Listen to “#700 The Man that Changed IBM” on Spreaker.
On this episode of The Small Business Radio Show…
SEGMENT 1 with Nicholas M. Donofrio, starting at 0:00: We’ve interviewed a lot of interesting businesspeople over the course of 700 shows and nearly 14 years, and this episode is no exception. Nicholas Donofrio is here to share how he changed IBM, one of the most innovative companies in the world, over his 44-year career.
SEGMENT 2 with Michelle Kulp, starting at 19:00: A lot of small business owners become experts in their field and then find themselves writing books. What is the best way to do it? Should you get an agent, a publisher, or self-publish your book? And once the book is out, how do you get copies sold and make it onto the bestseller lists?
SEGMENT 3 with Ryan Dohrn, starting at 37:00: How did selling change during the pandemic, and is set to change again in the coming recession?
Sponsored by Truly Financial.
More on each segment below.
Segment 1: Nicholas M. Donofrio began his career in 1964 at IBM, where he remained for 44 years in increasingly responsible roles, including those of division president for advanced workshops, general manager of the large-scale computing division, and executive vice president of innovation and technology. He is the author of the new book, If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes.
1:30 – How’d you end up at IBM?
4:00 – Were you aware of how transformative the System 360–the first real commercial computer–would be at the time?
7:15 – How does a huge company like IBM adapt and change?
10:00 – What was the strategy behind IBM’s shift to services?
11:30 – You were legendary in IBM for the number of people you mentored. Why was mentoring so important to you? What did you learn from your proteges?
14:00 – You were the first IBM executive to have “innovation” in your title. Why wasn’t IBM perceived as being innovative, and how did the team change its image?
Segment 2: Michelle Kulp left a 17-year career in the legal field to follow her dreams of writing, teaching and speaking. Since 2013, Michelle has been helping authors write, publish, and launch books to the Amazon, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestsellers lists. To date, she’s helped over 250 authors become #1 bestselling authors. She even wrote a book about her process, and it’s called 28 Books to $100K and then wrote a follow-up book called Digital Retirement.
19:00 – Does everyone have at least one book in them?
21:00 – You say that a chance meeting with Billy Ray Cyrus (country music singer and actor) on your birthday in October of 1993 changed your entire life. How?
26:00 – How did you start pursuing your dream to become a writer?
29:45 – What are the biggest obstacles people face when writing a book?
32:30 – How do you get books onto all the top bestsellers lists?
Segment 3: Ryan Dohrn is a top motivational speaker who won an Emmy for marketing excellence while working for ABC TV/Walt Disney Co. and was recognized by Forbes.com with the “Best of the Web” award for his business strategies. He is an internationally certified business coach, has trained over 30,000 professionals, and works monthly with companies in 15 business sectors. He is the author of the new book, Selling Forward: Pandemic Tested Sales Strategies for Success.
37:00 – A lot changed during the pandemic. Did selling change too?
40:15 – Pricing strategies to use during times of economic uncertainty.
43:45 – Increase your sales by focusing on generating recurring business.
46:45 – How can companies apply these strategies to retain their employees?
49:30 – The key to managing our time better.
