Over 60 BankUnited managers and directors shuffled into the Signature Grand this morning. Little did they know they would leave with a blueprint to make their sales dreams into a reality.
Steve Nudelberg, Principal Thinker at On the Ball, provided a 3-hour seminar focusing on habits, positive thinking, success and sales training. His energy bounced off the walls as the attendees actively participated in discussion.
At the conclusion of the presentation, BankUnited employees had pages of notes and a strategic guide to success. Not to mention wide smiles on their faces.
While it is difficult to capture the pure emotion of Steve Nudelberg, On the Ball is able to provide the highlights of his presentation in five key points:
“You will never change your life, if you don’t change your routine” claims Nudelberg. Successful people create a habit of doing successful things. Steve wakes up each morning at 3:45am to read, exercise and prepare for the day ahead.
The game of life is mental. In Steve’s eyes the glass is not half full. It is half full, with room for even more opportunity. Staying positive is the key to success.
“Tell everyone what you do. When you go home tonight, look to your left, look to your right. Do your neighbors know what you do?” Always say yes to networking, and become the center of influence within your industry.
Steve is a student of sales, constantly reading, learning and practicing his craft. He knows the profession is not easy. In fact, the most successful salespeople hear the most ‘No’s.’ Persistence breaks resistance.
The most productive leaders work in bursts of 90 minutes then take 20 minutes to recover.
Interested in sales training for your company? Contact On the Ball for more information: Lyndsi@OTBthink.com or phone 954-332-2200.
As we head into the fall of 2012 (hard to believe) and get ready to go “back to school,” here is a little reminder about the power of positive thinking. It has been linked to better physical and emotional health and also can help you to boost your level of performance!
The fact of the matter is that having a positive mental attitude can help motivate you to accomplish more than you would have ever imagined possible!
Attitude equals Altitude!!!! We can all use a boost of motivation, can’t we? In most cases people fall short of their goals simply because they don’t put in the necessary effort and NOT because a goal is beyond their reach! Motivation will always play a key role in our level of performance which of course influences how much we do accomplish!
The simple “lesson” here today (I did say we were going back to school) is that if you want “bigger and better” things for you and your family, boost your output along with your health by adopting a positive mental attitude!
Here are 3 ways having a positive mental attitude can motivate you to reach goals and objectives you may not achieve otherwise!
1. Keeps Your Motor Running: Possessing a “can do” attitude like this will motivate you and puts gas in your engine.
2. Gives You Higher Expectations: You must think BIG to achieve BIG, therefore don’t allow your thinking to limit your success!
3. Keeps You Open To Possibilities: When you “expect” more and truly believe this is something you can achieve, the possibilities are endless!
I know you can all do it….Now you have to think you can do it!
To break it down to its most basic form, the people you are associating with are either building you up (Encouraging and supportive) or dragging you down (discouraging you, non-supportive). I know it sounds so brutal, but it’s true. There are some people who are so supportive, they leave you feeling like you can do anything. Their belief in you instantly propels you to higher levels. Then there are other people who are so blinded by their own fears, limiting beliefs and lack of direction, that over time, they rub off on you… in a toxic or negative way.
They discourage you because they lack their own courage. Sometimes this is painfully obvious and sometimes this is subtle. This does not mean you should abandon your friendships, rather become conscious and selective about where you are investing your time and energy and with whom. I have lifelong friends whom I love dearly, but I feel drained whenever I am around them. They seem to experience the same problems that cycle over and over in their life and they never seem to take responsibility or seek solutions in their own behavior or choices. They don’t read, they don’t listen to self-improvement programs or take action to change their circumstances. They gradually nudge you off course with their negativity.
With those people, I learned to have limited associations. I am able to stay connected but without the negative effects. To become more successful, you’ve got to get around more successful people. This is where you will form many new alliances with other like-minded, big thinkers. One idea, one suggestion or one introduction to a new associate can change your entire life. You cannot afford to spend time with blamers and complainers. I’m telling you, it will rub off on you.
Spring is in the air….…the Giants winning the Super Bowl is clearly in our review mirror and baseball’s Opening Day is upon us.
Every spring, without fail, baseball’s best players gather together to get back to the basics and attend spring training, if the best in the world realize they need practice then why shouldn’t top sales professionals and rookies in the sales world, do the same?
Sales people sometimes lose sight of the benefits of periodic, mandatory training, and the benefits that continual education can have on their sales results. Just like the pros, it is important to remember to start with the basics and build your skills through practice and ingenuity.
Being There is a 1979 comedy-drama film featuring Peter Sellers as a middle-aged man who lives in the townhouse of an old, wealthy man in Washington D.C.
He seems simple-minded and has lived there his whole life tending the garden. Other than gardening, his knowledge is derived entirely from what he sees on television.
When his benefactor dies, Chance is forced to leave and discovers the outside world for the first time.
“IT’S A WHOLE NEW WORLD OUT THERE….sound familiar?
Chance’s simplistic utterances about gardens are interpreted as statements about business and the state of the economy.
See it is very simple.
Well, one of my favorite lines in the movie is:
“Life is a state of mind.”
Wow, simple-minded yet so true!
Lets all go there now and never leave.
We can live our live’s from that mindset.
We can predicate our behavior on that reality, not the illusions that now surround us.
Filter every thought, question, and answer from there.
Let your focus shift and be there!
Dwelling from, not upon, the space you want to inherit is the fastest way to change absolutely everything.
… We have engaged Steve Nudelberg and his company, On the Ball, to help guide us and steer our ship. He has kicked off our management realignment which we are calling Capitol University with a managers meeting in Florida and New Jersey. They were great successes and we all emerged invigorated and excited to meet our new challenges. Ch-ch-ch-changes. Our meeting last Tuesday was in East Hanover. There was an aire of energy and change in the room. At the same time there was a sense of family, stability and permanence. Steve asked each of us to say how long we have been at Capitol Lighting. The answers (10, 12, 20, 30 years) are astounding for anyone other than Capitol people. This is normal for us. I looked at all these people with the portrait of my great-grandfather hanging behind them. My Father, Uncle, Cousins and Brother were all in the room. I could not be any prouder to be part of such a company let alone the CEO. I thought of a line from Eric’s Best Man speech at my wedding. He said, “Just as things should change, things should stay the same.” I was getting married and our family dynamic was changing. Eric, Joanie and I would no longer live under Herman and Adele’s roof. What Eric knew would stay the same were the bonds of love we had built. Those are permanent. I was thinking how appropriate that line was for what we are going through in this economy and our company. We can keep our family values, work together, and treat our customers right. We can keep our experience and knowledge of the industry and how to get things done. We can have a long view and not let short term setbacks break us. Yet we can assume new roles and find new methods to deal with our challenges. We can take on new partners and adopt new skills to achieve our goals. Get ready to run. Lace up your shoes, pick up some new tools but keep your old friends and family close. Ch-ch-ch-changes, look out you rock n rollers. Here comes TEAM CAPITOL!
Steve Nudelberg (left) from On the Ball (5 months with Capitol) and Hy Goldman (right) (70 years with Capitol Lighting)
Steve’s Comment: It’s all about engagement…Do more to build relationships with your clients…
Many use Facebook and Twitter to push promotions and deals
By Arlene Satchell, Sun Sentinel
Holiday shopping by social media has taken off this year, driven by growing comfort with the concept on both sides of the cash register.
Bargain hunters are using sites such as Facebook and Twitter to discover specials and discounts, even as retailers are posting some of their most exclusive deals only for shoppers who “like” or “follow” them in cyberspace.
One example is the $500 gift card Sports Authority is giving away this year on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. For a chance to win one of 20 cards offered, shoppers must check in with Foursquare and tweet their check-in via Twitter while shopping in-store
during certain hours.
“It’s about engaging with our customers where they’re spending a lot of time,” said Clay Cowan, the retailer’s vice president of ecommerce.
And it’s an attempt to reach a younger, more mobile savvy customer to boost that demographic in stores, he added.
Cowan said Sports Authority “dialed up” its social media promotions this year and has also explored other sites such as Facebook, Yelp.com and mobile application Shopkick.com to connect with consumers.
With a Shopkick phone app, shoppers can receive rewards for simply walking into a store.
Sport Authority has gained about 1,000 Facebook fans a day this year, Cowan said. Today, more than 264,000 people ’like’ the retailer company-wide.
With more than 500 million users worldwide, Facebook is expected to be a major promotional tool this holiday season compared with last year, according to industry experts.
“It’s come from obscurity to being one of the primary drivers to retailers’ websites,” said John Squire, chief strategy officer at IBM Coremetrics.
IBM Coremetrics’ database, which uses metrics from more than 500 retailers, shows that Facebook has been successful in directing new customers to retailer’s websites — about three times the success of other channels, he added.
This year, social media sites Blogger.com and Twitter will also be at the forefront of connecting shoppers with retailers’ websites.
Content providers on Blogger’s platform have done a good job in “driving consumers to make a purchase,” Squire said.
And Twitter, with its tweets of 140 characters or less, is a good venue for getting information out quickly.
Social media networks have various platforms, but all offer a direct way to connect with family, friends and businesses using an Internet-connected computer or mobile phone. And most require registration for full access.
Among those retailers trying to harness Facebook’s potential this year are Sears and Staples.
On Sears’ Facebook page, the retailer is promising to “unlock great deals” to users who “like’ it. Meanwhile, Staples has been sending out alerts with previews of Black Friday sale items.
For both big and small retailers, social networking sites provide a more direct pipeline to customers than many other marketing methods.
Small business owner Teana McDonald uses Facebook not only to sell her company’s products, but also to establish a rapport with potential customers.
“You have to connect with customers first,” said McDonald, chief executive of My Little Diva Accessories in Coral Springs, an online store that carries headbands, onesies, purses and hats for little girls.
This holiday season, McDonald, 34, plans to use the company’s Facebook page to offer one-day sales on select products and to promote new products.
McDonald said she hired a coach to help her learn the ropes of social media marketing, which helped to boost traffic and business.
Alyson Seligman, of Palm Beach Gardens, who runs The Average Girl’s Guide blog has definitely noticed an uptick in retailers’ use of Facebook and Twitter this year as they seek to reach their target demographics.
Seligman typically scours these social networking sites for deals she can post on her blog.
This year, in addition to pre-Black Friday and Black Friday deals and discounts, retailers are also posting holiday store on these sites, Seligman said.
For heavy social media users like Seligman, getting shopping deals through a platform like Facebook, where they already tend to look for other key information, is like having “one-stop access to every facet of your life.”
Although not a fan of Black Friday brick-and-mortar shopping, Seligman, 30, is advising shoppers to research social networking sites for both in-store and online holiday deals.
More retailers than ever will be touting offers there.
“Social media is a smart way to do this and if a retailer isn’t using it, they’re missing the boat,” Seligman said.
Steve’s Comment: Great read! Articles like this prove that all professionals face the same challenges.
How Nicklaus, Other Athletes Can Spark an Office Comeback
By SUE SHELLENBARGER, WSJ.com
After years in sales, Dan Di Cio, a Pittsburgh account executive, was aiming for “a breakout season”selling high-tech equipment. But even working longer hours and weekends, he kept falling short of his goals. Watching other salespeople win awards, he asked himself early this year: “Why can’t I be that guy?”
Mr. Di Cio, a big baseball fan, recalled how Major League pitcher John Smoltz got help on his mental game to pull out of a slump in 1991. Mr. Di Cio contacted sports psychologist Gregg Steinberg after hearing him speak and, with his help, Mr. Di Cio learned that he was working so hard that he risked driving his numbers even lower. Dr. Steinberg says he prescribed the same remedy many pro athletes embrace: Stop overworking and allow yourself to relax.
Mr. Di Cio and says his outlook improved so much that his boss asked, “What’s different about you?” His 2010 sales have doubled over a year earlier.
Few events rivet people’s attention more than a great athlete in a slump, from Tiger Woods’s lackluster performances on the golf course earlier this year to Yankees’ slugger Alex Rodriguez’s drought before hitting his 600th home run. Even when the world isn’t
watching, the same psychological hurdles trip up the rest of us, executives who aren’t making their numbers or producing enough good work on the job. At the office, people lose confidence, dwell on past mistakes, become anxious about every move and struggle to perform tasks they once enjoyed.
After years in sales, Dan Di Cio, a Pittsburgh account executive, was aiming for “a breakout season”selling high-tech equipment. But even working longer hours and weekends, he kept falling short of hisgoals. Watching other salespeople win awards, he asked himself early this year: “Why can’t I be thatguy?”Mr. Di Cio, a big baseball fan, recalled how MajorLeague pitcher John Smoltz got help on his mentalgame to pull out of a slump in 1991. Mr. Di Ciocontacted sports psychologist Gregg Steinberg afterhearing him speak and, with his help, Mr. Di Ciolearned that he was working so hard that he riskeddriving his numbers even lower. Dr. Steinberg says heprescribed the same remedy many pro athletesembrace: Stop overworking and allow yourself to relax.Mr. Di Cio and says his outlook improved so much thathis boss asked, “What’s different about you?” His 2010sales have doubled over a year earlier. Few events rivet people’s attention more than a greatathlete in a slump, from Tiger Woods’s lacklusterperformances on the golf course earlier this year toYankees’ slugger Alex Rodriguez’s drought beforehitting his 600th home run. Even when the world isn’twatching, the same psychological hurdles trip up therest of us, executives who aren’t making their numbersor producing enough good work on the job. At theoffice, people lose confidence, dwell on past mistakes,become anxious about every move and struggle toperform tasks they once enjoyed.
“The principles that lead to slumps are the same” in both realms, says Dr. Steinberg, a Nashville, Tenn., author and speaker on performance issues. Signaling a slump, he says, are a loss of confidence, over-thinking every move, dwelling on past failures or working too much.
The brains of athletes forced to watch videos of themselves losing resemble those of people who are depressed, which threatens to trigger further declines in performance, according to a 2007 study in the journal Brain Imaging and Behavior. Similarly, workplace studies show that employees who lose self confidence or think ill of themselves tend to perform more poorly than people with high self-esteem, in turn fueling added anxiety and depression.
Tim Stowell, a commercial real-estate broker for 25 years, used similar tactics when he began losing his self-confidence during the recession. “When you hear ‘no, no, no,’ enough times” while trying to lure new clients, “you start to question whether you’ve still got the right approach,” says Mr. Stowell of Nashville, Tenn.
Borrowing a tactic that he had read was used by golfer Jack Nicklaus to ward off anxiety, Mr. Stowell started visualizing himself performing well in the future, in his case client calls, and asked himself, “What is it that I’m afraid of? I’m playing well or I wouldn’t be where I am.”
Instead of criticizing himself in his head if he makes a minor error during a presentation, he laughs it off or ignores it. He also recalls his goal of helping clients save money, he says. Re-focusing on what he likes about his job is helping him land more new clients once again, he says.
To help anxious clients, Dr. Llewellyn, of Marietta, Ga.,has them list on a card their strengths, such as a great fast ball, then laminate and carry it. Baseball players often keep it in their back pockets and glance at it between innings, he says. Some coaches have business executives watch videos of good presentations they have made in the past. Other people develop rituals to clear their minds, such as golfers who shake off a bad shot by pulling up some grass and scattering it in the wind.
Psychotherapist Dr. Ferraro says similar patterns crop up with his business clients. Robin McManus of Boston thought she put her difficult childhood and innate shyness behind her when she became a top-ranked home-improvement saleswoman. But when her boss received a letter from a customer complaining about her, those old fears resurfaced. The customer’s complaints were irrational and unfounded, but she says she was “disturbed to the point where I was overcompensating and being extra hands-off.”
Working with Dr. Ferraro, Ms. McManus says she learned to draw strength from past successes, telling herself, “I do know how to do this.” She set new sales goals and planned to reward herself with a new pair of shoes or even a vacation. She learned that while old fears may resurface, “that doesn’t define you. Instead, you remember all the other parts of yourself that are strong.”
