KEYNOTE OR WORKSHOP: How Your Business Can Thrive in This Recession

Bounce! This Recession
(Motivational) Economic cycles come and go. We have been here before and survived. Cheer the good times with parties, awards and trophies. Mourn the bad times but then let go. Barry demonstrates that developing the resiliency to “bounce” through these cycles of good and bad times determines who ultimately will succeed. Using real life business examples, he shows that with true business confidence, what actions we can take to face our fears, let go of shame and failures, be better risk-takers, and define our own brand of success.
 
Making It Personal- Bringing Bounce to Life
(Participatory Exercise)  We discuss how the principles of Bounce apply to the audience’s personal life. This is an interactive session with a workbook.
 
How Businesses Can Thrive During Difficult Economic Times
(Actionable)
 
1. Matching revenue with expenses.  
2. Challenging all your business assumptions.  
3. Marketing, sales and substitutions. 
4. Finding the people you need.
5. Build customer service as your sustainable competitive advantage.

More details for this keynote.

KEYNOTE: You Need to Be A Little Crazy To Start and Run Your Own Business

The best way to debunk myths about start-up business is to tell the truth: You have to be crazy to start a business. Entrepreneurs live at the complex intersection of business, financial health, physical well-being, spiritual wholeness, and family life. Tidbits of insight will vaporize isolation, encourage self-reflection, and refresh the spirit of anyone running their own business.

Download “You Neet to Be A Little Crazy” as a PDF.

KEYNOTE or HALF DAY WORKSHOP:

BAM! Delivering Customer Service in A Social Media World

For a long time, a company’s commitment to outstanding customer service began…and ended in its mission statement. The goal of the customer being number one in most companies is not translated into tactics for training the staff or incorporating feedback from their customers. Instead, companies continue to pay sales reps bonuses to bring new customers in the door and only pay minimum wages to customer service reps to keep them there. This formula results in a revolving door of customers and overall poor service.

This is all changing in a 24/7 connected world.

1. The world is your competition.

With no geographic boundaries, almost every product or service has become a commodity. Your only sustainable competitive advantage is customer loyalty through great service. If I can get what you sell anywhere, why should I put up with bad service.

2. With self service kiosks and websites, companies can now personalize the customer experience.

Every company can now call you by name, remember what you purchased and recommend what you like. This expectation does not get lower anywhere we surf on the internet, each time we call your company or walk into your brick and mortar locations.

3. Your company’s biggest fear was that a disgruntled customer would tell seven people. A dissatisfied customer can now tell 7 million people!

Communicating via social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube has turned the business world upside down. Companies can no longer control the conversation about their brands through advertising. But, the good news is that social media can also help build a raving fan base and defuse ranting customers.

You will learn to:

For a long time, a company’s commitment to outstanding customer service began…and ended in its mission statement. This is all changing in a 24/7 connected world.

1. Why when the world is your competition, customer service is your only sustainable competitive advantage.
2. Why you need to personalize the customer experience or get left behind
3. With social media, why customer service is the new marketing.
4. How to bust the 20 myths of customer service that hold your company back right now.
5.  How to develop a formula to determine the economic value each customer contributes.
6. How to develop a two-way customizable customer service manifesto.
7.  How to develop action Plans for CEOs, line managers, and customer service reps.
8.  How to get your best customers to stay and fire the harmful ones to leave.

•  Audience: Any manager or owner wanting to make customer service a part of the DNA for their organization.

Sample Video on Customer Service

View Web site on the book and customer service

KEYNOTE: What NOT to Say in a Business Plan

Too often, we get so wrapped up in the business plan that we forget to do the most important thing: Find Customers! In the foreword of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Business Plans, (Penguin) Barry suggests that premeditated business should be outlawed. But even though business plans are mostly meaningless, the process of writing the plan is very worthwhile. This session describes the useful parts of the process and what can be learned by developing business metrics rather than damaging your credibility with worthless projections and overstated promises.

Download “What NOT to Say in a Business Plan” as a pdf.

KEYNOTE: Bounce! The Path to True Business Confidence

Conventional business wisdom tells us that there is always something to learn from failure. Not true—sometimes it just stinks! Failure that offers no real learning value becomes a big jolt to the basic business belief system. Both success and failure are simply outcomes in the lifecycle of business where repetition is inevitable and overall process matters far more than any single event or outcome. Barry demonstrates that developing the resiliency to “bounce” through these cycles determines who ultimately will succeed. Using real life business examples, he shows that with true business confidence, we can face our fears, let go of shame and failures, use all our choices, be better risk-takers, and define our own brand of success.

Download “Bounce! The Path to True Business Confidence” as a pdf.