Thursday - August 02, 2012
Why is President Obama polling so badly with small business owners? Jim Blasingame offers campaign advice for President Obama regarding small business owners, including help with who actually pays for what America builds.
Are you a member of your local chamber of commerce? Jim Blasingame talks about the unique ability of local chambers of commerce to cut across all boundaries to help communities grow and prosper, and why every small business should be a chamber member.
Why should your local chamber professional attend an ACCE convention? Oklahoma City Chamber CEO, Roy Williams joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the ACCE Annual Convention 2012 in Louisville and why your local chamber professionals should attend the one in Ok City in 2013.
Why are local chambers of commerce important in the 21st century? Oklahoma City Chamber CEO, Roy Williams joins Jim Blasingame to explain why local chambers of commerce are critical to the growth of American communities in the 21st century.
Oklahoma City has transformed itself into a thriving 21st century economy. Chamber CEO, Roy Williams joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what Oklahoma City has done to create a diverse economy and model of 21st century growth.
What causes a small business to lose a customer? Ruth King joins Jim Blasingame to reveal some of the reasons customers don't come back to your small business, and they're all self-imposed.
Do your customers know all the things your business offers? Ruth King joins Jim Blasingame to talk about staying top-of-mind with customers by making sure they know all the products and services you offer.
Why do small businesses make customer service so difficult? Ed Abel joins Jim Blasingame to talk about why too many small businesses actually think they're really good at customer service - but that's not what their customers would say.
What is the best way to express appreciation to customers? Ed Abel joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some of the specific ways to train employees - and owners - how to properly and effectively express and show gratitude to customers for their business.
Do you think about customer service in transaction terms? Ed Abel joins Jim Blasingame to talk about why the only way to deliver excellent customer service is to think about the solution in terms of a relationship with the customer, not a transaction.
Friday - August 03, 2012
Promoting small businesses & driving growth
Featuring
Pamela Springer 
August 03, 2012
August 03, 2012
Pam Springer joins Jim Blasingame to discuss promoting small businesses & driving growth.
Olympians and small business have a lot in common. Pam Bilbrey joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the common traits of Olympic athletes and small business owners, like perseverance and belief in yourself, but also in something greater than yourself.
What do women need to do to claim leadership in their organizations? Pam Bilbrey joins Jim Blasingame to reveal five things women should focus on in order to claim leadership roles.
The ACCE 2012 Convention is designed to benefit chamber of commerce professionals. ACCE VP Chris Mead joins Jim Blasingame to report on some of the benefits of chamber professionals attending an ACCE Annual Convention.
Local chambers of commerce have been and still are driving forces for progress in America. Chris Mead joins Jim Blasingame to report on the history of local chambers of commerce, including how they contributed to the founding of America.
Local chambers of commerce help communities reinvent themselves. Chris Mead joins Jim Blasingame to report on how local chambers of commerce historically have been instrumental in helping communities reinvent themselves and prosper.
Transformative leadership makes the profit motive sustainable. Cleve Stevens joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how capitalism only work if leaders apply practices that produce sustainable profits.
Saving capitalism will require rethinking sustainable performance. Cleve Stevens joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that the future of capitalism must include using transformative leadership which presumes that employees are more important than stock analysts.
Do you know how much Obamacare will cost you? Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some of the costs of Obamacare, including the ticket for insuring dependents as old as 26.
Obamacare will create 21 new taxes on small business. Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to report that Obamacare will create 21 new taxes and 159 new regulatory entities in order to monitor new rules like the $2000 per year employer mandate.
Are there any benefits to Obamacare? Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame to report that the only benefits to Obamacare are things like guaranteed insurability, which are popular, but will significantly increase the cost of healthcare for everyone.
Monday - August 06, 2012
What is the global debt crisis doing to families? Ted Fishman joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the global debt crises is affecting global demographics as extended families deal with new financial expectations.
The global debt crisis should highlight a need for increasing financial literacy. Ted Fishman joins Jim Blasingame to explain why the global financial and debt crisis should cause individuals to educate themselves about their finances and retirement realities.
How does a small business continue to wring efficiencies and new profits out of their operation? Pat Sigmon joins Jim Blasingame to reveal real-world practices that will help you maximize revenue into profits.
Can you improve your already efficient operation? Pat Sigmon joins Jim Blasingame with best practices that will help you find new profits, like nurturing customers and keeping vendors honest.
Create your own product identification. Pat Sigmon joins Jim Blasingame to help resellers and wholesalers protect their product lines from being shopped online.
Making decision is a small business CEO's most important job. Tom Anastasi joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the importance of having an effective decision-making process, including the ability to analyze past decisions.
How to become an ethical decision-maker. Tom Anastasi joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the concept of ethics and how it must contribute to your business decision-making process.
How does a business owner take a sabbatical? Jane Pollak joins Jim Blasingame to explain how she thought of and then pulled off a 30-day sabbatical from her small business.
What are the keys to getting time off from your business? Jane Pollak joins Jim Blasingame to reveal that taking time off from your business requires intention, planning, scheduling and delegating.
Will your customers let you take time off from your business? Jane Pollak joins Jim Blasingame to explain how to train customers about your plans to take time off from your business without losing business.
Tuesday - August 07, 2012
Has President Obama been good for seniors? Daniel Weber joins Jim Blasingame to talk about Obama's impact on seniors with regard to employment and access to healthcare.
Will seniors support Obama or Romney? Daniel Weber joins Jim Blasingame to talk about polling numbers that indicate seniors are moving away from President Obama.
What strategic actions are you taking for your small business? Stephen Baum joins Jim Blasingame to report on how small business CEOs are taking action whether it's to take advantage of opportunities or to survive.
Is your ego preventing your business from growing? Stephen Baum joins Jim Blasingame to talk about listening to customers and employees more and your own ego less.
Could you be the greatest impediment to your small business' future? Stephen Baum joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some of the things business owners do that get in the way of their own success.
What do small business owners and Olympic athletes have in common? Jim Blasingame compares some of the hero characteristics of small business owners and Olympic athletes.
How do small business owners align with regard to political party? Jim Blasingame to report on a recent poll of small business owners about the political party that aligns with their ability to be successful.
It's okay to fall in love with what you do, but not how you do it. Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to explain how to adapt to the changes of the market with a social media strategy.
Are you bringing your customers into your online community? Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to explain that it doesn't matter if you are competitive in your industry if you're not relevant to your customers.
Are you where your customers are? Anita Rosen joins Jim Blasingame to continue talking about building communities, no matter the platform, whether Facebook, email, etc.
Wednesday - August 08, 2012
Are you communicating value to your customers? Karen Reisman joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to communicate to business customers how you help them make money and how you make the lives of retail customers better.
Why is listening the best communication tool? Karen Reisman joins Jim Blasingame to explain why the best way to become a better communicator is to learn how to listen.
Economic news from the Tatum Survey is not good. Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame to talk about why the results of the new Tatum Survey on economic conditions is trending downward, even pointing potentially to the "R" word.
Tatum Survey: Sales projections going in the wrong direction. Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame to discuss this month's Tatum Survey results and reasons why sales projections are pointing to a slowdown.
Tatum Survey: Capital availability is fine but spending is down. Sam Norwood joins Jim Blasingame to report on the Tatum Survey's results showing capital spending by businesses is down.
Who is the "evolutionary" in your organization? Carmen Voilleque joins Jim Blasingame to reveal what an "evolutionary" is and why every small business needs at least one, even if what they say hurts a little.
Identifying and nurturing your "evolutionary." Carmen Voilleque joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to identify who the "evolutionary" is in your small business and, if you don't have one, why you should get one.
Your salespeople have to be prepared to sell in the Age of the Customer. Brad Huisken joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how small businesses should prepare for the new customer expectations in the Age of the Customer.
Testing your new hires for sales positions is essential. Brad Huisken joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the reasons and benefits of testing prospective salespeople for personality and business acumen.
Let your sales manager manage. Brad Huisken joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to choose a sales manager, what they should do and why small business owners must allow them to actually manage.
Thursday - August 09, 2012
Even when Congress is in recess, regulators keep working. Giovanni Coratolo joins Jim Blasingame to report one of the regulatory nightmares for small business associated with the Dodd-Frank law that involves the Congo in Africa.
What are small businesses saying about the economy? Giovanni Coratolo joins Jim Blasingame to report on that small business owners tell the U.S. Chamber surveys they feel the economy is getting worse, not better.
$1.2 Billion in client money missing and Jon Corzine remains free. Gary Moore joins Jim Blasingame to talk about why there seems to be a different set of rules for those who work in the financial industry, like Jon Corzine, Franklin Raines and Angelo Mazilo.
America is becoming an oligarchy where the rich rule. Gary Moore joins Jim Blasingame to report on events that show America is increasingly being ruled by the Wall Street - Washington oligarchy.
Main Street has to restore America. Gary Moore joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the role Main Street will have to play in restoring American capitalism so that it serves all, not just the rich.
Use due diligence to find surprises before they cost money. Soren Kaplan joins Jim Blasingame to encourage small business owners to look for surprises in product development phase so they don't appear in the product delivery phase.
Are you delivering the right kind of surprises to customers? Soren Kaplan joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to deliver the right kind of surprises to customers that cause them to keep coming back.
Just providing value to customers may not be enough any more. Dave Anderson joins Jim Blasingame to explain why customers expect value from your small business but they are now increasingly looking at your company's values.
What are your core values as a business owner? Dave Anderson joins Jim Blasingame to encourage small business owners to think about what their core values are and demonstrate them as they serve customers.
What if someone asked for your core values as a business owner? Dave Anderson joins Jim Blasingame to encourage small business owners to prepare themselves for the possibility that customers will ask what your personal core values are..
Friday - August 10, 2012
How one technology entrepreneur began his business. Curt Finch joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how he started his business, Journyx, with the goal of helping businesses track employee and project activity with more precision.
Do you really know your costs? Curt Finch joins Jim Blasingame to explain how technology can help small businesses accurately track the time required to create and deliver projects to become more competitive and profitable.
How dangerous is our dependence upon technology? Ed Yourdon joins Jim Blasingame to talk about recent technology meltdowns and how exposed we are with so much of our world dependent upon the digital world.
How do we make technology serve humans AND humanity? Ed Yourdon joins Jim Blasingame to talk about a possible disconnect between technology that serves humans but may not be good for humanity.
Technology is a small business' best friend. Ed Yourdon joins Jim Blasingame to identify the many ways technology has helped small businesses to be more competitive and profitable.
Thought-leadership is the new competitive advantage for small business. Kristy Campbell joins Jim Blasingame to talk about why the new competitive advantage for small business is coming from demonstrating thought-leadership in online communities.
More help for small businesses. Kristy Campbell joins Jim Blasingame to talk about new resources and opportunity for small businesses that Manta is making available, including an exciting marketing offer.
Are you asking Age of the Customer questions? Jim Blasingame to talk about how to get in sync with customers by asking them what they know about what you sell before telling them what you know.
Are your salespeople ready for the Age of the Customer? Jim Blasingame reveals the three kinds of salespeople, why two of them have parts of what they need, but only one will succeed in the Age of the Customer.
What if we all acted like Olympic athletes all the time? Jim Blasingame to hold Olympic athletes up as models of behavior for all the rest of us on the planet to emulate more often.
Monday - August 13, 2012
How will a Romney-Ryan administration be for small business tax policy? Barbara Weltman joins Jim Blasingame to explain how tax policy might be affected by a Romney-Ryan administration, especially if it has control of Congress.
America's small business sector by the numbers. Barbara Weltman joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how many small businesses there are in the U.S., the current problem with start-ups and why Main Street should run the country.
Was Paul Ryan the best VP pick for Romney? Rich Galen joins Jim Blasingame to explain why he thinks Paul Ryan was a good pick as Romney's VP running mate, and that it was a tactical, not a strategic pick.
How happy are the Democrats that Ryan is Romney's VP pick? Rich Galen joins Jim Blasingame to report on how the Obama campaign will mount their response to Pay Ryan being picked by Romney as his VP running mate.
When will the Romney campaign turn on the energy? Rich Galen joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the rope-a-dope strategy of the Romney campaign to let the opponents wear themselves out early and have the stamina to have a strong finish.
Innovation leads to marketing which leads to revenue. Ken Tencer joins Jim Blasingame to encourage you to focus on innovation as a continuous management practice as a way to keep customers coming back.
Build your brand on what customers want, not what they need. Ken Tencer joins Jim Blasingame to innovate based on what customers are telling you they want by thinking of what they think about when they write a check to you.
What does Paul Ryan as the VP candidate mean for small business? Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame to discuss discuss how small businesses will benefit by the choice of Paul Ryan to be Mitt Romney's candidate for vice president.
How will small business do under a Romney-Ryan administration? Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame to discuss some of the ways small businesses will benefit form a Romney-Ryan administration, including tax and regulatory reform.
What are the key policy issues facing small business? Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame to report on how her organization is working on behalf of small businesses, including focusing on tax and regulatory reform.
Wednesday - August 15, 2012
Helping women take charge of their lives. Sylvia Lafair joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the differences between how women and men take charge of their lives and are successful in the marketplace.
How to combine the female and male approach to leadership. Sylvia Lafair joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to combine the best of male and female leadership traits to our advantage.
What do you know about Congressman Paul Ryan's voting record? Pete Sepp joins Jim Blasingame to report on the voting record of VP nominee Paul Ryan on tax and spending issues, and why small business owners should care.
What will a second term Obama administration mean for taxes and spending? Pete Sepp joins Jim Blasingame to report on specific taxing and spending issues that are likely in a second term Obama administration.
How would small businesses fair regarding taxes under a Romney-Ryan administration? Pete Sepp joins Jim Blasingame to report on the likely way a Romney-Ryan administration would affect small business taxes.
Have you ever heard of motif investing? Hardeep Wailia joins Jim Blasingame to discuss an innovative way to invest based on ideas, trends, and world events, called motif investing.
Is motif investing for you? Hardeep Walia joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how intuitive motif investing is, including the cost, strategy, management and ownership units.
The TAG program of guaranteeing business checking accounts is important for small banks and small businesses. Paul Merski joins Jim Blasingame to explain what the Transaction Account Guarantee program is, why it should be extended and why you should care.
How does the ICBA see the current economy? ICBA chief economist, Paul Merski joins Jim Blasingame to report that continuing political, tax and regulatory uncertainty is putting a drag on consumers and businesses and resulting in a continued slow recovery.
How bad is the fiscal cliff the U.S. is racing toward at year-end? Paul Merski joins Jim Blasingame to report on the tax, spending and regulatory deadlines that if not dealt with could hurt the economy in 2013.
Thursday - August 16, 2012
What's the best way to set up a home office? Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame share their experiences in establishing a professional business office in a a home, including tools and behavior.
Establishing a home office rhythm with work and family. Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame to offer tips for how to manage the rhythm of the business and the family when establishing a home office.
Optimism among small business owners continues to drop. Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame with this month's NFIB Survey showing small business optimism continues to be low.
NFIB Survey: Small business sales and hiring are down. Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame with the NFIB Survey that shows small business sales, hiring and spending are down again.
Will Romney-Ryan help the U.S. solve its debt problem? Bill Dunkelberg joins Jim Blasingame to explain why he thinks Romney and Ryan will be better for the U.S. at reducing the deficit and national debt.
Why aren't more strategic alliances successful? Pam Harper joins Jim Blasingame to report her research showing that while there is more interest in strategic alliances, there is less confidence in their success, and why this is happening.
What does it take to create a successful strategic alliance? Pam Harper joins Jim Blasingame with research that identifies three key factors that contribute to executing a successful strategic alliance.
Is the U.S. tax code a good model for other countries? John Fox joins Jim Blasingame to talk about his plans to talk with other countries about their tax policies and will use the U.S. as a model for how NOT to do it.
What are the details of the tax strategy of the Romney-Ryan plan? John Fox joins Jim Blasingame to report what he thinks are problems with the Romney-Ryan tax strategy, and maybe one good thing.
How does Obama's tax reality compare to the Romney-Ryan tax proposals? John Fox joins Jim Blasingame to compare what we know about Obama's tax policies and what Romney and Ryan are proposing.
Friday - August 17, 2012
The powerful and symbiotic relationship between liberty and entrepreneurship. Jim Blasingame talks about the unique, powerful and symbiotic relationship liberty has with entrepreneurship and why it's different across the globe.
What's the difference between GDP and GNP and why should you care? Jim Blasingame explains the difference between GDP and GNP and reports on a poll of small business owners about what they think about the economy in the second half of 2012.
How FDR's expansion of the Bill of Rights caused the fiscal problems we have today. Burt Folsom joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how President Roosevelt's New Deal was the origin of current fiscal and economic problems in the U.S.
Does the government owe you a house and a good-paying job? Burt Folsom joins Jim Blasingame to reveal President F. Roosevelt's "economic bill of rights" that has led to most of the economic problems we have in the 21st century.
Are Americans willing to deal with the truth about our fiscal and financial problems? Burt Folsom joins Jim Blasingame to ask whether American voters are prepared to deal with the truth about what has to be done to fix our fiscal challenges.
How much of your business' policies and practices are holding you back? Lisa Bodell joins Jim Blasingame to talk about why you may need to 'kill" your current policies and practices in order to accomplish the innovation needed to grow.
Use customer expectations to drive your innovation strategy. Lisa Bodell joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how customers can become part of your innovation team as you plan for the future.
Two business owners see things differently. John Dini joins Jim Blasingame to report on how one small business owners responded to a catastrophe and how another responded to good fortune.
Would you handle a catastrophe this way? John Dini joins Jim Blasingame to report on how one small business owner turned a catastrophe in his company into an opportunity to seek excellence.
How do you keep your operation from becoming complacent when things are going well? John Dini joins Jim Blasingame to how one company had to fight complacency in his organization as the business prospered.
Monday - August 20, 2012
Being a leader in tough times is a little tougher. Tim Irwin joins Jim Blasingame to recommend being decisive in direction and allowing team engagement are two important practices when leading during tough times.
Trust gains in importance for leaders during tough times. Tim Irwin joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the elements of trust and why they especially must be in evidence by leaders when things are not going well.
Use rational persuasion to influence others. Rick Lepsinger joins Jim Blasingame to propose rational persuasion - the use of facts and logic - as a influencing communication tactic.
Can you use inspiration to influence others? Rick Lepsinger joins Jim Blasingame to discuss ways to gain the necessary influence with others by using inspiration and values-based ideas.
How good are you at banking goodwill with others? Rick Lepsinger joins Jim Blasingame to encourage gaining influence with others by banking goodwill in advance of when you need their help.
How are America's small farmers dealing with the 2012 drought? Amanda Mosiman joins Jim Blasingame to report on drought conditions in the Midwest, especially southern Indiana, including rain shortfall, crop loss for corn and soybeans.
How does drought risk management work for farmers? Amanda Mosiman joins Jim Blasingame to report how America's small farmers use crop insurance as drought risk management, plus the possibility of government support.
What are the current reasons employees leave? Leigh Branham joins Jim Blasingame to reveal new findings about why employees quit, including a decrease in trust and a rise in stress.
Has pay risen in importance of why employees quit? Leigh Branham joins Jim Blasingame to reveal new findings on the reasons employees leave, including why compensation has increased as a factor for moving on.
No training and bad hiring expectations are causing employees to quit. Leigh Branham joins Jim Blasingame to reveal new findings on the reasons employees leave you, including lack of training and unrealistic expectations.
Wednesday - August 22, 2012
Ladies, join this community and grow your business. Patti Greene joins Jim Blasingame with an offer to women business owners to join a community that will provide success research that you can use to grow your business - ladies only.
Research shows women how to grow their business. Patti Greene joins Jim Blasingame to discuss research regarding trends and practices of women business owners and how they can find more success.
Watch for malware on your Facebook site. Kathy Perry joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how to watch for and identify malicious postings on your Facebook page that could create a lot of problems.
Don't click on that email just because it's from a big business you know. Kathy Perry joins Jim Blasingame to warn of "Big Brand Hijacking" by malicious spammers who make you think the email is from an organization you trust.
YouTube has new rules about posting your videos. Kathy Perry joins Jim Blasingame to report on new scrutiny by YouTube on how you post and identify videos on their platform.
Are you ready for the Age of the Customer? Jim Blasingame reveals the markers that identify what he calls "Hidebound Sellers" and "Visionary Sellers" and how to tell which one you are.
Will VP nominee Paul Ryan be better for Romney or Obama? Jim Blasingame reports on whether Congressman Paul Ryan as Romney's VP running mate will be good for Republicans or for Democrats, including results of a poll on this issue.
Which plan will do more harm to those currently on Medicare? Avik Roy joins Jim Blasingame to compare the impact on Medicare for existing seniors by Obamacare and the Romney-Ryan plans.
Can private insurers help save Medicare? Avik Roy joins Jim Blasingame to report on how private insurers could contribute to saving Medicare by taking over the management of the program, but not the underwriting.
Will Obamacare create millions of new public sector union members? Avik Roy joins Jim Blasingame to report on how Obamacare could create millions of new public sector union members and billions in dues for unions like SEIU.
Thursday - August 23, 2012
Let's look at business planning common sense. Ellen Rohr joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some common sense, real world tips and best practices to help you develop your business plan.
What's the best way to focus your business plan? Ellen Rohr joins Jim Blasingame to help you broaden your business ideas and then narrow the focus to help you get your business plan on paper, looking back at you.
How does authenticity and transparency produce employee engagement? Chester Elton joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how employee engagement grows when leadership values include authenticity and transparency.
Would you like to double employee engagement? Chester Elton joins Jim Blasingame to report on the steps one organization took to take employee engagement from 50% to 92% and repeat that in three years.
What is employee engagement improvement was right under your nose? Chester Elton joins Jim Blasingame to report on how one company found the key to better employee engagement right in front of them.
Are you ready to work with virtual resources? Rich Pearson joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to find and work with virtual professionals.
Why is outsourcing so critical to small business? Jim Blasingame to talk about what he calls "internal and external outsourcing" is the best thing to happen to small business since the PC.
Are we heading for the "fiscal cliff" in 2012? Bill Brandt joins Jim Blasingame to explain the dangerous elements of the fiscal cliff - tax increases, sequestration, etc. - and whether the U.S. government will prevent this disaster.
What is the 2012 presidential election looking like? Bill Brandt joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the issues of the 2012 presidential election, including what - or who - will decide your next president.
What will the presidential conventions and debates produce in 2012? Bill Brandt joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the conventions and debates associated with the 2012 presidential election and to say that neither one will likely have any impact on the results.
Friday - August 24, 2012
What is cause marketing and how can it work for your small business? Bob Negen joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how cause marketing works and how to use it to drive sales and help the community.
Cause marketing is about building customer relationships. Bob Negen joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how cause marketing demonstrates your corporate values while promoting your business and growing customer relationships.
How much will the 2012 drought impact your budget? John Stanton joins Jim Blasingame to report on how much our modern marketplace uses corn and soybeans and how the 2012 drought will impact your entire budget.
Global demand for commodities will continue to drive prices higher. John Stanton joins Jim Blasingame to report on the rising middle class in many countries will increase both demand and prices for commodities.
Could water become more valuable than oil for future generations? John Stanton joins Jim Blasingame to report on the impact of a growing global population on the planet's finite water supply and consequently, on our lives and businesses.
Make special offers to create urgency with customers. Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to offer suggestions on how to get customers with the vacation attitude to take action when they're not otherwise inclined to consider your business.
When business is slow, it's the best time to improve yourself and your sales materials. Ilise Benun joins Jim Blasingame to encourage you to use slow periods to improve your sales materials and sales training, including proposals.
How are you going to finish your year? Skip Miller joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to get your end-of-year prospecting strategy on track so you can finish the year on budget.
How do you instill a sense of urgency during summer prospecting? Skip Miller joins Jim Blasingame with tips and best practices on how to get customers to talk with you about how they use your products so you can move the sales cycle along.
Now is the time to qualify suspects as real prospects or not. Skip Miller joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to stop letting suspects who are not going to become customers prevent you from meeting your sales budget.
Monday - August 27, 2012
Do you know how to create a game plan? John Bradberry joins Jim Blasingame to explain how to break down your big long-term goals into smaller components and create a game plan for each one.
Help your people develop their own game plan within their assignments. John Bradberry joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how to manage your team's performance by developing a game plan approach for every assignment.
How military leaders use vision to accomplish their goals. Michael Stallard joins Jim Blasingame to talk about ways that military leaders have used vision to encourage their people to work for something bigger than themselves.
Effective leadership includes making your people feel valued. Michael Stallard joins Jim Blasingame to explain how the most successful military leaders found a way to show how much their people were valued.
does your leadership style allow for the voices of others? Michael Stallard joins Jim Blasingame to report on how great military leaders know when to allow others to contribute their voices.
Reinventing yourself might be as easy as just getting out of your four walls. Lois Geller joins Jim Blasingame with tips on how to reinvent yourself and find new opportunities by getting out of your business and doing something new.
The best way to improve your own performance is to get out of your comfort zone. Lois Geller joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some of the ways business owners can be more successful by getting out of their comfort zone.
What is the criteria for businesses promoting wellness for employees. Luke Vandermillen joins Jim Blasingame to discuss Principal's 10 Best Companies, including the criteria for having a wellness program for employees.
How do wellness programs connect to retirement? Luke Vandermillen joins Jim Blasingame to discuss Principal's 10 Best Companies, including how they connect wellness and retirement, and how that promotes engagement..
Will Obamacare impact a business' ability to manage benefits? Luke Vandermillen joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how Obamacare will impact the ability of Principal's 10 Best Companies to provide benefits and promote wellness.
Tuesday - August 28, 2012
Creating a Gen Y start-up partnership. David Baron and Zeshan Muhammadi join Jim Blasingame to discuss how they decided to start a business that includes social responsibility in its mission and business model.
Build your brand by connecting with customers through their social interests. David Baron and Zeshan Muhammadi join Jim Blasingame to discuss how they differentiate their business through the social interests of their target market.
Are you telling your brand story? Olalah Njenga joins Jim Blasingame to discuss why every business has a brand story and why every business must be in control of telling their brand story before someone else does.
What is your brand "ding"? Olalah Njenga joins Jim Blasingame to encourage small businesses to think about what customers feel - the "ding" - about their experience with you as you tell your brand story.
How is 21st century branding different? Olalah Njenga joins Jim Blasingame to reveal how branding has evolved in the 21st century to include the relevance issues of engagement, responsiveness and being deliberate.
Ask your customers – they have the answers. Jaynie Smith joins Jim Blasingame to discuss why research shows only 10% of businesses know what their customers really want and how to avoid this mistake.
Why relevance is trumping competitiveness. Jaynie Smith joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the competitive advantage of delivering on values that are relevant to your customers.
Stress triggers the production of cortisol, which is also corrosive. Jennifer Hawthorne joins Jim Blasingame to report on the corrosive impact of stress on your health, both physically and psychologically and therefore, your performance at work.
Reduce stress by taking care of yourself first. Jennifer Hawthorne joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how meditation and nutrigenomics can help you bring your best to the business.
Can supplements influence how your body deals with stress? Jennifer Hawthorne joins Jim Blasingame to discuss how certain herbs can help reduce cortisol and increase serotonin and your stress-coping ability.
Wednesday - August 29, 2012
Is the U.S. naive when it negotiates trade agreements? J.R. Martin joins Jim Blasingame to report on some of the mistakes the U.S. has made in negotiating and executing trade agreements.
Why doesn't the U.S. have a comprehensive trade strategy? J.R. Martin joins Jim Blasingame to talk about some of the evidence that show the U.S. government needs to reassess its trade agreements and policies.
How is the recovery going in the Republic of Ireland? Conor Healy joins Jim Blasingame to report on the business conditions of the Republic of Ireland and how they're turning the economy around after the financial crisis.
What is the job of the Chamber in County Cork, Ireland? Conor Healy joins Jim Blasingame to report on the County Cork economy and what his Chamber is doing to support local businesses.
What is the condition of the EU from an Ireland perspective? Conor Healy joins Jim Blasingame to report on how the EU fiscal and economic struggled look from the perspective of Cork, Ireland Chamber of Commerce.
Are you ready for your mobile-ready customers? Jon Wuebben joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the importance of being relevant to prospects and customers who want to connect to businesses on their smart phones
Do you need a mobile app or a mobile site? Jon Wuebben joins Jim Blasingame to talk about executing a mobile strategy that could include a mobile app or a mobile site, and which is best for you.
Do you know what it takes to go on a pilgrimage? Tom Markel joins Jim Blasingame to report how he and his wife learned the difference between a cause and an accomplishment while walking the 500-mile Way of St. James.
Small business ownership is like a pilgrimage with a cause. Tom Markel joins Jim Blasingame to compare his pilgrimage on the Way of St. James with the purpose of small business owners..
Learn how to get out of your own way as a manager. Tom Markel joins Jim Blasingame to explain what he learned about getting out of his own way while taking time off to conduct the 38-day, 500 mile Way of St. James pilgrimage.
Thursday - August 30, 2012
Thing you can do to prepare for business interruption. Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame with ideas and real world tips on how to prepare your business for a disaster-related business interruption, including insurance.
Do you have a "George"? Jeff Zbar joins Jim Blasingame to recommend small business owners find a "George," or tech guru, who can be available when you need them. And don't script when you pay them.
Pushing the debate on small business issues. Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame reporting from the Republican Convention about her efforts to keep small business issues in the forefront of the national debate.
What are the key small business issues in this election? Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame reporting from the Republican Convention to identify small business issues, like energy, health care, regulations, etc. as part of the election debate.
What reception will small business get at the Democrat convention? Karen Kerrigan joins Jim Blasingame from the Republican Convention to compare how the two parties regard and treat small business issues.
Are you ready for a new class of prospect? Jim Blasingame reveals a new kind of influencer to your business he calls "users," who he says are also a new class of prospect you should get to know.
What would small business owners do about entitlements? Jim Blasingame reveals the results of a survey that found small business owners would solve entitlement problems even if if changed their own expectations.
Isn't Medicare the safe domain of the Democrats? Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame from the Republican Convention to explain why this party is ready to take on the Democrats with a debate on who's best for Medicare.
What would it take to have a bi-partisan debate on health care? Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame from the Republican Convention to talk about the bi-partisan forum she conducted on health care reform.
Noticing courage of convictions during this political season. Grace-Marie Turner joins Jim Blasingame from the Republican Convention to comment on examples of courage shown by speakers like Ann Romney, Condoleezza Rice and Paul Ryan.
Friday - August 31, 2012
Don't disregard the power and impact of face-to-face communication. Darlene Price joins Jim Blasingame to reveal why high-tech communication tools will never replace the power of face-to-face.
What are the keys to face-to-face communication? Darlene Price joins Jim Blasingame to reveal the keys to successful face-to-face communication, including being authentic and knowing your audience.
What are small business owners concerned about? Sage VP, Connie Certusi joins Jim Blasingame to report their survey shows 96% of small business owners are going to vote in the upcoming election and are concerned about rising expenses.
Small business owners are uncertain about taxes and don't like Obamacare. Sage VP, Connie Certusi joins Jim Blasingame with their survey showing small business owners are worried about taxes but not loans, and more than 70% want Obamacare repealed.
Fearing the results of the 2012 election, small business owners delay hiring. Sage VP, Connie Certusi joins Jim Blasingame with their survey that shows small business owners are putting off hiring until after the election, plus why they will be profitable in the future.
How sophisticate are your hiring practices? Paul Marciano joins Jim Blasingame to offer tips on how to find and acquire the best employees by conducting a more sophisticated and professional hiring system.
Do you hire people because they can fog a mirror? Paul Marciano joins Jim Blasingame to explain how behavioral interviewing practices will help you bring better employees on board.
Government says it's moral but isn't; markets don't say they're moral, but are. Steve Forbes joins Jim Blasingame to discuss his book,"Freedom Manifesto," and explain why markets are moral but big government is not.
Whatever happened to the government having limited powers? Steve Forbes joins Jim Blasingame to discuss his book, "Freedom Manifesto," with examples of how the growth of government has been at the expense of free markets and the liberties of Americans.
America has to take back our country from big government. Steve Forbes joins Jim Blasingame to discuss his book, "Freedom Manifesto," and reveal how we reverse the growth trend of government and focus on growing our free market system.
