Relevant Leadership Blog

A Lesson In Marketing

Today I am in the virtual studio speaking to the leadership team at Charles Schwab. Let me tell you how that happened. 11 years ago I wrote an article on LinkedIn about how to grow your influence. It was read by Liz Hall, VP of Training for C&A Industries, a staffing company in Omaha, Nebraska. Liz got on my site and bought my book The Power of Influence. When the order came through I saw her title in charge of training so I emailed her and started a dialogue. A few months later I was speaking in Nebraska for Subway

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5 Ways To Build Credibility

Credibility is an essential ingredient for every one of us who want to build trust and influence.  Being a relevant leader is a balance between credibility and reliability. Here are 5 simple ways to build credibility. Highlight Your Past Experience & Qualifications. – People are looking for signs that you know what you are talking about and that you are a proven entity. Highlighting your past experience lends credibility and substance to your opinions and beliefs. Display How Much You Care – The old adage is true – “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much

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5 Powerfully Simple Presentation Tips

1. Get Rid of Pleasantries – There is no need to talk about the weather, how grateful you are to be there, to apologize, or reintroduce yourself. You only have a few seconds to grab their attention so start with a question or jump into your content. 2. Make it Conversational – Act like you are speaking to one person. Make it conversational. Ask questions. If it is a small group you might create dialogue, with a large audience ask questions and give a pause for people to think about the question. Keep them engaged in the conversation. 3. Tell

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Communication Lesson From Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most recognized comedians in the world. In the early 90s it was Jerry’s comedy that spearheaded the popularity of observational humor. Here are a few of his funny observations: • According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy. • I was the best man at the wedding. If I’m the best man, why is she marrying him?

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Tell A Good Story (Shark Tank Tip #5)

I am a huge proponent of telling a good story. As the author of The Power of Storytelling and a speech coach – this is one area that personally resonates with me. It is also a key strategy to influence the Sharks or any prospect or audience when you are presenting. So – the fifth presentation tip from Shark Tank is – Tell a Good Story. In the first post we learned to personalize your presentation. In post two we discovered that people buy you. In post three we recognized the importance of knowing your numbers. And the fourth post

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People Buy You (Shark Tank Tips)

In my first post on Presentation Tips from Shark Tank, we discussed how to personalize your message. The second tip from Shark Tank is that People Buy You. There is a familiar adage in sales and marketing that says, “You are not the message, you are the messenger.” I couldn’t disagree more. Have you ever been to a used car lot and been hounded by a slimy, annoying used car salesman? You can’t tell me that the salesman doesn’t affect the sale. This principle is true across the board. -The students buy the teacher first. -The audience buys the presenter

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Presentation Tips From Shark Tank (1)

My favorite show on TV is Shark Tank. If you haven’t ever seen it – it is a reality TV show where hopeful entrepreneurs pitch their business/product ideas to millionaire and billionaire investors – inviting them to invest in their companies with their own money. These investors include Mark Cuban (Owner of the Dallas Mavericks), Daymond John (Creator of FUBU) and others. I am an entrepreneur at heart. I love seeing innovative ideas and people who are creating something from scratch. I love the sacrifice and the passion. I love the negotiations and the valuation process of a pitch. But

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