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About Waldo Waldman
Leadership and peak performance speaker. Graduate of my alma mater, USAFA.
11 years on active duty in the Air Force flying F-16s with 69 combat missions.
After getting his MBA he worked for technology firms in sales and merger and acquisitions.
Wrote his New York Times Best Seller, "Never Fly Solo: Lead With Courage, Build Trusting Partrenships, and Reach New Heights in Business."
Addresses partnerships and commitment in business and life.
Now he speaks 70 times a year with great companies like Exxon and the Denver Broncos.
Waldo overcame his claustrophobia to be a great fighter pilot. He describes how everyone overcomes their own obstacles. He didn't know he was claustrophobic until after having a near-death SCUBA diving accident. He wrestled with this little devil on his shoulder of fear and doubt and uncertainty for 8 years.
But his passion was greater than his fear. His commitment and responsibilities and love and excitement for flying fighters was greater than his fear. When you are doing what you love you can stay motivated and resilient and "stay in the fight."
(What an amazing correlation to sales. In my "7 Deadly Sins of Selling," #7 is "Quitting just before striking gold." In other words, "stay in the fight.")
Peak performers stay in the fight despite their fears.
Waldo couldn't share this fear with anyone other than his twin brother, but he was able to break through the fears and perform at his peak.
As soon as he lost focus, the panic would set in. So keep the focus.
Most of his fear was in his head and it would manifest itself during preparation.
But as soon as he launched—make the cold call, get started, step out on stage—the fear would subside. (I've always said that actions create emotions, not the other way around. So don't trick yourself into believing "Oh, when I feel better I'll work on my business." NO! Start working on your business and you'll feel better!)
Preparation and having a great team is a big help. When you are confident in your skills, that also helps address the fear.
Preparation leads to Power, Power builds Trust in your most important wingman...yourself.
Too many sales people shoot from the hip. (It's deadly sin #1 of "7 Deadly Sins of Selling.")
"Wingmen never wing it." Preparation is the key. Confidence is a mindset but it's a byproduct of the work and preparation you do.
Be relevant. Do the research. Use social media. Gather information and intel on your prospects. Attend classes and listen to podcasts. Sharpen your sword.
Many people rest on yesterday's wins. Some people are lazy and the lazy get shot down. A lot don't have a team holding them accountable. Entrepreneurs are especially susceptible to this. Get in a formal or informal mastermind / accountability group. When you have others challenging you and calling your bluff, you grow.
Many times your coach can be the book you just read or podcast you listened to. Set goals for the day with a plan of action for the day. Do your research on your prospects. Those are you pre-planning efforts. "You can't be all thrust and no vector." Have a direction to your day and your business.
What is that one thing you can do today to make everything else easier? Gary Keller asks this in his book, "The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results."
You can be your own wingman. Debrief yourself. Watch and listen to your own videos and calls. Be open to the feedback you may not want to hear but need to hear from your wingmen. Check your ego at the door.
We all have PTSD - Post Traumatic Sales Disorder.
Waldo coaches his client to write. It demonstrates your credibility. It improves your outreach to prospects. It shows you're relevant. Don't shoot for the moon. Write for your newsletter. Contact local associations and find a small, boutique association and offer your content. Leverage those publications and grow online. This is how Waldo wrote his book.
Waldo got his "major MBA" in launching his speaking career. In his first four years he was cold calling on merger and acquisition prospects in his day job, but he had to start from scratch when he began his speaking career. He "modeled" his competition. He joined the National Speakers Association. He then became President of his local chapter.
He cold-called his prospects and did very well. He had his plan. He had a speech. Sent hand-written notes. Now, his phone rings, and people want him to come speak.
To the hard work. These fundamentals - nothing cosmic - are how you succeed.
Too many people are selling the dream of becoming a million dollar speaker, but you need to make sure the engine of your car is solid before you worry about the paint color.
The military gave us a great foundation but you have to earn your wings every day. Get out and network, meet people, show your competence. You have the tools but you have to get out there and build your business. Competence minus ethics and integrity and the accountability and work ethics will get shot down. Military veterans have those traits to help them succeed.
Stay visual on what you love: your family, your checks, your charity, dream home, music, business.
Lose sight. Lose fight."
Life's too short to not be involved with something you love. Maybe it's your family or co-workers that you love and that can inspire you. Focus on your meaning and your mission.
Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Elizabeth Dole "didn't wait for the rivers to flood" before she built relationships.
That's why she was so successful at the American Red Cross.
Take off your mask.
Humble yourself.
Get your ego out of the way.
Acknowledge your insecurities. Build relationships with those that can lift you up when you need it.
Give your wings away and help others.
Finally, build a team around you that are honest with you, not just a bunch of "yes men." Avoid "wingnut friends" that drag you down on weekends and at other times.
Learn more about Waldo at his blog, YourWingMan.com.
Episode #32 of The Sales Podcast: Get 30,000 Subscribers While Working From Home: Mike Bundrant, NLP Expert
About Mike Bundrant
- Mike Bundrant is the founder of iNLP Center. He is an NLP Master Practitioner, IANLP Fellow Trainer, and retired psychotherapist (NM). He has been a certified NLP practitioner since 1993. He has traveled the world for his (previous) Mormon faith, teaching NLP and growing personally. He has franchised Healthy Times Newspaper and now runs his business with over 500 students and 30,000 subscribers from his home where he loves the morning commute!
What Are You Doing Daily To Grow
- Leveraging multi-media and multi-step nurture sequences. Mike has his blog, a printed newsletter, he's coming out with a new program as well as being active on social media.
Rubber-Meets-The-Road Tip
- Leverage WordPress, don't fret over SEO but figure out how to produce and deliver "super-high caliber, insanely, useful content...written really well.”
- Your website is your home base. It’s where everything points to. Use web forms and autoresponders to capture the contact information of visitors in return for giving them access to valuable information and then stay in touch.
What Are You Reading Now
Links Mentioned
Episode #33 of The Sales Podcast: "The Suitcase Entrepreneur" Natalie Sisson Shares How To Live Life On Your Terms
About Natalie Sisson
- Her friends call her an adventurer (others use the word nutter) because she has a motto of living life to the fullest.
- Natalie's a writer, author, speaker, blogger, and fun-loving, down-to-earth entrepreneur.
- She's ridiculously passionate about building amazing businesses online that you can take anywhere. That means online marketing, social media, and new tools and technologies are her life.
- Combine that with her love for travel and her addiction to Ultimate Frisbee, and you pretty much have the full picture of Natalie.
- She had over 8 years of corporate experience in marketing, communications, brand, and product management for some major companies in New Zealand, England, and Canada across the widest variety of industries—yes, she had real jobs!
- Throw into the mix a past life in modeling, TV presenting, Moto-x racing, tennis, netball, triathlons, sailing, and you get the kind of person Natalie Sisson is.
- A multi-faceted, multi-potentiality woman intent on changing her world, and yours for the better.
- Natalie Sisson loves learning and then passing on that knowledge at her site, SuitcaseEntrepreneur.com, where you can see that she "hearts entrepreneurship."
Greatest Sales Success
- She has now developed 8 different revenue streams to support her lifestyle goals.
- "Create freedom in business and adventure in life."
- "The world rewards bravery."
Interesting Tidbit
- In 2013 she came in fourth place with GB Women at the European Championships of Beach Ultimate Frisbee in Spain.
What Are You Doing Daily To Grow
- She has developed a team that helps her run her business so she can focus on being the Chief Happiness Officer.
Rubber-Meets-The-Road Tip
- Leverage ODesk and eLance as well as referrals and your online community to find the people you need to do the jobs that have to be done. Meet weekly via Google Hangout so everyone can feel part of the team, even if they are all in different cities and even countries.
- Leverage the cloud like Dropbox for storage, Google Docs, and Asana for project management. All have free versions and are inexpensive to upgrade.
What's Your Latest Book?
Links Mentioned
If you liked this episode, please let Natalie and me know on Twitter.
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Episode #34 of The Sales Podcast: Henry Evans: Leave The Rat Race In Just One Hour a Day
About Henry Evans
- Entrepreneur, geek, marketer, sales-guru, teacher, husband, and father to two wonderful girls, Henry Evans has been involved in getting results with sales and marketing for over 20 years.
- He has had responsibility for generating over $15,000,000 in sales and has engineered a $189,000 payday in 90 minutes. His experience spans from the heart of Washington, D.C., successfully working with clients such as the US Department of Labor and Executive Office of the President of the United States, down to working with a local Steakhouse on re-vamping their marketing campaign.
Greatest Sales Success
- Left his "corporate schmuck" career as a VP of Sales in software on Halloween Day and never looked back.
Most Spectacular Sales Flop
- Henry accrued over $125,000 in credit card debt and depleted his 401(k) when he went out on his own before he really turned his business around.
What Are You Doing Daily To Grow
- Set daily goals.
- Know where you want to be a year from now.
- Have one clear number you are focused on such as "100 new clients by the end of the year."
Rubber-Meets-The-Road Tip
- Do two-step lead-capture.
- Don't rely on just getting an email and waiting for them to come to you. Collect more information such as address and/or phone number and follow-up sequentially.
What Are You Reading Now
Links Mentioned
Episode #35 of The Sales Podcast: Create a 7-Figure Business With Sales and Marketing Automation, Jermaine Griggs
About Jermaine Griggs
Founded HearandPlay.com at 17-years old in his grandma's one-bedroom inner-city apartment. He had no idea his $70 investment would turn into a multi-million dollar business teaching tens of thousands how to play and enjoy music by ear.
While in college studying Law & Criminology, Jermaine relied heavily on automated follow-up and marketing processes to run his business while he made good on a promise to his family to graduate school. What resulted was a unique automation strategy and philosophy that he follows religiously til' this day.
As a result of his success and uncanny ability to mesmerize audiences, Jermaine started attracting the attention of the business world. He's been featured on Msn, Yahoo, Kiplinger, D&B, Aetna's Innovators, Msnbc, and more. In 2011, he was awarded Infusionsoft's "Ultimate Marketer of the Year" and teaches entrepreneurs how to repeat his success by working smarter and not harder.
Jermaine is married to his high school sweetheart of 13 years, has 3 children, and resides in Orange County, CA.
Greatest Sales Success
- Got into persuasion and copywriting when he saw a 26-page sales letters back in 2002. He's now doing 7-figures a year and 8-figures in total sales.
- Breakthrough Advertising - Eugene Shorts. "Different markets require different techniques."
- A.I.D.A. is the same as it ever was.
Mistakes Business Owners Make
- “The biggest problem is people don’t have a process.”
- “People don’t know what they want to automate.”
- “Your business is different? People just call you with their credit cards? You never have to mentor or dispense advice? Of course you’re all of that and more.”
- You have information you take for granted. Take the consumer advocate approach in creating resources for your prospective clients.
- Give them your best tips upfront. Don’t be scarcity-minded. Be abundant-minded.
- “We underestimate people’s lack of focus online.”
- You need to get them immediately to the second form of communication beyond email - asking for cell phone for text messaging.
- He delivers the first lesson via CustomerHub, a membership site and tracks how long they watch their videos then nudges them if they don’t respond after too long, “Oh taste and see that Jermaine’s stuff is great.”
What Are You Doing Daily To Grow
- See the books he is reading to develop himself fully: business, mindset, etc.
Rubber-Meets-The-Road Tip
- When advertising on Facebook, keep your opt-in form on Facebook to lower your CPC expenses.
- Upsell rush shipping. His lead magnet is free but normally takes 4 weeks for the workbook to arrive. Pay $3 and they get it right away. (He captures the address in next step and finally the Credit Card information. The goal is to have a low barrier to entry then slowly pull them in.)
- “Go with conversion first.” Stay off the latest traffic bandwagon until you know what converts.
- Data must be usable and “merge able.”
- Up-surveying - one question leads to another.
- Simple question leads to money-questions.
- “Hey, since you’re into [jazz], I thought you’d like this…”
What Are You Reading Now
Links Mentioned
Episode #36 of The Sales Podcast: Jia Jiang: "Enjoy" Rejection Therapy To Grow
About Jia Jiang
An entrepreneur, blogger, speaker, and future author. His story of entrepreneurship and 100 Days of Rejections can be found in Bloomberg Businessweek, Yahoo News, Forbes, the Huffington Post, etc.
You can also watch his talks at TED.com and the World Domination Summit.
His main site today is Fearbuster where you can see the results of his 100 Days of Rejection Therapy.
He left a nice 6-figure job in Corporate America four days before his wife gave birth to their son and his real entrepreneurial journey starts there.
Business Failure
- A few months into his new software venture he was rejected by an investor and it hurt badly. He had a team of engineers working hard to develop the pitch. It was discouraging. What he started to see was how discouraged he became so he thought there has to be a better way to handle rejection, which led to...
- “Make your misery your ministry," which led to...
Greatest Sales Success
- Rejection Therapy is a game to seek out rejection. He put his own spin on this. He recorded it all with his iPhone.
- Did this in public to make him accountable.
- On day 3 he went to a Krispy Kreme and that video went viral. He asked the manager to make him doughnuts that looked like the Olympic rings.
Mistakes Business Owners Make
- “Thinking rejection is final or fatal."
- "But in business there is no life or death. But that fear of failure and rejection is what’s holding us back and it’s usually not rational."
- Letting fear become a monster in and of itself.
- Waiting for the perfect time to start and thereby letting ideas rot in your mind forever.
What Are You Doing Daily To Grow
Rubber-Meets-The-Road Tip
- Write it when you’re struggling. Write it when you have the conflict. Own your conflict and own your fear. It makes you more creative.
- Courage is like a muscle.
- Just do it. Rejection is not negative. We think of it as being so painful. That’s a mistake. It’s just someone’s opinion. Everyone has their own opinions. Just because someone has an opinion on what you’re offering and it's different than yours, doesn't mean you or your offering are bad or worthless.
What Are You Reading Now
Links Mentioned
If you liked this episode, please let Jia Jiang and me know on Twitter.
Episode #37 of The Sales Podcast: Irreverent. Funny. True. (Private Parts?) Meet Author, Writer, Dude, D.J. Paris
About D.J. Paris
Enjoys humor.
Instead of sports, he watched comedians on HBO and recorded their sets on cassette.
He didn't do it to become a comedian.
He just liked making his friends laugh.
He has been sending out funny (but true) stories to his friends for the past 15 years.
Now his site gets a boatload of visitors and this podcast interview will send him over the 100,000 Twitter follower mark (if I should say so myself.)
In 2012 he wrote daily to the tune of 185,000 words. So D.J. Paris is doing something right while doing what he loves.
Business Failure
- He "bought his way to the top" of Google rankings with some black hat SEO. "Through the 'seedy underbelly of SEO' as the New York Times puts it."
Greatest Sales Success
- He modeled himself after Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers: The Story of Success" in that he recognized he needed to get his 10,000 hours in to achieve mastery, so he started writing.
- He started small by entering a blog challenge to blog every day during the month of January.
- It is difficult for him if he doesn’t have this reservoir of inspiration but he realized he could do it once he got started. Halfway through the year it became a streak he didn’t want to blow.
He went about 400 days straight.
Mistakes Business Owners Make
- Thinking there is nothing new to learn.
- Forgetting that content is king.
- Not realizing the free content is needed for viewership.
What Are You Doing Daily To Grow
- Networking is fundamental to his growth.
- He works hard at building his Twitter following.
- He continuously tries new things. "80% of his ideas have never panned out but he keeps trying new things."
Rubber-Meets-The-Road Tip
- You just have to write. (Jia Jiang and Jermaine Griggs - and Yours Truly - agree.)
- He spends about an hour a day on Twitter with 5-7 posts per day.
- He writes when he is inspired but does not schedule his posts. He wants to "be available to respond right away and increases engagement."
- “Direction works better than goals.”
What Are You Reading Now
Links Mentioned
If you liked this episode, please let D.J. Paris and me know on Twitter.
Episode #38 of The Sales Podcast: Rebekah Radice: Master Social Media To Grow Your Sales
About Rebekah Radice
She's a social media strategist, consultant, trainer, and digital marketing specialist. She started her first blog in 2007 and her first business when she was eight years old.
She has trained thousands of business professionals on how to use social media strategically, allowing them to maximize, prioritize and monetize their online efforts.
She has worked with Fortune 500 organizations as well as entrepreneurs, helping each one build winning teams, brands, and businesses.
Rebekah Radice calls Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate a client and has run comprehensive marketing campaigns for them that spanned multiple social channels over an extended period of time.
She was recently voted for the second year in a row a “Top 100 Social Media and Technology Leader” by Inman News and one of the Top 40 Social Media Professionals of 2013.
With her 18+ years of marketing experience, she is eager to put her experience, innovative ideas, and keen sense of “what works,” to work for you!
Business Failure
- Most brands today are still not doing a good job with Google Plus. Learn from their mistakes and beat them at their own game.
Greatest Sales Success
- Coldwell Banker & ReMax in Los Angeles as well as Keller Williams in Beverly Hills are killing it with social media, especially Google Plus, thanks to Rebekah's advice.
Mistakes Business Owners Make
- They jump in too quickly without first "Searching. Identifying. Connecting."
What Are You Doing Daily To Grow
Rubber-Meets-The-Road Tip
- Set up your profile on Google Plus now.
- Practice using Google Hangouts for live meetings in place of webinars.
- Create the event.
- Promote it.
- Record it.
- Share it straight to YouTube.
- Use hashtags to make it easier for your followers to find you and your discussions.
- Use more pictures.
- Join Google Plus Communities and just listen for a while.
What Are You Reading Now
Links Mentioned
Episode #39: Get Your Act Together With Air Force Veteran Turned Professional Organizing Entrepreneur, Angela Cody-Rouget, "The Major Mom"
Shark Tank's Angela Cody-Rouget, "Major Mom"
About Angela Cody-Rouget
Founder and CEO of Major Mom®, and she walks her talk.
She has 2 decades of training in order management.
Angela served in the U.S. Air Force for 18 years (10 years active duty, 4 years in the reserves +4 years in AFROTC) and she embraces and thrives in orderly environments.
Orderly does not mean rigid or inflexible!
Orderly means that you have room in your brain to think about important things.
Not only was she born to organize but after 18 years in the USAF the processes of order and organization are internalized and it is natural to live orderly.
She wishes everyone knew how good it felt to have a peaceful and serene home.
Angela attained the rank of Major in the USAF and her husband, Frederic, nicknamed her Major Mom after their first child was born.
Angela would return from a long weekend of reserve duty and Frederic would hand her baby Lily and say "Yeah, Major Mom is home!" Angela has been called Major Mom since December 2003.
Angela worked as a solo professional organizer for three years, yet her vision for Major Mom has always been on a grander scale.
The Major Mom vision is to be the most recognized and respected organizing firm nationally and internationally.
Major Mom aims to be of great service to busy families.
The company also aspires to provide rewarding careers for men and women who are passionate about organizing and serving families.
In 2009, Angela brought a partner to the Major Mom team—Mandy Pinkston.
In October 2009, the Major Mom Training Academy was opened.
They have since trained 36 apprentices via eight academy classes as of July 2013. She currently has 14 fabulous Liberators (Professional Organizers) helping them restore order to the world. [See her "Careers Tab" for more information about joining the team.]
Greatest Sales Success
- She donated her services for free to a silent auction for her church and two people bought it and she delivered great service and grew. Within two months she was making money!
- She was also waiting tables. She did it in college but did it to serve and grow. At 37 years old and she was waiting tables, but she was working, earning money, and building that motivation to hit her goals!
Mistakes Business Owners Make
- She and her husband had to hit rock bottom before they were brave enough to follow their dreams and their passions.
- She started by pricing her services too low. Kept her prices too low for up to a year. She was afraid if she raised her prices no one would hire her.
What Are You Doing Daily To Grow
- She hosts workshops at her office and she shares a training room but she also does them at in-home parties. She gives a fun presentation and people love it.
Rubber-Meets-The-Road Tip
- Focus on the vision and don't get all caught up in “the how.”
- She did a lot of competitive research to learn how to price her services.
- She joined her industry’s trade association.
- She focuses on marketing AND sales.
- She gets 50% down before she starts.
- They don’t leave without the credit card or check for the remaining 50%.
What Are You Reading Now
Links Mentioned
Episode #40 of The Sales Podcast: Drugs, Self-Doubt & Losing Hope: Let's Get Real For a Moment
When you have a great sales attitude you don't need drugs or hugs.
This is not my normal podcast.
Another celebrity died of a drug overdose over the weekend and it makes me ask
Why do people who 'have it all' feel so empty inside and resort to such destructive behavior?"
(I wrote about this a while ago: February 2010. What a shame that people die this way.)
If you have your faith and your family, you have a full life worth living.
So I felt compelled to record this session today. It's just me and my thoughts on this one. No cute quip. No bumper music. No book or program promotion. Just me and my thoughts.
So you've been warned. If you're looking for a sales or social media or email marketing tip, this ain't the podcast for you.
If you're looking for a way to use horrible events such as this celebrity's senseless death to recognize how good life is in general, and how good your life is in particular, this is just what the Whisperer ordered.
Remember, the grass is not greener and it still has to be mowed. Pray for Phillip Seymour Hoffman and his family. And pray for your own.