Onward Nation

Cathy Mendell has an extensive background in business development and growth management. Her roles have included 25-years as a senior executive with a Fortune 500 company. Additionally, she has been a founder and Vice President of Sales in two startup companies. Cathy has taken her passion for business growth to a new level in assisting individuals in their financial success. Cathy is also the Fundraising Chair for The Orphanages of Kenya. She is responsible for the funding resources of the orphanage — and through her efforts — 36 children now have a home to call their own, loving guardians, medical care, and are receiving an education.

Cathy keeps the main thing the main thing – don’t get distracted. ONWARD!

Find your quiet time – Cathy gets up early and focuses.

Cathy had to back away from her business – and Cathy tells the whole story here.

“Success is the result of your daily actions – the compound effect of what you do daily brings success.”

“Change the word ‘but’ to ‘and’ – it changes a wall into a door.”

I would have been more focused – concentrate on your goals.

Decide what you want – find what doesn’t work – pay the price.

An individual matches your own commitment – and don’t hire too soon.

1. Believe in your mission – understand your impact
2. Spend the time you need to train – find the people that can make you better

• orphanagesofkenya.org

You can find us here: ------OnwardNation.com------

Patricia Fripp is one of the few professional speakers who can transform the presentation skills of others — she is an executive speech coach and sales presentation skills trainer. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance wrote that “one of the best investments in your career is Patricia’s presentation skills training.” She is now virtually everywhere with her interactive training, FrippVT.com.

Patricia is disciplined – and she lives a good, clean life. ONWARD!

“You need to be able to tell your story effectively – answer the question of what do yo do in an interesting and not a dull, predictable way.”

“Don’t concentrate on making a lot of money – concentrate on becoming the type of person people want to do business with and you most likely will make money.”

Find the heroes in your own life – talking about them will earn you respect with your audience

1. Take advantage of all the digital tools that are available to you today that weren’t around when I stated
2. Target the people you already know for future business
3. Stop considering customers your customers – they’ll leave

• FrippVT.com/
• Fripp.com/

You can find us here: ------OnwardNation.com------

Anthony is the Managing Director of B2B Sales Coach & Consultancy, a boutique sales coaching and consulting firm. Anthony works with Fortune 500 sales organizations like Accenture, Abbott Laboratories, and CH Robinson. He helps companies produce increase sales by improving individual sales representative performance, providing tools and methodologies for more effective sales management, and through executive level coaching to senior managers. Anthony is a prolific writer, posting daily to his personal blog: The Sales Blog, which was named the #1 sales blog in the world in 2010. Anthony was named one of the 50 most influential people in sales and marketing in 2012. He also publishes a bi-monthly column in the Think Sales Journal and is a Contributing Editor at SUCCESS Magazine.

Anthony spends Saturday organizing his life and Sunday planning his week – be proactive, not reactive. ONWARD!

Have coffee and head to the gym – Anthony creates the energy he needs to succeed each day.

Anthony had his revenue cut by 45% in one day – and Anthony tells the whole story here.

“You have to figure things out – answer the questions that haven’t been asked yet.”

“Your job is to go out and create as much value as you can in the area where you can make the greatest difference.”

I would have figured out who my dream clients are very early – don’t get distracted by “opportunities.”

Businesses exist to create customers – take care of sales and marketing first.

An individual is resourceful – and has the initiative to get it done.

1. Focus on sales and marketing – feed your marketplace with the “why” you are different
2. Make sure your employees understand the “why”
3. Become a sales leader

• http://thesalesblog.com/

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, 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…I’m Stephen Woessner.

Since the advent of the commercial Internet…I have collected tens of thousands of data points that have given me the ability to identify what I call the 8 Money Draining Mistakes. These are the things that literally cause a business website – like yours – to leak serious money every day.

You may remember that I mentioned the Money Draining Mistakes during episode #68…but we didn’t have time to dig deep.

So for today’s solocast, I decided to loop back around and dedicate today’s episode toward how to fix one of the most expensive mistakes.

It’s Money Draining Mistake #5…and I call it “Not Knowing Your Customer.”

I am excited to share this strategy and recipe with you because every time I sit down to prepare for a solocast…I think about you…and what I hope will be the result outcomes for you as a result of you listening and applying what you learn.

Why do I do this?

Because we all have the same 86,400 seconds in a day and I take it very seriously that you chose to share some of your invaluable time with me today. As a result…I put in the time – the hard work to ensure that I deliver significant value.

It needs to be a fair trade of your time for the business value I deliver. I consider your time investment to be sacred.

So here it is – for this episode – we are going to dig deep into why most companies do not know their customers – how they miss the single WORD that could completely alter the customer relationship – and I am going to give you a specific step-by-step strategy or recipe for understanding exactly how to connect with your customers on a different and more valuable level than what you may be doing currently.

My hope for you is that you will take this recipe – apply it – and see predictable, measurable, and repeatable increases in sales inside your business as a result.

This episode represents such a significant opportunity for you and your business because only about 5% of the business owners listening right now will take action on the steps I share. You may nod your head in agreement – maybe even take some notes – or share this episode with a colleague.

But ultimately, your inaction will signify your acceptance of operating your business – and maybe even your life – at the level of the status quo. Onward Nation – please don’t let this be you!

Don’t fall into the trap of procrastination. My hope for you is that you will take the notes – have the discussions with your team – and then put the steps into action – swiftly.

This strategy has the potential of being a game-changer for you.

First…I will ask you a question.

I will give you a hint. It has nothing to do with the features, advantages, or benefits of the product or service.

In fact – it has everything to do with just one, four-letter word.

And that word is “HOPE.”

The only reason we buy anything is because we HOPE that tomorrow will somehow be better than today as a result of buying the product or service we are considering. That’s it – HOPE.

So in order for you to fix this Money Draining Mistake you need to understand how to make an emotional and empathetic connection with your prospects and customers.

You do this by becoming a HOPE Dealer to your customers.

Let’s take this a little bit deeper with another question.

What percent of people make a purchase decision based solely on emotional reasons?

Would you guess 20%? 30%? 50%?

The answer is 100%.

Yes, 100%. We like to think that we are such rational creatures and we only make decisions based on objective data and thoughtful analysis. But the reality is that all of our decisions – yes, 100% of them – are made for purely emotional reasons.

I explain why within the solocast.

This is an incontrovertible fact. Therefore, you need to understand your prospects and customers from an emotional perspective.

You need to understand their challenges.

You need to understand their pain points.

And as one of my mentors, Darren Hardy likes to say, you need to metaphorically “Lay in their bed at night” to understand what is causing them pain.

So during this solocast, I share eight specific questions you and your team need to ask each other and then go out and ask your prospects and customers the same questions.

Once you have collected that data – you will have all you need in order to create your customer or client “Avatar.”

CAUTION!

Your avatar is one person. Not an email list of 20,000 people. One person and you give him or her a name, a personality, you hang a photo of her on your conference room wall, and every time you write an email campaign, shoot a video, etc. you speak directly to your avatar.

For example...when I am not interviewing today’s top business owners for Onward Nation episodes, I am the CEO of Predictive ROI…a digital marketing agency that specializes on delivering guaranteed sales and financial return on investment for our clients, or our work is free.

So at Predictive ROI…our client avatars are “Harry” and “Sally” (we chose those names because “When Harry Met Sally” is one of my favorite movies of all time).

And this is Sally:

• Sally and her team are ambitious and want to learn new things
• She knows there is more opportunity and growth “out there” and is frustrated she does not know how to capitalized on it, faster
• She reads lots of books but doesn’t know a good idea from a bad one
• She is uncertain and afraid to fail
• She has been fooled before and does not know who to believe
• Everything sounds too good to be true
• And Sally has said to me…“Stephen...I want to trust you...that you can do what you say you can do...show me the evidence quickly that it is working and that you are delivering on your promises”.

During more than one prospect client presentation, “Sally” has said to me – “My goodness, that is me.” I smile when it happens because I know we just made a powerful connection.

You can too if you answer the eight questions in this episode and apply what you learned.

In closing…remember this reality…you are the average of the people you spend the most time with.

So you need to spend your time with people you have a common future with – not a common past.

And by consistently listening to Onward Nation – you are spending time with today’s top business owners…the people who are crushing it and already at the next level…the people whose recipes and strategies can help you grow your business, make your network more robust, and become more influential.

All so you can reach your goals and move your business onward to that next level.

I hope that makes sense.

Okay, Onward Nation – my hope is this solocast was valuable to you.

Please drop me a line and let me know what you thought.

Keep the feedback coming.

You can reach me directly at stephen at OnwardNation.com and let me know -- thumbs up or thumbs down?

Onward with gusto!

-- Stephen

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Payman Taei is the founder of Visme and HindSite Interactive. In late 2001 he started creating websites for businesses to pay his way through college. With $170 and a vintage Pentium processor in the corner of a small apartment, over the last 14 years he grew HindSite to a stable award winning web consulting company with two profitable divisions; a web consulting firm and a Software as a Service (Visme) which allows 250,000 businesses and individuals to create professional presentation and infographics right in their browser.

Payman has a daily task/goal list to stay focused – be productive every day. ONWARD!

Be consistent – Payman sees success by keeping clear, consistent goals in sight.

Payman’s nine-month developed product wasn’t being used – and Payman tells the whole story here.

“You need to have passion to be a business owner – you’ll only get so far without it.”

“There is no shortcut – extremely hard work allows you to achieve your goals.”

I would have listened to my instincts – be grounded.

Listen to your customers – but know when to say no.

An individual is in line without vision – and is passionate about our business.

1. Be ready to change angles at any given time
2. Create a product you know there’s a need for – and make it the best product you can
3. Differentiate yourself from the field

• https://twitter.com/PaymanTaei
• https://www.linkedin.com/pub/payman-taei/0/973/8b4

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Dr. Marcie Beigel has been redesigning behavior for professionals, families, schools, and businesses for over 15 years. Her specialty is engaging with behaviors directly and giving clear and insightful directives to clients ­­ who are oftentimes ­­ business owners looking for balance at home to help create balance at work or new approaches to become better leaders. Her approach is heartfelt, but filled with tough love. You can get her weekly behavior newsletter at BehaviorAndBeyond.net. Dr. Marcie is also featured on NBC's Parenting Toolkit.

Dr. Marcie delegates tasks so that she has the time to do the things she loves – hire employees that love the tasks you don’t. ONWARD!

Never stop learning – Dr. Marcie continues to learn so she can share her knowledge with others.

Dr. Marcie had to completely rehaul her business model – and Dr. Marcie tells the whole story here.

“You catch more bees with honey than with vinegar – find the positive way to get it done.”

“It’s never personal.”

I would have scheduled everything – my calendar used to only include my appointments with other people.

Business owners need to lead by example – actions speak louder than words.

An individual treats the business as their own – and brings their own dreams to the table.

1. Mean what you say and say what you mean
2. Take massive action – actions speak louder than words
3. Treat everyone around you with amazing gratitude and appreciation

• http://www.behaviorandbeyond.net/

You can also find us at: ------OnwardNation.com------

Cody is one of the three Founders of Advisors Excel. In 2004, after leaving a corporate job to partner with David Callanan to be financial advisors, they decided there was an opportunity in the marketplace. So, in 2005, along with Derek Thompson, they formed Advisors Excel. Currently, Cody plays an integral part in the development and execution of the revolutionary marketing and training systems that Advisors Excel continues to bring to the table for their advisors.

Advisors Excel has become one of the fastest growing insurance marketing organizations in the country, and their story has been featured in SUCCESS Magazine, Cody was interviewed by Darren Hardy publisher of SUCCESS who also profiled Advisors Excel in his latest book The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster. Cody and his organization were also featured in Tony Robbins' #1 New York Times bestselling book, Money -- Master the Game.

Cody focuses on three priorities that align with their organizational model. ONWARD!

Cody likes to wake up early to exercise, which fuels his energy for the rest of the workday.

Cody dealt with a family member running into financial trouble -- and Cody tells the whole story here.

“Business owners need to provide a clear corporate vision -- only the owner is responsible for this vision.”

“Nothing beats hard work -- success comes to those who put the hours in -- serve the client"

I would have gone back and implemented a team-building system versed in unity and collaboration.

Business owners need to create a favorable client-experience -- it’s about a personalized positive impact.

An individual who is honest -- trustworthy -- and has an unwavering attitude due to their effort.

1. Accept Responsibility
2. Simplify your Business

• http://www.advisorsexcel.com/team/cody-foster.php

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Misty is the founder, president, and energized force behind More Than Just Great Dancing. Her mantra that drives her and her team of 39 is “We don’t teach kids to make great dancers, we teach dance to make great kids.”

Misty’s studio is frequently recognized as one of the best in the dance studio industry. Her Performance Companies have performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, on Carnival Cruise Lines, and at Walt Disney World. Misty is a sought after mentor, speaker, and recently shared her business methods as a guest blogger for SUCCESS.com.

Don’t look in the rearview mirror -- look forward -- make a calendar -- own your time. ONWARD!

Misty likes to wake up early -- eat the biggest frog first and everything else will become much easier.

Misty opened a second location after quick success -- and Misty tells the whole story here.

“Business owners need to limit interruptions and regain their focus so they can work towards a goal.”

“Leave a great taste -- the customer needs to either touch, taste, or feel a difference.”

I would have went back and implemented a CRM system to help with our personal data collection.

Business owners need to have a JAM session -- this uninterrupted session helps to move the ball forward.

An individual who understands everyone is self-employed -- we can’t write a check if the money’s not coming in.

1. Overcome the battle
2. The wolf you feed the most wins

• http://mistylown.com/

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Hamid is addicted to the high of making products that people love to use. Sometimes, the users even pay for them, which is how he funds his enormously high cost of body-hair removal. Along the way, he’s made a couple of companies including Axosoft and Pure Chat and has helped Arizona’s tech scene create its voice with AZTechBeat.com. He’s passionate not only about achieving financial success in business but also success in health and wellness as an owner and also for his employees.

Hamid tries to focus on one task at a time -- don’t get caught up in the daily complexities that tie business owners down. ONWARD!

Coffee! Hamid drinks three cups a day to refuel his energy reserve -- it’s a great decision-making partner.

Hamid learned through experimentation -- and Hamid tells the whole story here.

“Business owners should learn to make the best decision for their company by first determining the correct path.”

“Entrepreneurs have to understand the more is better attitude is a complex and dangerous strategy.”

I would have gone back and implemented a system to help our team gain market share through sustainable resourcing.

Business owners need to think outside of their wheelhouse of expertise and continually evaluate consumer sentiments.

An individual who looks at work as a personal craft -- it’s viewed as a major contribution to the universe.

1. Self-doubt can be conquered
2. Simplify your business -- less is more

• http://www.hamidshojaee.com/

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Mike Kawula is the CEO of Social Quant, a tool that helps entrepreneurs increase their marketing impact on Twitter. Michael has started and sold several businesses with his most recent being ranked the 144th fastest growing company by Inc. Magazine. He’s an author of Social Media book “Connect”, has been featured in 100’s of publications & media outlets and has been interviewed by Anthony Robbins & the late Chet Holmes.

Michael makes a list of activities -- and circles a few vital priorities to tackle in the morning. ONWARD!

Look at analytics -- measuring your activity can be a very effective way to gauge progress.

Michael’s primary account was frozen due to the rapid success of his online business -- and Michael tells the whole story here.

“Business owners should consider feedback from their customer base -- and grow through implementing solutions.”

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”

I would have gone back and implemented a system versed in interpersonal customer service during onboarding.

Business owners need to break down their planning into different quadrants to record those big wins.

An individual who finds new ways to overcome traditional problems -- with the ability to think outside the box.

1. Measure everything
2. Continually evaluate your business

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkawula

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