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Author: Marty Wolff

As an executive and business coach / consultant, Marty Wolff has played an important role in the success of divisions of large publicly traded companies and with privately owned firms in several industries including food service distribution, large and small manufacturing, HVAC companies, auto warranties, trucking / logistics, insurance, media, financial services, and more.|As an executive and business coach / consultant, Marty Wolff has played an important role in the success of divisions of large publicly traded companies and with privately owned firms in several industries including food service distribution, large and small manufacturing, HVAC companies, auto warranties, trucking / logistics, insurance, media, financial services, and more.|As an executive and business coach / consultant, Marty Wolff has played an important role in the success of divisions of large publicly traded companies and with privately owned firms in several industries including food service distribution, large and small manufacturing, HVAC companies, auto warranties, trucking / logistics, insurance, media, financial services, and more.

Categories
Best Practices Leadership Personal Development Sales

Still Surprises Me

Recently I had storm damage to my roof. My insurance company reviewed the damage and they are willing to pay to replace, not repair my roof. Now some of may be thinking that was what surprised me. Well, it did somewhat, because the service I received from the insurance company was outstanding. But what surprised me came when I was getting bids from contractors.

I did some research and my decision was to replace my old shingle roof with a metal roof. I was committed to getting a metal roof. So, I got bids from two contractors specializing in metal roofs and two who did shingle roofs. Actually I made 8 phone calls and only four contractors even called me back. Two metal roof salespeople came to my house. They were trained in “kitchen table” selling. They wanted my wife to be with me during the presentation. They wanted to know the color we wanted – assumptive selling – before we agreed to price. They both did their presentations on laptops and both BASHED their competition. I guess both salespeople were trying to do a one call close. Well, that one call was not enough for us to sign any deal. First issue was that although I was convinced I wanted a metal roof and I told both reps I WANTED a metal roof, that the cost of metal over shingles was $9,000. That’s a lot of money. Here come the surprises.

Neither metal roof guy during the presentation said or did anything to convince me metal roof was better, that the additional investment would be a wise choice, etc. BIGGEST surprise – I DID NOT HEAR BACK FROM EITHER METAL GUY! This was a $20,000 job. I assume the commission would have been significant. Most likely, with follow up at all, answering some of my questions would have made me happy enough to sign a contract for a new metal roof. The contractor installing my new SHINGLE roof will be here next week.

It still surprises me. One follow up phone call to a customer who told you they WANTED your product and you can close a $20,000 deal. I suppose someone has answers to this situation, however I simply don’t get it.

I may change my occupation form being an executive coach to selling metal roofs – I’ll probably be the #1 rep in the USA.

Categories
Economics Entrepreneurship Human Resources Industries Investing Management Marketing Personal Development

The Long, Hard Road

I recently interviewed Rick Wartzman for my Business Builders Show podcast. Rick is the Director of The KH Moon Center for a Functioning Society at the Drucker Institute, a part of Claremont Graduate University. Rick has written a great book, The End of Loyalty, The Rise and Fall of Good Jobs in America.  This book has 363 pages and 25 pages of citations and sourcing. This is a very well -written, well documented account of the topic of the book. At the beginning of the interview I pointed out that he started the book in 2009 and it was not published until 2017. I asked him why did it take that long? After he made a joke about him being “slow”, he pointed out that it took that long to check on and validate all the information he wrote about in the book. It simply was the long, hard road to get the book done right.

Todays blog from Seth Godin is “Low & Slow (vs.fear)”. He talks about how he rushed the baking of sourdough rye bread. He did not let the dough ferment enough and he turned up the oven, so he could get it done faster so he could meet someone. It did not turn out well. Then he points out a flipside to the story – “Sometimes, we mistakenly believe that we’re building something that takes time, but what we’re really doing is hiding. We stall and digress and cause distractions, not because the work needs us to, but because we’re afraid to ship.”  BTW, remember that Seth Godin has been blogging for I’m not sure how long (a long time) and has not missed a day.

When do we decide to take the long and sometimes difficult road? I see the value in the long view. Just like baking bread correctly, getting a story (your work) right so you can share your insights usually takes time. Be patient. Stay focused. Believe the work you are doing is worthy of the time and effort. So, unless there is an immediate need for speed, consider the long term. Think of the lasting impact your work can have if you take the time to complete all the steps in the process. Those steps will include diligent study, bouncing ideas off family, friends and colleagues and being committed to producing work which will have a positive, lasting impact.

Rick Wartzman, congratulations on taking the time, the long, hard road, to write a terrific book. Seth Godin, slow down and better luck next time with the sourdough rye bread.

Categories
Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Marketing Personal Development

We’re Not That Far Apart

Recently I was on a sales trip with Scott Good, my partner in one of my businesses. We had a lot of windshield time so as good friends and business partners often do, we got into a few terrific discussions. Since we are in business together, of course we talked about business. And yes, the touchy subjects of politics and religion were also covered. After several hours in the car together, Scott says to me “you know we really aren’t that far apart.” Now Scott is a really, smart guy (would I have a dumb guy as a partner?), but this was really, profound.

I continued to think about that statement over the next few days.

When we are applying for and negotiating for a new job at a new company, what does the company want? The company wants to utilize all your talents, so the company can thrive. Don’t you want the same thing? Don’t you want to apply all your skills and experience, so you AND the company thrive?  So, assuming you are the right fit, what’s keeping you from agreeing to the opportunity? A few bucks in the salary? Another day of vacation? If you and the employer truly communicate, you’ll find “you know we really aren’t that far apart” and you’ll make a deal that makes everyone happy.

When you are negotiating with a potential buyer for your product or service, don’t you generally set down some parameters of what the buyer can expect in terms of performance of the product or service? Of course, you do. Then you get to the final negotiations and both parties find ONE thing they want to take a position on and everyone forgets all the work that went into the discussion up to that point. Let’s all calm down and review each other’s position. Let’s talk honestly and openly of what we each want from the transaction. You will often be saying after that discussion, “you know we really aren’t that far apart”.

Some discussions are traditionally adversarial. Union / company relationships, political discussions, religious discussions, generational divides. How and why did we become so entrenched in our positions that we don’t listen to the other side of the issue? It does not have to be this way. Calm down, be open to learn something new, try to understand the other viewpoint. If we all just take 30 seconds to breath and think, we can most likely smooth out some of our differences, enough to say, “you know we really aren’t that far apart”.

Categories
Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Skills

Mastering Our Craft

In a recent statement from Tom Petty’s family revealing that his death last October was the result of an accidental overdose of pain medication, Petty’s daughter AnnaKim has reached out to fans to stress that, in her eyes, her father was not addicted to opioids. The statement goes on to say that “Petty wasn’t using his meds recreationally – he was simply doing his best to cope with a crippling injury that was only getting worse, ALL IN ORDER TO LIVE UP TO HIS TOURING COMMITMENTS.  He suffered a hip fracture during his 40TH ANNIVERSARY tour with the Heartbreakers. Let me repeat – he was doing his 40th anniversary tour. Tom Petty loved and mastered his craft. He daughter also said “I love my dad and feel he is an immortal badass.

In 2006 Shawn Askinosie left a successful career as a criminal defense attorney to start Askinosie Chocolate. Shawn Askinosie had perfected his craft as a criminal defense attorney – he NEVER lost a criminal jury trial. He has now mastered a new craft – yes making chocolates, but as the title of his book Meaningful WORK: A QUEST To Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul clearly indicates, Shawn Askinosie is on a new journey. developing mastery in a new craft, one that Jack Stack, founder and CEO SRC Holdings; author of The Great Game of Business describes as “I have witnessed the evolution of Askinosie Chocolate. It has been a courageous journey which had to be guided by a higher authority.”

Chuck Collins grew up in the 1 percent as the great-grandson of meatpacker Oscar Mayer, but at age 26 he gave away his inheritance. He has been working to reduce inequality and strengthen communities since 1982 and in the process, has cofounded numerous initiatives that support his mission. His CRAFT is working tirelessly to reduce inequality in the U.S. and the world.

I did not know Tom Petty, I recently read Shawn Askinosie’s book and interviewed him for my Business Builders Show on C-Suite Radio, I have been blessed to have interviewed Chuck Collins more than once and I have delivered dozens of his books, Born on Third Base, to those who I felt would benefit from reading his work.

Tom Petty, Shawn Askinosie and Chuck Collins were and are masters of their craft. Are we on the path of mastering our craft? Even if it takes 40 years, or giving up a lucrative career as a criminal defense attorney, or giving up a significant inheritance?

BTW – If you ever have the opportunity to say something about me after I leave this earth – I can’t think of any better compliment than to say “he was a real badass.”

Categories
Economics Entrepreneurship Health and Wellness Human Resources Management News and Politics

Thank You Generation Z

I work with “younger” people all the time. My interaction with them comes from work as a business coach / consultant, being involved with several entrepreneurial development programs and in doing interviews for a regional business show I host called Tec Bridge Radio, www.tecbridgepa.org.

Why did I title this article “Thank You Generation Z?”. First reason is, I read a great article in Time Magazine (December 25, 2017 / January 1, 2018 edition) by Katy Steinmetz. Some of the comments were that Gen Z – individuals now in their teens and early 20s – have “grown up during mass disruption” and “now they are entering adulthood with a willingness to experiment.” The article also stated, according to a survey that was part of the research for the article, that 78% of Gen Z-ers say getting a four-year degree no longer makes economic sense, and hundreds of programs, from apprenticeships to boot camps, have cropped up to offer an alternative path.”

Is this good or bad for business in the U.S. around the world? That depends on what we learned from the past and what we do today.

If most of us feel a moral imperative to do what is best for our (all of us on the planet) well-being, in the long run, then everything will be OK! What I mean is, if we can at least spend SOME time on what is healthy for someone other than ourselves and if we are willing to listen to all points of view – and maybe Gen Z and Gen Y are the most important voices to listen to, we can act today to help create healthy people, healthy communities, and healthy businesses.

WE created the disruption, WE created the environment where Gen Zers want to experiment, and WE created the environment that has Gen Zers and many others questioning the value of a four-year college degree. Therefore, WE can be pro-active in our approach to the future.

Some thoughts. Read a hard cover book. Read and listen to different points of view on all topics – especially political topics since they tend to deal with immediate gratification (pleasing constituents NOW, instead of a healthy future). Spend time with your children and grandchildren so you can positively impact their view of their surroundings, and finally CARE about the world the Gen Zers are building – we will be living in it!

FOR BUSINESS OWNERS: get 5 people under 25 and 5 people over 40 in a room together. Have them sit across the table from each other. Then ask them, one at a time “what’s going on in the world today?” Have no specific agenda, other than conversation. Might be interesting! Let me know how that went!

Categories
Best Practices Economics Entrepreneurship Human Resources Personal Development Women In Business

Business Needs Early Childhood Education

My work as a business coach and my radio, TV and podcasting work (Business Builders Show) are all about sharing stories and information to help business owners and business leaders build their business. I share the belief that good business can change the world. And I see and hear results from individuals and companies all the time who are leading the charge in making the world a better place. Organizations like www.consciouscapitalism.org, companies like Cascade Engineering, in Grand Rapids, and leaders like Bob Chapman at Barry-Wehmiller are setting the example we need to follow in order to improve our work places, our communities, our country and the world (I believe we set the example leaders in other countries want to follow). Other companies and leaders I suggest you learn more about, you’ll find listed at www.bcorporation.net.

However, I’m concerned that our short term thinking about tax plans, GDP, stock price and other related indicators take up too much of our thinking. Of course, I know having the right tax structure, and a solid GDP along with a steady or increasing stock price is a good thing. HOWEVER, I have been thinking a lot about early childhood education. How is that being funded? What infrastructure is in place to help us develop good citizens who are intellectually, emotionally and socially ready to build our businesses in the next few decades?

I like working with small to mid-size companies. Once again, taxes and all economic indicators are important. Yet, the companies I work with DO think about the well being of their employees, and their communities. They put plans and actions into play that help their employees take care of their families, so they can afford the early childhood education their children need. They have reading programs, financial literacy training, they LISTEN to what is needed, not only to do business today, but in the future.

The future WILL arrive. Short term gains like a one-time bonus will allow us “to go shopping” to help us feel better and to fuel government statistics, yet, how will this help us ten, twenty or thirty years from now?

If what I shared made you THINK – mission accomplished. Read, listen, watch, learn, and act on what you think is best for all of us in the LONG run. The future will be here, will it be what we planned for?

If you want you want to yell at me or agree with me, I can be reached at marty@martywolffbusinesssolutions.com

Categories
Growth Management Personal Development

I’m a State Champion

In my senior year of high school (yes, we did have electric lights and flushable toilets) I was part of a state championship basketball team. This was a big deal. We were a small Catholic school competing with players from the “big cities”. And I made a significant contribution to that victory. My mom saved the press clippings if you need validation of that claim. And I was over 40 years old before I gave that accomplishment much thought. Why is that?

I think a lot us don’t give ourselves enough credit. We don’t think about the good things we accomplish, the way we take care of our families, we way we serve our employers or our customers. Why is that?

Is 99% of the populations suffering from lack of confidence based on what they think they DID NOT accomplish? I know a lot us focus too much on our faults and our challenges. And we are not encouraged and inspired by what we have already REALLY accomplished. We don’t think about our successes.

In his book Let Me Out: Unlock Your Creative Mind and Bring Your Ideas to Life, Peter Himmelman, the founder of Big Muse, a company that teaches creative thinking, leadership skills, and deeper level of communication in all facets of life-personal and professional, talks about MARV (Majorly Afraid of Revealing Vulnerability). This is the human voice that tells us we are not worthy. We are not capable. We are NOT……………you get the idea.

MARV is the bullshit we listen to when the facts say the opposite. You, did pass that test. You, did get that job. You, do have a great family life. You, did do that marathon, You, did write that song. You, did organize that little league team, you did break that glass ceiling at you company. Your life is overwhelmingly filled with positives.

Sometimes I need to pull out that scrapbook from my high school days to see my picture in the paper, to remind myself that along with my tremendous teammates, I am a state champ.

You are a champion. Pause for a little bit and think of all your successes. Then move forward confidently. You do have a history of success. You can accomplish that task.

Congratulations! You’re a winner!

PS: I have interviewed Peter Himmelman more than once on my Business Builders Show. Go to www.c-suiteradio.com to find those encouraging discussions!

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Have We Been Misled?

Most of us are on a journey. We want to make a difference. We want to leave a legacy (more on my mind now then it was at 30 years old). We want people to respect us. So, we think and act accordingly. Where do we get the information that generates those thoughts and actions? We get it from our family environment, our work environment, from what we watch on TV and videos, from what we read in newspapers, magazines, books, etc., and from what we listen to on the radio, podcasts, etc.

In the early stages of my personal and professional development I paid close attention to Robert H. Schuller. He founded the then very famous Crystal Cathedral in Orange County, CA. Many of you never even heard of Robert Schuller. We’ll let me tell you, his book Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! Came along in my life at the right time. I also paid close attention and invested in products from Tony Robbins, Denis Waitley, Naploeon Hill and many of the other “motivational gurus” over the years. I STILL like to listen to these folks.

But, the question remains – is Robert Schuller’s book the reason I got out of the rut I was in at that time, OR was it simply (or maybe really important) match that lit my fire?

I LOVE the “motivational gurus”. All of them. I think they serve a purpose to help us along on our journey. I think we should look at most of what is being delivered to us at high speeds these days. HOWEVER, don’t fall for the trap, that just listening, reading, or watching something is going to propel you to success. If something “lights your fire” you were already on a path, you just did not realize it at the time. If you have more success AFTER you experienced that walking on coals experience, it is because you were ready to make changes and this experience helped get you going.

I don’t think we are being misled. I just think we need to THINK for ourselves after reviewing, thinking, planning, and ACTING toward the destination we desire. In other words, accept the fact that achievement is hard work.

I had something brought to me that had a significant effect on my thinking. My interview with Jeff Haden, about his book The Motivation MYTH: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up To Win made an dent in my thinking. I highly recommend this book!

Categories
Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Personal Development

A Lot of Talk About Leadership, But…

I recently saw of list of what an organization considers the top 50 leadership gurus in the country. There were several familiar names on the list. Scott Love was not on the list. In this day and age, I see and hear a lot of talk about leadership, but I don’t see that much real leadership taking place.

Scott is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. When he was a twenty-two year old Ensign in the early 1990’s, he was in command of a U.S. Navy minesweeper. Yes, a minesweepers job is just what the name says. Scott Love has gone on to a successful career.

Leaders don’t become leaders because they write about the topic. They live it. They model it. They have followers. They are TRUSTED. They make positive things happen.

Yes, we do have leaders in our families, communities and in our workplaces. But don’t get confused with all the rhetoric – a real leader has a history and a life that clearly shows WHY we should follow them.

I think you will enjoy my conversation with Scott Love.

Categories
Entrepreneurship Management Marketing Personal Development

Strategy and Strategic Thinking

When starting or expanding a business, having a strategy is important. A strategy is simply an action plan. It may be as simple as how will I get my first paying customer or how will I / we penetrate a new market with an existing or new product or service.

To develop a strategy – you need to continually get better at strategic thinking. This simply means how does your community, region, state and the country perceive your product or service. What’s in the news – real or fake – what are people believing and talking about? Understand what is going on around you. Then decide if you want to join in the flow or you want to “go against the grain”. Strategic thinking is what you will build your strategy or action plan around.

Learn for many sources. Ian Bremmer is a great source to learn about global issues, Tom Friedmann has his finger on the pulse of world and the United States politically and culturally, Mark Sanborn helps you become a better leader, NPR delivers great news updates and Ari Weinzweig is the best in the world at helping you develop a vision for your future. And, of course choose your own industry information sources. All this will help you to join in the flow with your startup or business expansion, or to decide to stand out from the competition by going against the tide.