The FRONT: A Leadership Podcast

I was in a training session yesterday talking about “the greeting” in a sales process. And during the conversation, it came around to a few topics. The topics of actual real connection with another human being. And the art of having a conversation.

A commodity is defined as something of value. Such as time. Both conversations and real connections take a time investment!

https://youtu.be/2ML-CO9idP0

Actually what the topic came around to was how to sell millennials.

How is it possible? Just google that topic – it is crazy that there are so many pieces of training, topics, tips, webinars on how to sell to the millennial generation.

Have we lost it that badly? This generation is just like any other generation when it comes to connecting with other people. Look people in the eye, show them you care about them, make a real connection and then help navigate the process with them.

I am still a believer that one of the best ways to sell anything is to first connect and sell yourself, make a friend. And to do that, you have speak to other people. And many people don’t do that anymore. We have online acquaintances and Facebook friends, and we send texts. If we’re really heavy into needing knowledge, maybe an email is necessary.

Think about it, when was the last time that you sat down for an entire hour with another human being, a real person and didn’t have your handy-dandy communication device right there by your side?

Conversation is how you made friends as a kid. It is how you decided you liked your spouse enough to date her or him. Then, through ongoing and every day, late night talks about nothing, you because of friends and decided you wanted to spend more time together.

So going back here for a few minutes, the art of talking to someone and showing a genuine interest, asking and answering questions. It’s how humans connect, once they are connected and like each other then you develop a trust. The sale then, whether it's the person or a product – it just happens.

So I challenge you this next week. Re-date your spouse. Drop everything and spend an uninterrupted hour with your kids. Call up someone you haven’t seen in a while and go to lunch. But, remove all of the online distractions. If you have to connect by phone, then shut out all the other distractions and reconnect with someone.

In closing, conversation, real conversation and one on one connection seem to be getting rarer, so they really are becoming a commodity.

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First, let me give a shout out to Jim Kristoff who offered me the inspiration for today. You can see Jim’s Sunday morning post that I am talking about here. This got my creativity flowing today and made me think.

Jim made this comment: “Rise and grind?? If you have to grind, you're doing it wrong! Rise, conquer and love what you do!”

I love this! Yes, I absolutely agree with a great work ethic and “the GRIND.” But I think this just nailed it on the head for me this morning and summed up some of my thoughts on passion and love in your work.

https://youtu.be/B_egGzFd1mM

You have to rise and plan. (Check out this prior episode of the FRONT titled, "Your First 30")

You must have a plan for progress throughout your day. What do you want to accomplish? What is your daily set of goals that will allow you to conquer your big goals? These things can turn what’s in your head and your heart into something you can wrap your hands around.

Many people just get up and go through the motions. People do what they feel necessary. They sometimes do what they feel they are held captive of. what they feel HAS to be done and not what they are passionate about.

Passion is so much more powerful a reason to accomplish a task, work, home life, anything – when you are passionate about something you become driven. Fire and passion ignite energy from inside people. Passion and love fuel people’s work ethic in the moment. Passion drives heart and allows people to accomplish more than they ever thought possible.

Think about this – if you have ever painted “the baby room.” Me personally, I am not a fan of house painting anyway. But I remember painting both of my kid’s room’s so vividly it is like I just completed the job yesterday. Regardless of how much I disliked the actual act of painting the baby was the driver… someone I hadn’t even met yet. There was a love and a passion to conquer the task.

Sometimes people see their “grind” as temporary. They just want to get it done and see the end result quicker. Gotta send more emails, work accounting, building a business, doing the small things that you don’t want to do but that you know must get done. There is a greater goal throughout. It’s bigger than what’s right in front of you, and if you view it as “the grind” you lose the fun, the passion, and the love.

The conquer part of the statement then come easy – because when you have that love and passion inside you about what you are doing. Whatever it is that you are doing is just about a guarantee. IT’s a pre-determined win.

So, I hope you have a great Sunday – NOW go and CONQUER today!  

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Today in my episode I am covering these three principles of success:

1. What you know.
2. Who you know.
3. How you continue to grow!

https://youtu.be/Dwfa_3R0Vi4

These are definitely not the ONLY three principles that contribute to success, they are very strong ones. I think each of these principles contributes to one another. There is no first, second, third, they are all equally important to one another. If you have additional ideas for guiding principles that you use, please share those thoughts in the comments!

Thank you for reading, watching, or listening. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube channel here - http://www.LeadTheTeam.TV, give the video a "thumbs up" and make sure to share with your friends and on your social media. 

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It really is crazy to me how quickly time flies. I’ve been producing new episodes of “The FRONT” for over six months now! I get several questions that pop through my inbox with things like, “Wow! I loved the last show, but what exactly do you cover in other episodes?” – OR – “Good show! Where do you get the content?”

Let me give a little background - I started podcasting back in 2010. And I do it because it’s FUN! It’s a great way to get a message out and help others to grow and make an impact on people. IN 2010 and 2011 I recorded close to 80 episodes of my original podcast “RE-ignition” – That show was all about lighting your fire, getting re-motivated and fired up in sales. You can listen to past episodes through my blog here – http://www.leadtheteam.net/blog/category/re-ignition-podcast/ – on Libsyn or listen to the audio on YouTube.

One of the tough parts like so many online interactions – is you never really know who will connect with your content, or even who sees it. SO it really just becomes a labor of love and a release. For me, it is about doing something good. So, I figured today I would just go back… in my "wayback machine" and talk about some of the basics.

https://youtu.be/8I9h-cJwBas

1. Sales Training - This is heavily skewed towards the auto industry. It’s where I have lived now for the past 15 years. Though I have a background in sales for over 25 years. This includes strategies and real life things that will help salespeople in many different facets to make more sales. Sometimes it is simple in just reminding people to be themselves and tell the truth.
2. Motivational Content – Motivation is ultimately a need or want. People get motivated to take action and do things when they need or want something bad enough. For these shows, they just become a reminder to reach inside and drive yourself.
3. Leadership – I have been in a management role, by title, of some sort for over 25 years. Just by being there… has made me realize that there is more a need for managers or people in key roles in any organization to have real meaningful “people interaction” and to learn to lead others rather than try to manage them. You can manage peoples activities, you have to lead their heads and their hearts.

The FRONT is about being out in FRONT on these subjects. About doing more, and being more.

Where do I get my content? It’s a culmination of past learning, current events, impactful things that people say to me. But, ultimately it’s ideas that I figure these things are affecting, or having an impact on me, I want to share those ideas with others. Because if there is a need in one person's life, it’s likely there is a need for others as well.

Thank you for reading, or watching, or listening. You are awesome! 

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My wife was perusing the depth’s of the internet today and she saw this statement. “How do I sit in my bed for the rest of my life but also become a billionaire at the same time?” And I thought for a moment, wow… that would be great! I’d also like to become a billionaire in my pajama’s…

https://youtu.be/TNWxfSLp0TY

Now I know, that currently people are springing up all over the place with idea’s and products, and appear to be “overnight successes” – but, I can assure you, that for most, that is not the case. You have to actually put in work, you cannot just sit back and dream. I am constantly amazed by some things. One thing that amazes me today… the number of questions or inquiries on Google for people who want to become billionaires and do so in a short amount of time and preferably without any real action or work to achieve it. I understand that people want to dream big but here is a maybe harsh dose of reality.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Someone somewhere is paying for that LUNCH! People generally do not become an overnight success. Not as we see it.

Take Gary Vaynerchuk for example, yes I’m a fan! Both his online and offline success is massive right now. Prior to 2005, he was just a dude busting his ass to grow the family wine business. And it took a ton of work. His online empire started out on Wine Library in 2006. His first book deal was 2009. 2009 Also marked the start of his empire at VaynerMedia. Then VaynerMedia took off. Here we are in 2017 and Gary still seems to be on the rise of his journey right now. Why, because he is real, and he works his ass off. It’s work ethic and providing value to people.

Overnight success averages something like 10 years of real work. Look up any person that you admire, or that you believe has a level of success that you are chasing… their story will be a lot longer than you think.

You want money, and success, you have to work for it.  It doesn't come to you just because you want it to and you have this dream.  Here's a simple formula to consider.....Work hard to provide value to others. Get paid for the value you produce and provide to people. Then spend less money along the way than what you make. Continue finding new ways to provide value and keep working hard!

Over time, you'll have wealth.

It's that simple. So many successful people, millionaires, and billionaires say that the key to their success – it’s taking that first step. So here’s the deal. That idea you have, start on it. Just go, learn everything you can about the subject, that thing that you are passionate about and begin. So go do it. Get started.  

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In the past week, I have been really living in my core. Sales and training. I have just been absorbed with training myself, re-training, getting involved with good books and videos. I really love these two things. They are deeply who I am. Sales has always been in my blood. I think it started when I was about six… and convinced my mom to drive to Denver (an hour away from us) so that I could get this new transforming robot toy – a GoBot. (Yeah if you don’t know what those are, they were before the transformers and way less cool than they are today.) That story is for another time… it’s just one of those things thinking back, that now, I feel I can pinpoint where I get some of the sales approach from. So fast forward to today… to become successful and excellent in sales and I mean sales of any product or service – I believe you need these three things. Note, these are not the ONLY three things you must master – I think these are key. I have mentioned these in past episodes, either individually or in combination with some other steps.

So let’s talk -

https://youtu.be/FzMGF8l-mxU

1. Attitude – it’s your approach, how do you view things, your beliefs. It is reflected heavily in your behaviors. It’s easy for people on the outside to look and determine if your attitude is positive and good, or if and when it isn’t. Attitude is defined heavily by your self-talk. What are you saying to yourself – are you talking to yourself as a champion – or a loser? Be kind to yourself! Attitude defines your mental state. Attitude is displayed in many ways. It’s there in how you speak to other people. It’s in your body posture. Attitude will also help to define the action that you take – if you believe you can do anything – you will!
2. Preparation - How prepared are you for what is coming at you? Preparation is simple… it's just getting ready. And then being ready. Being prepared starts by defining your day. Writing activates downs – making and taking actions that are not yet necessary, but that you can see will be necessary to conduct business. Making sure you are ready as a person, making sure you know your product. And – make sure you are ready for the person that is coming to do business with you. The person or prospect that is coming to do business with you deserves that you are the expert and you are prepared to work with them.
3. Consistency – This is being WILLING to do many of the same things repeatedly until you can get the same or similar results. Consistency takes some grit and fortitude. Being consistent and doing the same things can get boring. (LINK TO CONSISTENCY TO SUCCESS)

Your attitude will weigh how well you prepare each day and will determine how well you can stay consistent. Your level of consistency will help in determining your volume of sales and therefore your attitude and then ties back to being prepared again the next day. So, for me, there is not one of these things that is more or less important – it’s a circle. Three simple keys to sales success! Thank you for reading, watching, or listening to this episode of THE FRONT!  

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First, let me give a shout out to Leona Willener who is here in Colorado Springs and posted on LinkedIn this morning about Time Zones and B2B salespeople. (Leona’s post is right here)This was what got my creative juices flowing today and made me think… sometimes, we have to review just the real basics!

https://youtu.be/2-UoJcBR2Wc

Yes, I know it’s crazy today with texting, and social media messengers, emails, and so many methods of communication. I’m still a huge fan of the phone call. True. Like actually picking up the phone and calling, you know, “reaching out to touch someone.” (Maybe you’re not old enough for that … it was an old AT&T slogan or commercial) I personally think the phone call and the phone message are sometimes becoming a “lost art” including in sales. Because people want to continually be new and innovative and find new ways to reach their customer base. But, sometimes, the old ways come back into style. Just like clothing styles. So here are a few things to remember when you pick up the phone.

1. Before you have started the call. Be prepared. Care enough to do your research. About the person, about the situation that they are in, and even physically where they are at. You have to plan to be courteous and knowledgeable.
2. When you pick up the phone… dial with intention! What the heck does that even mean? It means be prepared that the person on the other end WILL answer and when they do, be prepared to present your product, set the appointment – in short, begin with the desired end result in mind.
3. SMILE! This is so important… because a smile will come through in the tone of your voice.

After these things then make sure and follow through and execute your communication. The biggest thing that you can do is simply do what you say you will. Follow through with what you and your prospect or customer discuss on the phone. No follow through and execution will surely mean no sale, or if the sale wasn’t the goal or outcome, it certainly will send the clear message that if you don’t care enough, the customer won’t care enough to have you communicate with them again. All of that is great, but, what if I don’t get them on the phone even though I intend to. Then … here it comes – leave a message. But not a crappy, “hey I was calling to check up if…” not that kind of message. People are so inundated with phone calls and messages yours has to be special and unique. If you come out of the gate and say who you are and where you’re from… *DELETE* You have to change it up. I was mentioning this thought to my wife, and she said, yeah, it’s like the grocery store… they move stuff around all the time because then you start to look different places, they have different point of sale material, so you impulse buy… YOU HAVE TO CHANGE IT UP! So here is a simple recipe for a voicemail.

1. Be over the top enthusiastic! And when you start – ONLY state your first name.
2. State the content and what you want them to do!
3. Leave your name again (Optionally leave your business)
4. Leave your phone number – TWICE, and let them know you accept text!

There you have it! Kind of a two for one training today! Thank you very much for reading, watching, or listening to this episode of THE FRONT!

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One of my favorite quotes, in fact, is by Napoleon Hill, and it says, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

This is a repeated theory from the Bible –

Matthew 7:7 (NLT) “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

https://youtu.be/9gM-HHEfnvU

With all of the media we consume in our daily lives now, the default seems to be negative information feed. You MUST be deliberate in seeking out the positive. You must be deliberate in feeding your mind with inspiration, motivation, and training. The key word in that Bible verse. KEEP, as in keep going, to continue. There is a message about consistency! And, one problem in our current high-speed internet society is that right now since information IS so readily available… we want the answer immediately and if we can get answers that quickly… we want results in the same time frame. Results come through constant action, consistent action, it’s what happens over time. So here’s the deal – be deliberate and consistent in what you are seeking. In what you are consuming and training yourself on. Take a little piece of positive action in a direction that you want to go every day. When you start feeding your mind the right things, you’ll be blown away at how quickly things start to fall into place.

1. If it makes you smile. Look for more things like that.
2. If the activity makes you think and question, become curious. That can lead to powerful learning
3. If the media you are tuned into evokes emotion. You know, positive emotions, like love, joy, interest, or pride – then consume more of that.

Those are really three simple keys to what goes into my daily learning. What sort of things do you like to feed your mind? Do you have a different method for what media or training you consume? As always... thank you for watching, listening and SUBSCRIBING!

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For many of people, Thanksgiving usually includes giant turkey and feasting, four-day weekends, football games, floats, family. And then of course… it’s finally the okay for Christmas music to be on the radio and Santa with his elves to adorn the local shops. Thanksgiving as a holiday tradition has been around for hundreds of years. And has been a recognized holiday celebrated in the US for decades.

https://youtu.be/seg8T4ypZn8

In the Bible, the meaning of thanksgiving reflected adoration, sacrifice, and praise. Thanksgiving was being grateful to God and an act of worship. It was not often that thanksgiving would be extended to a person or group or people. The thanks and praise is to God.

~ Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.

~ Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. Take the time first to give thanks and praise God on this Thanksgiving day. And while I know that your meaning may be different, Thanksgiving has always remained rooted in gratitude. Gratitude for God, love, family, and friends. People gather in unity with others and celebrate. They give thanks for what they have. So let me encourage you on this Thanksgiving day, put away the electronics, turn off football for some time. Spend some time for yourself, in prayer. Talk… and listen. Enjoy company, enjoy the people, give thanks for those that are around you.  

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This auto conference was really a fun and phenomenal event! It is hosted by Mat Koenig and Chris Speer - and WOW - did they put on a show!

I hadn't attended the Rockstar Conference prior, so I went in not knowing 100% what to expect. Of course, like many conferences, they offered tangible, real-world tactics. There were sessions and speakers on SEO, SEM, Facebook, Sales Training, and all of the automotive fare you would expect. But, there was more than that. There were some amazing people with character that you could tell are guided by positive moral principles, that presented sessions.

The connections with the other people in attendance as well as the speakers were really genuine. For me, it was kind of like #AutomotiveHollywood, because there were so many awesome people I wanted to meet... and the Rockstar delivered.

So here we go, I managed to get this video recap to just under 20 minutes (even with the intro!)

(Watch the full video episode at http://www.LeadTheTeam.TV or the YouTube link below!

Thank you for watching! Please SHARE and SUBSCRIBE!

Mike

https://youtu.be/0OGSAP5dt6s

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