Pivoting to where you need to be instead of where you want to be.

Quick thought.  What if the creator allows things to happen in our lives so that we can pivot to the right path?  Follow me for a second here.  Have you ever had something happen to you that was life changing?  Of course, we all have.  What if that happened so that we would pivot and get on the path we were supposed to be on?  What if we would have never made those choices and continued on the path we were on originally?  Where would you be now?  What would you have missed out on?  How would your life be different?

During the beginning of this year, everyone has had to pivot.  Most of us have had to make some major pivots in business, school, and life in general.  We didn’t have a choice.  As schools shut down and kids had to complete their work from home.  Work places that would never even consider remote employees had to either let their employees work from home, lay them off, or pay them to sit at the house.  Business owners having to move to a digital world. Restaurant owners not being able to seat people and only offering curbside pickup or delivery.  This has been a major pivot to say the least.

Think back on what pivots you have made this year.  What were they?  How did they affect you? What would you have done differently?

One of the key pivots we made early on was to move to more of a digital sales presence.  For us that was rough to say the least.  We absolutely love shaking hands and seeing the expression throughout presentations and meetings.  It was tough for me especially to do a training that I typically do for a crowd on zoom.  It was almost like talking to wall.  I guess it came in handy that when I younger my parents said that I could talk to anything, even a fence post.  Lol.  Moving to a digital market place was one of the best things that we could do.  By doing it we increased the amount of people we could touch by over 1000X!  That’s huge.  We watched our number of clients steadily grow and are now able to help more than we ever expected. 

Another pivot we made was hiring a coach to help us get on the right track.  Let’s face it we all have days where lack motivation, but we felt that even though we were growing we still needed help to grow “right”.  We did a ton of research, and asked some of our friends then went out and interviewed several coaches and finally hired one to help us get moving in the right direction.  It was a huge step and scary step for us.  Really we held our selves accountable to achieve results, they simply helped us not make the same mistakes so many other people have when they had to pivot.  Hiring a coach was one of the best things we ever did.  Not only for the business, but also for us personally. 

The last pivot that I’m going to talk about is the mental one I made.  I used to tell myself that I was no good at sales.  Guess what.  I was no good at sales.  I remember meetings where I didn’t think that I could make the sale, so I didn’t make a sale.  I have also been in conferences when I knew that the sale was the best thing for that company and that they would be crazy if they didn’t sing a contract today.  They signed and we started business.  Your mentality makes a HUGE difference.  If you think you can accomplish it you will.  If you have any doubt that it will happen, it wont.  I now loves sales, because I know in my heart that our product is the best on the market and if we didn’t offer our service then it would truly be a dis-service to the world. 

Have you ever had to make a choice, pivot, in life that completely changed your end result?

I have countless times.  Every time I make that decision I thank the good lord above for helping me to make that choice.  Its not always, or ever, easy to make those hard decisions.  In the end it is always worth it though.  I know that it has always put me on the path I was supposed to be on, even if it wasn’t the route I thought I needed.

Doing what’s best for your customers, not your business.

“You are serving a customer, not a life sentence.  Learn how to enjoy your work.”  Laurie McIntosh

That’s the truth.

Throughout my career and all of our businesses, we have kept a few things close to heart.  One of those that we don’t give the customer what they want, we give them we what they need.  Another is that we always do what is best for the customer.  Third make sure that everything we do we keep God as the reason.  Lastly always do what’s best for the customer, even if it means a hit to our businesses.

Let’s break those down a little and make them easier to understand.

We don’t give the customer what they want, we give them we what they need.  It seems easy, but if you have ever dealt with customers or employees you know that giving someone, what they want and need can be two completely different things.  This is where underselling and over delivering is a huge part of our success on multiple platforms and in multiple industries.  We discovered early in our careers that if you over sell and under deliver then you don’t keep customers very long and the customers you do keep aren’t happy.  That’s why we are constantly looking for ways to improve our customer experiences. 

What if Walt Disney built Disney Land and never made any improvements.  Can you imagine?  It wouldn’t have the same feeling it does today.  In life, we have to do that same thing. 

Giving people what they really need comes with time, energy, and effort.  It’s not easy.  when you over deliver though people are happy to pay a little extra because they know that you will be there for them, they understand that you are constantly working to improve their experience.

Next, let’s talk about always doing what’s best for the customer.  I had a sales person one time who sold a customer something they didn’t need.

  Then a little bit into the contract, the customer reached out and said, “I’m not sure that we are getting what we really need!”  As a business owner, these are the words that you never want to hear, because that leads into them talking to their friends and other people who you might be able to service and not having GREAT things to say.  The word of mouth is either your best seller or your worst competitor.  Anyways back to oversold contract.  I immediately reached out to the company and asked what we could do to help keep them on the right track.  I offered to send them a few more estimates with some different options to meet what their real goals were.  I sent three different estimates each at different levels of service.  I did what was best for both companies.  They came back and said that they would love to keep working with us and were so glad that we were willing to work with them. 

The moral is that we could have lost that client for life.  All because of one sales person who wanted to make a bigger commission check.  He didn’t do what was right for the client or our business.  He is no longer selling any of our products, and never will again!

Having a moral compass to work by is HUGE!  This why we make sure that everything we do we keep God as the reason.  God, the big guy, the kahuna, leader of the world, whatever you call him is the best moral compass you could ever have.  Being a Christian based business, we find that it is extremely important to keep God at the center of everything.  That doesn’t meant that we can’t try to make money, but we have to do it with morals.  When a customer is not happy, we help them.  If someone truly needs help, we offer to help him or her.  There is a difference between offering a hand out and offering a hand up, but that’s a different blog.  (No literally a different blog we already wrote, putting in the work! shameless plug lol.) 

Make sure that you are keeping the big guy as the reason you do everything.

Always doing what’s best for the customer, even if it means a hit to our businesses isn’t going to be easy.  There will be times when you have to make those hard decisions of how to handle a situation.  It might mean that you have to let an employee go, or that you have to re-negotiate a contract.  One thing to remember is that you have to live what you do.  I learned a quite a while back that if it comes to doing what’s right or making a $$ then I’m going to do what’s right.  Because if I do what’s right then the $$ will be there.  I don’t worry about how many 0’s are in the bank account, I focus on how many happy customers we have!  Customer service is key to success. 

There are so many different things that can happen in business and life, many of which you have no control over.  What you can control is how you react, and how you treat others, what decisions you make.  If you put your customers first and absolutely love them, then you are sure to succeed!

Making your connections count!

Making your connections count.

Networking is one of the most enjoyable things that I do every single day, but it hasn’t always been easy for me.  In this blog, we will be talking about some sure-fire ways to give your network a jump-start.  Not only that but we will also give you a few insider tips to grow your following on multiple platforms.

We know that networking isn’t easy for everyone that’s why we are writing this.  We commend you for taking a few moments out of your extremely busy day to read through it.

Remember that networking is just like everything else.  You can learn about it all day, but if you never put the action items into use then you are wasting, you time.

Our first tip to networking is to get used to being out of your comfort zone.  If you constantly live in your comfort zone then you will notice that when you are given the chance to network you will always choose to stay at home or go back to your hotel room.  There are so many ways to get out of your comfort zone, but that’s another blog.  Literally, we have a blog all about getting out of your comfort zone.  Check it out!

Our second tip is when at an event or traveling don’t go back to your hotel room, spend a few minutes at the bar.  We didn’t say you had to drink, that’s completely your choice.  By spending time sitting at the bar, you will be able to see everyone as they come in.  When I first stated traveling for work I never used to go down to the bar.  I would go back to room, bust out my computer, and get more work done.  I was literally putting in about 12-16 hour days on an eight-hour salary.  One day I walked back into the hotel and noticed a few people I knew sitting at the bar enjoying a drink, so I went over and sat down by them pretty soon there was a large crowd there.  I thoroughly enjoyed my evening.  The next night I went up freshened up a little and came right back down.  The CEO of the company came over, sat right next to, and started talking.  It wasn’t long before every VP in the company knew who I was.  That wasn’t my intentions, but it sure worked out great for my career with that company.

Say hi to everyone.  Have you ever noticed that no one says hi to the door greeter or the janitor?  Everyone goes out of his or her way to talk to someone “important” like the CEO or VP or speaker at the event, but they miss the greeter that gladly holds the door open for them every morning. 

Here’s a funny true story that happened to me.  I was at an event with some pretty big names as the headliners.  There were three door attendants holding the doors open to the event, behind them were six security guards making sure that no one caused any problems.  I gladly said hi to all of them and started a light casual conversation with them.  Something to the effect of, “I sure appreciate what you guys are doing for this event.  You guys are the unsung heroes here.  We didn’t spend more than 45 seconds on the conversation but we all engaged each other.  Before I could walk by the security guard one of them said, “Sir I need to see over here for a second.”  My first thought was oh man how did know that I didn’t pay for parking?  Lol.  He said, “sir did you know that you are first person out of the 500+ people that have come through the doors today, you are the first one to actually talk to us?”  I said, “That’s crazy, 500 people and no one even had the decency to ask you how your day was going?”  We talked for a few more minutes then he told me, “I have back seat VIP ticket to give away, the manager told me to find the right person and make their day.  Guess what bud, you’re that guy.” 

My ticket was upgraded to almost triple the cost what I paid.  All because I said hi and actually listened to their response. 

That leads me into the third tip, listening.  Listening is one of the most important things that we can do to help grow out networks.  How want to be talked at?  NO ONE!!  No one likes being talked at, we enjoy conversations.  You know a little talking and a lot of listening.  If you want to get people to like you, start by shutting your mouth and opening your ears.  Listening is the biggest thing that is missing in America today.  Too many people love to talk but hate to listen.  You can gain so much wisdom by just listening to what others have to say.  You can also tell if you really want them in your network by listening to them.  Take it from me, ask someone how his or her day is going, and actually listen to him or her.  Then the next time you talk to them ask them about what you talked about last.  The results will amaze you.

Fourth is to make eye contact while you’re talking.  There is nothing worse than talking to someone who isn’t there.  Their body is there but their mind is elsewhere.  Don’t be that person.  If you find yourself starting to lose your attention, mentally tell yourself to pay attention.  It will be a game changer.  Making eye content is one of the best ways to let people know that you are listening.  Heck it’s even a little intimidating if you aren’t used to it.  I used to work with a great person, every time I was in his area I would ask him to lunch.  He was full of so much knowledge and wisdom.  Steve had so many great aspects of his leadership and I wanted to learn from him every chance I had.  I distinctly going to lunch with him one day and I could feel his eye contact.  It made me uncomfortable.  I kept looking around the restaurant.  He was listening so intently.  About half way through the conversation, he asked what I was looking at.  I didn’t have an answer.  From that point on when I'm talking to someone I started making eye contact.  It has made a huge difference in the response I get. 

Social media networking.  This could be a blog in its self.  There is so much information about SM it’s hard to narrow it down.  Here’s what we are going to say.  Don’t be afraid to comment on posts, but when you are commenting, make sure you are being respectful.  If you don’t agree with someone political, view is it worth your time to comment.  Probably not.  My point is that SM is great when you use it nicely.  I grew up with the phrase, “if you wouldn’t say it to their face don’t say it behind their back.”  I firmly believe that about SM as well.  If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s, face then don’t put it in a post.  Also, if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t make that comment.  By doing this and making meaningful posts your network will grow insanely fast. 

Our last tip to improve your networking is to go to events as often as possible.  How many times have you thought, man I would love to go to that, but you never bought tickets?  I can’t tell you how many times that has happened to me.  I have wanted to go to an event, even free ones and back out or never RSVP’d.  Then after the fact, I thought man I should have just went.  Never hesitate to spend a little money on yourself for personal growth.  Find a group that you would love to be a part of and go for it.  You will never regret making that connection and investing in yourself.   

There are so many more tips that we could give you to help you grow your network.  In addition, we will definitely have more blogs about it in the future.  We are working on one right now about growing your LinkedIn network.  We went from under 100 connections to over 15000 in less than 1 ½ years all through natural growth.

If you are interested in learning more about networking from the masters in the business industry.  Check out our networking mastermind.

Avoid Heat Illnesses

This month we will be talking about heat illness.  I know most of you spend the majority of your day in your air-conditioned truck; however, there are some of you who spend a considerable amount of time outside your truck.  Just like your trucks, your body can overheat in extreme conditions.  We are going to talk about how to field diagnose those symptoms and prevent you and your coworkers from suffering a heat related illness.

The cab of your truck is probably pretty cool and comfortable when you have the key on.  Did you know that 56 percent of drivers do not use an alternative to idling?  So, while heat stress is a rare issue when the truck is running, there is a clear danger for many drivers who are securing a load, inspecting a truck, or simply parked in a strict no-idle spot on a hot day.

Heat stress happens quickly.  On a hot day, you can become “heat sick” in as little as 30 minutes if you’re not careful.  While the Centers for Disease Control tell people working in the heat to rest, drink, and find shade from the sun, you can’t always do that.  Heat does not “stop the clock.”

Heat is stressful to the fittest of people and extremely dangerous to those with poor physical stamina, weight issues, underlying medical issues like high blood pressure, and medications like diuretics, which can make you dehydrated.

Heat illness is a broad term that encompasses several conditions, ranging from mild heat cramps to life-threatening heat stroke.  The three main conditions are heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.  All of these conditions occur as our core temperature increases and we become overheated, dehydrated, and hyponatremia (low salt).  Although the exact cause of heat illness is not known, some researchers suggest that it is due to a failure in our body’s thermal regulation system.

HEAT CRAMPS.  One of the first signs of heat illness is heat cramps which usually involve muscle cramping that occurs during or after intense or prolonged exercise in extreme heat conditions.  The most common location for these cramps is in the lower legs such as the calf muscles or feet.  The most likely causes of this condition include lack of acclimatization to the heat, low sodium (salt), and dehydration.  Treatment is quite simple involving rest, cooling, massage, and hydration.  Fluids should be taken by mouth and can consist of any cool liquids.  Sports drinks such as Gatorade are beneficial in this situation as they help replenish electrolyte levels.

If mild overheating is not treated in a timely fashion, it may progress to a more severe condition called heat exhaustion.

HEAT EXHAUSTION.  Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to an excessive loss of water and salt, usually through excessive sweating. 

In most cases, the core body temperature is below 103 degrees F.  Those most prone to heat exhaustion are elderly people or people who have high blood pressure, or those who are severely overweight, or those working or exercising in a hot environment.

It is vital that this condition be recognized and treated accordingly as it can quickly progress to a life threatening condition called heat stroke. 

Heat exhaustion has many symptoms including:

¨ Heavy sweating

¨ Weakness

¨ Lightheadedness

¨ Nausea or vomiting

¨ Muscle cramps

¨ Occasionally flu-like symptoms.

¨ Fast & weak pulse

¨ Heavy sweating

¨ Extreme weakness or fatigue

¨ Dizziness, confusion

¨ Clammy, moist skin

¨ Pale or flushed complexion

¨ Slightly elevated body temperature

¨ Fast & shallow breathing

If you are suffering from heat exhaustion, get to an air-conditioned area; drink plenty of water (or cool, nonalcoholic beverage).  If you can, take a cool shower or sponge yourself off.  If you are helping someone else, follow the same routine.  If you see, someone experiencing any of the symptoms for heat exhaustion immediately helps them stop all physical activity, start resting, cool off, and hydrate.

HEAT STROKE.  Heat stroke is the most dangerous and is actually a form of hypothermia if you can believe it.  It has both physical and neurological symptoms which can do significant damage to your body and even lead to death.  Again, heatstroke is a result of dehydration and extreme temperatures within your body.  It occurs when your body becomes unable to control its core temperature.  Your body’s temperature rises rapidly, sweating fails, and your body is unable to cool down.  When heat stroke occurs, your body temperature can rise to 106 degrees or higher within 10 to 15 minutes.  Heatstroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not given. 

As you may have guessed, this is a medical emergency and needs to be treated with rapid cooling under close supervision.  If this happens to you, there is a good chance that you will need intravenous fluid.

 Heatstroke symptoms include:

¨ Hot, dry skin

¨ Hallucinations

¨ Chills

¨ Throbbing headache

¨ Confusion/dizziness

¨ Slurred speech

¨ Very high body temperature

¨ No sweating just a red face

¨ Difficulty breathing

¨ Disorientation

Heatstroke is a medical emergency and needs to be treated immediately.

What separates heat exhaustion from heatstroke is that people suffering from Heat Stroke have a significant change in mental status.  These people are usually confused, disorientated, or agitated.  Severe forms of heat stroke can lead to coma or seizures. 

If you think you might be having a heat stroke, get help.  If you are first on the scene for a coworker, call 911.  Move them to a cooler or shadier area, and try to cool him/her down with water.

FAINTING.  “Heat syncope” is when you overheat and faint.  It may be heat exhaustion or heat stroke.  Both can cause blacking out (syncope).  You can tell the difference by paying attention to some simple details.  Was your skin red hot and dry or was it sweaty and cool?  As we mentioned earlier, heatstroke is when you quit sweating.  Heat exhaustion is when you sweat excessively.  Whichever one it was, you need to replace your fluids and electrolytes immediately.

Once you have either condition, you are more prone to having it again.  Make this important note to yourself: Don’t underestimate the sun.

This summer temperatures have been soaring well into the 90’s and even peaking above 100.  For many, this sort of extreme heat can typically be an afterthought.  Heck, you’re in your cab enjoying the air conditioning compared to the unlucky souls who have to climb up onto a roof and swing a hammer for most of the day, what’s there to worry about?  Easy, it’s not the climate-controlled living but the second half of your job, like unloading.  We’ve had several reports already this summer about drivers experiencing different forms of heat fatigue from heat exhaustion all the way up to heatstroke.  Take the tips from this newsletter to make sure you’re not going to be counted among these rising statistics.

These tips will help you and your coworkers to avoid a Heat related illness.

Get Plenty to Drink.  Sweating removes the needed salt and minerals from the body. When it is hot, drink more water, juice and sports drinks. Avoid drinks with caffeine (tea, coffee, and soda) and alcohol. Be sure to eat regularly.

Stay Cool Indoors.  The best way to beat the heat is to stay in an air-conditioned area.  If you don’t have an air conditioner, go to a shopping mall or public building for a few hours.  A cool shower or bath is also a good way to cool off.

Wear Light Clothing and Sunscreen.  Wear as little clothing as possible when you are at home.  Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.  In the hot sun, a wide-brimmed hat will keep the head cool.  If you will be in direct sun, use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher and follow package directions.  Reapply every 2 hours while in the sun.

Schedule Outdoor Activities Carefully.  Try to be less active during the hottest part of the day, late afternoon.  If you must be out in the heat, plan your activities so that you are outdoors either before noon or in the evening.  While outdoors, rest often in a shady area.  Never leave kids or pets in a parked car.

Pace Yourself.  If you are not used to working or exercising in hot weather, start slowly, and pick up the pace gradually.  Take frequent, regularly scheduled breaks.  If activity in the heat makes your heart pound or leaves you gasping for breath, stop the activity, get into a cool or shady area, and rest.  Especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or feel faint.

Use a Buddy System.  During a heatwave, check on your friends and family and have someone do the same for you.  If you know someone who is elderly or has a health condition, check on him or her multiple times a day during a heatwave.  Watch for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.  High temperatures can cause serious health problems.  Know the symptoms of heat-related illness and be ready to help.

From a first responders perspective, there are very limited options to treat heatstroke in the field.  The name of the game at this point is to get the individual into the shade, remove most; if not all of the victims, clothing and try to begin to cool the body, which could read temperatures of over 106 degrees.  A garden hose or cool water is a good start, as an ice bath might shock the body.  Try to keep track of the temperature if you can with a thermometer and call paramedics who can come and help while providing further coaching to you to aid the victim.

As I always say, prevention is the best treatment. 

Heat exhaustion is a real concern and should not be ignored.  If you follow some of the simple prevention tips in this newsletter it will greatly reduce your chances of suffering from heat illness.  Until next month, stay cool and drive safely.