Have you ever run DOWN an escalator that was going UP? Well, I did at the Tampa Airport last week. Here's what happened: Last Wednesday I was scheduled to fly from Tampa through Dallas to Phoenix on American Airlines. I just got back from Chicago the day before. It was a very busy week for me.

One of the greatest threats facing both employees and the companies they work for, is workplace violence. It has become the leading cause of death for women and the second leading for men, following closely behind motor vehicle accidents. In fact, the best estimates now being reported show that 1-in-4 employees will be the victim of workplace violence this year alone. While the media is quick to highlight the most deadly attacks that occur, the fact is that most employees will be lucky enough to only suffer from simple assaults. However, this is not to downplay the almost 400,000 aggravated assaults, 51,000 rapes and sexual assaults, 84,000 robberies, and nearly 1,000 homicides reported each year. I simply want to acknowledge that the average employee will not have to worry about death so much as being intimidated, struck, or threatened to comply with the assailant either through force or the threat of violence.

Let's imagine we are talking about a consult style sale for professional service, i.e. Chiropractor, Psychologist or Doctor where the client comes to you. Below is a mini-script. Remember that each person that walks through the door wants to create a change in their life. They want something to get rid of their pain or discomfort. Most clients are just master procrastinators. It is your job as a professional to make it easy for them to make the decision today. Do not pressure them to make the decision, but don't let them give up on the dream to change to soon. Of course if it is for medical services and it is an emergency very rarely is someone going to be concerned over the cost. That will happen when they get the bill.

One of the most difficult and emotionally draining situations you face as business owners or executives is employees not meeting your expectations. How can you handle it if they are not keeping up their end of the employee contract? Begin by taking a look at your team. Do you have the right people? Before you hire someone, think about the culture of your company, the team that you already have in place and your particular style of management. If you have a very structured environment, then you'll want to hire people who can fit in to your more disciplined atmosphere. If you have a very entrepreneurial company then you'll want people who are more independent. If you have talented people that fit your company culture, there'll be less of a gap between your expectations and their performance.

Any business in the world, whether it is a home business or a multinational mega corporation must always have two types of people. The first are employees and the second are employers. Without both, a company or any business won't and can't function properly. To demonstrate this let me ask you two questions. OK. The first one, assume that you are looking for a job. I don't tell you how much I'm going to pay you, I just ask you how many hours you'd be prepared to work for what I'm going to pay you. It's a fixed sum monthly, with no bonus or overtime pay. So how many hours are you willing to work for that payment? Now think about this carefully as you don't know if I'm going to offer you $100K or $1. So what's your answer?