RPM Radio

The year was 2002 and movie goers were lining up to see the big-screen version of Spiderman. This was the Tobey Maguire version of the web-slinging superhero. In subsequent years we would be introduced to Ironman, Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, and the rest of the Avengers. All of those mega movies came from the mind of Stan Lee... who in 2002 was 80 years old. This episode covers 3 lessons we can all learn from the late great Stan Lee.

If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something

I asked my father in law why he didn’t get hearing aids, his response made me howl with laughter

How Technology Saved Us... Plus Prayer

Check Yes Or No

Truth Bomb Regarding The Courting Process

All Of That Work And Effort... Gone

They Follow Up Like Your Life Depends On It... Because It Does

The Power Of The Universe In A Tiny Little Living Space

When I was a young boy my mom made sure I learned the important concept of following a recipe. If I could cook, I would never go hungry. This lesson was also a powerful lesson in life and business.

I'm always amazed by people who just have an uncanny knack to be able to think fast on their feet. When business owners have this ability I'm even more in awe.

If you met the person you would spend the rest of your life with, wouldn't you make a pretty good effort to make sure they knew you were interested in them?

This episode is all about a hard lesson learned while raking leaves in my front yard.

We all love a good scare, especially around Halloween. But when those fears stop us from doing what we know we can... well that's wrong.

Growing up on a small farm in Idaho taught me lessons, most of which I hated learning.

This episode is all about excuses. Have you noticed that excuses don't fix anything? It's kinda like kicking the can down the road. Eventually someone will have to bend over and pick it up and throw it away.

Have you ever felt used by a "friend" that only contacted you when they wanted a favor? That's what this episode is all about. It's amazing how many businesses are guilty as well.

I guess I'm a sentimental type. There are certain times of the year that I just love. This episode is how we can take that feeling and share it with our customers every day and all year long.

I got a sobering question from a client the other day and I think it's something that needs to be said. Not knowing could bring you a world of heartache and probably anger... it would me.

After finally getting the feeling back in my fingers and toes, I realized customers end up going cold for similar reasons. That's what this episode is all about.

We as humans have a built-in gene that makes us search for the "lost" thing until we find it. When it comes to our customers, how far will we go to avoid losing a customer? That's what this episode is all about.

Does this ever happen to you? You buy something because you're excited about the solution it will provide and within 36 hours you have buyers remorse? If you're the business owner there's a sure-fire way of preventing buyers remorse.

This was a lesson I learned from a Garth Brooks concert that is also crucial for local business owners. It will help you have more appointments follow through and will help you reschedule those "no shows".

At my first-morning radio job, my then-partner and I thought we were pretty cool. We dreamed about making it big... and lots of $$$$. In this episode, I'll reveal how two people with the same dream and skills ended up in two very different worlds.

Do you know what it means when a dog puts its paw on you? In this episode, we'll discover this plus the lesson of how to capitalize on this same behavior in our business.

So, any hew... That's about how my conversation transpires after about 5 minutes of talking to family members on the phone. I'll admit I have room for improvement when it comes to chatting with family, but when it comes to staying engaged with my clients, I'm getting better and better. In this episode I will share how I've been able to do it.

This may sound cliche', but I'm about to share something with you that is the #1 Sales Skill Known To Man! I promise it's not some marketing gizmo that you plugin into something. This is legit.

After binge-watching about 10 of the Avenger movies, I discovered a powerful lesson in Infinity War. No one person should have the power to destroy half of the universe population. When one man has that much power it can't be good. This episode is actually about 3 people that have that kind of power to destroy your business and what you can do to change it.

When I started to read his email I thought, "he, you can't say that." I kept reading and discovered a massive gem. Listen to the episode to learn this huge lesson.

I've noticed a lot of yard signs of college sports teams in people's yards. That's a loyal fan! What makes someone a die-hard fan of a sports team?

As I sat waiting for someone to apply for a home mortgage at the drive-through of the bank, I realized what customers may be experiencing in any local business.

Sometimes you can learn valuable lessons from 3-year-olds. This lesson was a bitter pill to swallow but will make an impact.

What do you buy multiple items of but you just don't use?

I had a learning experience from someone that I thought was a complete idiot. I later discovered he was a genius.

I'm seeing a lot of signs for "harvest" sales or "harvest" parties at churches. Did you know that every day your business could be harvesting? Today's podcast digs into this topic.

I was going to give my neighbor a referral for the electricians that did some work for me but I couldn't remember their names.

When I talk with business owners about staying engaged with their current and past customers, to a person they say they suck at it and they'd like to do better. Then they say something like, "I just don't want to come across as spammy to my customers." Nobody wants that!

Are you "not" doing things in your business that is literally causing you to not make money with people that are interested in your solutions? Today's episode is a case study of what could be done better.

Would you rather talk to people that know you and like you or would you like to speak to people that don't know you and don't like you?

Do you get overwhelmed when you hear the words, "customer retention"? I'm here today to help you take a big deep breath and relax. This is not hard.

Do you try to learn everything in your business or do you have a list of people who specialize in the things you don't want to deal with.

Are you putting your message in front of Hot, Warm or Cold traffic (people)? Hot Traffic is what should be your goal. When you do it right, that category of traffic will grow.

About eight years ago I noticed our refrigerator was leaking. This paved the way to the discovery that our ice maker water line was leaking and water was leaking down into the hardwood floor every time ice was being made or someone filled a glass of water from the door dispenser. Of course, I spent the requisite two to three hours valiantly searching for ways that I could do it myself. I watched countless minutes of YouTube videos explaining how to remove old disposals and install new ones. I Googled images of tools I would need and hadn’t yet heard of, much less owned. I became exceptionally skilled at decoding wet and blurry model numbers that looked like they belonged in a Salvador Dali painting. Finally, I browsed Amazon, The Home Depot, and Lowes for the precise equipment I would need to actually execute the project successfully. As you can imagine, all of the above led inevitably to one final search for the nearest, cheapest professional who could come by in the next 24-48 hours and do the job for me. Fortunately, I was able to find a guy who lived in my community and operated a one-man home improvement business right out of his home. He was fast, convenient, and affordable. He told me to give him a call if any other appliance broke down and needed fixing. I thought to myself, this will be the start of a beautiful, lifelong friendship. Flash forward two years later, to when our dryer needed to be repaired, and I knew just who I would call. There was only one problem. My friend never gave me a card, I didn’t remember his name, and I had neglected to save his number into my phone. Now, when I really needed him, I couldn’t remember who he was or how to get in touch with him. Instead, I ended up going with someone else who probably was more expensive and also fails to remain in my memory. It would appear that we humans never do seem to learn from our mistakes. Why Retain? This brings me to the real crux of this blog: the challenges of customer retention. By now, you’re probably familiar with the idea that a customer retained is more valuable than a customer earned. At the very least, customer retention is costly. Partly, this is a product of the familiarity an existing customer has with your services. Going back to my friend the handyman, he had initially won me over with quality service and a good price point. But even when I, the customer, wanted to be retained, I wasn’t, simply because of a hole in — or rather a complete lack of — his customer retention strategy. There were no follow-up emails, phone calls, surveys, or texts. All of the responsibility was on me to remain in touch and engaged with this guy’s small business, and my failure in this respect resulted in him losing out on my business forever. The point is, customer retention is an ongoing process that should never be left to the customers themselves. You could have the best products and services and the premier price point in your industry, but if you don’t have a coherent customer retention strategy — one that demonstrates appreciation and provides continued gestures of engagement — you’ll likely find that even your best customers don’t stick around for very long. Just ask my favorite local handyman — whoever he is.

James Bond inspired me. In Casino Royale James actually saved his own life with a defibrillator. He was about to flatline but he was revived. Could this also work on your customers you haven't stayed in contact with?

I've had some business owners say that they would never send their customers regular emails because they don't want to annoy them. I then ask those business owners, what are you sending them that would annoy them? If you're just beating them over the head with "buy, buy buy", then yes, that is annoying. Don't do that....

I received a question, "how much is a customer actually worth"?

What is your intake process like? Is everyone on your team trained to do it the same way? You would not believe how one of my clients treated a prospect who was about to open their wallet and give him money...

People can probably buy the services or products you sell in at least 40 other places. Why should someone buy them from you? Because you're the expert... Right?

There are some things that are worth spending your time and effort on in your business and some things may not be as important. Today I share where some people can and do get very distracted.

How would it be if you never had to deal with "slow times" in your business again? How would it be if you never had to worry about payroll again? How would it be if you never had to deal with media sellers who were more interested in making a buck off of you instead of actually providing solutions to your problems? That's what this podcast episode is all about.

Customers don't expect a business owner to be perfect but they do expect them to do what they say.