Podcast 11: Customer Centric Selling with Michael Bosworth

Michael BosworthThere are many vocations and careers that people choose, but probably none is as heavily chosen as the field of sales. The ability of a good sales person to understand and listen intently to the needs of his or her clients seems to be a rarity at times. I know we have all encountered both good and bad sales people, but what makes a good sales person?

In this podcast I decided to explore what good sales people have to do to become great. You might be asking why would I make this a topic of a podcast on personal growth? Well, I know of no other profession where the people work harder on their own personal growth and mastery. So, I decided to elicit the thoughts and advice from a long time friend and expert in the field of sales and sales training, Michael Bosworth.

Michael Bosworth is the author of, “Customer Centric Selling” one of the best selling books on the field of sales. I thought that he would provide an interesting perspective about what one must do to become more focused on the needs of others. We discuss the behaviors required to become a master sales person. If you have ever encountered an egocentric sales person then you know how you don’t want to be treated. The questions you might ask yourself is what behaviors should one master to become a great sales person?

I hope you enjoy this refreshing interview about the world of sales and how great sales people think and act. If you would like more information just click on the Customer Centric Selling title above for a link to his book or click here for a link to Michael’s site.

Podcast 10: Get Happy-Get Healthy-Be Wealthy an Interview with Michael Framberger

Michael FrambergerIt is great to be back in the USA. I just returned from a trip to England and Sweden to visit friends and attend a wedding. I had a wonderful time experiencing the cultural differences and one of the things I noticed in Sweden was the lack of overweight people. Now, I am not saying that I did not see any overweight people but the numbers in comparison to what I see here in the USA is minimal.
So I asked my friends in Sweden what do they believe causes this difference? Some of the answers we came up were that the automobile is not used as much, thus you just see more people walking and enjoying the fresh air plus the excellent public transportation systems that facilitates more walking from place to place. Not to mention that gasoline prices are over $6.00 per gallon.

I also noticed portion sizes in the restaurants were much smaller. The food prices overall or at least a third higher, I don’t know if this is the reason but portion sizes are definitely not as large. It also seemed like stress levels were lower and people were moving about their business with less hustle and bustle. The system in Sweden is socialized which I believe probably puts less stress on people.

So why this long dissertation about my trip to Sweden and what’s the connection to Michael Framberger and his book on Get Happy-Get Healthy-Be Wealthy? Michael’s information in this podcast deals directly with the problems associated with stress, diet, exercise and our attitude about life. In Michael’s book, Get Happy-Get Healthy-Be Wealthy he discusses in detail and provides the reader with insight into how to lead a more balanced and fulfilling life. Appropriately, Michael quotes an old Swedish proverb “Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” We choose to be happy or not and much of our stress in life is a choice. Our health is directly affected by our positive or negative thoughts, so if we choose happy thoughts it is more likely that our physical health will be more vital.

I encourage you to listen to this wonderful podcast with Michael Framberger and should you wish to get more information about his seminars, book, instructional DVD’s please click here for a link to his web site. So sit back, relax and enjoy this wonderful interview with Michael Framberger.

Podcast 9: "One" The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership with Lance Secretan

Lance Secretan I first met Lance Secretan many years ago at a Spirit in Business conference in Santa Fe, NM. I remember being quite impressed with his presentation on the CASTLE principals. In my podcast with Lance we discuss the CASTLE principals in depth. CASTLE is an acronym which stands for Courage, Authenticity, Service, Truthfulness, Love and Effectiveness. These principals may sound simple in concept, but not as easy to integrate into our lives and businesses.

The focus of his new book is about the new leader for the 21st century. Lance discusses how we have become detached from our innate sense of oneness which creates “separateness thinking.” He explains how this separateness thinking has created many of the problems both in our business and personal lives. One: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership will help the reader explore new refreshing ideas about leadership and find ways to create a greater sense of connectedness. Understanding the CASTLE principles has lead many to exceptional personal growth, and has transformed the lives of thousands. If you would like to lead your life more consciously and become more connected to the people at your work and at home, One: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership outlines the principles of Courage, Authenticity, Service, Truthfulness, Love and Effectiveness and they are definitely worth reviewing and considering for integration into your personal values as a leader.

I love how Lance ends his book with an invitation to join his community. He quotes the lines by John Lennon’s ode to oneness, Imagine:

You may say I’m a dreamer,
but I’m not the only one,

I hope some day you’ll join us,
And the world will live as one.

If you want to reawaken personally as a leader and build strong communities of support and oneness, then Lance’s book “One” The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership is a must read. For more information on Lance Secretan’s workshops, retreats and blog please visit his website.

Podcast 7: Synchronistic Meeting with Jim Cathcart

Jim CathcartA month ago I was at the National Speakers Association meeting in San Diego and one of the first people that I bumped into was Jim Cathcart. I have know Jim for quite a while, as a matter of fact I first meet Jim at a Million Dollar Round Table meeting over 10 years ago. His work in the area of human potential has been a passion of his for many years. His book “The Acorn Principle: Know Yourself, Grow Yourself ” is a wonderful book focusing on developing self awareness. Each chapter is packed full of thought provoking questions to get you to think about personal mastery. In this podcast Jim discusses “thought breaks” and how they assist one in creating greater self awareness. Jim stresses that the more we know about ourselves the better our coping strategies are and the more likely we are to succeed.

Albert Einstein said that the hardest part of discovering the theory of relativity was determining how to think about it. Do you often think about thinking? Probably not. Thinking is something that has become automatic and we really don’t give it much thought…pardon the pun. Jim and I explore in this podcast how to become a better observer of self. Think for a minute if we were to have a video camera follow us all day long and record our actions. What would you observe about your patterns, behavior and actions that were either serving you or not?

I know you will enjoy this lively interview with Jim Cathcart and if after listening you are interested in learning more about Jim’s workshops, books, CD’s, DVD’s, etc. just click here for a link to his web site.

Podcast 6: The American Dream Project with Will Marre

Will Marre My first encounter with Will Marre was through a seminar I attended at the University of San Diego. I have been to plenty of seminars and workshops in my day, but Will’s was particularly captivating and his message and topic were just what I needed to hear. The American Dream Project is focused on Generation X and the so-called Millenniums. The mission of the organization is to help individuals and institutions create, design and implement sustainable personal strategies, public policies, and citizen solutions that will lead to the greatest good and least suffering for each individual in our American society and globally. You must admit that this is a big mission and if anyone can be successful in getting people excited about living their dreams and and helping them achieve them it would be Will.

I went to Wikipedia and looked up “social entrepreneurs” to get a definition: “A social entrepreneur is an entrepreneur who works to increase social capital, often by founding humanitarian organizations.” Generation X and Millenniums, as they have been labeled, are generations that are focused on doing good for society whether it be environmentalism or helping to bring awareness to the many social problems we are facing.

I love the spirit of this generation and the fact that they have put their values first, and are not willing to compromise them for a job that will jeopardize their values. I work with several individuals in this age group and I am so impressed with their intelligence and willingness to do their part in making this a better place to live.

I would encourage you to visit the American Dream Project web site for more information on this forming community of committed individuals. I would also recommend Will’s book entitled “Your Dream Life,” as well as his set of DVDs. They are an excellent way for you to learn more about this social movement and will provide fascinating insight into the many social issues that we can all become involved in helping to solve.

Podcast 5: Falling Awake with Dave Ellis

Dave EllisI was in San Rafael, California a few weeks ago with my son Sean, and we had the pleasure to meet with Dave Ellis. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Dave which gave us an opportunity to learn more about his successful coaching and workshop business. Dave’s story is fascinating! He is a teacher, a coach and now a philanthropist with a mission to help people create the life of their dreams.

If at this point you are asking yourself the proverbial question: What can Dave Ellis do for me that other coaches, books and workshops that I’ve experienced have failed to do? That would be a valid question, and the answer is nothing. Because in the end you are the only one who can take the tools, techniques and processes and apply them to helping transform your life into what you want it to be.

But, in my humble estimation Dave Ellis and his content is the real deal and he provides you with the tools, techniques and processes to help remove the barriers that get in the way of your success. He teaches, through utilizing all of the learning styles, how to identify and work on transforming your beliefs and patterns. His book entitled “Falling Awake: Creating the Life of Your Dreams” is the bible for his students. The format, layout and visual impact that his book uses to engage the reader is truly unique, easy to use and can be approached in a non-linear manner. Dave also conducts workshops by the same name “Falling Awake” and he has a staff of qualified personal/professional coaches to help those students who want to go more deeply into learning how to master the transformation process. I have read lots of material on personal growth and how to live your dreams, but Dave Ellis and his Falling Awake material is amazing. I also recommend his book entitled “Human Being.” You can get this book in PDF form by visiting his web site at www.fallingawake.com.

I hope you enjoy this interview with Dave Ellis.

Podcast 3: Be On Purpose with Kevin McCarthy

Kevin McCarthyFifteen years ago my life was certainly not balanced. I was constantly working and was not paying attention to my health or my family. I was on a collision course and headed toward self destruction. I was in tremendous personal pain and really did not know where to go or who to turn too.

Along came a friend who was very in tune with my path of personal self destruction. He knew of my pain even thought I had not discussed my issues with him. I called him my guardian angel for his intervention with a little book called “The On-Purpose Person: Making Your Life Make Sense” was perfect timing. He gave me this book and insisted that I read it. On an airplane trip to Seattle, WA I read the book not just once but twice. I thought the character in the parable was me. This little book was like a whack on the side of my head, a wake up call to take an inventory of what was important. My values were not congruent with what I wanted in life and this was causing tremendous consternation. I was so inspired by the story in “The On Purpose Person” that I had to speak with the author so I called him up and we talked about my pain. He provided me with as much guidance as he could over the phone, but suggested the I might want to take a two-day course called the “The On Purpose Person“. The only challenge is that he did not have any scheduled for California. So I suggested that I help him put together a group of people and have him fly out and do a workshop. So that is what I did. I started calling many of my friends, family and associates about the planned workshop, and I was able to fill the room. I guess that I was not the only one who was feeling out of balance with their life.

The rest is history. Kevin came to California and we became great friends. I am forever grateful for having been introduced to this life changing course. I recommend that you listen to this podcast and link to his web site for more information about “The On Purpose Person” and “The On Purpose Business”. If you are in the midst of reevaluating your priorities in life or business and could use some help, you have come upon the perfect guidance course and book.

I hope you enjoy this interview with Kevin McCarthy.

Podcast 2: A Big Heart and Plenty of Wisdom, Dan Millman

Dan Millman About two weeks ago I had the good fortune to meet Dan Millman, the author of “Way of the Peaceful Warrior.” I had twice seen the autobiographical movie “Peaceful Warrior” about Dan’s life and was really excited to meet him. Prior to our meeting Dan sent me a copy of a book he wrote entitled “The Laws of Spirit: A Tale of Transformation.” This a short read but it is full of wisdom and guidance.

In the Laws of Spirit, Dan articulates the 12 Laws of Spirit that he learns from an encounter with a mysterious mountain sage. One of the Laws of Spirit focuses on balance and was particularly revealingly to me at this juncture in my life. The mountain sage uses a stick balanced on her hand and discussed the pull of desire and the push of fear as an analogy to get the reader to understand the concept of balance.

Think about it: We are either pulled by desire or pushed by fear. What happens if we don’t understand how to balance these two emotions? Frequently it can be paralyzing. If fear gets the best of us we freeze and don’t take any action. On the other hand if we become too focused on our desires and wants we acquire more stuff and get addicted to the stuff in our lives. Finding the balance between the fear and desire is so important to lead a healthy life.
I encourage you to read “The Laws of Spirit” and purchase or rent “Peaceful Warrior.” This is a wonderful movie about Dan’s spiritual journey, and a life changing event that forever alters the course of his life. It is an inspiring film that should leave you with many questions about your own life, and how to shift your perspective so that you might see this wonderfully magnificent world full of opportunity to overcome obstacles and achieve happiness along your path.

I hope you enjoy this interview with Dan Millman.

Again, I apologize for the lack of sound quality in this podcast. The upcoming podcasts that I’m working on in the next few weeks will feature vastly improved sound quality.

Podcast 1: Play to Win with Larry Wilson

Larry Wilson It is certainly by no accident that one of the men who has influenced me the most is my first interview for our podcast and this blog. If you are not aware of Larry Wilson’s many accomplishments he is probably best known for having founded one of the largest learning organizations in this country, Wilson Learning Corp. I met Larry about 12 years ago after having read several of his books. I called him up at his ranch Pecos River in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I told him that I was starting a company called Sales Solutions Systems, and asked if he would be interested in meeting with me to discuss an opportunity that existed in the insurance industry. His answer was a resounding yes, and he welcomed me with open arms and heart when I met him at Pecos River some 12 years ago. Pecos River has since been sold, but what an incredible retreat facility it was, with ropes courses and beautiful scenery and some of the top training in leadership that this country had to offer at the time.

Since our meeting each of our lives have taken many twists and turns, but one constant is that Larry has always been there for me every step of the way to help guide me through the maze of business and personal growth.

In this podcast you will learn more about his current work “The Great Game of Life” and his book “Play to Win!: Choosing Growth Over Fear in Work and Life. Larry has recently developed a 12 session course that is one of the best personal growth courses I have ever reviewed. Later this year we will be bringing this program to our Digital Seed learning platform so that thousands of people can enjoy this work via the Internet and collaborate with others across the country in the process. This podcast is a wonderful insight into Larry Wilson the man and his own personal journey. I hope you enjoy it.

I apologize for the sound quality of my voice (Larry comes through much clearer). We are still getting the hang of recording phone conversations over here.