by Doug Gray | Jul 23, 2013 | Business, Coaching, Employment, Leadership, money, Sales, talent
Business has always been defined by who you like and trust. Those who deliver get the best results.
Future business will be defined by the quality of your web of qualified alliances or partnerships.
A friend is a successful realtor. When people call he asks, “Would you like a list of qualified services that may be interested in helping you and your family?” They typically say YES! And he hands them a list of his favorite plumbers and dentists and… you get the idea.
As an expert in leadership development, here is my current list of qualified alliance partners and experts:
- Assessments. www.action-learning.com Doug Gray, 704.895.6479; www.edc-llc.com Adam Ortiz, PsyD, 704.248.0863
- Coaching and consulting. www.action-learning.com Doug Gray, 704.895.6479
- Change management.
- Strategic Planning. www.avivconsulting.com Aviv Shahar, 425.415.6155
- Business development and sales
- Operational efficiency.
- Marketing.
- Social media.
Note: I am expert in only 2 of these 8 categories. I am delighted to post only 2 other service providers. I am glad to provide the remaining names and links upon request.
Please call me at 704.895.6479 now for the remainder of the list. Or to discuss your needs for your business.
If you think you belong on my list, please contact us.
If you are serious about your business, create your own list now. Why wait? I have 8 reasons listed above…
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by Doug Gray | Jul 22, 2013 | change, digital, Employment, global, Leadership, Managers, money, Resources, Sales, Success, talent
Open your eyes! How much time do you spend with millenials? Not only do millenials consume the most products, they also expect results. They are 50% of the workforce in 2018.
To ignore millenials is to commit some form of suicide.
Here are 6 steps for you and your company:
1. Mobile web-based experiences are a $10 billion dollar industry, with over 7 billion phones. We now have nearly 4x more mobile browsers than the number of desk-based browsers. Follow the numbers. Follow the money.
2. We can provide emotionally-provocative experiences that combine digital and physical activities. Here are several examples. When you go to the zoo you can now rent a GoPro or Segway to make your experience unique. When you go to a park you can use your mobile device to geocache. You can have a “Yelp Night” and move from restaurant to bar in any unfamiliar city. When you go to a conference you can tweet about and score the presenters, in real time. However, at most amusement parks and concerts we are not doing anything about the visitors who are standing in a line (bored) or tweeting or Face-booking their friends to “stay away” from your business or event. As a more costly example, we are not doing anything about low compliance with incentive reward programs. In fact, industrial organizational researchers tell us that some 35% of the US workforce is not engaged in their jobs. We sorely lack emotionally-provocative experiences that combine digital and physical activities.
3. In response to these market needs, I have developed a mobile web-based app that can guarantee engagement for any clients. This app enables clients to have a pre-visit and post-visit experience that integrates their event with any content. The event becomes a process. For instance, if a client wants to assign pre-visit training or reading content, the app can assess their engagement. Using a leader board and social media, they can increase accountability. They can market and promote the company. They can include video and photo uploads. They can earn points by doing more activities. They can return to the venue. The app can be delivered in hours, under any name. And it can be scaled for any sized organization.
4. Large corporate clients expect global delivery capacity. Every successful Free Agent has a network of alliance partners. The myth of the solo-preneur as a lone wolf is dead. For instance, the largest provider of leadership development coaches is www.coachsource.com, founded by Brian Underhill and Marshall Goldsmith. Marshall is described as the #1 leadership consultant in the U.S., according to Harvard Business Review. I am the southeast engagement manager, and represent 1,200 leadership coaches in 60 countries. We can provide expert leadership coaching to any clients. A bold claim, but a well validated claim. We can deliver the value of global leadership coaching to your current clients. And we can design programs that include a cycle of regular visits to any location with reinforcements from the very best leadership coaches. Those individual and group agendas typically yield a 500% ROI.
Digital and Global solutions not only satisfy millenials. They lead to results. They are required solutions.
If you are a solo-preneur, develop strong alliance with the smartest partners that you can find. Today.
If you are a business leader, call Doug at 615.236.9845 If I cannot help you I will find someone who can. Today.
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by Doug Gray | Jul 20, 2013 | Business, family, Leadership, Managers, money, Sales, Success, talent
Stuart is an expert sales consultant, recruiter, customer service trainer and technology provider for independent restaurants.
Based near Minneapolis, MN he promotes excellent customer service throughout the world.
Check out this MP3…
Stuart Gray 7.19.13
by Doug Gray | Jul 2, 2013 | change, Coaching, Leadership, Managers, money, Success, talent
Recently a client was struggling with two related issues: 1. How much to pay his employees and subcontractors, and 2. How to manage his accountant who regularly arrived late for scheduled meetings.
I suggested that he should bill the accountant at least $1.00 per minute that he is late.
“Huh?” He asked.
Then I reached into a day timer and showed him the following image. (I tried to find a better image online but was not successful.)
The column headings are Salary year/ Salary week/ Benefits= 40% Total salary/ Total week/ Value per hour/ and Value per minute.
For instance, if your salary per year is $70,000, your Salary per week is $$1,346, your Benefits are $538, your total week is $1,885, your Value per hour is $47.00 and your value per minute is $0.79.
So why wouldn’t you charge the accountant at least $1.00/ minute for being late? His tardiness is 1) expensive and 2) unprofessional. I urged him to charge a retroactive late fee. And I referred him to other accountants.
The second question is more complex. How much should you pay employees and subcontractors? The market response is “as little as possible, according to their value.” That is why we pay minimum wages and low salaries for remedial work.
For most business leaders, we are slow to pay others for remedial work.
The best business leaders, however, ALWAYS delegate low paying tasks to others. And they refuse to do remedial work.
Back to my client. I asked him, “So, what do you think your time is worth?”
He said, “At least $70,000/ year.”
I said, “OK then, why aren’t you excited about the opportunity to pay others $10-24.00 per hour to do work for you?”
And that, of course, led to a deep conversation about self-worth and the need to delegate low paying tasks to others.
So, what is your time worth?
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by Doug Gray | May 11, 2013 | Business, change, Coaching, exercise, Managers, money, Personal Development, Sales
Fact: We all aspire to be a superhero
Fact: I have written a book with a purple cover called “Passionate Actiuon: 5 Steps to Creating Success in Life and Work” (2007)
Fact: There is no sex in the book. Sorry.
So what does it mean to be the Passionate Action guy?
1. Passions are expressions of strong emotion. They help us create. Passions lead to something else. Think of any relationship– there are passionate impulses at the start, yet relationships are hard to maintain over time. Think of any business- there is a passionate focus at the start- yet it is hard to maintain most businesses over time. Sparks start fires. But they do not maintain fires.
2. Actions require focused accountability. Nothing sexy involved. Daily habits lead to results. Make your sales. Focus on delivery.
This is HOW I help my clients make money and serve others. Call me at 704.895.6479 for details.
My experience is that we create success when 1) luck meets 2) prepared opportunity.
In that formula, the only thing I can control is preparation. And so I continue, day after day, year after year. Since 1997.
Success starts with the physical actions. Like running and yoga stretching. Like daily calls to prospects. Like KPIs.
So why wait? Call me at 704.895.6479 with your story.
Most of us need a little more passionate action in our lives.
by Doug Gray | May 10, 2013 | Business, change, Employment, money, Personal Development, Sales, strengths
GOMO stands for Going Through the Motions.
Some 70% of workers are dissatisfied with their jobs.
Some 50% of marriages end in divorce.
Some 20% of people make a living doing what they love… Huh? Yes, it is possible. Here are two stories.
1. One of my clients, Matt, co-founded an IT company that provided a unique service. Over 10 years they were acquired by 3 companies. Matt was the principal architect of the software. But he was getting restless. His young family was not happy in the D.C. metro. He was tired of being a GOMO. We had worked together 6 years previously. So he re-hired me to explore “what’s next?” He realized that several of the executives on their team were working remotely. In short, he could live anywhere. So within 4 months he relocated to Colorado. And he re-designed how he managed his product development team. That process occurred in months, not years…
2. Another client, Allen, had been an HR manager for many years, but he aspired to be a global talent director of a nearby F500 company. We met at a Vistage International meeting. Shortly thereafter he realized that he could not imagine staying at his current employer. He felt trapped. There was no evident career ladder. He struggled each day, and hated the fact that he called himself a GOMO. So we explored options. He did not want to move. His divorced wife, and their children, were nearby. So he designed a virtual talent recruitment program, using former HR colleagues who wanted to work from home. He built the system and sold services to F500 clients. In short, he developed and moved into his dream job.
So how about you? Are you feeling stuck as a GOMO?
If ready to explore what’s next, then call me at 704.895.6479 now.
There is no wisdom in waiting.
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