It's All About The Questions

Ashlyn Szilva says that demographics are no more when it comes to selling and marketing to your clients. If you are not thinking about culturegraphics then you are missing out on clients. If you want to do business in the world today you have to be able to move fast and respond to, and capitalize on, trends on a daily basis.  Convenience is key to marketing to more and more people. They want to do business with companies that don't define them by their traditional demographics of gender, race, income group. They buy based on their likes and current beliefs. Culture, like gender is becoming more fluid. Watch Twitter and observe the hashtags that are trending and who is using them and you will see that the old ways of doing business just will not survive much longer. A great example is the Oscar win of Parasite over other films thought to be shoe-ins. Listen to this episode and get a crash course in culturegraphics from Ashlyn Szilva on how and why we should be using culturegraphics versus demographics in more

Lisa Cummings has been a road warrior her whole career as the leading consulting firm for helping businesses Lead With Strength using the Strength Finder model. Most of her year was spent travelling to and from clients to run live workshops. One day she asked herself, "Can I do what I do without all the travel?" Two years after she asked herself that question her business went from 80 percent travel to 20 percent travel with no loss of revenue. How did she do that? Can you do that too? Take a listen as Lisa Cummings share how she transformed her business without changing the impact her work has on her clients. We also take about how you can find and use your strengths to create and transform your business too. Lisa Cummings has delivered events to over 11,500 people in 14 countries. In her signature program, Notice What Works, she helps leaders improve performance on their teams by tapping into each person’s strengths. You can see her featured in places like Harvard Business Publishing, Training Magazine, and

On this episode Maura Nevel Thomas explains why attention management is more powerful than time management. Time management is over and done with. Forget it. Throw those thoughts away and focus on where you put your attention. According to Maura, if you spend your time focusing on where you pay attention, then you can maximize your time and minimize your time to achieve your goals. By breaking free of the idea that you can manage time, you become available to focus on what is important. Maura shares questions to ask for figuring out what to pay attention to and what not to pay attention to and much more. We also discuss how to "manage where your head is", how to stay on task by not staying on task and Maura also shares the 4 Quadrants of Attention Management from her book, Attention Management: How to Create Success and Gain Productivity Every Day. Maura Nevel Thomas is an award-winning international speaker and trainer on individual and corporate productivity and work-life balance, and the most widely-cited

Did you know that you should never charge your phone at a communal charging station? Did you know you should be careful where that charging cable for your phone or other smart device came from or how you can protect yourself while using public WiFi? These and other questions are answered by my guest, Alexis Perdereaux-Weekes. He is a cybersecurity professional with over 20 years of extensive experience mitigating risks for his clients when it comes to cyber threats. If you think you do not need to worry about cybersecurity, this episode will open your eyes to how everything from your health records to your mobile phone are increasingly under threat. And, we talk about how you can easily begin protecting yourself with a few simple steps and a few important questions you need to ask. Alexis Perdereaux-Weekes is a senior Business Leader with over 20 years of Information Technology and Assurance experience, with extensive experience working on a broad range of corporate IT initiatives where he helps businesses id

Be kind. Remember the Golden Rule. Treat others as you want to be treated. Every heard those phrases? Growing up my parents and grandparents always said to me, "be kind, you never know what someone is going through." Nathan Caldwell has been studying kindness for a long time now and all his research shows that building a business where kindness is the foundation stone of everything you do wins every time. But how do you hire for kindness? How do you fire with kindness? Can you empower kindness and still make money? In a world where everyone has a camera and everyone can post a comment on social media, kindness is not always the lead. Yet, the most viral videos tend to be the ones showing one person's kindness towards a person or an animal. Why is kindness good for your business? Can you build kindness into your staff? Take a listen as Nathan Caldwell shares how living a life of kindness not only makes you happier but can increase your bottom line if you are authentic in how you live it. Nathan Caldwell has sp

Terry Whalin has been in publishing for over three decades on both sides of the aisle. He has seen the industry change and has also seen authors change. Over the course of his career what has not changed are the myths around publishing, being an author and money. Enter his latest book, 10 Publishing Myths - Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed.  How does one succeed as an author? By understanding publishing and what you, as an author, need to do to push your success forward. During this episode Terry Whalin shares several of the myths and the actions you can take today to begin selling more books, get published, make money as a writer and understand the business of being an author. Because face it, the days of, "if you write it they will come," are gone. You need to market yourself and your book even before the first word has been written. Terry Whalin has loved books since his mother read And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (the first Dr. Seuss book). He has worked both sides of the editorial des

What is the point of writing a book if you cannot get it in the hands of the people who can benefit from your message and wisdom you have learned? All too often writers write a book and, if they manage to publish it, have boxes sitting in their garage or basement with less than 100 books sold. How do you sell books to more than your family and make a business out of writing? Michael Ebeling has been a literary agent for over two decades and has been helping authors get published and get sold even years after their books have been out in the marketplace. In a world with over a million books on Amazon alone, that says a lot to me about his skills and he is my agent! On this episode Michael shares how you can create a real funnel that sells your books and builds your business at the same time. If you are an author, or want to be an author, take a listen to this episode. Michael Ebeling brings over 20 years of publishing, consulting, book promotion and author business management experience to Ebeling & Associ

Holidays are not just joy and light for those who are dealing with loss of any kind. It can be a nightmare to navigate all the happy, happy, joy, joy that is dished out if you have lost someone you love. Even friends and family don't really know how to include those who are grieving. So how do you navigate your grief or the grief of others during the holiday season? My guest, for the 3rd time this year, is Dr. Joan Rosenberg. On this episode we talk about how to honor your grief while everyone else is having a party, how you can support someone who is grieving today and other days and how you can begin building new traditions by sharing the old ones you had with missing loved ones with those around you. During the show I share how grieving hit me like a 100 foot wave while baking my grandma's Christmas butter cookies. Dr Joan and I talk honestly about moving through it to the other side. If you are grieving, or know someone who is, take a listen and share this post please. Know you are not alone. Best-selling

Brian Kurtz has been in direct response marketing for close to four decades. He's learned from the best and is the best when it comes to understanding, and implementing, marketing that gets your  prospect to buy, subscribe, share and use the products and services you are are selling. Direct marketing is not a dirty word and Brian says we all need to embrace our products and services and share them with the right people. We must "Overdeliver" if we want to make a difference for our clients and our prospective clients. On this episode Brian shares why a list isn't just a list and how you can turn a compiled list into a response list. He also shares why the long game is more important than the short game and what the Lifetime Value of a client means to your bottom line. Listen to the end and find out how you can win a copy of his latest book, Overdeliver. Brian Kurtz has been a serial direct marketer for almost 40 years and never met a medium he didn't like...and while he's had much success, he also must admit t

Is that the best you can do? A common question if you've even negotiated a purchase of a new car but have you ever thought of asking that question of yourself in all aspects of your life and business? Kevin Hunter has applied that question to every action he takes and it has transformed his life and the lives of his clients. He wrote the book on that topic and it is life changing.  During this interview Kevin Hunter shares how to get out of your rut, stopped being trapped by your own mind and the how OAR and BED are the best ways to know if you are doing the best you can do and find the thirsty horses that want to purchase your services and drink your products and services over and over and over again. Kevin Hunter grew up in a very entrepreneurial family, and spent a majority of his professional life being self-employed. He got into media in 1999 broadcasting business talk radio. Moved into the online video broadcasting business in 2009, and by 2012 knew there was a serious future in publishing educational a

Lori Ruff, the original LinkedIn Diva herself, and Joe Frankie III discuss how to succeed with LinkedIn in 5 minutes/day. They call it a 5 minute drill. I call it simple to do every day. What is LinkedIn and why should you care? If you are in business today LinkedIn can help your find clients, source vendors, find employees, get that new career you've always dreamed about, connect to like-minded people, get booked on podcasts and media and so much more. They key though is using it effectively to meet your goals. During this episode Lori Ruff and Joe Frankie III share the key steps to take each day to make your profile be one people are looking at, how using their "Sword, Sabre and Scalpel" approach to using LinkedIn can rapidly focus your efforts and how, in just 5 minutes a day, you can use LinkedIn to achieve your goals. Lori Ruff believes the magic of genuine human connection occurs when people behave authentically. As a notable "professional brand" thought leader, Lori has written multiple books, spoken

Conflict resolution seems to be especially difficult around the holidays, well really all the time for most folks. I mean just think what is happening today around business, politics, religion. sexual definition and more. Most parents told us if you want to have an enjoyable meal with someone don't discuss politics or religion at the dinner table. With social media and a 24/7/365 news cycle the world is always on the brink of something or other and tensions run high. My guest, Mari Frank, has spent decades as a lawyer and family law mediator handling some of the toughest conflicts most people will ever encounter. How does she stay cool under rapidly escalating conflict? how does she diffuse the seemingly unresolvable so that everyone walks away from the table with more ease than when they sat down? Take a listen as Mari shares how H.A.R.D. L.O.V.E. can convert conflict into collaboration and how it only takes one person to stop a conflict. She also shares how asking yourself, "What do I need to do to be OK le

When I look back at the songs that influenced my life, that inspired me when I was down and that are always there when I need to express an emotion, I realized that Thomas Bahler invariably had a hand in the creation or production of the song. We met at a conference years ago and he helped me pick a song to bring me on stage for my keynote. he just seemed to know who I am via song. On this episode, Thomas Bahler, who wrote or produced for Michael Jackson, Cher, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Quincy Jones, The Partridge Family, Bobby Sherman, Steve Spielberg and many more, talks about what inspired him, how he learned to ask questions, how his many decades long career took him in directions he never imagined but was open to and what inspires him to continue creating soundtracks for our lives. Thomas Bähler has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the entertainment industry. He composed music for Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Cher, directors Steven Spielberg and Barry Levinson, magicians Siegfried and Ro

Pat Grillo shares how a vendor decision cost his 35 year company over 10 million dollars in sales and how it changed his business and life for the better. Did that get your attention? It can happen to any entrepreneur. You choose a vendor partner that has products that your clients can use and you enter into a relationship with them that allows you to provide better pricing to your clients and higher margins to you. Over the years you build trust together and you have an increasing amount of your business that is built off that stream of revenue. But what happens when that vendor you trusted for years cuts you out of the picture and starts selling directly to the client at a lower price and then cancels your relationship with you so you can no longer sell their product? Think this is a rare occurrence in the world of business? It is not. Take a listen and learn what Pat Grillo and his team learned and did and what they had in place before the floor fell out that has enabled them to grow their business to a di

Negotiations happen every day and not just in business. We negotiate with our families, at work, with vendors and more. Negotiation is not about win-win or win-lose. Rather according to Mari Frank it is about finding the sweet spot where each party knows their needs and can express them so results happen without anyone feeling like a loser. Mari Frank reveals how she uses negotiation as a legal mediator and attorney and shares her 5 key tips to walking into and away from your negotiations with strength. There was so much she had to share around negotiation that she is coming back on the show. Mari Frank is an attorney, mediator, author (5 books), professional speaker, professor, and radio host of two shows (since 2005) airing on KUCI 88.9 FM in Irvine CA. For 3 decades, she’s expertly been using her unique “solutioneering” tools to resolve conflicts and transform adversity into opportunity for her clients, and audiences. Unlike a shark, her dolphin approach, gentle yet powerful, transforms disputes between pe

Dr. Anita Jackson has 5 advanced degrees including ones in organizational psychology and Marriage and Family therapy and through it all she realized she never felt she was enough so she kept getting more letters after her name. Then one day, at the very bottom, after having lost, her house, her car, er health and more she realized, I am enough. Cut to today where she is the Founder and CEO of The Unlimited Woman Alliance, has her own production company and is a multiple times bestselling author who coaches women to achieve their highest potential and you will quickly realize she really is enough. Take a listen to this episode as Dr Anita M. Jackson shares the questions to ask to shift from I am not enough to I am enough; how to skip analysis paralysis and make strong decisions and how she weaves her faith and her experience into all she does and what you absolutely must do after you ask the right questions. Dr. Anita M. Jackson is fast becoming a sought after feminine transformational mentor, speaker, leader,

Marilyn Horowitz teaches screenwriting at NYU and is herself a screenwriter and producer and author. Screenwriting is in her blood and she has even been called in to be a script doctor when scripts need some fixing. What is it about movies, TV Shows and plays that makes mostly every author want their book to come alive on the big or small screen? I've always wondered why some books succeed on the screen and some books don't. I've also wondered why some screen adaptations are even better than the books but I never understood what it really takes to do the writing. It just seemed like a foreign language to me. Marilyn shares tips from her trademarked Horowitz System of writing including content from her NYU textbook, The 4 Magic Questions of Screenwriting on this episode. She explains how you can eliminate writers block and also clears up how you can use each side of your brain to write quickly and easily. Marilyn Horowitz is an award-winning New York University professor, TV show creator, producer, and Manhatt

Have you ever taken one of those personality or strength tests like Meyers-Briggs, Strength Finders or another in an attempt to understand what drives you and how you think? Kathy Tagenel says learning what makes you tick can make your business and life choices have a greater chance of success without all the drama. What seems to be missing from several of the assessments is your action model. How you will make decisions and then take action. I don't know about you but knowing that information would seem like it would have saved me a lot of pain in my career in corporate and as an entrepreneur. My guest today is Kathy Tagenel and she is better known as Agent 99 to Bob Burg's Maxwell Smart but anyone who knows her knows she is a force to be reckoned with in her own right. Kathy shares with us what conative strengths are, the power behind performance, and uses me as a guinea pig to explain my Modus Operandi (MO). Hint, she is eerily accurate! Kathy Tagenel is an entrepreneur and business developer. She is the C

Sarah Santacroce says its time to stop the, "But wait, there's more" way of marketing. The deluge of ads and emails that hit your inbox and TV and news feed saying buy now or miss out, only 5 left, or signup now and start making money today are overwhelming. They are enough to make you say, STOP THE MADNESS! But they work for a specific segment of the population so businesses continue to use that method of marketing Yet what about those who just mass delete those emails, change the channel or skip over the ad in their feed? How do you market to them? Is it worth marketing to the other kind of client? YES. There is no one size fits all to marketing from the consumer side or the business side. Take a listen as Sarah shares how you can land clients and not just leads. Sarah Santacroce is an internationally recognized LinkedIn Specialist & Online Presence Mentor who has personally coached, mentored and guided over 1,900 entrepreneurs. She helps them position themselves as experts on LinkedIn, shows them h

There is a new article everyday about disconnecting from tech, not working 24/7/365 and increasing your productivity in fewer hours. Yet most of us cannot seem to stick to the ideas of those articles. We cannot seem to find a way to make time for life beyond work to the levels we say we want. Karl W. Palachuk has been living a life that grows his business while growing his life outside of work. He writes a book a year, publishes multiple newsletters, consults, hosts multiple podcasts, speaks at events, runs workshops, manages his business and personal social media, meditates every day and lives a life filled with laughter and friends and family. How does he do it without being filled with stress and exhaustion? Take a listen as Karl shares how he manages his day, plans his life and most of all, finds joy and laughter in just about everything. Karl W. Palachuk is the author of twenty books and the creator of dozens of information products and downloads. He is a business owner, entrepreneur, author, father, spe