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Strategies and ideas for life and business, to help you maximize results!
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You're receiving this complimentary e-letter, either because you requested a free subscription or because of our relationship with you, your company or your association.
TOO TINY? NO WORRIES!
If you're reading The Results Report on your desktop, initially your browser or operating system might make it tough on your eyes, as the page or font appears small. No worries! Simply hold down your Windows Key or Apple Command Key and at the same time hit your + key. Each time you do this, it'll enlarge the type or page. It's that easy! Now you'll have a bigger and better Results Report reading experience. (To decrease the size, hold down your command key, while also hitting your – key.) Here's to your results!
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POWERQUOTES
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"A person lost in their work, has probably found their future."
- Ray Rauch
"Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance."
- Samuel Johnson
"Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrows. It empies today of its strength."
- Corrie Ten Boom
"There are plenty of rules for attaining success, but none of them work, unless you do."
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JEFF, SO WHATTA YA THINK?
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QUESTION: Jeff, what have you recently read, seen or done…that has had a profound impact?
ANSWER: Intriguing question. So here goes…
The "journey" was hatched in the fall of 2017. It began with a simple question, "What if…" And boom, the four of us quickly exclaimed, "We're all-in!"
The trek for my wife Sheryl, brother-in-law Bob and sister-in-law Char, began on Friday, May 4th, 2018. We flew from Chicago to Des Moines, Iowa. Then drove to Omaha, Nebraska.
What would inspire us, to fly, drive and immerse ourselves in a weekend adventure? A rock concert? A family reunion? An unforgettable entertainment experience? The answers to all of the preceding, are an unequivocal, "Yes!"
For we were official attendees of what the media has dubbed, "Woodstock for Capitalists!" As Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, we had the benefits and perqs of attending their annual three-day shareholders meeting.
The BH portfolio is vast and diversified. Whether you seek a tasty custard blizzard, delectable chocolates, a snap when you bite 'em hot dog or secure insurance protection. As a holding company, BH's "holdings" include; Dairy Queen, See's Candies, Oscar Mayer and GEICO. (In the following picture, how many "hot dogs" can you identify?)
 These holdings, plus others, along with their huge portfolio of other companies' stocks, makes Berkshire Hathaway, by market capitalization, the 6th largest company in the world. And its founder, chairman and CEO, Warren Buffett, is the world's third-wealthiest person, who has the iconic "title" of: The Oracle of Omaha! (Buffett's net worth is an astonishing: $91 billion.)
The "BH or Berky experience" was attended by approximately 40,000 people, who flocked to Omaha. Where during "shopping days" you can buy at a "savings" products and services from booths that comprise the BH portfolio. (Notice, I said at a, "savings." In last year's shareholder letter, Buffett actually declared, "Your Chairman discourages freebies.")
Twenty-thousand "capitalists" or fans or zealots, also crowded into Omaha's CenturyLink Center for the full-day, Saturday, May 5th meeting. (In 2017, the meeting’s live stream was watched by 3.1 million viewers. And replays with shorter meeting excerpts had 17.1 million views.)
The highlight of the meeting, was when Warren Buffett and his longtime friend, partner and BH vice chairman Charlie Munger, simply sat at a table on a CenturyLink Center stage and were peppered with questions. Two-and-a-half hours in the morning, and two-and-a-half hours in the afternoon.
For five hours, they fielded queries from journalists, analysts and worldwide shareholders. No notes. And no knowledge of what would be asked. Questions and answers covered: investment philosophy, succession planning, tariffs, ethics, cyber attacks, Elon Musk, presidential politics, the newspaper business, culture, cryptocurrency, women in the workforce, and more.
Buffet is now 87. And Munger, who has a net worth of $1.64 billion, is now 94. And they personify the significance and importance of "listening to your elders." They're both smart. Really smart! Plus, they're articulate. Poignant. Relevant. Insightful. And remarkably funny!
Here are simple, yet powerful May 5th, 2018 takeaways or quotes from each:
Charlie Munger: "You have to always work, to improve your judgment."
Warren Buffett: "What counts, is having a philosophy and following a consistent plan."
Charlie Munger: "If you're going to live a long time, you have to keep learning."
Charlie Munger: "I've been to Google headquarters, it looked like a kindergarten." (Warren Buffett added: "A very rich kindergarten!")
My personal takeaways:
• ethics, honesty and doing the right thing are non-negotiables
• dream big
• hire bright people, with specific skills…then get out of their way
• be a lifetime student, (Buffett READS six hours a day.)
• protect your reputation
• success takes time, discipline and patience
• define what matters most in life for YOU, and know, it shouldn't be money
• when you invest, buy what you understand
• be wise, not greedy
• know when to take action, know when to wait
• price is what you pay, value is what you get
• do what you love
• give back
• simple and easy, is always better than complex and confusing
• the best investment you can make, is the investment in yourself
Next year's meeting, is from May 3rd to May 5th. Will we see you there?
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PRACTICE, PREP, GO A.P.E.!
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As you probably know, I'm an ardent believer in the value of preparation. I even encourage clients to go A.P.E.! Meaning: Anticipate. Plan. Execute.
The ability to go A.P.E., has lots of applications:
- questions you'll ask a prospect or client during an initial or follow-up interview
- obstacles you might encounter
- objections you could get
- negotiation strategies you may implement
It ain't easy to be really adept with the preceding. It takes hard work. Practice. Preparation. Repeated execution. Ongoing upgrades. More practice.
Yet here's the good news. It's doable. And the payoffs are huge. Happy customers. More sales. Bigger earnings. Plus, the freedom, flexibility and independence that come with improved performance, greater profits and higher commissions.
Here's the great news. The preceding are all learned skills. They can be mastered with diligent effort, focus and discipline.
However, most folks won't do it. If they're competitors, send 'em a "thank you" note. If it's you, shame on you!
Here's something I don't get...
Lots of folks will spend hours, (hundreds of 'em), working on their golf game. Hit countless buckets of balls, stand over numerous practice putts and invest in coaches.
Yet they're unwilling to devote the same kind of time, money and energy to "business skills" that'll produce remarkable results; financial, emotional and psychological.
It's incomprehensible to me when people justify laziness with lame statements like, "I'm too busy to read a business book!" Or, "When I'm in my car, I don't want to listen to inspirational or educational CDs/podcasts, I need to clear my head."
Hogwash!
Maybe that's not fair. It's their choice. But then don't complain when you're not generating the results you want or earning the income you think you deserve. (Imagine asking a doctor, "What do you think about this latest procedure or medication?" And they reply, "Don't know, stopped reading medical literature when I became a doctor!")
The skills and strategies I write and speak about, work. Big time. Quickly. Ethically. Dramatically! Not my opinion. Thankfully, my clients' experiences. Yet I always tell folks, it's up to them if they take action. If they choose not to, I'm not offended.
Everything I share is on an "action continuum." You can either ignore or implement. Erase or embrace. Or anything in between.
Yet if you choose to take action, know mastery isn't easily achieved. It takes time. I'm really good at the "stuff" I urge others to execute on. But I never take these skills for granted. I'm in a constant state of upgrade.
Since we live near our community's high school, when our daughter Brittany was in high school, she'd often have her friends over for a quick lunch. As they flew past my office, I'd hear them exclaim, "Brit, passed your Dad's office, sounds like he's talking to himself!" Brittany answered, "Daddy does a lot of that. He’s very strange!"
Brittany’s right! (In many ways!) It's common for me to prepare out loud! "Playing" with questions to ask a client, or the pacing, inflection and volume of my voice for a story.
However, when I repeatedly recommend others to "practice and prepare," I'm often challenged with skepticism. Workshop participants say, "I don't want to sound..."
- artificial
- rehearsed
- phony
- robotic
- insincere
- glib
- scripted
Understandable. Yet, unfounded!
 This was driven home, when I was in New York City for speaking engagements in Manhattan.
There, I decided to see two Broadway shows; a musical and a play, where I sat close. Center stage, in the orchestra section. Within the first ten rows.
How come? To listen and observe the performances up-close. The actors' nuances. A furrow of a brow. The tilt of a head. The emphasis of a word or syllable. These subtleties gave me ideas and possibilities for my "stage presence" and "performances."
Now I know, every Broadway dance step, every stage movement and every word have been highly choreographed and exhaustively rehearsed. Which is why, they look so natural. Seamless.
It's only when you're NOT prepared, you appear uncomfortable and unprofessional.
When we see an athlete make a phenomenal play, we even exclaim, "They made it look...easy!"
Yet "ease" only came with grueling hours of practice.
If you want to fly above the rest, don't "wing it." For instead of a flight to new heights, you'll likely crash land. Ouch!
So go A.P.E.: Anticipate. Plan. Execute.
And reap the rewards of rehearsal!
Want to see how Jeff helped one client drive results?
Please take a peek at this video, where Chris Randall, CEO of Ultra Risk Advisors, talks about Jeff's positive and powerful impact on his team:
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COFFEE BREAK FOR THE MIND™
Your cup of inspiration, reflection and laughter!
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DRIVERLESS CAR!
As a lifelong, loyal and rabid Chicago Cubs fan, I think it's fair to say, this is a "Chicago baseball car"...I'd never own...or even drive!
DAD'S DAY DELIVERS!
A memorable Father's Day included, hanging with our kids; Chad, Brittany and Amanda...along with my Dad, Irv, who is now 91.
And then...the kids treated my wife and I, and themselves...to multiple rounds of "swings" at one of my favorite places—the batting cages!
PLATES AND PLATITUDES!
License plates fascinate me. For they're a small, yet creative canvas. With just a few letters or numbers, they can convey a driver's ego, wisdom or aspiration. And these three plates—prove their profundity!
1. A simple desire to be:
2. The English translation, of the Latin: Carpe Diem!
3. A proud Tesla driver? Or probiotic user?
To make a submission when you see or hear something funny, quirky or offbeat, please send it to: [email protected]
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"At DUKAL we have an experienced team, exposed for many years to individuals and speakers who can help us. Yet when Jeff Blackman spoke, (a half-day results-session with reinforcement), I received comments like, 'Awesome!' 'Highly impactful!' 'Learned things I never knew, even after 25 years of selling.' 'I'll now take a different direction on how I present our value and work with customers.' and much more. Jeff's attention-to-detail and fact-gathering, made him better prepared in learning about our culture and team—than any previous speaker. And it showed! I highly recommend Jeff as an impact-player who can make any individual or company better!"
Gerry LoDuca • President
DUKAL Corp.
"We engaged Jeff as our keynote speaker at our annual national sales event. We're embarking upon a challenging time in our history, and Jeff's assignment was designed to resonate and inspire. Jeff was by far, the most engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking speaker we've ever had. So much so, elements of his presentation are still reverberating, (weeks later), around our organizational communication chain, at all levels. Thanks Jeff for a job well done!"
Michael J. Kelley • President & COO
Glantz Holdings, Inc.
"My firm, a commercial insurance program management company, engaged Jeff as a sales training advisor. He helped us design a customized training and reinforcement system. We're extremely pleased with our significant improvement and results. That's why we have an ongoing relationship with Jeff, and I enthusiastically recommend him."
Chris Randall • CEO
Ultra Risk Advisors • Bellevue, WA & Atlanta
Please click the following link,
to see Chris' video testimonial:
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