Your Source for BeSt BuSineSS PracticeS from the trencheS

AuguST 2012

Review

Michael Hyatt
Secrets of Social Media

Sales Tips
Four Steps to Successful Selling

Best Hiring Tips

Create a Rock-Star Team

Review Preview
Your Source for Best Business Practices From the Trenches

Welcome to the first edition of EntreLeadership Review.

This PDF is designed specifically for small-business owners and leaders who want to take their companies to the next level. Each month, well cover topics that directly affect small businesses and talk to some of the leading entrepreneurs and leadership experts in the country. Were also focusing on two themes in every issue, beginning with sales and hiring. I cant think of any two topics that have a stronger impact on the growth of our businesses than this pair. To say that sales are critical to growth is an understatement. And without a great team, those sales will never become a reality. Investing in your hiring and sales pipelines has to be done early and often. What you plant in the spring has to grow all summer before the harvest in the fall. One EntreLeader who definitely knows the importance of sales and hiring is Sara Blakely. The worlds youngest female billionaire shares business lessons on Page 6. And be sure to go to Page 4 for a conversation with Michael Hyatt, chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers and blogger extraordinaire. Until the next issue, take care and keep on reaching for the stars.

Daniel Tardy, Vice President, EntreLeadership

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Table of Contents
4 Meet Michael Hyatt
the chairman of thomas nelson Publishers Shares his Secrets on Social media

5 The Power of Goal Setting 6 Meet Sara Blakely

one companys Dream Becomes a reality

four Business Lessons from the Worlds Youngest female Billionaire

7 Best Hiring Tips

how to create a rock-Star team

8 Hiring Personality

mixing it uphiring the Best Personalities for the Job

9 Meet Steve Lang

a Successful florida realtor Shares his Best Lessons Learned

10 Five Enemies of Unity

transform Your companys culture by Keeping these away

11 Meet Bryan Miles 12 Sales Tips

an entreLeaders Best Leadership advice

the four Steps to Successful Selling more than a Personality is needed

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Meet Michael Hyatt

The Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers Shares His Secrets on Social Media
have to do these three things if youre going to be successful in the new world of marketing. Everything I recommend in the book, I wrote for someone who doesnt have a technical background or is a little bit put off by social media. I would also tell the young Mike Hyatt to hire a coach sooner. I didnt hire a coach until 10 years ago. It was one of the absolute best decisions I ever made. The investment grew tenfold.

In todays world of nonstop communication, millions of messages and even more cute kitten videos, how do you, as a business owner, get your brand, product or service noticed? According to Michael Hyatt, author of the new book Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, the secret is anything but traditional. Its about social media, and those who are doing it well are leaps and bounds ahead of their competition. Michael recently stopped by to talk about his new book and give insights on social media with EntreLeadership Podcast host Chris LoCurto. Heres a sampling of their conversation.

You need a place in cyberspace that you own and control. Its not a rented platform. Its not a borrowed platform. Its your own platform where you control the messaging. You need a website or a blog. Now you say, Well, Im not a writer. I couldnt possibly do a blog. So, could you do a video blog? Could you do a podcast? Could you do something that establishes your expertise and your authority, so that people want to connect around your passion the thing that matters to you? Almost everybody can do that in some shape or form. I f you we re lo ok i n g back at a young Michael Hyatt, what are some of the things you would tell him about leadership? Be a voracious reader. Most people in our culture are not readers. But readers are leaders. If you invest the time, youll grow. Another thing: Spend time, energy and money on conferences. Conferences are different because you can network with other like-minded people. That has been huge for me.

Q A

If Im new to social media, how do I get started?

You have to realize that p e ople , whet he r you like it or not, are going to emulate you. They are going to follow your faults and your strengths. So I am constantly working on the prototype of my own life knowing that people are going to mimic me. You can change your own behavior and have an enormous impact on people down the line from you. Working on yourself should be number one for every leader.

Q A

What is your best advice for a new leader?

The one I always r e c o m m e n d i s Jo h n C . M a x we l l s T he 2 1 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. I think it establishes a baseline and introduces you to some of the topics that are important. Im reading one thats helping me understand why I do what I do for maybe the first time in my adult life. It is called The Power of Habit. Its all of the science that has been accumulated for 20 years about how we build new habits and break bad habits. Thats just one of the current ones that Im reading. Typically, Im most excited about what I read last.

Q A

What are the top leadership books that people need to be reading right now?

Basically, I give you a fra mework for u nderstanding how you market in this new world. And it starts by building a home base, then expanding your reach, and finally engaging your tribe. You really

Q A

How can your book help a business owner build their social media platform?

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The Power of Goal Setting

One Companys Dream Becomes a Reality
One of the things we did was suspend profit sharing until the campaign was complete, Bryan said. And because everyone knew what was going on, they were all on board. There was not one complaint. People were actually excited. They began bringing us creative ideas to cut expenses and increase revenue.

A goal must:
For B r ya n C u r r ie r, C E O of Adva nt a g e Te c h n olo g ie s i n Orlando, Florida, life was pretty sweet. The IT company he helped create more than a decade earlier was doing great. In fact, it had grown from a two-person operation to a multi-million dollar company serving customers in seven states. Last year, however, disaster struck. It all began with a huge accounting error, and then the IRS came calling with a six-figure bill in hand. That was quickly followed up by a default by one of the firms biggest clients. The company went from being debtfree to owing more than $100,000 in less than a month. With such bad news, the easiest solution would have been to give up. Instead, Bryan went back to the training he had received at EntreLeadership Master Series and applied some of the principles he had learned. But for a goal to work, it has to have five components.

It must:
Be specific Be measurable Have a time limit Be yours Be in writing

Be specific Be measurable Have a time limit Be yours Be in writing

The Takeaway
By recasting his vision numerous times, Bryan created unstopp a ble mome nt u m . Reve nue s sk y rocketed and expenses dropped. And in a little more t h a n 1 2 m o nt h s , Adva nt a g e Technologies reached its goal one year ahead of schedule. Now that the Move the Mountain campaign is complete, the celebration will begin. A huge party is scheduled for later this month and profit sharing is back in a big way. To reward his team members and leaders for all of their hard work, 100% of the compa ny s S eptemb er prof it s will be distributed to the staff. This has been an absolutely incredible journey, Bryan said. Right in front of our eyes, there was energy, focus and everyone coming together to hit the goal. It was really amazing to see.

Bryans goal did just that. He grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and wrote this: Within 2.5 years, Advantage Technologies will not only be debt-free, but will also have an additional $100,000 in a strategic reserve fund.

Casting a Vision
Once he had written down his goal, it was time to get the Advantage team on board. Bryan needed to share his goal with his staff. Thats called casting a vision. And cast he did. The Move the Mountain campaign had begun. Every two weeks thereafter, a company-wide conference call was held to update everyone on Advantages progress and recognize team members who were doing a great job.

Setting a Goal
A business cant move forward without goals. They convert vision into energy.

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Meet Sara Blakely

Four Business Lessons from the Worlds Youngest Female Billionaire
few takeaways from her amazing success story. patent from a textbook she bought at a bookstore, and designed the packaging with the help of her friends. Shes never accepted a cent from an outside investor.

1. Never Say Never

After coming up with the idea for Spanx, Sara spent an entire year cold-calling hosiery mills to get them to manufacture a prototype. Her progress after 12 months? Zip. She finally took a week off of work to meet the factory reps face to face, but ended up with the same answer: no thanks. Everyone told me it was a really bad idea, and they didnt understand it, Sara says. They just didnt get it, but I kept pushing on. Finally, a mill owner in North Carolina called me back He said, Im going to give you a shot. Apparently, he ran it by his daughters.

Everyone told me it was a really bad idea, and they didnt understand it. They just didnt get it, but I kept pushing on. 4. Do Your Research
Before developing Spanx, Sara spent hours and hours going from fabric store to fabric store, trying to come up with the perfect material. She also was no stranger at the library, where she spent weeks researching every hosiery patent ever filed. When it came to finding her company name, the research paid off again. The minute the name Spanx came to me, I changed the k to an x, Sara says. My research showed that made-up words always do better than real words for products, and they are easier to trademark. Sara is living proof that with lots of hard work and perseverance, anyone can be a success. I didnt give up, because I saw my own rear end in those white pants and I knew it worked, Sara says.

Whats the secret to success? For almost every entrepreneur whos made it big, theres one major factor that carries them through: stick-to-itiveness. Just ask Sara Blakely. The former door-to-door fax machine salesperson refused to take no for an answer when developing her product, Spanx. Saras great idea of a comfortable body-shaping undergarment and her streak of doggedness wider than the Mississippi recently landed her on the cover of Forbes Magazine. With no formal business training or experience in fashion or retail, she has the honor of being the worlds youngest female self-made billionaire ever to make the Forbes Worlds Billionaires list. On a recent broadcast, Dave spoke with Sara about that never-sayno attitude and her company, which today is a household name with sales of nearly $250 million annually. What can you learn from her experiences? Here are a

2. Dont Quit Your Day Job

Just 27 years old and with only $5,000 in savings, Sara was in no position to quit her job while going after her dream. Instead, she worked evenings and weekends for more than two years researching and planning the launch of Spanx. When orders started coming in, she sat up nights stuffing Spanxs into padded envelopes. She didnt jump ship until she was financially ready to do so.

3. Stay Debt Free

Is it possible to start a successful business without going into debt? Absolutely. Both Dave and Sara are great examples. Sara began with her $5,000 in savings. She watched every nickel, hawked the product herself, wrote her own

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Best Hiring Tips

How to Create a Rock-Star Team
Find a way to make them cry in a good way, via deep questions. In all honesty, though, dont be cheap. Invest the money to assess them according to their wiring and talents. @andrew_acker Patience! @rlawrenceir Your profit with new employees is made at the buy. Dont rush through the hiring process. @LauraKMcNally Interview and then interview again! The more up-front time you put in BEFORE a hire, the better. @ClivetheClubGuy Evaluate the person by creating a fixable emergency common in the job they would be taking and see how they handle it. @Joseph_Speciale For me, this all comes down to intuition. I trust my gut feeling in these instances so much. Mark Chambers Get to know what their big why is. Hire those who have a life in alignment with your companys core values. @HeidiBellaCasa Look for good interns, support them with great mentors, expect big results. @cravelight The basics of hiring hold true no matter if you are just about to hire your first team member or have a really large staff. Taking your time and holding out for the perfect fit is well worth the effort. As Dave says, When you work with firedup, talented people who love what they do, you have more fun than trying to gather a bunch of turkeys together and whip some work out of them Make sure you get the rock stars and keep the turkeys out.

For many small-business owners, the hiring process is complicated, stressful and exhausting. Its something they generally just want to avoid. Theyre desperate for help and hire the first warm body that walks through the door. But before 90 days are up, the new team member is history, and the small-business owner is right back where they started. It doesnt have to be that way. As Dave teaches in EntreLeadership Master Series, if you take your time and wait for the perfect fit, youre on the way to creating a rock-star teama group of people who are passionate about their jobs and can take your business further than you ever imagined. Our many EntreLeadership Masters Series Facebook community members and our Twitter followers agree. They have taken these principles and applied them to their own businesses. And now, they are sharing their best advice. Ask about their hobbies during the interview process. If they overlap with the position requirements, they love what they do. Quentin Krengel

Get to know what their big why is. Hire those who have a life in alignment with your companys core values. @HeidiBellaCasa
When hiring primarily teens, find those who have volunteered at church or school in their community. @edchristo Integrity is what I look for. Almost everything else can be taught. @NDLaFollette Be up-front about not only what they are required to do, but also what they will occasionally be asked to do. Make sure they understand! @Tdubb Hire people with good soft skills and train for technical skills. @tinadmeier I have asked a couple of the candidates to write some ads and create some thank-you letters. Misspellings, wrong logos and not doing homework on what we do and sell are telltale signs of what we could have hired. Larry Parsons

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Hiring Personality
Mixing It UpHiring the Best Personalities for the Job
Theyre perfect team players; however, conflict can paralyze them. Famous Ss: Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Michael J. Fox and Mr. Rogers

Compliant (C)
Looking for someone who is analytical and thrives on details and procedures? Then a high C is the perfect person for the job. Theyre all about business, love rules, and those who follow them. They can be slow to change, since they need all the information before making any move. As an entrepreneur, youre most likely a risk taker and a person who gets things done and asks questions later. So when it comes time to grow a championship team, you should select people with the same type of hard-driving qualities, right? Well, maybe not so much. Leading a group of entrepreneurial types with no other personality styles on the team would be like herding cats or trying to nail Jell-O to a treea really bad plan, Dave says. So how do you decide who to hire? As Dave teaches in EntreLeadership Master Series, you need a healthy mix of personality styles. And the tool he uses for insight into how people make decisions and what their tendencies are is the DISC Profile System. hold back, so theyre great when you need an honest opinion. They can be blunt to the point of hurting feelings, so a very high D can freak out other personality styles. Famous Ds: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Tiger Woods and John McEnroe Famous Cs: Bill Gates, Alan Greenspan, Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger

Influencer (I)
You know the saying, Let the good times roll? We think it was created for the Is of the world. They love being around others and can easily motivate them, although they can easily get distracted. If you are looking for creative or out-of-the-box ideas or simply some fun, an I will come through every time. Famous Is: Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton and Steve Martin

So how do you decide who to hire? As Dave teaches in EntreLeadership Master Series, you need a healthy mix of personality styles.
The DISC test is a great tool to use as part of your hiring process to ensure that personalities mesh and teams connect. Remember, though, its only one tool in your arsenal . At Daves company, there are at least 12 components involved in the hiring process, with an average of six to 15 interviews. He knows when you get the right people on board, magic happens and everybody wins.

DISC breaks down personality into four distinct types.

Steady (S)
Steady, loyal and big-hearted, theyre just about willing do anything for anyone and will go out of their way not to hurt someones feelings.

Dominance (D)
These go-getters love being in charge and enjoy a challenge above all else. Theyll also never

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Meet Steve Lang

A Successful Florida Realtor Shares His Best Lessons Learned
of perseverance, honesty and accountability. I never wanted to disappoint him. Barney possesses a true entrepreneurial spirit and a generous heart. He inspires me to be a strong leader.

Best Way to Keep My Competitive Edge

Being honest with my clients and promptly responding to all of their needs has allowed me to excel in my market. I receive emails and letters of thanks regularly, commenting on how easy it was for my clients to close their property transaction(s). The past several years have been challenging, but I have succeeded because of the strong relationships and loyalty I have built with my customers. They trust that I am going to take care of any and all their needs to make the process as smooth as possible.

My Best Leadership Advice

It is essential to surround yourself with people who enjoy what they do and have a strong personal desire to achieve. EntreLeadership is not just a theory. Thousands of business owners and leaders are using Daves principles every day to take their companies and team members to heights they never imagined. In the EntreLeadership Spotlight series, well be highlighting some of these great leaders and learning about their dreams, motivation and secrets to success.

Best Lesson Learned From EntreLeadership Master Series

For years, I struggled with managing a staff and hiring the right employees. It wasnt until I attended the Master Series hiring lesson that I realized I had been doing it all wrong. I learned the importance of identifying personality styles, including my own. I finally understood how to recognize specific traits that would enhance productivity in my office.

What I Do
I am the owner of The Steve Lang Group, Homevest Realty in Orlando, Florida.

It is essential to surround yourself with people who enjoy what they do and have a strong personal desire to achieve. My Favorite Part of the Job
Watching a young family purchase their first home, helping clients who are facing difficult financial decisions, and assisting couples achieve their financial goals by buying or selling their home. It s the most rewarding career I have ever had. For most people, a home is their largest asset. Helping them make the right decision to buy or sell is a huge responsibility that I respect.

A Characteristic Every Leader Should Possess

Honesty is the most integral quality of any successful leader. Its the foundation of all relationships.

My Greatest Passions
1. Family: My wife, Erin, and I have two little boys who are our whole world. 2. Animals: I worked in animal care and training at Sea World for nearly 20 years before starting a career in real estate. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. 3. Working out: Being active gives me the energy I need to complete all of my goals. Te n n i s , w ate r s k i i n g o r working out in the gym are a part of my daily schedule.

My Mentor
My personal and professional mentor is Barney Everett. I met Barney through my church when I was only 14 years old. He was organizing a boxing club for teenage boys, and I joined. Barney was (and still is) one of the most influential people in my life. He taught me at a young age the importance

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Five Enemies of Unity

Transform Your Companys Culure by Keeping These Away
3. Gossip
One thing you will never find at Daves office is gossip. Everyone k now s t h at i f t h e y h ave a problem, they need to take it to their leader and no one else. In fact, Dave hates gossiping so much, its a fireable offense.

10

4. Unresolved Disagreements
Its a fact as old as time. When you get a bunch of humans together, no matter their age, education or sense of humor, disputes are going to ensue. And as a leader, its your job to act quickly and decisively when you become aware of them. If not, they will fester, and your team will grow apart.

Want a team that works together as one? Then talk it up and always let them know whats going on, whether good or bad.
For Troy Meachum, owner of ACR Supply Company in Durham, North Carolina, the thought of vacation was anything but relaxing. He dreaded returning to a desk full of problems and team members who werent getting along. Troy knew something had to change, so he rolled up his sleeves and went to work to transform his companys culture. A major part of that was unifying his team. To accomplish this goal, Troy relied on the lessons he learned at EntreLeadership Master Series. And like Dave, he found out that if

he kept the five enemies of unity away from his door, everyone became increasingly unified. You can do the same!

5. Sanctioned Incompetence
Remember in school when you were assigned a group project, and there was always that one goofoff who never helped? You didnt feel like pitching in the next time, right? Well, the same holds true for your team. If you dont act when someone cant or wont do their job, it demotivates everyone else. By fighting the five enemies of unity, you can create team members who love their job and are all working toward a common goalwinning the game. Thats what Troy has done, and today he has no problem going on vacation. We have a culture much like a family who cares for each other, communicates, and wants to help each other and unite, he says. Its a place where people wake up and want to come to work.

The enemies include: 1. Failure to Communicate

Want a team that works together as one? Then talk it up and always let them know whats going on, whether good news or bad. As Dave says, Most people assume the worst times 10 when leadership hasnt built trust with them by telling the whole truth. Be proactive.

2. Lack of Shared Purpose

You cant have unity without a common goal, a common mission and a common vision, all flowing from a common dream. Create them and talk about them over and over again.

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Meet Bryan Miles

An EntreLeaders Best Leadership Advice
Best Lessons Learned
The first step in hiring is creating a KRA (key results areas or detailed job description) for the position. It allows you to define the role before you place potential candidates in it. It also enables you to remain objective about the role/need before you start liking the people you are interviewing. And kicking crazy out the door is massively important. Letting crazy stay in your company is your fault as a leader, and you are sanctioning incompetence.

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What I Do
I am CEO and co-founder of Miles Advisory Group (MAG) in Atlanta, Georgia. Im blessed to run the company with my wife, Shannon. We help streamline ministry through flexible and affordable outsourcing solutions.

2. Have an idea/service/ product that is exceptional and not half-baked. 3. Make sure you are THE most passionate person in the history of the world about your company/service/ productand never let anyone discourage you.

Be others-focused. Great leaders are driven to serve others. They turn their org chart upside down and serve with a passion. If Id Known Then
Id own all of my business 100% from day one in terms of equity. Id never apologize for being a start-up. I would not limit what I thought God could do in my business like I did in our first year. He amazed me with more opportunity, sales, people, ideas and success in our first 12 months than I could have ever dreamed up in my head. I wont limit Him again. Ive given Him permission to show off with our business, and I will work hard to follow His lead.

A Characteristic Every Leader Should Possess

Be others-focused. Great leaders are driven to serve others. They turn their org chart upside down and serve with a passion.

My Best Leadership Advice

1. Read Robert Greenleafs books on servant leadership. 2. Look for early wins for your team (not you) and fight like crazy for their success. 3. Focus on how your work creates wins for your leader(s) as well. And then go after those wins with a passion. 4. Stay organized and own your time management. A poor leaderwho wont lead for longis unorganized.

How to Beat the Competition

Mental fortitude as a leader matters greatly to the long-term success of your endeavors. Wear your competition out with your creativity, passion and grit.

You have to:

1. Be original. Never be a me-too salesperson.

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Sales Tips
The Four Steps to Successful SellingMore Than a Personality Is Needed
allows the buyer to trust you, your company and your product. In a retail situation, theres no time for research, but you can still connect. It can be as simple as asking where someone is from. Boston? I have a friend who lives in Framingham. Boom. In five seconds, youve made that connection.

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So if selling is so easy, why are so many people terrible at it?

If you spent any time with Dave, you would quickly learn that hes a super salesperson. Talk to him for five minutes, and hell have you converted to the cause. Why is he so good at it? Because Dave knows that selling is much more than having a great personality. Its a process. And if its done right, a sale will follow. So if selling is so easy, why are so many people terrible at it? Because they ignore the four steps necessary for someone to make the buy. It doesnt matter if they are a salesperson selling highly sophisticated software or a minister teaching someone about Jesus, the same four steps are involved. If you skip one or go out of order, you might as well call it a day, because the only thing youll be offering is frustration. Its the most overlooked, underrated of the four. And it just happens to be one of the most powerful. If you dont believe us, try to talk an unqualified buyer into something they dont need or cant afford. You may get a black eye. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggerationwe told you qualification has a complexbut when you dont pay attention to qualification, it can lead to exasperation for everyone involved.

3. Education/Information
Want to instantly annoy someone? Try selling them a product you k now not h i n g about. Before selling anything, you have to know every little detail. And thats just the beginning. You also must love and believe in your product too. If you dont, it shows. As Dave says, If you wouldnt want your mother to buy the item or service, then dont sell it.

A qualified prospect must have:

Money Time Need/Want Power to purchase

4. Close
If you followed the three steps above, closing the deal is gravya natural part of the process. The big thing to remember here is dont try to close too early. Youll come off as pushy and lose the sale. By using the four steps above and serving your customers instead of selling them, youll gain clients for life. Everyone is happy, and business is fun again too. It doesnt get better than that.

2. Rapport
The second step, rapport, can be summed up in two words: common ground. To make a sale, you have to find a way to connect to your customer. Do your research to find out who youre talking to and look for that common ground. When you do, it

The four steps include: 1. Qualification

If there is any step that should have a complex, its qualification.

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Everything you ever wanted to know about

building and growing a businEss

but didnt know to ask.

Join us in Orlando for

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin October 1420, 2012

Learn more at EntreLeadership.com