August 2017
Strategies for Success Newsletter August 2017 Issue 140
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Published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies
Copyright 2017 Emily Huling. All rights reserved.
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In this August 2017 issue:
- Thoughts from Home
- Thoughts from the Office
- Josmo’s Cafe
- Stay Energized
- Emily Live
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- Thoughts from Home
Lessons from a bird feeder
Our squirrel-proof bird feeder hangs in view of our screened porch where we spend most of our leisure time. Our house is surrounded by trees so we have dozens of birds who frequently stop by. We delight in seeing cardinals, woodpeckers, goldfinches, tufted titmouses, house wrens and chickadees. We have so many regulars that our large bird feeder needs to be refilled every three days.
We were on vacation in June for 12 days. John filled the feeder the morning we left. By the time we returned, the bird feeder had been empty for at least 9 days. John refilled the feeder within an hour of getting home. A day went by. Two days. Very few birds were returning. It wasn’t until a few days later that our regulars were back. They had forgotten about us and were finding food elsewhere.
Moral of the story: When we ignore the needs of our clients, they will go elsewhere. Never let your visibility and value dry up. Newsletters, posts on social media, and “I’m thinking about you” phone calls will assure you stay in your clients’ minds to avoid their looking elsewhere.
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Speaking of social media visibility, I was fortunate to meet Mike Demko, CEO & founder of www.myinsurancevideos.com at Elevate17. His company offers daily “Awesome Social Media” posts for agents to upload to their social media. The posts are relevant, fresh, and fun! Watch this short video to see sample posts and subscribe.
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- Thoughts from the Office
A short course on servant leadership
Frequent newsletter readers know how much I enjoy and value my subscription to Soundview Executive Book Summaries. In July, Ken Blanchard, author of the 1982 classic One Minute Manager and 60 other books, presented a relevant and thought-provoking webinar The Four Habits of Servant Leadership. The four habits, Dr. Blanchard explains, are heart, head, hands, and habits. Here are some of my takeaways.
The number one habit is heart. It is the ability to lead from the inside out. Understanding that you are there to serve and support others is servant leadership. Ego-driven pride and self-doubt are the Achilles heel of leaders. The antidotes to ego and self-doubt are humility and feeling valued.
The head is the visionary aspect of leadership. Dr. Blanchard explains that once the vision, values, and focus are established and articulated, the servant leader’s role changes to cheerleader and encourager holding others accountable for the implementation. Being responsive and available to others is servant leadership.
The hands habit addresses planning, day-to-day coaching, and performance evaluation. Dr. Blanchard emphasizes that servant leadership is not doing the front-line work yourself, it’s assisting others in successful completion of the tasks at hand through clear direction, effective coaching and valuable feedback. He emphasizes coaching is not critiquing.
Habits, the fourth quality, are what a servant leader personally does on a frequent basis to recalibrate commitment to the organization’s missions and values. The five habits are solitude, sleep and rest, study of servant leadership, unconditional love, relationship accountability.
Heart, head, hands, habits. Remember these principles and you, your colleagues, and your organization will benefit.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find one specific book by Ken Blanchard on this. His principles are scattered among his many writings. Learn more about Ken Blanchard, his philosophy and approach on his website.
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- Josmo’s Cafe
John and I had a most wonderful visit to Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic home built over a waterfall in the 1930’s for the Kaufmann family. We stayed close by at a terrific bed and breakfast and were served Honey Oven-Baked French Toast our recipe of the month There is a story behind my making it on the recipe page. Enjoy!
Please visit our Josmo’s Cafe recipes list to find a wide variety of our favorite recipes. All dishes have been taste tested many, many times!
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- Stay Energized
It’s the small stuff that matters for long-term career success! You’ll find reminders and new thoughts in our column 17 Terrific Tips to Be Polished and Professional. Visit the Business Building page on our website to read all eleven 17 Terrific Tips columns.
August Energizer Minute Shhhhhhh….People will listen Get supercharged with Energizer Minutes – one-to-two-minute audio stories told by yours truly to energize, invigorate, and inspire!
Follow me on Twitter @EmilyHuling to read my weekday Energizer Moments.
You’ll find our most requested presentations on our 2017 speaking topics web page. Please get in touch if you are interested in a program for a meeting or event.
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- Emily Live
- Private Client – Phoenix, AZ – August 1-7, 2017
- Agency Management CIC – Knoxville, TN – August 16-18, 2017
- WSIA (Wholesale Specialty Insurance Association) Annual Conference – San Diego – September 10-13, 2017
- Private Client – Kick Your “But” Proven Strategies to Earn More Money – Columbia, SC – September 26, 2017
- Private Client – Fargo, ND – Working Together for Success – October 2-5, 2017
- Private Client – Indianapolis, IN – Clients are Forever: 5 Carats to Dazzle and Retain Buyers – November 9, 2017
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Selling Strategies: Strategies for Success Newsletter is published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies. For further information, contact emily@sellingstrategies.com.
© 2017 Emily Huling. All rights reserved.