Business

Building A Culture of Confidence

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I do alot of speaking, all over the country. I speak to small groups, big groups, and every size in-between. And one thing is always true no matter who I am speaking to: I get nervous. It’s true. I have been a speaker for a very long time and talked to literally tens of thousands […]

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Providing the Ideal Client Experience

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The other day I went to a local business that provides a service. When I entered the lobby the individual behind the desk stood up and shook my hand, smiled, and greeted me. They asked me if I wanted something to drink while I waited and asked me how my day was going. From the […]

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Use Twitter Like A Boss

It was July 2nd, 2007. That was that day I joined Twitter and my life changed. Well, perhaps I am over-exaggerating because it wasn’t that dramatic. But looking back I can see now what a game-changer Twitter would be. I still believe that Twitter is the best business-building tool ever created, if you are willing […]

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This is what your clients think of you

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I was listening to the radio the other day in the car driving to work and a song came on that I had not heard in over 30 years. It was one of those one-hit wonders that I knew all the words to, and I instantly smiled thinking back about where I was when I […]

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The secret to creating deep customer relationships

I was frustrated. I had been communicating via email back and forth all day with a tech support rep at the company who makes the product that I wasn’t very happy with. It wouldn’t work and the tech support person was trying to give me possible solutions to remedy the problem. At the end of […]

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Drinking From the Fire Hose

When I was a kid we would sometimes see the fire department come by and test the fire hydrants in our neighborhood. They would turn on the hydrant for a little while to make sure that the water flowed like it was supposed to, and of course the neighborhood kids got the chance to play […]

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The Art of the Conversation

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I am thoroughly convinced that most people don’t know how to converse with others. And that’s a shame because I am also convinced that the most successful people in the world are the ones who understand the art of the conversation. I don’t suppose I can place blame too much. Advances in technology that make […]

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My 2014 New Year’s Resolution For You (and me)

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So my first article of 2014 is about something that is very personal to me. I spent the majority of 2013 in a slump. I can’t sing ‘woe is me’ too loud because alot of people were much worse off than me in 2013. But it was one of those times… maybe you know what […]

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Make More Money by Having Fun

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She said “I tried what you said about having fun. So I started to post fun questions and silly pictures, and it worked. Suddenly people started talking to me and paying attention to what I was saying. I am engaging with my customers like I never have before!” It’s comments like this from my customers […]

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Twitter: The Greatest Business Development Tool Ever Created

I kept hearing about it and quite frankly, was a little annoyed by all the hype. You know what I mean, like when you hear that same song over and over again on the radio? Eventually you get fed up with it and start to just make fun of it. That’s what happened with me […]

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The Rear View Mirror Is Smaller… For A Reason

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When my wife and I bought our first minivan about 5 years ago we discovered an interesting feature. I won’t talk about how hurt our feelings were that we had to buy a minivan in the first place… that’s another post for another day. But I will tell you that it was a welcome feature […]

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Using Your Smartphone For Business

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For better or worse, my smartphone is an extension of just about every aspect of my life, including my business. It’s my camera, my communications lifeline, my calendar, and my organizational tool. And I am sure many of you would say the same thing. So I wanted to share with you how I use my […]

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Surprise them

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One of my favorite snacks as a kid was Cracker Jacks. The reason was simple…. there was a prize inside. Same deal with cereal boxes. My brother and I would pick the ones that had a prize inside because, well, we just couldn’t get enough of secret decoder rings and fake tattoo stickers. Toys in […]

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Steve Holt on ‘Dialogue’ – EPlusTV 6 (Video)

I was fortunate to be asked to to appear on the Dialogue show on Jackson Energy Authority’s Internet television station called EPlusTV6. We had 30 min. to talk about the right and wrong way to engage in social media. Here are all 3 segments of the show. I would love to hear what you think […]

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The Grass Is Greener Where You Water It

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A few months ago I was helping one of my clients with their marketing outreach. We talked a great deal about their social media outreach and where it fit in their overall marketing plan. We had spent a great deal of time over the past year revamping and updating their look on all their social […]

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Five Guys Marketing

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There is an ongoing debate between me and some of my family and friends. I am convinced that Five Guys makes the best burger, like ever. Others are convinced that you can get a better burger at In-N-Out, or at a restaurant. Sorry guys, but I have had those other burgers, and you just can’t […]

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Let Them See Your Passion

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I recently attended a choir concert of one of my kids. It was a pretty big affair, with a choir of about 200, and the choir conductor was an African American gentleman in black tie and tails who appeared to be soft-spoken and genteel. Until the music started. The first song out of the gate […]

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The Better Angels of Our Nature

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The upcoming movie about Abraham Lincoln has caused me to think about the things he said and did that made him one of the greatest, if not the greatest, presidents in history. At Lincoln’s Inaugural Address in 1861, with the drums of war beating stronger by the day, he closed his address pleading for everyone to listen […]

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The Community Net

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(larger image below) I am involved in my community. What that means is that I participate in and associate myself with numerous organizations in my community that do different things. I am a member of business organizations, a civic club, and a church. I have coached ball teams. I have taught at the local college. […]

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The Power of Connection

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$42.18. That was the price of the meal that we shared, but that was a small price to pay for what I actually got. We’ve all been there. The business dinner that you really don’t want to go to but you feel obligated to go to it, or maybe even required to go. The forced […]

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