday song and video:

I paid attention to the shape and color of the leaves last weekend in Asheville, North Carolina. My favorite month of the year has arrived and fall is in the air- and in San Francisco, that air is very warm. It’s basically our summer only it has a different color to it. Perhaps it’s counter intuitive type of summer where it’s hot but it gets dark early or we notice the leaves are changing but the sun is still brightly shining. Nice.

I slowed down on my retreat and learned the secret of being efficient- it means slowing down. I realized that I haven’t been too efficient with my friendships, my business and my work. Instead of spending more time recreating and refreshing and all the other works starting with “re” - I realized it makes more sense to go deeper with what I have.

Being ambitious is a curse. There is always something more I want to accomplish, develop, learn, do, grow and this can be unsettling. Instead I would like to think more in terms of what I can’t live without and what to keep and maintain. What brings substance and sets a foundation.

That is my efficiency quotient for this time of renewal.