Guest Blogger – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

How to Ask Good Discovery Questions While Maintaining Your Authenticity

March 1, 2021/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger, Sales, Strategy /by Trevor Jones

Preserving authenticity is fundamental for generating a sale. Ask these simple discovery questions in your next client meeting.

Today’s post is by Jeff Kirchick, Vice President of Enterprise Sales at Next Caller, and author of Authentic Selling: How to Use the Principles of Sales in Everyday Life (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

In traditional sales programs, you are typically taught to ask certain questions. The problem with being taught to ask certain questions is that you are fundamentally changing your behavior when you ask them. Generally speaking, you are probably changing your behavior out of self-interest – to generate a sale – rather than asking in the interest of the customer. And the thing about sales is that you should always be focusing on the needs of the customer. Why? Because sales is not about you. Sales is about them. So what questions would you normally ask someone when you are trying to figure out what is best for them?

In my new book, Authentic Selling: How to Use the Principles of Sales in Everyday Life, I discuss the importance of authenticity relative to the usual tips and tricks you might learn in a formal sales training program. The rationale for this is two-fold: first, people just register authenticity easily. and authenticity is the key to building trust, which is fundamental for generating any sale; second – and perhaps more importantly – Read more

3 Ways to Serve Your Clients With Empathy

February 22, 2021/1 Comment/in Books, Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger, Sales /by Trevor Jones

Customers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Learn how to improve your sales pitch by taking the time to understand your customers.

Today’s post is by Joe Paranteau, author of Billion Dollar Sales Secrets (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Even if you are the best sales person with an airtight pitch, you might fumble your sale if you don’t make space to listen to what your customer has to say to you. Steamrolling ahead without listening to your customer will cause you to miss key cues about what’s important to them, their hesitations, and their goals. Without this information, you’ll never achieve value alignment.

Listening well is your single biggest asset when it comes to selling. People fundamentally want to be understood, but many salespeople get so caught up pitching their latest whiz-bang widget that they don’t stop to investigate whether their customers even want or need it in the first place.

This is why, as a seller, one of the most important skills you need to develop is empathetic listening. I learned early in my career that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. To be an empathic listener is to understand someone intellectually and also emotionally. Read more

Who’s the Best Person for the Job? 5 Tips to Find ‘Culture Fit’ in a Candidate

February 15, 2021/1 Comment/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Trevor Jones

The way a potential hire interacts with your staff can be just as important as their resume. Keep your team chemistry strong with these hiring tips.

Today’s post is by Joel Patterson, founder of The Vested Group and the ForbesBooks author of The Big Commitment: Solving The Mysteries Of Your ERP Implementation (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Many factors go into a company’s decision to hire someone: the candidate’s experience, talent, skills, and ability to communicate, for starters.

But while a sparkling resume and impressive job interview are still important considerations, a job prospect’s ability to fit the company’s culture has never been more critical in the hiring process.

Companies head into a new year full of uncertainty and are coming off a year of so much change and disruption. These challenges test the strength of a work culture, and as companies seek stability, adaptability, and growth, finding the right culture fit is the most crucial factor in choosing a new hire.

An aligned team will work far better together, be more productive individually, and feel more satisfied in their roles overall. And with more people working remotely, keeping your culture strong and your workflow cohesive is imperative. Adding new people should only serve to enhance it.

Here are five tips on how to hire for culture fit: Read more

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Taking The Leap to Entrepreneurship

February 8, 2021/0 Comments/in Books, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Trevor Jones

Don’t underestimate the commitment it takes to become an entrepreneur. Ask yourself these questions before you dive into a new business endeavor.

Today’s post is by Tim Mercer, founder of IBOXG, and the ForbesBooks author of Bootstrapped Millionaire: Defying the Odds of Business (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

As COVID-19 causes layoffs and extends uncertainty about employment in 2021, many people are considering new options, reinventing themselves, or trying to decide whether working for themselves is more desirable than finding another 9-to-5 job that might not last.

Entrepreneurship brings a lot of freedom, responsibility, and risks, and before people commit to taking that big step there are several important questions they should ask themselves.

Entrepreneurship is a career that offers a kind of freedom and personal satisfaction you simply cannot get from traditional 9-to-5 employment. You will never know if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur unless you take the leap of faith and experience it yourself.

It’s a big decision, though, involving many factors and inherent risks. There is a lot to navigate and endure en route to reaching your dream destination of professional and financial freedom, and many don’t make it because they simply weren’t cut out for the challenge to begin with.

People who are considering entrepreneurship should first ask themselves these five questions: Read more

Turn Off Your Brain: How to Regain Control of Your Sleep as an Entrepreneur

February 1, 2021/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger /by Trevor Jones

Establishing good sleep habits can improve your health and productivity as an entrepreneur. Reclaim your sleep with these tips.

Today’s post is by Brad Wayland, Chief Strategy Officer at BlueCotton.

If you are anything like me, you are no stranger to long, sleepless nights – no matter how bad for your health they might be. But take it from me, this is not something you want to make a habit. You need to reclaim your sleep. Here’s how to do just that:

It is three in the morning, and you are on a roll. It does not matter that you need to be up at eight tomorrow. You have work to do, and now is the time to do it.

Except it is not. At all. Not only are you killing your productivity by pulling these all-nighters, but you are also slowly killing yourself.

I will spare you the details. I am sure you have already heard repeatedly that sleep deprivation is directly linked to a range of very nasty illnesses. I am sure you already know that you need to start sleeping more and sleeping better.

And I am also sure you have no idea how. I have been there. Read more

5 New Year’s Resolutions to Make Your Business Culture a Winner

January 25, 2021/0 Comments/in Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Trevor Jones

Meeting company goals begins with employees and managers working well together. Mark McClain shares his advice for improving business culture in 2021.

Today’s post is by Mark McClain, CEO of SailPoint and the ForbesBooks author of Joy and Success at Work: Building Organizations that Don’t Suck (the Life Out of People) (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

New Year’s resolutions are not only for individuals but businesses too. Company goals set for the year ahead are usually measured in data and tied to categories like revenue production and expense reduction.

After a difficult 2020 due to COVID-19, many enterprises’ bottom-line numbers will take on extra importance in 2021. And business culture will be just as crucial. Any resolutions that company leaders make are an effective way to measure their work environment and help their teams meet performance metrics.

Meeting individual, team, and company goals begins with employees and managers working well together in a vibrant environment. And given the changes and challenges of these times, culture and how leaders pay attention to it have never been more important.

The bottom line falls into place when everyone is on the same page. But even if leaders have established a strong culture, it bears constant vigilance to ensure everyone is rowing in the same direction, especially now when a volatile world can threaten to throw even the most solid companies off course.

These are some business culture resolutions for the New Year that leaders could consider: Read more