Dale Furtwengler - The Invaluable Leader

The Invaluable Leader by Dale Furtwengler

The Wrong Hero
Monday, May 12, 2008

One of the most common mistakes in marketing is...

I think you'll be surprised.

Occasionally I stumble across language so eloquent I simply have to share it. That's the case with this week's blog.

Harry and Christine Beckwith in their book, You, Inc., talk about marketing. They cite a company whose marketing materials tout their credentials. The Beckwiths said "It's an impressive story...There's only one problem. It has the wrong hero."

Their point is that your customers aren't going to identify with you, they're going to identify with the people you've helped. It's your customers' success they desire.

It's counter-intuitive, but when you highlight your success, prospects doubt what they hear. When you tout your customers' success, they dream about enjoying the same success. Create marketing materials that tout your customers' heroics and you'll generate more business.

Please share your marketing tips that have helped you enjoy greater success by posting a comment or sending me an email at dale@furtwengler.com.

Recruiting Salespeople
Monday, May 05, 2008

How do you evaluate candidates for your sales force?

You may be overlooking something very important.

A very successful business owner, and effective salesperson in his own right, said "I wish I could get my salespeople to communicate the value we provide as well as I do."

My question to him - "What type of buyers are your salespeople?" Like many sales managers, he looks at the individual's track record in generating sales; not at his buying habits.

It's counter-intuitive, but price buyers are price sellers and value buyers are value sellers. Asking them to change their price philosophy is like asking a leopard to change its spots. It isn't going to happen.

The next time you're evaluating a candidate for a sales position ask for a couple of examples of the best buys she's made. You'll quickly get a sense for whether she's a price or value buyer. If she's a price buyer and your company competes on price you've got a good fit, assuming all other factors are favorable.

If, however, your company is value oriented, keep looking. She's not a viable candidate for your company.

Let our readers know some of the effective tools you've devised for recruiting salespeople, post your comment or email me at dale@furtwengler.com.

Please join me this evening, 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. when I present 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE. It's the Kirkwood Des Peres Chamber of Commerce opening ceremony for Small Business Week. The program is proceeded by a networking/happy hour at 4:45 p.m. sponsored by AMG Corporate Offices at their location 1610 Des Peres Rd., Suite 150.

Directions: Take 270 to Manchester Rd. Go west to the Des Peres Rd. exit. Turn right onto Des Peres Rd. and another quick right into the Corporate Hill office park. 1610 is the farthest building on the right. I hope to see you there!

Big Dreams
Monday, April 28, 2008

Powerful force?

Or source of frustration?

A very talented young lady, poised on the threshold of tremendous success, said "Sometimes I think I expect too much of the world."

All of us have felt the frustration of working diligently toward a dream, sometimes for extended periods of time, without any result to show for it. Yet our personal histories demonstrate, repeatedly, that our dreams do become reality; just not in the timeframe we'd like. So how do we avoid these feelings of frustration while awaiting our inevitable success?

The answer lies in a Joseph Addison quote "A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man (or woman) can enjoy in this world."

It's counter-intuitive, but the key to determining whether big dreams are a powerful force or a source of frustration is our ability to enjoy the success we've already achieved. Begin each morning experiencing the joy in your life and big dreams will become the second most powerful force in your life, right behind a contented mind.

Share your dreams with me at dale@furtwengler.com. I'd enjoy applying counter-intuitive thinking to help you and other readers realize those dreams more quickly.

Please join me on Monday, May 5, 2008, 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. when I present 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE. It's a Kirkwood Des Peres Chamber of Commerce opening ceremony for Small Business Week. The program is proceeded by a networking/happy hour at 4:45 p.m. sponsored by AMG Corporate Offices at their location 1610 Des Peres Rd., Suite 150.

Directions: Take 270 to Manchester Rd. Go west to the Des Peres Rd. exit. Turn right onto Des Peres Rd. and another quick right into the Corporate Hill office park. 1610 is the farthest building on the right. I hope to see you there!

Embracing the Bizarre
Monday, April 21, 2008

When you want breakthrough growth, who do you call?

Lunatics!

Sorry, I couldn't resist mimicking the old Ghostbusters' theme song.

In his book, The Story of Philosophy, Will Durant refers to Anaximander (610-540 b.c.) who was the first Greek to make astronomical and geographical charts. Here are some of the conclusions Anaximander reached as a result of his studies:

the universe began as an undifferentiated mass, from which all things had arisen by the separation of opposites (big bang theory?)
that astronomic history periodically repeated itself in the evolution and dissolution of an infinite number of worlds (parallel universes?)
that the earth was at rest in space by an internal balance of impulsions (the law of gravity applied to planets?)
that life had first formed in the sea, but had been driven upon the land by the subsidence of water (Darwin's theory of evolution?)

What fascinated me about this piece was how much insight Anaximander had without benefit of the scientific tools we have today or the 2,500 years of cumulative knowledge that have been gained since he made these observations.

He must have been considered a lunatic in his time. Yet he was able to envision what today's scientific studies are affirming. So what's the message?

Don't be so quick to dismiss the bizarre ideas you hear, they may contain the elements needed to achieve a breakthrough. It's counter-intuitive, but we need to embrace the ideas of those on "the fringe" of conventional thinking if we want to experience breakthrough growth.

If there are business issues you'd like me to address, email me at dale@furtwengler.com.

Please join me on Monday, May 5, 2008, 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. when I present 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE. It's a Kirkwood Des Peres Chamber of Commerce opening ceremony for Small Business Week. The program is proceeded by a networking/happy hour at 4:45 p.m. sponsored by AMG Corporate Offices at their location 1610 Des Peres Rd., Suite 150.

Directions: Take 270 to Manchester Rd. Go west to the Des Peres Rd. exit. Turn right onto Des Peres Rd. and another quick right into the Corporate Hill office park. 1610 is the farthest building on the right. I hope to see you there!

Dale Furtwengler

Dale Furtwengler is an internationally acclaimed author whose work is recommended by:

University of Glasgow
University of New South Wales
Australian Institute of Management

If you'd like to make your life easier while creating enviable results, subscribe to my special reports for step-by-step instructions on becoming invaluable. Back issues are available.

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	The Wrong Hero Monday, May 12, 2008 One of the most common mistakes in marketing is... *I think you'll be surprised.* Occasionally I stumble across language so eloquent I simply have to share it. That's the case with this week's blog. Harry and Christine Beckwith in their book, You, Inc., talk about marketing. They cite a company whose marketing materials tout their credentials. The Beckwiths said "It's an impressive story...There's only one problem. It has the wrong hero." Their point is that your customers aren't going to identify with you, they're going to identify with the people you've helped. It's your customers' success they desire. It's counter-intuitive, but when you highlight your success, prospects doubt what they hear. When you tout your customers' success, they dream about enjoying the same success. Create marketing materials that tout your customers' heroics and you'll generate more business. *Please share your marketing tips that have helped you enjoy greater success by posting a comment or sending me an email at* *dale@furtwengler.com. 2 comments Recruiting Salespeople Monday, May 05, 2008 How do you evaluate candidates for your sales force?* *You may be overlooking something very important.* A very successful business owner, and effective salesperson in his own right, said "I wish I could get my salespeople to communicate the value we provide as well as I do." My question to him - "What type of buyers are your salespeople?" Like many sales managers, he looks at the individual's track record in generating sales; not at his buying habits. It's counter-intuitive, but price buyers are price sellers and value buyers are value sellers. Asking them to change their price philosophy is like asking a leopard to change its spots. It isn't going to happen. The next time you're evaluating a candidate for a sales position ask for a couple of examples of the best buys she's made. You'll quickly get a sense for whether she's a price or value buyer. If she's a price buyer and your company competes on price you've got a good fit, assuming all other factors are favorable. If, however, your company is value oriented, keep looking. She's not a viable candidate for your company. *Let our readers know some of the effective tools you've devised for recruiting salespeople, post your comment or email me at dale@furtwengler.com.* Please join me this evening, 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. when I present 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE. It's the Kirkwood Des Peres Chamber of Commerce opening ceremony for Small Business Week. The program is proceeded by a networking/happy hour at 4:45 p.m. sponsored by AMG Corporate Offices at their location 1610 Des Peres Rd., Suite 150. Directions: Take 270 to Manchester Rd. Go west to the Des Peres Rd. exit. Turn right onto Des Peres Rd. and another quick right into the Corporate Hill office park. 1610 is the farthest building on the right. I hope to see you there! 0 comments Big Dreams Monday, April 28, 2008 Powerful force? *Or source of frustration?* A very talented young lady, poised on the threshold of tremendous success, said "Sometimes I think I expect too much of the world." All of us have felt the frustration of working diligently toward a dream, sometimes for extended periods of time, without any result to show for it. Yet our personal histories demonstrate, repeatedly, that our dreams do become reality; just not in the timeframe we'd like. So how do we avoid these feelings of frustration while awaiting our inevitable success? The answer lies in a Joseph Addison quote "A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man (or woman) can enjoy in this world." It's counter-intuitive, but the key to determining whether big dreams are a powerful force or a source of frustration is our ability to enjoy the success we've already achieved. Begin each morning experiencing the joy in your life and big dreams will become the second most powerful force in your life, right behind a contented mind. *Share your dreams with me at* *dale@furtwengler.com. I'd enjoy applying counter-intuitive thinking to help you and other readers realize those dreams more quickly.* Please join me on Monday, May 5, 2008, 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. when I present 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE. It's a Kirkwood Des Peres Chamber of Commerce opening ceremony for Small Business Week. The program is proceeded by a networking/happy hour at 4:45 p.m. sponsored by AMG Corporate Offices at their location 1610 Des Peres Rd., Suite 150. Directions: Take 270 to Manchester Rd. Go west to the Des Peres Rd. exit. Turn right onto Des Peres Rd. and another quick right into the Corporate Hill office park. 1610 is the farthest building on the right. I hope to see you there! 0 comments Embracing the Bizarre Monday, April 21, 2008 When you want breakthrough growth, who do you call? Lunatics! Sorry, I couldn't resist mimicking the old Ghostbusters' theme song. In his book, The Story of Philosophy, Will Durant refers to Anaximander (610-540 b.c.) who was the first Greek to make astronomical and geographical charts. Here are some of the conclusions Anaximander reached as a result of his studies: the universe began as an undifferentiated mass, from which all things had arisen by the separation of opposites (big bang theory?) that astronomic history periodically repeated itself in the evolution and dissolution of an infinite number of worlds (parallel universes?) that the earth was at rest in space by an internal balance of impulsions (the law of gravity applied to planets?) that life had first formed in the sea, but had been driven upon the land by the subsidence of water (Darwin's theory of evolution?) What fascinated me about this piece was how much insight Anaximander had without benefit of the scientific tools we have today or the 2,500 years of cumulative knowledge that have been gained since he made these observations. He must have been considered a lunatic in his time. Yet he was able to envision what today's scientific studies are affirming. So what's the message? Don't be so quick to dismiss the bizarre ideas you hear, they may contain the elements needed to achieve a breakthrough. It's counter-intuitive, but we need to embrace the ideas of those on "the fringe" of conventional thinking if we want to experience breakthrough growth. If there are business issues you'd like me to address, email me at dale@furtwengler.com. Please join me on Monday, May 5, 2008, 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. when I present 7 Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE. It's a Kirkwood Des Peres Chamber of Commerce opening ceremony for Small Business Week. The program is proceeded by a networking/happy hour at 4:45 p.m. sponsored by AMG Corporate Offices at their location 1610 Des Peres Rd., Suite 150. Directions:** Take 270 to Manchester Rd. Go west to the Des Peres Rd. exit. Turn right onto Des Peres Rd. and another quick right into the Corporate Hill office park. 1610 is the farthest building on the right. I hope to see you there! 0 comments	Dale Furtwengler is an internationally acclaimed author whose work is recommended by: University of Glasgow University of New South Wales Australian Institute of Management If you'd like to make your life easier while creating enviable results, subscribe to my special reports for step-by-step instructions on becoming invaluable. Back issues are available. March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008