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This Simple Daily Practice Helps Turn Ordinary Leaders Into Extraordinary Ones

This Simple Daily Practice Helps Turn Ordinary Leaders Into Extraordinary Ones

by | Apr 15, 2023 | Featured, Leadership

Before I share this life and leadership changing tip, I first want to make sure that we all have a clear understanding of what “practice” is, at least according to most experts in the behavioral change and breakthrough delivery business.

If I was to ask you, how did you learn how to ride a bicycle, what would you say? Go ahead, say it out loud. {PAUSE}

Most respond to this question by saying, “I had training wheels” or, “my parents helped me” or, “I fell off and got back on again” or, something similar. And, while none of these are wrong, there is a better answer.

You got on it every day!

If you had attempted to ride your bicycle once a month odds are you would have never actually broken through. Further, if you had tried once every other week or even once a week, you still would likely have never broken through.

The important lesson here therefore, is that practice is every day! Anything other than every day is what I call dabbling, and dabbling typically doesn’t change behavior and create breakthrough. It is every day practice that changes behavior and creates those life changing, long sought after breakthroughs.

And, speaking of breakthrough, there are 3 main areas in which they occur. The two kinds that most people experience, if at all are:

Breakthroughs In Your Work or Profession (remuneration centered breakthrough) – if you are an accountant, lawyer, tech code writer, woodworker, etc. you must practice your craft while working in it to improve.

Breakthroughs In Your Personal Passions (pleasure centered breakthrough) – playing golf, sailing, fitness, cooking, gardening, painting, etc.

The all important third breakthrough area however, the one that delivers the greatest impact are those related to the practice of better BEING.

Practices that challenge your mindset, your story, your limiting beliefs, your minute to minute routines and habitual decisions, even practices in how you see things. It is specifically these kind of daily practices that “help turn ordinary leaders into extraordinary ones”.

Let’s say for example you begin practicing how you wish to be seen – how you want others to see you. Imagine now walking into work every day with a crystal clear understanding of how you wish to be seen and you create that intention all throughout your day – in every conversation, in every meeting, in every email.

Now, let’s pretend you are the type of manager, leader or person that wishes to be seen as a great listener or, someone who really really cares (has empathy), or perhaps someone who is tough when they have to be but, always honest and fair.

Don’t you think if you practiced this intention every day, the chances of you being seen this way are far greater than if you had no intention and didn’t practice it at all? Of course it is!

Now, here is the larger leap forward, imagine you practice this to the point it becomes a habit and that habit becomes a part of you. Because you are a great leader, you then add another better “being” practice, and then another.

This is what truly great leaders do folks. They not only practice how they wish to be seen through this thing called the power of intention, they are always adding new, better “being” practices which over time designs an intentional desired collective reality!

Andrew Kolikoff, Servant Sales & Leadership Coach

Andrew is a sales and customer retention innovator, leadership development and culture coach, public speaker, and author.
If you are interested in building a better, more profitable business, being a better leader, and elevating your culture, you will want to subscribe to our newsletter.

Also, please feel free to follow Andrew Kolikoff on Linkedin. 

Have a question about sales, customer retention, leadership, culture? Ask Andrew for some deeper perspective and very likely, some better answers. (Just ask in the comment section below this article.)

Great Leaders Regularly Practice Being, NOT Doing

Great Leaders Regularly Practice Being, NOT Doing

by | Apr 14, 2023 | Featured, Leadership

While I have had the incredible privilege to know and work with a handful of government leaders as well as a few billionaires let me be clear, it was an incredible privilege NOT because of the wealth and power these individuals have amassed but the deep wisdom and lessons learned they over time have injected into me.

As I am sure many of you likely have heard, with enormous power comes enormous responsibility. Think of a life filled with endless important, big, stressful decisions. Decisions that could not only negatively impact you and the people you care about, but also the lives of hundreds of thousands, even millions. This daily pressure and the magnitude of difficult challenges many of these people face I believe, we the masses, truly don’t fully comprehend.

And while I suppose we can put those challenges into a category I will call “good problems” (the kind of problems supposedly many would like to have) let me share with you this… they are problems all the same and require a special someone to lead in the “right way” to solve them. That “right way”, as I have come to learn from my relationship with these people, is much more of a daily regimented practice in Being than Doing.

Let’s look at perhaps one the very best who understood this and practiced what I call better being daily! Marcus Aurelius – Caesar of Rome – commonly practiced BEING a better person and developed many techniques to be that better leader, better person. Here’s a practice all you leaders might want to incorporate into your daily regimen.

In a volume entitled “Meditations” Marcus Aurelius wrote, “When force of circumstance upsets your equanimity, lose no time in recovering your self-control and do not remain out of tune longer than you can help. Habitual recurrence to harmony will increase your mastery of it.”

In other words people, leaders in positions of enormous power and authority are humans too. They endure difficult day after difficult day – deal with fires, conflict and perhaps the most difficult of all… lose lose situations. As human beings these leaders, just like anyone, feel immense stress, anger and frustration.

However, truly great leaders know how to quickly get themselves emotionally back to an empowered state of mind and presence faster than most. Why? They have to! People want to be inspired by their leaders.

We want them to be the example for us all in how to act and react in the most difficult of circumstances.

Now that I have created this awareness in you, I invite you to practice this daily with yourself. (Marcus Aurelius called it the “Equanimity Game”)

The next time something difficult, frustrating or even terrible happens in your day… PAUSE. Be aware. Tell yourself that the best leaders, the most successful people in life get back to center faster.

They realize that it is in “center” or in the place of equanimity where you make better decisions. It is there where people appreciate you the most, respect you the most and will do the most for you. It is when you are beautifully centered where people find and FEEL your spark. Your special gift.

So again, practice this. Pause. Take a slow deep breath in. A long breath out. (In on 4, out on 6)

Again, in on 4 and out on 6. 

This time (during this second inhale and exhale) shift in your mind from negative expectation to positive. Imagine that a solution will appear. After all, it usually does. Feel that excitement.

Now a third time… in on 4, out on 6.

This time imagine the best possible outcome… that out of this challenge or problem, a valuable lesson will be learned that will propel you from where you are right now, to something better.

And, speaking of something better… If you can muster up the discipline to practice “being” better daily, I promise you, you and everything around you will be better for it.

Andrew Kolikoff, Servant Sales & Leadership Coach

Andrew is a sales and customer retention innovator, leadership development and culture coach, public speaker, and author.
If you are interested in building a better, more profitable business, being a better leader, and elevating your culture, you will want to subscribe to our newsletter.

Also, please feel free to follow Andrew Kolikoff on Linkedin. 

Have a question about sales, customer retention, leadership, culture? Ask Andrew for some deeper perspective and very likely, some better answers. (Just ask in the comment section below this article.)

90% Of All Leaders Are Actually Not, They Are Just People In Positions Of Authority

90% Of All Leaders Are Actually Not, They Are Just People In Positions Of Authority

by | Apr 14, 2023 | Featured, Leadership

I have no statistical evidence to support the claim made in the title of this article however, I also know that there has never been a study conducted that can refute it. And, the reason why there has never been such a study that neither can support or oppose my claim is because there is no definition of what good or even great leadership is.

The fact remains, that each and every person possesses their own explanation, has their own definition of what great leadership is. And, as we all have seen, lack of consensus, clarity and definition on something as important as leadership ultimately leads to organizational conflict, division, fragmentation, chaos or even worse… dissolution. I mean, look at how we view our own country’s leaders! We as a nation (in the United States) could not be more divided on what we think great leadership is and means.

So now, let’s unpack this a bit further and take a closer look at what is really happening here and how this relates to organizational leadership and culture.

How each of us sees great leadership, at it’s core, is based on each of our personal values and belief systems. And, those values and belief systems are almost entirely based on each of our own personal stories. Some of us have stories that are still to this day dominated by stowed away stories of pain, loneliness, mistrust, suffering, rejection, violence, hatred, frustration or the overcoming of such – something commonly referred to as victimhood. Conversely, other personal stories are more elevated, focused on peace, love, trust, appreciation, kindness, empathy, forgiveness or the pivot and focus toward such. This I call the empowered or servant heart and mind.

It is in these varied stories… stories of violence, hope, rejection and love that shape how we view ourselves in our world, how we interact and how we see others in relation to ourselves… and yes, how we see leaders.

Our managers, bosses, the people whom we report to are human beings, human beings who bring with them values formed by their own personal stories. And, most of these managers, bosses, owners, leaders develop established habits and behaviors that consciously or subconsciously allow for their stories to manifest in how they achieve success. This brings me to the real reason why great leadership is next to impossible to define and why 90% of all leaders are actually not. They are just people in positions of authority.

If we were to solely base great leadership on outcome then, the movement toward some clear definition would be achievable. The truth is however, great leadership also must account for the journey… how great leaders got there, achieved the incredible success they did.

To highlight the importance of this and why this is true, look no further than Attila the Hun and Mahatma Ghandi. Attila The Hun destroyed everything and everyone in his wake. Hundreds of thousands perished in his ascension. Yet, Mahatma Ghandi harmed not a thing nor a single person. Two extremely opposite approaches on the path toward a successful outcome; one who conquered almost all of central and eastern Europe through fear, intimidation and violence and the other, who liberated a nation through peace, love and empathy. Therefore, how we define what a great leader is, must account for more than just the end result. It must also include their approach in every step along the way in getting there.

Considering that most people haven’t sufficiently and effectively reconciled their past hurt, pain, and their stories, most of the journeys that leaders take us on are often uninspiring, disempowered, more self serving and in parts, sometimes based on their own victimhood.

The good news here is this, more and more leaders are hiring coaches… people to help them see how they are bringing their past into their present decision making. These coaches are helping leaders become better or even the best versions of themselves. And, the better, more aligned and inspiring the leader, the better, more aligned and inspired the culture.

Andrew Kolikoff, Servant Sales & Leadership Coach

Andrew is a sales and customer retention innovator, leadership development and culture coach, public speaker, and author.
If you are interested in building a better, more profitable business, being a better leader, and elevating your culture, you will want to subscribe to our newsletter.

Also, please feel free to follow Andrew Kolikoff in Linkedin. 

Have a question about sales, customer retention, leadership, culture? Ask Andrew for some deeper perspective and very likely, some better answers. (Just ask in the comment section below this article.)

The “Success” Secret: What Happy, Successful Leaders NEVER Tell You

The “Success” Secret: What Happy, Successful Leaders NEVER Tell You

by | Apr 7, 2023 | Leadership

Most successful entrepreneurs are great at what they do. Many are great in how they do it. The super successful entrepreneurs however, are great in how they be. Yes, you read that right. They are great at BE-ing. Being themselves. Thinking. Creating. Sharing. Being themselves from moment to moment. Circumstance to circumstance.

The greatest entrepreneurs of all, our elite entrepreneurs, the ones who are the very best of the best however…

  1. Know themselves better than you likely know yourself. (Read “The One Thing Super Successful People Know That You Likely Don’t“)
  2. Practice – practice knowing themselves, testing themselves, elevating themselves.
  3. Live “self realized” or “self actualized” lives. They embody their vision of who they want to be.

How I Know This To Be True

I know this because I was a mentor and lecturer at an incubator in one of the most famous cities in America for Entrepreneurship. I had been for almost 13 years. In those thirteen years I had immersed myself in over 300 startups and small businesses. So immersed in fact, that I won “Mentor of The Year Award” – voted such by the entrepreneurs and small business owners themselves. I was (and still am) a mentor because I want to be one. I had originally volunteered. Received no remuneration. Now, after 13 years I have made it my profession. I am now passionately obsessed in helping make dreams come true. In fact, I am driven to help make everyone’s dream come true. Business owners. Leaders. Corporate executives. Artists. Athlete’s. Moms. Even yours!

From this experience, I have witnessed and studied very closely those that found success. I not only have witnessed, but also took part in their journey; I lived it with them. I was immersed in their thinking, their doing and their BE-ing. Immersed in all their challenges, obstacles; all the blood, sweat and tears. The great days and… the many, many difficult days.

Birthed out of that immersion, was a sense of clarity. A more holistic understanding of how and why success “happens”. And, where that begins as most of you know, is first with a dream. Their dream.

Because You Can Be BOTH Successful And Genuinely Happy

Dreams perhaps are one of the most sacred things every human has in them. Somehow though, society has taught us to relinquish our dreams as we mature into adulthood. We’ve learned that responsibility eradicates our dreams. However, what they haven’t told you, or you haven’t learned is that your responsibilities are created by you through the choices you make. Many entrepreneurs and business owners interestingly have learned to make different choices so as to hold on to, preserve and go after their dream. Startup (or even some small business owners and) entrepreneurs in particular, live with less. Most don’t drive a nice car. Live in a big house. Wear expensive clothes. Go on decadent vacations. Eat out at expensive restaurants. Other people do. That is why they let go; relinquished their dreams; made these choices and assumed these responsibilities.

Most start-up entrepreneurs and small business owners however, don’t do this. No, many new business owners and entrepreneurs live smart or at least smarter. They have somehow inherently realized that “responsibility” (that word all you dream relinquishers use) is a scapegoat, a farce, a word that you use to make it all okay as to why you have settled. Why you compromised your dream and your ultimate happiness for the material possessions you thought you absolutely needed – a nice car, a beautiful home or apartment, things in general that most people have around you. Never ever forget that all your possessions – well most – are wants, not needs. And while having less or more certainly doesn’t make you a failure (I am not here to judge), one thing for sure I’ve learned is, having less is the first step toward true happiness. Happiness in the journey rather than the destination.

This is why many entrepreneurs are often happier than most everyone else. They are focused on their dream, the canvass they are painting on in life. They are deeply connected to the passion that lives inside of them. Passion and love fill their worlds. And yes, while “hard work” and sacrifice also fills their worlds and dominates their lives, it really is only what you outsiders view as hard work and sacrifice. To them it is an expression of who they are, what they want most and best of all, an expression of love (perhaps the very reason why we are here in this world as living beings). For them, hard work and sacrifice are directly connected to thoughts filled with love, passion, purpose and self identity.  Most entrepreneurs I have had the pleasure of mentoring and coaching are more like artists, living more in the moment and loving their life now rather hitching their happiness to some future outcome they have no control ever really obtaining.

A Pattern Emerges And Reveals The Real Truth

Every entrepreneur and business owner however, like any person in business (and in life) needs help actually succeeding. While entrepreneurs are more happy living an inwardly fulfilled life, they, like anyone else need for their artwork to mean something – not just to themselves but also to others. They want it understood in a manner in which people, many people, are willing to pay for it. They want to complete the cycle of what it means to be entrepreneurially fulfilled – creation, meaning, purpose and money! So, as their mentor, I am there to provide some or all of the help they need. I am there to summon upon all my previous experience as a three time successful entrepreneur and apply those skills, experiences and know-how to help them plan and overcome virtually any challenge.

Very interestingly, in my own personal journey with them, helping them, a pattern started emerging. A most striking pattern. A pattern that when fully realized, wound up shaking the very foundation of what I thought mentoring or coaching for success truly was about. And, even more than that… simply where success really comes from.

Despite most new entrepreneurs and business owners naturally infused happiness and rather elevated constitution as everyday living human beings, I learned that most unfortunately don’t know how to actually BE successful. They don’t know to think, speak and act successfully. They don’t even know how to make the everyday decisions that will dramatically increase their chances for success.

The numbers are not good folks. 90 to 95% of all startup business owners fail. They don’t make it. That includes those that are getting help (inside an incubator, accelerator or anything of the like) and out. And while incubators do a heck of a lot of good, most aren’t noticeably changing (for the better) the worldwide statistic more than one positive percentage point. Similarly, while franchise academies/training programs are also incredibly effective in preparing their graduates to run the operations of their future business, they fall short in delivering other aspects of business and leadership success. Why? Because incubators and even franchise training academies (most of them) teach entrepreneurs how to best DO not how to best BE… BE an entrepreneur. Be a new, successful franchisee, small businesses owner, etc.

Every business school, incubator, franchise academy I know teaches you the principles in how to start, manage and grow a successful business. They teach you everything you need to know in how to make your dream come true, and how to help your startup reach and surpass its tipping point. They give you the proverbial blueprint or recipe book for entrepreneurial success. Or, that is at least what they will tell you. But, if success really was a blueprint or a recipe book however, then every entrepreneur would be successful… right? Why then is this not true ? Why is almost every startup and small business unsuccessful? Why are too many new, startup franchisees struggling to make it back to black? Why are some unsuccessful? And, by unsuccessful, I mean never reach its true potential – hover as a tiny business that overworks and underpays its founders and owners. Answer: Because it is not just about the recipe book but the person or people holding it!

Discovering Your Own Truth

Look at it this way, we are all creatures of habit. Have you ever asked yourself why you make the habitual decisions you do? Why habitually you react in the manner you do to solve the common or even difficult problems faced? Why you say what you say; think what you think and ultimately, as a result, do what you do?  Why do you tell yourself “I don’t do sales”, or “I don’t raise money” or “I don’t deal with confrontational matters well”? Why are you so good at actually creating the technology but not helping your client or customer leverage it? Why can you manage your company’s financial matters so well but not your people? Did you ever really get to the bottom of it and really ask yourself why? Your habitual actions or reactions are based on who you are; that is, who you believe you are or at least what you tell yourself you are.

However, if you ever took the time to ask yourself why… why you act or react in the ways you do, you very likely will find new, sometimes different answers that will emerge for you. New pathways to solving problems. Given this, it stands to reason then that the better more fully you understand yourself, the greater depth and vision for you and your business you will have.  And, the greater the depth and vision you have in new and creative ways (both to solve problems and create all new pathways), the greater the chance of achieving success.

Once I was struck with this revolutionary thought, the cognizance that I was only providing Band-Aid solutions to problems predominantly caused by startup entrepreneurs and small business owners not knowing themselves well enough to actually BE successful, other truths started to emerge for me.

The REAL Formula For Success 

In my years of being a happy, successful entrepreneur, business owner and organization leader and, in my time mentoring entrepreneurs and clients who have made it… who reached their dream and true potential… who are both happy AND successful (as well as from leaders whom I have studied – some, from the most successful companies in the world), I began to notice they all have one thing in common. They BE differently. They think differently. They live differently. They have different personal habits, traits, belief systems. They even speak slightly differently.

Ultimately what I learned was this… your “it” whatever “it” is (your idea, career, business) will only ever be as good as you are. And as good as you are is only as good as ‘it” will ever get. They are connected. Yet, we live in a world that teaches us only to focus on it. To learn it so that we can do it. To learn more or work in it more to grow it more. To raise money for it. Get technology for it. People for it. It. It. It.

So… (here it comes, the secret sauce as they say) what almost every super successful entrepreneur has not yet told is that you need to Invest In Yourself, not just your business. Invest in knowing YOU better. Far better than you presently think and believe you do. What they are also not telling you is that you can’t invest in yourself “when”… when your business grows to a certain point, when you have more time, when you make more money, etc. You must, and need to invest in yourself now. You must make YOU a priority immediately. You must commit to growing you as you commit to growing your business.

You are now likely thinking… well, why? Why haven’t they told us this?

The answer… they didn’t know how. Most successful entrepreneurs (at least in my experience) are great at what they do, how they do it, and yes, how they be! Some are even great at telling their story in how they got there (outside of themselves – their actions)… but, what I have learned over time and after mentoring many of successful souls, most unfortunately are just not gifted at explaining this universal truth, this realization that lives within them… this REAL formula for success.

It’s Not What You Know, Say and Do But, How You Incorporate All That Into You And Make It A Part Of How You Be

Now, I bet that while many of you will agree and acknowledge this undeniable truth, the unfortunate reality is that most of you will do nothing about it. Most will create a story (and make themselves believe it) as to why not to start now; start learning how to better BE now. And, the reason most of you will do nothing is because it will cost you money! Money, many of you will tell yourselves you don’t presently have (while of course having money or, some money for IT – their idea, their business, their dream).

So, my advice to all you future entrepreneurs and dreamers out there… don’t make the mistake that most unsuccessful entrepreneurs today are making… Don’t wait to invest in yourself “when”. Invest in yourself NOW. Commit to you as much as you commit to IT. Learn the practice of knowing yourself better. Learn how to test yourself. Elevate yourself.

Trust me… your business, your family, your dream likely can’t do it without the very best YOU.

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Your business, your career, your LIFE will only ever be about as good as you are, and… as good as you are is as good as it will ever get. It all begins with YOU. Take the first step. Invest in YOU. Create a more fulfilling life, career and legacy. For more about Andrew and his personal story click –> HERE.

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Andrew Kolikoff  is a former chief science officer, university adjunct professor, resource conservation not-for-profit founder turned author and entrepreneur (a 3 time successful business owner – one time landing him on the front page of USA Today). Today Andrew is a coach, public speaker, author and principal at Aurelius where we turn followers into leaders and ordinary cultures into extraordinary ones.

The Most Ignored and Overlooked Threat EVERY Company Faces (And 10 Simple Things You Can Do About It)

The Most Ignored and Overlooked Threat EVERY Company Faces (And 10 Simple Things You Can Do About It)

by | Apr 3, 2023 | Business

What is the most ignored and overlooked threat every company faces? Answer: The lack of a well thought out and implemented customer experience strategy resulting in – depending on your industry of course – a 20 to 70% customer loss in the first 100 days.

Notice how I said customer experience and not customer service.

Think about it. Customer service is reactive – you delivering on your promises, solving daily problems, responding to complaints and so much more. Customer experience on the other hand is proactive. It is strategic – a focused intention on how you want a customer to feel in every step of the journey. It more involves how you personalize every communication from day one to day 100 and beyond. How you create a more personal, connective, caring, deeper, more meaningful experience.

Now, while most business owners/leaders strive to and believe they provide excellent service, what most companies are rather terrible at is in providing a beautiful, memorable (and systemized for scale) customer experience.

As I have espoused in a previous newsletter article, “the strength of any business is NOT in the new sales it generates but in the referrals and repeat business it gets.” We all focus so much on new business, new clients, new sales that we forget to humanize the journey and develop a strategic “experience” for every customer or client… so that they NEVER leave!

Why is this so important? Here’s why… it is 6 to 7 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than keep a current one yet, still, to this day, only 8% of customers feel their service providers deliver a “superior” level of customer service.

What the majority of your customers are really saying is this… they want an extraordinary experience! The service (reactionary) part was promised and is expected. So then, what can you quickly do to address this threat? Here are my…

 

10 Easy Things You Can Do To Keep Your Customers and Scale Your Referrals

  1. Create And Design A Step by Step Emotional Journey For Your Customers (from day 1 to day 100 and beyond). That’s every communication, every interaction, every touch point and warm, thoughtful act.
  2. Grow Your Clients Businesses Imagine if you required all your salespeople to facilitate 5 introductions a week to good referral source for each client they landed. Read my previous article, Here’s An Effective, Universal Sales Strategy You Likely Have Never Considered
  3. Make It Your Mission To Find Out What Your Clients Really Really Care About. Teach your people to ask this simple question… “besides your family, friends and job/work, what do you really really care about.” This not only creates a more personal and authentic conversation but it also give you vital information about the person in which you can later act upon and do something about.
  4. Every Month, Ask Your Client How You Can Be Better. Then get better, give better, serve better and be better. Keep delivering better and keep checking in to ask them how you are improving or not.
  5. (Consistent) Thoughtful Gestures. Let your clients know how much you appreciate a particular something about them. Give genuine compliments. Send a thoughtful gift however small that you know will make them feel special and that you listened in step 3 above.
  6. Through Your Actions, Not Just Your Words, Let Your Clients See How Much You Really Care. Invite them to your charity event. Ask them who they know who needs help or assistance of any kind – a colleague, a loved one, etc.
  7. Be Vulnerable! Share your story, your journey, your failures and lessons learned. Let them see who truly you are not just as a professional but as a son, mother, father, sister, brother, friend, colleague.
  8. See A Mistake As An Opportunity! We all make mistakes. Stop hiding them and share them along with the solutions for their amelioration – be open and honest. While your client may initially feel annoyed or upset. Over the long term, they will trust you to always share the real truth of what is going on in serving their needs and concerns.
  9. Pass The Buck Properly! Imagine dating someone for a long while and just when you are getting married someone else walks down the aisle. This is what most companies do once the salesperson hands off a new client. This is an opportunity for your salesperson to do two very important things… a). share with the soon to be client what the journey will be like every step of the way – who they will be working with, how things will progress, timing, team, how you expect to make them feel, etc. Here you can creatively share personal, fun and serious profiles of those people, maybe even customized videos of your people introducing themselves, sharing their stories, why they care so much and how they are going to help them. b). Have your salespeople share everything they learned about the customer in the process of landing them (personal and professional) with the team that will be servicing them.
  10. Ask Your Clients What Their Personal and Professional Goals Are! Share yours. Ask question after question in what they are doing to achieving them and more importantly, how you can help and participate. Show genuine interest and do what you can to help them!

While I consider these things to be “easy”, I do readily recognize that they are easy for me. Many of the ideas proposed in my top 10 can be entire subjects and lessons to themselves. If they are not easy for you to build into your organization, get help but DO THEM (I of course am happy to be that person) however, if there is someone you know and feel comfortable with… call them!. If you do, I promise you… you will keep more of your customers, generate more referrals and greatly reduce the need to keep looking for new sales to sustain and grow your company.

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Andrew Kolikoff is a referral and customer retention innovator, leadership development and culture coach, public speaker, author and principal at Aurelius – designing and delivering remarkable customer experiences for companies that REALLY care.

If you are interested in building a better, more profitable business, being a better leader and elevating your culture, you will want to subscribe to Andrew’s “The Purpose Driven Leader” newsletter –> here“. Also, please feel free to follow Andrew Kolikoff in Linkedin. You can also get a copy of Andrew’s book “The Success Secret – What Happy, Successful Leaders NEVER Tell You” in Amazon –> here.

Have a question about sales, customer retention, referral generation, customer experience, leadership, culture? Ask Andrew for some deeper perspective and very likely, get some better answers. (Just ask in the comment section below this article.)