Get Unstuck & On Target

Heather is the VP of Client Success & Broker Development for Chattanooga-based Steam Logistics. I met Heather at the Annual Meeting of the International Business Council.

Heather Williams is an Experienced Customer Experience Manager with a history of working in the logistics and supply chain industry. Skilled in Training, Processes Improvement Methodology (SOP), Microsoft Suite, and Sales/Marketing Presentations. Her passion is to develop a strong business relationship while also using her skills to provide quality training and management within her organization. Proactively setting her company up for success to create a standardization of processes within the organization to best serve their customers and create a white glove experience for them. She provides internal strategic support that develops our brokers to become the best in the business. It is her #1 goal to be a resource of knowledge bother internally and externally. Heather is always looking for new ways to learn how to better herself to better serve her customers and peers alike.

In today’s episode, Mike and Heather discuss her insights on client success and how to provide best-in-class service. For our starting point, Heather tells us a little bit more about who Steam Logistics is.

• The supply chain is gonna be all of what encompasses all things freight-oriented, and logistics is kind of figuring out how we move that freight. – Heather Williams

• Heather’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-williams-815b7780/

For the last 15 years, Ben has helped clients plan for and realize their retirement goals. This makes Ben the perfect guest to help us better understand retirement matters, Social Security in particular.

Ben Francis is the Director of Retirement Income and Investment Operations with Bryce Thomas at Northwestern Mutual. With over a decade of experience helping clients plan for and realize their retirement goals, Ben works with Bryce to address the specific challenges that arise leading up to, during, and after the transition from accumulation into the decumulation phase of life. Social Security, distribution planning, income generation, investment strategies, and risk management are some of the areas they review with clients on an ongoing basis. While this transition is never the same for any individual or couple, it can be a smooth and rewarding journey when handled with the attention and care that Bryce and Ben provide as a team.

Mike and Ben discuss Social Security and personal examples by which, through family members, they kind of got thrust into Social Security. And how listeners who have said, “Oh, wait a second. I’m a long way off from that. I don’t need to listen to this.” should really give this a listen.  

• I think for a lot of people, it’s not very realistic at all. A lot of folks think, “Hey, I’m saving this, my 401k. 65’s gonna come around, and I’m gonna retire. It’s gonna be a done deal.” And so I think in a lot of people’s minds, they have this switch that they’re gonna flip when they get to 65, and that’s not at all realistic. – Ben Francis

• Ben’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-francis-cfp%C2%AE-ricp%C2%AE-msfs-wmcp%C2%AE-chfc%C2%AE-clu%C2%AE-0257b613/

For the last 15 years, Ben has helped clients plan for and realize their retirement goals. This makes Ben the perfect guest to help us better understand retirement matters, Social Security in particular.

Ben Francis is the Director of Retirement Income and Investment Operations with Bryce Thomas at Northwestern Mutual. With over a decade of experience helping clients plan for and realize their retirement goals, Ben works with Bryce to address the specific challenges that arise leading up to, during, and after the transition from accumulation into the decumulation phase of life. Social Security, distribution planning, income generation, investment strategies, and risk management are some of the areas they review with clients on an ongoing basis. While this transition is never the same for any individual or couple, it can be a smooth and rewarding journey when handled with the attention and care that Bryce and Ben provide as a team.

Mike and Ben discuss Social Security and personal examples by which, through family members, they kind of got thrust into Social Security. And how listeners who have said, “Oh, wait a second. I’m a long way off from that. I don’t need to listen to this.” should really give this a listen.  

• I think for a lot of people, it’s not very realistic at all. A lot of folks think, “Hey, I’m saving this, my 401k. 65’s gonna come around, and I’m gonna retire. It’s gonna be a done deal.” And so I think in a lot of people’s minds, they have this switch that they’re gonna flip when they get to 65, and that’s not at all realistic. – Ben Francis

• Ben’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-francis-cfp%C2%AE-ricp%C2%AE-msfs-wmcp%C2%AE-chfc%C2%AE-clu%C2%AE-0257b613/

Surviving failure’s darkest moments has prepared Jim Swan to coach those ready to leave the pain behind and launch into a new level of success, contentment, and happiness.

With over 15 years as a small business owner, entrepreneur, award-winning author, and marketing consultant James brings his experience as a survivor of success and failure to the world of business coaching and consulting.

Becoming an iPEC Certified Professional Coach codifies for James years of business experiences, a refined set of personal values, and a belief in the power of transformative coaching. He turned creative energy into a laser-focusedprofessional objective; to support business executives and entrepreneurs as they expand beyond setbacks and failures into their highest and best selves. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology and music from Southwestern University in Waxahachie, Texas, and studied in Arizona State University’s Architecture and Design master’s degree program.

How after struggling through a series of catastrophic professional & personal failures, Jim became certified as a Coach and launched James Swan Coaching. He coaches high-achieving business owners & entrepreneurs to turn pain into fuel, mistakes into opportunities, and dreams into initiatives.  

• The story is messy at best, painful at worst, but the good news about it is that it’s in the past and it doesn’t define me today.  – Jim Swan

• Jim’s Website – https://james-swan.com/

Chris Michel gets to help business owners who are self-managing sales and should not be. He has been around sales and management for over 30 years.

Chris has been a leader in multiple companies, focusing on business development, increasing revenue and profits, recruiting, hiring, and development of individuals and teams. He has been in the HVAC industry for the past several years, developing and fine-tuning sales programs and processes including training programs focused on effective sales techniques, customer service, and pricing programs to increase revenue and profits.

• What is the biggest thing that companies need to change in their sales efforts?

• We need someone else to help us get that 30,000-foot view and detach from what we’re doing. – Chris Michel

• Chris’ Website – https://coachchrisconsulting.com/

Rhonda’s experience aligns fully with the Bench Builder’s mantra to help businesses of all sizes grow their bottom line.

Rhonda has helped companies just like yours build stronger teams, improve their leadership, plan for succession, improve employee relations, and develop policies ensuring HR compliance. She is equipped to help companies through a wide range of challenges, including acquisitions, divestitures, rebranding, and reorganization.

• Brief description of the 5 different generations.

• Traditionalist /Silent Generation 1925 – 1945

• “They’re digital 24/7, they’re connected constantly. And they also have that instantaneous information available to them and so they expect that instantaneous response and can be impatient when it comes to potential delays in getting information.” Rhonda Beard

• Bench Builders Website – https://bench-builders.com/

Rhonda’s experience aligns fully with the Bench Builder’s mantra to help businesses of all sizes grow their bottom line.

Rhonda has helped companies just like yours build stronger teams, improve their leadership, plan for succession, improve employee relations, and develop policies ensuring HR compliance. She is equipped to help companies through a wide range of challenges, including acquisitions, divestitures, rebranding, and reorganization.

• Brief description of the 5 different generations.

• Traditionalist /Silent Generation 1925 – 1945

• “They’re digital 24/7, they’re connected constantly. And they also have that instantaneous information available to them and so they expect that instantaneous response and can be impatient when it comes to potential delays in getting information.” Rhonda Beard

• Bench Builders Website – https://bench-builders.com/

CareerLink Network is a boutique recruiting firm with their corporate office in Chattanooga, TN. With extensive years of recruiting experience, they have perfected the art of matching top-performing talent from Executive Level to Individual Contributor roles.

David Adams has been an Executive Recruiter specializing in the Pharmaceutical and Medical arenas for the past 25 years. He worked as the Director of Sales at MRI of Chattanooga for 15 years, where he was responsible for all contract and training components of the recruiting process. 10 years ago, he launched his own recruiting firm; CareerLink Network, which specializes in Executive placements, building start-up sales forces and maintaining existing teams. Their area of expertise focuses on Management and Sales teams working within the Engineering, Human Resource, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, and Medical industries across the country.

• Types of positions that are most often needed to fill?

• “If you’re asked the five-year goal question, where do you see yourself in five years? There is a good answer. And that answer is, “I see myself as a valuable member of your team. And after I have proven myself to be so, I hope I’m recognized for my accomplishments and then advanced accordingly.” “

• David’s Website – https://www.careerlinknetwork.com/

Fairplay started life during the Big Bang of the 2020 pandemic with a mission to help people adapt to anything.

Scott has 25+ years of business development and account management experience within the financial, professional services, and travel industries. He has served both privately held and publicly traded organizations. In these positions, he drove significant growth for clients. Scott has deep experience in business development, product innovation, relationship management, and account progression.

• How did all that come together?

“I think we never really changed what our purpose of the business was, but as we formulated the business, and part of this was based on past experiences, our first and foremost goal was, how do we put good people to work?” Scott Zoll

“Sometimes we just have to follow the flow, and sometimes we have to create the flow, and that’s what we had to experience early on.” Scott Zoll

“We had to shift and if we couldn’t, if we were trying to teach others how to be more adaptable and we couldn’t do it ourselves, well, then there was really no reason to hire us or bring us in to do that type of work, right?” Scott Zoll

• Scott’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottzoll/

Cristina believes you should be able to take weekends off, wrap up each day at a reasonable time, and actually enjoy your vacations without worrying and mentally marinating on things for your business.

Cristina Samoila is the Founder & CEO of Bee Productive. Helping motivated service businesses launch high-ticket programs, webinars & more. She specializes in systems integration & implementation #BeeProductive & less busy.

• We have at least seven levels of intimacy with everybody that we interact with in our lives.

• “A lot of people spend like 80% of their time on how to acquire a new customer. And then once that customer has been acquired, they’re like, “Yay, now we can celebrate, the work is done.” Whereas the truth of the matter is, the work has just started.” Cristina Samoila

• Cristina’s Website – https://beeproductive.eu/