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Are you stuck trying to grow a high-performance team for your business so you can focus on your business owner responsibilities? Welcome to the show that helps small business owners hire, grow, and develop a radically-engaged team that will run the business for you, reducing your stress, boosting your profits, and letting you fully enjoy being the business owner. You’ll discover techniques to attract and hire top talent, ways to transform your team into a powerhouse of engagement, and shift from being the hands-on operator to a strategic leader focused on new growth opportunities. With over 18 years of experience, host Rich Allen has guided countless business owners in building strong, profitable teams that drive success and fulfillment. To learn how to take your team from Average to Exceptional, listen to fan-favorite episode # 229. You need to master these 7 Keys to achieve the transformation you’ve been seeking. A podcast that helps business owners master business management, hiring employees, and employee management by refining their hiring process, enhancing leadership skills, and developing high-performance teams, all while addressing employee needs, business growth, organization, strategy, and the stress that comes with building a successful business.
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 05, 2019
Tuesday Feb 05, 2019
Insane Productivity
Have you ever wondered how the uber-successful people can accomplish so much while you are always feeling stressed out and over-committed? I sure know I have!
So recently I decided to enroll in a course called Insane Productivity by Darren Hardy. The goal was to learn the principles and techniques used by the ultra-successful to achieve so much more than the average person.
I’m only half-way through the course, but I’ve already had a big “Ah Ha” that I want to share – that is, most of us have Digiphrenia and Acquired ADD!
Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day
The biggest block to your being Insanely Productive is that fact that you think you are great at Multi-Tasking! But you’re not! Because it’s not how your brain works.
Rather than being able to FOCUS and get things done, we are constantly SWITCHING from one thing to another and being DISTRACTED hundreds of times each day! If you want to be Insanely Productive, you’ve got to FOCUS and AVOID DISTRACTIONS – most of which are SELF-IMPOSED!
Take out your smart phone and turn off EVERY notification! That’s right – no dinging, no buzzing, no pop-ups! Now do the same thing on your computer – turn off all alerts and pop-ups.
Now set a schedule to check your email only 4 times a day – twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. Next, only check your phone once per hour. You may need to put it in a drawer or leave it in your car to help you avoid temptation.
Try this for just 1 week and I PROMISE that you will be amazed at how much more time you have and how easy it is to focus on getting important things done!
To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!
Monday Feb 04, 2019
Monday Feb 04, 2019
Your Wildly Important Goal for 2019
Earlier this year I introduced you to a very powerful book – The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Sean Covey. It has proven to be a game-changer for many of my clients over these past years.
The premise of the book is that if you want to make significant change in your business, you need to FOCUS your attention on the One Thing that you truly want to improve. This is your Wildly Important Goal – Your WIG.
As we put a bow on 2018, the question for you is – What is YOUR WIG for 2019?
Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day
Ask yourself this very important question: If everything else were to stay as it is in your business right now, what is THE ONE THING that would make the biggest, positive impact on your business right now?
Take the time to define your answer using the following formula: Improve _______ from _________ to __________ by __________. This should become your Wildly Important Goal (WIG) for 2019!
Now, go back and re-read the book, The 4 Disciplines of Execution, and put in place all 4 of the disciplines so that 2019 can be your break-out year!
Avoid the trap that many business owners fall into. That is repeating your very same experience year after year. While my Dad worked his business for over 40 years, he did not have 40 years of experience, he had 1 year of experience repeated 40 times!
Don’t let that happen to you! Make 2019 a NEW year with NEW experiences! My hope for you is that 2019 is YOUR BEST YEAR EVER!
To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!
Saturday Feb 02, 2019
Saturday Feb 02, 2019
Be a GREAT Shepherd
As we close in on the end of another year, I want you to take time to think about how you can become a GREAT Shepherd!
We live in a place where your team members have MANY options when it comes to earning a living – why should they stay with you rather than looking for “greener pastures”? The answer should be - because you are a GREAT Shepherd!
Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day
Take time this month to read or listen to the book The Way of the Shepherd by Dr. Kevin Leman. It’s an easy read, but one that will change how you consider your role as the leader of your team.
Dr. Leman outlines the 7 Principles necessary to be a GREAT Shepherd:
1 – Know the Condition of your Flock
2 – Discover the SHAPE of your Sheep
3 – Help your Sheep Identify with You
4 – Make your Pasture a Safe Place
5 – Use the Staff of Direction
6 – Apply the Rod of Correction
7 = Have the Heart of a Shepherd
The lessons are clear, to the point and powerful when applied. In this highly competitive economy, you need every advantage you can find – this is a BIG one!
Get the book and read it by the end of the year! Don’t put this off! Make this your new model for demonstrating leadership – and those who truly “know your voice” you will follow you anywhere!
To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!
Friday Feb 01, 2019
Friday Feb 01, 2019
Work Hard to Retain Good Customers!
My wife and I recently spent time updating our vision for our future – where to live, where to travel, what to accomplish, and how to manage our finances. It’s an exercise I would HIGHLY recommend to any married couple.
As part of this discussion, we agreed to stop spending money on several subscriptions and services that we had been paying for but not fully utilizing. So the following Monday, I send cancellation notices to 6 different companies after having been a customer for many years with all of them.
The result….CRICKETS! With the exception of 1 company, the response was either silence or a polite “we will miss you.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME!
Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day
Be willing to FIGHT to retain your Good Customers!
I’m the first to recommend you say “good riddance” to any customer that is a C or D customer. But if they are an A or B customer, you’ve got to FIGHT to keep them! Here’s how to show them you care about their decision to leave you:
- Respond QUICKLY – the same day if possible, and express your sincere disappointment.
- Take Responsibility – be quick to acknowledge that you have let your customer down by not making the service or experience more impactful.
- Provide Options – give your customer some alternative other than just walking away.
Take some time to review your current customer list and ask them how it is going BEFORE they come to the decision to make a change. Be Pro-Active. It is much more expensive to win a new customer than it is to retain an existing customer!
To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!
Thursday Jan 31, 2019
Thursday Jan 31, 2019
5 Keys to Working Your Genius
I want to share a great lesson I got from one of my mentors, Taki Moore. He hit me in the nose with two realities that I think you may relate to you as well. He told me, #1 – You are Wearing Too Many Hats, and #2 – You Spend Time Doing Stuff You SUCK At! Ouch, that hurts!
But then he shared with me some wisdom that I thought you could use as well…
Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day
The Secret to “Scaling up” is to Give Yourself a One-Hat Job!
Here are 5 Keys to “Working Your Genius” – that is doing what you are BEST at, and having a small team (your pit crew) to do the rest:
1 – Find Your Freakness – What are your natural strengths and weaknesses?
2 – Eliminate Your Weakness – Surround yourself with those whose strengths are your weakness.
3 – Play to Your Strengths – Stop comparing yourself to others and focus on your unique giftedness.
4 – Change the World – Use your pit crew to design your unique systems and processes.
5 – Build a Theatre – Let your pit crew build the engine room and you focus your time and effort to be “On Stage”.
I love his quote: “The world needs you to do BIG things, and you can’t do BIG things if you’re busy doing lesser mortal crap!”
Was this message meant just for me, or could it possibly be meant for you too?
It’s time to stop working on “lesser mortal crap” and start doing BIG things!
To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!
Wednesday Jan 30, 2019
Wednesday Jan 30, 2019
Set the Bar High
My wife is excellent at relationships. She seems to be the go-to person when someone is in a difficult relationship or needs someone to help them process their feelings. I often hear her say “don’t settle” to our young adult kids and I’m sure those she talks with hear it time and time again. I think her advice is solid.
So why is it that when we get into business and we have folks on our team, we are so willing to “settle” for average performance? With the difficulty in hiring these days I’ve heard business owners suggest that they’d rather have someone who was average than have no one! But that’s a big mistake!
Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day
Millennials want Business Owners to hold people to HIGHER Standards!
I recently read an article that outlined the main reasons millennials don’t stay in most business. And one of the big 3 reasons was that today’s business owners have LOW standards and often willingly accept average performance – and they don’t like it!
Here’s their specific quote: “It’s downright debilitating to a high achiever. I’m working my heart out and every time I look up Donna-Do-Nothing is contemplating how long is too long to take for lunch. I start wondering why leadership tolerates this. Is that the standard here? No thanks. Fact: Poor performers have a chilling effect on everyone.”
Stop tolerating average! Stop settling. It’s time to set your bar HIGH – for the sake of your business and to demonstrate to the millennial crowd that you’re not OK to just be average.
If you step up, those on your team who want to be there will applaud you!
To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!
Tuesday Jan 29, 2019
Tuesday Jan 29, 2019
The Challenger Sale
Whether we want to admit it or not, we are ALL in sales! Some are very comfortable with the idea of being in sales while others wish they NEVER had to “sell”. But since it is a critical part of each of our roles, then why not be GREAT at it, rather than just try to get by with whatever skills we have (or don’t have).
I’m a big fan of always learning when it comes to the game of selling. And recently I re-read one of my favorite books on the art of selling – The Challenger Sale, by Matthew Dixon. In his book, he outlines the 5 categories of B2B sales reps: The Hard Worker, The Problem Solver, The Relationship Builder, The Lone Wolf and The Challenger.
Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day
Greater than 50% of all Star Performers use The Challenger style of selling!
Clearly, if you want to be on top of the game in selling a complex product or service, you need to become familiar with The Challenger approach to selling. Challengers become competent in 3 major activities: Corporate Teaching, Tailoring and Taking Control.
Other research findings show that only 7% of top performers use the Relationship Building approach!
First and foremost, READ THE BOOK! This is a must-read if you are selling a complex B2B product or service.
Secondly, become familiar with the core elements of Corporate Teaching, Tailoring and Taking Control.
Thirdly, don’t be satisfied with your current level of competency. ALWAYS be learning and challenging your own knowledge, skills and abilities!
To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!
Monday Jan 28, 2019
Monday Jan 28, 2019
Priority Determines Capacity
What would you do if you knew just how much time you had left in your life? Would you change the things you focus on if you knew there was a specific and defined amount of time you had left to get done what you felt was important?
It is a reality that none of us know how much time we have left being able to do what we’re doing today. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. So why do we PROCRASTINATE on the things that matter most and spend our time on activities that really don’t make a lasting difference?
Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day
Determine the BIG ROCKS in your life and put them in your schedule FIRST!
Each of us has different priorities, different goals and different agendas. The question is are you making them a PRIORITY and would that be evident by looking at your CALENDAR?
Your calendar needs to reflect what matters most to you. The things that are your biggest priorities should be SCHEDULED IN on a regular basis, not just something you will get to if you have time left. The small rocks, the pebbles and the sand will fill up your jar of time and you will not have room for the BIG ROCKS unless you make them a PRIORITY!
Dedicate the time to identify your TOP 4 or 5 Priorities – Your BIG ROCKS. Then take your daily and weekly calendar and BLOCK TIME on your calendar for each of them. Do this BEFORE you put in the ongoing administrative things like email, voicemail, social media, etc.
Ask yourself each day – Did I spend time on my PRIORITIES? If so, your CAPACITY to accomplish more will grow!
To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!
Friday Jan 25, 2019
Friday Jan 25, 2019
The Art of Digging Deep
What do you think about when I mention the word “selling”? Do you immediately envision a used car salesman, or a pushy phone caller? Or do you think of someone professionally helping you solve your most difficult problem?
How you think about selling and your beliefs about sales have a big impact on whether or not you will be good at the art of selling.
And one thing is certain – you can’t be very helpful in solving someone’s biggest problem is you haven’t asked enough questions to know what their REAL problem is!
Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day
To be great at “selling” you need to master the art of “Digging Deep”.
Most sales people are too quick to dive into their sales pitch without ever really understanding the problem or issue their prospect needs to solve. And how can you know what their problem or issue is without ASKING QUESTIONS?
If you want to see “digging deep” in action, watch the newly released movie “MINE”. It’s a story about a US soldier stuck with one foot on a land mine for over 50 hours. But during his ordeal, a local Bedouin approaches him and in one scene asks him the same question 5 or 6 times – “WHY…”
The next time you have an initial meeting with a prospective customer, act like the Bedouin in the movie MINE – ask the same question at least 4 or 5 times – “WHY…”
Don’t move on to your “pitch” until your prospect has uncovered at least 4 or 5 layers of reasons “why”. At that point, you may know their REAL issue or problem – only then you will be in a position to help them with your product or service.
If you don’t have 4 or 5 “why” questions ready to ask, you’re not ready to master the art of selling!
To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!
Thursday Jan 24, 2019
Thursday Jan 24, 2019
The Most Powerful Question
Often times we find ourselves in situations where we just don’t know what we should do. It may appear that there are a few options we could take – some perhaps easier than others. But the right choice is difficult to see from where we stand.
I have found that there is one question that we can ask that will clear away any confusion or fog. I consider it to be the most powerful question that we could ever ask. Here it is: What would my successor or replacement do?
This is the question, that when answered honestly, will give you the greatest clarity on your next step, your next action, your next focus. And the best part is that a version of this question works in most every part of your business or your life!
Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day
If you’re a Business Owner and your business is struggling, just ask yourself : If I were to sell my business, what would the NEW BUYER do to turn the business around?
If you’re an employee but just not making the kind of career progress you’d like, ask yourself: If I were to quit or be fired, what would MY REPLACEMENT do to be successful?
If you’re in a relationship that isn’t going well, ask yourself: If I were to leave, what would HER NEXT LOVE do to make the relationship great?
Take some time to think about what you are most frustrated with – in your business, in your career or in your life, and then ask yourself this ONE POWERFUL question.
If you have an advisor, partner or personal friend, ask the question of them! They will often see clearly what you cannot see at all!
To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!