Fripp THE Executive Speech Coach

Consulting Over Fifty--Where Gray Matters & Experience Counts

My smart and entertaining friend Rick Hubbard has started a group in LinkedIn for Consultants Over 50. Rick will interview me on January 4th, 2010 at 10am PST. When you sign in he asks for our elevator pitch. This is what I wrote....

"Fripp builds leaders and transforms sales teams by increasing the clarity, specificity and persuasiveness of the presentations."

Subject: Rick Hubbard invites you to join Consulting Over Fifty--Where Gray Matters & Experience Counts on LinkedIn

Scott McKain "Seven Biggest Lies in Business" this is #3 Management

Biggest Lies in Business : #3

Time for the third in our series of the "Seven Biggest Lies in Business" - our ongoing series here in the UCE-zine -- moving you to enhance and alter your perceptions of what is true...and what isn't...in today's dynamically changing business world.

This one applies if you are an entrepreneur, executive, HR official, or manager of any type:

Lie #3: We Cannot Keep/Get Good People

Of course you can. You just haven't been willing to engage in the kind of organizational or personal behavior that secures it.

Imagine for a moment that you are Dr. Bob Brockelman, driving a snowy road on a Midwestern winter's day to a university campus to recruit prospective employees to work with you at your $110 BILLION company.

That may sound like it is no problem if you're running a hip and progressive high-tech company, working to hire all the good people you can acquire. That is, until you realize that Dr. Brockelman's company - competing for top talent against the GE's and Microsoft's of the world - is the Farm Credit Bank of Wichita, Kansas. You are asking soon-to-be college or business school graduates to forego the offer from Proctor & Gamble and instead head to Hastings, Nebraska to begin your career.

"The silly thing," says Dr. Brockelman, "is that it's really pretty easy. The problem for most companies is that they've told each other this lie that it's impossible to get and keep great people for so long that they simply aren't doing what it takes to make it happen."

In fact, they are so good at it, Brockelman and Farm Credit Bank of Wichita have reduced turnover to a miniscule (and unheard-of) 3%. Within this lie, "We Cannot Get/Keep Good People," are three erroneous assumptions many of us make --

1) "Money is the only motivator of employees"

There's a major problem with believing this: Every major study proves it isn't the case. Employees want to be paid comparably with those in similar work situations. However, this belief is a mere cop-out by those managers unwilling to confront other motivators. It's easier for us to believe we aren't getting what we want from our employees because we aren't paying them well enough - as opposed to thinking it might be because we aren't managing them well enough.

2) "The (fill in this blank with any age group except the one to which you belong) Generation has no loyalty and a horrible work ethic."

Wrong. However, different generations have different standards of loyalty and differing responses to varied leadership styles. You just have to learn how to appeal to the loyalty of the different generations and what motivates each generational group. If you need more on this topic, check out information from my friend and colleague, Eric Chester, CSP.

3) "We just train them and then they go work for someone else."

There are two problems with this statement:

a. First, why should they stay if all your organization is providing is training -- and not opportunity after the training has concluded? Education that precedes a lack of opportunity to apply what is learned breeds frustration.
b. Second, the most terrible approach isn't training them and they leave - as my good friend, Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE says, the worst thing is to NOT train them and they STAY!

"Nearly 100 percent of the top-performing key people have the souls of entrepreneurs."
Brian Whitlock, "Modern Machine Shop", January 2006

It is NOT impossible to acquire and retain good people. The fundamental problem is that managers are better trained and emotionally equipped to make investments in R&D, capital improvements and better operating procedures instead of people.

What will YOU do so that you obtain and retain your best people - so they can help you create Ultimate Customer Experiences?

--Scott McKain

Public Speaking with Webinars

These days I am delivering more and more Webinars. My guru is Tom Drews the Fripp Associate who is one of the country’s leading experts in Public Speaking using Webinars. One of Tom’s unique ideas is to use visuals to communicate information before the Webinar starts. An excellent and little utilized technique called “looping” can help prepare your participants for the webinar. “Choose a series of ten slides that automatically ‘loop’ while people are logging in. Provide colleagues with start times, direction for downloading resources, speaker information, upcoming meeting dates and other relevant content. The loop will keep everyone on target and engaged, regardless of when they log in.”

To prepare for your next webinar ask yourself these four questions.

1. “What is my key message?” Start by creating one sentence or premise that sums up your entire forty-five minute presentation. This will help you clarify your objective.
2. “Why would an audience care about this content?” Feeding audience facts and figures won’t make them any more interested in what you have to say. Be sure you explain why the content will be important to them.
3. “What is essential to my presentation? It’s better to say less and have people grasp your information than have them listen all day and hope their eyes aren’t glazing over. Webinars usually run no longer than an hour.
4. “What elements can I incorporate that will entertain, as well as inform?” Use pictures, stories and slides that are educational, informational and fun.

Todd Novak Motivational Minute with Patricia Fripp on How to Be a Great Presenter

Todd Novak Motivational Minute with Patricia Fripp

A Public Service Message for Job Seekers - Two Complimentary Online Audio Lessons

Courtesy of World Champions' EDGE, Patricia Fripp, and Al Hops

One of our World Champions' EDGE members asked "Please create an Audio Lesson about how to excel and be successful at a job interview!" Fripp got carried away! Listen in on TWO 20-minute lessons and learn as Hall of Fame Speaker Patricia Fripp interviews Al Hops, creator of The Interview Edge.

This is a FREE RESOURCE for anybody looking for a job. Please forward!

Need a Competitive Edge in Your Job Interviews? Listen & Learn how you can utilize Al Hops' "Acing An Interview" Formula of "Perception, Observation, Preparation" to get an EDGE! Send this to your friends! Who is Al Hops? Click!
Al Hops Interview ~ PART #1 ~	Al Hops Interview ~ PART #2 ~
Get a 30-Day Trial for the World Champions' EDGE Coaching Program for Only $1	Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE Hall of Fame Speaker www.Fripp.com

Who is Al Hops?

Al Hops is an award-winning sales professional who has consistently developed innovative ideas leading to success in job interviewing and closing sales.

Based on his experience and adding techniques he learned from movie directors and motion pictures, Al became a high tech company’s number-one salesman. Al created the concept of P.O.P. (perception, observation and preparation) which led to the magic of the Schindler Effect and The Interview Edge.

As part of his consulting practice with President Clinton, Bob Costas and Jim Carrey, Al helped open the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville.

In Reno and Vegas, Hops presented the first seminars for Hilton Hotels VIPs on "A Day in the Life of the Internet."  Cirque Du Soleil hired him to develop their first website.  Al presently consults and delivers seminars on "Acing a Job Interview."

Al can be reached at:

Al Hops and Associates
2424 Riffel Ct.
Castro Valley, Ca. 94546
(em) custsat@att.net
(tel)  510-537-5042
(fax) 510-537-9928

©2009 World Champions' EDGE, Inc.

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Good Customer Service Is More Than Good PR

Good Customer Service Is More Than Good PR

At a time when every customer counts we must never forget how our customers see us. One single negative contact can ruin your reputation in the eyes of not only that one customer -- but everyone he or she knows as well. After all, word of mouth works both for or against you.

You need to make sure everybody in your organization knows he or she is an important part of it. Each department depends and dovetails into the other to produce quality in service or product. Everyone makes a difference: the sales force, the service technicians, the clerical staff, the PR department all work together toward the same goal -- keeping the customers satisfied.

A perfect example of how everyone makes a difference is when I was in a Nashville hotel attending a board of directors meeting for the National Speakers Association. After the meeting, several of us went to the coffee shop to continue our deliberations. Each of us asked for exceptions or additions to the menu items; we wanted separate checks; and to make things even more confusing, being speakers, we talked to each other the whole time the waitress patiently took our orders.

"My dear, all this confusion is going to be worthwhile -- these guys are big tippers," I said. She said, "I'm not being nice for a tip. It doesn't even matter if I get a tip or not. If we give you good service, your group will bring back its business here and not to the competition."

Isn't that a marvelous attitude from someone on the front lines? I was so impressed, I wrote a letter to the hotel manager congratulating him on his staff and especially the waitress at the coffee shop.

I never received a reply. That waitress "wowed" me with her service and her attitude; but the manager's lack of response almost nullified her customer service savvy. Everyone makes a difference. I think the manager and the waitress should change places for a couple of weeks, she knows more about good PR than he does.

As the late great radio personality Paul Harvey said when we spoke at a convention in Las Vegas, "For a company’s advertising strategy to work it has to be handled corporately and also individually.”

Last week I checked into wonderful Hyatt in Long Beach for The American Payroll Association Congress. Getting out of my taxi with 2 large suitcases and two smaller bags I had to call to the only doorman “Is there anyone to help me please?” He was busy chatting to his two buddies the Valet parkers. As he ran over he asked, “Are you checking in?” AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Rethinking: 10 Strategies for a Challenging Era, Advice from Jim Cathcart

My pal Jim Cathcart is one of my associates in Speakers Roundtable give us great advice for challenging times. Speakers Roundtable is a group of 20 of the best, in-demand professional speakers, executive speech coaches, and trainers: http://www.speakersroundtable.com

Rethinking: 10 Strategies for a Challenging Era
By Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE

In October of 2008 our markets and institutions experienced a permanent shift. That's twice now since the Millennium that the game has changed. On September 11, 2001 I was shocked into the awareness that not only had we experienced a tragedy of epic proportions, we had also experienced a permanent shift in our daily life and business patterns. Never again could we trust at the level we had trusted before. That was true for our military and domestic defenses and now we find it true for our economy.

Now is a time for us to rethink virtually everything.

We have entered a challenging era, one in which previous assumptions about what was safe and what would work are no longer reliable. We must increase our scrutiny of our businesses and our lives before some government agency does it for/to us.

Here are 10 areas worth re-examining:

The value we deliver to our customers. What do they really get by doing business with us? Is the cost worth the outlay or can we make it more valuable to them without unduly increasing our cost of delivery? How can we increase their satisfaction right now? I call this "Up-Serving", looking for ways to be of more service without more cost.

The customers and markets we are pursuing. Is there another group or subgroup that could benefit from and afford our offerings? Are we seeking the optimum consumers of our services? Can we offer more or different products/services to our existing customers? Should we be pursuing customers who were never on our radar before?

The safety of working here. Is this a place where workers can relax in the assurance that we are looking out for them as well as our owners? Do we seek ways to show our people how much we value them? Do they truly know that they are appreciated? Do we listen to them, really? Do we protect them?

The margin of profit from each of our endeavors. Are we truly spending $100 time on $100 activities or do we often expend prime time on low payoffs? Let's become more efficient and more effective simultaneously.

The attitude we show day to day. People who work with us and buy from us are acutely aware of our own fear or confidence. We need to be intentionally and consciously building optimism and inspiring innovation. The only posture to operate in during challenges is Proactive & Positive. We need to be watching for ideas and opportunities on every front, especially from our own workforce.

Sales efforts from every level. Nobody is exempt from sales efforts unless they plan to leave the organization. At times like this we need every clerk, assistant, technician, accountant, machine operator, driver, courier and cook to be "Thinking Sales." How and where can we see an opportunity to help someone else at a profit? All of us circulate in the world and become de facto ambassadors for the company. That means we are walking sales reps even though we may never make a sales presentation, nor ask anyone to buy. Let's train everyone to recognize sales opportunities and show them how to pass along the leads for our best responses. Incentives will help too.

Our own work patterns. What worked last year may not work next year. We may have to begin doing some things we thought we had outgrown. It may be that we will need to re-ignite some old practices in order to generate new business. What time each day does your truly productive work begin? What do you regularly spend time on that has a low payoff value? Where is the highest and best use of your time? In what ways are we "spoiled"? Have you grown accustomed to certain luxuries or freedoms on the job that no longer make sense? What items that were once goals & dreams have you lately come to consider as entitlements? Lean and mean is the need right now. Roll up your sleeves more often and do what must be done.

Our primary relationships. Everything we do is done through others on some level. When we change the nature or mix of whom we spend our time with, we also change our results. Give some strong consideration to who you'd benefit from associating with and who might be holding you back. Cut back on the limiting relationships and increase the high payoff ones. (See my other posts about Relationship Intelligence).

Our expenditures. This is where most organizations begin their reactions to challenges. But most organizations don't do very well. Those who thrive in tough times are the ones who realize that nobody ever saved their way to more income. You don't increase sales by cutting expenses, you do it by increasing the payoff from each expenditure. Look for ways to increase high payoff expenses and eliminate low payoff expenses. Ask what items and efforts could be re-purposed toward sales.

The biggest challenge in meeting tough times is MINDSET.

As FDR said, "the greatest thing we have to fear is fear itself." Mindset is the beginning point for all behavior. We must cultivate an abundance mentality: there is opportunity out there and we will find it. We don't have to fear our competition, we simply need to value and serve our customers. We needn't worry about customer's being loyal to us, we will begin by being more loyal to them.

Check out Jim's information-rich website. You will be glad you did! http://www.cathcart.com

Important Career Questions and What You Can Do about Them

Important Career Questions for 2009

At a time when even exceptional professionals have to set themselves apart from their competition, there is no better time to realize your communication skills are critical to your success.

You are smart enough to know communication effectiveness drives your personal effectiveness. It is mandatory to be competent and confident in knowing what to say, and how to say it. If your audience is one person, a small group in a board room, or a convention audience, your presentation skills add credibility to your reputation.

"Okay," you agree. Where do you get high quality advice for an investment that is not going to break the bank?

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Membership has benefits! All Edge members enjoy 20% discounts off the Champs learning materials and Coaching Boot Camps, and the yearly Lady and The Champs Speaking Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada February 21-22, 2009. http://www.fripp.com/fasttrack.html

Effective communication techniques can be learned and mastered by nearly anyone. They are not reserved for a chosen few.

You simply need to decide to be one of the few and then take action to change your decision into knowledge and skills. Furthermore, once you reach a higher level of communication effectiveness, you never slide back; you only gain confidence and continue to become even better.

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