stan phelps

Learn the business of public speaking and book writing. Today we are talking to Stan Phelps, a Forbes contributor, TEDx speaker, IBM futurist, and certified speaking professional.

He's the bestselling author of the popular Goldfish business book series (https://stanphelps.com/) including his first book, Purple Goldfish: 12 Ways to Win Customers & Influence Word of Mouth, which is all about delivering extraordinary customer experiences.

We go behind the scenes today with Stan to talk about how he launched his speaking career, and how we got started writing books and developing his business and influence.

This is the Brands On Brands Podcast with Brandon Birkmeyer.

https://www.brandsonbrands.com/podcast

GET THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

This is the best way to have branding and marketing secrets delivered to your inbox, and get first looks at new resources.

https://www.brandsonbrands.com/bteam

SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL

Watch each week as we interview the top minds in marketing and share tips to build brands that matter.

https://www.brandsonbrands.com/youtube

CONNECT WITH ME

Connect with me on social media:

https://www.brandsonbrands.com/hotlinks

JOIN THE PODCAST BRANDING ACADEMY

Get your free podcasting 101 starter kit and more!

https://www.podcastbrandingacademy.com

CONVERT 1 HOUR INTO 1 MONTH OF CONTENT

Get my Ultimate Guide to Repurposing Content, which includes 3 Content Creation Tips, 11 Content Creator Tools, 30 Repurposed Post Examples, 28 Content Calendar Prompts, & 30 Bonus Post Ideas

https://www.brandsonbrands.com/toolkit

In this episode of Selling From The Heart, co-hosts Darrell Amy and Larry Levine invite guest Stan Phelps to discuss the importance of compassion and differentiated experience in sales. Stan shares his perspective on compassion, emphasizing the need to go beyond empathy and truly care about clients. The conversation explores the concept of "upgrading your humanware" by understanding oneself and clients' behavioral styles. Stan introduces the Diamond Rule, a framework that combines elements of the Golden Rule and the Platinum Rule, emphasizing the value of treating clients the way they want to be treated. The episode also delves into the goldfish metaphor, highlighting five factors that contribute to growth in both goldfish and businesses. Stan's book series, featuring different colors to represent aspects of customer experience, is also discussed. Listeners are encouraged to connect with Stan Phelps on LinkedIn and explore his books on Amazon.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Stan Phelps is a Forbes Contributor, TEDx Speaker, IBM Futurist, Certified Speaking Professional, and best-selling author of the Goldfish Series. He is also an Instructor for the ANA School of Marketing and Rutgers Business School.

A show-and-tell speaker, Stan empowers audiences to take action that delivers bottom-line impact. He strives to change the paradigm of marketing by encouraging audiences to focus on experiences as the ultimate competitive differentiator. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

A masterful storyteller who quickly connects with audiences, Stan has delivered keynotes and workshops for Fortune 100 brands including IBM, Target, and more. He works directly with you to customize content that matches your audience and your goals to create a memorable and meaningful experience every time. Count on Stan to show up early, arrive prepared, and disrupt the all-work-and-no-play methodology with his sharp wit and trademark showmanship. He makes it his mission to exceed expectations and inspire audiences in ways they just can’t help but talk about — and won’t soon forget.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Compassion in Sales: Selling from the heart means conducting business with compassion, going beyond empathy to truly caring about the customer's needs and well-being.

Importance of Warmth: Warmth and sincerity are valued more than competence in building trust and relationships with customers.

Differentiated Experience: Differentiating yourself in sales is not just about what you do, but why you do it, how you do it, and the experience you provide.

Five Factors of Growth: Just like goldfish, businesses have five factors that influence their growth: market size, competition, external environment, early performance, and differentiation.

Controllable Factors: Of the five growth factors, you have control over differentiation—how you stand out, why you do what you do, and how you build relationships.

Word of Mouth: Word of mouth and referrals are crucial for business growth, and they are earned by providing exceptional experiences and going above and beyond for customers.

Lagniappe: The concept of "lagniappe" or "land yap" from New Orleans emphasizes the importance of doing a little extra to honor the customer relationship and create memorable experiences.

Diamond Rule: The Diamond Rule combines elements of the Golden Rule (treat others as you want to be treated) and the Platinum Rule (treat others as they want to be treated) by first managing yourself under pressure and then understanding and reducing pressure for your clients.

Understanding Behavioral Styles: Recognizing that people have different behavioral styles helps you adapt your approach to meet their specific needs and preferences.

Continuous Learning: To succeed in sales, it's essential to continuously learn and improve your people skills, communication, and ability to build relationships.

QUOTES

"Selling from the heart is simply doing business with compassion." - Stan Phelps

"Compassion is about truly caring about [your clients] and understanding that their shoes might be... three sizes too small." - Stan Phelps

"Differentiation isn't just about what you say; it's about what you do and how you do it." - Stan Phelps

"It's less about the transaction and more about the relationship." - Stan Phelps

"We gather every Friday for the Selling from the Heart Insiders group, and if you'd like to learn more about that, we sure would love for you to join us." - Darrell Amy

"The biggest myth in business is this idea of meeting expectations." - Stan Phelps

"The Diamond Rule takes the best elements of the Golden Rule and the Platinum Rule." - Stan Phelps

Learn more about Stan: 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanphelps/

Learn more about Darrell and Larry: 

Darrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/
Larry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/
Website: https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/

Got a video about how you sell from the heart? Share it by texting VIDEO to 21000.

Please visit BarnesandNobles.com to order your copy of the rerelease of the Selling from the Heart book. 

SUBSCRIBE to our YOUTUBE CHANNEL! 

https://www.youtube.com/c/sellingfromtheheart

Please visit WHY INSTITUTE:

https://whyinstitute.com/

Please go to WORK BETTER NOW:

https://www.workbetternow.com/

Click for your Daily Dose of Inspiration:

https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/daily

Check out the 2023 Authentic Selling Challenge:

https://authenticsellingchallenge.com/

Get your Insiders Group FREE PASS here:

https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net/free-pass

A great conversation in the Leadership Lounge with World Renowned Executive Coach and Author Stan Phelps.  A dive into good leadership and a review of his Goldfish Series books.  How he got started and what he sees as "what good looks like".  A longer episode but So Worth It!!!

Exceeding Customer Expectations Through a Differentiated Experience Drives Loyalty and Sales 

This week, we welcome Stan Phelps to the Digitally Irresistible podcast. As a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator for numerous brands, Stan delivers the message that a purposeful differentiated experience (DX) wins the hearts of employees and customers. Stan shows how differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and bottom-line results. He also says that differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how you do it and why you do it. Stan leverages his collection of more than 5,000 case studies to engage his audiences with practical ideas that inspire action. 

On this episode, Stan shares the I.D.E.A. framework—his step-by-step method to communicate how to adopt and implement a differentiated experience.  

A Quest to Exceed Customer Expectations 

Stan worked in marketing for two decades, beginning on the agency side at IMG before working for several large brands (Addidas, the New York Yankees, and PGA of America). He later returned to the agency side to do experience marketing at Synergy. While there, he created larger-than-life experiences during the advent of social media and saw first-hand how quickly marketing was evolving. 

In 2009, he had a moment of truth about the seemingly elusive goal of meeting customer expectations. This led him to collect and analyze more than 1,001 examples of companies that purposely go above and beyond to exceed customer expectations. 

That journey led to his first book, "Purple Goldfish," which is now one of more than a dozen books in a series he has written about creating a differentiated experience.  

The I.D.E.A. Framework  

Stan's I.D.E.A. framework is an acronym that outlines how brands can create a differentiated experience to exceed customer expectations. Each phase of the framework involves a straightforward three-step process. 

Inquire 

In the I.D.E.A. framework, an improved customer experience begins with the inquire phase. This phase helps you build personas of the customers you serve in three simple steps. 

1. Gather insights to best understand the customers you serve. 
2. Look at things from your customers’ perspective. Think about all the experiences along their customer journey and consider how they relate to you as a brand. 
3. Use the information you gain to uncover gaps and opportunities throughout the customer experience. A gap is a friction point where you can improve a specific part of the customer experience to better meet customer expectations. Opportunities are key moments within the customer experience that you can elevate to create a truly amazing experience.  

Stan sums up this phase with a quote from the late Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric, who said, "There are only two sources of competitive advantage: the ability to learn more about our customers faster than the competition and the ability to turn that learning into action faster than the competition." 

Design 

The design phase provides an outline for identifying the parts of the customer journey you want to address and how you plan to improve them. 

1. First, set your focus on what you plan to address. Identify the most critical gaps you want to fix as well as the most promising opportunities to elevate the customer experience. 
2. Once you've set your focus, begin asking big questions to explore different ways you could address the gaps and opportunities. What would you do if you had a year to make the improvements? What if you had a million dollars? What if you had 10 minutes and $10, how would you implement your changes? 
3. Then brainstorm and design ideas that address your gaps and opportunities. Think big while also grounding your ideas in reality. Consider how other industries have solved similar issues. 

Evaluate 

Once you have developed some ideas, evaluate the best ones on your list.   

1. The evaluate phase begins internally to ensure you have the capability to deliver on the idea. Look within the organization to answer questions such as the resources it would take to implement the idea, whether you have the organizational bandwidth to deliver on the idea, and if the benefits outweigh the costs associated with the idea. 
2. Once you’ve assessed internal capabilities, begin the external validation process. Test your ideas in a focus group, do surveys, or run them by a customer advisory board to validate that your opinions about the ideas align with what the customer thinks of them. There's often a disconnect between what we think and what customers actually feel; external validation strengthens your plan before you allot resources to the next step. 
3. The third and final step is the pilot phase. Test your solution in a specific market or in a limited fashion to validate its effectiveness. If the pilot is successful then you're ready for the last stage. 

Advance 

Advance is where the rubber hits the road—where you begin large-scale rollout of the plan. 

1. Incorporate the feedback you learned from the pilot and achieve buy-in. Secure the budget and resources you need to effectively implement the idea. 
2. Plan the rollout by training your team and creating the processes and procedures to carry out the idea. 
3. Determine how you're going to measure improvement to the experience on an ongoing basis. This critical step takes you back to the inquire phase to ensure you continue to achieve what you set out to do. 

Taking a Holiday With a Differentiated Experience 

One example of the I.D.E.A. framework in action comes from the hospitality industry. An all-inclusive vacation group that offered week-long vacation packages for guests wanted to identify the gaps and opportunities in their customer experience to make it the best it could be.   

Utilizing the I.D.E.A. framework, they stepped into the customers’ shoes and went on a holiday. They found that guests loved the week-long experience, but the final day of the vacation presented opportunities for improvement. Guests would check out of the hotel with time to spare before they departed the resort. During this waiting period, they felt forgotten and ignored—they no longer had full access to the facilities and the staff had moved on to a new group of guests.  

Based on that insight, the group set out to design a better experience for these departing guests. They knew the last day of the trip left a lasting impression and they needed to make it the best it could be. After brainstorming and assessing ideas, they implemented one called "Departure Beach." This was a lounge they created within the resort where departing guests could enjoy a designated experience just for them on their last day of vacation. This capped a fantastic week-long experience and left them with a positive impression that was worth repeating. 

A Differentiated Experience That Drives Loyalty 

By methodically implementing an organized approach to elevating the customer experience, brands can gain insight into the customer journey and identify ways in which they can exceed customer expectations. By inquiring to know more about your customers and their experience and designing, evaluating, and advancing ideas to make those experiences the best they can be, brands can create remarkable experiences that customers want to share. 

What Stan Does for Fun  

For Stan, golf has been the silver lining of the pandemic. After giving up the game for several years, Stan reignited his interest in golf with his two teenage boys over the past few years and they enjoy spending time together. Being outside, exercising, and immersing themselves in nature adds to its appeal. 

To learn more about Stan and the I.D.E.A. framework, connect with him on LinkedIn (#the1299), Twitter, and on his website at https://stanphelps.com. 

Watch the video here.

Read the blog post here.  

Learn how your brand can achieve competitive separation with our guest, Stan Phelps, founder of PurpleGoldfish.com. He is a Forbes Contributor, IBM Futurist, and a keynote speaker.

Five things you’ll learn from this episode:

1. Why only 3% of people and brands are able to think and operate their business differently
2. The two main ways you can stand out and achieve competitive separation  
3. Why you need to be very clear with who your company is for
4. Why being middle of the road could be the downfall of your company
5. What benchmarking is and why it’s a hindrance to thinking different  

Quotables

• “Every weakness has a corresponding strength.” — @StanPhelpsPG
• “Be very clear who you're for and the customer that you serve and don't be afraid to push off the ones that you're not for.” — @StanPhelpsPG

If you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with others and leave us a review?

About Stan Phelps

Stan Phelps is the founder of PurpleGoldfish.com. He is a Forbes Contributor, IBM Futurist, and a keynote speaker.  His award-winning books focus on the little ways to drive differentiation, increase loyalty, and promote positive word of mouth. He has spoken at over 200 events in 11 countries.

Guest’s contact info and resources:

• Stan Phelps on Twitter
• Stan Phelps on LinkedIn
• Stan’s website: https://stanphelps.com/
• Books:
  • Purple Goldfish 2.0 – 10 Ways to Attract Raving Fans
  • Green Goldfish 2.0 - 15 Keys to Driving Employee Engagement
  • Golden Goldfish – The Vital Few
  • Blue Goldfish - Using Technology, Data, and Analytics to Drive Both Profits & Prophets
  • Purple Goldfish Service Edition - The 12 Ways Hotels, Restaurants & Airlines Win the Right Customers
  • Red Goldfish - Motivating Sales and Loyalty Through Shared Passion & Purpose
  • Pink Goldfish - Defy Normal, Exploit Imperfection And Captivate Your Customers

Sponsored by:

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the pl

• On Top of PR is produced by Axia Public Relations, named by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies. Axia is an expert PR firm for national brands.
• On Top of PR is sponsored by ReviewMaxer, the platform for monitoring, improving, and promoting online customer reviews.