Onward Nation

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and the host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of three bestselling books including the recently released Profitable Podcasting. He is also a speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.

Good Morning Onward Nation and welcome to Episode 631…it is always a pleasure and honor to have you here with me. Before we get to today's solocast, Onward Nation – I owe you a couple important thank you's.

First, I want to say thank you for all of the ratings and reviews on iTunes. We just received a wave of new reviews and I want you to know how grateful I am for that.

You taking time out of your day to let us know what you think of the show is something my team and I take very seriously – something we consider sacred – whether you give us a thumbs up or a thumbs down – hearing from you is how we get better each and every day.

So thank you, Onward Nation, for your continued support, feedback, and all of your ratings and reviews.

And second, I want to say thank you for sharing Onward Nation episodes with your friends and colleagues…because each and every share, retweet, and post you do helps Onward Nation become heard by more people in more countries. Because of you…listeners in 119 countries have become part of Onward Nation. Because of you…business owners from around the world are able to learn from other successful business owners and how they think, act, and achieve.

So thank you, Onward Nation!

I appreciate your time and attention more than you will ever know – and the fact that you have chosen to invest a part of your day making Onward Nation what you listen to and study means a great deal to me and to my entire team.

Okay, now let's dive into today's solocast.

And with today's solocast – I am going to include a twist similar to what I did back in Episode 612 when we decided to air an interview from when I was the guest on the Integrate and Ignite Podcast…which is hosted by my friend, Lori Jones…CEO of Avocet Communications.

Being a guest on another podcast gives me a special opportunity to share perspectives, insights, and experience that I might not normally share during an episode with an Onward Nation guest.

So I wanted you to hear the episode with Lori because of the takeaways that might be helpful if applied into your business.

So for today's solocast…I am going to follow a similar recipe. We are going to air an episode where I was a guest on the podcast, MYM Your Business: The Brutal Truth, hosted by Colin Sprake.

I wanted you to hear this interview because of the depth that Colin and I explored the value of mentorship, the biggest mistake I made by not listening to the advice of Darren Hardy, one of my personal mentors, and the impact the right mentorship program can have on your company, its culture, as well as the dollars and cents behind it, in my opinion.

Colin and I also went pretty deep into business development and why I think business owners are missing a big opportunity by not focusing their time and attention on their Dream 50 prospects.

Okay, Onward Nation…so without further adieu, here is Colin Sprake from MYM Your Business: The Brutal Truth, and yours truly, as his guest.

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Okay…welcome back, Onward Nation.

I hope you found the conversation with Colin Sprake to be helpful in illustrating the power and influence of great mentorship and the impact it can have within your business and on your team.

In fact…we take mentorship so seriously here at Predictive ROI that each member of our leadership meets each week for a dedicated, one-on-one mentorship session with each of the teammates on their respective teams.

This process has helped us grow as a team, become stronger has a team, reinforced our values as a team, and helped us uncover potential problem areas for clients and solve them before they became actual problem areas.

And most importantly…the weekly sessions have helped us invest in our younger leaders – both in them as teammates and in their career path.

We do and invest in all of this so that on the day one of our teammates is invited to join the Predictive ROI leadership team, they are well-prepared, they have seen the situations before, and they know they have teammates around them who will support them no matter what.

That is a valuable culture…so that when the going gets tough and we all need to dig even deeper…or…when we are riding high and there is praise and thanks to go around…we stay grounded and realize that is all about the team.

So for all of us here at Predictive ROI…it is always…100% of the time…about the team…and my hope is that some of that message came through in my discussion with Colin – and – that there were takeaways that you can apply into your business, too.

So with that said…

Thank you again for taking the time to be here today…I am grateful for you making Onward Nation what you listen to and study. We all have the same 86,400 seconds in a day and I appreciate you taking some of your invaluable time and sharing it with me.

Until tomorrow…onward with gusto!

Dustin Mathews is the co-founder of Speaking Empire – the disruptive company in the leadership and education space – whose chief mission is advancing the human race by empowering leaders to communicate powerfully, unlock their fullest potential, and ultimately step into their greatness. He is the author of several bestselling books, including his latest that he co-authored to Dan Kennedy, "The No B.S. Guide To Powerful Presentations: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Plan to Sell Anything with Webinars, Online Media, Speeches, and Seminars".

• The importance of having a message and delivering it with passion
• Why you should develop core content and figure out different ways to deliver it
• The value of education-based marketing through speaking
• The importance of providing value to your audience
• Why you should approach situations with a student mindset
• Why building relationships and delivering value is important
• The need to have influential communication
• The five core components of a powerful presentation
• How to show your audience you are relevant and credible
• The importance of differentiating your message

• Website: www.nobspresentations.com
• LinkedIn: Dustin Mathews
• Book: "The No B.S. Guide To Powerful Presentations: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Plan to Sell Anything with Webinars, Online Media, Speeches, and Seminars"

Barbara Trautlein is author of the best-selling book "Change Intelligence: Use the Power of CQ to Lead Change That Sticks". She is the Principal and Founder of Change Catalysts and originator of the CQ System for Developing Change Intelligence. For over 25 years, Barbara has coached executives, trained leaders at all levels, certified change agents, and facilitated mission-critical change management initiatives – achieving bottom-line business and powerful leadership results for clients.

• Recognizing that with change sometimes comes fear
• The importance of having empathy
• Why you need to be change friendly, ready, and intelligent
• What CQ means and why it is important
• Why 70% of major organizational changes fail
• The importance of change leadership
• How to overcome resistance to change
• What the three main styles of leading change are
• How business owners can assess their CQ
• Which change leader styles are most prevalent and how they lead

• Website: www.changecatalysts.com
• Book: "Change Intelligence: Use the Power of CQ to Lead Change That Sticks"

Dorie Clark is an adjunct professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and the author of "Entrepreneurial You" — and — "Reinventing You" and "Stand Out", which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. Magazine. Dorie is also a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review and consults and speaks for clients including Google, Microsoft, and the World Bank. You may remember Dorie and the wisdom she shared during Episode 97. If you haven't listened to, studied, and applied all she shared during our first interview…I highly encourage you to add Episode 97 to your list of vital priorities.

• Why Dorie wrote her new book " Entrepreneurial You"
• How to monetize your expertise
• How to be successful in the entrepreneurial economy
• Why entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs need straight and honest talk
• The business impact of writing a book
• Why success is maximizing your own potential
• The importance of not looking too far ahead but focusing on the next goal
• Being a good mentor by letting people see beyond the surface
• The three things you need to stand out and become an expert in your field
• Why focusing on content creation is a key strategy for success

• Website: www.dorieclark.com
• Twitter: @dorieclark
• Book: "Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Multiple Income Streams, and Thrive"

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and the host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of three bestselling books including the recently released Profitable Podcasting. He is also a speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.

For a full transcript please visit this link.

Joe Schmit is an author, a 18-time Emmy award-winning broadcaster, community leader, and popular keynote speaker. As a sports broadcaster, he has covered every major sporting event in the past three decades and has interviewed many of the biggest names in sports. His award-winning book, "Silent Impact-Stories of Influence Through Purpose, Persistence and Passion" is now in its 4th printing. You may remember Joe and the wisdom he shared during Episode 310. If you haven't listened to, studied, and applied all he shared during our first interview…I highly encourage you to add Episode 310 to your list of vital priorities.

• How great leaders are discovering new ways to lead
• Why silent impact is the future of leadership
• The importance of making your team feel significant
• How we make our biggest impact when we are not trying to be impressive
• Why some of the best bosses and leaders are tough but fair
• What the great leaders have figured out about success
• The value of making connections which then leads to making an impact
• Why scheduling impact time is important
• How a business owner can become a better mentor to their team
• How you can get your business to the next level by making it about the employees

• Website: www.joeschmit.com
• Book: "Silent Impact: Stories of Influence through Purpose, Persistence, & Passion"

Shiv Kera is the founder of Qualified Learning Systems USA. He is the author of 14 books including the international bestseller "You Can Win", which has sold over 3.5 million copies in 21 languages. His 30 years of research and understanding has put organizations on a path of growth and fulfillment and tens of thousands of people have benefitted from his dynamic workshops internationally in over 20 countries. Shiv's trademark is "Winners don't do different things, they do things differently".

• The importance of accepting that some things are out of our control
• Remembering life is full of choices and compromises
• Why we cannot choose the cards that are dealt to us, but we can choose how we react
• Why Shiv says "winners don't do different things, they do things differently"
• How you can make positive habits into a reflex action
• The importance of forming good habits
• The benefits of journaling every day
• How winners form the habit of doing things that losers don't like to do
• Why you not only need the skill to do a job, but also need the will
• Why regardless of your profession, there is no competition

• Website: www.shivkhera.com
• Book: "You Can Win: A step by step tool for top achievers"

Gina Bianchini is the Founder & CEO of Mighty Networks…a rapidly growing SaaS platform for creating your own network effects brands and businesses –– replacing a blog or website with a niche social network. Gina and Mighty Networks have been featured in Fast Company, Wired, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg, and The New York Times. Before Mighty Networks, Gina and Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen launched Ning, a pioneering global platform for creating niche social networks. She also co-founded LeanIn.Org with Sheryl Sandberg, an organization dedicated to women leaning into their ambitions, where she launched Lean In Circles worldwide.

• How creating a community around a niche topic can lead to a successful business
• Why the demand for niche businesses is increasing
• Why digital entrepreneurs need to put a community at the core of the business they are building
• The value of connecting your customers and having them to talk to each other
• The need to learn quickly so you can make better and more informed decisions
• The importance of setting goals and intentions
• Why having a sponsor is important and how it is different than having a mentor
• Why being on more than one social media platform is important
• The importance of asking yourself "what do I want to learn next"
• How eliminating self doubt and negative thoughts leads to success

• Website: hosts.mn.co

Maxine Harris is the CEO and co-founder of Community Connections, a large social service organization operating in Washington, D.C. She is a national expert in clinical practices for treating persons with serious mental illness, substance addiction, homelessness, trauma, domestic violence, and traumatic loss. She has authored or edited nine books and 10 training manuals and recently released her newest book, "LESSONS FOR NON-PROFIT AND START-UP LEADERS: TALES FROM A RELUCTANT CEO".

• How our mistakes can be our greatest teachers
• When starting out in business, why you should not hire your friends
• The reasons why you need to learn to delegate
• The importance of knowing what your priorities are
• The power of keeping your office door open and the sense of availability it provides
• Why culture is not something that you prescribe, it's something that you live
• The importance of having a diversified revenue stream
• The value of taking a step back to be able to view the big picture
• Why you should look to hire individuals who have a passion for what they do
• How ongoing self-assessment is essential to your success

• Website: www.communityconnectionsdc.org

Johann Van Tonder is COO at AWA Digital — an award-winning conversion rate optimization agency that helps e-commerce businesses around the world grow online conversion rates and sales using a scientific process. He is also the co-author of the book, "E-COMMERCE WEBSITE OPTIMIZATION: WHY 95% OF YOUR WEBSITE VISITORS DON'T BUY, AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT".

• The value of using speaking engagements as an opportunity to teach rather than sell
• Why Johann and Dan wrote the book "E-Commerce Website Optimization"
• Why value proposition is a central concept in marketing and conversion rate optimization
• The importance of understanding and shaping consumer behavior
• How to research your customers to determine their consumer behavior
• The benefits of doing usability testing using online video services
• How to turn more of your website visitors into customers
• Why you should grow your business methodically over time
• The importance of listening to your customers
• Why the most critical skill to master is understanding the components that make up your profit

• Website: www.awa-digital.com