Business Edge Radio with Mitche Graf

If I were to take your best and most profitable product or service and set it on a table along with all of your competitors, what would make yours stand head and shoulders above the rest? Can you tell me in 10 seconds or less? If you can't, that completely ok, but you now have a homework assignment with you, a good cup of coffee, and your back deck!

A potter knows that to end up with something worthwhile, they must know what they are making ahead of time. If they simply threw a lump of clay onto the potter's wheel without knowing what they were making, they would end up with….a lump of clay! If I were to ask you what a perfect day would look like to you, could you give me an answer? Do you remember when the last perfect day was that you had?

On average, Americans spend more than 4 hours a day watching TV, which barely beats the 3 hours and 45 minutes that we interact with our smartphones. Here's a few simple tips for ways you can curtail the mindless activity of channel surfing for hours on end, just because we can! 

Having the ability to read someone's non-verbal cues can mean the difference between getting a hot date on Friday night, or landing that big client on Monday morning. Here's a few simple tips that can give you a huge advantage in understanding what people are saying with their body language-

Data…it's what drives everything from how many units of motor oil the auto parts store needs to carry, to what the chances of rain our in our town, to the odds of your favorite team winning the championship. Yet, when it comes to using available data to help build our business, we tend to underutilize the information that is available to us.

We each have 86,400 seconds in our day, that's it…and how we consciously choose to spend those seconds determines who we ultimately become over our lifetime. Each day, we literally make hundreds of decisions that determine what kinds of successes and failures our businesses will endure. Many of these seconds, hours and days are wasted on thoughts and activities that add zero value to our lives, or the people who mean the most to us.

We all fall into the trap of going down the rabbit hole from time to time with social media. We may start off wanting to take a quick look at our feeds, but end up watching 2 hours of videos on cat juggling or how to make a swan out of toilet paper.Here's a few quick tips on ways you can control the Internet goblins so you don't have to spend time in Social Media rehab-

We've all heard of Paredo's Principle, which says that 80% of our results come from just 20% of our efforts. Which also means that 80% of your time brings you only 20% of your results.In the world we live in today, I believe those numbers are closer to 95/5, meaning that most of our ROI comes from a very small amount of our activities.

As consumers, we make judgements in our brains what we think and feel about a business within 5 seconds… Yes, I said 5 seconds! That's not much time at all to get it right, but we MUST get it right if we want our brand to excel in the market.

Starting a new venture is always a bit scary. There's not a secret recipe for success, but I can give you some simple advice that will give you the best chance for making your business something very special.

All products and services have a list of features, but it's the benefits that will motivate people to buy.

Here's a pop quiz for you- Who's the top bookseller online? Who's 2 nd ? Who's the top cell phone company? Who's 2 nd ? Who's the top manufacturer of blue jeans? Who's 2 nd ? Most of you came up with the correct answer for number one, but couldn't easily come up with #2. The reason? Nobody remembers the 2 nd place guy!

There's a flame that burns deep inside the soul of many people that drives them to make a profound difference in the world for the people that mean the most to them. I call these people your CORE…your family, your closest friends, your employees. It's what gives you a distinctive reason to get up each day and put on your boots!

As a business, you have 2 choices……offer the same products and services, the same everything…and be stuck in a red ocean with all of your competition. Or, you can create innovative and unique products and services where you deem the competition irrelevant, and you have a blue ocean all to yourself. Here's a few simple ways to find, or create, a blue ocean for your business-

Being disrespected is a hot button issue for most customers. In a recent survey, 75% of customers said they were not likely to do business with a company if they felt disrespected by an employee of the organization. Ouch! Here's a few simple tips on ways that you can show prospects and customers the respect they need in order to feel good about you-

If you run a small business, chances are you are wondering if blogging is worth the time and effort. Blogging on a frequent basis is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to enhance your inbound marketing efforts, drive traffic to your site, and attract more perspective customers.

For most professionals, using words like “um”, “uh”, “you know”, can easily get out of control if we're not conscious of them. They may seem like innocent filler words, but they can actually damage your credibility, and even prevent you from getting that great new job, or landing that big customer.

We've all been there—trying valiantly to reason with an incredibly difficult person, whether it be a customer, a co-worker, a partner or a friend. You can't really reason with an unreasonable person,however, there are a few ways that you can manage these stressful situations.

At times, we all feel like we're trudging through a jungle of cement, and nothing seems to bring us joy. Job burnout is a serious problem for many people. The World Health Organization defines burnout as chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. If we consistently have physical and emotional stress put on us because of our job, it can seriously decrease our effectiveness at work, and can effect our personal life as well.

Marriott, Hilton, Starbucks, Apple and Nordstrom are companies that have built their empires around putting the customer at the top of the food chain. Every employee, piece of literature, and anything else that has the chance to come in contact with a customer is given the utmost attention.

The best way to, let's say lose 20lbs isn't to say “I'm going to lose 20lbs.” It's better to commit to losing 1lb a week for 20 weeks. Here's some quick tips on ways you can set goals that you can achieve 100% of the time-

Sometimes, our lives get so busy doing shtuff, that we can forget to invest some time into our own self-improvement. Here's a few quick tips on things you can do daily that will help you make progress towards your goal of world dominance.

If you are like most people, you plan on a big expensive vacation once a year, or maybe every few years, but there's some benefits to taking what I call a bunch of mini vacations during the year. Here's a few tips on how you can make this happen in your life-

So often, we let our business mistakes potentially ruin us. It's not the mistakes themselves that hurt our business, but rather our response to them.

It's been said before that success in business is tied closely to the people that are on the front lines. In today's extremely crazy world, it's even more important that you have the RIGHT people in positions that have customer contact in any way.

As consumers, we LOVE to feel special. It's a feeling that never gets old, and should be very center of how YOU take care of your customers. Here's a few simple tips on how you can go above and beyond when it comes to delivering a 6-Star experience.

So, how do you know if the systems in your business are inefficient and broken? Here's a few tell-tail signs that may indicate you may need to tear down your systems into the smallest number of moving pieces, then rebuild them with fewer moving pieces.

Do you happen to know anyone who is a master at getting things done? If so, they are probably very proficient at delegating to the people around them. Here's a few simple tips for ways to make sure you are focusing on the things that move the needle in your business and delegating of everything else.

One of the biggest challenges we ALL face is making sure we have the proper work-life balance. Too much work makes Johnny a cranky boy and can bring on job burnout, and too much play time doesn't bode well for Jane for bringing in money for bills and living.

My definition of the 24/7 Lifestyle means working 24 hours a week, 7 months a year...with the rest of the time being used to do whatever I want. Whether that be to build my businesses, hang out with my kids, or stare at the tree in the back hard.

Nobody in the known universe likes to fail, at anything, but the plain truth is that failure lays the groundwork for your success. Do you think your kids will learn how hot the stove is simply because you tell them it's hot. Sometimes the best lessons can be learned by actually touching the stove so you don't make that mistake again!

In life, there are risk-takers and risk-avoiders. Some people just seem to enjoy living their life on the proverbial edge of falling flat on their face. Here's a few tips on how to make sure that risks that you take are measured and calculated.

How many times have you showed up early, stayed late, yet felt like you didn't get anything of substance done? You are not alone with this feeling.

If you are in the business world, then you understand how important your brand is to your success. A refined brand can lead you to the promised land, while a broken brand can leave you stranded along the business highway.

We all know that the world is built around people who are right-handed, with only about 10% of the population being left-handed. That's why you don't' see left-handed scissors or left-handed desks at the preschool. But there are very good reasons to use both hands from time to time.

The average person has at least 12 jobs in their career, and the reasons they leave are varied to say the least. If you are thinking about quitting your job for greener pastures, here's a few quick tips on things you need to think about before quitting.

I think that us humanoids were born with a little procrastination cell inside of our bodies, but some people have taken procrastination to a new level. Here's a few simple and easy tips on ways that you can stomp out your procrastination bug.

Unfortunately, loss and grief are part of our lives, and can at many times be debilitating if we don't know how to get through it.

When we are faced with making decisions, small and large, it's very easy to feel overwhelmed, stressed and anxious. Many people even have a hard time deciding what to have for lunch, or what show to watch on Thursday night! Here's a few simple strategies that will help you conquer your indecisiveness and give you the confidence to make positive decisions.

It doesn't matter whether you have ragtag group of carpet cleaners, a troop of financial advisors, or a medical clinic full of doctors, becoming an effective leader for your team is paramount to your future success. Here's just a few tips on how you can maximize your leadership abilities.

Taking notes is an age-old technique that allows you to write down important information, create a record of what took place, and helps you

We all know someone who always seems to be late for everything, and there's always a reason. Maybe not a good reason, but a reason. And maybe that person who is always slowing everyone else's roll….is YOU! Here a few reasons why being punctual MUST be important to you

With podcasts becoming more popular by the day, there's never been a better time than right NOW to launch a podcast for your business. Here's just a few of the many reasons why starting a podcast now is a great idea-

As we get older, we start to notice small changes in our ability to remember things, like where we left our wallet or keys, or names of important people, which can be detrimental when you are in the world of business. Here's a few easy tips to keep your memory sharp at any age.

Maybe you own a Christmas card company, or a summer suntan lotion business…but that doesn't mean you get to close your doors for the rest of year, does it? Here's a few tips on ways that you can maximize sales during the other months of the year.

So, you've spent many years building the perfect business, but now you have decided it's time to sell and to retire on a sunny beach in Mexico, or maybe start a new venture. Here's a few quick tips on things to consider when selling your business.

Whether you currently own a business, or just have a million dollar idea that you are ready to introduce to the world, there's a few simple tips for you to consider to keep your ducks in a row before you launch.

Having volatile personalities working around you can sometimes lead to uncomfortable situations. We all can get a little overheated from time to time, but in the business world today, it's more important than ever to learn how to keep our anger and emotions in check. Here's a few simple tips on ways you can keep your engine temperature nice and cool under tense situations.

Many a business deal has been struck over a lunchtime burger, a dinner of steak and lobster, or over cocktails at the local bar…but did you know that having that meeting at your house over a nice home-cooked meal can be much more productive?

Having a sense of humor is very different than being funny. If asked, most people would tell you that they aren't necessarily funny, but that they do have a good sense of humor. Nobody is born funny, it's a developed set of skills and a mindset that comes with time, and experience.