July 2018
Attaining Independence By Setting Goals
Sitting with my classmates, everyone excited, a tad nervous, and eager to walk across the stage to get our high school diploma, I was thrilled to complete one of my most significant accomplishments in life. Graduating this year with a half- ride scholarship and a 3.75 GPA was a tremendous honor. It wasn’t only because I achieved so much in my high school years, but also because of the hard work I put into my academics to make it to that point. When I was in elementary and middle school, I struggled with school work. Then in seventh grade, I was diagnosed with a processing disorder, and then it was time to work . I had to go through extensive training to retrain my brain to process academics in a way that I could understand. Some days, I would spend up to six hours a day in what we called my “homework closet” and pound out all the work. There have been a lot of challenges over the years. One of my biggest accomplishments came after I received a low grade in the math section of the ACT. When I was diagnosed with my disorder, I realized that I would never be good at math and came to accept that about myself. However, once I hit eighth grade, I got an A in every one of my math classes, and my confidence increased. Getting that low math score on the ACT made me bunker down — I sat down with a tutor, and we went through every problem in all the practice ACT books for math we could
I was 6, my family lived in Billings, Montana, and my dad would flip radio stations and make them profitable. At one point, he had to commute every weekend to Spokane while Carson and I went to school. Every morning he would call me and we’d say together, “I think I can, I know I can, I did.” It was positive reinforcement that helped me through a lot of tough times. Whenever I was faced with something difficult, I would say this to myself and work through it. Now as I prepare for my first semester at Boise State University, I couldn’t be more excited. Three weeks before I graduated, I was given a scholarship for literature called the Mary Ellen Callahan Literature Scholarship — I wasn’t expecting it at all. I applied for the scholarship on the very last day you could. It was really humbling to have them read my submission, think I was good enough, and know that they wanted me in their program. It just goes to show that you don’t know until you try. The work I put in to achieve my challenging goals gave me a love for learning and finding different ways to accomplish what I wanted to do. If you’ve ever set goals for yourself and weren’t able to meet them, it’s never too late to start again. Clare Tester
Clare on her big day
find. When I retook the ACT, I raised my ACT math score by six points.
While I pushed myself to be better throughout school, I had a lot of support from my parents. My dad helped me create and meet the goals I set for myself — we even worked together to create goal boards. On the board, we’d have what we called a “Smart Goal Method” planned out across it. It had a formula — Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, and Time-Bound. Once I reached my goals for the day, I would cross them off on the board and move to the next. It’s been a huge motivational tactic for me. Even now that I’m growing up and becoming a new person, I still use this method to plan out and meet new goals I set for myself.
Dad also helped me by creating a motto that I still find useful to this day. When
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Which Do You Prefer?
HOW ARE YOU GENERATING NEW LEADS?
It’s your chance to decide how to clean the bathroom.
It’s something I have never been a fan of, but entrepreneurs with smaller staff groups have to deal with this issue every day. So, how do you keep both men and women happy with one bathroom?
A small insurance office in my neighborhood is using Mayhem. Okay, not the real Mayhem, but the Allstate Insurance character, Mayhem’s, photo is omnipresent in Bruce’s Idaho office.
His secret to generating leads is this: He provides a local postal office service to the neighborhood.
Two of my clients use these signs to help keep order:
BATHROOM ETIQUETTE, WITH A CHECKLIST This, I might add, is great for a team that is made up of compliance personality types.
I wasn’t so sure about the idea until I had to mail some packages on Columbus Day. The post office was closed, and it was Mayhem in Bruce’s Allstate office. As the local agent, he runs the post office, builds rapport, and then offers $10 in postal credit to give me a second opinion on my insurance. I hate to admit it, but I don’t even know the name of my current insurance provider. Bruce is going to get my business, and the business of many others in the community. The secret is finding a way to generate new lead opportunities.
Once you do that, remember these three items:
THEY HAVE TO LIKE YOU.
THEY HAVE TO TRUST YOU.
YOUR MOM ISN’T COMING BACK.
ONCE THEY LIKE AND TRUST YOU, THEN YOU PROVIDE THEM WITH KNOWLEDGE.
The sign has a heart on it, but there is no love
Now I can cut through the mayhem and find a new insurance provider.
here. If your team is made of dominant personalities, then this is perfect.
Vote for your favorite or, better yet, share your own sign that helps your team keep order in the restroom.
Tester-
MONIALS Q: If you were to recommend Dave’s training, Dialing Strangers, to someone, what would you tell them about it? A: It was pretty phenomenal. There were a lot of good take-aways for the team. I’m very excited to bring it back to my team. Q: Would you say there was one thing you picked up today that you’re going to take to your team?
David Klug, Las Vegas Event Testimonial
A: I want us to be working to where we talk to the person and their personality type. One of the challenges is that people talk to the team in their personality type. If they were to build rapport by communicating directly to the client the way they, the client, wants to communicate, I think it would go a long way. Q: Sounds like you’d recommend the training?
A: Absolutely!
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Is Your Dress Code Giving You Success?
When it comes to establishing a dress code in your business, don’t be put off by resistance.
How did that work for David? Not only did he get the bonus, but his evaluation scores skyrocketed, and his students started to take notice. “They treated me differently, paid attention in class, and asked better questions. In fact, some of the students started dressing for success.” David added that he now prides himself on his dress code and has turned his experiment into research that wins. We could learn a lot from a teacher or an officer of the law when it comes to dress code and why it works. If you’re familiar with military or law enforcement dress codes, the terminology is “command presence.” It’s defined as taking control by appearing to have authority in high-stress or high-traffic situations. This is based on the association with the appearance of authority. You may very well be an expert in your field and well-educated, but your dress code, or lack thereof, eliminates command presence. My friend David says, “It’s not only my job to dress well, but also to teach the importance of that to our young people. It’s not that we’re lazy; we are just put off by resistance. What if they get mad, what if they quit, or what if they leave me? What if they get better, what if they get more deals, or what if you have a culture of winning, not whining?” If your culture needs a wake-up call or simply an end to Flip Flop Day, it starts with a lesson in dressing with command presence. Your clients, prospects, and, more than likely, your employees will thank you for leading the way to dress for success.
Casual Friday has transformed into Jeans and Flip Flops Day. I’m often told, “Dave, you don’t understand; it’s the culture. It’s what people like — they are happier in shorts and a t-shirt.” I will remind you that attitude reflects leadership. You determine the culture and the dress code of your company. My friend David discovered the value of dressing for success at the high school he has been teaching at for nearly two decades in Oregon. “Evaluations and bonuses were being handed out two years ago, and my numbers were consistently lower than the teacher across the hall from me,” David told me, as he broke down his first moment of awareness about how Casual Friday was costing him in the pocketbook. “I’m as good of an educator as this guy, I work as hard, if not harder, than he does. His scores and bonus numbers are higher. What gives?” David mused. All he could detect was that his counterpart dressed in a tie and jacket every day of the school year. But David didn’t get mad — he got better. “For one year, I decided to conduct an experiment. After all, I am a teacher. I purchased new clothes and dressed in a suit every day of the school year.”
Take a
Huckleberry Dessert
BREAK
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup softened butter • 1/4 cup sugar • 1 quart huckleberries • Optional: Nuts
• 24 Large Marshmallows • 1/2 cup milk • 1/4 cup vanilla • 1 cup whipped cream • 16 graham crackers, crushed
Directions
1. In a double boiler, add marshmallows, milk, and vanilla. Let this mixture melt until combined. 2. Remove from heat to let mixture cool and partially set. 3. Fold in whipped cream. 4. In a separate bowl, mix crushed graham crackers, butter, and sugar. 5. Line the bottom of a 9-by-8-inch pan with the graham cracker mixture. 6. Layer half of the whipped mixture, huckleberries, and remaining whipped mixture on top of the graham crackers. 7. Refrigerate until set.
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Tester TIME 17707 Madison Rd. Nampa, ID 83687 (208) 707-9807 www.dialingstrangers.com
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
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What Might Be Holding You Back
Which Do You Prefer?
Tester-monials
Is Your Dress Code Giving You Success?
Little Things Mean a Lot
Cry Over Spilled Paint
I live in the fastest-growing state in the U.S. That has many upsides and some downsides. When it comes to building and remodeling, it’s more down than up. I’m talking about the difficulty of getting subcontractors to return phone calls because of the epidemic urban sprawl in our area. If they want the work, they might take the job; if not, see you later. That’s if they even return your phone call. The reason for this? The subs have a line out the door of people like me who need help. We need their skill set. From plumbing and painting to remodeling and roofing, the demand outnumbers the supply. Someday the tide will shift. That’s why I’m reminding you to continue to do the little things that will bring back repeat customers in good times and bad. The painter I hired did an okay job on my house. It’s done, and on a scale of 1–10, he gets a 7. I will not hire him again, however, for a few reasons. One, he used my home faucet and hose for cleanup without asking. Two, my lawn and driveway were used as his paint-brush cleaning station. And, finally, he left an empty bucket with a brush. It goes back to the headline: You should cry over spilled paint. Little things mean a lot. A clean workspace is a happy workspace. I could go on and on. If you wonder, however, why 90 percent of new
businesses go under in their first year of opening, customer care (and follow-up) is a big part of winning or losing. If you can’t wipe the paint off my garden hose, how do I know you mixed the paint correctly or taped the trim properly? Remember this: Business is going great now, even when you do screw up, so who cares? Someone else is waiting to take the place of a lost customer. If you don’t remind your team to cry over spilled paint, however, you could find yourself painting a new sign in front of your office next year that reads “For Sale.”
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