All the Best in 2016

Enjoy your holidays!  Here's to wishing everyone some time to unwind, unplug and enjoy some leisure time.  This is the time to spend with family, friends and with those you care the most about.

We spent Christmas Eve together as a family.  This year, my brother Rick hosted the Abbruzzese' and only one nephew could not make it.  It was a great family time where we ate, chatted, laughed and playe some games.   Then we ate a little bit more of course!

On Christmas day, we headed over to the in-laws.   You guessed it, we do it all over again!  It was a bit of a challenge to eat two huge meals back to back and somehow we just seem to manage.   So glad I have been going to the gym and playing hockey to help not feel too guilty about eating a bit more.

Have a very Happy New Year and enjoy the moment.  Be responsible and take care of your loved ones to ensure everyone has a good time and everyone gets home safe.

All the Best in 2016!

Partners Planted in the Community

This week's topic is a very special one for me.  On Saturday night we had our company holiday dinner with our Team and our significant others. Traditionally, the Team purchases the 4 Partners individual gifts catering to each of us, which are not necessary.

Well this year, the Partners were in for a very special surprise.  The 4 Partners were called up to the front and were each given a gift bag.   We were informed to open our gift bags at the same time.

I pulled out a mini-shovel and a mini-rake.   Hmmm, I'm thinking we are going to get an adventure to build a sand castle.   Then I pulled out purple gardening gloves.  I looked over at Shawn who was next to me and had the same items, as well as Mazen and Ali.

Then we were instructed to put on the gloves.   As good sports we did, albeit a bit reluctant at first.   Next we were handed a large wrapped gift and all four of us opened it.

The gift was a picture frame which Brandy read out loud so everyone could hear:

"We, the staff of AlphaKOR Group, are pleased to present you with your very own maple tree.  You have built this company from the ground up to service our community for years to come.  In the same spirit, this maple tree will be planted during a special ceremony in the spring, and will be a valuable community resource for generations.

At the foot of the tree will sit a plaque that reads: Partners Planted in the Community - Ali Jaber, Frank Abbruzzese, Mazen Jaber, Shawn O'Rourke.

Thank you for all you have done for us, and for our community"

We still caught a bit off-guard with the gloves and it finally sunk in.  Yes, those who know me will know I was a bit misty-eyed.  We were overwhelmed and very thrilled with such a very thoughtful and touching gift.   As a matter of fact, I took a picture of the frame and tweeted it saying so.

What an incredible gift from an incredible and caring team!

Earlier in the evening, I reminded everyone what AlphaKOR means and asked the Team to come forward and be recognized just like we did at our ribbon cutting ceremony at the open house in June. This incredible team is AlphaKOR and have really surprised the 4 Partners with such a long-lasting gift that words cannot describe how touched we are.

Thank you AlphaKORians!

Making Presentations Fun

What do you find makes a presentation fun?

The last several presentations I did included the standard PowerPoint deck and I found the number of slides and content just was not the right fit for the audience.  It felt right to skim some slides quickly and to skip other slides altogether.   During the last two presentations, I abandoned the script and the slide deck and just went with the flow.

The reaction from the audience was positive, they were more interactive and more interested.  They asked questions and shared their stories.   This made the presentation more fun in the sense it was light, educational and not so dull.

With small audiences, I like to ask everyone to introduce themselves, share what they do and what they are looking for in the presentation.   This really helps to understand your audience to determine the areas of your presentation to spend more time on.   It also allows you to personalize it to the group.  You can call on some in the crowd when you reach an area that a specific person mentioned and listen to them share their experience.  I found the audience enjoys this personal touch and they tend to open up a bit more.

Going live on the Internet is the most fun part of the presentations I give.   It makes you really vulnerable sharing your personal social media channels with the audience.  When you go live you never know what will happen or what you will find which adds to the excitement!  This also provides real experiences and valuable take-aways for the audience. 

What do you do to make your presentation fun?

Giving Back to the Community

Why is it important to give back to the community?  Our community supports us in our careers, our businesses, our families and as we grow as individuals. So, in my mind, the question should be:  Am I doing enough to support the community that has supported me?

Last week, 12 AlphaKORians agreed to volunteer to prepare and serve lunch at the Downtown Mission.  It was a very humbling and eye-opening experience, to say the least.  230 people from our community came to receive a lunch consisting of gnocchi, salad, bun and dessert.  As I was serving the gnocchi, I could not help but imagine what it must be like not to know where my next meal is coming from.   I quickly had to put that thought out of my mind and concentrate on the task at hand.  Anyone who knows me knows that I can get misty-eyed quickly.

As the lunch came to an end, we were thanked by many of the people we had served.  In retrospect, I should have thanked them.  I want to thank them for making me realize how good it feels to give back, how grateful we should be that the Downtown Mission and it's many volunteers exist and how fortunate and grateful I am to have the life that I do.

There are many organizations in our community that need your help, especially this time of year. We are all responsible to some degree to do our part and ensure we take care of each other.  So, I encourage you to go out and do your part by giving back to our community.

Things to keep you Focused

Here are some things I find that can help you stay focused.

Lists 
Do you have lists that you create every day and check off items as you complete them? I am known for my lists.  Everything goes on a list in either First In First Out (FIFO) sequence or in order of priority depending on the nature of the item.  

I have a daily list, a list to do at home, on the weekend and a personal list.   Lists help you stay on track of what to do next instead of procrastinating.

Blogging 
When you have a schedule, such as blogging once a week, it helps keep you focused.   Every Wednesday morning, the Building Circles blog is published.  What this means is during the week, I look for topics to share with my followers.   

Being committed to an activity such as a Blog will help you stay focused and more aware of what is going on around you.  I do admit most Tuesday nights are spent focusing on the morning' blog!

Supportive Team 
One of the most important factors to being focused is your team.  Your team supports you, supports your organization and they work well together.  I am very fortunate to have the AlphaKORians' support and dedication.

They are the ones who help me stay motivated and who help me stay focused each and every day.

Your Goals and Your Business plans 
Writing down your goals for 2 years, 5 years, 10 years and longer provide you with a target to reach for.   Making your business plan is also an effective way to keep you focused.  It is important to visit your goals and business plans on a regular basis.   

They need to be updated frequently and you must be prepared to adjust your efforts to achieve and surpass them. 

Dealing with Challenges
When you face challenges head-on, it is easier to be focused and to take care of all situations at hand.   Delaying or avoiding the challenges take you off your game.  It requires a lot of energy to get back on track.

When challenges arise, analyze the situation, collect information as soon as you can, make a decision to deal with it at the time.  Follow the motto "Just Do It" when faced with challenges. 

Stakeholders 
We are all accountable to someone after all.   Your manager, your business partners, your co-workers and if you have a board of directors.   These stakeholders will help you keep you focused.   You need to ensure you understand their mandate and provide them with updates on what you are doing.   

Listen to your stakeholders and fully understand their expectations.  Provide them feedback to ensure they are also on track for what you are required to focus on.

What things keep you focused?

Top 7 Beliefs Top Producers Possess

1.  I deserve to earn a great income 
Being a top producer goes hand-in-hand with earning a great income, yet it does not have to always be about money.   Sometimes it could be about giving back to the community and making a difference which defines you as a top producer. 

2.  Prospects need my product, service or solution 
Well if you do not believe your prospects need your solutions, then neither will your prospects.   This shows you need to be confident and not arrogant.   When a prospect are not interested or say no, time to move on to the next prospect. 

3.  I can ask my prospect any question 
Yes as long as it relates to business.  If you ask for permission, you can ask some personal questions to build your relationship. 

4.  There will always be someone else to sell to 
This is similar to #2 as there are a lot of prospects to contact who will be interested in what you have to say. 

5.  Senior decision makers are just people 
Well I believe we are all just people after all, regardless of our title, accomplishments and our notoriety.   People love to build relationships with real people. 

6.  Sales is an honourable profession 
This is still my favourite on this list.  By earning respect from clients and prospects who see you as a professional, an expert and as a person who cares, you are on the right path to success. 

7.  I earn the right to ask for the sale 
Top producers ask for the sale more often than others and top producers receive more no's than others.   Ask for the sale and you may be pleasantly surprised at the result.

This list reminds us to be confident and focused on our respective profession while building trusted relationships and you have to be genuine. 

Originally inspired by www.fearless-selling.ca which I blogged about several years ago and rekindled by request.   Thanks for your feedback and welcome your comments, suggestions and future topics.

Which ones do you possess, agree or don't agree with?

How well do you Listen?

This week we revisit this topic from a few years ago about effective listening.   Thanks for the suggestion and keep sending your feedback.

I sometimes catch myself asking someone their name right after I'm introduced - was I really focused and listening?

Here are some tips on enhancing your listening skills. Feel free to share your good and not so good experiences.

Don't think about your response while the other person is talking.   Ever notice as soon as the speaker is finished talking, the other person automatically has a response.   More often than not, this automatic response has nothing to do with the speaker' conversation.   Check it out for yourself next time you observe people having a conversation. 

Listen without forming a bias and wait until the speaker has completed their discussion to understand fully what they are saying before making a response.

Never assume (we all like this one).   If the comment is "I require this right away" does this mean within the hour?  today?  tomorrow?  sometime this year?   Ask for clarification and you will be surprised sometimes your assumption is incorrect.

Focus on the listener and avoid the distractions.   Look at the speaker - make eye contact - instead of looking at your smart phone or others around you.

Do your rephrase what the other person is saying to ensure you have a fully understanding of what they are saying?   Listening is a lifelong skillset most of us keep working on to be better at.   Communication can be a wonderful thing if all parties are fully present and effectively listening. 

Look forward to hearing some of your experiences.