The FRONT: A Leadership Podcast

Prospecting is simply going and searching for something; or in sales, for someone. A customer, a prospect. The next person you can help!

https://youtu.be/GXKbyy3S0nA

It is going and searching for business. We are spoiled right now in sales and marketing, in any business, that at the click of a button we connect with people in our town or thousands of miles away. We expect them to come to us to do business and buy our products.

1. First and foremost – Consistency matters. You can’t just try and connect or go out one time and expect that business will be flocking to your door. It doesn’t work that way. Just like anything, our daily consistency will determine our level of success.
2. Use every method available to you. I would encourage you to sit down and try and come up with 10 different ways that you can prospect – and to DRUM UP BUSINESS. You may be surprised at the methods that end up working for you. And they may not be what you anticipate. So you have to use a multi-pronged approach.
   1. Social media is certainly one – but what are the different social channels… some work better for certain people than others.
   2. Traditional phone calls – connect with everyone you know via phone.
   3. Join groups – networking groups, the rotary club, get meetup.com – this give you an opportunity to get with local real life groups in your area, rather than staying behind a screen.
   4. Contact other businesses, schools, churches – find out what is important to each of these types of people
   5. Get up and take new customers, get in front of the people that are already coming in. We often overlook this one. But, there is traffic coming in to you in sales, and sometimes we avoid it for fear we will frustrate the existing people at the store or business – OR – maybe we are fearful of what the upcoming customer may say… you better get over that pretty quick! Because customers are what pay your paycheck.
3. Build and nurture real relationships. Relationships come through mutual agreement. Liking the same things, having similar values and having common goals. So, just like in the first bullet point, you can’t have one conversation with someone, one time and expect you never have to call not hem again. Relationships don’t work that way.

So, know that in sales, it’s not always about business coming to you – you have to go and get business as well – it’s just not as hard as you think it is.

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I love big dreams. And people that have BIG dreams. I like people that chase things that are larger than themselves. There is a difference between a dream with a goal attached and just a dream – A dream is just a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.

The question is, are you sleepwalking through your life with a bunch of thoughts and images or are you going to do something to work towards it?

https://youtu.be/xCEi12jjAIA

When I am coaching salespeople, even on a daily and regular basis – one quote I remind them of, and I don’t remember who said it – but I love the quote!

There is not an in-between. In between is stagnant and complacent – no movement, when there is no movement... it's death. So that dream, that thing you have that you want so badly are you working on something to get closer to it? This can be any activity or set of activities throughout the day.

Let’s use a common dream in sales – “I WANT TO BE THE TOP OR ONE OF THE TOP PERFORMING SALESPEOPLE IN MY STORE.”  

Many people say they want to be at the top, but few are willing to make the commitment that it takes to get there. This is where it takes work ethic. It takes a commitment from not just you, but those around you (friends, family, co-workers). It takes other people KNOWING what you want – SHARE THE DREAM!

People are often scared to share our hopes and dreams for fear of ridicule… or what we believe is worse… what if we don’t follow through, certain failure, it’s a shot to our ego and integrity.

That’s all the more reason to share… it allows others to ask where you are, it creates self-accountability. Big dreams, no matter how large... with little action and no follow through still equal puny results.

So dream big! Take a little action towards it EVERY SINGLE DAY. You’ll be amazed how far you can get in just 15 minutes of commitment at a time.

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Thanks for listening!

I was inspired this weekend – we have the Winter Olympics going on, that’s always great competition. And I enjoy watching things like that because there are people that demonstrate discipline, consistency, perseverance, and leadership, including leadership of oneself. Plus as a BONUS – My son competed at the Colorado Open. This event is a boys and young men’s gymnastics meet hosted at the Olympic Training Center. So, I had the opportunity to watch that in person. It really is unbelievable what the mind and body can achieve.

https://youtu.be/NzOG0KOsoak

As I watched these competitions, one thought that crossed my mind – was that no matter what the obstacle that arose, these athletes continue to overcome and be competitors. For example, if someone falls, makes an error or misstep, a high-level level gymnastics meet – they get up, take a deep breath, reset, and then continue the routine. It never seems to cross these guys minds to stop completely or quit.

These athletes some have trained for years, and over the weeks, multiple hours per day to compete at a high level. And then it comes down to less than two minutes per event. 10 to 12 minutes in actual competition. So even if there is a misstep, a fall, or something goes not quite as planned – this is their two minutes – so they maximize where they can. Focus, and stay positive – to compete.

At a high level, the learning happens BEFORE you get into the thick of the competition. The training to continue, that happens through drive and passion and having clarity in what you want. When people want something bad enough – they push and continue.

You see being a positive person in general, and especially in leadership – in a negative or adverse situation, IS NECESSARY, it’s not naïve. Whether you plan for it or not, there are people on the outside watching for your reaction.

Whether the outcome is one that you count as a win or not, there is still an outcome that people will gauge you on.

That’s something else – I watched several of those in competition this weekend. When a gymnast would misstep or fall – EVERYONE, and I really mean EVERYONE, even those on the other teams spectating and waiting their turn – would yell and offer words of encouragement for them to complete their routine. This is coming from people that they are AGAINST! But every one of these guys knows the work, heart, and effort that goes into getting to this level.

At the end of the competition, or at the end of each day in business - will you have learned something? What have you learned? What are your takeaways? Are you keeping a teachable attitude for all to see? Because when you do those things, you can’t ever truly take a loss.

Every person will experience tough times. So it isn’t whether you will or not. The test is how will you continue when you face them, that will dictate levels of success.  

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Not just winning in a competition or competitive environment such as athletics, but winning in business.

Winning in business unlike winning in a competition such as sports, or board games, or arm wrestling is not by pushing past an opponent.

https://youtu.be/V392IoO8JC0

One vast difference – in a competition, you can gauge a win, because you beat the other team or your opponent by overall score or points. In business, YOU are the competition.

What about “winning” on social media? Right now, many people are keeping score on social and they are viewing a win based on their number of followers being the “points” – well let me give you a tip. Followers or social connections aren’t points… they are people. People want to engage, feel important and special. It may be important to connect with one today than to reach one million.

An example of a win on social media might be – for me at least – making a positive impact. When someone reaches out to me and says, “Hey, that really made my day.” That’s like kicking one through the goalposts for today. That’s a win!

In business, you must constantly be reassessing what your wins look like from day-to-day. Re-wire and re-program your mind to view the positive in any outcome and seek out winning, rather than to dwell on or focus on losing.

Let me give you an example – if you have a goal to sell 30 cars. And You finish at 27. Is that a win or loss? It’s 10% short, right? Most people chock that up to a loss, or a failure. Well… let me twist it up for you. You can still view this as a major WIN! Why? You succeeded in selling 27 cars. And if you can repeat those steps that you did 27 times, you can produce even more the next month, then the next and continue to win even more in the future.

1. You win through work. Winning in business, means you are willing to outwork others. To succeed.
2. You continue to do what works. While innovation is necessary as quickly as our world and environments are changing. Business winners don’t have to re-invent the wheel, they instead sometimes spend time perfecting the things that already work (prior example).
3. You push to outwork what you did yesterday. Yes, then days produce weeks, then years.
4. You know that winning is a mindset. People that consistently win in business believe they will win. It’s not magic, or some secret sauce. It’s a belief system. That belief system allows them to put in the effort and actions that allow them to continue to win.
5. Besides mindset character leads to winning. That’s what people look for and connect with, and how they decide whether they are going to do business with you or not. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What you ARE speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you are saying.” In short, your actions… who YOU ARE outweighs what you SAY you are.

SO for today, or tomorrow … Be AWESOME! WIN!

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I’ve talked before about how it is important to have a plan, and have a process to go with that plan.

https://youtu.be/-QL1B6bARJ0

Routine, in general, is good for many reasons. When we get accustomed to doing same or similar things, it takes the guesswork out of things. When there is less guesswork or decision making it’s been proven to improve your mood. And when you are upbeat, have a good mood you accomplish more and you accomplish those tasks well. WHY? Because we have an idea of what to expect. Taking off on that, when you know what to expect it removes fear. It removes fear simply because we know what is coming next, or what should come next… so we just go.

When customers finally decide to come into a car lot – in most cases customer approach with fear and anxiety. They want to find someone they can trust, they want a good deal etc. Know how to remove the fear – tell customers what’s going to happen. Steps them through your process that you have done hundreds or thousands of times with other people. It doesn’t mean it has to be identical, that their situation is not unique, but just give a general idea of expectation and it will take the fear out of it.

On the flip side of that discussion, too much routine and of the same can create complacency. As salespeople, just like in my last example, the pitfall is that we DO start to treat every situation the same. So it becomes a balancing act.

We can become absorbed with things that are the same, we become numb, and tasks that once invigorated us become mundane.

My podcast, for example, for the last 99 videos I have done, they have been recorded. During previous episodes, I have had the opportunity to mess up, and then edit things – the video production itself is a higher quality which I think comes off better. That was my comfort zone. So the last few episodes, I’ve changed it and gone live with the message. One of the biggest benefits that I see there, is the interaction of other people, which is excellent.

Here is another practical and real-life example. Of those of you watching that drive to work, or an office, school, church or other same spot everyday – Do you remember the drive on Friday morning? No, most of us don’t. Like, sometimes we’ll snap out of it and question… was that light green? Or was it red? Did I just blow through an intersection? Because over time, our brain goes form noticing individual things to lumping them together into one activity. See, we no longer see the individual lights, streets, or intersections – we just see “the drive.” It’s how learning (or chunking) even works.

Here is my challenge to you this week. GET OFF YOUR AUTOPILOT! Go out of your way to try a new sales technique, take an alternate route to work, see different scenery. If you have become acclimated to emailing or texting customers, pick up a phone. And vice versa… if you are a phone person, try to think through what would be a good text script.

1. The amount of stuff you can learn when you get off autopilot.
2. How awesome it is to connect with other people. Like really connect, not just superficial social.

So that’s it this week, it’s really good to have a plan and a process, but if or when you want to grow, even more, you have to get out of your comfort zone. Turn off the autopilot and start trying out new things. Thanks!

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Today, I decided to do a Facebook Live! For episode #68. To tell my wife and my family - THANK YOU!

So often, as managers or leaders, we get tied up. We get busy. We forget to just say, "thank you," to those that are continually supporting us throughout our crazy adventures! So to my wife, Brooke - my kids, Colin, Carter, and Emersyn... Thank you all, I love you guys!

https://youtu.be/3roivMtT2sU

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Many people think they are leaders. Some are correct… and frankly, some are not. Sometimes people are just wrong in their assessment. Right now, in 2018, anyone with some social accounts and money to spend on ads can stake their claim. Just having a desire or a claim to leadership doesn’t mean a person has the assets, character, courage or fortitude to be a leader. It doesn’t mean they can teach others, or have the work ethic. Real leadership takes a lot of work.

https://youtu.be/Yxc5hgMo9l4People often assume that once they are in management and they are given a leadership title that is enough. Real leadership is more than a title. It’s deeds, it's what you do. What we do, what we take action on far outweighs any title we can be given. If you have the title, but people aren’t following you – either you are keeping your talents to yourself (not a good leadership trait), or you need to step outside yourself and be real in an assessment of your leadership qualities.

1. You must care: You must care about the people. You have to take the time to get to know them. People that are indifferent or disconnected, do not make good leaders. And they won’t retain people to follow them for any length of time. A solid question for anyone in leadership to ask is, “Is this person better off now, than when I came into their life?”
2. You have to care more about the people than the process: People are our single most valuable asset. If you don’t have people… who are you leading? I love the process or goal setting and achievement as much as anyone. But, you must have the people to execute the processes.
3. Sense of purpose allows the most impactful growth. Power is not the defining factor for most very successful leaders. Most highly successful leaders are not about the money… though through their success, the money shows up. The driver… it’s purpose. They know deep down what their passion is, and what is driving them. They know that what they do will make an impact on their team, staff, their whole network. And they take that seriously.
4. Strong leaders develop people: Leadership is a talent magnet – people are simply attracted to other people that are real. Leaders are fearless in the development of others. They know that over time if they really grow someone to maximize their potential it makes for a markedly stronger team. If you can’t or won’t develop talent, or retain "talent" you are not a leader, you are a manager.
5. Leaders produce results: People that are real leaders perform – they get the job done. Leaders have an understanding that goals are meant to be met, not just set. They push themselves and their people to accomplish, not just try.

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(Check out my previous blog on this subject)

Clarity and focus are two of the top attributes in achieving high levels of success and blowing away goals boundaries set by yourself or society. Clarity is a sharpness, certainty, being definite. Focus is the center of an activity. Having clear definition… example the point of origin of an earthquake.

https://youtu.be/rjmo6NvCcYE

I love positive mindset and discussions on the subject of things like “The Law Of Attraction” One of the coolest statements that I think I have heard in my lifetime is “Whatever the mind can conceive and believes it can achieve,” from Napoleon Hill.

Concept is just a thought, a fleeting idea that pops into our head and for whatever reason, and we start to retain that one idea. When we get focused on and excited about an idea though we begin to repeat it so often that we begin to believe it.

Belief is the total confidence and truth in the existence of something. The key to achieving anything is to first see it in your mind. You don’t have to have the plan fully developed even. You just must know so deeply that it can be done, when you believe something deeply, you don’t even need to know HOW to accomplish something. But just to know that it can be accomplished.

Achievement is first and foremost… follow-through, it’s grit and fortitude to try… until. After all, we set goals so we can hit them. Goals aren't just for practice! Maintain your belief in yourself, your ideas, your beliefs and TRY UNTIL… you achieve success!

Keep thinking fresh ideas, believe them all and really, I mean really GO FOR IT – make all of your dreams a reality! 

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Love is in the air. It’s Valentine’s month! And this is my first podcast of February so let’s talk about love and leadership, or maybe love in leadership.

https://youtu.be/ZJGjEhH71JU

You have to truly love and respect others to really lead them. When you love someone you take the time to understand who they are, where they are coming from. Caring about someone and being authentic, knowing who they are personally, what makes them tick and helping them to see their own success is love in the business world.

Love itself as a word has multiple meanings. And, for me it’s is a verb, an action, showing genuine interest and caring for someone. It’s putting their needs first.

One of the keys to a successful marriage, family life, parenting is love. Love is a foundation in our personal lives. Really most any successful relationship is built on a strong foundation of love. But – for some reason, love is frowned upon by many business people. In business, we shy from using the word love, though we may still display what love is.

After all… time, emotion and positive energy into building relationship with your team, will help to push them so they can thrive. It shows your commitment and your passion to the business, to the team and to them as an individual and it will shine through your team's performance.

But, to say we care for or love a colleague, not in a mushy way, but that you care as much about them succeeding in their position or their life as they do.

There was a Gallup study that was published some years ago on employees feeling cared for in their workplace.

Gallup's findings were:

• 37% lower absenteeism
• 48% fewer safety incidents
• 41% fewer quality defects
• 28% less inventory shrinkage
• 10% higher customer satisfaction and a better customer experience
• Up to 22% higher profitability

Given that kind of results – passion at work, energy, goals setting and yes, LOVE your staff and colleagues, and it impacts your bottom line. 

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What determines if you are burned out? By definition, burn out is physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. (Unless you are Mike Davenport - here - LOL)

https://youtu.be/RFn7plbEweE

Overwork is an easier thing to overcome. And, your work matters. Workplace matters, because if you continue to get overworked, if you continue to see stress - you will collapse.

Thing is, stress is defined differently for everyone - what stresses one person out ignites another person's fire! So the answers here may help, but they won't be YOUR answers.

And the combination of overwork and stress can be a mess, it literally can be a deadly mix. I have seen people that have had heart attacks, strokes, and much more because of stress. You may have to really drill down and ask a tough question - Is it the job, is it the place - or is it you? Regardless of what business you are in, or how long you have been in that business for, I bet at one time, you thought it was the best thing ever!

In fact, if you are seeing a great level of success right now - do the activity I have outlined below right now! Don't wait to get fried, or burned out. Because if you write down the things that are allowing you to see success right now, then you can look back over time and give yourself some really awesome advice!

Right now is the time to slow down, sit down and write some things down... (Yes, write the questions out).

What do you still like about the business you are in? In the past, what DID you like about the business? Where is your passion and what gets you fired up? What would you do if it wasn't this, where you are, right now? What has this business given to you? And what has it taken away? What do you already know, but don't want to admit? List the things that you were you doing five, ten, or however many years ago that allowed you to see yourself as a success? Once you have the questions that are important to you written down - ANSWER THEM. Write 10 answers to each question... it gets tough.

You must know what you are looking for BEFORE you decide that a new career or even a new environment is right for you. This takes time. You can do it in a day or two, maybe three. I would encourage you, ask those questions and push hard to physically write down like 10 answers to each question. Write down other things you didn't think of. You'll likely get a solid few pages of good advice that no one else can provide because you know you, far better than anyone else you could ask.

#MUCHLOVE

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