Leaders are Tinkerers, Builders, and Developers by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.

 

Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, and Elon Musk.

 

Real leaders are builders. They build relationships, build bridges, and make others stronger! The most recognized and acclaimed leaders realize the importance of effective communication and how that skillset is a cornerstone for “tuning in” to their team member’s needs, as well as the desires of their customers. 

 

How do great leaders and communicators tap into the greatness of others? They master the art of being interested.  Everyone loves to talk about themselves. A great leader will inquire before they inspire. This is the “buy in” necessary for credibility.  

 

Have you noticed when you give a person an honest sincere compliment they light up with huge smiles of happiness? They glow!

 

Great leaders expect adversity!

 

Great leaders build and develop their countries and business organizations by developing,  educating, and inspiring their people.

 

 

Prime Minister Winston Churchill:

As a child, he was sent to boarding school at 7 years old. He “played cricket, rode horses, studied the piano, and begged to be allowed to learn the cello or the violin.” At Brighton he went to “concerts, pantomimes, and dances.” He said, “I am learning to dance now and I like it very much indeed.”

 

He enjoyed “music hall tunes, for which he had a prodigious memory, or songs from the Savoy operas of Gilbert and Sullivan that he loved to sing.”  When Winston was almost 10 years old “he wrote to his mother of a lovely stamp book and stamps that he had bought.”

 

Winston Churchill as a young man wrote dispatches while serving in the British Army as a young man, becoming an independent war correspondent and continuing his prodigious writing output after entering Parliament.. (Personal Development Winston Churchill on Hobbies by Mary Pat Campbell)

 

At the lowest period of his political career in the spring of May 1915 when he lost his office as First Lord of the Admiralty. he started to paint. He painted 100s of paintings. Churchill in 1921 wrote his essay entitled “Painting as a Pastime”. He discovered an escape that allowed his mind to wander, think, and create. 

 

 As a leader of his country when two other countries wanted to take over his country he rallied his country men and women to fight "no matter what the difficulties Never, Never Give Up!”

During the darkest days of WW11 Prime Minister Winston Churchill stayed strong for his country.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill also said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

No matter how difficult the problem was Prime Minister Winston Churchill stayed strong and said Never, Never, Never, Never Give Up! He kept his country safe and strong. 

 

Despite how dire the battle seemed, or how negative the voices were around him, Churchill consistently broadcast a message of optimism, strength, and victory…and it worked!

 

Churchill understood the power of optimism to set the foundation for victory.

Churchill understood the importance of laughter when it came to keeping an attitude straight. 'Laugh a little, and teach your men to laugh... If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can.'"

 

During a B.B.C. broadcast, Churchill proclaimed: "We are resolved to destroy Hitler and every vestige of the Nazi regime. From this, nothing will turn us-nothing. We will never parlay, we will never negotiate with Hitler or any of his gang. We shall fight him by land, we shall fight him by sea, we shall fight him in the air, until, with God's help, we have rid the earth of his shadow."

 

"Churchill not only saw reasons for hope and confidence in the darkest days of World War II but he was able to infuse his unique combination of stoicism and optimism into the very backbone of the nation, the armed services, and his own staff." 

 

Leo Amery, a minister in Churchill's government said, 'No one ever left his cabinet without feeling a braver man.'... Great leaders bring out the inner strength that people often do not know they possess."

 

Churchill empowered others to be their best selves!

 

Churchill presided over one of the great and most dramatic turning points of civilization. His actions were pivotal in the shaping of the world that we live in today.

 

"He knew that if he could rally the mind, spirit, and heart of the British people, they would eventually emerge victorious. Churchill not only saved Britain from defeat but now in retrospect, he saved democracy as a form of government in the world. Here was truly a single individual whose life made a profound difference to everyone on our planet." Hyrum W. Smith, What Matters Most (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000).

 

What 3 lessons on leadership did Prime Minister Winston Churchill teach?

 

1) Be optimistic and confident. "Bring out the inner strength of people."

2) Churchill, 'Laugh a little, and teach your men to laugh."

3) "If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can."

Churchill was a builder and lifter of people.

 

Lesson: When in doubt, check your attitude and the attitude of those around you. 

 

 

 

Prime Minister Margaret Roberts Thatcher:

 

If you were the new Leader of your country and your country was on the brink of disaster with virtual bankruptcy, rising unemployment, rising inflation, and crippling labor strikes, what actions would you take to save your country and what leadership principles would guide you to success? 

In 1979 Great Britain's economy was bankrupt and the newly elected Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher immediately set to work privatizing all nationalized industries such as aerospace firms, telephone firms, utilities, the National Freight Company and public housing which was sold to its tenants. She sold all these industries at favorable terms to promote private enterprise. Her aim was to reduce government power and promote the rights of individuals who would be property owners and pay a mortgage on their new properties.

Labor unions were crippling Great Britain with their intimidation and strikes. Prime Minister Thatcher stood firm against the unions bringing the coal industries and the steel industries under control. Employers and their workforce had achieved the proper balance. It was no longer necessary for men to join the unions. 
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher believed in putting her "faith in freedom, free markets, limited government and a strong national defense."

Early Family life and education of Margaret Roberts

Margaret Hilda Roberts was born in Grantham, England to Alfred and Beatrice Roberts on Oct.13, 1925. As a child, Margaret Roberts learned about the business of balancing budgets in her parent's, the Roberts grocery store in Grantham. Her family lived above the store and she and her older sister were raised to be truthful, to attend church, to help others and do charitable work in their close community. Margaret's father, Alfred Roberts talked daily about Conservative politics in their home. In Grantham he was a councilor in local politics.

Margaret graduated from Oxford University in Chemistry in 1947. She greatly admired one of her professors who shattered the glass ceiling and won a Nobel Prize.

 

 After graduating she worked as a chemist. One of the companies she worked for was J. Lyons & Co., a food conglomerate, developing soft serve ice cream.

 

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher chartered new territory in male dominated areas of government and business. She went to law school after being married at a time when women did not go to law school or work outside the home when they had young children. She understood the value of a law education in society to help serve others. 

She had the courage of her convictions as a leader to never give up regardless of the obstacles. With character, honor, integrity, and hard work she her country and her children and grandchildren of economic growth and prosperity and the right and honorable way to conduct business.

 

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister for 3 terms, 11 and a half years. When she became Prime Minister, her country was on the brink of financial disaster and with problems of law and order. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said at the time "Unless we change our ways and our direction, our greatness as a nation will soon be a footnote in the history books, a distant memory of an offshore island, lost in the mist of time like Camelot, remembered kindly for its noble past."

When she left office in 1990 her legacy was a sound economy with a society that was confident about its future.

Leadership Principles: As a leader she believed in working with experts who shared her vision, her plan of action with a shared goal of repairing Great Britain's economy. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was nicknamed the "Iron Lady" by the Soviets for the tough line she took against them. As a leader she had strength, determination, honesty, integrity, and the courage of her convictions with a passionate belief in the right way to get her country back on track once again.

 

Lesson: Don’t be afraid to shake things up. There is a first for everything. 

 

 

 

Elon Musk, engineer, physicist, entrepreneur, businessman, investor.

 

Elon Musk’s Early Years:

 

Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa.  Elon Musk in grade school, taught himself how to code. IBM tested him and he was found to be a natural coder. Elon excelled in physics and computer science. 

 

In 1997, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Physics and economics. “After graduation he used his computer science skills to found his 1^st start up, a city guide software company called Zip2, online business directory, with his brother Kimbal Musk. He sold that company in 1999 for over $300 million to Compaq Computer Corporation.”

 

 “With the sale he founded X.com, an online bank with 3 other co-founders. Musk was ousted as CEO in 1996, however, when the board of directors decided to install a more experienced leader in his stead.”  (Like Steve Jobs, Elan Musk was replaced/removed in 2 of his companies.)

 

“X.com merged with software company Confinity just one year later, forming PayPal, a secure online payments platform with a foundation in payments conducted for Palm Pilots. PayPal would go on to be one of his most successful companies; Musk and his partners, including Confinity co-founder Peter Thiel, sold it to eBay in 2002 for a $1.5 billion stock deal. However, it was a rough start. PayPal was named at one point as one of the “worst business ideas” of 1999, and Musk himself was again removed from his role as CEO while on honeymoon in 2000, replaced by the board with Thiel.”

 

Elon Musk in 2002 “began his quest to send the first rocket to Mars.” (Space X) The cost of purchasing a Rocket was 55 Million dollars. Elon Musk used First principle thinking to solve this cost problem.  

 

First Principle:

“Identify the problem. Break things down into smaller parts.  Then look at each part individually, each component. Look outside your product category for a part or piece that can be imported. Combine the parts to create something new according to desired outcome. First Principle thinking.” (Story from Darren Hardy)

 

Elon Musk: “What’s a rocket made of?”

 

“Aerospace – grade aluminum alloys, plus some titanium, copper, and carbon fiber.”

“Then I asked, what is the value of those materials on the commodity market? It turned out that the materials cost of a rocket was around two percent of the typical price.” 

 

Step by step he built his own rocket better and cheaper.

 

When evaluating an entire project, the costs may seem like they are set in stone, however, when you break things down into bite-sized pieces, they can be more manageable. 

 

For example: 

Problem: My car makes a grinding sound when braking. 

 

Total solution: replacing brakes, pads, rotors, whole assembly. Cost: $1000. 

 

Individual solution: 

Most times replacing brake pads is sufficient. Cost $200. 

 

Reducing challenges into bite-sized chunks is not only a great recipe for cost reduction; it is a fantastic way to remove friction from your customer experience. 

 

 By asking himself questions he solved his problem and built a new rocket from the ground up stronger, better and cheaper.

 

2004: Tesla: “These days, Musk is perhaps best known for his leadership at Tesla,the electric car company named after famed inventor Nikola Tesla. Valued at over $1 trillion at one point in 2021, Tesla was founded in 2003 by two other men; Musk entered a Series A funding round with an investment of $6.5 million, and eventually took an increasingly active role in the company. He has been CEO since 2008. The Model 3 is the most popular electric car in production today, with over one million units sold globally.”

 

In 2006, Solar City was founded by Elon Musk’s cousins. “Musk was their primary financial backer. Solar City became the leading residential solar installer in the U.S. Musk, via Tesla, acquired SolarCity in 2016 for $2.6 billion in stock and incorporated it into its operations as Tesla Energy.”

 

2015: Open AI: “Musk co-founded OpenAI as a non-profit in 2015, with a for-profit artificial intelligence research lab component; it was started with a $1 billion collective pledge from its founders. Musk has been open about his interest in developing “friendly” AI that supports humanity, but he ended up resigning from the board in 2018 due to conflicts with Tesla’s AI projects.”

 

2022: “Twitter: After buying up enough stock to make him a majority shareholder by April 1, Musk made the move to purchase Twitter for $44 billion at the end of April. His plans include making Twitter “better than ever” by “enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans.”

 

https://time.com/6170834/elon-musk-business-timeline-twitter/

 

 

 

Elon Musk: Developing, building companies, employing Americans!

 

“How does Elon Musk choose the people that he hires?”

 

INTERVIEWER: “How do you translate that to getting the "Right" people to think that way, to these breakthrough ways of thinking of these innovations that go on?”

Elon Musk: “Well, getting the right people is extremely important. And I actually interview everyone at SpaceX personally. And we're a 500 person company, so that's a lot of interviews.”

 

INTERVIEWER: “What do you look for in someone?”

 

Elon Musk: “What do I look for? It depends on the task. You know, it's different, and I'm not necessarily looking for someone who has brilliant analytic ability if their job is going to be assembling hardware. But I think, generally, I look for a positive attitude and are they easy to work with, are people gonna like working with them? It's very important to like the people you work with, otherwise life and your job is gonna be quite miserable. And, in fact, we have a strict  sensor at SpaceX. And we fire people if they are. I mean, we give them a little bit of warning. But if they continue … then they're fired.”

 

“It's not merely his background with programming, branding, rocket science, economics, and physics that makes Musk such a talented organization builder. He's also supremely skilled in evaluating talent in face-to-face scenarios, in choosing the right candidate for a given role, and in selecting individuals who propagate a carefully delineated company culture. And everyone would agree that this is an important aspect for hiring people.”

 

Elon Musk: Developing, building companies, employing Americans!

In the early days he had 500 employees working for Space X. On September 2023 he has 13,000 employees working for Space X.

 

At a time when America needs to support and protect American jobs and industry, the Department of Justice wants Elon Musk to hire aliens!

“The Dept. of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday announced a lawsuit against SpaceX alleging that the company "routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying and refused to hire or consider them, because of their citizenship status, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)." According to the suit, SpaceX wrongly claimed that federal laws and regulations restricted the company to only hiring U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, also known as green card holders.” (August 27, 2023)

 

 “Elon Musk hits back at DOJ over lawsuit alleging hiring discrimination by SpaceX”

"SpaceX was told repeatedly that hiring anyone who was not a permanent resident of the United States would violate international arms trafficking law, which would be a criminal offense," Musk said in another post on the platform. "We couldn’t even hire Canadian citizens, despite Canada being part of NORAD! This is yet another case of weaponization of the DOJ for political purposes."

 

“DOJ’s lawsuit noted that asylees and refugees are legally permitted by the federal government to live and work in the U.S. without expiration, and added that there is no restriction on asylees or refugees working for companies that have to comply with export control requirements.”

 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/elon-musk-hits-back-doj-over-lawsuit-alleging-hiring-discrimination-spacex

 

  

 

Three take aways from Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Elon Musk:

 

1) Prime Minister Winston Churchill “Never, never, never, never give in…”  He rallied a nation by his words!

  

2) Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady, stood up to bullies. She took a stand!

 

3) Elon Musk: there’s a better way.  Why do it this way?

It can be made better, less expensive. 

 

 

Leaders are tinkerers, builders, developers and thinkers!

Madeline Frank, Ph.D., is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, speaker, business owner, teacher, concert artist, and parent. She helps businesses and organizations “Tune Up their Business”. Her observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. Her latest book “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget” is available everywhere books are sold. If you need a virtual speaker contact Madeline at: mfrankviola@gmail.com

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chill Out! How to Successfully Handle Problems the Carrier Air Conditioner Way by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.

 

In 1902, William Carrier “was working on the problem of regulating humidity for a printing company and decided to give up for a while and take a vacation. While waiting on a foggy railroad platform in Pittsburg, he gazed at the mist surrounding the station and tracks, wondering how late his train was going to be.” The answer to his problem came out of the fog. 

 

“His idea was to blow air through a fine mist that would act like a condenser, drying out the air. Since air’s moisture content varies with temperature- cold air is drier than warm-changing the temperature of the mist would also alter the humidity.” (Michael Michalko’s book “Thinkertoys“) Carrier’s invention was the air-conditioner that combined “refrigeration and electricity”.

 

Mr. Carrier found that by taking a mini break from the problem he was able to calm down and clear his mind and think of a solution.

 

When you are able to relax and clear your mind everything looks better. Your perspective is more positive, clearer, and energized.

 

Mr. Carrier said, "When I was a young man I worked for the Buffalo Forge Company in Buffalo, New York. I was handed the assignment of installing a gas-cleaning device in a plant of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company at Crystal City, Missouri-a plant costing millions of dollars. The purpose of this installation was to remove the impurities from the gas so it could be burned without injuring the engines. This method of cleaning gas was new. It had been tried only once before- and under different conditions. In my work at Crystal City, Missouri, unforeseen difficulties arose. It worked after a fashion -but not well enough to meet the guarantee we had made.”

 

He continues. "I was stunned by my failure. It was almost as if someone had struck me a blow on the head. My stomach, my insides, began to twist and turn. For a while I was so worried I couldn't sleep.”  (“How To Stop Worrying And Start Living” By Dale Carnegie p. 14.)

 

"Finally, common sense reminded me that worry wasn't getting me anywhere; so, I figured out a way to handle my problem without worrying. It worked superbly. I have been using this same anti-worry technique for more than thirty years.” 

 

Break Your Limits: Collection of All Time Bestseller Mindset and Skillset Books for Self-Improvement & Self Grow [How to Awaken and Direct It/ How to Succeed/ How to Stop Worrying and Start Living]

 

Here are Mr. Carrier’s three simple steps: 

 

Analyze the situation fearlessly and honestly and figure out what was the worst that could possibly happen as a result of this failure. Realizing that no one was going to put me in jail or shoot me. There was a chance that I would lose my position; and there was also a chance that my employers would have to remove the machinery and lose the $20,000 we had invested. (Nearly $700,000 in 2023 dollars!)

 

 After figuring out what was the worst that could possibly happen, failure will sting and I may lose my job; but if I do, I can always get another position. Conditions could be much worse; and as far as my employers are concerned- they realize that we are experimenting with a new method of cleaning gas, and if this experience costs them $20,000 they can stand it. They can charge it up to research, for it is an experiment.

 

"After discovering the worst that could possibly happen and reconciling myself to accepting it, if necessary, an extremely important thing happened: I immediately relaxed and felt a sense of peace that I hadn't experienced in days.” 

 

Calmly devoted my time and energy to trying to improve upon the worst which I had already accepted mentally.

 

What happened? “We faced a potential loss of $20,000, but after conducting several tests and concluding that if we spent another $5,000 for additional equipment, our problem would be solved. We did this, and instead of the firm losing $20,000, we profited $15,000.”

 

When we worry, our minds lose the ability to create and are only focused on survival. We are in an attention economy. We must focus our attention on creating, growing, and relationships. 

 

Dale Carnegie, “Now, why is Willis H. Carrier's magic formula so valuable and so practical, psychologically speaking? Because it yanks us down out of the great gray clouds in which we fumble around when we are blinded by worry. It plants our feet good and solid on the earth. We know where we stand. And if we haven't solid ground under us, how in creation can we ever hope to think anything through?” 

 

Dale Carnegie, “That's it, exactly! Psychologically, it means a new release of energy! When we have accepted the worst, we have nothing more to lose. And that automatically means-we have everything to gain!”

 

Willis H. Carrier said, “After facing the worst I immediately relaxed and felt a sense of peace that I hadn't experienced in days. From that time on, I was able to think." 

 

Take a step after asking the right question to yourself.

 

Then stop, focus, and think clearly about the answer.

 

Mr. Carnegie says, “Here is another example, from a New York oil dealer who was a student in my classes who adopted Willis H. Carrier’s magic formula.” 

 

Mr. Carnegie’s student, "I was being blackmailed! I didn't believe it was possible-I didn't believe it could happen outside of the movies-but I was actually being blackmailed! What happened was this: the oil company of which I was the head had a number of delivery trucks and a number of drivers. At that time, the Oil Pollution Act regulations were strictly in force, and we were rationed on the amount of oil we could deliver to any one of our customers. I didn't know it, but it seems that certain of our drivers had been delivering oil short to our regular customers, and then reselling the surplus to customers of their own.” 

 

Student continues, "The first inkling I had of these illegitimate transactions was when a man who claimed to be a government inspector came to see me one day and demanded hush money. He had got documentary proof of what our drivers had been doing, and he threatened to turn this proof over to the District Attorney's office if I didn't cough up.” 

 

"I knew, of course, that I had nothing to worry about-personally, at least. But I also knew that the law says a firm is responsible for the actions of its employees. What's more, I knew that if the case came to court, and it was aired in the newspapers, the bad publicity would ruin my business. And I was proud of my business-it had been founded by my father twenty-four years before. “

 

"I was so worried I was sick! I didn't eat or sleep for three days and nights. I kept going around in crazy circles. Should I pay the money-five thousand dollars-or should I tell this man to go ahead and do his damnedest? Either way I tried to make up my mind, it ended in a nightmare.” 

 

"Then, on Sunday night, I happened to pick up the booklet on How to Stop Worrying which I had been given in my Carnegie class in public speaking. I started to read it, and came across the story of Willis H. Carrier. 'Face the worst', it said. So, I asked myself: 'What is the worst that can happen if I refuse to pay up, and these blackmailers turn their records over to the District Attorney?”

 

"The answer to that was: The ruin of my business-that's the worst that can happen. I can't go to jail. All that can happen is that I shall be ruined by the publicity.”  

 

"I then said to myself: 'All right, the business is ruined. I accept that mentally.”  “What happens next?” 

 

"Well, with my business ruined, I would probably have to look for a job. That wasn't bad. I knew a lot about oil- there were several firms that might be glad to employ me. ... I began to feel better. The blue funk I had been in for three days and nights began to lift a little. My emotions calmed down. ... And to my astonishment, I was able to think.” 

 

"I was clear-headed enough now to face Step III-improve on the worst. As I thought of solutions, an entirely new angle presented itself to me. If I told my attorney the whole situation, he might find a way out which I hadn't thought of. I know it sounds stupid to say that this hadn't even occurred to me before-but of course I hadn't been thinking, I had only been worrying! I immediately made up my mind that I would see my attorney first thing in the morning-and then I went to bed and slept like a log!” 

 

"How did it end? Well, the next morning my lawyer told me to go and see the District Attorney and tell him the truth. I did precisely that. When I finished I was astonished to hear the D.A. say that this blackmail racket had been going on for months and that the man who claimed to be a 'government agent' was a crook wanted by the police. What a relief to hear all this after I had tormented myself for three days and nights wondering whether I should hand over five thousand dollars to this professional swindler!” (“How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” By Dale Carnegie p. 16)

 

"This experience taught me a lasting lesson. Now, whenever I face a pressing problem that threatens to worry me, I give it what I call 'the old Willis H. Carrier formula'.” 

 

Why don’t you try William Carrier’s formula and chill out!

 

 

 

 

 Madeline Frank, Ph.D., is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, speaker, business owner, teacher, concert artist, and parent. She helps businesses and organizations “Tune Up their Business”. Her observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. Her latest book “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget” is available everywhere books are sold. If you need a virtual speaker contact Madeline at: mfrankviola@gmail.com

 

 

3 Ways To Communicate You Are Listening! by Madeline Frank, Ph.D.

Must be personable, empathetic. Understand that your connection is with a human. 

 

What is everyone asking about you?

 

1) “Do you care about me?”

2) “Can you help me?”

3) “Can I trust you?”

 (John Maxwell’s 3 questions to connect with others.)

 

1)    “Do you care about me?”

 

We have all experienced people who have rolled their eyes at a simple request, making us feel unimportant. On the flip side; Bob Burg shares a story of how a little bit of empathy can go a long way. 

 

“It was several years ago while I was in the fantastic city of St. Louis, Missouri. After being seated for lunch, the waiter made his initial approach to our table with a bit of an…attitude. He was coldly polite and acted as if he’d rather not be there at all. One could say he literally looked “pained” to even be there.”

 

“And, indeed, he literally was, as indicated by his pronounced limp as he walked away. So, when he came back, my friend and colleague Dixie Gillaspie — kind and thoughtful as she always is — acknowledged his obvious discomfort and asked what happened.”

“He explained that he’d been hit by a car and was in fact in extremely significant pain. We didn’t ask him why he was there at work or in any other way pry; we just let him know how badly we felt for him and that we’d try not to bother him too much with needless trips back and forth.”

 

“You wouldn’t believe (or, maybe you would) how polite, solicitous, and friendly he then became. In fact, he made so many trips over to check up on us that we had to try and keep from getting his attention.”    

                 

“Dixie simply verbalized her concern and showed him she cared. Not only was she not offended by his attitude, but instead valued him enough as a human being to focus on *his* situation. Consequently, he went above and beyond in trying to please us.”

 

Burg’s “Key Point: As human beings, we have a need to know that people care about us. And, when people show us they do, even — perhaps especially — with no obligatory reason to, we will go out of our way to make them happy.”

 

“It’s just another of those “Laws of Life.”

 

“Think back to when someone has done that for you. Did you feel yourself change in your thoughts and feelings toward them? When you’ve done that for others, what were the results you noticed? I’m guessing it changed them, and that you felt pretty darned good yourself.”

 

The world does not revolve around you. Challenge yourself to be more empathetic when encountering someone and see what happens. 

 

2) “Can you help me?”

 

Everyone desires to have an experience they can rave about. 

Since the dawn of time, people have been writing about solving problems rather than listing the features of their products or services. 

 

 

Who would you rather do business with?

 

·       The broker who tells you about how long his company has been in business, or the broker who assures you that he will help guide you through life to create a comfortable retirement.

·       The dentist who tries to upsell you on every additional service they offer at every visit, or the dentist whose office calls you the evening after a procedure to check in and see how you are doing. 

·       The carpet salesman who just sells you the flooring and installation, or the salesman who stops by on his way home from work to drop off some spot cleaner because he recognized you had a pet and wanted to make sure you were prepared “just in case”.

No one cares what you do. They only care about how you can help them.

 

3)“Can I trust you?” 

 

It is no secret that car salesmen do not have a great public perception for trustworthiness. When you get to experience someone, who is an amazing trustworthy salesman, they are legendary. 

 

My husband and I had the privilege of doing business with the greatest salesman I have ever met. His name was William “Bill” Carwile. Bill possessed a burning passion for helping his customers find the right vehicle for them. He studied cars inside and out, so he could guide you to the right car to fulfill your needs. 

 

Bill also had great relationships with the service department at his dealership, often buying them lunch and recognizing them for a job well done frequently. Having built that relationship with the service team…if one of his customers had a car break down in the evening or on a Sunday, one of Bill’s trusted technicians would likely be right over to help. 

How did I meet Bill? For the third time in two weeks my 17-year-old Mitsubishi decided to die. I had replaced the battery, the alternator, the regulator and a few more parts and I had had enough. Tidewater AAA Service had told me this was my last time to be towed and they would no longer help me. Three strikes and you are out! 

 

My dad and several friends had raved about this guy named Bill at the Chrysler/Plymouth dealer. They were all happy with their purchases and considered Bill Carwile their friend and trusted adviser. My husband and I made an appointment with him for the next day.

Bill asked me what I was looking for in a new car.  I wanted something that got good mileage, was comfortable, and was reliable and safe. He showed us 2 or 3 vans, and instead of pressuring us into buying on the spot, he invited us to take the van for the weekend and to let him know what we thought on Monday. 

 

Over the years we bought many cars and vans from Bill and we also recommended him to all our friends and family members who bought cars from him. Bill has become a close friend over the years and we respected and trusted him as a trusted adviser for all our car needs. He always had a passion for cars and other vehicles and studied them.

 

As customers and friends, we enjoyed buying our vehicles from Bill Carwile for four reasons. 

 

1) We immediately liked him and trusted him and he always had a positive attitude.

2) Bill listened to what we wanted and needed in a car, truck , or van and then told us the benefits of each vehicle he thought we would like in our price range. He had the solution to our problem.

3) Bill had such a passion and knowledge of cars, trucks, and vans that he shared with his customers and friends. He knew everything about these vehicles and when he made a promise he would keep it!

 

William “Bill” Carwile passed away on September 8, 2011. His family, his friends, and his customers were blessed to have known such a wonderful caring person who shared his passion for automobiles with them all these years. 

 

(I wrote about Bill in a previous article “A Salesman’s Dream”

 

“In a letter to John Maxwell, Emran Bhojawala introduced him to Lloyd, a car salesman in the Washington, D.C. area, who went above and beyond for Emran. Lloyd proved himself so trustworthy that Emran even purchased a car from Lloyd in D.C., sight unseen, after Emran moved to Minnesota.”

 

Imran said, “When I wanted to buy a car I didn’t have to worry about anything. I told him my budget and flew to Virginia to pick up a car I had never seen.” 

He “then drove twenty-three hours to get home.”

 

Imran continues, “Lloyd is THE legend when it comes to selling cars in the area near my school. He does not advertise, and all his business comes from previous customers and references. I think that’s a perfect example of success in connecting with people.”

 

“Trust is the foundation that makes rapport, communication, and connection possible – it may not be easily built up, but it pays exponential dividends in relational value.” ( John Maxwell Leadership)

 

Not everything is about the latest tech, latest selling trend or anything else. It is the foundation that everyone sells themselves. 

 

 

 

 

Madeline Frank, Ph.D., is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, speaker, business owner, teacher, concert artist, and parent. She helps businesses and organizations “Tune Up their Business”. Her observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. Her latest book “Leadership On A Shoestring Budget” is available everywhere books are sold. If you need a virtual speaker contact Madeline at: mfrankviola@gmail.com