The Actuation Zone: Recent Episodes
Brett Clay
Join host, Brett Clay, as he discusses business trends and today’s hot issues with thought-leaders—authors, analysts, scholars, journalists, and practitioners—who are not just adapting, but are creating and exploiting new opportunities, by leading change.
While the Actuation Zone explores a wide range of topics including leadership, management, sales, and professional development, the underlying theme is “putting change into motion”.
Ted Rubin, Chief Social Marketing Officer at Collective Bias and the author of the upcoming book, “Return on Relationship”, discusses current marketing trends including: what is “return on relationship, mistakes many marketers are making today, how marketers can leverage other resources to greatly expand their effectiveness, and other ways you can more effectively market your […]
Jeff Davidson, “The Work-Life Balance Expert®,” and author of Breathing Space, says workers can increase their productivity by letting go of the notions of multitasking and interrupt-driven activities. He also discusses the “power of completions” and how it can help you achieve balance and productivity. Listen as Jeff challenges you to reevaluate your daily activities. […]
Barry Posner, PhD, professor of management at Santa Clara University and co-author of Credibility, The Leadership Challenge (which has sold 2 million copies), and many other award-winning books, says the practices of effective leaders are universal and timeless. Listen to this information-packed interview with one of the “Ten Most Influential Thinkers” in the world, according […]
Joachim De Posada, PhD, author of Don’t Eat the Marshmallow, Yet describes the results of an important Stanford University psychology experiment that highlights key personality factors that determine success or failure in life. Listen as De Posada, who immigrated to the USA during the Fidel Castro Cuban revolution, describes the principles you can employee to […]
Ted Rubin, Chief Social Marketing Officer at Collective Bias and Social Marketing Strategist for MARS Advertising, is one of the most-followed CMO’s on Twitter. He says the true value of Twitter & social media is engaging & building relationships & emotional connections with people–a principle he calls “return on relationship”. Listen as he reveals how […]
Mark Sanborn, author of Up, Down, or Sideways, The Fred Factor, You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader, and other best-selling books, discusses the success principles that helped him weather difficult times over the last several years, including surviving cancer. He says two of the most important principles are 1) “I may not […]
Tim Sanders, author of Today We Are Rich, says you can improve your performance by harnessing the power of “total confidence”. He says total confidence comes from 1) believe in yourself, 2) trust your team, 3) having faith in a higher purpose or higher power. Sanders says finding passion is nice, but having a purpose […]
Gerhard Gschwandtner, host of the Sales 2.0 Sales and Marketing Conference, says companies are tired of talking about social media, which has been a business-to-consumer marketing channel. He says we’re now entering the era of “social business,” which he defines as business-to-business marketing that aligns content, conversation, and collaboration around strategic business goals. www.Sales20Conf.com. […]
Mari Smith, author of The New Relationship Marketing, says the traditional concept of relationship marketing has changed from one-to-one relationships to building relationships with entire communities. Engaging with communities is not simply a matter of putting up a Facebook page, however. Mari describes where companies should be investing in their marketing and discusses best practices […]
Julian Birkinshaw, PhD, author of Reinventing Management, Smarter Choices for Getting Work Done ,” says most companies are operating with management principles dating back to the Industrial Revolution. However, in today’s era of light-speed communications and global competition, companies’ management systems must be optimized for innovation and agility, rather than efficiency. Listen as Professor Birkinshaw […]
Mary Kelly, PhD, author of Mastering Your World, 15 Dog-Inspired Leadership Lessons to Improve Productivity, Profits, and Communication,” has been teaching economics and management in the US Navy for 21 years. She also trains dogs and horses. In this interview Mary discusses the similarities between training dogs and humans. She also discusses the economics of […]
Dov Baron, creator of the C.O.R.E Affluence System and author of “Don’t Read This: Unless You Want to Make More Money“, says you must take two critical actions to be truly effective and happy. First, you must find your inner “core” self. Second, you must let go of your fears. Listen-in as Dov describes these […]
Rod Brooks, Chief Marketing Officer of PEMCO Mutual Insurance, says the new reality of marketing and sales is that customers are in control of your brand. To win in the marketplace, companies must reorganize their mission and operations around that reality. Brooks says “the voice of the customer” has become PEMCO’s most important strategic initiative. […]
Ruby Newell-Legner, an internationally recognized expert in customer service, has presented over 2000 programs in 11 countries and counts the Burj Al Arab, known as the only 7 star hotel in the world, among her clients. Listen as she reveals her 7 steps to 7 star service in this informative seminar. Improve your service and […]
Avish Parashar, author of Improvise to Success, demonstrates how to use improvisation techniques to dramatically improve your problem solving and influence. He starts by demonstrating the devastating, log-jamming effect of the word “but” and finishes by demonstrating a technique to facilitate collaboration. Every manager and leader should study improv! www.AvishParashar.com. Available in HD and […]
Brian Tracy, author of 45 books on leadership, selling, self-esteem, goals, strategy, creativity and success psychology, says change is inevitable and there are four basic ways to respond to it. He also says that setting and pursuing goals helps us respond to and even lead change. www.BrianTracy.com. Available in HD and full screen: Click […]
International banker, H.T. Narea, author of the financial thriller novel, The Fund, says the American financial system has several fundamental problems and vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. His novel tells the apocalyptic story of what could happen if these risks are not mitigated. Interestingly, he says the most fundamental issue is the education and […]
Greg Giesen, author of Mondays at 3, and host of the Leading From Within radio show, says we can greatly improve our performance if we consistently receive coaching. He also says we should take time each week to reflect on our priorities and our learnings. Then, we should write them down so we remember them […]
Scott Halford, author of Be A Shortcut, says we can greatly improve our performance if we are aware of how our brain works. For example, he says our brains quickly become overloaded with too many orders. So, dividing tasks into smaller pieces and then focusing on them sequentially will improve our stamina and performance. He […]
Jim Blasingame, host of the award-winning, weekday radio talk show, The Small Business Advocate, says this century will not be the “Asian Century”, but rather, the “Century of Small Business.” Jim says that Adam Smith’s notion of the “invisible hand,” whereby societies’ needs are best achieved when each person individually takes ownership and accountability is […]
Bill Kenower, author of the novel, One Year in Jeopardy, and editor-in-chief of Author magazine, says the essence of humanity is to be creative and that we are the most creative, productive, and successful when we focus exclusively on the experience of the moment. By continuously asking ourselves, “What can I make?” and “What can […]
Melissa Jurcan, CSEP, western region vice president of the International Special Events Society, has been a part of several major events, including Super Bowl XLII, 2001 MLB All Star Game, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and BCS National Championship Game, international soccer and more. Melissa says, “Gone are the days that we advertise and simply repeat our […]
Male Speaker: The actuationzone.combrought to you by changeleadershipgroup.com. Brett Clay: Hi.This is Brett Clay. I'm here with Gerhard Gschwandtner the CEOSelling Power Magazine and the conference host of the Sales 2.0 Conference here in-- that was held just now in San Francisco, California.Hi, Gerhard. Gerhard Gschwandtner: Hi, Brett. Brett Clay: Gerhard, tell us what do you -- what's the biggest change that'shappening in sales today? Gerhard Gschwandtner: There are a lot ofchanges and everybody's a little bit worried about what will happento them in the future. Let me let the cat out of the bag.Of the 18 million sales people that are employed across the United States today,those jobs will more often transform and what we have been doing todayis going to disappear. And by 2020 there will be only about3 million sales jobs left. Brett Clay: So those are three millionof the 18 million jobs that exist today. Gerhard Gschwandtner: Right.Brett Clay: And so of the people that doing what they're doing today onlythree million will be left. The other 15 million willbe doing something else. Gerhard Gschwandtner: Absolutely, andthere's a new breed of sales person of which I called Sales 2.0 Person.Sales people need to move up online and they need to be very skilled inusing the web, using social media. And 70 percent of all purchasing decisionsare already made online before they actually see a sales person. So the big challenge is if sales peopleare not where the customers are which is on the web, then you're going to lose. Brett Clay: So what were the big ideas that-- you've been running the Sales 2.0 Conference for three years now, I believe,so now it's sort of getting mature in a way. What are the new ideas this year versus,say, last year? Gerhard Gschwandtner: Well, I wouldn'tsay that Sales 2.0 is an immature state. I think that as everything we are evolvingand we have unprecedented growth compared to last year's conference hasgrown by over 50 percent, and we don't know how that accelerationcontinues and what will happen next year. All I know is that year over year,every time we do it, we see that there's a dramaticshift in the way sales leaders are thinking about the sales organization.By that I mean this year the biggest change is the shift from operationalefficiency towards creating a customer centric enterprise.Brett Clay: Okay, excellent. So what is it -- what are some of thecritical success factors and how do you define creating a customercentric enterprise? Gerhard Gschwandtner: Well, the bigchallenges for an enterprise to realize that the silos that stand in the way ofserving the customer need to come down. And last year we have talked about howto align sales with marketing and now we wanna align sales marketing and serviceand later we wanna align the entire company and design it around the customer.Just think about how many touch points customers experience in theirjourney towards buying. So they experience the website, the insidesales team, the outside sales team, the credit department, the finance department,the invoicing department, the contract department, the trainingdepartments, service, delivery. So the -- in an average sale there are atleast 18 different touch points so what you wanna do is identifythose touch points. Secondly, associate each touch point witha metric that is driven by the customer where you know how you're performing inthe eyes of the customer and not in your own eyes.And then you need to have a technology where it gives everybody in the companya unified view and vision of where the customer's at. Brett Clay: Great.Well, thank you so much, Gerhard. Great conference and we look forward toa lot of growth and adoption as the world of sales changes dramatically.Gerhard Gschwandtner: Awesome. Thank you, Brett.It's a pleasure. Brett Clay: Signing off from Sales 2.0with Brett Clay and Gerhard Gschwandtner. Male Speaker: The actuationzone.combrought to you by changeleadershipgroup.com.Copyright 2010 Brett Clay. All rights reserved.
Willis Turner, president and CEO of Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI), a professional society, says salespeople and marketers need to strive for excellence in their professions through continuous learning and education. Listen as Willis talks about driving sales and marketing excellence in the “sales 2.0” world. www.SMEI.org For recaps of the Sales 2.0 Conference, […]
Anneke Seley, author of Sales 2.0, and CEO of Phone Works, a sales consulting company, says the sales profession is moving into a new era referred to as “sales 2.0”. She says inside sales and sales operations organizations are at the forefront of these changes and can provide dramatic improvements in both top-line revenue growth […]
Brett Clay joins Jim Blasingame to discuss some of the concerns of cloud computing, like security and hosting, plus untapped cloud opportunities such as backup and virtual PBX. www.SmallBusinessAdvocate.com
The power of cloud computing is enormous for small business. Brett Clay joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how cloud computing has miniaturized processing power, applications and price for the scale of small businesses, while making it easier to compete globally. www.SmallBusinessAdvocate.com
Wayne Breitbarth, author, The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success: Kick-Start Your Business, Brand, and Job Search, has trained nearly 10,000 businesspeople on how to effectively use LinkedIn. Listen as he gives some great tips and demonstrates that most of us haven’t even begun to tap the power of LinkedIn to grow our businesses and careers! […]
Michael Fraidenburg, president of “The Cooperation Company,” a consulting firm specializing in alternative dispute resolution, and author of the book, ”Intelligent Courage,” provides powerful tips for resolving disagreements and closing deals. Perhaps the best gem is his 3-step process: 1) observe the emotion, 2) identify the needs driving the emotion, 3) convert the needs into […]
Braden Kelley, author of Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire, and owner of the popular blog, Blogging Innovation, says creating a strong innovation capability in your company is key to maintaining your competitiveness in today’s rapidly evolving market. To successfully create an innovation capability in your company he says you need to start with a well-defined vision, […]
Hersh Shefrin, Professor of Finance at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, and author of The Management Illusion is a pioneer and leading expert in the area of behavioral finance. Professor Shefrin studies the psychological barriers and biases that plague human decision making. He says that “healthy” corporate cultures help managers avoid the pitfalls […]
Barbara Carnes, Ph.D., author, Making Learning Stick, discusses the actions employees and their managers can take to put training and development into practice. Barbara also discusses the role technologies can play before, during, and after a training event. Hint: both technology AND managers play an important role! www.MakeTrainingStick.com Available in HD and full screen: […]
Sharon Wingron, CPLP, past member of the ASTD board of directors, and President & Chief Learning Leader of Wings of Success, LLC, discusses current technologies in training and development. She says at the same time that corporate learning and development departments leverage elearning technologies, they need to take care to develop the deeper levels of […]
Dr. Deepak Chopra talks about the “soul of leadership”. Dr. Chopra says a leader harnesses the collective consciousness of followers and he uses the acronym “L.E.A.D.E.R.S.” to describe crucial leadership skills. L.E.A.D.E.R.S. = Look and Listen, Emotional Bonding, Awareness, Doing, Empowerment, Responsibility, Synchronicity. www.Chopra.com Available in HD and full screen: Click Here
Kristin Arnold, author of Boring to Bravo, and the 2010 President of the National Speakers Association discusses the keys to improving team performance. She says a team’s performance is dependent on the flexibility of its members. She also says teams can improve communications by resisting the urge to use a PowerPoint presentation as the sole […]
[San Francisco, USA] Brett Clay and Owen Allen report their observations at the end of the five-week, world-wide tour of Windows Azure Platform University. It’s not hype–Windows Azure Platform really does relieve resource constraints and enable businesses to quickly respond to opportunities. Available in HD and full screen: Click Here
[Atlanta, USA] Brian Metz, director of business development at Agile Thought, says business development managers need to collaborate with customers, rather than “charge in with recommendations.” Brian also sees businesses looking toward cloud-computing and mobile technologies to exploit growth and efficiency opportunities. Available in HD and full screen: Click Here
[Warsaw, Poland] Globalization means companies from around the world compete for the same opportunities. So what does globalization look like from the view of a Russian company competing for business in the USA? Anatoly Gaidai, technology director, Aplana Software Services in Moscow, says companies must know their competitive strengths and weaknesses and define a unique […]
[Munich, Germany] Karin Sondermann, author of The Business Potential of Could Computing (available in German) and platform strategy lead at Microsoft, says that salespeople must start focusing on customers’ business opportunities and help them make the changes necessary to exploit those opportunities. Available in HD and full screen: Click Here
[Amsterdam, Holland] Andre Bonvanie, General Manager of Newsgator says social communication technologies are empowering employees and driving productivity gains for companies. Available in HD and full screen: Click Here
[Amsterdam, Holland] Wim van Vliet, Partner Skills Development Manager at Microsoft Netherlands, says platform-as-a-service offerings such as Windows Azure Platform require information technology (IT) vendors to talk to business decision makers, rather than to IT administrators. He also says vendors need to be less transactional and more consultative. Available in HD and full screen: Click […]
[Reading, England] Brett Clay interviews Stuart Mair, projects director at Cognite, Lewis Isaacs, BPOS consultant at Content and Code, and Ted Shultz, business development manager at Microsoft after Windows Azure Platform University in Reading, England. These information technology (IT) experts provide valuable insights into how IT is changing and how both buyers and sellers must […]
[Munich, Germany] Schloss Neuschwanstein outside of Munich, Germany: Brett Clay and Owen Allen report on key discussion topics that have arisen at Windows Azure Platform University training events in London, and Amsterdam. The bottom line? Windows Azure Platform is transforming the business models of system integrators, independent software developers, traditional IT hosters, and the enterprise […]
[Singapore] Brett Clay interviews Stephen Betts, CTO for South East Asia, Avanade, and Radhika Nadadur, Business Development Manager, Emerio GlobalSoft, after the conclusion of Windows Azure Platform University in Singapore. Stephen says that cloud-computing and the Windows Azure Platform offer IT system integrators new opportunities to help companies utilize IT to achieve their business goals. […]
[Singapore] Brett Clay, the host of The Actuation Zone, and Owen Allen, Principal at SharePoint Directions, LLC land at Singapore airport and report observations from their Windows Azure training event in Sydney, Australia. The Airbus A380 plane they just flew on is later grounded by Singapore Airlines due to a possible engine oil leak. The […]
[Sydney, Australia] Brett Clay interviews Neil Workman, Principal Consultant at Fujitsu Systems, after the conclusion of Windows Azure Platform University in Sydney, Australia. Neil says high-value is created by focusing on business objectives and shepherding customers through the changes required to achieve them. He also says that to be a trusted adviser to c-level executives, […]
[San Francisco, USA] Brett Clay, the host of The Actuation Zone, and Owen Allen, Principal at SharePoint Directions, LLC are embarking on a 5-week, around-the-world tour to train Microsoft sales people, system integrators, and independent software vendors on Microsoft’s Windows Azure Platform cloud-computing offering. During the tour, which includes events in Sydney, Singapore, London, Munich, […]
Mark Sanborn, the best-selling author of The Fred Factor, The Encore Effect, and You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader says nobody can prevent you from choosing to be extraordinary. To be extraordinary and to enjoy true success, requires a focus on helping others and helping them satisfy their needs, says Mark.
TJ Walker, the author of the USA Today #1 bestselling book, “TJ Walker’s Secret to Foolproof Presentations,” says the days of traditional media techniques turning products into overnight successes are over. He says today’s marketers must build audiences online by constantly posting new content that attracts readers, listeners, and viewers. Listen as TJ shares his […]
Scott Ginsberg, author of Make a Name for Yourself, has made a name for himself, literally, by wearing a “Hello, My Name is Scott” name tag for 3,623 days and counting. Listen as he talks about how he’s upgrading to Scott v3.0, how to bridge the generation X-Y gap, the importance of avoiding labels, how […]
TJ Walker, the author of the USA Today #1 bestselling book, “TJ Walker’s Secret to Foolproof Presentations,” says you don’t need to worry about having a foolproof presentation. Just make it a pretty good presentation and you’ll be in great shape. TJ tells how.
Larry Chiang, author of What They Don’t Teach You at Business School, says you can have an Ivy League business school network without attending Stanford Business School or HBS. He also says you can do it in less than 20 mins per week using social media and hosting events. Available in HD and full screen: […]
Joanne Black, author of No More Cold-Calling, says building a referral system is far more effective than cold-calling. But, to do it correctly, it needs to be a priority, you have to have a process, and you have to get comfortable with asking for referrals. Available in HD and full screen: Click Here
Jill Konrath, author of SNAP Selling, says today’s crazy-busy people are behaving differently under their tremendous pressures. To gain access, salespeople must already have identified the prospective customer’s burning priority before making the call. Then, says Jill, getting in the door is a SNAP! Available in HD and full screen: Click Here
TJ Walker, the author of the USA Today #1 bestselling book, “TJ Walker’s Secret to Foolproof Presentations,” says there is no excuse not to be using video in your business. He also says anyone can quickly prepare a pretty good speech. The key to both, says TJ, is to just…get started. Available in HD and […]
Avish Parashar, author of, Improvise to Success!, says you can plan to your heart’s content—and then life throws changes at you. He says you can improve your success by learning how to improvise and flow with those changes. Avish reveals the secrets of improvisational comedy techniques that anyone can employ, every day, to be more […]
Speaker, consultant, and top sales blogger, Mark Hunter (The Sales Hunter), says the current sales environment has revealed to many sales VPs that their sales organizations are really order-taking customer service organizations. Mark challenges senior executives to make the tough, important changes in their sales organizations that will enable them to grow their businesses, including: […]
Brett Clay, award-winning author of Selling Change and the host of The Actuation Zone, talks with Jim Blasingame, host of the Small Business Advocate radio show about small business marketing. Jim says small businesses must profile and target their customers, rather than trying to pursue every name in the phone book. Brett talks about the […]
Sam Horn, “The Intrigue Expert”, and author of many books, including POP: Stand Out in Any Crowd, and Tongue Fu!, says finding the right name for your initiative, products, or business can be worth millions of dollars and inspire thousands of people. Listen as the legendary Sam Horn essentially delivers a seminar on how to […]
Author Jeffrey Hayzlett, hailed the “Celebrity CMO” by Forbes Magazine and famous for his outspoken appearances on numerous television shows such as CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Fox Business News, and NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump, asks the tough business questions and suggests the changes that executives and business owners need to […]
Author, Brett Clay, joins fellow host David Wolf on Small Biz America Radio to discuss his book, Selling Change, named the “best business book of 2010” by Independent Publisher Book Awards. Brett says the old approach of selling solutions to customers’ problems is not profitable in today’s globalized, Internet-empowered markets. To survive and thrive, salespeople […]
Marketing consultant and coach, Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing, says having the right marketing mindset is critical for successfully building your business. He says most people dilute their marketing efforts using haphazard approaches. To be highly effective, executives, marketers, and salespeople must have the right marketing mindset and must execute systematic, highly focused campaigns.
Today’s corporate buyers are “crazy busy”, says Jill Konrath, author of SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies. To capture the attention of crazy busy buyers, Jill says salespeople must align their messages with buyers’ top priorities. Jill’s new book offers four SNAP rules: keep it simple, be invaluable, always align, and raise priorities.
Seth Kahan, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Getting Change Right, says the traditional approach of top-down, command-and-control is not effective. Company executives often make the mistake of mandating change initiatives—and they fail spectacularly. To get change right, Seth says leaders must have “conversations” with “most valuable players” in the organization and form “performance communities” […]
Jeff Koser, co-author of Selling to Zebras, says you can close 90% of the business you pursue. How? By only investing your time and resources pursuing zebras. What’s a “zebra”? A zebra is a prospective customer that scores high on your qualification criteria. Jeff says, “Don’t waste your time and resources hunting deals you can’t […]
Patrick Snow, best-selling author of Creating Your Own Destiny, has vowed to never let his financial stability depend on another company. He says the only way to do that is to be an entrepreneur. But, he warns, don’t give up your day job, just yet. Discover your passion and turn it into a business over […]
Ken Thoreson, managing partner at Acumen Management Group, Ltd, says sales managers need to create an environment of professionalism throughout their sales organizations. Professionalism starts with the attitudes and behaviors that sales managers display. Ken says managers need to focus on three key factors to run an organization professionally and to meet the goals of […]
John Hughes, founder and principal of Growthwave, a management consulting firm providing interim-CIO (chief Information Officer) services, CIO coaching, and CEO advisory services, says CIOs must be business leaders rather than technologists. Often CIO’s become occupied with managing technology staff and implementations and they lose sight of goals of the business. For CIOs and their […]
Grant Cardone, author of the forthcoming book, If You Are Not First, You are Last, and a regular contributor on Fox and Friends, Business Week, and The Huffington Post, busts the myth that you can save your way to prosperity. He says the current economic environment presents the perfect opportunity to grow your business—but, only […]
Norm Levy, CEO of Strategic Development Corporation and the author of The Seven Questions of Business Strategy, says having a clear strategic intention is critical for driving your business growth. Strategy is as much about deciding what NOT to do as what TO do. So, with 27 years as a strategy consultant, Norm says the […]
Mike Coraluzzi, the president of No-Time Marketing Systems, LLC and the host of the Extreme Business Growth radio show, says 2010 could be your best year ever. Mike says companies can double their business by honing their focus and matching their marketing to it — at a time when most companies are pulling back and […]
Matt Youngquist, a prominent Seattle-area career counselor, says job seekers must reinforce their relationships and keep up with technology to be competitive in today’s job market. He recommends caution when considering wholesale career changes and says one must carefully choose between the strategy of developing a skill portfolio vs a skill specialization.
Peter Clayton, host of Total Picture Radio talks with Brett Clay about the roles of selling and change in people’s careers. Peter argues that everyone must think of him/herself as a sales person. Brett talks about what that means and how to do it. Check out more of Peter Clayton’s informative podcasts at www.totalpicture.com! […]
Host, Brett Clay, explains what The Actuation Zone is all about and why you should tune in! While the Actuation Zone explores a wide range of topics including leadership, management, sales, and professional development, the underlying theme is “putting change into motion.”