It wasn’t as though I needed to be reminded of the power and importance of goal setting and goal achievement, I’ve always been a big believer in the process, but today my belief was renewed. The source of my inspiration is my eleven year old son who set a goal for himself to break a score of fifty in nine holes of golf, his favorite sport, by his next birthday. As far as I’m concerned, the score itself isn’t what’s important – that’s relative to the player. While breaking fifty in nine holes may not be anything to write home about for a well-seasoned golfer, it’s quite an accomplishment for an eleven year old boy who has his mind set on one day playing competitive golf in junior high school and beyond. (If I’m going to be honest, it would be quite an achievement for me as well.. What is important to me is that my son felt passionate enough about something to set a well-defined goal that he wanted to accomplish within a set time frame. What is it about goals that motivates us, even from a very young age?

Every other week or so, my 88 year old grandfather and I will jump in the car and drive an hour and a half each way to visit one of our oldest repeat clients in Palm Beach. I make it a point to include my grandfather in as many of these meetings as possible for two reasons. First, because his experience in this type of heavy agri-industrial design and construction is second to none. This is the kind of project my grandfather can design in his sleep. Second, because he takes a personal interest in this client in particular, and it’s easy to understand why. My grandfather has been designing and building for this same client since the early 1950s in Cuba, and he insists on taking care of them with the same attention to detail he has employed for more than sixty years. This professional relationship was interrupted for a time when in 1960 both he and his client fled communist Cuba in search of freedom. Years later their paths would once again cross in South Florida – where each was starting over in their respective industries, doing what they did best. It wasn’t long before my grandfather was once again designing and building for his client – only this time in the Unites States, and as a result, Lemartec was born.

As far as my grandfather and his client are concerned, it’s as though they never skipped a beat. What makes this story so meaningful to me is the fact that today my grandfather is 88 years old and yet he continues to approach his work , and his client, with the same professionalism, and respect, and attention to detail he did nearly six decades ago. I can’t think of a better model businessman or mentor than my grandfather, so I truly value the many hours we get to spend together discussing our business and life on those many long drives to and from our client’s job site in Palm Beach. On one of our recent trips I asked him to share with me his views on what it takes to be successful in business. Without a moment’s hesitation he replied as though he was ready for the question, “You need three things…”

As business owners, one of the biggest challenges we face in this economy is the need to increase sales while at the same time decrease costs. But how do we effectively tap in to new revenue streams without investing in the process? The answer lies in two seemingly similar yet distinct business development functions, Marketing and Sales. Many companies justify the combining of both the marketing and sales departments because in the end, both are viewed as “revenue-generating” activities – and this is absolutely true. Both Marketing and Sales will generate revenue. The difference is in the approach. Regardless of where your company is in the Sales and Marketing evolutionary process, understanding these key differences will help you to both market and sell more effectively.