Uplifting Service takes readers on a journey into a new world of service – a whole new perspective. It’s a paradigm shift that crushes all the old cliché’s of service and inspires immediate action. The book also showcases dynamic case studies – most, an absolute surprise to the reader (even to me). Instead of giving the reader a typical “How to be like…” scenario, Uplifting Service shows any business, leader, or person how to leverage strategies from the global powerhouses of service.

This book is perspective-changing read for leaders, managers, and front-line workers.  It’s packed with insights from the world’s best performing companies. And, if you thought service was “soft” business, this book will change your point of view. These stories and applications have delivered real value and profits and changed the entire game.

Like I said, I read so many books that it’s rare to find me this excited. Uplifting Service is a break-through book that will surprise and delight everyone. It’s a great book, bound to become one of the greatest because it has the power to uplift everything.

Get your copy of Uplifting Service at:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0984762558/ronkaufmanA/ or watch the video onwww.UpliftingService.com

Buy the book today. And apply the message in this book ASAP. It will give your business an immediate and sustainable competitive advantage! I highly recommend this book!

Jim Cathcart, author of Relationship Selling.

The #1 new Customer Service to read this year!

How many of your customers have over 5000 followers on Linked-in, Facebook or Twitter?  So, instead of telling five people about their service hiccup with you, they can now instantly tell a thousand times that number!  It would not take many unhappy customers to cut a sizeable dent in your bottom line and brand reputation.  With customer expectations up 33% over this time last year, you are very vulnerable to a today’s wired and potentially dangerous customers.

Wired and dangerous is the picture of today’s new normal customer. Customers are wired in two ways—they are edgy, impatient and quick to exit on the slightest hiccup, like they’ve had too much coffee.  But, they are also wired in the sense they have the Internet-enabled capacity to communicate instantly with hundreds or thousands of other customers.  Their influence-power also makes them dangerous.  If they receive poor or impersonal service they talk back—with a single snarky video or damning review gone viral, they can bring down an entire company.

Wired and Dangerous: How Your Customers Have Changed and What to do about it is a must-read for anyone with customers in this cyber age.  Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh raved about this book; Lou Dobbs declared it “an irresistible page turnings look at today’s empowered customer.”  I am happy to recommend this new book written by my friends Chip Bell and John Paterson.  Count on it giving you a whole new look at how to serve today’s new normal customer in today’s not-so-normal world.

In this provocative book, they provide a tested formula for transforming today’s edgy customers into eager partners. Using real-world examples, they detail powerful ways to bring harmony to a relationship that was out of whack even before the Internet. I hope you will buy a copy and recommend it to your friends.  Be forewarned:   get ready for a wild ride!

Chip R. Bell

chip@chipbell.com

214-522-5777

www.chipbell.com

The excitement at this year’s National Association of Music Merchants “NAMM show” in Anaheim was evident throughout the miles of exhibits and tens of thousands of attendees. They guesstimated over 90,000 in attendance and exhibitors told me they suspect it was even more. (Photos and videos below)

Surprises: One truly unexpected observation is that “Business is Booming!” As I roamed the thousands of exhibits and snaked my way through the overflow crowds, I heard again and again that this was the best year for business at NAMM in recent memory. So, despite a challenging economy and more regulations, laws, taxes, etc. on the horizon…people are buying! Not just shopping, but buying.

This bodes well for our economy in general because the music business is a business of “non-essentials” (but don’t tell the Music people that. For them it’s life itself.) In other words, purchases made around music aren’t life-sustaining essentials like food, water, transportation. They are discretionary expenditures for the regular consumers, the folks who aren’t “in the business” of music. Conclusion: if people are clamoring to buy non-essentials then they must feel optimistic about their near future. That leads to more opportunity in all fields. Not just the music business.

Yes, we still have many economic and political challenges, but all in all, I’d say Raise Your Sights. Set bigger goals, the opportunities are all around you.

Creativity and Innovation were also prevalent this year. Many new products e.g. a Video Screen in a Piano! (Wm. Knabe & Co.) and every kind of “effects” toy imaginable. There is even one floor pedal that will cause your amplifier to sing harmony with you in your own voice! (TC-Helicon VoiceTone Harmony G-XT) I got one of these for Christmas and have been singing along with myself almost daily. What fun!

Steve Krenz of Legacy Learning Systems has created a DVD based course called “Learn & Master Guitar”. They have partnered with Hal Leonard and Gibson Guitars for distribution and iPhone apps. This relatively simple course has generated over 2 million downloads and created a following that is filling their special events and expanding the market for guitars. A GREAT idea! Learn from their example. Apply these ideas in your field. See my Video Interview with them on the show floor.

Here are some photos I took at the event. Enjoy and learn. Ask yourself, “How could we use this same thinking?” Call me and let’s brainstorm ways to get your business booming too. Info@Cathcart.com

by Motivation & Sales Expert, Jim Cathcart

Yesterday I joined Ninety Thousand of my friends in Anaheim at THE event in the music business: NAMM. Check below for photos and videos of interviews I did at the event. Even if you’re not in the music business, you can learn a lot from them for growing your own business, as I did. Read on for more ideas.

The National Association of Music Merchants is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion global music products industry.

See the invisible and Do the impossible

I would like to recommend an amazing new book: Flash Foresight: How to See the Invisible and Do the Impossible Seven Radical Principles That Will Transform Your Business by Daniel Burrus.  It will totally change the way you think about your business as he teaches you to solve “impossible” problems, unearth “invisible” opportunities, and create must-have products and high-demand services that will drive growth for your business now and into the future.

Daniel has an extraordinary limited time opportunity for anyone who purchases a book from his website, see link below. With each book purchased, you will have access to a premium package of bonus gift offerings from 40 top business, sales and marketing gurus, which are valued at over $20,000.00! Time is limited, take a look now http://www.flashforesight.com/buy-book

I’ve known Dan Burrus for more than 20 years. We’ve ridden motorcycles together, played Rock & Roll music and participated in Business Meetings, Strategic Planning discussions and more. He’s a man I consider not only a friend but also a Mentor.

I’ve added some free books to the bonus package for those who buy his book. You’ll love this book and the bonus items will take your breath away. Check it out today!

At a recent seminar in Santa Barbara we conducted a question and answer forum at the end.

There were some interesting questions posed. This video gives you an easy review of the answers by selecting each “Scene” and skipping ahead to the ones you want. Let us know if you’d like further information on these or any of our key topics in “Relationship Selling” or business growth.

Jim Cathcart, author, Relationship Selling
jim@cathcart.com
800-222-4883

TSTN Television Show featuring Jim Cathcart on Relationship Selling

Be American!

What is it that distinguishes Americans from the rest of the world? Going back to the American Revolution you will find that Alexis de Tocqueville observed, even then, that:

• Americans have the unique ability to self-organize to solve problems.
• Americans rely upon themselves and admire self-reliance in others.
• Americans reach out spontaneuosly to help others who are in need.
• Americans respect their past but build toward their future.
• Americans have deep religious faith and yet don’t deny other faiths.
• Americans mostly just want to be left alone to pursue their dreams in peace.
• Americans want to continually become more “American”.

The above is a loose paraphrasing of Tocqueville’s observations but I have observed the same patterns over my 34 years as a professional speaker & author, and my 64 years as an American.

What I’ve lived, learned and deduced from all of my studies and experiences is this:

• What makes us unique is that, unlike other countries and cultures, we put self-reliance first. We make it clear from birth that the “American Dream” is to make your own way, own your own home, choose and master your own craft, and become a source of strength for others in need. We don’t want our government to take care of us, we’ll do that ourselves. Just protect our Freedom from agressors who would take it away.
• We believe in the goodness of mankind. We assume that you are “innocent until proven guilty”, and that you, you personally, are endowed by our Creator with certain rights that cannot be taken from you and you cannot even give them away: your right to Life, Freedom and to Choose and Pursue your own dreams. In America you do not have the freedom to sell yourself into slavery or take your own life. These rights come from God and it is wrong for us to give them away.
• Americans are the most generous people in the history of the world. We give money, support and supplies even to our enemies in times of war if they are stricken by a natural disaster or deeply weakened. Look at our outpouring of support to Iran when the earthquake hurt them a few years ago, the tsunami relief we provided in Indonesia, and our support of Africa. Nobody anywhere has ever equaled the personal generosity of Americans.
• We honor our ancestors but move on. Our focus is building a better tomorrow while learning from and respecting our past. Where some cultures assume that the best was behind them, we assume that the best is yet to be.
• We believe in God. Check the numbers. In excess of 90% of Americans believe in God. But, unlike other cultures, we let you choose how to express your faith. Jewish, Muslim and Christian practices are allowed side by side without any feeling that one faith threatens the others. Even Christianity has many branches and variations, all of which are accepted by the others. In America it is even OK to be an Atheist without persecution. The Church is separate from the State but most all of us have a church. It is just that our churches in America have no say in how we run our state. (Contrast that with Iran or other countries where their leaders are deified and have god-like power over others.)
• Americans have no interest in dominating the world. What we want most for others is what we want for ourselves: the freedom to do as we wish. In Iraq we helped them recapture their freedom and determine how to run their country, we didn’t try to run it for them. After World War II we helped Europe and Japan rebuild their countries and run them their own way (as long as they stopped interfering with others’ freedom.) We just want people to leave each other alone except when help is needed.
• Americans learn and speak English, at least American English. We want to be Americans, not hypenated-americans. Our country allows the Polish, Irish, Italian, African, English, Chinese, Japanese, Native American, Latino and all other groups who have been oppressed over the years to become fully American and accepted as equals, without having to deny or denounce their heritage. In fact, we celebrate each heritage nationwide. But first and foremost, we are Americans.

What is the mountain you want to climb? What skills, knowledge, attitudes and relationships will you need in order to achieve it? I encourage you to pursue YOUR dreams and to make the most of yourself. BE all that you can be! Become worth more to the world by developing your talents and sharing your skills with others. Most of all become self-reliant. Take care of yourself and your family. Not through government support or union entitlements, but through planning, working, learning and sharing so that you have more to give.

I admire people who struggle to make their own way. I love being American and I want you to achieve the American Dream. Be More American!

Today I had an interesting discussion with a neighbor who is an attorney. We were talking about how people challenge the existence of God. I mentioned a thought from the new book, Decision Points by President George W. Bush. President Bush said, in reply to those who claim that you cannot prove that God exists, you also cannot prove that He does not exist!

I hadn’t thought of that before (despite having watched Miracle on 34th Street each holiday season). For those who aren’t familiar with the film, it culminates in a courtroom scene where they are trying to prove that Santa Claus does/doesn’t exist. As our discussion progressed my friend, Ron, told me that he once used this questioning in a courtroom:

“How many of you love your parents?” “Can you prove it?”

The answer is “no, we cannot prove it” but we can certainly behave as if it is so and we can show a pattern of behavior that makes it likely that it is so. Be we cannot PROVE it because love doesn’t have tangible qualities, it only causes tangible actions, but then again manipulation or acting would also cause those actions.

As I thought further I came to the following conclusion. Please send me a note via my page on Facebook if you disagree and have another point of view. (I’m getting a constant barrage of spam on this website so I’ve had to disable the Comments on my blogposts and revert to Facebook for the interplay. Sorry.) Here’s my conclusion:

Love cannot be “proven” but it can definitely be expressed through our actions.

Love cannot be preserved but it can definitely be felt.

Love cannot be earned but we can be worthy of it.

In other words, we feel love, we express our love in many ways, and we can be worthy of someone’s love but that doesn’t create love. Love comes from God, it is intangible and eternal, everyone has experienced it and everyone can share it, but nobody can create it on their own. You don’t just decide to love someone and then you love them. But you can choose to be more loving in your actions and less judgmental in your thoughts, and these actions will increase the likelihood that you may feel the love as well. No guarantees but a good approach nonetheless.

This is one of those eternal discussions: Yin vs Yang, Science vs Religion, Philosophy vs Practicality, the good of mankind vs the needs of the individual. You get the point.

The reason I bring it up is that we are entering the time of year when, in the United States, we face daily reminders of the existence of God and the importance of Love. As you enter this sacred season please remain mindful that what matters most is that we continually resist the doubters and controllers in order to preserve our Love of our families, our communities, our countries and our Creator. With Love as our driving force we can overcome anything the world throws our way. We have within our collective abilities the capacity to overcome the ugliest of evils.

Earlier this week I conducted a seminar on Relationship Selling in Warsaw, Poland.

I toured this wonderful city and witnessed first hand the amazing capacity of a people to rebound from the deadliest evil ever expressed. Warsaw was 80% destroyed during World War II. Think of that, 80%!

Despite all of that destruction and the hideous oppression to which they were subjected, the Polish people rose up and conquered their oppressors and rebuilt their city into the vibrant economy that it is today. Take an online tour of Warsaw to see the beautiful parks, the buildings, the new soccer stadium, the roads and bridges. You will find a truly inspiring story of rebirth and clear evidence of Love.

Let their example be a stimulus to your heart and soul this holiday season. Regardless of your religion I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.