Small Business Leadership and Sales Blog

I've read for over 25 years and in that time read many articles and books about the sales conversation. My conclusion is that you as the sales person should listen 70% of the time. It has been noted that most people are not only doing most of the taking but also are not skilled listeners.

In your own experience, if it's part of your job to present, how often are you listening 70% of the time? We'd like to hear your thoughts and feelings on this.

Recently, my team and I were conducting a tandem appointment with an individual that has lost their spouse unexpectedly. We were totally committed to really listening well and totally focusing in on how this spouse was transitioning through the ordeal. But our early questions, which were not met with any resistance, did not jumpstart the individual into deep dialogue.

So what do you do at this point? I am sure you been in conversations, (business or personal) that you're not quite sure of the direction of the conversation. It happens all the time.

So in this case, we were prepared with meaningful questions that would help the bereaved spouse get to a better place. The conversation then began to flow and gain momentum once we (took the lead).

We asked many probing questions that the spouse had never considered, and there was no resistance to the probing questions because we were patient, because we had prepared our thoughts and because we had established trust.

Consider These Questions:

1. What is my (talk/listen) ratio when I'm in a one to one conversation?

2. What is my talk/listen ratio when I'm in a small group conversation? (Say, five people or less)

3. What is my talk/listen ratio if I'm in a classroom setting and I'm mostly teaching and training?

After working through these three questions, did your ratio stay relatively the same or did they change? The purpose of this was to assist you with gaining better clarity and awareness of your own talk/listen ratio.

I suggest that if your conversations are not yielding the results you desire, spend extra time on these three items. Be more patient with the other party, spend more time on preparing your thoughts prior to the conversation, stay obsessed with finding better ways to connect and establish real, authentic trust.

Marvin LUTCF, CNP, is a performance strategist and author of the number one Amazon Best Seller (Come Hell or High Water) Life Lessons from Hurricane Katrina. For a totally different experience for your next workshop, conference, or convention, visit with him today.

Soccer moms and dads, employees, middle managers, laborers, corporate executives and entrepreneurs: The time to unite is now! It’s time to embrace the concept that, regardless of what activities you’re juggling, you can control what you do and when you do it.

Here are a few general time-management tips that will help you maintain your sanity and balance:

• Do specific projects, activities and tasks at the appointed time.
• Routines and habits are vital if you desire to get more done in less time.
• Focus on accomplishing what you truly desire and what's most important to you.
• Don't focus on how difficult it is to stay disciplined. It's not discipline that you are lacking. It's that you have not truly decided what you want out of life.
• If you only listen to others tell you what your direction should be, you will only end up in the place that they envision. That is NOT your life. That is their life, which they are living vicariously through you.

Now that you’ve examined your perspective, consider these appointment possibilities as you design a better, more structured and more fulfilling life:
Plan a regular date night with your partner.

Do the same with your kids. In my travels with our Marvelous Performance Schools, all too often parents tell me they have no life because they are "taxi drivers" for their kids. Guess what, lots of kids don't want to be in all those activities either. Hello! Would you please communicate with the stakeholders? Could you simplify and increase your quality of life by dropping one or two activities that you really don't care about anymore? Would this help inspire you to do something different? You really can get off the Hamster Treadmill of life. Did I mention, doing something different? Yep, I did. Twice.

Schedule regular alone time. In The Power of Pause, Terry Hershey discusses how essential it is to get quiet and get alone. Discover new possibilities with this read. I did.

Allow for free-wheeling web surfing. Get new experiences added to your subconscious mind. Go get an iPad and lose the TV. Your way of living is not the only way to live. Nothing can take you around the world faster than a 25-minute Google session.
Make space for spiritual time. There is an infinite creator and our spirit and soul life is everlasting. Carve out time just to listen and to be.

Keep a resting appointment – and not just at night. Rest throughout the day. Thomas Edison would often work 40 hours without sleeping. However, he routinely practiced the habit of resting in 15- and 30-minute intervals. How can you plan your day around a few resting intervals?

In my experience, the irony is that when I create the boundaries of set appointments, I am able to serve more people and live a fuller, more meaningful life. Add a few more purposeful appointments to your life, and you too will see your life become richer, more peace-filled and more productive. 

Tell us what other things you do to lead a happier life? 

WANT TO USE ONE OF THESE TIPS IN YOUR EZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

"Marvin LUTCF, CNP, is a performance strategist and author of the number one Amazon Best Seller (Come Hell or High Water) Life Lessons from Hurricane Katrina. For a totally different experience at your next workshop, conference, or convention, contact him today at marvin@marvinleblanc.com"

Hello Marvelous People!

Do you ever feel like you are running behind on technology or what's going on in the world?  If you're like most people, there just is not enough hours  in the day to do, see and learn all there is to know to keep you on the cutting edge.

Remember if you don't stay on the cutting edge, the edge will cut YOU!  

With that in mind, I strongly encourage you to pick up the book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. I promise it's a fast read with great stories that will put you on the cutting edge.

Have you already read Blink?  Tell me what you thought!

Don't miss a moment of excitement!  Click below to get notified of events, specials and monthly business building articles. 

Hello Marvelous People: 

Some blogs can be short, but powerful.

This blog is one of those.

Short.

Profound.

To be shared with your group.

Over and Over and Over.

Peace, Love and Gumbo!
Marvin LeBlanc

From Glenn Shepard’s Rules of Work:

1. Raises are earned, not given
2. Leave your home life at home
3. Do NOT read your text messages when a customer is talking to you (my team keeps phones OFF)

4. You are the company
5. If you wouldn’t say it to their face, don’t say it to their back
6. When YOU cause the problem, YOU fix it (this is the way it works in my office)
7. If you can’t be on time, be early
8. Be Low Maintenance

How can an entrepreneur lose his entire team, save one and rebound to the pinnacle of achievement among his peers?

Enduring the loss of an experienced team, finding jobs in other states for displaced employees to work, handling an emotionally distraught customer base – all while having no permanent office from August 2005 through June 2006. My team achieved the coveted Chairman’s Circle honor from the company I represent for two consecutive years following Katrina’s unwelcome visit.

How can you come back from that and make Chairman’s Circle in two years? That involved losing people, rebuilding, starting over, and moving 30 miles from our original office.

Very responsibly, the insurance company I represent had made a decision to restrict the amount of homeowner’s insurance we could offer. Essentially, they had said, “We talked to some weather forecasters and we believe that in the near future a Category 5 hurricane will hit and destroy New Orleans.”

At the time, all I could see was that they wanted to take my opportunity away. I thought they were making up this story about a Category 5 hurricane that would hit New Orleans. We hadn’t had a big hurricane hit New Orleans since Betsy in 1965.

I had begun slowly disengaging years before, but I reached my highest level of disengagement in 2004—a year before Katrina would attempt to drown our hopes and dreams. I was very bitter and thought I knew more than the company. I focused more on being a scratch golfer than on leading my team and being the example.

If you can relate, don't stop reading now! Do you realize you already have read the solution? That solution is recommitment. Now is the time for you to consider not only reading about it, but it’s time to start living the recommitment solution.

I read my goals for Chairman’s Circle several times every day. I had them taped to my credenza and thought about them all day, every day.

I enrolled my team in an Agency Development Program (ADP). It helped us to reengage, identify the building blocks, and to focus on being there for others and making a difference in their lives. ADP was about growth, finding common ground, reassessment, and self-evaluation.

I stumbled upon tandem appointments, which helped take us to the top. There were training benefits, multiline benefits, revenue benefits, and higher value benefits. I embraced Paper Days & People Days. My lunch hour was always intentional.

Entrepreneurs and small-business people are the most important people in my city (yours too, in case you haven’t thought about it). People look to you for leadership— economically and emotionally, whether it is verbalized or not. You are always being observed. Realize that others will model your behavior, especially if they perceive you as being in a position of power and influence. Therefore, be extremely protective of how you spend your time and who you spend it with. Live your life by appointment and schedule your appointments for your up- coming month first. Before all other appointments. Set appointments for yourself to be alone, to read, ponder and “be.”

Why did I become reengaged? Because I felt needed again. It became about the customers and not about me.

Please share your ideas about staying motivated, recommitting to your goals and becoming more successful.  Remember, I am always available for a free virtual cup of coffee to discuss your business!  I want you to be successful.

You can reach me anytime at marvin@marvinleblanc.com

Peace, Love and Gumbo, 

Marvin LeBlanc 

Procrastination can be an unwanted and burdening especially for small business owners. Tackling procrastination can be one of your most rewarding accomplishments because it will cause a chain reaction of success in your life.

A lady once needed to make a very important business call to a customer, but she had to convey bad news when she made the call. She put the call off and was anxious and nervous all day long. When she eventually had to make the call, she found that it did not turn out to be as bad as she had built it up.

A good lesson to learn is to kiss all the ugly frogs early in the day. The childhood story about the princess and the frog is where this saying originated - the princess should start with the ugliest frog to get the worst out of the way, so that all the other frogs don't seem quite so repulsive. Taking on the toughest tasks first gets all the difficult tasks out of the way, and opens your day up to handling the easier and smoother tasks later on. Avoiding procrastination can reduce your stress and anxiety levels as well as make you a more productive person and business owner.

An important mantra that is printed in my book Come Hell or High Water is:

"Tomorrow I will do everything that should be done, when it should be done, and as it should be done. I will perform the most difficult task first because this will destroy the habit of procrastination and develop the habit of action in the workplace."

You are encouraged to repeat this mantra before you go to bed each night as you begin your efforts to tackle procrastination in your work life as well as your personal life. Procrastination does not need to hold you back and keep you from the success that you richly deserve. Tackle procrastination and with a good attitude and dedication you can beat the habit and rise to a new level of productivity.

Remember, “Marvelous Performance is always intentional. Marvelous Performance is never accidental.” 

Feel free to send me your opinions, comments and feedback. We encourage you to inquire how our systems will help inspire you, your team, group or association to measurable Marvelous Performance.  Email me at Marvin@MarvinLeBlanc.com

Hello Marvelous people!

Many of you may have already read my 1st book, "Come Hell or High Water" (Life Lessons from Hurricane Katrina). In it I discussed the Five Impossible Laws and one of those laws touched on the fact that it is impossible to over-communicate.

For leaders, communicating and effectively "speaking" is an endless challenge never to be fully mastered.

Regardless of whether or not you ever speak from a stage, know that to some degree we all "speak" professionally. May these nuggets of wisdom in Mr. Popovichs' article aid you in conquering your own stresses and anxieties.

Drop us an email and tell us how you will put these ideas into action. Marvin@MarvinLeBlanc.com

Stress and anxiety are factors that a professional speaker will have to deal with in their careers. As a result, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage the daily stresses and anxieties of their speaking profession.

Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things before you give your speech.

A technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that makes you feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you feel depressed or frustrated, open up your small notebook and read those statements. This will help to manage your negative thinking before your presentation.

Sometimes, we can get anxious over your upcoming presentation. Before the big day comes, imagine yourself giving the speech using your mind. By doing this, you will be better prepared to perform for real when the time comes. Self-Visualization is a great way to reduce the fear and stress of a coming situation.

In dealing with your anxieties at your speaking profession, learn to take it one day at a time. While the consequences of a particular fear may seem real, there are usually other factors that cannot be anticipated and can affect the results of any situation. Get all of the facts of the situation and use them to your advantage.

Take advantage of the help that is available around you if you get really anxious in your presentations. If possible, talk to a professional who can help you manage your depression and anxieties. They will be able to provide you with additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. By talking to a professional, a person will be helping themselves in the long run because they will become better able to deal with their problems in the future. Remember that it never hurts to ask for help.

BIOGRAPHY:
Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods” – an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

Hello Marvelous People!!

This short blog can pack a huge punch when you work through the following 3 questions. (If you are not the business owner then I strongly encourage you to still work through these 3 questions and you will be able to offer valuable insights to your employer. After all, you are all on the same team, so let's pull hard in the SAME direction)

If you are experiencing frustration in your business model chances are its time to re-evaluate how you are spending your time in these 3 areas.

Grab your notebook, or your iPad and either brainstorm alone or with your team members on how you can work SMARTER by utilizing these 3 questions.

Question #1. How much time do you spend weekly working IN your business?

Question #2. How much time do you spend weekly working ON your business?

Question #3 How much time do spend weekly working on RECRUITING and INTERVIEWING high energy talent?

The habit of focus is an ongoing process. It is about regularly redefining what is important and saying NO to what is not important. Marvelous performance is the result of the cultivated and intentional habit of focus.

You should always be free to express your feelings and emotions. Before taking on a project think of whether or not you can do the job, and more importantly if you can do it in the time frame required. Can you meet the deadline? Always focus on your priorities and clear your mind before taking on too many projects.

Do you find you can’t meet deadlines? Have you ever listed out all of your priorities and then politely said NO to the less prioritized work? Remember, it’s not necessary to say yes all of the time and it’s not that difficult to say NO. You just need to realize that you can’t do the job. Saying NO will help you stay stress-free and not only successfully complete all your other more pertinent jobs, but complete them on time.

You should know that time is precious and in some cases, “time is money”. When some work is not contributing to your growth and is mostly a time-waster, you need to have the courage to say NO.

Make sure that you limit yourself from wasting your time and getting distracted due to unimportant tasks. Make your priorities clear and always develop boundaries so that you don’t get distracted! Staying away from distractions helps you concentrate and focus on your most important work.

This habit of focus will help you concentrate more on your work and complete your goals successfully by the deadline. Having strong work habits will help you increase your productivity and meet deadlines.

One of the biggest distractions in today’s business world is the addiction of social networking and website browsing at work. Your favorite websites will tempt you to get distracted and check for updates throughout your day. You need to keep in mind that you have to carve out time for these activities, but only after your work is complete.

Focusing on things you are passionate about will help you in your professional growth, but you must say NO to things that don’t help your growth. Initially your priority should be working on things that you passionately feel compelled to complete. If you are enthusiastic to do a job, then you are more compelled to accomplish it in order to achieve your goals. Employ the habit of focus to achieve those things that you passionately want to accomplish.

Initially when you start implementing the habit of focus, you might find it difficult to stick to it. But gradually you’ll find that life is more difficult without this important habit of focus. More and more distractions or interruptions will create more complications in your life and invite stress into your life. Focus on lessening the interruptions and increasing your work time and attention.

The habit of focus is and on going process and it doesn’t stop. There is no end to this procedure. Practice saying “no”, practice keeping distractions to a minimum, and always work toward being more focused.

Think of this analogy:
We don't buy eyeglasses because we want eyeglasses.
We buy eyeglasses because our "vision needs to be focused".
Most people can "get by" without the eyeglasses, but it will be more difficult.
You can "get by" without the Habit of Focus, but it will be more difficult.
So I'm perplexed, why do we "get" the eyeglasses, but we don't "get" the Habit of Focus?

Hello Marvelous People!

In a world that is consumed by negative media messages, let us take some time today to review a life lived with positive purpose. A life lived with positive meaning. A life that has enhanced the lives of millions.

I have paraphrased for brevity the recent eulogy given by Mona Simpson, Steve Jobs' sister. Her eloquent message shares key experiences and important life traits that we may all consider and reflect upon.

May the words of Mona Simpson inspire you as you travel down your own road. Take the time to reflect on each point, PAUSING FREQUENTLY to contemplate it’s meaning in your life.

His Full Life
• He worked at what he loved and he worked hard every day.
• He was the opposite of absent-minded
• He was never embarrassed about working, even when his results were failures.
• He was never ashamed to admit that he tried and that he failed.
• Although immensely innovative, he was also loyal. (if he saw a shirt that he liked he'd buy 10 or even 100 of them)
• He favored people his own age.
• He was never one to favor gimmicks or trends.
• He was willing to be misunderstood.
• Love was his supreme virtue. He spent time talking about love and kept track and worried about the romantic lives of the people working with him.
• He believed that love happened all the time - everywhere!
• He was never ironic, cynical or pessimistic.
• He loved broccoli, especially in season, simply prepared, with just the right recently snipped herbs.
• He felt that his success at his early age served to isolate him somewhat.
• He loved bikes and loved the Palo Alto Bike Store.
• He was humble and always liked to keep learning.
• He loved colleges and loved walking around the Stanford campus.
• He cultivated whimsy and loved roses.
• He always had surprises tucked away in his pockets. Various treats, words to songs he loved, poems, etc.
• He treasured happiness.

His Illness

• Even in his illness, so much was still left after so much had been taken away.
• And he tried. He always tried.
• He was an intensely emotional man.
• Even during his illness, his taste, his judgment and discrimination held.
• While intubated in the hospital, he still sketched:
A- devices to hold an iPad while in a hospital bed.
B- designs for new fluid monitors
C- designs of new x-ray equipment

Important things Mona Simpson learned from her brother.
• character is essential.
• Steve was an absolutist.
• Steve was a romantic
• Steve was idealistic

A powerful idea to apply in our life:

Imagine if you printed and read these words every morning in your quiet time and allow your subconscious mind and your own spirit to be transformed by these character traits.

Might that assist you as you seek to live life with more meaning and purpose?

Drop us an email (Marvin@MarvinLeBlanc.com) and share with us your story on The Life Traits that have sustained you throughout your life.

Yes, we really care and we really read what you share.

Until next time remember that:
Marvelous Performance is ALWAYS - Intentional!
Marvelous Performance is NEVER - Accidental!

See Marvin in action at: http://www.youtube.com/user/MarvinLeBlanc/videos