There’s drink n’ dial, txt intoxicated, and blogging while blind. I don’t think I’m quite in the latter category, but it is Cinco De Mayo (that’s Greek for “Jeff’s Birthday”) and I’ve celebrated with some fine Mexican cuisine and libations appropriate for this annual festivity… Oh, so the title… Well, I’m at my brother Kevin’s house outside Philly that he shares with his very cool wife, Noreen and their adorable daughter, Margeaux. At two, my little niece looks like her Mom, but has a miniature evil streak passed from her Dad’s (and mine) side of the family.

I spent much of today working on Sales issues, trying to help my business partners close business. Closing is hard. My brother is in the business of training Sales professionals, so I asked him why it’s sometimes so hard to close business. He said, among other things, that you’ve got to find out what your prospect’s pain is and then convince then you can take it away. “What if you don’t know what the pain is,” I asked. “You either find out or find another prospect,” he replied. “Otherwise you’re wasting your time and theirs.” Thanks, bro.