Sweetheart, You're Home

Today I rose at 3:00 am to join over one hundred people at Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. At 4:20 am, a flight of US Army troops touched down for the first time on US soil after over a year serving in Iraq. These men and women were met by cheering veterans, families, volunteers, even dogs for a surprise welcome home. Led by bagpipes and a young boy in an army fatigues (probably a Boy Scout), these military men and women were completely surprised to have the community come out in the wee hours to an old terminal, closed to commercial flights, in the middle of nowhere.

Now you’ve met the Pease Greeters, men and women dedicated to greeting every military flight to and from Afghanistan and Iraq, 7x24x365. Day, night, rain, sleet and snow hundreds of Pease Greeters gather to welcome, hug, shake hands, and be the face of America until they reach their loved ones at home.

After getting a much needed cup of coffee, the troops attended a brief ceremony where flags, battle cries, and salutes were exchanged, a professional singer (dedicated volunteer) sang the National Anthem, and a chaplain led the Lord’s Prayer.

Then, with camera’s flashing, the troops boarded their flight to Ft. Bragg for a week long debrief before going home to their families. Imagine being the first American civilian these men and women have seen in over a year? There wasn’t a dry eye in the terminal.

As they were boarding the plane, we lined up to say goodbye. I couldn’t help giving many, many much appreciated hugs. Then, one of the service women, with tears in her eyes, melted in tears as I held her in my arms and said, “Sweetheart, you’re home.”

Join me to support our troops: http://www.peasegreeters.org

Trade vs. Aid - Helping Africa

Last week's Global Leadership Summit had a profound impact on my thinking about how to help end poverty in a sustainable way.

What impacted me the most was the discussion on “Trade vs. Aid” delivered by Andrew Rugasira, Founder and CEO, Good African Coffee and African Trade Advocate. As an economist and native Ugandan educated in London, he has made the case for all of us that there is an economic answer to growing the African economy in a sustainable way while pooling together the efforts of those in even the most remote corners of the continent.

We all need to discover further how we can use our God given gifts to impact the least of these with real economic solutions.

My prayer is how God can use me as an entrepreneur and business professional to get more involved in driving the economy of the third world.

Please join me on August 5 & 6, 2010 to fill your leadership tank!

http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2009

http://theglobalsummit.blogspot.com/2009/08/welcome-to-gls-blog.html

http://www.goodafrican.com/


Catherine B. Blake
Sales Protocol International
580 Bay Road
Durham, New Hampshire 03824
01+ 603 828 7312

http://www.marketplaceconnection.org
Sales | Marketing | Media Relations

What is sales, really?

I find myself asking the same question.

Selling is leadership.

It’s cutting a new path toward success.

You can’t sell if you can’t lead, and you can’t lead if you can’t sell.

When sales professionals focus on refining their leadership skills, results happen.

Having said this, some of the greatest leaders who have walked this earth were the most humble.

And, that’s something for all of us to think about.

Catherine B. Blake
Sales Protocol International
580 Bay Road
Durham, New Hampshire 03824
01+ 603 828 7312
http://www.salesprotocol.com
Sales | Marketing | Media Relations

Need a job? UNH may have a course for you

May 12, 2009 08:38 AM

The University of New Hampshire is offering a new summer course that might be titled, "Layoff 101: How to Recover from the Pink Slip Blues" or, "Landing that First Job When the Economy Stinks."

In the official curriculum, the course's real title is “Selling Yourself in a Tough Economy,” and the class at UNH's Whittemore School of Business and Economics is for people who want to learn how sales techniques can boost their chances of getting hired for a new job, the university said in a press release.

Teaching the course will be Catherine Blake, founder of Sales Protocol International, the university said.

The course, which starts May 26, will "cover consultative sales process, presentation skills, time management, leadership, negotiations, best practices, and the protocol required to win in a tough economy," the press release said. "The course will cover everything from basics like resumes and cover letters to new trends like the use of blogs to develop a professional reputation."

For more information on the university's summer programs, please click here.http://www.learn2.unh.edu/feature8.html

(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/05/need_a_job_unh.html

MIT Enterprise Forum - April 2009

Manchester, NH - What a fabulous night we had at last week’s MIT Enterprise Forum! Over 120 people appeared at First Place in Manchester to power network and hear TwitterGram and Resolute Marine Energy deliver their business plans for feedback. And, there’s nothing like laying your company’s heart and soul on the line in front of a crowd and esteem panelists with a couple of hot mics in the room!

JitterGram presented their Just-in-Time instant messaging strategy for the entertainment industry while Resolute Marine Energy cast their vision on “catching the wave” by harvesting energy from the ocean’s tides. The panelists were entertaining and insightful freely sharing their worldly experience and wisdom with us all.

In the spirit of collaboration, care, nurturing, and a bit of wicked New England humor, great minds, a bunch of dedicated volunteers, along with a few curious spectators had a great time helping these start-ups figure out how to strike it rich!

Join us sometime, visit: http://www.nhhtc.org/mit

SalesForce.com Storms Boston

So I attended SalesForce.com's Cloud event in Boston this month and it was fantastic! Me along with 2,000 of my new best friends packed into the Seaport Marriott ultra-modern hotel to get the latest and greatest news and insights into our beloved sofware world.

What's the attraction? It's the mystique about the product and a chance to rub elbows with others inside The Cloud. We discovered new possibilities, business opportunities, and ideas. Although the concept isn't new, the place is...The Cloud!

(Here's a thumbs up for marketing!)