Posts by David Shriner-Cahn
Wanda Allen's Reading List for Successful Sales
Yesterday’s episode of Smashing the Plateau featured Wanda Allen, who spoke about her follow-up strategies for ensuring sales success. After our interview, she provided us with a list of five figures who had been crucial to her development in the field: 1. Brian Tracy: “I heard Brian Tracy speak 25 years ago, and his no-nonsense…
Read Full PostSTP050: 5 Steps that Ensure Successful Follow-Ups with Wanda Allen
Wanda Allen is a national speaker, coach, author and award-winning business owner. After being a business banker for 25 years, Allen left the bank to pursue her own ventures, founding her business Follow Up Sales Strategies. In this interview, she discusses the emotional blocks that can prevent successful follow-ups, from fear of rejection to reluctance to “bother,” and how having a system in place can help a business overcome these hesitations.
This week, we spoke to her about:
- The five questions you should be asking in the follow-up process
- How overthinking sales follow-ups wastes time, and how having systems in place can help you be more productive (see also Wendy Lipton-Dibner, Smashing the Plateau episode 30)
- How to use follow-ups to establish trust and credibility
- Creating and maintaining effective relationships outside your business–and within it
Allen is a Rising Star Award Winner and Business Owner of the Year Nominee by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), and an expert in helping entrepreneurs, business owners and sales professionals improve sales performance, increase client retention, and become more referable through effective follow up systems.
Learn more at Follow Up Sales Strategies, or contact Allen through email at wanda@followupsalesstrategies.com.
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Five Influences on Dr. Cheryl Lentz’s Refractive Thinking
Where does Dr. Cheryl Lentz derive inspiration for her refractive thinking? After her interview on Smashing the Plateau, she provided a group of five thinkers that she identified as having been particularly important to the development of her ideas: 1. Peter Senge: MIT professor, systems scientist, and author of The Fifth Discipline: The Art and…
Read Full PostSTP049: Refractive Thinking and Productive Questioning with Dr. Cheryl Lentz
Dr. Cheryl Lentz is an international best-selling author, professor, and speaker, also known as The Academic Entrepreneur. She has written and edited books on leadership, critical and refractive thinking, and more, including the multi-award winning series The Refractive Thinker, a collaboration of essays from around the world.
In this interview, we discuss how “refractive thinking” can help us move forward in business, including:
- Defining success according to constructs from the digital age, rather than old methods
- Changing how we conceive of business spaces to shift how we think about the nature of business itself
- Identifying our own biases when listening to a customer
- The importance of scheduling time to plan for the future (with reference to previous Smashing the Plateau guest Larry Sharpe!)
- Seeing getting help as a sign of strength
- What Einstein can teach us about being the silliest person in the room
As a university professor, speaker, and consultant, Dr. Lentz is an expert in teaching students to apply critical thinking skills to problem-solve in record time. She can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and through her website, www.drcheryllentz.com.
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Five Major Influencers for Jeffrey Hayzlett's Work Ethic
At the end of his interview on Smashing the Plateau, Jeffrey Hayzlett listed five people who helped shape who he became over the course of his life; he noted that “The people that have been real pivotal in my career aren’t the people who typically you’re going to see with Twitter accounts, or on the front…
Read Full PostSTP048: Effective Attitudes for Business Leaders With Jeffrey Hayzlett
Jeffrey Hayzlett is a primetime business TV host and host of multiple shows on the digital television network C-Suite TV; he is also a global business celebrity, speaker, bestselling author, and Chairman of C-Suite Network, home of the world’s most powerful network of C-Suite leaders.
In this interview, we discuss:
- Why thinking you’re stuck will keep you stuck
- Entrepreneurship vs. the corporate C-Suite
- How negative storytelling dictates too many important decisions
- Key ingredients for fostering trust in business
- What Pixar’s Up can teach us about business
Jeffrey Hayzlett has bought and sold more than 250 companies in the course of his many, many-faceted career. The former CMO of Eastman Kodak (where he managed a $17 billion-dollar budget) is currently chairman of the C-Suite Network, where he hosts C-Suite with Jeffrey Hayzlett and Executive Perspectives.
He is also CEO, speaker, and author with The Hayzlett Group, and is the bestselling author of Running the Gauntlet: Essential Business Lessons to Lead, Drive Change, and Grow Profits (2012) and The Mirror Test: Is Your Business Really Breathing? (2010). He is also Chair of TallGrass PR, based in New York, San Francisco, and Sioux Falls. Most recently, he launched the CBS Radio show “All Business with Jeffrey Hayzlett,” where his first guest was Gene Simmons.
Follow or get in touch with Hayzlett through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ or email.
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Top 4 Life and Business Resources of Richard Laermer and Tony Grass
We’re pleased to present a dual installment for this week’s top influencers. Face-Off participants Richard Laermer and Tony Grass offer their takes on business growth on this week’s episode. (If you missed the Face-Off, go back and listen here.) Here are the influencers Richard and Tony credit in helping them achieve their own growth in…
Read Full PostSTP047: A Branded And Buzzworthy Face-Off with Richard Laermer and Tony Grass
Public relations expert Richard Laermer debates sales and marketing veteran Tony Grass in this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” our latest in the FaceOff series. Tony and Richard go back and forth on issues related to branding, public perception, and making an impact in the market – fundamental topics for any business leader trying to grow.
Topics include…
- Why the intangibles may matter the most
- Where to sell and where to raise awareness
- Meeting customer needs vs. sticking with vision
- Why analytics doesn’t tell the whole story
Richard Laermer is the Founder and CEO of RLM Public Relations. He is the author of numerous best selling books including Punk Marketing and Full Frontal PR. Tony Grass is the President and Owner of e-Market Intelligence, Inc., an online sales development company focusing on marketing strategy and customer targeting.
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Rémy Chaussé’s Top 5 Sources For Finding Direction While Growing
Our last guest on “Smashing the Plateau” was Rémy Chaussé, a self-proclaimed UNstuckologist. Rémy helps people get over themselves to finally get a move on. (If you missed Rémy, go back and listen here.) Rémy admits she’s had some help along the way. Here are the people she has turned to and how she sees…
Read Full PostSTP046: Getting Unstuck Without The Guilt with Rémy Chaussé
Rémy Chaussé helps people get unstuck from whatever’s keeping them from getting to the next level. As a victim of getting stuck herself, Rémy knows firsthand which strategies work and which just lead to frustration. On this episode, she discusses stubbornness, embarrassment, and how the biggest obstacle is usually yourself.
Topics include…
- How to avoid getting ordinary self-promotion
- Swallowing pride to get things done
- Why leaders should expect less of themselves
- How creativity can actually stifle progress
- Being honest to find your “Joy Factor”
Rémy Chaussé is the Founder of the Get UNStuck Revolution and the selfproclaimed World’s Best UNStuckologist. She helps people move from their creative brainstorming phases to a place where they can implement changes and make progress.
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Nella Barkley’s Top 5 Influential Authors and Media Moguls
Our most recent “Smashing the Plateau” episode featured Nella Barkley, who helped us understand some of the challenges facing leaders and offered ways to combat them. (If you missed Nella, go back and listen here.) Nella hasn’t weathered the storm alone. Here are three people who she says have been instrumental as sources of inspiration.…
Read Full PostSTP045: Finding Success First Within Yourself with Nella Barkley
Public speaker, mentor, and coach Nella Barkley discusses goal recognition and being honest and smart about personal approaches to business. The world is full of entrepreneurs, but many are stuck in old, unoriginal habits. In this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” Nella helps listeners figure out how to get noticed for things that are wholly unique to them.
Topics include…
- How business is like baking a cake
- Finding what’s truly unique about yourself
- The questions leaders should be asking themselves
- How to avoid the greatest danger
For more than 20 years, Nella Barkley has been helping people find their own personal career and life paths at the Crystal-Barkley Corporation. Through strategic planning principles and her own innate drive to enable others, Nella has become a sought-after mentor, public speaker, and coach.
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Jennifer Kushell’s Top 6 Life Mentors For Focus And Guidance
On our most recent episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” Founder of Young & Successful Media, Jennifer Kushell, discusses her passion for young entrepreneurial spirit. (If you missed Jennifer, go back and listen here.) Just like the kids Jennifer seeks to support, she herself has had help along the way. Here are six of the resources…
Read Full PostSTP044: An Eye Toward the Next Generation with Jennifer Kushell
Jennifer Kushell is the Founder of Young & Successful Media and YSN.com—Your Success Network and author of the NY Times bestsellers, Secrets of the Young & Successful and The Young Entrepreneur’s Edge. In this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” she discusses motivating young people to think like entrepreneurs and building success through structure.
Topics include…
- The changing face of business
- How to deal with a market in flux
- Making, and then packaging, change
- Why the written word is more important than ever
- How successful people see the world
As the Founder of Young & Successful Media and Your Success Network, Jennifer is fulfilling her mission of ensuring that no driven young person, anywhere in the world, lacks access to opportunity to fulfill their true potential.
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Marc Mawhinney’s Top 5 Influential Authors and Media Moguls
Our most recent “Smashing the Plateau” episode showcased the talents of Natural Born Coaches podcast host Marc Mawhinney. Marc shared his secrets of launching and sustaining a daily coaching podcast. (If you missed Marc, go back and listen here.) Getting your own project off the ground is no small accomplishment. Keeping it from crashing is…
Read Full PostSTP043: Getting By With a Little Help From Coach with Marc Mawhinney
The two podcasts collide in this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” as today’s guest is Marc Mawhinney, host of the Natural Born Coaches podcast. In our sit down with Marc, we explore the unexpected upsides of his work and the adventure in finding a niche to call your business home.
Topics include…
- Thinking often and acting even more
- Having faith in yourself to succeed
- Why hiring a coach isn’t admitting you’ve lost
- What farming can teach the world of business
Creator and Host of the Natural Born Coaches podcast, Marc Mawhinney helps motivate listeners who want to become professional coaches and offers advice to current coaches looking to improve their businesses. A coach himself, he is also the Founder of Marc Mawhinney Coaching.
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Jim Canterucci’s Top 3 Mentors He’s Met Along The Way
Jim Canterucci was our most recent guest on “Smashing the Plateau.” In our chat with Jim, he talked about the finer points of leadership in 2015, and how the position has undergone a transformation. (If you missed Jim, go back and listen here.) Jim’s idea of a new leadership normal hasn’t been cultivated strictly on…
Read Full PostSTP042: New Ideas and New Solutions with Jim Canterucci
Jim Canterucci runs his business not so unlike we at TEND run ours. Jim helps executives get their big ideas put into action. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” he shares his wisdom on getting companies to accept innovation and how to maintain success even when some of those risks don’t work out.
Topics include…
- Why you should be celebrating failure
- The [60:40] rule of leadership
- How to get people working for the right reasons
- Exceeding an entrepreneurial spirit
- The new normal for leadership
- What farming can teach the world of business
Jim Canterucci is the Founder and CEO of Transition Management Advisors and a Leadership Advisor at ELCircle. He figures out ways to get executives unstuck, moving ideas from inside the boardroom out to the rest of the world by implementing them successfully.
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Kalynn Amadio’s Top 5 Professional Motivators For Success
Our most recent “Smashing the Plateau” episode featured Baby Boomer digital marketing guru Kalynn Amadio. Her ideas on bringing the vast world of online back to simple one-on-one chats are total winners. (If you missed Kalynn, go back and listen here.) But Kalynn has been lucky enough to get a helping hand along the way.…
Read Full PostSTP041: Digital Marketing In a Whole New World with Kalynn Amadio
Author, speaker, engineer, and entrepreneur Kalynn Amadio is the CEO of ikalynn LLC. As a digital marketing expert for Baby Boomers, she helps older entrepreneurs stay relevant in a world that’s migrated online. In this episode, Kalynn talks about learning to use the tools of today so that businesspeople can connect meaningfully with an audience.
Topics include…
- The real reason to use social media marketing
- Building a 1-1 conversation
- Imagining your ideal customer
- How to avoid time sucks
- How to build communities of raving fans
Kalynn Amadio is the CEO of ikalynn LLC, a digital marketing company that helps Baby Boomers flourish in the ever-changing world of the Internet, social media, video, and mobile technology. She is also an author, speaker, engineer, and entrepreneur.
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Geri Mazur’s Top 4 Sources for Tackling the Obstacles of Life and Work
On our most recent “Smashing the Plateau” episode, we featured Geri Mazur, a marketing expert who helps businesses stay relevant in today’s fast-paced climate. She gave us some stellar tips on creating a sense of demand, then fulfilling it. (If you missed Geri, go back and listen here.) Geri couldn’t have done it alone. Over…
Read Full PostSTP040: Small Business Marketing In 5 Steps with Geri Mazur
If sales are the short-term push, marketing is the long-term pull. It’s the extended demand you cultivate over a period of years. Despite its importance, a sense of urgency gets in a lot of people’s way. In this episode, Geri Mazur discusses common errors in thinking and how to market effectively in 2015.
Topics include…
- Why outputs matter more than outcomes
- Creating demand, then fulfilling it
- How to know you’re spending wisely
- Learning the long game of marketing
- What you should be doing once a week
Geri Mazur is an award-winning small business-marketing consultant with more than 25 years experience moving people, products, and brands forward. She is the owner of Geri Mazur Marketing.
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Heather Pich’s Top 5 Influencers Who Mentor And Motivate
Our most recent “Smashing the Plateau” episode featured mentor, author, presenter, and sales expert Heather Pich. She gave us great insight into the factors that hold people back from achieving their goals. (If you missed Heather, go back and listen here.) Like a lot of business professionals, Heather knows she isn’t self-made. Here are 5…
Read Full PostSTP039: Finding And Selling Your Strongest Self with Heather Pich
Mentor, presenter, and author Heather Pich has found self-limiting beliefs to be one of the greatest forces that hold people back from achieving their goals. What we tell ourselves can stick with us forever. It’s only after we shed that false narrative, Heather says, when we can move forward.
Topics include…
- Why you should turn selling into sharing
- Shutting out the naysayers
- Understanding (and deleting) self-limiting beliefs
- Finding success in a change of attitude
Heather Pich is a Mentor at Productive Learning, helping people to recognize the thoughts and self-conceptions that are holding them back, ultimately to succeed. She is also a presenter, trainer, and best-selling author of the direct sales guide Bookings When You Have No Bookings.
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C.C. Chapman’s Top 5 Influencers That Keep Things Fresh
On the last episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” we brought you content marketing expert and author C.C. Chapman. C.C. made some great points about getting excited about new projects and admitting your weaknesses. (If you missed C.C., go back and listen here.) Like mostly everyone, C.C. knows he couldn’t have done it alone. Here are…
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