Small Business Leadership and Sales Blog

Each week we painfully witness Mother Nature's ability to interrupt our daily lives. Flooding, Icestorms, Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Hurricanes. What else am I forgetting? 

If you were incapacitated, would anyone be able to find your important records and take care of your family's financial or business matters? Having important papers organized and accessible in advance can be very important in an emergency or crisis situation. Consider the following for organizing your important records.

Location. Options for storage might include a home safe, fire-security box or off-site location such as a safety deposit box. The storage container should be securable and fire resistant. Shoe boxes or cardboard boxes in the closet or under the bed are not appropriate.

Who knows? Does someone in addition to your partner or family members know where these papers are kept? Consider making a list of such papers and records, and on the list state where these documents can be found. Then advise a trusted third party - an attorney, CPA, relative, or family friend - where this list is kept.

The general idea is that someone not living in your residence knows about this list and how to access it. This decision requires a certain comfort level, and you alone must make that decision based on trust.

Which papers? Regardless of who knows what, organized records are always a plus. The following items might be part of your "important documents" list:

· safety deposit box key
· life insurance policies
· deeds, contracts, leases, titles, mortgage(s), loan notes
· banking, savings, investment and retirement account(s) records
· will
· burial arrangements
· all other insurance policies (health, auto, home, etc.)
· birth certificates

However you decide to store your personal records, and whatever you decide to include, one fact is clear. If important legal, business and personal documents are organized and accessible, the handling of a crisis situation is made much easier.

We sincerely hope that you find these ideas helpful and then ACT ON THEM now. Knowledge is not power. Applying the knowledge and ideas is where the power rest.

Marvin LeBlanc, LUTCF, CNP

For more helpful tips on how you can Lead Smarter, Sell More Effectively or simply Live Life With a Lot more FUN,  grab your free subscription to this awesome blog. Over 200 articles available.   If you found this article helpful please feel free to share it with your friends, family and co-workers! 

Hello Marvelous People:  

Today we have a guest blog post from Southern Louisiana's own Jennifer Ledet.  It is a good one so all of you small business leaders out there take note. 

Here along the bayous of South Louisiana you may occasionally hear someone call a person a tete dur. A tete dur, which translates literally to “hard head” is someone who just won’t listen, whose mind has been made up, or who thinks he knows better. This is a term I’m pretty sure can be applied to most teenagers, starting around the age of 14 and ending around the age of, well, in some cases 21 or so. I am not proud to admit that I have been called a tete dur many times in my day.

Shoshin is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning “beginner’s mind”. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would.

What if, as a leader, you took the “beginner’s mind” approach to everything you did? What if you put aside your preconceived ideas, your assumptions, and your tete dur, and opened your mind to someone else’s ideas and suggestions? The practice of Zen states that “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” Could you open your mind up to the many possibilities that are available?

Let’s take a look at the two approaches and you decide for yourself which you will aspire to:

The tete dur is insecure and sees admitting that she doesn’t have all the answers all of the time as an admission of weakness or inadequacy. I have found that many leaders find it harder to say “I don’t know” than it is to apologize or admit a mistake. Maybe it’s because we’ve been conditioned to believe that the boss must know it all. Beginners are secure enough to say “I don’t know” and will take the steps necessary to find out the answers. A beginner will even ask team members for their ideas. Often those on the “front line” will have great ideas for improvements but won’t speak up unless asked.

A tete dur sees himself as an expert based on years of experience and knowledge. A beginner’s mind doesn’t assume anything, but rather, expects that he can learn something from each person he encounters. Of course no one is suggesting that you forget everything you’ve learned, or negate experience; Rather having a beginner’s mind is about keeping an open mind on how to apply your experience to each new circumstance.

A tete dur will often focus on doing things the “normal” way, or the “way we’ve always done things.” A beginner will challenge her paradigms or think outside of the box. Thank goodness inventors like Edison and Da Vinci had the courage to disregard common sense and allow themselves to be creative.

A tete dur gets stuck in preconceived ideas and may even believe that he knows all that he needs to know on a subject. A beginner is insatiably curious and loves to ask questions, learn, and explore. My daddy was a beginner in this regard. He was fascinated by learning how things work and inventing solutions to problems or challenges. (Although he could still be a tete durin many ways!) I am reminded of a Zen story that illustrates this point:

A professor once visited a Japanese master to inquire about Zen. The master served tea. When the visitor’s cup was full, the master kept pouring. Tea spilled out of the cup and over the table.“The cup is full!” said the professor. “No more will go in!” “Like this cup,” said the master, “You are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

Obviously this story points out the fact that in order to learn and grow – in any subject – we have to be willing to release our pre-conceived ideas and adopt a spirit of curiosity and discovery. As a leader it’s easy to get stuck in what you know and how things have always been done. Today, take on a problem from a beginner’s mind, Tete Dur!

Please share with me what you plan to start doing, stop doing or continue doing as a leader. 

You can get more information about Jennifer Ledet by visiting her website and check out her new book Lead, Follow, or Get Me the Hot Sauce!

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:

Today we can learn a lot from Veraunda Jackson.  Sometimes in life you must quit.  There are situations, people, activities, commitments that just must come to an end. Review this list of situations where it is okay to quit! 

1. Quit arguing with people about the same old foolishness! Respect their position and keep it moving!

2. Quit telling people your secrets when you know they are not going to keep them! And if you keep telling them, then quit getting mad when they tell your secrets!

3. Quit trying to pull people on your journey who don't want to travel with you. Either they believe in you and value you...or they don't!

4. Quit complaining about things you can't and won't change!

5. Quit gossiping about other people! Minding our own business should be a full time job!

6. Quit blaming each other for things that in the big picture aren't going to matter three weeks from now! Talk solutions...and then implement them!

7. Quit eating things you know are not good for you! If you can't quit...eat smaller portions!

8. Quit buying things when we know we can't afford them! If you don't have self control, then quit going to the stores! Quit charging things, especially when you don't NEED them!

9. Quit staying in unhealthy relationships! It is not okay for people to verbally or physically abuse you! So quit lying to yourself! It is not okay to stay in the marriage for the children! Ask them and they will tell you that they really would prefer to see you happy and that the misery you and your spouse/partner are living with is affecting them!

10. Quit letting family members rope you into the drama! Start telling them you don't want to hear it! Quit spreading the drama! Quit calling other relatives and telling them about your cousin or aunt! Go back to #5 minding your own business should be enough to keep you busy!

11. Quit trying to change people! IT DOESN'T WORK! Quit cussing people out when you know that they are just being the miserable and jealous people that they are!

12. Quit the job you hate! Start pursuing your passion. Find the job that fuels your passion BEFORE you quit!

13. Quit volunteering for things that you aren't getting any personal fulfillment from anymore! Quit volunteering for things and then failing to follow through with your commitment!

14. Quit listening to the naysayers! Quit watching the depressing news if you are going to live in the doom and gloom of it all!

15. Quit making excuses about why you are where you are or why you can't do what you want to do!

16. Quit waiting on others to give you the answers...and start finding the answers for yourself! If what you are doing isn't working for you...then quit it!

17. Quit settling and start making your dreams a reality!- Quit being afraid and START LIVING YOUR LIFE! CREATE THE LIFE YOU WANT! If you want something different than what you have had in the past...you must quit doing what you have done before and DO something different! JUST QUIT IT ...... and START DOING something to create the experience you want!

Make Marvelous happen in your life!  If you need some assistance getting "unstuck" with your team or your business please contact me at marvinleblanc@aol.com

Peace, Love and Gumbo! 

Marvin LeBlanc, LUTCF, CNP

The New Orleans Saints have arguably been one of the premier NFL teams in recent history. The success of the New Orleans Saints stems from a set of core values that keeps the focus on winning ways.

Just as the New Orleans Saints have a focus on winning ways, so should your business. There are key areas that can help a business to sustain high performance excellence. Most successful businesses today hold tight to some core strategies that keep them moving forward and performing well.

At the heart of establishing winning ways for business success is a sound performance leadership-training regimen. With sound and consistent performance business success can almost come naturally. Your company should implement a performance leadership-training program as your first step towards business success.

Within performance leadership training, business success will be achieved using several strategies:

• The right people – Finding the right talent is the foundation for success. With people that not only have the skills to perform the job, but people who are driven towards success, your business can realize significant performance improvements. The right training will help you to identify real performers and how to recruit the best talent for your business budget.

• The right nucleus – At the heart of business success is a nucleus of values and processes that are tailored towards high performance. Streamlined systems that keep the focus on delivering results for your customers keep the wheels of success greased for continuous improvement and excellence.

• The right strategy – Even the best performing sports car needs a driver who knows when to accelerate and when to brake. With the right strategy for success, your team will know when to take the field, what tactics to use, and how to execute properly to make sure sales are made, shipments are shipped, and profits are booked.

Marvelous Performance Systems has a series of performance schools available that can be customized to suit your particular business needs. The schools can be structured for private meetings, private coaching, classrooms or keynote speaking to point your company team towards business success. We can work with you to put together a program with your specific goals in mind and that is unique to your particular industry and business.

Help performance come back to your workplace and achieve real success. Click here for your free small business downloads! 

As a small business owner you have a lot on your plate. At the end of the day, you rely on yourself to complete many business tasks. And although your tasks are immense, there is one area that you cannot skip.
Specifically, you must pay attention to funding your retirement – now.

Why? Well because sadly, many business owners do not ever get around to starting a plan for retirement. No plan! No retirement!

“Without a plan, you are forfeiting the right to ever retire in the latter part of your life!” – Marvin LeBlanc, LUTCF,CNP

Ouch! Harsh, I know. Did you really get that last sentence? Because if you don’t embrace it, then you can forget about ever retiring. I’m sorry. Someone had to tell you.
Amazingly, we push the subject of “Retirement Planning” to the bottom of our "to do list". However, it's importance should really place it at the top of the list.

May I share with you this short, enlightening article by Laura Petrecca - USA Today (click and read carefully) Many small-business owners aren't prepared for retirement

Many small-business owners aren't prepared for retirement May this article inspire you to put ACTION into your Financial Plan. I would love to have a chat with you to see how you plan to manage your ACTIONS and manage your Retirement Plan. Give me a call or drop me an email! Make yourself the priority! Today!

As always, your insights and feedback are important to our blog community. Do share your helpful ideas so that all of us can have a positive learning experience

I am constantly being asked, "How do you do all the things you do?"

Here are a few strategies and tactics that have served me well over the years.

• I have days designated to see my clients. During these days the focus is on clients and nothing else. 
• I have paper/mail days where I do work in the office and don't see clients. 
• Every morning and every afternoon I have an appointment with myself to spend 25 minutes on social media and up to 1 hour on responding to email. It is scheduled time on my calendar. 
• When I am in an appointment, I don't answer my cell phone. 
• I make the most of my commute time (58 miles one way). For example, I wrote my book while driving by recording it as an MP3. 

If you are clear about your dreams, your discipline will reward you.

I would love to hear from you about things you do to help make Marvelous happen in your business.

Peace, Love and Gumbo!

Marvin LeBlanc LUTCF, CNP 

(DIRT)+C = Growth for your Agency © ™

A Five Part Series on how to Effectively Manage Your Advertising and Marketing Budget

Part One: D = Direct Mail

It’s a common phrase I used with the agents I worked with on marketing their agencies in the Rochester, New York area, “You know half of your advertising works and the other half doesn’t, now to figure what half that is.” Usually the line would get a polite chuckle in a group meeting or in a one-on-one a nod as if to acknowledge the frustration most insurance agents feel towards advertising and marketing. In the last ten years we have seen drastic changes in what advertising and marketing looks like in the past, pre-internet (if you can remember that far back) you had well paid professionals who were your account executives who helped you with cable, newspaper, the local coupon mailer, and so on. However in the last decade as the Internet has exploded there are a ton of “free” resources for you to use as an agency owner online, but they come at the cost of your time and really who has enough spare time to figure out the Internet when you have an agency to run? 

Looking at successful agencies that had been in business for more than five years and then applying our learning to new agencies just getting started; it became apparent that the agents who “worked the DIRT” were the agents who were having the most success in growing their agencies. DIRT is an acronym for D = Direct Mail, I = Internet, R = Referrals, and T = Telemarketing and then later with the advent of social media I added “C” referring to community involvement. So let’s dive into direct mail.

I know response rates are down with direct mail with the advent of the Internet, but if didn’t work why do you still get mail from the crazy lizard insurance company? Because it works! Now as a local insurance agent or small business owner you cannot match any large national carrier piece for piece, but you can own is your neighborhood. First understand the demographics of your neighborhood and understand who within a five mile radius is most likely to buy insurance from your company either based on price or if you are in a more affluent area then it’s a combination of price and service that will drive people to your door.

Once you know this information start mailing, and keep mailing. My feeling on direct mail is “Go Big or Go Home”, meaning you can’t just do one mail drop and say, “That didn’t work, time to stop mailing.” Direct mail is long-term strategy that will take months or years to reap a return from. However what it does is let the neighborhood around your agency know you are there month-in and month-out. With current response rates below 2% with direct mail most people will throw it out, but what you are hoping for is that when your neighbor has an issue with their current carrier such as a rate increase or bad claims experience your piece of mail ends up in their inbox, and they make the call because they got your piece of mail.

Direct mail isn’t complicated but it’s not a onetime event, and for most agency owners that’s what makes direct mail so frustrating. Key points, focus on the area right around your agency, be consistent mailing monthly or at least every other month, and keep it doing it. Because the people who respond to a mailer are not the people who are going to jump online for a quote, and you want to be “there” when they need you.

The Author: Brad Heutmaker, MBA, is the President & CMO of Chairman’s Management, LLC. He personally works with some of the largest insurance carriers and agencies in the country. You can follow Brad on Twitter @bradheutmaker or “Like” his Facebook Page – Chairman’s Management, LLC

I recently had a phone call with one of my top 200 clients. I called this client
for a completely unrelated subject that had nothing to do with their current program with me or the sale of any products or services to them.

My Business Network group is looking for a new member. I thought this client is the type that would be great for our group & our group would be great for him.

Point #1: People can find out a lot about how you think, how you do business, your integrity and all sorts of important things that may not have anything
directly to do with the sale or services your company offers at that exact moment.

Point #2: Think like your customer. Brainstorm with your team. Ask the question,
"If I was the CEO of our customer's company, what opportunities in the marketplace should I be taking advantage of?" Then connect your customer with those opportunities.

This type of strategic thinking makes you irresistible to your customer & it will be very hard for them to leave you. You are providing something of value far beyond the sales transaction. As a small business owner you have to be looking out for ways to make your business successful. 

Now, slow down and re-read this blog. Think it through. Be alone with your thoughts. Then spend some time with your team. This is an
excellent topic for your next meeting. It's amazing what kind of ideas your group can come up with to offer your client some "out of the box" strategies & opportunities.

"THINK - and then - GROW RICH!"

Be sure to drop us a line on how your group utilized this exercise. We are always excited about hearing some "real world" stories of how you've performed Marvelously.

Peace, Love and Gumbo - 

Marvin LeBlanc LUTCF, CNP

Your Best Client Management Tool

As a seller of products, services, ideas, and value - your clients need you to be more than a peddler. They need you to be more than a partner. They need you to be a trusted advisor in every sense of that term. Someone they can turn to for advice, insights, guidance, and structure. And perhaps even someone to hold them accountable to themselves.

The best way you can do that is also one of the simplest ways: Give your clients deadlines.

There are 4 primary benefits to starting this habit with your current clients, new clients, and even your prospects (your clients-to-be):

1. They will see you are serious and intentional with your actions.
2. They will better perceive you as the professional you are
3. Although rarely will they make their appointed deadlines, they'll appreciate your concern for their progress
4. They want to see that you provide not only the content but also the structure for their success

Let's spend a moment on each one of these benefits.

1. They will see you are serious and intentional with your actions. A deadline conveys a commitment. A commitment conveys caring. And one sales truth that has stood the test of time is "Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care." A deadline shows your dedication to getting things done for your client and making things happen. At the end of the day, THAT is what they're paying you for.

2. They will better perceive you as the professional you are. Amateurs don't care when things get done. Now. Later. Tomorrow. Next week. Doesn't matter. Professionals care a great deal. Amateurs take their time. Professionals know that speed costs - and that solving problems FAST is worth a lot more than solving problems slowly. Or not at all. Step up to the big leagues by showing your client your true professionalism by putting deadlines in front of them to motivate action, outcomes, and results.

3.  Although rarely will they make their appointed deadlines, they'll appreciate your concern for their progress. Nobody likes a taskmaster. Everyone loves an encourager. Yes, your clients will miss deadlines. But they would miss a whole lot more of them if you didn't have deadlines to shoot for! When clients miss a deadline, don't beat them up about it - that's not the point. The point is that you're there to coach them through to success - one deadline at a time.

4. They want to see that you provide not only the content but also the structure for their success. If you sell insurance, insurance is not your product. If you sell paper, paper supplies are not your product. If you sell engineering, engineering services are not your product. We sell the results (both tangible and intangible) of what our products and services do. No deadlines, no action. No structure for action, no results.

So deadlines are not calendar devices - they are results devices. Deadlines and milestones (even highly adjustable ones) make sure your client crosses the finish line over into results. And the sooner they do - and the more you help them get there - the more you'll earn their business, their referrals, and their trust.

Give your clients deadlines, people - and make Marvelous happen!

In small business and in life, I have found that we go through three phases of attitude. * The first is excitement. The second is frustration, and the third is recommitment. During and after Hurricane Katrina, all of New Orleans sank deeply into the frustration phase, myself included. There are six sub-phases of frustration that everyone in my business and personal life were experiencing:

1. Shock
2. Denial
3. Fear
4. Anger
5. Justification
6. Acceptance

1. Shock is the first sub-phase of frustration. You are going to be shocked at the realization that it’s possible you’re going to be hit with another hurricane. Intellectually, you know good and well that the possibility exists, but when you see that icon again, you’re still going to be shocked. It’s amazing how many people live with the mentality of “that could never happen to me” even when it HAS happened to them before. It is easier to not focus on the adversity which is why you are shocked when the hurricane hits.Today’s article will focus on the first three sub-phases, shock, denial and fear.

2. Denial comes next. You deny that the weatherman could possibly be correct. What are the chances we’ll have another Betsy or another Katrina? This may sound humorous, but there are people who have lost everything and still believe that New Orleans and the surrounding areas will be spared in a future hurricane. I find that absolutely amazing. Never having another Category Five hurricane hitting New Orleans not only defies my logic, it defies all science.

3. Fear is the third sub-phase of frustration. You say, “My goodness, what if this weatherman is telling the truth? What if we really are going to stay in the funnel and get hit?” Fear is not something anyone likes to feel or even admit to feeling. If you are fearful, sometimes you revert back to “denial” in an effort to hide your fear.

Regardless of the stage of attitude you are at it is imperative to remember these three things:
• Don’t play the victim.
• Don’t play the blame game.
• Own it!

If you are reading this blog and were not involved in Hurricane Katrina can you think back in your life and determine what your “Katrina” moment was? How did you respond? If it was a defining moment for you as Katrina was for me, it is probably something you carry with you each and every day.

Learning to channel your energy after adversity is a gift and takes work.
I love helping people see the good, find motivation and be successful in business and in life! Join me for a and let’s make Marvelous happen in your life!

Peace, Love and Gumbo! 
Marvin LeBlanc LUTCF CNP

* Content adopted from Jim Winner author of Split Second Choice, the power of Attitude.