Transform Your Business Ethically: Growth Secrets Unveiled

Are you feeling stuck in the endless cycle of effort without seeing the dramatic growth that you have been striving for? It seems like businesses today are constantly battling to stay ahead of the curve. Many finding themselves trapped by outdated strategies and a lack of actionable insights. And that's what we're talking about today. On Marc Haine Live. Welcome to this episode. This is where small business owners and entrepreneurs develop new skills to help them create the jaw-dropping, show-stopping experience that their customers and their employees deserve. I am your host, Customer and Employee Experience Strategist Marc Haine. I am so glad that you are here for this episode. My guest today is Hall of Fame speaker and best-selling author Jeff Blackman. And today, we will be pulling back the curtain on unlocking the world's fastest strategic plan to ethically and dramatically grow your business by mastering the art of asking better questions, embracing change, and leveraging integrity and ethics for unparalleled Success. My one ask of you is this. If you know somebody who could use this information, please share a link to this episode. That way, you get to be somebody's mentor by saying, hey Steve, I have a great resource for you. As long as his name is Steve and not Bob. You know, it is really easy to feel like you are running on a treadmill. Lots of movement but really no forward progress. You're not alone. If you're pouring resources, time, and energy into your businesses yet not seeing the growth or profits that you expect, you've kind of reached that plateau.

You're not alone.

It is a common and costly dilemma that many leaders face, often without even realizing the root of the issue. And so, that brings us to Our Question of the Day. So, are you investing in strategies that promise growth but still find that your business is stuck in the same place, wondering why the numbers aren't reflecting your hard work and your investments? I'd love for you to be part of this conversation. Why don't you go ahead and share your story on your favorite social media platform. Hashtag it #ExperienceLeadership because that's how we're going to be able to be part of the conversation together. As I mentioned, my guest today is someone who doesn't just understand the roadmap to achieving greatness. He's been the compass for countless businesses navigating their way to unparalleled growth. Jeff Blackman is a distinguished Hall of Fame speaker and best-selling author whose insights and strategies have reshaped the landscape of business excellence. Jeff's approach isn't about quick fixes but about laying the foundational stones of lasting success with engagement and innovation. And today, we're not just talking about improving your business. We're exploring how to elevate it to new heights with integrity, insight, and impactful strategies. Jeff, welcome to the show! This I could say is a show that's been a year in the making.

Literally, I think we first met, Marc, in November of 2022. We had planned to get together in February of 2023, and then for medical reasons, which you know about and you are welcome to ask me about because it's actually related in a wacky way to my last bestseller, Bullseye. So I'm more than happy to talk about it because I really learned some valuable personal and professional lessons from this medical experience that's applicable to life and to business. And also, you and I discovered in November of 2022, we are both rabid hockey fans. Your team in Edmonton doing far better than my team, the Chicago Blackhawks, right now. My wife and I were actually at the United Center on Sunday And it was a remarkable game. They retired pregame Chris Chelios, the great number 7.

Yes.

His jersey. And it was the return of Patrick Kane, who's now a member of the Red Wings. And he got standing ovations throughout the day because he's a former Blackhawk. Stanley Cups 10, 13, and 15. And the game went into overtime. And of course, in the 3-on-3, who scored the winning goal? Patrick Kane.

Nice!

And he got a standing ovation not just from Red Wings fans but actually from Chicago Blackhawks fans.

Yeah, you know, it's so funny because I find that fans are an awful lot like our customers, right? That we have this ebb and flow of— and in a previous episode, we talked about Stephen Covey's Trust Bank Account Theory about the fact that when we're doing really well and we're earning all this trust. And then, when we kind of let people down, we haven't destroyed all the trust. But we kind of do withdraw a little bit from The bank trust bank account. But when we have loyal fans, when we have those ambassadors who support us non-stop, those are the people who are worth gold to our businesses.

Absolutely true. And what's so interesting about that, if we can talk about hockey just for about another 10 seconds, is hockey is a game, as you and I both know, it's about movement. It's about action. You are not compensated for intent. And the same thing is true in business. You're not compensated for intent. The word try becomes meaningless. So, I always tell people, don't tell me about your grandiose plans. Tell me about your grandiose results.

Yes.

Because when all is said and done, more should not be said than done. And when you reference trust, and I talk about this and I write about it and I really stress it with clients, whether I'm coaching, it's part of a learning system, is that when trust is high, What's low? Fear. When trust is high, what's low? Fear. So, everything that you and I do is an opportunity. And anybody listening, it's an opportunity for them in their business or even personal life. Create high elements of trust that reduces or eliminates fear. And that's what really maximizes relationships.

Yeah, 100%. But Jeff, before we get too deep into our topic today, could you just tell us a little bit about how you serve your clients?

So, I'll give you the perspective of my clients. And the reason that their perspective is important is that's the only perspective that matters. So often, Marc, when I get the question, well, Jeff, why you? I never answer from my perspective. Instead, I share things like, well, other CEOs like you really appreciate how. Clients value the way we've been able to. So, I always talk about what clients perceive to be most valuable to them. Years ago when I decided not to practice the law, and as you know, I've been an attorney here in the States since 1982. Home is Chicago. I'm actually in a suburb, part of the North Shore of Chicago called Glenview. So, from O'Hare, we're a wee We're a wee bit to the north and a wee bit to the east of O'Hare by approximately 13 miles and 17 minutes from downtown Chicago. We're about 23 miles to the north and then a wee bit to the west. So, as a result of that, decades ago when I decided not to practice the law, and I've been an attorney since 1982, stopped renewing my license in 1990 because I went, it's not going to be a backup plan. This is what I want to do for a living. And people said, so what do you do? And I go, I am a—

A lawyer.

Speaker. And then I quickly found out nobody cared.

Yeah.

So, it was meaningless. And you and I both know those who choose to speak sometimes, they are narcissistic fools. And I stress to my clients, just look at your website. Your website's got 2 words and the 2 words are About Us. And you just told somebody this has got nothing to do with you. So, those words don't appear at our website. Instead of About Us, it says Connect or Meet Jeff. And that's what I want you to do is to connect with me or to meet me. We don't have a contact section. It says connect because that connection is really important. So, if somebody now asks, depending upon who I'm with, Marc, I say something akin to clients like you, CEOs, business owners, whomever it might be, They call me a business growth specialist because I've been able to help them and their senior leadership team and their salespeople and other entrepreneurs sleep really, really well at night. And then I pause and people say, well, how do you do that? Well, Marc, everybody's different. Tell me what's cooking in your business. And I immediately made it about you. I avoid a data dump. Or as my good buddy, we've been friends for a long time, really since 1995, the first time we met. And that's Jeffrey Gitomer. And I'm sure many folks are familiar with Jeffrey. Jeffrey is actually a dear friend. So, on a regular basis, we might not talk but we will text one another. My birthday in February, his birthday in February. So, we just did that recently. And Jeffrey says you need to avoid doing what? Throwing up when you are showing up.

That's right.

And most people do that. They do data dumps and they make it about themselves and nobody is interested. That's actually a business blunder. It's a financial faux pas. If I can be more direct, it's just plain stupid. So, you need to focus on how you make it about others versus about yourself.

There is so much in what you've just said, Jeff. We've talked about the idea that we have gone beyond transactional relationships now. to the fact that we are building relationships. Everything we do because of social media now, the evolution has been it's not about me. It's about you. And so, building— and we used the word trust earlier. Bringing the high trust in, building those relationships are really the key to being able to connect with our customers.

You're right. But we need to go a wee bit deeper. See, what happens is, and I'll often ask this to people in Any industry, it does not matter. Or if I've got a whole bunch of folks in different businesses within the same room, I go, how many of you feel that your business is a relationship-driven business? Now, I know what the answer is going to be. And everyone says, oh yeah, of course. I go, that's not enough. And I just let that sink in because relationship power that you and I have discussed before has got 2 aspects. It's got a little r and then it's got a big R. And the distinction is little r is traditional relationship building. So, it's about your humanity, your sincerity, your dignity, your courtesy, your ability to be a good person. The Yiddish word mensch is a good human being. Now, that's really important. But it is not enough. You need big R. The 2 of them work together. So, what's big R? That focuses on how do you help others maximize gain, minimize loss, improve performance, productivity, profitability. They work in concert. So, you, your people, your team, you need to be able to deliver a great little r relationship but also help drive a great big R relationship. That becomes absolutely crucial.

Yeah, it's such a good point. And The big R now is I think where people are falling down the most because they figure, oh, you know what? I'm going to go out now. Especially now, you're hearing about AI. And people are saying, oh well, now I have AI. Now, I can personalize everything. And then, what they end up doing is they kind of take away humanity now out of their cold emails, out of their communiqués, out of their blog posts, out of however they're talking to their customers. They've of eliminated the relationship part of it. And I'm wondering at what point are we going to be tipping the scales back?

So, what's so interesting about that is AI, just the language is fascinating. And one of the things that I learned being trained as an attorney is the significance of words. And words really matter. My undergraduate degree is in advertising and I loved advertising. I actually worked in advertising when I decided to go to law school at night. And during the day, I was working for some small agencies either around Michigan Avenue here in Chicago or on Michigan Avenue. And it was a terrific experience because I was able to have this creative medium during the day. And then when I decided to go to law school at night, I was able to feed both my logical and my emotional side. I began as a day student. Academically, I did well. I did what I was supposed to do. Dean's List with another fellow, won moot court competition. But I didn't have the creative outlet. So, AI in terms of artificial intelligence, one of the things that I stress to clients is consider the A being authentic intelligence because I don't think authenticity in any way can be replaced. It's that connection between human beings. So, I know a lot about my clients or my prospects. I really take good care of that information. And I always stress to people, Marc, do research. I didn't like research in law school, but this kind of research I love. So, I am pretty good at, for example, asking questions, which we'll get to in a little while, when I'm chatting with a client or with a prospect. But I don't wing it. Now, I could because I'm really good at this, but I don't. I prepare for every single conversation. Telephone, in person, Zoom, or Teams. And clients know it. And they will say to me, these are CEOs, presidents, business owners, members of the C-suite. Blackman, how many questions you got for me today? And I go, 17. They go, wait a minute, you prepared 17 questions just for this call? And I go, yes. They go, I love this, Jeff. You make this all about me. Which is exactly what I do. And if I find out stuff that's either on LinkedIn or Facebook or wherever, I politely introduce it to the conversation. Example, it's got to be 10 years ago at a minimum. I had a call with a CEO of a very large successful construction company who requested that we help him and his team. So, I took a look at Facebook and I took a look at LinkedIn. And what I found out online was that he was a drummer. Because I watched his YouTube videos of him drumming. So when the conversation began, I politely said, hey, can I ask you the most important question first? And he was kind of befuddled and he said, sure, what is it? I said, just out of curiosity, when you are banging away on your kit, what are your favorite songs to play? By Rush. And it blew him away. And he said, wait, how do you know that I'm a fan of Rush? And I said, I watch your YouTube videos. 15 minutes we're chatting about Geddy Lee, Rush, the great Canadian group, Tom Sawyer, etc. And then we talked about other classic rock, and then eventually we kind of wove our way into a business discussion. But I always urge my clients, Marc, if it's on Facebook or LinkedIn, people want it to be known or seen. So, you don't use it in a creepy way or a stalker way. You use it as part of a conversational mechanism. And I want to go back to something else that you asked recently, just a couple of minutes ago, about in terms of when are we going to make this transition back? One of the real keys is to understand things from somebody else's perspective.

Right.

And I always stress to people, all too often folks get hung up on what I call the is. And the is is the facts and the features. They need to focus on the does. And the does is the results and the benefits and the advantages and the outcomes that your products and services deliver. I call that the RBAO strategy. R, results. B, benefits. A, advantages. O, outcomes. They're interchangeable. There's no distinction between the R, the B, the A, and the O. But it triggers people's minds Differently. And then I say, you must understand there are only 2, 2, that's it, driving motivators in everybody's life, personal or professional. They go, 2? I go, that's it. They go, okay, what's the first one? I go, all people want you to do is to improve their condition.

Yep.

They've got a problem, solve it. They got a need, fill it. They got a dream or goal, help me get it. Problem solve, need fill, dream or goal get. Improve their condition. That's right now. That's the present. If you do that for someone, then what they want you to do next, Marc, is help them attain a more favorable future. And if you can improve their condition and help them attain a more favorable future, guess what? You do the exact same thing for whom? You do it for them. And one of your key taglines is there to be the exception. So, if you do that for others, guess what? You just created the exception. You created differentiation. Or my buddy of many decades, Scott McCain focuses on distinction. When you create distinction, then you are memorable. And another important M word, you just became meaningful.

It's so interesting. I love how you phrase that, Jeff, because it really kind of puts it into a nice little package that I'm sure that anybody watching right now or watching the replay are going to have to go back and play back and take this down as a note. Because this is, if anything, this is the price of admission right now. You just got them for the free price of it. And again, one of my best followers, Anna, has just asked a question.

Sure.

She says, hi Jeff! It's a pleasure having the opportunity to listen to you. Can I put this same practice to my team? I'm a chef and a food and beverage manager.

How interesting. So, I'm going to ask Anna a question and we'll see if she can chat and respond to you. And then, I'll dive in a little bit deeper.

Yeah.

So, one of the things that I do is before I simply provide an answer is, Anna, I want you to think about in your world of F&B, how do you think you can use the strategy to help your team? So, I'll give you some time to think about that. If you can respond to that via a chat to Marc, and then he'll share it.

Yeah.

Let me give you specifically how it has worked for others. So, about 20 years ago, it was right around 2004, Marriott— and I've always been a Marriott guy— they became a client here in Chicago. And that was the location on Michigan Avenue. It was their downtown Magnificent Mile location under the leadership of Doug Ridge. At that time, Doug was the GM. Doug is now a 39-year veteran of the Marriott organization. He's a really smart dude and he became a good friend. So, I had the chance to work with his team here in Chicago. And then, I visited him when he was then elevated to the Orlando location, a giant property Right next to the convention center. And right now, he is the GM at a terrific spa and resort property in San Antonio, Texas. And one of the things that I learned when I was working with the Chicago team is that I spent time in the F&B area. So, time in the food and beverage area, I discovered that there are scratch house And what that meant is they prepared everything from scratch. And that was one of the things that they used to create distinction. Many other hotels will get large bags of chopped cucumbers, large bags of insert the vegetable of your choice. But everything they did was as a scratch location to help create that distinction. And I've had the great pleasure to work with other hospitality groups as well, i.e., Hilton. Because everything that's being done in a hospitality sense is sending a message to the world. And I remember Bruce Ulrich when I was working for the folks at the Hilton at O'Hare. He said to me, Jeff, if someone has got a layover and they walk into one of our first-floor bathrooms and it's dirty, they just created an impression of the entire hotel. Hmm. Sleeping rooms must be probably dirty too. I wonder what kind of kitchen this place keeps. I'm not going to have a meeting here. They're going to fall short. And one of the things that I always stress to clients is a very simple phrase: eliminate assumptions, confirm expectations. Eliminate assumptions, confirm expectations.

High trust, Low fare.

And then you're a partner, not a vendor. What's the distinction? And I'll share this and then we'll go back to Anna. Partners, Marc, invaluable. Vendors, expendable. One more time. Partners, invaluable. Vendors, expendable. Okay, I'm interested. What did Anna chat back?

So, she hasn't chatted. She's probably taking a while to chat back. But it's interesting.

But Marc, does this mean she's preparing a meal for you and I?

I certainly hope so. I am expecting SkipTheDishes any minute now. But no, it's interesting because to what you said, I find that there's a lot of finger-pointing. Like I do a lot of secret shopper shopping reporting. So, I'll get contracted by franchises and such to go into businesses and do stuff. And when I sit down with the operators, it's amazing how much finger-pointing and excuses come up. because they see something on the secret shopping reporting. And really, my job as a secret shopper is not to judge, only to observe. And so, if I say something to the effect of the front door windows had a lot of fingerprints on it, the owner gets mad.

Why do I care?

Why are you getting upset? It's an observation. It's not a criticism. It's just an observation that this is what I hear. But the interesting thing is, and I talk about this in my book, that You know, when I sat down with the owner and he gave me that exact thing, why do I care? I mean, I make great pizzas. And so, to your point, I said to him, when somebody comes in for the very first time, the very first time a customer comes into your place, how do they know you make great pizzas?

Mm-hmm.

What is the surrounding atmosphere that supports the fact that you make really great pizzas? Because I tell you, when you go into a restaurant that is pristine and clean and you go to the washroom and they're clean, You sit down because your fear is very low. Your trust is very high. And you say, I'm willing to try almost anything because this place looks like it's rocking it.

And if the owner thinks that they make great pizzas, now that's important from a belief perspective. So, owners, entrepreneurs, anyone in business has got to have a strong belief system. I often talk about ego and confidence. And ego is not a bad thing. It's really an appreciation for your value and your worth. It's not about being pompous. It's not about being boastful. It's really about, hey, I have value. I appreciate my value. And therefore, that's why I'm entitled to charge X. And that starts with confidence. Confidence comes from 2 Latin words, confite, which means with faith. So, if you don't have faith with you, how is anyone else going to have faith with you? But if I was working with that owner or you, I think together we'd reach the conclusion there's only one thing to share with that owner is, That's terrific that you think your pizza is great. But what do your customers think? And that's the only thing that matters. When I work with a client, their websites, what do their websites say? We are. And I go, says who? Go ahead. You're going to say something.

No, no. I was just agreeing with you. How many times do you go through and you see on the menu, the award-winning pizza or the Top of class, whatever. And it's like, according to who? Like, where did you— it reminds me of a lot of conversations I've been having with entrepreneurs recently. And we're talking about a lot of things that point to a problem. How does one identify when a business is unknowingly sabotaging its success?

Well, the best dialogue that you can have is obviously with your team. But it's also really important to understand what's working or what's not from your customers and your clients and your prospects. So, one of the things that you and I have discussed before, actually when we first met, which was November of 2022, is the significance of asking really good questions. Most people will focus initially on their pitch or their spiel or their presentation. Now, We've discussed hockey, but you can tell by over my shoulder, I'll lean this way, that's Ernie Banks. So, Ernie Banks was called Mr. Cub. He is a Hall of Fame baseball player. His great number 14 was retired by the Cubs, and that flag flies high over Wrigley Field. I also interviewed Ernie years ago on my radio show here in Chicago. So, Ernie was a terrific guy. So, what's so interesting When we reference baseball is baseball is a game that's about preparation. Hockey is a game that's about preparation. So, the key is not to simply share what you do and do well because that's your perspective. But it's instead asking the right questions. So, one of the things that I encourage people to do is, and typically I'll ask, hey, just out of curiosity, how many of you would either be able to stand in front of us in this group now Or get a member of your team on the telephone and say, hey, do me a favor. Share with me at this very moment your dynamic dozen. Huh? What are you talking about? Croissants? Bagels? Muffins? Poutine offerings? What the heck is a dynamic dozen? And a dynamic dozen is at least 12 open-ended need development questions that begin with a who, A what, a when, a where, a why, a which, a how, or the TED principle. T-E-D. T, tell me more about. E, explain to me how. D, describe for me. So, it's who, what, when, where, why, which, how. Tell me more about. Explain to me. Describe for me. How many of you could, or a member of your team could, rattle off at least 12 open-ended need development questions? They begin with what I just referenced. No yes/no questions and no ums, no ahs, no hesitation, pause, or reflection. Highly unusual for anyone to raise their hand and say either they could do it or a member of their team. Now, I could go on and ask questions literally for an hour because I've trained myself. And again, I'm pretty good at this stuff and I can wing it. But if there's anything that I learned playing baseball because hockey, I couldn't skate. But baseball, thankfully, I was able to play with some guys at a very high level. So, the teams that I played with, we won state championships in the 1970s when I was in high school. And Ray Baruchy, who was a year behind me and part of a 2-state championship team at Niles West, my high school, Ray was actually the roommate of Ryne Sandberg in the Phillies organization.

Wow.

So, Ray is unequivocally the best ballplayer who I ever played And I learned in baseball, you must be really well prepared. And that really taught me the significance of preparation in business. So, I prepare questions for every single call. I prepared for today. You were nice enough to provide me with a framework, but we had no idea what we're going to talk about. This is a conversation.

Yeah.

It is not scripted. Neither one of us has got any clue as to where we're going next. And that's part of the fun of Live. That's why I love doing radio and television here in Chicago, especially in the '80s, is you never know what's going to happen next. And that's part of the fun of working without a net. But if you're well prepared, it's a heck of a lot easier. So, let me suggest to folks that once again, create at least 12 open-ended need development questions. They can have different questions for different groups, different products, different services, different divisions, different types of decision makers. And I do get the question, Marc. Whoa, whoa. Never a closed-ended question. I go, no, 2 times. That's it. They go, well, what's that? Qualification purposes. You must determine, is this person a prospect or a suspect? Are they a pretender or a player? If they don't fit your criteria, sayonara, arrivederci, shalom, dos vados, catch you later. But you've got the right to vet who's your ideal prospect, customer, or client. The other time it's okay is decision time. Thumbs up, green light, approval, moving forward, PO, whatever it might be. Suggestion with— and I'll share a few soon— is take your open-ended need development questions and put them on this wonderful tool. Put them on your phone. And I never offer a strategy unless I do it. So, I have got on my iPhone My dynamic dozen in a written format and my voice in a voice memo. I won't suggest it unless I do it. And clients who do this, they say to me, all I need to do is look at my phone or listen to my phone with a voice memo. And Jeff, I am really well prepared before I'm entering a call with a prospect or with a client or a customer. It works. Now, Let me share with you and those who are listening or watching a few examples of Power Probes. And then, as you and I discussed, we're going to give your viewers, your listeners a great opportunity to get what we'll call the Sweet 16. Now, here are 2 of my favorite questions to ask people because why? It eliminates assumptions, confirms expectations. What will you value most in our relationship? What will you value most in our relationship? If you ask it, you'll know it. Also, how will we measure success? How will we measure success? If you know how it'll be measured, you know what the metrics are. They might be quantitative. They could be qualitative, Marc. I even asked somebody, okay, imagine it's a year from now and imagine that your goals have been met and exceeded. What will you be most proud of you and your team accomplishing? When they answer that, I then say, economically, what do you think the impact of that achievement might be upon your business? Now, that's a logical response that they're going to provide. And after the economic impact, I'll ask a question like, and how will that make you feel? That's emotional. So now, we're tapped into both. Their heart, their tummy, and their mind. I also like to ask folks this question. You mentioned that your people aren't selling or negotiating the way that you'd like them to. Conservatively, conservatively, if we're able to help your people attain the results that you just mentioned, conservatively, what do you think now you're initially losing because your people aren't—

Selling.

Negotiating or selling the way you'd like them to. How about top line? How about bottom line? And I ask about margins. And sometimes that can be the millions or tens of millions of dollars. And then I politely say, here's the good news. I can probably help you for just a wee bit less than $10 million. And they laugh. Laughter is important because why? It enhances the trust. reduces the fear and it increases the likability. So, develop questions that create engagement, creates dialogue. And again, you're focused on what problem do you want to solve, what need you want to fill, or dream or goal to get. Can we now give folks that opportunity or offer that you and I had discussed, Marc? Would that be cool?

Yeah, absolutely.

Okay. So, anyone listening or watching, If you would like to get what we call the Sweet 16, and there are hundreds, I mean, literally hundreds of questions that we could share with you. And they're in the pages of Stop Whining, Start Selling. They're in the pages of Peak Your Profits, the 5th edition. So those are hundreds of questions, but we're going to give you what we call the Sweet 16. Oh, well, thank you. So there's a copy of Peak Your Profits, the 5th edition. Nice of you to hold it up. And what happens is, is that it's really easy for us to send you The Sweet 16 of Power Probes. Here's all that you need to do. Send an email, please, to Sheryl in my office. S-H-E-R-Y-L. S-H-E-R-Y-L at Jeff, J-E-F-F, blackman.com. One more time, Sheryl at JeffBlackman.com. In the subject, all you need to do is to put Marc, M-A-R-C, rocks. And after you put Marc rocks, type in Sweet 16. We'll know exactly what that means, and we will then send you this Sweet 16. And here's the good news, you can use them immediately because people have, and then they've let us know, email or call, I used it and it worked. Well, of course it worked. And that's one of the things we always tell people is this stuff works, but that's up to you. This only works if you turn it into action or emotion. We're back to hockey. We're back to emotion. What do you do when you're on the ice? If we're going to baseball, you might have a bat in your hand. Pretty good likelihood you're going to need to swing it or not. The key is to get on base. You can walk. That's fine. That's good news. It's not enough. So, it's not what you know. It's what you do with what you know. One more time. It's not what you know. It's what you do with what you know.

I have a response back from Anna. And so, she says, let's see if I can make this bigger for you. She says, I would love to cook for you both. This was very informative. I tell my team to treat everyone Like kings and queens. I also thank my team for working with me, not for me.

That's excellent. Yet, here's the real key. If you want to treat them like kings and queens, who knows better how they want to be treated than your customers?

Right.

Ask your customers how do they want to be treated. And you can tell them, Anna, that we want to treat you as if you are royalty. That you're a king. or a queen. What does being treated like royalty mean to you?

To you.

Chicago has got some of the top restaurants in the world. And as a result of that, they are really high-end and outrageously expensive. So I know folks that have gone to some of Chicago's restaurants recently, and for 2 people, $1,200. That better be a great experience. You're really not investing in the food. You're investing in the CX, if you will, the customer experience. So, Anna, who knows better than the experience than to ask whom?

The customer.

The customer. When I was doing my radio show here in Chicago and Steve Kraft was my original partner, Steve and I became very good friends back in about 1982. Steve and I spent about 3 years together on Chicago radio. He left and then spent the next 34 years doing television for Fox and CBS in Phoenix. Steve and I are still very close. He, like me, he's a lawyer. He chose not to practice law after about 3 to 4 years. And I really never practiced law. Yet what happened is Steve and I would often interview great restaurateurs here in Chicago. And I'm thinking of Rick Bayless as an example.

Yeah.

And many folks in Canada and America, they're going to be very familiar with Rick Bayless because of his work, especially when it comes to Mexican food. And so my producer said, Rick Bayless would love to be interviewed by you guys. He'll come to studio. And we went, no, we'll go to the restaurant. Let's tape a show while we're eating at the restaurant. And then it became interesting radio. We did the same thing with great chefs at the time. Craig Claiborne, a phenomenal Chef and author. So, we made sure that we went with him to a French restaurant and we taped there. It was just more interesting an experience for our listeners. And that's really what you and I are attempting to do today is to create an interesting experience that's fun, it's enjoyable, it's entertaining, but it's implementable and doable.

Mm-hmm.

All this stuff works. And that's the really good news. It works. But you got to implement it. Oh wait, Anna sent us a message.

Our customers love coming here. They say they feel like they're coming into my home.

Interesting. So, what would really be great, Anna, is if you can seek specificity instead of generality. So, when they say they feel like they are coming into your home, why do they feel that way?

Yeah.

What emotions does it conjure up? What memories does it bring back to maybe when they were a child or how they entertained when others came into their home? Because you will hear from customers things that you probably wouldn't think of yourself. Now, I can give a really simple suggestion, Marc, about testimonials if you like in terms of how to just gather them.

Sure.

So typically, when folks request a testimonial, they come out as superlatives. Oh, we love They're super great people too. Interesting. But that's just really hyperbole. So, the recommendation is to, in essence, address what might be the concern or the objections of your decision-maker. So, if Anna, for example, wants to address something that might be a concern where someone might say, hmm, Anna's restaurant's terrific. But does It's kind of high priced. If she then has a testimonial from someone, either written, ideally video, talking about it's worth every penny and here's why. So, you're preemptively overcoming the objection. So, when a client says they're willing to do a testimonial, written is fine. But we prefer video. But whatever is best for them because it's about them and we're fine with that. But we give them questions to answer. They don't have to answer all of them. But now, they've got a template or a format about what it's like to work with us. And they might even address, we could have found somebody who would have been far less than working with Jeff. But if we spent fewer dollars and got the wrong results, it just became expensive. With Jeff, here's why it was worth the investment. So, I'm preemptively attacking the objection of a future decision-maker like, Chief Revenue Officer, SVP of Business Development, President, Owner, CEO, or whomever it might be. That's a really simple strategy and it really works in any business, Marc, in any business. Oh, Anna, you said you love that idea. I'm going to ask you what's called a trial close question. It's the only time I ever use the word close. And a trial close is simply seeking an opinion, a reaction, a feeling, or an attitude. So, when you say, I love that idea, if you can type in one more time, what do you love most about that idea? And how do you think you can use it to help you and your team and your customers drive results? So, it's just a subtlety. Seek an opinion, reaction, feeling, or an attitude and just ask one more question. And now, you get some great insights. So, Anna. Thank you for in essence playing along because you're really helping to demonstrate some very valuable things that anyone in any business can actually implement. And then Marc, we just got to figure out, are we going to eat together in Canada or are we going to do this in Chicago? Are we paying first-class round-trip airfare for Anna? Where's Anna at right now?

She's just outside of Edmonton. So, she's a neighbor.

All right. So, I'm going to be in Calgary in April for 3 days. I'm sure we can figure this out.

I'm sure we could figure something out. Look, I'd love to talk a little bit about— we've talked about so much today. And like to your point, we don't have it scripted. So, it was nice to actually get an authentic conversation going about business operations and different aspects of businesses. I'd really love to talk a little bit about the role mentorship and coaching should play in helping businesses get unstuck, get them moving, get them into their action phase.

And we'll get to When the spotlight shines on your business, are customers applauding or yawning? In other words, how is your business performing? Make your business a star with a new book, Lights! Camera! Action!, Business Operational Excellence Through the Lens of Live Theater by Marc Haine. Marc uses his business and acting experience to help you see your business like a live show so you can create a performance your customers will never forget. I'm Marc Haine. Don't forget, buy Lights! Camera! Action! today at your favorite online retailer or directly at marchaine.com.

As you can tell, Jeff and I are hugely committed to serving businesses just like yours. So, if you would like to explore how we could be of benefit to you, especially if you're doing something like planning a leadership retreat or a conference, drop us a line. Our connection details are in the show notes down below. Jeff, we talked so much. So many different comments. I just ran a spot on my book. Can you tell us a little bit about your book? Which one would you like to start with?

So, over the years, I've been incredibly blessed to have 6 bestsellers. The book that you just held up is Peak Your Profits, the 5th edition. And that's a real how-to book. But it's also fun to read. Not my opinion, but the perspective of those who have read it. Eddie Wolovitch and I have been friends literally since the age of 14. That's freshman year of high school. So, Eddie is now retired except he works on 2 days a week in the world of technology, Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, he's had a tremendous career in the world of technology. And Eddie actually brought me into 3 companies that he has worked for over the decades to speak at their national or international conferences. And one of the things that he said to me is, JB— and that's what he's called me now since the 1970s— he said, JB, when I was reading Peak Your Profits, I read a lot of it on airplanes, and I felt as if you were sitting next to me because we've known each other for so long. And he says, you write just the way that you speak. So it's in a friendly folksy conversational way. People sometimes expect a guy trained as an attorney to be somewhat stuffy and use fancy language. That ain't me. So, if someone's offended by the use of the word ain't, oh well.

I'm fine with that. I have to say, for as big as the book is, it is extremely easy to read. And so, to your point, I find that it's like as I was reading, it's like, oh, this is— I get to know who you are. Just by the way that you wrote the book.

Well, I appreciate that. And the real key is that folks can again implement the strategies immediately. The other book that I think you've got, because I think I sent those to you way back in November. There you go. Bullseye. So, Bullseye, you and I actually met in November of '22. Bullseye came out in December of '22. All the previous 5 books that I've had have been bestsellers. And Bullseye became a bestseller, Marc, literally within 4 days of its release. And it was within the top, I think it was in the top 5 or 10 in multiple categories on Amazon. And Bullseye is based upon an experience that I had with my dad when I was 16. And I will really make the story short, although if you go to our website, simply take a look at Results TV and then take a look, for example, at our video Vault. And this is the story of Staying on Target. So when I was 16, several years ago, several decades ago, my dad and I witnessed a blind man from about 15 to 20 feet away hurl a 12-inch softball and dunk a politician into a dunk tank. And again, blind. Absolutely remarkable. So, that story was the foundation for that book, Bullseye. And then, all the stories that surround that are really more motivational in nature as opposed to a pure how-to. But it includes my personal experience that I've had over the decades where I either interviewed somebody or I met them on a program, folks like Mark Cuban. So, Mark Cuban and I had this personal experience together where we spent time in Dallas.

Jim Lovell.

The Apollo 13 astronaut. So, Jim actually lived also in a northern suburb, just a wee bit north of where my wife Cheryl and I are here in the Chicago area. Jim Lovell is an absolutely terrific human being. So, we talk about the fact that Apollo 13, what happens when their oxygen tank explodes. So, I shared that story and the Jim Lovell perspective. Bill Russell, the great iconic legendary basketball player. His number 6 retired. That's only happened in the history of sports 3 times that a number's retired. '99, the great Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky, by the way, was at this game on Sunday where they retired the Chelios jersey. So Gretzky was there along with Marc Messier. '99 retired Jackie Robinson, the great baseball player. Number 42 retired, and now Bill Russell. So Bill Russell was also speaking something called Celtic Pride, which was an acronym. And so, a client at the time who represented athletes who also spoke, a fellow by the name of Bob Williams. And Bob and I over the decades became good friends. He was the president of Burns Entertainment and Sports. They asked me to actually work with Bill Russell in terms of coaching him in terms of being an effective speaker. So, that story is told in Stop Whining, Start start selling, and I share it again here. Clark Kellogg, the basketball analyst, I share that story. And also a story that's probably gotten the most feedback of any is Bruce Jenner, who I knew as Bruce Jenner, not Caitlyn Jenner. Bruce Jenner, born William Bruce Jenner. So I met him in the '80s when I was doing both radio and TV, and Bruce Jenner was one of the most remarkable individuals who I ever met and interviewed.

People Why?

I go, he was smart, he was funny, he was personable, he was affable. He signed every autograph that people wanted him to sign. And then once he decided that, okay, my life is going to head in a different direction, the transition, so to speak, the interview that he did with Diane Sawyer. So I wrote about that, and that story is at our website. You can simply put in, in the search For Bruce Jenner. If you do Bruce Jenner and Jeff Blackman search on YouTube, you will actually see the example from the How to Set and Really Achieve Your Goals video of working with Jenner. So those stories are in the pages of Bullseye. And then, as you know, what really became ironic is here I'm telling a story about a blind man. Book's released in December. 2022. And then on January 13th, I began an odyssey, as you know, where I contracted a rare fungal mold infection called Fusarium. So it led to, in 2023, 3 corneal transplants and 13 additional surgeries. And that's why this right eye, as you know, is blue. It's from all the scar tissue that accumulated. My vision, 5 to 10%. In the right eye. Will it return? My great doctor, Dr. Vani Varash, she says we just don't know yet. So it's a continuing odyssey. So if I close my left eye, this entire screen just went kind of gray, as if I'm looking through wax paper or a fog. My late dad— and dad passed away on February 19th, 2019— dad would say that life is a series of adjustments. So, I've learned how to adjust. And in our lives, whether it's personal or professional, Marc, we've got to always adjust. Because if we choose not to, guess what? The world is probably not adjusting for us.

And take a look at everything that happened with COVID I mean, the people who didn't adjust, the people who said, no, I'm just going to keep on going the way we're going. This will be over soon. Got a really rude awakening.

What can you control?

And to that point, mentorship and coaching. How important is it in the scheme of businesses? You mentioned, I mean, sports is a perfect analogy for the coaching component to it because a player doesn't have just one coach. So, what would you recommend as far as helping people get out of their plateaus, getting out of their kind of routine by getting a coach in? What are some of the things they need to be looking towards? And what are some of the pitfalls they should be aware of?

So, it's a really interesting question. And it begins with something we chatted about very early today. And that's belief and mindset. So, if you think you know all that you need to know, let me let you in on a secret. You're wrong. You don't. No matter how smart you are, there's something you do not know. No. So, I actually participated on Monday and Tuesday of this week in an online workshop that was dealing with how to really maximize and leverage LinkedIn opportunities related to also ChatGPT and artificial intelligence to help create more authentic intelligence. And I was learning things that I didn't know. So, if there's anything that I've really been good at, and I let these folks know, I can't attend today because I had another commitment. It was called Marc Haine Live. So, I'm also nuts about commitment and accountability.

Yeah.

So, when I'm coaching someone, I ask them, how do you want me to communicate with you, honest or diplomatic? And people always say honest. And I go, okay. But you'll never hear me use the language, let me be honest. Let me be frank. Let me be candid. I always will be. So, as a result of that, I am going to keep you accountable. How do you feel about that? Because before I coach somebody, I'll admit, I'll confess, I kind of make them jump through a few hoops. Because if they're not willing on the front end to commit to what needs to be done, I know they ain't going to do it on the back end. And I'll often say to people, sorry, we're not going to be able to work together. No, no, but you came highly recommended and I'll send you a check now. I go, I'm going to pass. You really need to be prepared and you're not prepared. And I'm the one who says no. And whenever that's happened, it's been the right decision. So, coaching, first, you got to have the acceptance that I might need help. And that's a sign of strength. It's not a sign of weakness because it gives you the opportunity to get a fresh perspective. And I ask that of people before I start to work with them. I'll go, what will you value most in our relationship? What would you like me to help you accomplish? How will we keep score of our successes? How will we measure success? What will you value in the relationship? I ask all those questions upfront. So, coaching is the responsibility first of the individual who wants to be coached.

Great.

And sometimes people will say to me, It's a simple example. A guy heard me speak 3 years ago, maybe 4 years ago. He said, please call me. I really need your help. So, I did. He says, I absolutely want to commit to a coaching relationship. I said, okay, here are the next steps. He said, Jeff, I promise honor before this date, I will make that initial investment. Well, that date came. And nothing happened. I sent him an email and there was no response. I attempted to reach him. Didn't return voicemails. Finally, I decided on a Saturday morning, let me see if I can find him. And I don't begin with, hey, what's up? I began with, is everything okay in your life?

Yeah.

I was concerned about you. Oh man, I am so sorry. He says, okay, you've got my promise that On Monday, I'm going to send you a check. And I politely said, I'm going to let you know that if you choose not to, that's okay. I will not follow up with you again because it means that you are not committed to you. He said, no, no, no, really, you've got my assurance. Of course, it never happened.

Right.

And I'm fine with that. So for a coaching relationship to be successful, it really has got to be a street that It works in both directions. And it's also important to let people know that the responsibility of the coach is not to appease and please. People go, huh? So, with my clients, Marc, I let them know. And I say this to CEOs. I say, my role is not to appease and please you. My role is to challenge you.

Yes.

I want to help you rethink, reexamine, and reconsider how you do What you do? They go, that's exactly what we need. And I go, pushback works in both directions though. You can push back if I've done something that ticks you off. You don't dig it. Push back. I'm okay. And the greatest compliment that I ever got from a CEO, and this was of a multi-billion dollar financial services organization. They had me on retainer for multiple years. He once said to me, what I value most in our relationship, Blackman. For some reason, clients call me by my last name, not my first name. He said, what I value most in our relationship is you never protect your butt and you never kiss mine.

There you go.

It was a compliment. It was a supreme compliment because he knew I would always give it to him straight without saying, let me be honest with you. Let me give it to you straight. And that's important in a coaching relationship.

This has been such a fabulous conversation, Jeff. How can people reach you if they want to work with you?

I think they should contact Anna and then we'll find out exactly what meal she's preparing for us and when. So I'm a really easy guy to reach. Folks can obviously go to our website, which is jeffblackman.com. They can send me an email, which is jb@jeffblackman.com, or they can send Sheryl an email, which is sheryl@jeffblackman.com. And if folks would like to follow me on Facebook, either personal or professional, both, or on LinkedIn, that'd be terrific because I post on LinkedIn on a regular basis. And Sometimes, it's educational and sometimes, it's inspirational. And sometimes, I talk about, hey, a terrific guy up in Canada, Marc Haine, is going to be interviewing me today. If you can, join us. So, sometimes I kind of plan it ahead and sometimes I go, that's an interesting experience. I'm going to write about it now.

It's about the opportunity.

Yeah, I'm an easy guy to find.

This has been fabulous. Do you have any last thoughts about what we've been talking about today, Jeff? We've been kind of just all over the place with really amazing content today.

So, well, thank you. So, I'll share with you something that I call the world's fastest strategic plan. And this is applicable to a business and it's applicable to an individual. So, one of the things that we're able to do today is to touch on a whole bunch of things. And that's part of the fun.

Yeah.

But focus is really important Especially for entrepreneurs. Do not be distracted by shiny objects. So, I'll often say to folks, the purpose of the conversation today is— and I say this to CEOs. And I've got a conversation later this afternoon with the president and chief operating officer of a bank, along with their director of retail, along with an individual who is really focused on the goodwill within their community. Very talented team. And I had a conversation with them recently. And so now, this is our second conversation. And I'll often say to folks, hey, one of the things that we can do together today is let's focus on the world's fastest strategic plan. And I let that sink in. And they go, well, what is that? I go very simply, let's establish where are you, where would you like to be, and how would you like to get there? It's that simple. So, if you're headed to the airport, what's the first question that they're going to ask you when you get to the airport? Where are you going, right?

Yeah.

So, imagine if you said, I don't know. Why don't you pick the city today? It'd be absurd, right? So, a lot of folks, they haven't answered that question. So, if you don't know where you're going, it makes it really tough to get there. So, pick a lane. Focus. And that's specificity versus generality. And that will always serve you well.

Love it, love it. And it becomes so clear. One person also told me that when you know where you're going and you know where you are, you can figure out what the steps are in order to get to where you want to go.

And it makes it a lot easier to adjust, as my dad would say, because Oh, that road is closed. Oh, that channel is not going to work. I'm going to shift. But if you're still focused on how you want to get there, it might require just the different path. And that's being flexible. That's being adaptive. And that's also really, really important.

Love it. Jeff, this has been absolutely fantastic. Thank you. I would love to have you back again.

We'll do it.

Because I think we could talk about 100 different things. Thank you so much. I appreciate your passion. Your expertise has been brilliant. Your sense of humor is wonderful. And hey, at the same time, I want to thank Anna because Anna said that, hey, if you come to Calgary, you can come see her when you come to Calgary. We can do a 3-hour detour.

Now, I need to ask Because Anna has been a terrific participant. So, does Anna actually exist or was she created through artificial intelligence?

No, Anna is a very real person. She's a person that I got to mentor. We worked together years ago and I got to mentor her and help her kind of overcome some of the managerial and leadership demons that she was experiencing because she had very bad examples of leadership as she grew up. And so, working together, we were able to get her to where she needed to go. So, he's a brilliant guy.

I was obviously just kidding. I'm thrilled that you were able to join us.

And Jeff, thank you for joining us today. This has been absolutely brilliant.

My pleasure. Thank you, Marc.

Why don't you let me know if this was of value to you? As always, my offer stands. If you would like 30 minutes of my time to brainstorm your business with you and your team, feel free to book yourself on my online calendar. The link is down below in the show notes. It's the one that's marked meetwith.marchaine.com. It would be my honor to be of service to you. And while you're at it, why don't you go ahead and leave a comment or review about this episode? I'd love to get your feedback. Was this of value to you? And while you're at it, go ahead and subscribe to the channel. That way, you get notification whenever I bring you fresh new content and some really great experts to come in and Share with us. I love this. Anna, again, thank you so much for joining us today. My name is Marc Haine. I hope you stay safe, stay healthy, and I hope you dare to be the exception. Thanks for joining me today.

Thank you, Marc.