Wow .. hard to believe it’s only 7 weeks to go till Extreme Business Makeovers 2010. It’s going to be an incredible time! In the next 7 weeks, we’ll be posting articles from our speaker team, as well as some other ‘goodies’ here on this blog for you.

Meanwhile, I just posted an article titled, “The Power of Presence” on my Coach Thom blog. You may want to check it out.

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We have confirmations for all of our incredible speakers and our web team is busy prepping the full information and photos to include on the Faculty page.

However, I wanted to share – as quickly as possible – the list of top guns we have coming in to be with us AND let you know about our HOLIDAY TICKET SPECIAL!

Here are the 2010 Extreme Business Makeovers Experience Luminaries:

Simon T. Bailey – Brilliant Shifts

Bob Burg – Go Givers Sell More

Stephanie Frank – Raising Your Success IQ

Svetlana Kim – Overcoming Challenges On The Ladder To Success

Paul Martinelli – Unleashing Your Inner Genius

Frank McKinney – Experiencing “Tap Moments” In Your Business

Howard Partridge – Truly Effective Goal-Setting

Thom Scott – Flock Building For Success

Robert Shemin – How Come THAT Idiot’s Rich And I’m Not?

Felicia Slattery – Increase Your Business By Communicating Your Credibility

Carrie Wilkerson – Real Online Success For Online OR Offline Businesses

And a very special talk with, and tribute to, an original “Go-Giver” …

Zig Ziglar

PLUS! An amazing lineup of expert panelists to discuss technology and social media in today’s business world!

Warren Whitlock – Social Media consultant and co-author of the bestselling Twitter Revolution

Chris Cree – New Media profit strategist and Founder of Success Creeations

Trey Pennington – Marketing Pro and author of Spitball Marketing

Terry Brock – Technology, Marketing and Internet speaker and columnist. Author of Relationship Marketing: It’s not about E-Commerce. It’s about R-Commerce

Courtney Engle – Social Media Consultant specializing in streamlining implementation and teaching in plain english

Perry Lawrence – Video Expert and online video profit strategies

& Moderated by Dixie Gillaspie – Business coach/consultant. Certified Kolbe Specialist and Go-Giver Coach

Needless to say, I’m TOTALLY jazzed about this incredible group of thought leaders. And, the only thing better than the speakers at the Extreme Business Makeovers Experience is the group of participants we attract (many of whom are accomplished speakers and authors themselves). It’s such an incredible experience getting to spend time with like-minded people and have top-notch speakers like this chatting with other participants in between sessions.  That type of intimacy and connection is why Bob and I have always limited the size of Extreme Business Makeovers rather than make it a stadium event that it could certainly be.

Be looking for more posts here over the next 4 months, 2 weeks and 5 days till the 2010 Extreme Business Makeovers Experience. In addition to articles from each of our experts, we’ll be sharing event news and other timely information to help you and your business!

Wishing you All the Best,

Thom

Thom Scott, Founder of Extreme Business Makeovers

PS. Don’t forget to check out our HOLIDAY TICKET SPECIAL!

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For those who have been sleeping under a rock, I’ll bring you up to speed.  The Go-Giver Tour was a road trip that went down a just over a month ago, in which 9 entrepreneurs made their way from Chicago to Orlando to attend Extreme Business Makeovers, a annual event hosted by internationally best selling author Bob Burg and his business partner Thom Scott.  The vision of this trip started when 4 out of the box entrepreneurs were touched by the message behind the book the Go-Giver.  They conducted a video application process where they selected five young entrepreneurs to join in the cross country journey to inspire, empower and connect with people through the message of this book.

(winners:@davehageman @justinburns @invanavalos @mikemonty @emanuelavalos)

This was a tremendous learning experience for all of us.  Personally, I built great business/personal relationships with many brilliant entrepreneurs, speakers and authors.  Out of my notebook, here are the top 5 things I learned from the trip:

1.  Social media can transform a great event into a *kick ass* event. Something fascinating was pointed out to me following the event.  A new found friend of mine, Christine Coleman of One Degree Connected™, mentioned to me that after attending dozens of events, she had never experienced anything like XBM 2009.  We discussed why this was and came up with two components.  1. Amazing hosts brought in amazing speakers which attracted a community of like-minded ‘giving’ people.   2. Online social sites like Facebook, Twitter and Ustream along with a series of Go-Giver Tour conference calls, allowed people to connect prior to the event.  By the time we arrived at the event, many of the attendees had several previous conversations with each other and people were just picking up where they left off.  Many had let down their walls prior to the event and it felt like we were at “summer camp”, as someone described it, no one wanting to leave.

Social media created a synergy between the attending group and it facilitated communication across the group, or “tribe”, of people instead of the speaker talking solely to the audience.  It basically created a giant conversation in where content from the event was shared in real time through Facebook and Twitter by the group to the outside world. This allowed people not in attendance to be included in the community and experience a “taste” of the event.  The #hashtag #XBM even became a trending topic on Twitter due to the abundance of people tweeting about the great content.

“The more high tech we become, the more high touch we must be.” -@ThomScott

2.  Never expect anyone to remember your name. The thought of that expectation is quite arrogant, don’t you think?  Like I previously mentioned, before the event, social networking allowed me to connect with dozens of people who were planning to attend XBM.  There were several people who approached me who I could not put a face to the name (sorry!).  Maybe it was the hair they recognized, who knows!  Sometimes, at networking events, people approach you without introducing themselves, which could a be quite uncomfortable situation.  Ever happen to you?  To avoid this occurrence, always introduce yourself first by saying your name and it will put an expectation on them to do the same.

What if you forget someone’s name?  No worries!  We do a lot of networking as entrepreneurs and it will happen from time to time.  Just flat out say “I am sorry, I forgot your name.”  When you address it, the uncomfortableness will be removed and allows you to focus entirely on the conversation and become a better listener.  One thing I admire about Bob Burg is the way he makes people feel so comfortable in his presence.

“Nothing good comes out of a potentially embarrassing situation.” -@BobBurg

3.  Connectors win through edification. Probably the greatest connector I know is Bob Burg.  Bob has a fantastic gift of remembering names and facts about those people.  Also, by thoroughly listening to people, he connects people together that he knows will be a great fit.  Bob is also incredible at edifying his peers. By edification, I mean building up people before you introduce them.  For example, he would say something like “Hey Charles, I would like to meet Sara.  Sara is a world class author who has a mission of helping young kids find mentors.  She has connected over 500 kids to mentors through following her passion.”  Then After the edification of each individual, you’re done…Tell them you have a matter to attend to and walk away.  To do this effectively, you must genuinely care for the success of your peers.  By actively listening and putting others’ interests first, people will want to return the favor to you.

4.  Find your sweet spot. Why do so many people hate what they do for a living?  They haven’t found their sweet spot.  In order to find out your sweet spot, or your major gift, think of those things that come easy to you. To you it’s no big deal, but to others, it’s incredible. What are those things that others come to you for that for you, it’s as easy as breathing and you’d do it for fun whether you were paid or not?  First ask “does what I do add value?”,  then ask “does it serve?” and when you can answer these both then you can talk about monetizing (that word is so misused) turning your passion into profits.

5. You’re authentic-self has no competition. The majority of this country is raised with a poverty mindset.  We get so caught up in the numbers.  I hear people talk about competition all the time in social media.  Are you kidding me? There is so much abundance, it is unbelievable.  People can imitate me all day long and it would look like I have competition.  Don’t be mistaken.  People do business with people they know like and trust. We are our brands and if there is an incongruity with who you are and the message you put out, you will be exposed.  When others move in the same space as me, I think its great.  I encourage it.  It means more money will be trading hands.  When you are operating out of a place called your ‘true authentic self,’ there is zero competition.  People are going to connect with you and the unique way you deliver the message.  Look at the book the Go-Giver.  I don’t believe there are any new success principles taught in this book?  So, why it is so successful and has reached so many people who have not been reached before is because Bob Burg and John David Mann do a brilliant job telling the story.  We all have a unique way to tell the story.  What is yours?

If you were part of the Go-Giver Tour or XBM, please share with us below what your *BIG TAKEAWAY* was from the events.

______________

About Bradley (www.BradleyWill.com)

Bradley Will is a “Gnarly Entrepreneur,” who lives to push the limits of life.  Sick of the traditional “interruption” marketing approach to selling, he quickly gravitated to social media and shifted to a value based strategy.  He has become a powerful Voice and Consultant in developing social media marketing strategies for small businesses and entrepreneurs.  Bradley is also an active Leader in the Gen-Y Entrepreneurial Community where he lives to promote, coach and grow with other young entrepreneurs.

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That’s why I love it when I see and am able to share what I believe to be great marketing – often for very ‘unsexy’ products. In this case – auto insurance.

While GEICO has clearly chosen and successfully run on the path of name recognition and low-margin bargain shoppers, Nationwide is staking its competitive edge on a different path – Innovation and Service.

Nationwide has just introduced a Mobile Application for the iPhone. While I personally think the “creative” for the ads themselves leave  MUCH to be desired, there are several really brilliant strategies about this innovation from a marketing standpoint. Among them:

• The core functions of the application make the process of reporting an accident and filing a claim as streamlined and hassle-free as possible. Nationwide has obviously been asking themselves the hard question – “What can we do to make doing business with us easier?”
• Beyond that, many of the functions of the application are helpful even if you’re not a Nationwide customer. By giving away a free set of handy tools to people that aren’t even their customers, Nationwide is effectively building a bridge to new market share.

We’ve yet to see the result of what this will accomplish for Nationwide. However, IF it is communicated well enough as to get some traction, then I suspect that Nationwide will have effectively positioned themselves as service leaders and innovators in a valuable market that is willing to pay a premium for convenience and cool new tech solutions. We’ll have to wait and see.

For the rest of us, this case study serves as a reminder that, as marketers, we often ask ourselves the question, “What’s In It For Me?” in relation to the communication of why our clients would choose to do business with us. But, how often do we ask that question about our products or services themselves? Are there ways we can innovate to make doing business with us easier, quicker, more effective or fun, etc…?

My business partner, Bob Burg, and myself have asked ourselves those questions about Extreme Business Makeovers. We’ve taken our answers and have been building an EXPERIENCE and COMMUNITY that is unlike any other seminar out there – from our web site all the way to the follow-up tele-seminars and Q&A calls we provide to our attendees free of charge. We are constantly looking for more ways to add value and help our Extreme Business Makeovers “family” get the results they were looking for when they decided to join us.

How about you? Are there innovations you could make which would help you serve a larger audience – or help you serve your existing audience on a much deeper level? If so, get innovating and make the rest of your marketing efforts much easier, more fun and vastly more effective.

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– Carl W. Buechner

We have all learned that in order to experience increase in our own businesses, we need to concentrate on adding value to others. Most of the time, that is done through our products or services themselves, or perhaps, if we’re really astute, we will make an extra effort to become a center of influence and connect our clients to others as well.

However, did you know you could even add value in how you promote your business as well? It’s true! While I’m not a big fan of TV commercials that would appear more interested in entertaining than actually selling something, I AM a fan of online viral videos that both entertain AND connect somehow to the product/service behind them.

The following brief video is a GREAT example. Check it out and take note of how it makes you feel as an entrepreneur … and how that feeling links to grasshopper.com. It’s certainly not a hard-hitting direct marketing type of ad. In fact, the grasshopper name and service aren’t mentioned even once in the context of the video. However, within the span of about 3 weeks, they have had well over 100,000 views of this video and had the opportunity to present their telecommunications services to an audience that would normally yawn at the prospect of learning about another telecom tool. (And, they accomplished this with a shoestring budget!)

Enjoy the video!

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This one is about a lesson in gratitude that I learned from my 3yr old, Caleb.  I’d love to find out what you think about it and if you’d like me to continue to do more.

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I thought I’d post a video for a message today – to briefly talk about something that came up when I was speaking with a solopreneur who decided to participate in Extreme Business Makeovers. WARNING: It’s unscripted and unrehearsed. I just sat down and did it in one take, so please don’t call and write to bust on my grammatical inadequacies or my “uhms” and “ahs.” 

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In all honesty, though, I admit that it’s not what I potentially don’t already know in the realm of marketing that prevents me from reaching a new level of success. It’s a lack of proficiency at some of the other areas – some that I can’t just delegate or outsource…. some like having good working systems or being able to recognize how a team member is motivated. That’s precisely why Extreme Business Makeovers was created as it was… in order to make sure that we could all (myself included) overcome some of the stumbling blocks that prevent us from reaching new heights.

Today, I’m spotlighting another one of our fantastic speakers – Brad Semp. I’m going to start with sharing his resume and then I’m including one of the articles he has written. If you read his information and article, I’m certain you too will see the value Brad is bringing to the event. However, for me, the bottom line is the Brad is a “get it done” kind of a guy who can teach even scattered, creative types like me how to formulate simple systems that can repeatedly drive business productivity and profits without making you crazy in the process.

Brad Semp - Creator of CashMaps

Brad Semp is a world-renowned expert in using and teaching process-based approaches to help entrepreneurs and corporations to achieve their goals.  Most recently the head of a $100+ million dollar business unit for a Tier 1 automotive supplier, Brad has founded and grown a business process and consulting company that leverages the power of the internet to produce residual income 24/7.

His business, Cashmap Systems, LLC is headquartered in Shelby Township, MI and focuses on helping small business owners and entrepreneurs to apply a systems-based approach to profit generation.  Often referred to as “The Systems Guy”, Brad is an expert in helping people and businesses to take action that produces results.

His clients range from people currently working in the corporate world with aspirations to “do something else” to entrepreneurs to medium and large-sized corporations.  As a PhD candidate in Systems Engineering, Brad’s dissertation research has been uniquely developed and combined with his experience in business systems to generate a proprietary, Simple Action Success™ approach that he applies to successfully propel his clients to the next level of entrepreneurship and profitability.

Introduced to the online world of internet marketing and profit producing systems in 2005, Brad and his team have developed 100’s of specific, money-making Cashmaps® that he shares with his clients.  Seeking to make a significant impact on the lives of individuals who “want something more out of life”, Brad left the automotive industry in early 2008 to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams on a full-time basis.

Now as an industry recognized expert and speaker, Brad seeks to share his knowledge with others who aspire to change their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
To discover more about Brad’s business building systems, Cashmaps®, or other general information you can visit his corporate website at http://www.Cashmap.com.

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Here’s one of Brad’s articles to give you a feel for his expertise:

__________________________________________________________

Why Systems Are Essential For Competitive Advantage

By Brad Semp

Think of any enormously successful product or service – whether it’s the iPod, Coca-Cola or the Starbucks coffee chain – and you’ll find, at it’s core, a little discussed, yet immensely powerful system. Indeed, it is this proprietary and sometimes patented system that lies behind the competitive advantage enjoyed by the makers of that product or service. And it’s a system like this that is essential to YOU achieving a competitive advantage in your market place.

Systems are the lifeblood of any successful enterprise and its product and service offerings. Businesses that grow into large and profitable organizations only do so through the systemization of every aspect of their business. Indeed, they typically use process maps – such as a Cashmap – to document each of their key processes or systems. From how they hire people… to how people do their jobs… to business development… to internal entrepreneur systems… to how products and services are developed and delivered… to every element of the business operation as a whole.

Indeed a business IS a system. But the difference between a successful and failing business is often due to whether or not the business perfects, implements and improves every single system that makes up the overall business system. Much like the human body, which relies on various biological systems, a failure of any of the systems that contribute to overall business performance is likely to damage the business system as a whole.

The late business thinker, Peter Drucker, said that a business has only two purposes: innovation and marketing. In both cases – for innovation to lead to differentiated products and services, and for marketing to position those products and services as being superior to competitive offerings – unique, proprietary systems are required. Firstly, when it comes to developing truly innovative – and more importantly, unique and valuable products and services that cannot be replicated by others – it’s essential that a business protect its intellectual property. If possible, the business should patent any innovative and unique processes and systems.

However, regardless of the legal protection available, a business can also stand head and shoulders above its competitors by establishing its own, highly effective methods of marketing its products and services. How? By offering more value to customers… delivering an unmatched level of customer service… using more convenient distribution channels… promoting to customers in more appealing ways… And these are just some of the ways a business can achieve distinction through its marketing systems!

And, yes, each of these can, and should, be systemized in order to further cement a competitive advantage. And given the relative ease of doing so – by, for example, mapping out each process in a Cashmap – the business will have the means by which to avoid the commoditization of the product or service and the related risk of having to compete on price.

In conclusion, if you want to achieve a substantial competitive advantage for your business, be sure to develop, market and sell a proprietary system for your products and services. By applying this approach to business development, which can be relatively easily documented using a Cashmap, this will help create a space within your marketplace that cannot be challenged by your competitors.

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One example of this is a great team of young entrepreneurs – Bradley Will, Gilbert Melott, Brian Tomkins and Gabe Strom – who caught fire for the principles in The Go-Giver and decided to put together a road trip to Orlando to see Bob and participate in Extreme Business Makeovers ‘09! They’ll be bringing a few carloads of young entrepreneurs and conducting Meetups/Tweetups in several locations along the way.

Here’s a video they just produced about it…

The Go-Giver Tour team is also hosting a free teleconference tonight. Here are the details:
“Authenticity in Social Media”
Featuring: Internationally Bestselling Co-author of The Go-Giver, Bob Burg
Hosted by: The Go-Giver Tour & the Nextvoice247 Mastermind Group

On Monday, April 6th, you’re invited to a free 60-minute telephone seminar based on the Laws of Success from the Internationally best selling book the Go-Giver and how it connects with the power of social media.

“The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.” ~The Go-Giver

People do business with people they know, like and trust. Are you one of these people? Do you deliver value and do you constantly give without expectation?

Do you want to attract extraordinary customers and clients into your business and create extraordinary results? On this call Bob Burg himself will share with us how authenticity can be the basis to building world-class relationships though social media.

On this free 60-minute telephone seminar, you’ll also discover:

*What it means to be authentic, embrace personal authenticity and deliver authentic messages.

*How to create your unique story using the information translated by others before you.

*Why the laws from The Go-Giver tie directly into social media.

*How you create your own competition.

*Why you may think you are selling a product/service, but in reality you are selling YOU.

Details for the call:
Date: Monday, April 6th
Time: 7:00-8:00pm (cst)

***REGISTER NOW***
visit: http://gogivertour.com/burgcall
**Once registered, you will be sent the call details via email

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Today, I’ll shine a little spotlight on our Personal Branding Expert – Libby Gill

“Libby Gill is one of those people who gets it. She’s got an amazing gift for boiling it down to some truths that people need to hear.” — Dr. Phil, TV Personality & Bestselling Author

Now, when you have people like Dr. Phil say things like that about you, I’m not really sure what I could add that would be any more powerful.

Libby is the former head of PR and corporate communications at Universal Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Turner Broadcasting. She was also the branding brain behind the launch of the Dr. Phil Show.  Now she’s dedicated to helping YOU capture the “mindshare” of your customers and clients so the market share will follow.

A business coach, brand strategist and bestselling author, Libby has shared her success strategies on the Today Show, The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, CNN, NPR, Oprah & Friends Radio Network, and in Time Magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, O Magazine, and many more.  Libby has published two books, including the bestselling TRAVELING HOPEFULLY.  Her third book, YOU UNSTUCK: MASTERING THE NEW RULES OF RISK-TAKING IN WORK & LIFE comes out this fall.

But, beyond all that, I’ll tell you on a personal note that Libby is an amazing human being as well … very down-to-earth and generous in sharing her wisdom and very dedicated to seeing her experiences benefit others!

Here’s a brief video of Libby that will give you a glimpse of what you will learn from her when you join us at Extreme Business Makeovers 2009!

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