Talking Business Now

By Kelly Scanlon & C-Suite RadioBusiness Entrepreneurship

Talking Business Now episodes

February 22, 2019 Personal Branding for Everyday Professionals
Athlete and celebrity brand expert Frances Reimers joins Talking Business Now host Kelly Scanlon to talk about creating and protecting an often-overlooked professional asset: our personal brand. Reimers believes your personal brand matters—even if you're not a celebrity. Tune in to discover:
■ Why your personal brand matter if you're in business.
■ The elements of a personal brand.
■ How to develop your own personal brand—it's not a one-size-fits-all proposition.
■ How to "speak your mind" yet preserve the integrity of your personal brand.
■ Tips for protecing your personal brand online in the Digital Age.
■ Why helping employees develop their personal brands can benefit your business.
■ Targeted philanthropic strategies for growing your personal brand.
Reimers is the founder and CEO of Firestarter, a personal brand consultancy that’s located in Alexandria, Virginia. The company helps celebrities and business professionals develop, manage, enhance, and protect their personal brands. Prior to launching Firestarter in 2016, Reimers led marketing and public relations campaigns for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Coast Guard and mulitple nonprofits. She’s been a contributor to several national publications a frequent guest on major broadcast and podcast programs.
Connect with Reimers on:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Visit the archives to listen to all the episodes of Talking Business Now.

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21 min
February 21, 2019 Creating a Non-Stop Sales Boom
Best-selling author Colleen Francis joins Talking Business Now host Kelly Scanlon to discuss her most recent book, Nonstop Sales Boom, and offer a strategy for driving consistent sales growth in your company and putting an end to boom-and-bust sales cycles. You'll discover:
■ What causes boom-and-bust sales cycles—and why we tolerate them
■ How to attract the best leads for your sales pipeline
■ Why qualifying an opportunity is the responsibility of both the buyer and the seller
■ Why not all clients deserve your priority
■ How to get clients to sell to your best leads
■ And . . . what sales leaders should be Talking Business Now about with their sales teams in 2019!
Colleen Francis is the founder and president of Engage Selling Solutions and has a 20-year history of delivering sales results. She is Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and an inductee into the Speaking Hall of Fame. Connect with her on:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

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19 min
January 18, 2019 Storytelling: A Powerful Tool for Creating Company Culture—and Winning Customers
Mikki Williams, CSP, CPAE, joins Talking Business Nowhost Kelly Scanlon to discuss how your business can gain a competitive advantage through storytelling.
Williams is the owner of Mikki Williams Unltd. She’s a Hall of Fame Professional speaker, a TEDx speaker, an executive speech coach and a Vistage resource speaker and Master Chair.
In this episode of Talking Business Now, Mikki shares these insights with listeners:
How to invest employees, customers and stakeholders through story so they care about your dataWhy it's important to understand that you are in the "emotional transportation business" every time you give a speech or presentationHow to use stories to create cultureHow to use stories to promote your company's brand
Williams was chosen as one of the best speakers in the country by Meetings and Convention Magazine along with Tony Robbins, Bill Gates, Rudy Giuliani, Lou Holtz, Zig Ziglar and Jay Leno. An award-winning speaker for Vistage International and Master Chair of two of their peer advisory boards in Chicago, Williams is a global celebrity speaker, transformational storyteller and executive speech coach. She is the creator of Speakers School, Keynote Kamp and The Mikki Mouth Club.
Connections
Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwilliams.chicagoTwitter Link: https://twitter.com/mikkiwilliamsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikkiwilliams/

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21 min
January 11, 2019 The 4 Things That Purpose-Led 21st Century Companies Do Well
It’s an understatement to say that we live in a constantly changing world. And now, more than ever, customers expect companies to practice corporate responsibility.
On this episode of Talking Business Now,Shannon Adkins joins host Kelly Scanlon to discuss what it takes to build a purpose-led culture in our companies and to build solutions for lasting change.
Adkins is the CEO at Future State, an employee-owned strategic consulting firm focused on supporting change management and operational transformation within global Fortune 500 companies. Future State is women-led, and more than 80 percent of its owners are women. The company's giving and employee volunteer program focuses on supporting local nonprofits that work with women and families. Future State was certified as a B-Corp in 2015, and in 2016 it was named a “Best for the World” business for its employer practices.
Tune in to find out how purpose-led, triple-bottomline businesses of the 21st century incorporate these four characteristics to build loyal customers—and how your company can too:
They MatterThey ConnectThey IntegratedThey Evolve

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28 min
January 08, 2019 Tom Hill’s Four Mantras to Life and Business Success
On this episode of Talking Business Now,Dr. Tom Hill joins host Kelly Scanlon to discuss the four mantras he’s embraced to achieve success in all areas of his life.
Tune in to discover how Dr. Hill has put these principles to work—and how you can too!
We have a moral obligation to become the very best person with our God-given talents.We have a moral obligation to become a positive difference with every person we come in contact with.One idea, well executed, can change your life forever.One person, who is attracted to you because of who you have become, can change your life forever.
Dr. Hill spent the first 26 years of his career in public education. Then, at age 50, he left the University of Missouri, where he was a professor and administrator, to pursue an entrepreneurial career in real estate franchise sales.
In fewer than 10 years, he built a company that in 1999, had real estate offices with more than $3 billion in sales. He sold that company in 1999 and now spends his time and energy giving back and sharing what he’s learned Today, Dr. Hill is the CEO and owner of Eagle Goal Coach, providing life coaching to clients across the US and Canada.
On top of all that, Dr. Hill is an airplane pilot, marathon runner, mountain climber, skydiver, writer and speaker. He’s the author of “Living at the Summit” and its accompanying workbook, co-author of “Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul” and author of “Blessed Beyond Measure.”

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22 min
January 04, 2019 How Businesses Can Do Well By Doing Good, with Amanda Brinkman
Amanda Brinkman joins host Kelly Scanlon on this episode of Talking Business Now. You may know Brinkman as the co-host of The Small Business Revolution—Main Streetseries with Ty Pennington. What you may not know is that Brinkman herself brings an entrepreneurial attitude—and a belief that all brands can “Do Well By Doing Good”—to all her endeavors.
Brinkman, who has had a long career in marketing and advertising, almost didn’t go into the field because she didn’t know how it would fulfill her desire to “do good” and to give back. But a mentor challenged her to find a way to marry her two passions.
From the get-go, Brinkman made a mark at top ad agencies working with brands such as Colgate-Palmolive, Virgin Mobile, Rebok, H&R Block and BMW.
Now, as the chief brand and communications officer of Deluxe Corp., Brinkman is helping small businesses succeed. She created, executive produces and stars in The Small Business Revolution, which awards one small town and its small businesses $500,000 each season.
She also serves on several business, charitable and nonprofit boards, including Make-A-Wish, the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, the Women’s Business Development Center Chicago, the Association of National Advertisers and others.
Tune in to find out more about Brinkman’s story, how she’s evolved Small Business Revolution and how all companies can practice the philosophy of “Doing Well by Doing Good.”
Follow Brinkman on:
Twitter: @amandakbrinkman and @smbizrevolutionLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amandakbrinkmanFacebook: www.facebook.com/smallbizrev

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26 min
December 31, 2018 Packaging People: How Leaders Can Impress
Sylvie Di Giusto [pronounced Dee-Juice-Toh] joins Talking Business Now host Kelly Scanlon to talk about "packaging people."
That's right, Di Giusto packages people. She's an image consultant, the author of "The Image of Leadership" and an online program called "How You Impress," and the founder of Executive Image Consulting in New York City. She and her firm help individuals and companies understand how people make up their minds very quickly about them—and either open the door for them or slam it shut.
In this episode, Di Giusto talks with us about making a great first impression and how to control the message we send to others. Some of the tips she offers are:
The 7-second ruleHow to deal with confirmation biasThe ABCD of your first impressionHow to use social media to control first impressions
Connections:
Facebook:www.facebook.com/sylviedigiustoTwitter: @SylviediGiustoLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sylviedigiustoInstagram: www.instagram.com/sylviedigiusto/

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22 min
December 19, 2018 The Story of Elf on the Shelf
During this holiday season, enjoy a replay of my popular Elf on the Shelf episode with co-founder Chanda Bell. She gives us the behind-the-scenes scoop on how she, her twin sister Christa Pitts, and her mother Carol Aebersold transformed a cherished family tradition into a best-selling and enduring holiday brand.
The company, Creatively Classic Activities and Books, was founded in 2005. Thirteen years later, more than 13 million of the ever-popular elves can be found around the world. In addition to the elves, the company's products include books, Christmas pets, the Claus Couture collection, music videos and others.

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18 min
November 10, 2018 Creating Gender Parity at Work, with Rania Anderson
On this episode of Talking Business Now, Rania Anderson joins host Kelly Scanlon to discuss how to build diverse, high-performing teams and equitable work environments. Anderson’s new book, WE: Men, Women and the Decisive Formula for Winning at Work, presents a process of driving gender parity, and provides tangible insights for transforming and strengthening the way men and women work, lead and succeed together. The good news? It’s not about what the organization should do. It addresses what individuals can do. You can do things every day to change your workplace.
Anderson is an international speaker, executive coach, founder of The Way Women Work and the cofounder of the Women’s Capital Connection, a women's angel investor network. She is also the author of Undeterred: The Six Success Habits of Women in Emerging Economies.
Tune in to discover:
Why gender balance is so important in the workplaceA framework for recruiting, retaining and leading with womenOften overlooked workplace practices that disproportionately impact women—and what to do about them.How to amplify women’s voices in meetingsAlternatives to standard performance reviews that can disadvantage women

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32 min
November 02, 2018 How to Present a Message That Matters, with Diane DiResta
Certified speaking professional Diane DiResta shares insights for adding power, punch and pizzazz to your presentations—whether you're talking on stage in front of a large audience, making a sales presentation, speaking in the boardroom, or in any situation where your message matters. In this episode of Talking Business Now, DiResta, the author of Knockout Presentations, discusses:
Why public speaking is the new competitive advantage—and adds to your ROIOvercoming public speaking fearIncreasing your persuasiveness, even in front of challenging audiencesAudience expectations in the Digital AgeThe importance of being audience-centricUsing a "speech sandwich" to organize your presentationAvoiding common speaking mistakesDeveloping your listening skills to enhance your speaking skills
DiResta is the founder and CEO of New York-based DiResta Communications, a consultancy that works with business leaders who deliver high-stakes presentations. She has spoken on four continents and is often quoted in the major media. In addition, DiResta is the past president of the New York City chapter of the National Speakers Association and former media trainer for the NBA and WNBA. Her blog, Knockout Presentations, made the Top 50 Public Speaking blogs.
Social media:
www.linkedin.com/in/dianediresta
www.facebook.com/direstacommunications
www.twitter.com/speakingpro

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24 min

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Get the inside scoop on how America’s most successful entrepreneurs are transforming their industries. On each episode of Talking Business Now, you'll meet one of your fellow business owners, founders…