Introduction to RTB Limited Podcast: Ring The Bell to Success

Initial intro of RTB Limited’s Podcast: Ring The Bell to Success outling what we will discuss moving forward. helping people and companie succeed in three major areas People, Process, and Profit skills.

How to Sell the Invisible

I recently read the book Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith. It’s part of my Leaders learning series that I have been embarking on in 2018, and it was also a great suggestion by a friend.

Now I have been in sales basically my entire adult life. I started selling simply enough in retail as a sales associate at The Finish Line, selling sneakers a physical product. It was my freshman year in college, and quickly showed my acumen for sales. Having the highest multiple sales percentage or selling add ons when people only come in for sneakers in the store. Not long after I was training others to do the same then moved into assistant manager role and finally co-store manager.

Then after college I started working in B2B sales selling DHL Shipping service(both a physical product and service a hybrid model) for domestic and international customers. It was a war of attrition with outbound call volume being tracked by a CRM system and a sales quota based on dollars of new customers. I did really well in this position but it was a means to a goal to eventually enter into medical device sales. What I learned here was you were really selling yourself, and on price. People more than likely already had a shipping partner in Fed-ex or UPS, and DHL was aggressively going after the domestic market after years of being the international leader. DHL had a strong base and brand as international shipper. So once you had the business you had to keep it, and of course there were many issues early on.

Next I entered Medical Device sales selling Orthopedic disposables and capital equipment to hospitals and Ambulatory surgery centers. This was a product sale but with a strong relationship part of the sale as well. Adding technology like robotics to the sale makes it a four part sale, of product, clinical, technical and relationship I have done this for the last 12 years.

In the last two years a few friends and I started a consulting company focusing on Business Consulting, Training and Coaching. We are focusing on Medical Device Companies, Medical Practices and Small to Medium Sized business. We work with companies and analyze what we feel are the three main pillars of any business; People, Process and Profit. We then offer suggestions, training or coaching to help the company or individual improve in whichever of three vertical needs improvement.

So how does this tie into Harry Beckwith and Selling the Invisible, because consulting is basically invisible until you produce a product or service. We also have he challenge of building a brand name out of thin air.

Why would anyone know what RTB Limited means or stands for. So it is our job to create that brand name recognition, we are starting to use a skeleton of these tidbits and you can take what you like from it as well. I am aiming to share some value here with my friends. Just as a heads up RTB stands for Ring The Bell, more on that on a later post.

Here is a quick Synopsis of the book. It is kinda of dated with early 90’s references, but still offers great value.

Regarding Your Basic Service

• Assume your service is bad. It can't hurt, and it will force you to improve. (p.6)

• Let your clients set your standards. (p.8)

• Ignore your industry's benchmarks, and copy Disney's. (p.9)

• Big mistakes are big opportunities. (p.12)

• Don't just think better. Think different. (p.17)

• The first rule of marketing planning - always start at zero. (p.18)

• Create the possible service; don't just create what the market needs or wants. Create what it would love. (p.20)

Regarding Market Research

• Always have a third party conduct quality satisfaction surveys. (p.24)

• Survey, survey, survey. (p.25)

• Beware of written surveys; it's far better to conduct oral surveys, as you have a chance to clarify any misunderstandings. (p.27)

• Beware of focus groups - they often reveal more about group dynamics than about how individuals think. (p.31)

Regarding Marketing

• Every act is a marketing act. Make every employee a marketing employee. (p. 38)

• "In most professional services, you are not really selling expertise - because your expertise is assumed, and because your prospect cannot intelligently evaluate your expertise anyway. Instead you are selling a relationship." (p.42)

• Before you try to satisfy "the client", understand and satisfy the person. (p.43)

• Often, your client will face the choice of having you perform the service, or doing it themselves. Therefore, often your biggest competitors are your prospects. (p.45)

• Make technology a key part of every marketing plan. (p.50)

• Study each point of contact with your client - your receptionist, your business card, your building, your brochure, your website, your invoices. Then improve each one significantly. (p.51)

• Be professional - but, more importantly, be personable. (p.54)

Regarding Planning

• You'll never know the future, so don't assume that you should. Plan for several possible futures. (p.59)

• In successful companies, tactics drive strategy as much or more than strategy drives tactics. Do anything. (p.62)

• Execute passionately. Marginal tactics executed passionately almost always outperform brilliant tactics executed marginally. (p.63)

• Do it now. The business obituary pages are filled with planners who waited. (p. 65)

• Have a healthy distrust of what experience has taught you. (p.73)

• Don't let perfect ruin good. (p.76)

How Prospects Think

• Appeal only to a prospect's reason and you may have no appeal at all. (p. 88)

• Familiarity breeds business. Spread your word however you can. (p.90)

• Take advantage of the Recency Effect. Follow up brilliantly. (p.91)

• The best thing you can do for a prospect is eliminate their fear. Offer a trial period or test project. (p.98)

Positioning and Focus

• Stand for one distinctive thing that will give you a competitive advantage. (p.103)

• To broaden your appeal, narrow your position. (p.105)

• In your service, what's the hardest task? Position yourself as the expert in this task and you'll have lesser logic (the idea that if you can do the hardest thing well, you must be able to do everything well) in your corner. (p. 107)

• Don't start by positioning your service. Instead, leverage the position you have. (p.112)

• Positioning statements should address the following six points:

  1. who

  2. what

  3. for whom

  4. against whom

  5. what's different

  6. so...? (p. 114)

• Choose a position that will reposition your competitors; then move a step back toward the middle that will cinch the sale. (p.119)

• In positioning, don't try to hide your small size. Make it work by stressing its advantages such as responsiveness and individual attention. (p. 120)

Pricing

• Setting your price is like setting a screw: a little resistance is a good sign. (p. 133)

• Beware the deadly middle. If you price in the middle, what you are saying is "We're not the best, and neither is our price, but both our service and price are pretty good." Not a very compelling message. (p.134)

• Don't charge by the hour. Charge by the years (of experience). (p.138)

• In services, value is a given. And givens are not viable competitive positions. If good value is your best position, improve your service. (p.139)

Naming

• Give your service a name, not a monogram. (p.143)

• Generic names encourage generic business. (p. 145)

• Never choose a name that describes something that everyone expects from the service. The name will be generic, forgettable and meaningless. (p. 145)

• Be distinctive - and sound it. (p.146)

• In service marketing, almost nothing beats a brand. (p. 151)

• A service is a promise, and building a brand builds a promise. (p.154)

• Invest in and religiously build, integrity. It is the heart of your brand. (p.155)

• A brand is money. (p.160)

• Give your prospects a shortcut. Give them a brand. (p.161)

Communicating and Selling

• Your first competitor is indifference. (p.171)

• Say one thing. (p.171)

• After you say one thing, repeat it again and again. (p.175)

• Don't use adjectives. Use stories. (p.176)

• Attack your first weakness: the stereotype the prospect has about you. (p.176)

• Create the evidence of your service quality. Then communicate it. (p. 178)

• Seeing is believing. Example: even when people know the tricks used by the grocery industry to make ripe oranges appear orange, they still are buy fruit with the most orange-looking peel exterior. Check your peel. (p.188)

• If you are selling something complex, simplify it with a metaphor. (p.194)

• You don't listen to clichés. Your clients won't either. (p.197)

• In presentations, get to the point or you will never get to the close. (p.198)

• Tell people - in a single compelling sentence - why they should buy from you instead of someone else. (p.199)

• You cannot bore someone into buying your product. (p.201)

• If you want publicity, advertise. (p.203)

• Make your service easy to buy. (p. 209)

• Above all, sell hope. (p.214)

Nurturing and Keeping Clients

• Watch your relationship balance sheet; assume it is worse than it is, and fix it. (p.219)

• Don't raise expectations you cannot meet. (p.220)

• To manage satisfaction, you must carefully manage your customer's expectations. (p.222)

• Keep thanking your clients. (p. 223)

• Out of sight is out of mind. (p.229)

What does this all of this tell us, that sales is an evolving practice that changes everyday with the way people buy. Most people research online quite a bit before making a purchase or commitment of any kind. Consider the last time you bought a car? This also include the brand they buy, so building a brand is just as important as having an amazing product and service. I hope this helps some people when reading this review. If you need additional help with People training in Sales and Leadership skill. Please feel free to contact RTB limited for a free initial consult.

An Exercise in Emotional Intelligence and Humility

What this compilation of words tell you? If you explore it further it should tell you a little bit about a person.

Recently I decided to conduct an exercise in both emotional Intelligence and humility. I am always trying to improve through self exploration and pushing myself outside my comfort zone. I do this for a couple of reasons; one I seek to improve my leadership Qualities and two I want to know how my friends describe me.

In an effort to conduct my research I made it difficult for friends and colleagues to describe me by only using 3 words. The responses came back quickly and surprisingly enough none of them were risque what I expected from a bunch of Army, Rugby, College, High School and Business friends. As, you can see from the word cloud that results in my opinion were great! The larger words come up more often in the responses so they received a larger representation. So here are my thoughts on the Word Cloud.

I have always considered myself a leader being the first born and taking on leadership roles in  Business, Sports, and the Military, so I really enjoyed that LEADER is my Largest and most pronounced word. The next few are Driven, Loyal, Motivated, Confident, and Aggressive. To me these are all positive, even aggressive.

Loyalty is what I hear the most from my wife, who continually says to me, you are the most loyal person I know, but it has been to a detriment to me before. I have worked with people I was loyal to and a few times that loyalty has come back to bite me. So Loyalty can be a great quality, but like many things it is how you use or distribute it and to where that loyalty ends is up to you.

Motivated and Driven are the same to me and are easy right, because you can easily say that person is motivated or Driven. It’s funny in the military they brainwash you to be motivated downright motivated every morning at 4AM to do PT, but in reality not how it works. It becomes the fire inside each person to be driven or motivated by something like a goal or for me my family. Another thing that drives me is a Poem my father wrote while in Vietnam. I keep it close to me because before my family it was the driving force that to me to where i am today.

The main few are self explanatory, but I feel the one word that need some justification is aggressive. I feel aggressive is another word for driven, and protective or loyal. This to me is a default attitude one that I have worked on for years to tone down in certain situations and in others to release like the silverback ape my friends tend to relate me to. This could be default aggressive after our goal or plan.

After all this I would suggest this exercise to all my friends and to dig deep into what their closest friends think of them when asked. That way it is honest and, hopefully you get the feedback to be a better you. What other things can you do to take a deeper look at yourself. DO you have all the tool in your tool belt to succeed. What skills might your friends co-worker or loved ones say you need to work. Use this exercise as a tool to better yourself daily.

If you need to work on your skills for College, Work, or Professional development consider contacting RTB Limited. We are a full-service shop that focuses on People, Process, and Profit in your personal and company’s development. Click here to learn more and make an appointment.

Book review of "Thats What she said" by Joanne Lipman

Book 12/26 Leader are Learning series.

No, it is not Michael Scott from the TV show The Office finding a sexual innuendo in everything someone says or prepares and interaction to have the opportunity come up. It is a great book for any leader to read and understand women make a workplace better and there is evidence to prove it.

The sign of a good leader is to also be a good follower. I have been incredibly lucky to follow great female figures in my life and some of them were my leaders at work. I have been lucky enough to follow Christine Cobuzzi at DHL, Diane Abril at Mako, and Christine Clark at Stryker/Mako. I have also had the great pleasure of working alongside great female leaders and classmates like Danielle Armstrong, Melissa Lennon, Erin Dwyer, Lorraine Stanhope-Hirschberg, Jill McNair, Jennifer Smit, Patty Quinn McAuley, Fran McDaniel, Simi Naschel, Esther Sim, Ashlee Fuglio and many others. I have also had the opportunity to lead Natasha Siegel, Sue Ellen Morris, and a few others.

Whether it is in marketing products, services or building a new team, women make it better. However, many workplaces are not equal for female employees and many times women are underpaid and under-recognized for their accomplishments and tasks they perform. They are also stigmatized about certain gender-specific roles and questioned as to whether they can handle the work life balance of the job and family. Why is this question only being asked to women? If an employer asked a male employee that question would they be offended? I’m sure the reaction would be based on the man's Emotional Intelligence, but it should not be asked in the first place. Also, do you see women being interrupted during meetings?  What do you do? Here are some key tips and takeaways that author Joanne Lipman put in the back of the book as a cheat sheet to help any leader succeed in the workplace and have a more gender equal and friendly environment for everyone.

1. Interrupt the interrupters

   1. The data show that even Supreme Court Justices are interrupted regularly by male counterparts, so how do we stop it now?

      1. Solution: Institute a “No interruptions” rule for everyone. Also, if a woman is cut in the conversation, cut off the interrupter.

2. Use amplification and brag buddies

   1. Womens’ ideas often are not heard - until they are repeated by a man who gets the credit.

      1. Solution: Amplify the original speaker, meaning if a woman has a great idea amplify it and make sure she gets credit and vice versa for the male counterpart brag buddy.

3. Diversify the interviewers, not just the applicants

   1. More companies are adopting a Rooney Rule for the office, requiring a diverse slate of applicants for job openings, but bringing in female applicants is only a first step.

      1. Solution: Mix things up by adding to the Rooney Rule by adding to a more balanced panel with female interviewers.

4. She’ll help your bottom line

   1. Women are often boxed out of jobs or promotions because they aren’t “a good fit” or they are dismissed as “diversity hires” who are assigned a lower standard.

      1. Solution: Marshall the facts. Adding women makes work groups more creative. Companies with female CFO’s make fewer, better acquisitions than male counterparts. Firms with more female board members outperform those with the least by almost every financial measure. Mixed groups can even solve a murder more accurately than single sex groups... If you want a recipe for success, add women.

5. She’s not “sorry,” she’s not “lucky,” and she’s not asking a question

   1. Researchers have found women use qualifiers (“Sorry to bother you, but…) to make themselves less threatening to others. If they do act assertively they are penalized for it, considered bossy, bitchy, or difficult to work with.

      1. Solution: Women are highly aware of these verbal tics and try to control themselves. But if they don't, just remember the next time a woman ends a sentence in a question mark “upspeak,” imagine she is instead stating it as a fact and banging on the table.

6. Yeah not a compliment

   1. Women are often subjected to compliments that intentionally or belittle them - like when Joanane spent hours getting ready for a television news interview, only to be told by a senior executive that she looked “cute.”

      1. Solution: Would you say it to a man? If not you probably shouldn't say it to a woman either.

7. She’s pretty sure you don’t respect her

   1. Researchers have found that men get more respect than women even if they hold the exact same position.

      1. Solution: Be on the lookout both large and small, and adjust your own behavior. Joanne speaks of writing an early draft of this book and speaking of a female doctor using her first name, and a male doctor as “Doctor.”  She corrected herself and will not let it happen again.

8. Don’t decide for her

   1. When a new opportunity comes up, Joanne has often heard senior executives say that a female candidate would be ideal, but she has a new baby at home would not want to travel...or she has young kids and would not want relocate or to take on the extra hours.

      1. Solution: Don't assume. Ask her even if she declines, present the next opportunity, and the one after that. Joanne states that the same thing happened to her when she had young children and to keep the work life balance she declined, but later when her kids were older she took the position and excelled.

9. Don’t be afraid of tears

   1. Barbara Annis and John Gray, co authors of the book Work With Me: The 8 Blind Spots between Men and Women in Business, identify emotion as one of the major pitfalls men face. Fear of tears can lead male managers to hold back from giving women honest feedback they need to progress.

      1. Solution: If you are a manager, check your employee reviews to ensure you evaluate men and women equally. Joanne writes that women cry from frustration, in situations where perhaps men would just yell.   

10. She’s ready for raise, but she won't ask for it

    1. Men are four times more likely to ask for a raise than women - and when women do ask they typically request 30 percent less than men, according to a Carnegie Mellon study.

       1. Solution: If you are a manager take a look that you are not just rewarding the squeaky wheel. Compare salaries through online platforms like glassdoor and salary.com. Several states require salary audits and they are announced publicly.

11. Hire women your mom’s age

    1. That catchy headline on a NYT op-ed by Sally Koslow, a former editor in chief at McCalls, perfectly captures the conundrum of older women. Many either quit or took lesser “mommy track” roles when their children were young. But as the kids fly the nest, women have as much ambition as ever and are eager to rev up their careers.

       1. Solution: Hire them! Better yet, help structure work so you don't lose them in the first place.

          1. Personal Note: My last assistant was a mom returning back to the workforce and has been one of the best employees I have ever had! Once my company is big enough I plan on hiring her back again! SE you are the best!

12. She deserves a promotion -- she just doesn’t know it yet

    1. Men are far more likely than women to raise their hands for big promotions, whether they are ready for it or not. Companies including google, meanwhile, have found that qualified women often don't nominate themselves.

       1. Solution: Make sure qualified women are in the mix, whether they have their hands up or not. Be prepared to twist a few arms. You have to get into the pool to swim.

Book 10/26 Leaders are learning series; 10% Happier by Dan Harris

As a leader how do you handle stress and anxiety?

My mother always told me “what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger”. I agree 100% but not everyone is raised like this or built to handle stress and the mantle of leadership the same way.

In my humble opinion I have been thrust into the world of leadership from an early age. I was the first born of three in a home where my father worked a lot and whether I liked it or not I had to be the man/Big boy of the house early on. Helping with my brother and sister as we grew up. Playing sports I was either selected as leader of a team or in the military always placed in leadership roles

I admit I had a few anxiety attacks when I was young that caused me to have trouble breathing. It could also be the stress of being a kid but who knows. Then as I grew I found sports as great outlet for stress and my anger. I knew I had anger issues so I gravitated towards contact sports like boxing, football, hockey, and rugby. I would immerse myself in these sports and relieve the stresses of the day to get through it.

In college I worked full time while being in the Army reserves and running a retail store with 30-50 employees. The stress was mounting but sports were there to even me out. Then as I worked in high pressure B2B sales and eventually medical device sales it became more and more difficult even with my schedule to use these sports to release the pressure valve. I saw myself getting more and more angry and stressed. I would be up at night thinking and ruminating on the events of tomorrow. Do I have enough people on my team for case coverage, do we have the implants we need is everything going to go the right way? I would be planning like a chess match many steps ahead. The lack of sleep was literally killing me, because many times I had to pull over and take naps on the side of the road so I would drive into the guard tails or off a cliff.

Then I remembered a library class from high school where we meditated. I remember it well because we all laid on the ground and focused on our breathing and imagined ourselves as tanks filled with water. On each breath more and more water would leave our bodies and we would relax our heads, shoulders, chest and so on until we reached our toes. It was very relaxing and this memory trigger prompted me to start meditation again.

This started me down my meditation path, before reading this book. I have been doing this for years, but a suggestion for a book recommendation from friend is always a good idea to take you never know what you will learn.

The book spoke more about Dan’s journey as a local anchor person to working at ABC and having a panic attack on air. From there he talks about his journey as a combat correspondent in Iraq and Afghanistan Post 9/11. During these tours in combat zones he became accustomed to the excitement and adrenaline, so when he came back to the states he started using Cocaine to help bring back the endorphins of a combat zone. After he came down from these rushes he became depressed and anxious of things he could not control.

Eventually he found meditation and with it he feels 10% happier. So how does this book help Leaders well it is no secret that leaders are generally under a lot of stress, so how do you deal with it. If this is your first opportunity to lead maybe you are not used to stress and don’t know how to handle it. Ancient warrior like the samurai used meditation regularly to maintain balance and so should you. Part of my discipline regime is meditation.

• Wake up 0530

• Workout 30-45 mins

• Meditate -5mins

• Read with morning coffee 30mins

• Shower

• Get to work!

Adding this small part to my day help regulate me and get my day started. I sometimes add in again at the end of the day to help me sleep. Hey you never know this small addition to your daily routine could make you 10% happier too.

Leaders are Learning Series Book 6/26 Musashi's Book of 5 Rings

The book of 5 rings by Miyamoto Musashi

1. Book Of Earth

   1. A leader must understand himself before he can understand the realities of leadership and asking others to do tasks, especially when watching is involved

   2. Only when each soldier has been observed can the commander know which warrior will be able to perform a specific act, otherwise chaos will result

   3. A leader should circulate among his people to appraise strengths and weaknesses. Praise and admonish

2. Book of water

   1. You can only fight the way you practice

   2. You should strive to constantly educate yourself while still practicing your primary skill

   3. Focus on posture and body control when going into any situation, make your spine straight and bigger than you are.

   4. Becoming one with hitting your enemy, you must have a trainer.

   5. No thought no idea - attack your enemy with your body leaning forward with a confident attitude...this is how you should attack your day start before the greatest enemy catches up with your time.

   6. Attacking through the enemy- when your tired dig down deep and Sumon your energy to finish the attack and the day.

   7. He talks about stabbing but really means attack your problems directly with employees or the business as a whole

3. Book of Fire

   1. The form where you fight- situational awareness, escape routes sometimes you cannot win the fight. Always finish your opponent

   2. 3 strategy to control the enemy- either you take the lead, hold off and take the lead, or force the lead. If you don’t control the lead the enemy will

   3. Timing- knowing yourself and your ability to fight will tell your body when you are ready to fight! If you are caught off guard you must counter quickly and aggressively

   4. Learn to be flexible in everything you do. Life is not scripted

   5. Know the enemy commander and his troops. Build a persona

4. The book of wind

   1. Be humble, let your actions speak for themselves

   2. Have a broad view of situations and don’t focus on the small things.

   3. How to think of speed- speed is not the most important thing, rather rhythm and timing, and execute correctly! Natural and calmly

5. The book of no-thing

   1. Everything is within, everything exists, seek nothing outside yourself

What is Soft Skills Training?

Soft skills are a combination of people skills, social skills, communication skills, character traits, attitudes, career attributes, social intelligence and emotional intelligence quotients among others that enable people to navigate their environment, work well with others, perform well, and achieve their goals with complementing hard skills. 

Many times companies neglect these skills in there employees growth. These soft skills can be developing new leaders through executive coaching or leadership and development training. It could also be investing in Sales and Presentation skills training or just giving your team a better grasp of the financials they are responsible for. Knowing how to work and build relationships and network internally and external to the company. Some companies are caught between a rock and hard place where they do not have the internal departments to spend time on these tasks or expertise. This is where companies like RTB Limited come in. Outsourcing of these training and coaching services enables companies to invest time and money into the growth and development of their most valuable assets their employees. 

Recent data shows the benefits of investing in soft skills training and executive coaching. This investment whether from the top down, middle or bottom-up leads to better results. From The Executive coaching level, you will see better teamwork and potentially better sales results. If you invest in the middle of your company you can see future leaders flourish and grow and be the next team that takes your company to higher results. If you invest in the bottom half or your company even in manufacturing employees feel more engaged and output increases. https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/how-to-measure-the-impact-of-soft-skills-training/

Talk to your HR department to see if they are ready to help invest in your professional growth. We can help you Ring The Bell to a successful career.

Soft Skills training at an Engineering company in Philadelphia 

Do you have an elevator pitch for your business or yourself?→

You walk into a building where you have been trying to get a meeting for months. You step into the elevator with a plan to get more info from the gatekeeper. As the Elevator door closes In walks the contact you have been trying to meet with. Your research before your call is finally paying off and you know its the correct person. What will you say to help you get a meeting?

These short interactions are just as important as closing your deal. Have your prepared for this interaction? Having a 30 second or elevator pitch is an important part of your sales training. Here are some key things to incorporate.

1. Who are you?

2. What do you do?

3. How do you do it?

4. What product or service you deliver?

5. Who you work with?

6. Can we schedule the next meeting to give you more details and value?