Pete’s Blog

Improv Is No Joke Episode 2 – Mike Sciortino

From the desk of Peter Margaritis

I’ve been looking forward to this conversation with Michael Sciortino, who is the founder and CEO of Gratitude Marketing,  for a very long time. He has over 30 years of experience in the area of marketing, is a keynote speaker and trainer and is the author of ‘Gratitude Marketing.’ He comes to us with a wealth of marketing information and he shares some incredible techniques with us today. If you would like to listen to the entire episode, you can click here, or you can download the episode on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play.

He didn’t get into writing his book like many authors do. Instead of writing a book then developing a seminar and teachings/trainings around it, he started with the seminar first. He put all the tools he’s used for years and what he’s learned from others around the country and tested everything out on live seminar attendees. The feedback and experience he received from this was massaged into a user-friendly format within the book.

‘Gratitude Marketing’ is about recognizing and developing meaningful, memorable relationships with the people that you want to work with for the long-term. “I’m about building long-term relationships and you do that by being concerned more with what the customer or client wants than what your agenda might be.”

Mike is a masterful client-relationship builder and he tries to establish new working relationships by asking the prospective clients about their practice, their clients and their approach to business. This warm caring attitude will lead the prospective client to choose him as the logical choice because of this. Two of his favorite words to get them on his side are “tell me.” “Tell me about your goals… your objectives… what you want for your kids… what you want to do when you retire.”

Gratitude marketing comes naturally to Mike, but some clients or prospective clients don’t see the value in building interpersonal relationships. For these people, Mike asks them what they’ve done in regards to marketing their product. He finds that most traditional marketing speaks at people. Gratitude marketing engages and connects with people. You meet them where they’re at and build a deeper connection through this process.

Expressing gratitude isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a consistent practice that can accomplish The 3 R’s:

  • Retention – it increases client retention. It costs 7x more money to find a new client than to retain a client.
  • Referrals – by far the best marketing strategy is to cultivate a consistent referral program. Client referrals cost effectively doubles your business.
  • Revenues – taking care of retention and referrals takes care of revenues. “Ultimately, people and clients work with people they like, know and trust.”

An incredible expression of gratitude to your current clients that helps to build relationships and which leads to referrals and more business is to personally hand-write three thank you cards every day. There’s always somebody to show gratitude towards, and taking the time to do this is the greatest habit you can build that will be so much more valuable than you could ever imagine.

But, all the gratitude in the world won’t help if you don’t have a business worth sharing with others. Mike’s a big believer in “we don’t get what we don’t ask for,” but clients are only willing to refer if you give a service that’s referable.

Mike dropped some incredible nuggets of information and some actionable steps we could all jump at right now to improve our businesses no matter the industry. I’m thankful for the time that he gave to me and the podcast today.

Remember to sign up for the YES AND Challenge by visiting my website www.petermargaritis.com and scrolling down to the YES AND Challenge call to action box and click to sign up.

YES, AND…

From the desk of Peter Margaritis

“Yes, and…”

We live in a “yes, but…” society. In a restaurant, you might hear the wait staff say, “Yes, but this is not my section,” or “Yes, but I’m getting ready to go on break.” Those two words are far from inspiring. In fact, they deflate and kill creativity.

I think we should say Yes, and and say it more often.  Here’s why.

Continue the Conversation

When I decided to attend an improvisation workshop many years ago, I had no idea the life altering concept I would encounter; the concept of not denying the other person’s reality.  In improv, you have to go with whatever the other person says.  You can add to it, but you can’t undo it.  Once you deny it, you kill the scene.  I probably got on quite a few actors’ nerves until it finally clicked one session.  Until I got the hang of the “Yes, and” concept, I wasn’t able to continue the conversation.  This applies to the business world as well.

Turn Negativity into Positive Results

“Yes, and…” is all about finding a point of agreement and moving forward from there.  It creates an environment of possibility instead of rejection.  When you hear, “Yes, but…” it is deflating.  Is it really a yes or is it a “No” in disguise?  A “Yes, but…” will change the direction of a conversation by placing a big do not enter sign in the room.  Too many of those and you’re left with nowhere to go.  

An Example:

“I propose adding updated technology to all our employees to improve productivity.”

There are two ways to respond…

“Yes, that is a nice idea, but it’s not in the budget.”

OR…

“Yes, and we should explore the logistics of this in the next meeting.”

Which response continues the conversation by acknowledging the value others have on the team?  

Want to know more about continuing the conversation in your workplace?

Remember to sign up for the YES AND Challenge by visiting my website www.petermargaritis.com and scrolling down to the YES AND Challenge call to action box and click to sign up.

The Second Decision: The Qualified Entrepreneur Review

From the desk of Peter Margaritis

I had the privilege to interview Randy Nelson for on my podcast, Improv Is No Joke, episode number 32.  We spent a vast majority of time discussing his book.  If you are an entrepreneur, this book is a must read.   Below are the show notes and here is a link to listen to our discussion.

Today’s guest, Randy Nelson, is CEO of Gold Dolphins, LLC author of “The Second Decision: The Qualified Entrepreneur.” It’s a wonderful book that has changed the way I lead my own business.

The first decision is your decision to start a business. The titular Second Decision comes in after the business is up and running smoothly.

The Second Decision is whether or not you, as a Founder of a business, are the right person to run a business. The book helps you answer the question, “Am I the right person to lead this company for the next 3-5 years?”

Randy defines five roles in the book – three are qualified to help run a business and two are not. 

  • The Leader is the person who is at CEO and wants to be the person to lead the company’s future.
  • The Role Player is the person who doesn’t want to lead the company but has their own expertise, and they might fill a position like Chariman of the board.
  • The Creator is the person who loves getting businesses off the ground, they’re a startup person, but they aren’t passionate about running a business.
  • The Dabbler is the person who wants cash but isn’t interesting in learning everything they need to learn to build a business.
  • Status Quo is the person who is happy where they are at.

Randy models his qualification system around the tests he went through to become a submarine pilot. It features a qualification card that asks you every question anyone will need to be able to answer to run a business for the foreseeable future, built around the top reasons companies fail or underperform.

“I really am pushing leaders for self-awareness on whether they are the right person in that right seat. It’s a combination of self-confidence and self-awareness. If you have both, it’s a powerful combo. If it’s just the self-confidence piece without the self-awareness, it’s a risk.”

Randy wants leaders reading the book to be more self-aware of the role they are best at and enjoy the most. It’s okay if you aren’t the leader and don’t have a role to play in running a stable company – you just have to be self-aware enough to hire someone better suited for that role or leave the company behind. 

Randy is currently working on “The Third Decision,” which will explore how leaders and entrepreneurs can avoid some regrets in their lives by being more self aware of the decisions they make in their personal lives.

If you haven’t already, pick up “The Second Decision: The Qualified Entrepreneur” and become more self-aware about the role you should have in your business. It’s a must buy. 

Improv Is No Joke Podcast Episode 1: Clarke Price Show Notes

From the desk of Peter Margaritis

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and ready to begin the 2017 journey.  This week’s blog posting is from the show notes to the very first episode of my podcast, Improv Is No Joke with my guest Clarke Price, the retired CEO of the Ohio Society of CPAs.  Our conversation is about leadership in not-for-profits.  If you would like to listen to the entire episode, you can click here, or you can download the episode on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play.  Here are the show notes:

It was great having my longtime friend and mentor, Clarke Price, on the show with me today. He’s retired now, but he led The Ohio Society of CPAs for 40 years and had been a not-for-profit volunteer and leader during much of that time. He’s developed great leadership skills and influence in the not-for-profit world, and he shares much of what he’s learned with us today.

In the not-for-profit world, leadership can be quite different than in the corporate world. Great leaders spend a lot of time building a consensus and support among the organization for the direction they want the organization to take. It’s not enough to just have a vision and say, “This is where we’re going. Great leaders have the ability to explain that their path is the right thing to do.

This takes the power of persuasion and the willingness to tackle hard conversations with your people. You must have the ability discuss the unknowns, but to be able to convince supporters that they have the capacity to succeed in new endeavors.

This, of course, makes relationship building a critical piece of running a not-for-profit. People have to know, see and trust you. It’s easier if they like you, but that’s not always the case. Leaders can’t be effective if their focus is on “How do I get everybody to like me?” You must have the courage of your convictions and be willing to go full-bore once a decision is made.

As a true leader, you’re going to develop a vision for where you want the organization to go, but within every not-for-profit, your vision may conflict with the views of others within. “Good leaders are not afraid to take on the tough or unpopular issue.” This is where the relationships you develop begin to pay off. The ability to address these issues and to be heard by your people is part and parcel of being an effective leader.

Part of leadership is the innovation of ideas and implementing them within the organization. There’s “idea leadership” where the leader decides on the direction of the organization or products it will develop. The corollary to this is where ideas come from within the organization. To get this type of idea creation, the leader needs to create a place where he empowers his people to bring forth their ideas. The great leader supports a culture where people feel free to express ideas about what the organization should do or stop doing. You know this is the case when your people have faith that you will support them or at least listen to what they have to say and know you will give it serious consideration.

One concern that Clarke has with the world today is the trend toward timidity of leadership. This is when an organization avoids controversy at all costs. They allow questions like, “Who will this offend?” and “What’s the media reaction going to be?” drive their leadership decisions. It’s better to ask questions like, “Does this make sense for the organization?” and “Will we be stronger or more profitable as a result?” These questions lead the organization on the right path.

This was an incredibly informative and valuable conversation with a great leader. I’m very appreciative of the time that Clarke granted me for this interview, and I can’t thank him enough.

Remember to sign up for the YES AND Challenge by visiting my website www.petermargaritis.com and scrolling down to the YES AND Challenge call to action box and click to sign up.

Diabetes: Blood Sugar of 729 Is Dangerous – Know The Signs

From the desk of Peter Margaritis

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes approximately ten years ago when I was in my mid-40s.  Yes, you can have Type 1 diabetes later in life. Many are confused about the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is when the body completely stops producing any insulin, and the person must take daily insulin injections to survive. Type 2 diabetes is when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin and or is unable to use the insulin properly (insulin resistant).

The discovery of my diabetes came through a routine blood test which showed my blood sugar level was high at 246. Normal blood sugar levels are between 72 – 108. At the time, I didn’t know what the signs of potential diabetes were, but in hindsight, I was experiencing classic symptoms which I will discuss in a moment.

On New Year’s Day 2017, I began to wonder if my son of 16 years old had diabetes. Over the past ten days, I had noticed him drinking a lot of water and urinating quite a bit. However, I didn’t see a consistent pattern or any one single incidence that raised a red flag until New Year’s Day. That morning my son had pancakes and syrup for breakfast. Later that day, we met my brother for brunch, and my son had another full plate of pancakes along with maple syrup. At home that evening we were playing cards when over a 15-minute span he went to the restroom three times and was consuming a couple of glasses of water. I took his blood sugar, and the meter read “over 600 seek medical assistance.” One, I was in shock and too I wanted to test again to be sure. The second test produced the same results. So, I decided to check myself to make sure the meter was working properly, which it was.

My wife and I immediately took him to the emergency room where they confirmed my worst fears; my son was a diabetic. His blood sugar count was at 729, which is a very dangerous level. Through IV of fluids and insulin, they were able to reduce his blood sugar. They immediately transported him to Children’s Hospital where he was admitted and monitored for 24 hours. During this time, his blood sugar reduced to normal levels and as a family, we had a crash course in diabetes education.

By knowing the signs of diabetes, we were able to avoid my son going into diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a severe situation that can lead to a coma or death. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetic ketoacidosis, a.k.a. DKA is “when your cells don’t get the glucose they need for energy, and your body begins to burn fat for energy, which contains ketones. Ketones are chemicals that the body creates when it breaks down fat to use for energy. The body does this when it doesn’t have enough insulin to use the glucose, the body’s usual source of energy. When ketones build up in the blood, they make it more acidic. High level of ketones can poison the body.”

Here’s a list of symptoms that could point to diabetes:

  • being very thirsty,
  • frequent urination,
  • weight loss,
  • increased hunger,
  • blurry vision,
  • irritability,
  • tingling or numbness in the hands or feet,
  • frequent skin, bladder or gum infections,
  • wounds that won’t heal, and
  • extreme unexplained fatigue.

Know the symptoms and if you see yourself or anybody in your family experiencing these take them to their doctor, urgent care or emergency room immediately.

There is another reason why I am writing this blog. A friend of mine a couple of months ago had a daughter who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She is a little younger than my son. She was demonstrating some classic signs – being very thirsty, frequent urination, and extreme unexplained fatigue. The family did not know the symptoms of diabetes. They did, however, take her to an urgent care facility who immediately transferred her to Children’s Hospital upon reviewing her blood work.   

Diabetes is a chronic illness that can be managed and allow one to lead a very healthy and fulfilling life. Here are a few celebrities that have Type 1 diabetes: Halle Berry, Nick Jonas, author Anne Rice, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and NFL quarterback Jay Cutler. I have my good days and bad days, but I don’t let my diabetes stand in the way because I manage it every day.

Please, be aware of the symptoms and don’t ignore or discount them.  The endocrinology team at Children’s Hospital said that we were very lucky we caught this early because too often children are admitted with onset diabetes that is experiencing DKA. Don’t be that statistic.

Below, I are links to a variety of websites that discuss diabetes. Please read.