The What If Lab

A few years ago, while standing in the coffee line at my neighborhood Starbucks, I came to recognize my part in Howard Schultz’s big vision. He’d dreamed of creating the third place - for those of you who aren’t familiar with his story - he believed that people needed a place between work and home; and that place would be Starbucks.

For whatever reason that morning felt different...

In this coaching exercise you will define your personal meaning to four common words used in the automotive industry.

Feeling inspired? Find more motivational nuggets by visiting www.reputationrevenue.com

The goose that laid the golden egg is a fable many of us are familiar with. A poor man gets a goose that lays him a golden egg each day. He sells the eggs and makes a lot of money. He becomes rich. But he’s not content with the riches; he wants more and he wants it fast. So he kills the goose, foolishly thinking that there would be many more golden eggs inside. But to his surprise, the Goose differed in no respect from any other Goose. The foolish man, thus hoping to become rich all at once, deprived himself of the gain to which he was assured each day.

Although the moral of this story is simple - “don’t be greedy” - the cause of his greed is never discussed. Why didn’t the poor man experience contentment?

In this coaching exercise you will extract your personal values (aka; your operating principles).

Feeling inspired? Find more motivational nuggets by visiting www.reputationrevenue.com

About once a week, someone will reach out and ask if I could help them setup a new social networking site. They go on to say their primary goal is to get a bunch of fans, followers and connections so they can build their personal brand. It's at that point I kindly, but directly advise them that creating a strong personal brand does not begin with social networking.

Don't get me wrong, social networking should be at the top of your professional priority list. But in order to be effective at it, you must first start with:

This strategy requires personal introspection, followed by intentional actions.

In this coaching exercise you will take a close look at how you think you're showing up vs. how other people percieve you.  

Feeling inspired? Find more motivational nuggets by visiting www.reputationrevenue.com

You are the only expert in your life. No one knows you better than YOU. From the time you were born, you began to record your life experiences into your personal navigation system. YOU decided what you liked, and what you didn’t like. With a little help from your family and friends, you learned how to determine what was good or bad, positive or negative, and right or wrong.

All of this information translates into your story. 

In this coaching exercise you'll need to grab a mirror. It's time to have a face-to-face conversation with your inner expert, and get the facts straight about the story you've been telling yourself.

Feeling inspired? Find more motivational nuggets by visiting www.reputationrevenue.com

It has been stated that the freshness of a dead fish can be judged from the condition of its head. Thus, when the responsible part (as the mindset of your reputation) is rotten, the rest will soon follow.

Personal branding is NOT about persuading people to trust in your professional reputation by making something appear real, that is otherwise deceptive. Believing that people will value YOU more because your Facebook page has several thousand likes is simply ignorant thinking. Especially if your “LIKES” are fake.

In this coaching exercise you will be asked to visit your online profiles and give each of them the dead fish sniff test. 

Feeling inspired? Find more motivational nuggets by visiting www.reputationrevenue.com

Your dealership is online. Your inventory is online. Your customer is online. The big question is, where are YOU?

Most dealership employees that are customer facing will answer that question by saying  “I am on point" or “I am working the phones” or “I am answering leads.” If this is your truth, it’s time to reevaluate your business development plan.

Car shoppers are searching online for your product, but they are also in a desperate search for someone who will help facilitate their purchase. They’re looking for evidence from a professional that proves they care about providing a positive buying experience for their customers.

In this coaching exercise you will be asked four powerful questions that are designed to help you calibrate your professional navigation system, and put you where your customer are.

Feeling inspired? Find more motivational nuggets by visiting www.reputationrevenue.com

As the USA Winter Olympic Team prepares for what is assumed to be the biggest day(s) of their lives, I can’t help but think about the level of focus, commitment and dedication these athletes must have in order to have made it even this far.

What gives them their burning desire to win? How are they able to believe in themselves as a winner, and do so with such a deep conviction? What do they possess in order to visualize the Gold Medal hanging around their neck, and accept the win before the experience ever happens?

In this coaching exercise you will outline your BIG Idea in a four step process. These steps are essential in order for you to score a perfect 10 in your daily performance. 

Feeling inspired? Find more motivational nuggets by visiting www.reputationrevenue.com

Since the first day of January I’ve been using the word “one” over, and over again. I began this coaching series asking you to choose one word to focus on this year; one word that will hold you accountable to a specific action. Then I asked you to make one promise; a promise you’re willing to keep that honors your best self. At last, I asked you to select one attribute; an attribute that you would like other people to use when they describe you. Now I would like you to focus on one brand; the brand called YOU!

In this coaching exercise you'll want to grab a mirror, and prepare to ask your inner expert to help you identify what makes you valuable, powerful and what's most important to you.

Feeling inspired? Find more motivational nuggets by visiting www.reputationrevenue.com

Hopeful over the past few weeks you’ve taken some time and discovered what is true, genuine and real about YOU. This powerful personal data will help you navigate in a fast paced world, where companies focus on big data, conversion rates and strategies to ward off threats by increasing competition.

What most companies crave right now is innovation. Innovation comes from creativity. Creativity comes from individuals contributing their unique gifts, as well as their unique value and strengths. Companies need YOU to be yourself.

In this coaching exercise you'll identify your unique professional contributions, and look for evidence of your unique promise of value. 

Feeling inspired? Find more motivational nuggets by visiting www.reputationrevenue.com

Many people think branding is about creating an image. It’s about spin and packaging. They thinks it about persuading people to believe in something that may or may not be true. Establishing an image for yourself can be done from the surface, but creating a strong personal brand requires digging deep into your values. Here is an example...

In this coaching exercise I'll share with you the difference between image management [and] personal branding. You will choose one attribute that best describe the mark you want to leave on the people you meet.

Feeling inspired? Find more motivational nuggets by visiting www.reputationrevenue.com