HARDISON’S TIPS – OCTOBER 15, 2021 – WHAT IS A SALESPERSON WIRED TO DO? While attending a recent seminar with small business owners, I found myself knee-deep in a discussion about what salespeople really do. Contrary to the business owners’ thoughts on the matter, I proposed that there are ONLY two (2) things a salesperson will do … What you pay them for, and what you measure.  Do you agree? First, let me share what led to this discussion …  A business owner of a $6M company complained that his lone salesman had not brought in a single new customer for over three (3) years. I asked if he had discussed this problem with the salesman, and was told that he had not made it a “big…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 15, 2021(PT.5) Biggest Myths about Public Speaking Fear and Stage Fright When you go to a class at a University or Junior College, you might get to speak three times in a 12 week class, and after each speech, you’ll get the dreaded constructive criticism. So that way will take a while as well. However, if you want gain presentation skills quickly, find a way to deliver four to six presentations with a really good coach in a short period of time. Ideally, if you can do it in a couple of days, you’ll grow quickly. However, I’ve seen people have a lot of success by setting up a series of weekly speeches at the office or…

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HARDISON’S TIPS – OCTOBER 14, 2021 – CARMAX OUT OF THE NEW VEHICLE GAME Starting with some news involving CarMax, the retailer has finished divesting its new-car dealership franchises with the sale of CarMax Kenosha Toyota to the Rydell Company, according to Haig Partners, which was the sell-side advisor for CarMax in this transaction. “We made the decision to sell our Kenosha Toyota new-car store to allow us to continue to focus on our core business of delivering an exceptional used-car buying and selling experience,” CarMax chief financial officer Enrique Mayor-Mora said in Monday’s news release from Haig Partners.  “We appreciate the strong relationship we have with Haig Partners and have worked with Kevin Nill for more than 20 years,” Mayor-Mora said. “Our experience with the…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 14, 2021(PT.4) Biggest Myths about Public Speaking Fear and Stage Fright Being a Critic Versus Being a Coach My wife likes to watch cooking shows. Personally, I’m not a big fan, but I often experience in passing as I’m doing something else around the house. One of the things that I’ve noticed is that, on these shows, there will often be three judges. If the dish that they are judging is good, two of the judges will give a compliment to the chef. However, no matter how good two of the judges think that the dish is, at least one of the judges will criticize the dish. (I guess that makes for great TV.) My point is…

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HARDISON’S TIPS – OCTOBER 13, 2021 – COPIER INDUSTRY SUPPLY CHAIN WARNINGS Supply Chain Warnings A good way to get people talking, in this lingering pandemic era, is to ask whether they have tried to rent a car lately. Even if they haven’t, they have likely heard stories, perhaps about largely empty lots at the Atlanta airport, where customers were forced to compete in what the actress Audra McDonald, in an angry tweet, called a “hunger games relay,” or about the man who told the Los Angeles Times that he had booked a compact car to take his kids to Disneyland only to be directed to a van that “reeked of cigarettes and marijuana.” But most of the stories are more quotidian; the common elements are long lines, high rates,…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 13, 2021(PT.3) Biggest Myths about Public Speaking Fear and Stage Fright The moment arrived. I was the third of six presenters. Each of us were seated at the front table in the auditorium. The first and second presenters were people that I had never heard of, but they both got up and did excellent jobs. While the second speaker was presenting, I looked to my right to see what my other nominees thought about the first two speakers, and I was surprised because I was the only one still sitting at the table. I frantically began scanning the room, and in the dark area, way off to the right, next to the accordion wall, were the other…

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HARDISON’S TIPS – OCTOBER 12, 2021 – INTERVIVING FOR SERVICE TECHNICIANS The #1 takeaway from our 2021 Mid-Year Update was the resurging job market. Hiring in this industry has never been busier, more competitive or more challenging that it is right now. That makes streamlining the hiring process more important than ever! Welcome to my Interviewing Prep series, where I share the most important questions employers and candidates need to have answered before the first interview. Today, we’re covering Service Technicians: Questions for Employers Before Interviewing Technicians What is the base salary range for this position? Do you offer benefits? Do you have any bonus programs in place? Do you provide a company cell phone, laptop, and/or tools? Do you provide a company vehicle? If you don’t provide a vehicle, what is your mileage reimbursement rate or…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 12, 2021(PT.2) Biggest Myths about Public Speaking Fear and Stage Fright Myth #2: I’m Way More Nervous than Everyone Else Surveys show that at least 90% of the population admits to feeling public speaking fear or stage fright. Surveys also show that over 45% of the population admit that the stage fright that they feel is so great that they avoid opportunities to present in front of groups. One of the first things that we share with people when we coach them as speakers, or when they come through one of our public speaking classes or presentation seminars, is that most of the stuff that happens to us when we get nervous is invisible to the audience. For…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – OCTOBER 11, 2021(PT.1) Biggest Myths about Public Speaking Fear and Stage Fright t’s time to set the record straight. ANYONE can be a fantastic, world-class speaker with a little bit of training, a little bit of coaching, and a little bit of practice. It doesn’t take years of study and practice, and it doesn’t take thousands of dollars of investment. One of the hardest things to get across to new presenters is the immutable fact that just about everything that you have ever learned about public speaking and creating good business presentations is flat out WRONG! The following are some of the biggest myths about stage fright and public speaking training: Myth #1: Good Speakers have a Natural…

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