Onward Nation

Jeff Koser is the spirited founder and CEO of Selling to Zebras. Zebra is an AI-driven Sales Enablement Automation Platform that creates a guided sales experience that directs sellers and buyers through a sales engagement. Zebra identifies perfect prospects (Zebras), decision makers and generates buyer specific presentations that are presented right in the software. Leverage ZEBRA to run your sales engagements and close 90% of the business you pursue faster, more easily and more profitably!

• How Jeffrey's 30+ year background in software and sales helped guide his career path to his current position as CEO of Zebrafi
• Why the cumbersome difficulty of using Excel caused Jeffrey's company to decide to develop its own software
• Why Jeffrey's 20-year-old "Selling to Zebras" B2B consultancy business transitioned to Zebrafi on January 1, 2019
• How Jeffrey and his team recognized the opportunity to pivot their business into a new SaaS (software as a service) entity
• How Jeffrey's company evolved, and how they developed their new business model to solve their clients' problems
• Why some salespeople struggle to become a "trusted advisor" to their clients, and why Zebrafi is different
• How Zebrafi's software determines a "zebra" through rating seven attributes on a scale of 0-4
• How Zebrafi helps their customers clearly define their purpose, culture and what they need to do to find success
• What important lessons Jeffrey learned from his own mentors, and how they impacted his business philosophy
• Why perseverance was critical to Zebrafi's success, despite some early failures developing their own software

• Email: [email protected]
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-koser-4a3911a0

Named Trust Across America 2018 Top Thought Leader in Trust, Anne Bahr Thompson has been inspiring business leaders to use their brands as a force for change for many years. With more than 25 years of experience as a global brand strategist, Anne is the author of DO GOOD, which explains her pioneering model of Brand Citizenship® and the cultural dynamics that led to the creation of the model.

A former executive director of strategy and planning and the head of consulting at Interbrand, Anne is the founder of Onesixtyfourth, a creative and strategic consultancy that helps that leaders integrate purpose and social responsibility into their brands, business strategy, and corporate culture.

• What has been happening for Anne since her previous appearance on Onward Nation in episode #709
• Why Anne has firmly focused her thought leadership around the specific area of brand citizenship
• How Anne spent seven years on semi-sabbatical while writing her book, due to the research time involved
• How Anne's dedication to brand citizenship started when she was nine years old and questioning the decisions of others
• Why authenticity and aligning your values with your brand are an important component of brand citizenship
• Why it's important to have everyone in your organization working toward the same purpose and goals
• Why basing your choices solely on profitability can cause more problems than they solve
• Why Anne defines success as having the ability to contribute your unique gifts to the world and those you serve
• How clearly defining your purpose can resonate throughout your organization and guide your operating principles
• What advice Anne would share about overcoming your fears and standing up for your beliefs

• Twitter: @annebt
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anne-bahr-thompson-626116
• Website: www.brandcitizenship.com
• Website: www.onesixtyfourth.com

Scott Royal Smith is a real estate investor and asset protection attorney in Austin, TX. Scott became an entrepreneur while still in law school, purchasing and running an auto mechanic shop, to pay his way through school. After graduating, Scott begin his law career as a high-stakes corporate litigator. He spent the last 8 years of his career analyzing real estate investment and asset protection. Today, Scott is the Founder and CEO of Royal Legal Solutions. A firm he built to offer tax, business and legal strategies to clients all over the U.S and Canada. He continues to educate the public on asset protecting strategies to help circumvent debilitating lawsuits for his clients.

• How climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro under the worst possible weather conditions mirrors Scott's overall outlook on life
• How going from four to thirty-five teammates in 2018 put strain on Scott's business, and how he managed the challenge
• Why asset protection is a critical tool in any business owner's arsenal, and why it matters
• How asset protection is structured using LLCs to protect your business from legal claims and predatory lawsuits
• How proper asset protection helps dissuade lawsuits from ever getting filed in the first place
• How Royal Legal Solutions helps small businesses access the same asset protection strategies the big corporations use
• Why insurance is an important layer of protection for your business, but why it's important to not go overboard
• How to "hide" the ownership of your assets so that what you own remains secret from the general public
• How land trusts work to protect your real estate assets in the same manner that an LLC protects your monetary assets
• Why business owners can retroactively implement asset protection strategies, and how a series LLC structure works

• Website: www.royallegalsolutions.com
• Telephone: (512) 757-3994

Amber McDonald is the Co-Founder and CEO of Indemnis, Inc. From an early age Amber has been an extremely hard worker; having supervised 150 employees by the age of 21, her ambition and work ethic weren't in short supply. Her experience ranges from managing programs and finances for a company with $30M in assets to serving on an ANCSA board holding co. with over $250M in annual revenue. She's a founding member of Indemnis and leads business operations, legal, finance divisions, business development and sales, human resources, marketing, customer support, and FAA compliance.

• What Indemnis Inc. does, how their products work, and how those products are making drones safer and more cost-effective
• Why Amber keeps daily and weekly goal lists, and how it helps her to focus and accomplish tasks
• How Amber's workweek "flows" through preplanned and scheduled activities, while still staying prepared for the unexpected
• What difficulties Amber and Indemnis were forced to face, and how they overcame those challenges
• Why Indemnis had to pivot away from their first product focus and come up with a new solution
• How Amber approached the difficult conversation of having to redirect her entire team and start over from scratch
• What critical skills Amber has found to be the most important for her to develop throughout her career
• How mentors have impacted Amber's career, and what important lessons she learned from her mentors
• Which strategies can help business leaders and their teams solve the most complex problems
• What areas Amber would advise Onward Nation business owners to focus on to ensure the success of their businesses

• Website: www.indemnis.com

Today we are speaking with Chris Westfall, a sought-after business consultant, communication coach, keynote speaker, and the author, co-author, or publisher of eight books. Advising hundreds of thousands of leaders from high-growth entrepreneurial enterprises, Shark Tank startups, and Fortune 100 companies, he has helped create multi-million-dollar revenue streams for businesses on four continents. He is the U.S. National Elevator Pitch Champion and the author of the new book Leadership Language: Using Authentic Communication to Drive Results (Wiley, 2018). To learn more, visit westfallonline.com.

• How Chris was recognized as the U.S. National "Elevator Pitch" champion, and how that has translated to his work
• Chris explains the building blocks and critical components of an elevator pitch, and how to effectively share your story
• How to use "you language" to build universal connections and start powerful conversations
• Why "entrepreneur-itis" is a common ailment that keeps you in the engine room of your business rather than steering it from the deck
• Why Chris felt driven to write his book "Leadership Language: Using Authentic Communication to Drive Results"
• Why Chris defines a client as anyone upon whom your success depends, whether it be your board of directors, your investors, or your spouse
• Why "the empty chair" is a seat at the discussion table reserved for your client's clients
• Why anticipation is a super-power, and why "I've thought this through" are four incredible words to use throughout your life
• How it's critical to live in the moment, move beyond past experiences to look toward the future
• How Chris's experience with an unexpected mentor impacted his life and changed his outlook on life

• Website: www.westfallonline.com
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/westfallonline
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/westfallonline
• Twitter: @westfallonline
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/westfallonline
• Leadership Language by Chris Westfall: https://amzn.to/2D1irz0

Thom King always struggled with his weight before adopting a ketogenic lifestyle. In Guy Gone Keto he details how perseverance and a high-fat, low-carb diet enabled him to drop five waist sizes in a single year. His essential wellness program includes tips for reading and understanding food labels, supportive techniques to make you feel capable and empowered, as well as tasty recipes and easy-to-follow meal plans that will keep you fit and healthy for life.

Thom King is the founder and CEO of Steviva Brands Inc., one of the largest importers, manufacturers, and distributors of natural sweeteners. A self-described "bio hacker," he has made it his life's work to study food science and use his knowledge to help people eat healthier, avoid harmful sugars, and maintain diet and exercise habits that defeat metabolic disease. His company, based in Portland, Oregon, derives its name from stevia, the South American plant extract that is calorie-free yet three hundred times sweeter than sugar, and does not contribute to the combination of metabolic diseases that Thom calls "diabesity."

• What has been happening with Thom and his business since his previous appearance on Onward Nation in episode 589
• Why Thom decided to write his book "Guy Gone Keto: How to Lose Weight, Feel Great, and Achieve Lifelong Fitness"
• Why Thom started living a ketogenic lifestyle, and what changes it brought to his life and wellbeing
• Why improved sleep and a corrected sleep cycle have been tremendous benefits Thom has received from his new lifestyle
• How liver health can impact all aspects of your life, and how a ketogenic diet can help with liver health
• How the ketogenic diet works, what foods are acceptable, and how to properly balance your foods to maintain ketosis
• Why the first week is the most difficult, and how you will begin to see changes almost immediately
• How balancing your microbiome can help with decision-making, depression and energy levels
• Why you should research the real science behind the principles of the ketogenic diet and its benefits
• Why shaming yourself–especially body-shaming–is only harmful and why self-acceptance is important

• Guy Gone Keto by Thom King: http://a.co/d/6inAEz1
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/steviva
• Twitter: @thomking
• Website: www.iconfoods.com

Having been a leader in motivational and sales training since 1979, Steve Schiffman is a Certified Management Consultant and has trained and consulted to a wide range of corporations including IBM, AT&T, Motorola, Sprint, CIGNA, and a host of other organizations throughout the world. He has also trained over 500,000 professionals in over 9,000 companies.

Millions more have read Steve's best selling books internationally. Some of his accomplishments include the development of highly pragmatic sales training and management programs that adapt effectively into a broad range of sales environments and industries. All of his training is based upon actual sales experiences and are proven successful. Steve was rated as the number one sales expert in prospecting by Personal Selling Power magazine.

• How a desire to work for himself led Steve to start and grow his incredibly successful sales company
• Why one of the most important lessons Steve learned is that selling isn't filling a need, it's helping people achieve their goals
• How necessity forced Steve to let go of his hesitation and scale his business over time
• Why Steve wrote his book "Creating Sales Stars: A Guide to Managing the Millennials on Your Team"
• Steve shares key takeaways from his book on the importance of instilling motivation in your teams
• Why it's important to be excited about your work, your goals, and your contributions to the business
• Why business owners should break their own bad habits and continually reinvent themselves every 5-6 years
• What Steve says is the single most crucial skill business owners need to develop to succeed
• Why it's important to take the time to think and reflect on your behavior and goals
• Why creativity and experimentation are skills that we should invest the time to develop in ourselves and our teams

• Website: www.steveschiffman.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: (646)341-6947

Janine K. Iannarelli is the founder and president of Par Avion Ltd. She has more than 30 years of business aviation experience representing numerous corporations and private individuals worldwide with the sale and purchase of business aircraft. Par Avion is an aircraft marketing firm that specializes in the exclusive representation and acquisition of aircraft with an emphasis on pre-owned business jets valued upwards of $65,000,000 (USD).

Ms. Iannarelli has extensive experience in cross-border transactions, with nearly 90 percent of Par Avions business concentrated in this area of specialization. The scope of her experience with aircraft sales transactions reaches well beyond the procurement process in that she has in-depth interactions with the OEMs, maintenance facilities and completion centers specific to these aircraft. Ms. Iannarelli also works directly with designated representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration as well as with many other countries civil aviation authorities where she has placed or procured aircraft.

As a sought after mentor and inspirational advisor, she often speaks before women and youth organizations about career development and life skill set necessary to navigate the business world. Ms. Iannarelli routinely serves as a reliable source on business aviation for local, regional, national and international media on a variety of business aviation and small business topics. She is a regular panelist and presenter at industry events that focus on current valuations and trends in the new and preowned global marketplace for aircraft.

Ms. Iannarelli is a passionate supporter of the arts and charities that benefit children and animals.

• How Janine's career path led her to the world of business aviation and to founding a $65 million company
• How an encounter with a fellow female entrepreneur helped set the stage for Janine's business success
• How Janine's childhood and upbringing helped her gain a sense of satisfaction for a job well done
• What skills Janine feels are crucial for business professionals to develop to manage stress and get ahead
• What regular habits and traits Janine developed that helped contribute to her business success
• How the 2008 economic recession impacted Janine's business, and how she overcame the challenges she faced
• What service Janine's business provides, and how the economic downturn created new opportunities
• Why Janine's advice to entrepreneurs is to manage your time well and to trust your intuition
• What important lessons Janine learned from her first business mentor and former boss early in her career
• Why Janine draws inspiration and insight from Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" and considers it required reading

• Website: www.paravionltd.com
• Telephone: (713) 681-0075

Good Morning…and welcome to another episode of Onward Nation. I'm Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI and your host. If you've been listening to Onward Nation for a while now — I'd like to start off with a big thank you.

My team and I appreciate all of your support and all of your feedback. You help us get better each and every day.

And if you're new to Onward Nation — thank you for joining me. It is great to have you here — and of course I'm biased — but I think you pick a great episode to start off with.

Today's episode is going to be a solocast — just you and me exploring a topic with some real depth. And the idea for this topic — and actually the ideas for my next several solocasts — came from some feedback from you, Onward Nation.

Some of our listeners reached out and asked me to take the conversation deeper around cornerstone content, what it is, how to create it, and how to monetize it.

So that is what I'm going to do over the next month or so…to help set a practical and tactical foundation around cornerstone content and your thought leadership so you can take it and apply it right away in 2019.

But before we get into the strategy around creating content and how to monetize it – I am going to use today's solocast to explain why you and your thought leadership cannot afford to be seen as a one trick pony.

Okay — so what do I mean by one trick pony?

Listen to today's episode to find out, and you can find the full show notes here.

Lorraine Ferguson is a dynamic trainer and coach who accelerates growth in companies by focusing on the right behaviors, attitudes and techniques that drive success. Ferguson has brought the Sandler Selling System to hundreds of selling professionals and businesses. Companies and individuals have transformed their business development ability by working with Ferguson.

• How Lorraine dealt with the difficult challenges of being a woman in the male-dominated sales field
• Why Lorraine's views on sales evolved as she better understood herself and her place in the business world
• Why time has made things somewhat better for women in sales roles, and why things need to keep improving
• Why Lorraine titled her book "The Unapologetic Saleswoman: Breaking the Barriers, Beating the Odds"
• How Lorraine found self-empowerment in finding her voice and being assertive in her role
• Why Lorraine believes in the idea of "sell more by caring less" and how it helps her mindset
• What takeaways Lorraine wants to share from the contents of her book, and why they're important
• What sort of pushback Lorraine gets from sales professionals, and how she overcomes the objections she hears
• Why it's important to have mutual agreements and be clear on the next step you need to take throughout the sales process
• Why you should always go into a sales call with a "pre-call plan", and why it helps you be prepared and confident

• The Unapologetic Saleswoman by Lorraine Ferguson: http://a.co/d/8THZhkk
• Website: www.sandler.com
• Email: [email protected]