by Clarity Patton Newhouse - Clarity.tv
Compliments of Metropolitan in Garden City - MetroMichigan.com
The Yes! Network is one of America’s leading seminar training companies. President Michael Jeffreys offers complimentary workshops that can take place at your business, networking group or association meeting. For more information, visit YesMidwest.com.
July 20, 2010 – Novi, Michigan. This month’s Yes Network event drew such a huge crowed to hear Les Brown that even though we were in a larger theater than usual, it was standing room only. Following such a dynamic speaker might be intimidating, but that’s not how it appeared when Lt. Col. Rob "Waldo" Waldman took the stage to present the second seminar, which was also moving as well as inspiring. If you missed one or both of the seminars, here are some of the highlights.
AFTERNOON SESSION
Les Brown’s seminar titled “Sales Strategies for Winners: How to Skyrocket Your Numbers and Motivate Yourself to Greatness,” was humorous, insightful and packed with ideas to help us live up to our full potential. Taking notes during this presentation was like running after a galloping horse; the seminar was not only high quality, it was high energy. Here are some of the concepts I captured to share with you today.
Les began by urging us to think bigger, to raise our personal and financial goals. “Increase your financial goals by at least 10 times,” he said. “You can do 10 to 100 times more. You have greatness in you. You have the ability to do more than you can ever imagine. But the only way you can do this is, you have to have goals that will make you tremble.”
To achieve bigger goals, Les says we have to get out of our comfort zone. “When you think about your goals and dreams, don’t judge your life based on what you’ve done so far. You can do more than you ever imagined. But you have to stretch yourself.” Les insists it’s not only possible, it’s necessary.
Stretching yourself also involves investing in yourself, which Les says very few people really do. “These days you have to run just to stand still,” Les warns. “Either get better or you’ll get beaten.” That’s why Les says it’s necessary to be coachable. “Surround yourself with people you can learn from, who will raise the bar on you, hold you accountable and inspire you.” He pointed out that we reflect the behaviors and values of the people around us. “People rub off on you,” says Les. “If you’re the smartest person in your group, then you need to get a new group.”
Les reflected on the fact that we live in a world where we’re told more about our limitations than our potential. For years he felt limited by not having a college education and having been labeled negatively in school. “Don’t let anybody tell you what you can’t do, especially if they haven’t done it,” says Les. “When we’re told we can’t do something, we have to say ‘I can do it’ 17 times to overcome that one negative statement.”
That’s why Les says it’s so important to surround ourselves with positive people who inspire us. Once we escape from negative conversations going on in society and in our own heads, we’ll see and do things “that will change your life,” says Les. But it’s not enough to want something, we have to expect it. Believe it. “'Want' shows up in conversation,” says Les. “'Expectation' shows up in preparation, development and what you’re willing to invest in yourself. Take personal responsibility for what you want. Nobody else is going to do it for you. You’ve got to decide to design a life that you deserve.”
Setting bigger goals, stretching ourselves out of our comfort zone, surrounding ourselves with inspiring people and expecting to succeed, are all keys to achieving financial success. Les built on this foundation with more advice to answer the following question and help us reach new heights in business and in sales: what does it take to make it in today’s economy?
“If you want to make it today in sales and customer services, you can’t just satisfy your customers. You must amaze them! You must know more about them than they know about themselves,” says Les. “In the old days the idea was to under promise and over deliver. Today you must over promise AND over deliver.”
“Recession-proof yourself and your business by being resourceful, strategic and most importantly creating an experience for your customers,” say Les. As a skillful salesperson, you can create an experience that makes people want to do business with you. To accomplish this, you must “Find out what your customer’s needs and desires are and speak to the conversation that’s going on in their mind.”
Les explains that when we’re selling, three key questions in the customer’s mind are:
- Who are you? (You’ve got to be able to sell yourself to your customer. “Once you sell yourself, you give your products to your customers free,” says Les.)
- What do you have? (It’s essential to know your product, your industry and your customer’s needs.)
- Why should I care? (“Why should I select you over the competition?” asks Les. "When you make an impact with your story, your expertise and your passion, it drives referrals and income.")
To have faith and stay positive, it helps to avoid getting caught up in the negativity of the news. “Focus on your personal economy and that will take care of the world economy.” Instead of getting distracted by all the things going on in the world around you, “maximize your downtime,” advises Les. “My dad told me the reason why they call it down time is because that’s the time when most people engage in the activities that prevent them from going up in life.” Stay focused on your destiny, because whatever you focus on the longest, you focus on the strongest.
In order to perform at the highest level, Les says “Every day you’ve got to prime that pump.” When we look at ourselves and our goals, Les encourages us to ask, “Where is it that I need to challenge myself right now? Les reminds us that what we’ve done so far is only the tip of the iceberg of what we’re capable of doing. “Hold yourself to a higher standard,” advises Les. "Believe that there’s more in you than you’ve expressed to this point and you’ll be able to control your life, your income, your destiny.”
If you’d like to know more about Les Brown beyond these highlights, additional information is available at LesBrown.com.
EVENING SESSION
Lt. Col. Rob "Waldo" Waldman’s seminar titled “Never Fly Solo: Your Flight Plan to Win in Business and in Life,” was an inspiring presentation based on Waldo’s career as a fighter pilot and the lessons he learned that can help us be winners.
Flying fighter jets, Waldo faced enemy missiles threatening his life. However, he wasn’t alone. His wingmen backed him up and he backed them up. Today, in our business and personal lives, Waldo prompts each of us to ask ourselves, “What missiles are being shot at me as I try to reach new heights? And who is backing me up?”
“Missiles are coming; it's not a matter of if, just when,” Waldo points out. “Winners prepare today. We train today. We make the extra effort today. Preparation builds confidence. Confidence builds trust. Trust sells. Don’t fly by the seat of your pants. Don’t sell by the seat of your pants. Or you’ll get bit in the seat of your pants."
WIN means “Work It Now.” And that takes commitment, which Waldo defines as “attitude in action.” He says, “Motivation is important but at the end of the day, it’s our attitude and our actions that make the difference.” In order to “fly, fight and win” – in the air and on the ground - we’ve got to be committed. We have to take action now to prepare to “push it up” and take ourselves to new heights. Waldo asks, “What are you going to do tomorrow to push it up? Make more phone calls? Start that business you’ve being wanting to? How are you going to perform better tomorrow?" Commitment is about the actions you’re going to take.
Being committed doesn’t mean being alone. “Winners never fly solo,” says Waldo. We fly our own aircraft but we perform as a team. For successful teamwork, it’s essential to have trusting relationships with the people who back us up. For building trust, values are really important – especially integrity, admitting when you make a mistake, and honesty, being truthful. In the Air Force we live by the motto, “We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does," Waldo explained. “We had to be able to look to the left and right and know that we could trust the people around us. I challenge you to think of ways you can bring your own integrity to your job.” Waldo challenged each of us to be the person that others can rely upon.
“In the Air Force, we never fly by the seat of our pants and we never fly solo,” says Waldo, “because there are times when we can’t do it alone. None of us is as good as all of us.” Waldo encourages us to ask ourselves, “Who are the unsung heroes behind the scenes who are helping you?” Know who they are and don’t lose sight of them.
Waldo cautions, “If we fail to appreciate the unsung heroes we rely on then they’re going to check out. We can’t afford to have them pulling back and becoming complacent when it’s mission critical. Find out what they’re doing behind the scenes and appreciate them, so when the emergency comes you’ll know that they’re going to be ‘pushing it up’ because of the relationship they have with you."
“Your life isn’t on the line if you don’t close the sale or increase your business,” Waldo acknowledges. “Your life isn’t on the line, but your lifestyle is. This is a tough economy and missiles are coming.” Mutual support is essential and Waldo encourages us to contemplate, “What can you do to connect with your ‘wingmen’ so that when you call out for help they’ll be there for you?” Serving others is key. “Giving your wings away,” is what Waldo calls it. "I challenge you to think about how you can give your wings away and serve."
“Service before self” is a core value in the Air Force that can also help us in all aspects of our lives. Service takes many forms, and Waldo also encourages us to emulate the motto of The Ritz-Carlton, “We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen.” The Ritz-Carlton approach also includes two daily questions that we would all benefit from asking ourselves:
- What did we learn from yesterday?
- What can we do today to create a better experience for our customers?
In the Air Force, at The Ritz-Carlton and throughout all of our endeavors, commitment to excellence is another important factor that Waldo addressed. Upholding this commitment often involves facing and overcoming fear. FEAR shouldn’t stand for “Forget Everything And Run,” says Waldo. “Just imagine if every military man and woman quit and ran every time they were at risk of getting shot at. We have to overcome our fears because on the other side of fear is growth.”
In addition to facing and overcoming our fears, we also need to know when it’s time to move on. “Every jet has an ejection seat,” says Waldo. When facing a crash, “Are you going to pull that injection seat or ride it out?” In the air it’s a life or death decision. In business it’s also necessary to know when to quit. “Quitters never win,” says Waldo, “but sometimes winners quit.”
Often people play it too safe and aren’t willing to leave their job even if they should. “It’s about courage,” says Waldo, “facing our fear and taking action” because we’re committed to achieving something greater. “You’ve got to be willing to pull the ejection handle when it’s time to bail out of the aircraft and do something new,” Waldo insists. Don’t let fear stop you, because “it’s not the things that we do that we regret, it’s the things that we don’t do.”
Conquering fear, serving others and strengthening relationships are just a few of the topics on which Lt. Col. Rob "Waldo" Waldman shared his insights during his seminar. If you’d like to learn more about him, additional information is available at YourWingman.com.
