Tips to Plan for a Successful Day

Feature Article: Laughter—Good Medicine for Stress

Business Owner in the Spotlight
Chris Calzone
Sonar Selling, LLC

Refueling Recommendations
Make-it-Fly® Advisory Boards
Advisory Board Openings

Make-it-Fly® MarketPlace

Next Make-it-Fly® Café

ISSN# 1552-3705

March 17, 2009
Volume 6, Issue 6

"In-Flight Refueling" is published twice a month.

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After a completely successful minor heart surgery last week, Dave has been taking it easy, relaxing in the spring sunshine. Several clients stopped by to say “Hi!” We’re very grateful for your visits, well wishes, meals, kind thoughts and prayers. Thank you!

	We’re excited to welcome Carol Johnson back to the Make-it-Fly team as part-time assistant to Victoria.
	Also, Eli Salem, who is doing a terrific job with Sky-Place.com, Make-it-Fly's social networking site. If you’re not a member, click here to sign up now!

Our very best regards,

Dave and Victoria

Chris Calzone
Sonar Selling, LLC

Often entrepreneurs open a small business out of love of their craft. Very rarely is that craft sales. But small business owners find out quickly that sales is the lifeblood of any business.

Chris Calzone started Sonar Selling in 2003 as an antidote to the salesphobia many small business owners feel. “We specialize in educating entrepreneurs involved in business-to-business selling, Chris says. “I understand how important it is to find, acquire and retain profitable customers, which is why I’ve developed the SonarSelling® System. This unique program focuses on strategic planning, prospecting and account management, specifically to help small business owners find more new customers.”

Q: What do you find most fulfilling about running your business?
CC: What I enjoy most about running my business is the opportunity to work collaboratively with other small companies to help them get “unstuck.” There is nothing more rewarding than being part of a positive, lasting cultural change that empowers organizations to attain their long-term goals.

Q: What motivated you to start this business?
CC: Prior to entering the sales training and consulting field I was an outside salesman and manager for over 18 years. I held the positions of Distribution Representative, Territory Account Manager, Sales Representative for New Business Development and District Sales Manager. In these various sales roles I worked with such noteworthy companies as American Standard, General Electric, Glidden and United Technologies. I used the system I now teach to win seven national sales awards.

Q: What book has been most helpful to you in your business?
CC: After 18 years of personal research and sales experience, I published my findings in Sonar Selling: Territory Management 101, Trafford Publishing, 2003, which was featured in the Denver Business Journal’s Strategies Spotlight. Other business authors I have enjoyed reading include Dale Carnegie, Tim Connor, Stephen R. Covey, Tom Hopkins and Neil Rackham.

Q: Who has influenced you most in your life?
CC: Jesus of Nazareth.

Q: What has proved to be your most successful marketing strategy?
CC: Over my career, I have found that the all-time best marketing strategy is building personal relationships. We all want to do business with those we know understand us and our business.

Q: What have been the greatest challenges you have had to overcome, or are currently facing, in your business?
CC: I would have to say the greatest challenge in my business is staying current with technological and cultural changes as they relate to communication. The rapid evolution of the Internet, SEO and social networking has and will forever change the way businesses communicate with each other and their markets.

Q: How did you benefit from participating in a Make-it-Fly® board?
CC: Make-it-Fly® has totally expanded my horizon by lifting many self-limiting beliefs I had about my business. It has given me the opportunity to fellowship with other like-minded business professionals and has provided the support I needed to take my business to the next level. The rate of my professional growth has at least doubled since joining Make-it-Fly®!

Q: What would you say to other business owners who are contemplating getting involved in a Make-it-Fly® board?
CC: Anyone who is serious about personal growth and the growth of their business would be well served by plugging into Make-it-Fly®. You will find more opportunities and resources at Make-it-Fly® than any other single source in the city. An investment in Make-it-Fly® is an investment in the success of your business.

Chris Calzone can be reached by phone at: 1-888-399-3810, or visit his web site at: www.sonarselling.com.

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Dave’s Networking Nugget:

Be sincerely interested in the person you’re talking to.Learn about him or her and find out what you have in common, e.g. backgrounds, life passions, hobbies, etc. Inquire about any current needs or challenges the person may have—perhaps you can help. Give this some thought and come up with several good questions you can ask.

Laughter—Good Medicine for Stress
By Victoria Munro

Running a business can be stressful in any economy, but today’s media coverage of gloomy economic news makes it even more challenging. Focusing on negative reports increases stress that has harmful effects on our health. Recent reports from several health organizations agree that Americans are experiencing a dramatic increase in stress. Laughter is a healthy and effective antidote for stress. In tough times, more than ever, we need to lighten up and laugh.

Laughter, even smiling, has been proven to reduce stress. Patty Wooten, an expert in the field of therapeutic humor, writes, “Finding humor in a situation and laughing freely with others can be a powerful antidote to stress. Our sense of humor gives us the ability to find delight, experience joy and release tension.” Young children, who spend much of their time playing, reportedly laugh about 400 times a day, compared with 15 times a day for adults. The pressures of life often rob us of the ability to see humor or fun in situations and ease our stress with a good laugh.

A counselor I know understands well the value of play. She keeps small wind-up toys on her desk and, when tempted to feel stressed, a two- or three-minute 'play break' with these toys replaces any tension with relaxation and fun.

Taking time out to play can be a challenge for busy entrepreneurs, but play brings balance to our lives and can be an excellent solution to stress. Barbara Brannen holds the title “Top Banana” at one of her companies Playmore, which helps corporations use the power of play to reduce employee turnover and absenteeism. Her play workshops increase employee enthusiasm, creativity and commitment, which in turn boost company profits.

A call center, which is typically an extremely stressful work environment with high turnover, used her services to resolve the problem. Not only did they achieve great staff retention, but now 80 percent of new hires are referred by existing employees. Fun can change attitudes and the entire atmosphere in a company.

Tips for Playing More by Barbara Brannen

1. Start your day with no stress by smiling as soon as you rise in the morning. This simple trick has you beginning stress-free as a baseline for the rest of your day.

2. Continue this by making your commute fun. Find new ways to approach what used to be a stressor. An informal study by a major newspaper found that 80 percent of the negative interactions in the first two hours of the day were directly related to something that happened during the commute. So listen to fun music, sing along, smile at other commuters and don't let them drive you crazy!

3. Keep bubbles or bubble gum in your desk drawer and the console of your car. When you feel stressed or get stuck, blow bubbles for five minutes and open up your mind.

4. Keep things in and around your work area that make you laugh and smile. Look at them frequently for inspiration.

5. Schedule “play dates” for yourself and with family and friends. Put these on your calendar. Just knowing they are coming will reduce your stress and keep you playful.

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Marketing in a Down Economy – Tip #3 of 5

Professional referral relationships are very valuable. Don’t make the mistake of forming exclusive alliances with referral partners. This limits what you will get back in return. Understand how you can refer to others, so they will reciprocate. Only refer to those who stand for the same quality of service and work as your company.

Marketing tip by Beth Boen of CreativeXchange Marketing

The Riverfront specializes in well crafted, richly satisfying occasions that balance aesthetics, personality and party. The site is versatile, accommodating groups from fifteen to five hundred. Features include: two dance floors with professional sound and lighting, a fireplace nook, three bars, outdoor patio, and gazebo. Our personal chef, custom menus, and full suite of inclusions rank us paramount in our industry.

Call 303.865.8500 today
and schedule your holiday event!
www.riverfront-center.com

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Wanted: People with a Passion and Heart to Help
Small Business Owners

Have you ever wished you could work with like-minded business professionals to grow your own business, while doing work that results in major positive changes in lives and businesses?

Make-it-Fly®, Your Small Business Board of Advisors, has been changing the lives of small business owners and professionals in the Denver metro area for six years through peer advisory boards. We are now looking for franchisees with heart and passion to do the same in their communities.

After testing and perfecting our advisory board system with more than 800 clients, we are expanding. If you have a sales and/or marketing background, outstanding people skills and want to invest in your own business with a team committed to your success, we’d like to talk to you.

Contact Dave Block - 720-962-8888.

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The Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101

Each Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101 program consists of 12 non-competing business owners who meet once a month for three consecutive months. In the spirit of giving, they offer each other solutions, ideas, resources and encouragement. Dave and Victoria facilitate each group and share powerful tools to assist business owners in reaching their goals and living more balanced lives.

If you have experienced a Make-it-Fly® program, please share the following openings with other business owners who need support. Call Dave for more information at 720-962-8888.

Programs are held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Current program openings in Denver:

Thursdays - April 2, May 7, June 4, July 2
Fridays - May 1, June 5, July 10, August 7
Mondays - July 6, August 3, August 31, October 5

Click here to sign up for Advisory Boards.
Or call Dave at 720-962-8888.

Alumni Boards are groups of 12-14 small business owners who have participated in at least one Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101 and wish to continue the support and accountability with a group of like-minded, giving business associates. Members meet once a month for a three-hour meeting. If you completed the initial Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101 and are interested in more information on Alumni Boards, call Dave at 720-962-8888.

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