Posts by David Shriner-Cahn
Kevin Charlton’s 3 Top Inspirational Business Books
Sales and financial services expert Kevin Charlton was our guest yesterday, and he talked about getting into the customer’s head in order to make key sales. (If you missed Kevin, go back and listen here.) Even experts need help sometimes. Some of the best freely admit to seeking help from others, even if they’re outside…
Read Full PostSTP025: How to Think Like a Buyer with Kevin Charlton
UK telephone sales coach veteran Kevin Charlton knows the Internet age is flipping the old ways of selling on their head. Customers do their homework. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” Kevin offers salespeople some tips to slow down, stop selling, and just listen.
Topics include…
- Putting yourself inside the head of a customer
- When to listen and when to sell
- The homework all salespeople must do
- Why you should keep your grandmother in mind
- Keeping customers’ emotional pain in mind
With nearly 20 years in telephone sales training in the United Kingdom, Kevin Charlton is the Managing Director at Steer Development.
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Tracy Dennis’ 5 Top Personal Sources Of Motivation And Clarity
Yesterday we brought you Tracy Dennis, a psychologist at Hunter College. Tracy spoke in-depth about anxiety and how everyone, from business professionals to the general public, can help themselves relax. (If you missed Tracy, go back and listen here.) Even highly educated psychologists need a helping hand, though. Tracy turns to her colleagues (and someone…
Read Full PostSTP024: Making the Most of Your Emotions with Tracy Dennis
Professor, expert in emotional psychology, and developer of the app Personal Zen, Tracy Dennis gives tips for making even the most stressful days a positive experience, for entrepreneurs and the general public.
Topics include…
- How to stop thinking negatively
- The real reason anxiety is keeping you down
- How to ensure your day ends right
- Why the DIY approach boosts mental health
- The secret to finding your inner Zen
Tracy Dennis is a professor at Hunter College’s Department of Psychology. She is also the developer behind the app Personal Zen, which helps users reduce their anxiety through interactive games.
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Rajib Chowdhury’s 5 Top Mentors And Inspirational Figures
Yesterday we brought you Rajib Chowdhury, Managing Director of Paathshala Learning Solutions. An expert in employee development, Rajib has a lot to say on building businesses from the inside out. (If you missed him, go back and listen here.) Part of being a leader, of course, is knowing when other people can offer more than…
Read Full PostSTP023: Why Do People Do The Work They Do? with Rajib Chowdhury
Building businesses from the inside out is Rajib Chowdhury’s main focus. Without the right values to back up employee behavior, sales will never break through plateaus. On this episode, Rajib discusses the ultimate ways to build strengths in a staff and much more.
Topics include…
- Why belief should come before skill
- How to avoid traffic-driven goals
- The secret to getting employees to really learn
- How to best use people’s strengths
- Why the size of the organization doesn’t matter
Rajib Chowdhury is the Founder and Managing Director of Paathshala Learning Solutions, a start-up organization that focuses on employee development at the grass roots level.
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Pia Silva’s 4 Top Business Books For Finding Guidance
Yesterday we brought you Pia Silva, Co-Founder and Brand Strategist at Worstofall Design, who told us all about the precious relationship between sellers, buyers, and brands. (If you missed Pia, go back and listen here.) Branding is all about knowing how to connect with an audience on different levels. Pia admits she doesn’t have all…
Read Full PostSTP022: How to Get Yourself Out of the Pricing Game with Pia Silva
Branding expert and strategist Pia Silva delves into the topic of revamping a company’s image on this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” with some wisdom thrown in about how to run a business when your partner is also your spouse.
Topics include…
- What branding really means (and why it matters)
- Why the best brands always evolve
- How to get out of the pricing game
- How branding supports your sales
- Getting rid of assumptions between partners
Pia Silva is a Founding Partner and Brand Strategist at Worstofall Design, a boutique branding company whose mission is to pair deep, emotional connections with strategic business thinking.
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Al Rivera’s 5 Top Favorite Sources Of Inspiration
Yesterday we brought you Al Rivera, CEO of ERH Contracting. Al talked about coming to terms with not doing everything yourself when demands are high. (If you missed Al, go back and listen here.) More than many others, Al has learned how to find outside resources than can lend a helping hand. He values the…
Read Full PostSTP021: Bringing In The Ringer with Al Rivera
Al Rivera has learned firsthand the upside of hiring outside help. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” he tells us about his struggles with trying to do it all and why stepping aside is actually the exact thing leaders need to do sometimes.
Topics include…
- Why sincerity has nothing to do with leadership
- How to know when to hire outside talent
- Where stress actually comes from
- The trick to combining logic and intuition
- The importance of a leadership scorecard
Al Rivera is the CEO of ERH Contracting, which provides full-service remodeling and additions for residential and commercial buildings.
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Paul Berkman’s 3 Top Personal Influences
Yesterday we brought you Paul Berkman, Financial Consultant at AXA Advisors. He explained why people should stop seeing low points and frustrations as obstacles, but opportunities. (If you missed Paul, go back and listen here.) Even superstar leaders know it takes a village. People need inspiration sometimes, and for Paul that inspiration comes from the…
Read Full PostSTP020: Learning to Win In Good Times and Bad with Paul Berkman
Financial consultant Paul Berkman believes gray hair is an asset in his field. On “Smashing the Plateau,” you’ll hear him talk about overcoming the frustrations of unmet expectations, holding yourself accountable, and not fearing down markets (whatever your field).
Topics include…
- How to overcome the frustration of getting stuck
- How to turn adverse market conditions into an advantage
- Why helping clients see the big picture helps you
- The best time to show your real worth
- The asset of an always open mind
Paul Berkman is a Financial Consultant at AXA Advisors. He specializes in investments and life insurance policies, retirement and estate planning, and disability services.
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Larry Sharpe’s 5 Top Inspirational Books
Yesterday we brought you Larry Sharpe, Managing Director of the Neo-Sage Group. He may no longer be in the marines, but the attitudes and principles he learned have stuck with him. (If you missed Larry, go back and listen here.) But, no man is an island – military personnel included. Larry Sharpe’s favorite resources all…
Read Full PostSTP019: Managing Like a Marine with Larry Sharpe
Former Marine Larry Sharpe infuses his military background into his management consulting and executive coaching business, Neo-Sage. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” he discusses the need for internal motivation and creating a mistake-friendly environment.
Topics include…
- When emotions must come before logic
- The 3-step plan for business growth
- How to decide on growth strategy
- The most important 30 minutes of your week
- Why leadership trumps management
Larry Sharpe is the Managing Director of the Neo-Sage Group, providing corporate training and management consulting to professionals in the industries of finance, technology, media, real estate, luxury, and healthcare.
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Brooke Wise’s 3 Top Sources of Inspiration
Yesterday we brought you Brooke Wise, the Founder of Wise Matchmaking. Brooke explained the difficulties in keeping personal matters out of professional ones, and vice versa. (If you missed Brooke, go back and listen here.) The best leaders know they can’t do it alone. They need someone or something to turn to, and Brooke Wise…
Read Full PostSTP018: The Matchmaker’s Balancing Act with Brooke Wise
Matchmaker Brooke Wise relays the challenges she faces with keeping her personal life and professional life separate. The first step, she says, was not taking it personally when people’s first reaction to her career was: “Really?” She discusses this topic and more on this episode of “Smashing the Plateau.”
Topics include…
- Why you shouldn’t justify your prices
- How to blend the personal and professional
- The struggles of discussing your numbers
- Why good work matters most
- How to avoid the wrong clients
Brooke Wise is the Founder of Wise Matchmaking, a private full-service relationship and matchmaking company that caters to men and women in the Greater New York City area and around South Florida.
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Alex Vachon’s 6 Top Sources of Inspiration
Yesterday we brought you Alex Vachon, the Founder of Cartouche Creations. Alex talked about client retention, getting unstuck, and how to overcome rejection. (If you missed Alex, go back and listen here.) Sometimes the resources the best leaders find aren’t quite on the nose of their business. Alex Vachon describes his favorites, which range from…
Read Full PostSTP017: Business in the Year of the Video Blog with Alex Vachon
Video and television producer, consultant, and filmmaker Alex Vachon gets into the finer points of turning the passions of film into a career of networking, overcoming hurdles, and flipping negatives into positives on this episode of “Smashing the Plateau.”
Topics include…
- Trusting yourself to get unstuck
- Why you should be asking retirees for advice
- How to get clients to keep coming back
- The key to staying ahead of the game
- Why you should stop seeing rejection as a negative
Alex Vachon is the Founder of Cartouche Creations, a NYC-based video and television production company that helps companies big and small deliver their content for the sake of marketing and public relations.
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Fi Haywood’s 4 Top Self-Help And Business Books
Yesterday we brought you Fi Haywood, who leads Training and Development at Café Style Speed Training. Fi discussed the value of building a strong team through open workplace culture. (If you missed Fi, go back and listen here.) It’s no secret the most successful people are always learning, about their businesses and about themselves. Fi…
Read Full PostSTP016: Creating a Culture of Openness with Fi Haywood
Fi Haywood, who co-founded Café Style Speed Training, explains the principles that underlie her signature “Café Style” method in this episode of “Smashing the Plateau.” She discusses collaboration, creativity, and why workplace culture could be what makes or breaks your company.
Topics include…
- What makes the “Café Style” approach so solid
- Using language to everyone’s advantage
- How big failures can turn into learning opportunities
- Finding the right time and place for emotions
- Why intuition could be your biggest asset
Fi Haywood serves as the Training and Development Lead at Café Style Speed Training, where she personally designs games, exercises, and creative strategies designed to uncover the hidden ways in which employees interact with one another.
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Keith Arem’s 5 Top Sources of Inspiration
Yesterday we brought you Keith Arem, video game developer and media expert at PCB Productions, who discussed why companies need to match their product with their audience. (If you missed Keith, go back and listen here.) It’s no secret the most successful people get help, and Keith is no exception. He explains how he looks…
Read Full PostSTP015: Finding Your Platform For Creativity and Business with Keith Arem
Keith Arem has had a remarkably successfully career in almost every branch of the entertainment business. He is probably best known for his pivotal role in creating video games like Call of Duty. On “Smashing the Plateau,” Keith discusses the elements that make a creatively minded businessperson most likely to succeed.
Topics include…
- A unique approach to goal-setting
- What all innovators can learn from video games
- How to make your audience pay attention
- How to spot and seize promising opportunities
- The best time to ask for help
Keith Arem is President of PCB Productions and PCB Entertainment. With more than two decades of experience as a video game talent director, designer, director, composer, and writer, Keith has worked on some of the industry’s biggest properties.
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Scott Messer’s 5 Top Book And Mentor Picks
Yesterday you heard Scott Messer talk about “anti-selling” and how to take risks. (If you missed it, go back and check it out here.) We hear a lot that the most successful people find help along the way. That’s why we asked Scott to give us his biggest sources of inspiration, drawing from books and…
Read Full PostSTP014: How to Sell More and Guess Less with Scott Messer
Scott Messer is a pioneer of an approach that takes the guesswork out of sales. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” Scott talks about what the best salespeople all have in common, how to see the world from a potential client’s point of view, the mechanics of leaving your comfort zone, and much more.
Topics include…
- How “anti-sales” could be your best revenue booster
- The secret of healthy and productive risk-taking
- How to get your employees working on overdrive
- The true value in knowing what you’re good at
- Why you should never be the most talented person in the room
Scott Messer and his company Sales Evolution LLC have revolutionized how companies approach their sales tactics. He is also co-author of the business novel The Outcome.
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Our Favorite Online Resources of the Week
Author and lecturer David Zweig has built a massive portion of his career on understanding what makes the “invisibles” in every company tick. They’re the ones that fly under the radar, yet often produce some of the work most critical to the success of the company. This week we look at how to cultivate the…
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