QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q* Do you believe that being positive in your business life can also get you into trouble? And if so – how many mistakes does it take to know that being positive may not be working?

A* Yes – in my early days as an entrepreneur this “can-do” attitude did get me into trouble because I thought I was invincible and had boundless energy. In addition, I trusted too many people thinking that their intentions were genuine like mine. I learned quickly that when the going gets tough - weak people will look for an opportunity to blame others for their failure and given the chance they will take you down with them or step on you. So I’m still open minded, kind and positive - but I do think all my relationships through before I commit to them.

Q* In your life – would you say that a positive attitude is something that you inherit from your family and social environment, or would you say that we all choose to have a positive outlook?

A* I believe that I was at an advantage because my father came from Sicily to Canada in the 60’s and with little language skills, and even less money only a trade, and made a future in Canada.. He taught me not to fear the unknown but have confidence in your abilities and to not fear failure. I saw him struggle, succeed fail and succeed again and again… I also trained myself to think positively as well but then I had the base from my father.

Q* When working on a business project, does it upset you when a member of your team or business associates is not positive and as a result you start to feel that the project is somehow more negative?

A* It used to feel this way. Over time, I’ve learned that if your team isn’t as passionate about your project as you, then you have either not communicated the benefits of reaching the goal or you chose poorly. You have to be very careful who you share your dreams with. They have to earn it because I know what I can achieve with the right team and resources.

Q* How does being positive affect the sales process? Can you give a few examples?

A* Being positive is critical in the sales process - When I used to own my marketing agency, we developed and produced TV campaigns for major clients but in the early days proving yourself was a real challenge. A client wasn’t simply going to had over six figures without a track record. I remember pitching this large vitamin client and at the time it was do or die – so, landing the account at the time was the difference between keeping the doors open and lights on.

We invested heavily to prove that we could handle the account and after tens of thousands of dollars and hours, we thought for sure it was a slam dunk! I remember saying we did it!

Then as we waited to launch the program, I got a call from an associate who said he had just read in an industry trade publication that the business had gone to a competitor. My heart sunk and my mind began to race with negative thoughts then I caught myself and got a grip all within ten minutes.

What did I do? I call the client and congratulated him on his choice of agencies. My partner thought I was nuts! But it was what I felt was the right thing to do. In the meantime, we had landed a small food client that was taking baby steps into TV marketing and it just so happen that our tiny budget TV commercial ran at the same time as the big budget Hollywood production and their commercial was a disaster! In fact, the chairman of the company asked to find the company that had produced the low budget TV spot. The VP of marketing called me and we went on to form a very profitable and long business relationship that no competitor could challenge.