Communicate | The Barefoot Spirit

Breakthroughs Are Rarely as Spontaneous As They Seem

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 13:28:45 +0000

Today it seems like we are hearing about a new breakthrough every day.

It’s easy to get the idea that these breakthroughs are instantaneous bolts of clarity from very gifted people. Once in a while there is a sudden stroke of genius that leaves us all in awe. But most of the time the real breakthroughs are years in coming and the result of much cooperation and analysis.

Sure, there are the “Why don’t we just…” moments, but most practical and lasting breakthroughs require a team. Here’s what we experienced with several breakthroughs that occurred in our business.

1. Other industry practices

We had a problem with keeping our advertising signs up on the supermarket shelves. The competition, or the cleaning people, would take them down regularly. Sometimes we couldn’t even get our marketing materials to the shelf. They were thrown in the dumpster by our distributors. We were spread so thin we couldn’t cover all the stores with our own limited staff.

One day we noticed that some soup cans had an award medal affixed right to the can to communicate value to the shoppers. It took us two years to work out the mechanical issues necessary to put our award stickers on our bottles, on the bottling line. That meant that finally we had at least one piece of merchandising material that made it to the shelf every time and couldn’t be removed.

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book has been selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, the C-Suite Book Club, and numerous university classes on business and entrepreneurship. It chronicles their humble beginnings from the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse to the board room of E&J Gallo, who ultimately acquired their brand and engaged them as brand consultants. Barefoot is now the world’s largest wine brand.

Beginning with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas to overcome obstacles, create new markets and forge strategic alliances. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance-based compensation. They built an internationally bestselling brand and received their industry’s “Hot Brand” award for several consecutive years.

They offer their Guiding Principles for Success (GPS) to help entrepreneurs become successful. Their book, The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways To Engage and Empower Your People, helps corporations maximize the value of their human resources.

Currently they travel the world leading workshops, trainings, & keynoting at business schools, corporations, conferences. They are regular media guests and contributors to international publications and professional journals. They are C-Suite Network Advisors & Contributing Editors. Visit their popular brand building site at www.consumerbrandbuilders.com.

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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The More You Talk, the Less They Listen

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 16:18:36 +0000

What is the best way to communicate an idea in today’s noisy climate? We had heard about Ryan Foland’s “3-1-3® Method” and interviewed him about this thoughtful, simple and effective communications tool. We recently caught up with Ryan at his office at UC Irvine. He is not only the founder of the 3-1-3 Method, but also a top communications specialist at UCI, three-time TEDx Talk speaker and the cofounder of Influence Tree which helps people grow their influence.

Ryan describes himself as a proud ginger whose past was “sparkled” with that being the one thing that people held against him. He was classically bullied as a kid because he was the only one with red hair and freckles. That soon got him interested in non-verbal communication. Specifically, he turned to the martial arts and learned how to use his body, his eyes, his eyebrows, his shoulders and his posture to communicate confidence — even when what he was feeling inside was the exact opposite.

It was the first time he used the innate force we all have to communicate strength and confidence in a way that is sometimes more powerful than words. He went from being bullied to becoming a proud ginger and took on many leadership roles thereafter.

To read the complete article, please visit Entrepreneur

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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5 People to Call Right Now!

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 17:00:19 +0000

It’s easy to neglect some of our closest relationships. With the end of the year scramble, celebrating the Holidays, and then all that planning, energy, and the new initiatives we put out in the first quarter of the new year, it’s only natural to become preoccupied, focused, and concentrated on our goals.

But now, it’s Spring already, and before long, the year will be half over. Spring is nature’s “new year.” This is when it’s obvious to everyone that life is returning, and it’s time to grow again. Isn’t it time we renew some important relationships that might have fallen by the wayside in our struggle to grow our businesses? It is so important that we all stay connected, really connected, with our friends who mean the most to us. Let’s call them now!

Old Folks. When was the last time you spoke to the oldest living members of your family? A word from you can make their day! Many seniors feel alone and forgotten. Letting them know that they are important to you can actually improve their attitude, and their health. Sure, they’re unplugged, and technology has passed them by, but that’s all the more reason to reconnect with a personal phone call to make them feel like they’re still part of your life.

New Folks. What about those new folks you met that you liked so much – that you haven’t spoken to since? Take a look at your calendar. Identify the guests you have had, or visitors you have met on the trips you’ve taken in the past year. There is still time to cement those relationships with a friendly call or note reminding them of the good times you shared and that you are happy to have met them.

Old Customers. What about those former customers you are no longer doing business with? Take a look at your accounts over the past year or even two years. Look for clients and customers with whom you have already concluded business. Now is a great time to reach out and say hello. You want them to know that they were more than just a customer. Ask them how they’re doing and what their challenges are today. You may be surprised they can provide leads to even more business.

Foreigners. How about the friends that live in another part of the world you haven’t seen for a year or so? Think about the trips you’ve taken in the past few years to other countries. You met foreign nationals and American tourists. Whatever happened to them? You have that wonderful experience in common with them. They would love to hear from you again. We found that especially with foreign nationals, they can become friends for life if you just stay in touch.

Disabled. Who do you know who’s had an injury you can check up on? Who do you know who had a serious illness or underwent an operation requiring therapy and recovery? While you have been focused on your business, these people were taken out of the action in their businesses for a period of time. Some of them may still be recovering. They feel somewhat isolated themselves knowing that the world is spinning on without them. Spring is a great time to call these folks, wish them well, and tell them you are hoping for their speedy recovery.

As we come out of winter and into spring with the promise of new growth, new opportunities, and new friends, this is a great time to secure the important relationships we already have. Don’t let them drift away or become part of the past.

A simple telephone call or even a short note right now can keep those relationships alive and healthy. These folks will be so glad to hear from you and catch up. Don’t try to do it on Facebook or with a once a year summary letter. It’s too impersonal. Communicate just with them and just for them. Show them you care and still intend to include them in your life. It will mean the world to them!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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5 Ways to Build and Grow Trust

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Mon, 08 May 2017 17:40:51 +0000

Good business relationships are built on trust. People who depend on you, from your creditors to your employees, need to confidently rely on you to treat them fairly.

Once they know you can be depended upon, they will extend their cooperation and even make allowances for you. This is absolutely critical to your success.

The sooner you demonstrate that you are trustworthy, the faster you will receive the benefits, such as extended credit, loyalty, engagement, priority ranking, increased sales, and opportunities. The key is to be proactive. Look for ways to show all the folks you work with that you have their best interests at heart.

Here’s our short list for how to build and grow trust:

1. Communicate often

Be clear about what you are doing and why. Don’t leave anyone in the dark guessing what you are up to. We recommend regular meetings with creditors, suppliers, outsourced services, and your own team. Alleviate their fears by sharing vital information early and often. The more they know, the more confident they feel about working with you.

2. Forge alliances

Identify who gets ahead if you do and forge these strategic alliances. Treat these folks like business partners, such as sharing your plans for expansion with suppliers who will benefit from your increased business. Discover how you can work together to improve their business while reducing your need for capital, such as long-term contracts in return for free warehousing and better terms.

To read the complete article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post 5 Ways to Build and Grow Trust appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Your Own People May Have Hidden Skills You Need

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 17:00:13 +0000

The South Africans have a popular tale. It is about a man who had a beautiful piece of land, who, when he heard that diamonds had been discovered in Africa, immediately sold. He used the money to explore the continent for the rest of his life, searching in vain for diamonds he never found.

One day, the new owner of the farm he once owned, tripped on a large muddy stone that flipped over and sparkled in the sunlight. You guessed it; the stone was a huge diamond! It was one of the largest ever found, and only one of many found right there on the land the former farmer had left! All along, he had diamonds on the soles of his shoes!

Larger companies often are blind to the gems they have right in their own backyards. They tend to overlook the talent that is exactly what they need when it is right there in front of them. They think that the folks they hire are suitable for the position for which they were hired. Period. If different skills are required, then they will simply create a new job description and find someone to fill the position whose skills are adequate.

The multi-functional folks often go undetected. They may even be discouraged from doing other tasks for which they are imminently qualified. Ingrained HR policies and procedures keep them firmly in their box. Even though these employees may be aware of a better use of their talents, sometimes in essential jobs not yet created, they may have no channel to communicate this. They are told to “stay in line” and do only the job for which they were hired.

The company may be more profitable, grow faster, and improve its sales, if they only could get out of the hubris of thinking that the way things have been organized is the only way. They prefer to follow their unwritten rule that dictates that accepting advice from a lower level worker is just, well, not done. It would upset the hierarchy. And so, for the sake of corporate structure, these diamonds are often overlooked.

We once had a receptionist who came to us with a new position she herself wanted to fill. We asked what it was, and she replied, “Traffic Manager.” “Really! Do we need a Traffic Manager?” we asked. She informed us that our buyers’ trucks were being turned away from our warehouse because they did not have an appointment, and were driving back across the country without our goods on board, resulting in out-of-stocks, which in turn resulted in loss of shelf position, sales, and profits.

She said our clients and their sub-jobbers needed to be hand held to get the right paperwork and make the appointments with our warehouse in order to keep our product moving.

Yes, she got the new position and we patched a hole in our boat that we didn’t even know we had!

What if we were rigid and thought, “She applied for, and filled, the receptionist’s job and that’s that?” Or worse, “How dare she challenge our long established organization chart?” We would never have gotten the best out of our employee. We would never have corrected an unseen problem that was costing us plenty!

Are there diamonds on the soles of your shoes? Do your “lower level” people see both problems and opportunities that you, your managers, and your HR people don’t? Why not ask them? You may find out you don’t have to sell the farm and search the world for what you want. First, take a closer look in your own backyard.

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post Your Own People May Have Hidden Skills You Need appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

7 Tips for More Effective Email

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 16:55:00 +0000

Email blasts and self-serving promotions seem to be taking over our inboxes. With all the white noise these days, business email communication can fall victim to overloaded and desensitized recipients.

Is it any wonder that our own business emails get incomplete or tardy responses, are overlooked, misread, or simply deleted altogether? How can your get results in this environment?

Every day we communicate with folks on whom we depend to get our jobs done. We need answers to time-sensitive matters that are in the interest of both parties. When we realize that our email recipients have developed time-saving strategies to quickly scan content for the action items, we can alter our approach to make it easier for them to take action.

1. Pick up the phone

Live communication will save you hours. You can then document both parties’ questions, answers, and agreements in an e-mail.

It’s best to make live contact with someone as soon you know you will be working with them. By doing this first, they will be more likely to give your email timely responses. If there’s a misunderstanding in your email correspondence, settle it quickly by phone.

To read the entire article, please visit The Business Journals

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post 7 Tips for More Effective Email appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

5 Ways to Build Trust and Grow It

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 26 May 2016 17:00:25 +0000

Good business relationships are built on trust. People who depend on you, from your creditors to your employees, need to confidently rely on you to treat them fairly. Once they know you can be depended upon, they will extend their cooperation and even make allowances for you. This is absolutely critical to your success.

Here’s our short list for how to build and grow trust:

Communicate Often. Be clear about what you are doing and why. Don’t leave anyone in the dark guessing what you are up to. We recommend regular meetings with creditors, suppliers, outsourced services, and your own team. Alleviate their fears by sharing vital information early and often. The more they know, the more confident they feel about working with you.

Forge Alliances. Identify who gets ahead if you do and forge these strategic alliances. Treat these folks like business partners, such as sharing your plans for expansion with suppliers who will benefit from your increased business. Discover how you can work together to improve their business while reducing your need for capital, such as long-term contracts in return for free warehousing and better terms.

Mend Fences. When you make a mistake, don’t try to cover it up or blame others. It will only exacerbate the situation, lose you precious credibility, and hurt the relationship. When you realize you are about to miss a payment, call your creditors immediately. Be ready with a payment plan based on receivables that will bring your account current. This shows empathy for their position and the risk they have taken on you. Remember, you are judged more by how you handle a mistake than when everything goes smoothly.

Be Honest. If you harbor hidden agendas or deliberately withhold information to trap or manipulate others, this will result in you losing the relationship and your reputation in your industry. Voluntarily expose loopholes to reassure the people you depend on that you will not take unfair advantage of them. Show them you are a true partner, watching their back, not waiting to stab it! Don’t give them reasons to keep their guard up or you will only get the words, and not the spirit, of your agreements.

Service Your Customers. Nothing says, “I got your money and now you are stuck with my product” more than poor customer service. When you are all over them to make a sale but can’t be reached to fix a problem, you are killing your long-term business security and opening the door for competitors to take your customers. Customer service is more important than the product. Without it, your customers will no longer buy, and will feel an obligation to tell others about their bad experience. When you show them that you are treating them like a friend, they become loyal advocates.

Trust is built on a foundation of good behavior over time. The time involved can be reduced by the telling experiences that build or break trust. In the early days of a relationship trust can be lost easily. The way you handle an embarrassing situation is “the tell” that they are looking for to justify putting their faith in you or regretting the relationship. It takes a lot more than just saying, “Trust me.” You can trust us on this!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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Standing on Ceremony Can Lose the Sale

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:00:57 +0000

Sometimes you can do everything right and still lose the sale. Why? Because the buyers simply don’t like you or your approach. Sometimes in an effort to be professional we can be read as mechanical, sterile, and heartless.

Sure, it’s a thin line between too much information and not providing enough to gain credibility. But there comes a time in every sales process when you have to show enough of your true self to be considered authentic and sincere by the purchasing party. Buyers want to identify at some level with the folks who are selling them. They want to know something that they have in common with the seller. It helps them justify the purchase. It helps them gain a feeling of trust.

Seasoned salespeople know from experience just how much is enough and how much is too much. First of all you have to be relatively confident with yourself and your product. Some people have issues with becoming personable at all. They think they can hide behind ceremonious form to avoid any kind of personal exposure. But their prospect may feel uncomfortable and ultimately see the form itself as tedious and they soon lose interest. This is what’s wrong with form letters and standard approaches.

Some people think that being mysterious will somehow lure others in and make them want to know more. We have found this approach tends to be read as insincere and somewhat devious. Prospects who don’t even know you now are faced with an added barrier to open communication – mystery. They wonder what your true motives are. We have found that they not only don’t want to discover the mystery, but they want to get away from those who try to use this or any other kind dramatic tactics.

The winning approach is to find something you have in common with your prospect before you ever go into your pitch. You’ll be glad you did because in the process you will learn how your prospect communicates and what their priorities are. This will help you immensely to craft a tailored approach for each of the unique prospects you meet.

We did business over the years with many Japanese colleagues and buyers. In their business culture, it is considered rude to pitch before some commonality has been established. It was not unusual for us to spend the first entire session talking about, you guessed it, the weather. After that it was sports or favorite movies.

Today, when we cold-call a prospect for a speaking event we like to set it up on Skype or some other video conferencing service so we can see each other. That increases the human touch right there. Then we usually ask them about the weather they are having and share ours. We also have learned enough about them and their company previously to comment favorably on some current event that effected them, like, “Congratulations on that recent merger,” or “You guys are really making a difference with your new program.”

Keep the conversation light to establish engagement, humor and trust. Remember their judgment about you takes place in the first 20 seconds and thereafter tends only to validate that initial impression. So take the time to establish friendly relations first. People want to cooperate with people they like. It’s as simple as that. So do they like you? What have you done to make yourself believable, likable, and friendly? We have found that initially folks must “buy” you before they will ever consider buying your product or service. First make friends; then make the sale!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

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