Our Podcasts
Hints and Tips to Grow Your Business
Learn while you drive, workout or just relax. Our series of podcasts will help you learn and grow your business. Choose the podcast series that fits your needs.
The podcast series on business storytelling will help you inspire . your customers by connecting to their hearts and minds with memorable stories.
The series on LEAN and developing a People Centered Leadership begins by helping you see the big picture, and get some background. Then we will help you with the tools and processes as well as the activities and mindset to develop a joyful and sustaining culture.
Our sales series provides the latest in skills and processes. The buying process has changed and selling has changed. The availability of information on the Internet has made today’s buyer more savvy. So, we will help you gain the tools, knowledge, and skills to succeed in this new environment.
Scroll down for the links to all of our podcasts.
Podcast #35 – How to Overcome Challenges and Bounce Back Higher
Category: Sales
While presenting on Zoom to those facing the challenges of cancer, I realized the character traits and activities that he lp them will help you bounce back from these tough times. I became aware of these thoughts and actions in my life as I survived multiple battles with cancer, a divorce, the death of a spouse and sibling, and career changes. I want to share what I have learned from these challenges and my studies on positivity.
Podcast #34 - Why Stories are the most powerful sales tool
Category: Sales
Stories are sticky and typical PowerPoint presentations are not. Stories capture your customer’s attention right from the beginning and it keeps them engaged until they say, “Ahha, Let’s do it!” Stories put things in context so they help them understand the message and remember it. Business leaders like Steve Jobs, Paul Smith, and Peter Guber knew that stories were key to their success. Click the link to listen and learn how you too can succeed with stories.
Podcast #33 - How to Make Customers into
Raving Fans
Category: Sales
All companies want to achieve a competitive advantage, but most of their methods provide short lived success at best. Listen and learn how you can achieve a sustainable competitive advantage with customers that are raving fans. This strategy doesn’t depend on constantly upgrading technology or marketing deals. Toyota and American Manufacturers for Excellence have uncovered this process. It is working for Toyota and for the organization members. It can work for you too.
Podcast #32 - How to Make More Sales With Transformation Experiences
Category: Sales
Today’s buyers are on social media, use a virtual reality device and exercise or participate in sports, So they want to be an active part of the end-to-end sales process. They also want an experience that will make a sustainable personal change or a change in their company and employees. Click the link to listen to the podcast . Then download the transcript and the account strategy form.
Podcast #31 - How to Avoid Holiday Social and Ethical Catastrophes
Category: Sales
What you say matters, but it’s what you do that really counts. When you cross ethical lines, your reputation can be ruined, and your credibility shaken. So, it is essential to be prepared. Making the wrong decision could cost you personally and professionally. It can also have legal consequences for you and your company.
Podcast #30 - How to Earn Your Prospect's Trust and Win Sales
Category: Sales
Today’s buyer 2.0 is bombarded with over 3,000 marketing messages in various mediums every day. Much of the information in those messages is conflicting and contradictory. So, it’s a challenge to sort out the facts from the hype. Therefore, trust now represents over 40% of the selling process model. Listen and learn the top ten ways you can build trust that leads to a sale.
Podcast #29 -How to Conquer Prospecting Phobia & Get Results
Category: Sales
It’s true most salespeople just don’t like prospecting, but they do know that it is part of their job and it is necessary to develop new customers. Without prospecting, you can reach a point of no sales and no-one in your pipeline. Salespeople make all kinds of excuses not to do prospecting activities.
Podcast #28 - How to Make Your Business Grow with LEAN Coaching
Category: LEAN
Your long-term success depends on highly engaged employees who use their highest strengths to meet new and higher challenges. They must also be connected to the mission and purpose of their work. Lean coaching will help you identify their strengths, build trust, strong relationships, and continuously improve your people and your processes.
Podcast #27 - How Good Questions Make Prospects Into Solution Partners
Category: LEAN
Asking the right questions at the right time and with the right mindset is the secret to building an equitable trusting partnership. f you are curious and are willing to ask questions to which you don’t know the answer you will build trust and develop strong relationships. Sales is a profession that is interdependent on prospects, customers, and co-workers.
Podcast #26 - How to Make Your Team a Constellation of Superstars
Category: LEAN
A successful and sustainable implementation of Lean depends upon changing from individuals seeking stardom into a group of connected members seeking team success. Just as a constellation is composed of many stars creating an identifiable pattern of a figure or object, a great team is a tribe of connected sharing people whose attitudes and activities form a pattern for success.
Podcast #25 - How to Get Your Lean Transformation Unstuck
Category: LEAN
You may be like many leaders attracted by the awesome results achieved by others using Lean. So, you got excited, scheduled seminars and Kaizen days. You even enjoyed measurable success. But then the excitement eroded. It seems your everyday business got in the way. Now you’re stuck or maybe even backsliding. How can you get unstuck and get going again? There are three main reasons that strongly impact this occurrence and there is a solution for each of them.
Podcast #24 - Are Your Profits Leaking Out in a Web of Office Processes
Category: LEAN
Today, many companies are unknowingly leaking their profits out in a tangled web of office processes. That is because most business processes have just evolved over time as the company grew. The processes for the non-manufacturing activities are quite different from those related to producing a product. The need to create long-term strategies for manufacturing is evident as growth and changes in that area usually require new equipment, space, and people.
Podcast #23— How to Synchronize the Selling and Buying Processes
Category: LEAN
There is a sales crisis because the Internet has made more information available than at any previous time. Consequently, as much as 70% of the buying decision may be completed before the salesperson contacts the buyer. The sales process and all of the processes that support sales must adjust to this new reality. Applying the Continuous Improvement process in Lean to your sales organization can result in astonishing and measurable results.
Podcast #22— How to Increase Your Revenue With Proven Lean Actions
Category: LEAN
When most people think of Lean and Six Sigma, they think of manufacturing, engineers, scientists, and software developers using the tools and processes to improve workflow and cut costs. However, today many departments such as customer service, sales and marketing, as well as technical support, and many other office areas, are also using the tools and processes. These organizations realize that not only your product but also your customer’s experience determines their relationship and loyalty with your company. This podcast discusses how Lean can eliminate waste and develop customer focused processes to increase revenues.
Podcast #21— Are You Missing an Opportunity to Strike Gold in Your Company?
Category: LEAN
You may be just a few feet from striking gold in your company but, by not adding this activity to your management process, you may be missing opportunities for increased profit, improved quality products, as well as employee and customer satisfaction.
Podcast #20 - How a Culture of Empowered Teams Creates Lean Success
Category: LEAN
This podcast discusses the creation of empowered teams and management tools and processes to develop them. It includes why investing in performance skills (commonly known as soft skills) ensures sustained success. Lean is a journey and this podcast is an important point on the map to success
Podcast #19 - How to Coach and Manage To Create a Successful Lean Culture
Category: LEAN
This podcast discusses the changes required in how we must change our thinking and managing our people to align the organization culture with the Lean management processes. It includes a discussion of coaching and helping employees learn problem solving skills.
Podcast #18 - What Makes Some Companies So Successful With LEAN?
Category: LEAN
This podcast introduces you to LEAN and discusses why some companies are so successful and some companies fail. It includes two case studies on successful companies. Future podcasts in this series will discuss the tools, processes and the development of a successful culture.
Podcast #17 - How to Use Storytelling as a Success Strategy
Category: LEAN
Storytelling as a Business Strategy is emerging as an essential skill for both leaders and salespeople in companies of any size. Today every company needs to create a strategy or a path to follow and share their brand story in multiple channels. It’s the only way to build a sustainable business for the future. Choosing the right strategy is important.
Podcast #16 - How to Focus Your Attention Like a Champion
Category: LEAN
Focus can make the difference between winning and losing. Many people in sports call it being in the zone. This is especially evident when they are in events like the Olympics or the final moments of a critical game.
Podcast #15 - The Powerful Impact of Coaching on Your Bottom Line
Category: LEAN
Coaching is the most critical element in sustaining the positive impact of training. It is also vital in helping employees to know what is expected, inspiring them, providing recognition, and showing appreciation for their achievements.
Podcast #14 - Tell the Best Stories
Category: LEAN
If you want to be engaging and keep your audience from rolling their eyes or checking their email while telling your business story listen to this podcast. In it we discuss how to capture your listener’s attention and package your great ideas so they are memorable. It includes an outline and guidelines to help you create concise compelling business stories that stick.
Podcast #13 - Three Powerful Ways to Improve Your Resilience and Success
Category: SALES
Today I am happy to talk to you about three ways to improve your resilience and your success rate. With today’s tips you can also form a new habit that will help you improve happiness and well being in other areas of your life.
Podcast #12 - How the Magic of Happiness Makes Businesses Flourish
Category: SALES
There is a lot of information available about positive psychology but the principles for applying it and the results are still not widely known. So, I want to share what the researchers found and their principles for creating happiness. I want to offer this information to you so you can apply it and get a competitive advantage in your work life and enjoy a happier more fulfilled personal life.
Podcast #11 - How to Influence Your Prospect's Mindset
Category: SALES
Perception is a lens that we look through to interpret reality. If you can alter your prospect’s lens, you can change how they view reality. Changing the mindset of your prospect is a key to persuading them to make a purchase or adopting your ideas. Listen to this podcast about the various methods of changing mindsets and persuasion. It’s a must listen for sales and entrepreneurs.
Podcast #10 - How to Engage and Inspire Your Audience
Category: SALES
My daughter Linda and I celebrated her birthday at a Darius Rucker Concert near my home at the beach in Delaware. While at the concert, it struck me how much a great entertainer is similar to someone making a great speech or presentation. Rucker engaged and inspired the audience. Let’s take a look at the similarities that lead to success such as he enjoys.
Podcast #9 - How to Stay Up and Connected in a Competitive Environment
Category: SALES
You got up this morning cheerful, pumped up and ready to make calls and close sales. But when you got out there, your calls went to voice mail, the prospect said no or hung up, your customers were staring at their smart phones in the elevator, the receptionist is now gone and the automatic voice asks you for the extension number you want, the person you want to see does not see anyone without an appointment and she is booked for weeks. That’s enough to let the air out of anyone’s balloon.
Podcast #8 - How to Deliver Insights and Win Sales
Category: SALES
Several of the well-known sales training programs recommend you sell by providing insights to your customer. Sales reps who are successful selling using insights, connect emotionally with their prospects. Not only do they bring the prospect important ideas but they connect to their heart and show how they can justify the solution with their mind. You know that is a better way to sell than providing a structured pitch. But the question is, how do you prepare and share your insights effectively?
Podcast #7 - 7 Easy Ways to Connect the Dots and Win Sales
Category: SALES
Prospects often have difficulty connecting the dots between your product or service and their needs. They don’t see the big picture so they focus on price comparisons. Today’s podcast focuses on the different types of stories you can tell at each step in the process. Using these types of stories will increase your prospect’s perception of your trustworthiness, and likeability as well as make your prospect engagements more interesting, credible and memorable.
Podcast #6 - Why Your Unique Vision Story is a Fascinating Gift
Category: STORYTELLING
With so many marketing messages and competitive vendors, you want to present your solution in a unique way that captures the interest of the prospect and persuades them to do business with you. A “vision” story can be just the thing that sets you apart and can be a fascinating gift to your prospect.
Podcast #5 - How to captivate your audience with presence
Category: SALES
Exhibiting presence is about how you perceive yourself, not about how other people perceive you. In this state and mindset, your body communicates a positive power message to your brain which communicates persuasive messages of trustworthiness to your listeners.
Podcast #4 - Why kill a great story with one of these blunders?
Category: STORYTELLING
Missing elements can create a gap in your customer connection. You want your listener to emotionally connect and to remember you and your product or service. To increase your opportunity to make the sale don’t leave out these 5 important elements in your story.
Podcast #3 How to avoid the top blunders when telling your story
Category: STORYTELLING
Successful business storytelling communicates your brand and gets your customer excited about it. This week’s podcast describes 5 of the top blunders that can destroy a great story.
Podcast #2 - Create a great opening for your story
Category: STORYTELLING
Successful business storytelling communicates your brand and gets your customer excited about it. This week’s podcast describes 5 of the top blunders that can destroy a great story.
Phyllis Mikolaitis – she writes the content and you’ll hear her speak throughout!
Podcast #1 - Tell your story on video
Category: STORYTELLING
People don’t watch bad videos or listen to bad podcasts. So we created this podcast to help you choose the right tools and processes to create videos that get watched not deleted.
John Switzer – he takes Phyllis’s audio files and edits them to create the podcast.