Branch Out - A Podcast from Connection Builders

According to research, one in seven clients has an unvoiced complaint. Do you know how your clients feel about your firm's service?

In today’s episode, Alyson Fieldman, founder of Rockit Results, an independent consulting firm specializing in strategic marketing for high-growth professional services firms, shares her expertise in client experience (CX) and why it is a strategic differentiator in the marketplace. Alyson explains that CX is the sum of all a firm's touchpoints with its clients and how it makes the client feel. She emphasizes the importance of empathy and understanding the emotional components of CX, which technical professionals often overlook.

The key to happier repeat clients, less client attrition, more client loyalty, an easier sales cycle, and more referrals is to ask, listen, and act. It’s as simple (and as complicated) as that. Although it requires time, resources, and ongoing effort to get to the bottom of what your clients really want and to make the changes that will give them that, it will always be a worthy investment!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Alyson shares her thoughts on why client experience (CX) is a strategic differentiator in the marketplace.
• Elements that CX is made up of and why they matter to your firm’s success.
• The difference between client service and client experience.
• Why so many professional services executives struggle with CX.
• Examples of different CX approaches.
• Ask, listen, act; why this is Alyson’s favorite CX approach.
• How to ask questions in a way that will allow you to make the biggest impact.
• The opportunity that presents itself when there is a breakdown in client service.
• Some of the obstacles that prevent companies from enhancing their CX.
• The many benefits of taking the time to understand what your clients really want.
• Why CX is a program rather than a project.
• Examples of the types of questions to ask your clients in order to understand their feelings towards your company.
• How to respond to different types of client feedback.
• The best place to start on your journey of improving CX.

Alyson Fieldman on LinkedIn
Rockit Results
Connection BuildersAlex Drost LinkedIn

Does it ever feel as if your life has become mechanical or routine? Do you find that it’s becoming more and more difficult to find success in your career? This is the episode for you! Today, we speak with keynote speaker, CPA, yogi, technologist, TEDx speaker, Breaking Beliefs Podcast host, and CEO of the B3 Method Institute, Amy Vetter, who guides business professionals on their journeys to become happier, more engaged, and more successful.

As a CPA and a yogi, Amy has a unique perspective to offer on achieving work-life harmony, changing our thoughts and habits, becoming connected leaders, and more; all of which we discuss in this episode. Above all, Amy emphasizes the importance of doing the work, and she encourages listeners to step back, get still, and embrace new perspectives, especially when doing so feels like it challenges your existing belief systems. To discover some of the tools you need to overcome adversity, identify your personal purpose, and align it with the work you do, be sure to tune in to this insightful conversation with Amy Vetter!

Key Points From This Episode:

• A look at the B3 Method Institute and its methodology: business plus balance equals bliss.
• The importance of doing the work to change your thoughts, habits, and belief systems.
• Tips for taking the first steps on your journey to transform your work and life.
• Dispelling the myth that there’s never “enough time” for self-development.
• Why individual buy-in is essential for workplace transformation.
• Leadership, self-deception, and the importance of prioritizing people.
• What it means to become a more connected leader (according to Amy).
• Key elements of successful workplace transformation, including intentional culture.
• The role of empathy, mutual respect, collaboration, detachment, and mindfulness.
• Listening and feedback techniques for connected leaders.
• Finding the energy for iterative growth and the value of learning in real-time.
• Why firms need to evolve to continue to attract the talent they want.
• How organizations can benefit from allowing people to inform their strategy.
• Actionable advice for firm leaders: begin with self-assessment.

Amy Vetter
The B3 Method Institute
Breaking Beliefs Podcast
Disconnect to ConnectBusiness, Balance & BlissAmy Vetter on LinkedIn
Amy Vetter on Twitter
Amy Vetter on Instagram
Connection BuildersAlex Drost LinkedIn

Stepping out of your comfort zone is a difficult thing to do, but it is absolutely essential for growth, in both a business and personal capacity. The world is changing at a rapid rate and if you aren't continuously growing, you are going to get left behind. Our guest on today's show, Elliott Holland, Managing Director of Guardian Due Diligence, believes that your most frustrating experiences will often be your biggest learning opportunities, so you shouldn't shy away from situations that are difficult or stressful. Elliott also shares why and how he maintains a practice that has been invaluable to his success in business; reflection. There is always room for improvement, and if you don't look back and figure out where you went wrong (or where you went right), you will struggle to move forward. Learning from the experiences and the reflections of the more senior people in your field will also benefit you greatly. Don't let fear prevent you from fulfilling your dreams; most people suck at the beginning, and you have to start somewhere!
Key Points from This Episode:

• The world is rapidly changing, and it is so important to stay up to date in terms of your knowledge and skills.
• Invest in yourself in order to move forward and grow in your chosen career.
• Elliott mentions an example of how things can go wrong when people aren't keeping up with the times.
• Growth can occur in numerous ways, not just through books and the internet. Elliott shares examples of different ways of investing in oneself.
• As you grow, you will realize how much your younger self didn't know.
• Make sure that in every situation, you are either winning in monetary terms or you are learning and growing.
• Don't be too quick to walk away from deals that aren't working out; instead, use them as an opportunity to learn a lesson.
• Books are helpful, but the best way to learn how to negotiate is through on-the-job-training.
• Looking back at your previous work and figuring out where you went wrong (i.e., reflection) is an extremely valuable practice.
• Smart, dedicated, well-prepared people don't often make mistakes; look at their behavior and learn from it.
• See stress as a blessing because it means you are learning, but make sure you also take time to recover.
• Don't be scared to step out of your comfort zone; everyone 'sucks' in the beginning.
• Practice, practice, practice, and you'll get to where you want to be!
• Elliott shares some of the toughest things he has had to learn in his career.
• In order to grow, you need to let yourself be vulnerable and open to change.
• Knowing when and when not to trust your intuition is a skill that comes with growth.
• Listen to and learn from the more mature people in your space.
• Two calls to action for today from Alex: Take time to reflect on a past work experience and how you can improve, and reach out to a more mature person in your field to ask for their advice.

Elliott Holland LinkedIn
Elliott Holland Email
Guardian Due Diligence
Alex Drost LinkedIn
Connection Builders LinkedIn
Have thoughts or comments? We want to hear from you. [email protected]

Part of being in a leadership position is that you cannot take a “woe is me, hide in the closet mentality”; you have to take a “we are going to get through this mentality” or you may ultimately struggle to be successful. The winners in life are not the ones who never get defeated or never fall on their face. It’s how you respond afterward — it’s about resiliency and persistence and bouncing back off of the mat. Today on the show, we welcome Kurt Wilkin, Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist of HireBetter, your strategic talent partner. During this episode, Kurt and I talk on the topic of resiliency and why it is something we all need to have the right mindset around. We are in a time where we are facing challenges that we have never seen before and Kurt shares some insightful thoughts on how to maintain a resilient mindset. As an entrepreneur, Kurt has experience growing, scaling, and exiting high-growth companies and now devotes his time to helping business leaders unlock their own success. His responsibilities include strategic client consultation, client satisfaction, recruiting, and practice development. His success as an entrepreneur stems from his ability to build long-term relationships with clients, attract a loyal team of dedicated leaders and associates, and consistently deliver on commitments. Kurt is an alumnus of the University of Arkansas, a Certified Public Accountant, and an active member and officer of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). He is passionate about entrepreneurship, is an active angel investor, and sits on the boards of several companies and nonprofits. Stay tuned for this interesting conversation with one of our leading experts on today’s episode of Branch Out.
Key Points From This Episode:

• Kurt shares his general thoughts on resiliency.
• How Kurt maintains his resilient mentality while dealing with challenges: Leadership responsibility.
• What Kurt would recommend to someone who was crushed by COVID-19: Survival.
• Comfort zone versus growth zone: Growth requires discomfort.
• Failure is not an option: What does failure really mean?
• Kurt unpacks one of his most inspiring quotes.
• The way self-care ties into the concept of resiliency.
• Taking time for self-care will influence your productivity and effectiveness.
• Kurt shares his number one thing to do in order to remain resilient: Connecting with others.

Kurt Wilkin LinkedIn
HireBetter
Alex Drost LinkedIn
Connection Builders LinkedIn
Have thoughts or comments? We want to hear from you. [email protected]

In an ever-changing world, one thing that remains constant is the power and importance of relationships. On today's episode, we speak with Adam Klein, Chief Growth Officer with Bennett Thrasher, a full-service, CPA advisory business advisory firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, about his perspective on the ins and outs of building value-added connections. We kick off our conversation with an overview of what has changed since the pandemic and what has stayed the same. This introduces us to today's theme: relationships as the core of business-building. Adam gives us his predictions for the future of communication, encourages us to embrace flexibility, and be strategic about when to meet online, and make the additional effort to see someone in person. He introduces us to the practice of reframing selling as helping and seeking to understand people in order to add value. We talk about developing soft skills, why people do business with people they like, how to adjust our networking expectations for a post-COVID world, and why there is no shortcut to building fruitful relationships. We hope you join us for an episode packed with insights with the power to change your perspective today!
Key Points From This Episode:

• What the pandemic has not changed: relationships at the core of business development.
• What has changed: bringing internal and external communication into the digital space.
• How the pandemic has highlighted the importance of relationships.
• Why building rapport supports business.
• A prediction for Zoom going forward: a new dynamic for what is considered face-to-face.
• Bridging the gap when you have different needs to the person you are meeting with.
• The benefit of arranging an initial meeting digitally before engaging in person.
• How Zoom has created greater ease of making new connections.
• Ways we should adjust our networking expectations in a post-COVID world.
• Reframing selling as helping.
• Seeking to understand people in order to add value.
• The value of developing soft skills: people do business with people they like.
• Why there is no shortcut to building relationships.
• Adam's advice: don't overcomplicate it, enjoy the process, and treat people well.
• Call-to-action: write down three ways that you can be helpful to your existing network.

Adam Klein on LinkedIn
Adam Klein Email
Bennett Thrasher Alex Drost LinkedIn
Branch Out Podcast LinkedIn
Connection Builders LinkedIn
Have thoughts or comments? We want to hear from you. [email protected]