Racing Men Of Nascar

Moving a Client from Maybe to Yes

Nascar News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:25:06 +0000

The police officer was waiting for me as I returned to my Jeep. Seeing him lurking at my door conjured up mixed feelings. Part of me was indignant, after all what could I have done wrong while my car was standing still? The other part of me was intimidated by his looming presence.

As I got closer, he motioned me over to the passenger door. Together we peeked in through the driver side window. What was my offense? I had left the edge of a dollar bill sticking out of the console between the two front seats!

He wagged his finger at me, and taught me a lesson I remember to this day. Ten percent of the population will always steal, he went on to say. Ten percent of the population will never steal. Eighty percent of the population it depends on the circumstances, so do not give them the circumstances. And with those words of wisdom, he walked away and into infamy.

I do not know about the accuracy of his numbers. As a beat cop, I believe that his feet and eyes taught him as well as any research. What I did learn was to consider how this applies to our world on a daily basis.

Ten percent of the people we work with, sell to, and speak to will always get something out of every conversation, meeting, seminar, doctor’s, lawyer’s, or accountant’s appointment. Ten percent of the people we work with, sell to, and speak to will never get anything out of anything. And eighty percent, it depends on the circumstances!

Our job is to create circumstances to move as many people as possible from that eighty percent category to the ten percent that will act upon our call to action. Think about it, 80 percent of the people that go to a doctor, lawyer, or accountant may or may not follow the advice they receive. I will refer to them as the MAYBE category. Ten percent will always follow the advice. I refer to them as the YES category. Ten percent will never follow advice. I refer to them as the NO category. Your job, regardless of your profession, is to move as many people from that MAYBE category to the YES category.

How to move your client, audience, member, or guest from MAYBE to YES:

Identify Your Value

The more clearly you identify your value the more clearly your audience can identify your value. The faster you identify your value the faster you can move a person from MAYBE to YES. Most people identify their value incorrectly. Your value is likely not what you think it is. Ask others where your value lies. The question you need to answer is how do you make someone’s life better or different?

Clearly Communicate Your Value

Here is the litmus test. Let us pretend that Mike Wallace was still on the television show 60 Minutes. As a client leaves an appointment with you, Mike Wallace greets them on the other side of your door. He pushes a microphone into their face and asks your client, “What did he/she just tell you?” What would they answer?

Can you communicate your competitive edge in seven words?

Can you answer any question in the time it takes to walk across a room?

Protect Your Value

Your value does not lie in your competency. Let me repeat that: Your value does not lie in your competency. Regardless of your profession, at least one or two other individuals in your profession are credible. Your competency is assumed. Your prospects and clients assume you are competent.

Your value is a mixed cocktail: a combination of your competency and your ability to communicate confidence in your competency.

“If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem,” said Abraham Lincoln.

Even with the importance of confidence emphasized by our sixteenth president, people spend more time developing their competency than developing their ability to communicate their competency with confidence.

Ten percent of the people we work with, sell to, and speak to will always get something out of every exchange. Ten percent of these people will never get anything out of anything. Your success depends on the middle eighty percent.

For the MAYBE group, the old beat cop said, it depends on the circumstances. Your job is to make the circumstances work in your favor. As Project Runway’s guru and mentor Tim Gunn says, “Make it work.” The faster your value is identified the faster you can move a person from MAYBE to YES in order to arrive at the Promised Land.

It was a down-the-rabbit-hole kind of day at Atlanta on Sunday with Richard Petty Motorsports flying high

Nascar News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:59:55 +0000

It was a down-the-rabbit-hole kind of day at Atlanta on Sunday with Richard Petty Motorsports flying high
How strange was Sunday at Atlanta? Kasey Kahne was a real contender, and Richard Petty Motorsports teammates Paul Menard and A.J. Allmendinger were almost as good.
Read more on ESPN

NASCAR racing, Joey Logano nasty wreck at Dover 9-27-09

Nascar News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:58:45 +0000

Jeff Fuller Strikes Again

Nascar News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:58:42 +0000

Jeff Fuller TD versus Colorado

2010 Daytona 500 – Jamie McMurray Wins

Nascar News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:58:27 +0000

(Comments are going to be approved by me due to Dale Earnhardt Jr bashing. And if people continue to bash Dale Earnhardt Jr., I will disable the comments) Jamie mcmurray wins the Daytona 500. Credit goes to NASCAR and Fox.

2009 Nascar Season Fast Approaching

Nascar News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:56:42 +0000

The 2009 Sprint Cup season could be considered the commencement of a new era in NASCAR. Smaller fields, less sponsorship dollars to play with, a testing ban on all NASCAR sanctioned facilities, and of course, no Petty Enterprises all contribute to the new-look NASCAR . A plethora of changes define the upcoming season, but still the show must go on.

Who will win the 2009 Sprint Cup championship? It is difficult to project at this point. Well, not really. Jimmie Johnson is the odds-on favorite in Las Vegas, while Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch are solid picks as well. When most of the preview guides are released to the retailers in late-January, one of those three drivers will be the projected champion. A couple of dark horse picks may include Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, and Jeff Burton, all who performed well towards the tail end of the 2008 season.

How will Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman perform with the newly-formed Stewart Haas Racing? Now that is difficult to project at this point in time, and even after the season begins. It is likely that both drivers will win a race .or two, especially on one of the shorter tracks and possibly a restrictor plate track, but overall, they are in for a taxing transition. Both drivers could easily miss the Chase for the Championship. It could really go either way.

Who will win the 2009 rookie of the year award? It will come down to Joe Gibbs Racing’s teenage driver Joey Logano, and former Formula One driver Scott Speed, who is driving the Red Bull Racing entry. While Logano was the center of hype in 2008, it is time to see if he is the real deal. He inherits the third most winning ride of this decade. Only the 48 and 24 teams have more wins since 2000. Logano looked like a complete amateur in his handful of Sprint Cup starts last fall. Speed may come out on top. He was scrupulously developed at Red Bull Racing, and appears to be more seasoned. He also performed respectably in his handful of Sprint Cup starts.

Will Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth win a race? Both champions are sure to revisit a long lost love- that being victory lane. Gordon and Kenseth are two of the top five drivers in our sport, so expect them to rejoin the fraternity of winners in 2009. Kevin Harvick will also find victory lane in 2009.

Is there a former champion that may not win a race in 2009? Bobby Labonte is now a darkhorse after spending the latter stages of the 1990’s and early years in the 2000’s as a perennial championship contender. The 2000 champion has yet to sign on with another team after leaving Petty Enterprises. Unless Penske Racing resolves their dire performance issues, Kurt Busch may undergo his first winless season since 2001, his rookie season. As mentioned earlier, Tony Stewart could perhaps fail to win a race for the first time in his career, as he is not a car owner as opposed to just a driver.

Who is going to win their first career race in 2009? After no victory lane newbies in 2008, we should see a couple of first-time winners in 2009. David Ragan, A.J. Allmendinger, Joey Logano, and Scott Speed are solid candidates.

Who will emerge as the comeback driver of the year? Last year, it was Greg Biffle. This year, Martin Truex, Jr and Jamie McMurray are possibilities.

Fans, the next month and a half will fly by, so prepare yourself for a different NASCAR in 2009.

Jeff Weiland of Orono to coach metro team in Minnesota all-star football game this summer

Nascar News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:54:40 +0000

Jeff Weiland of Orono to coach metro team in Minnesota all-star football game this summer
Orono football coach Jeff Weiland has been selected to coach the metro squad in the 37th annual Minnesota high school all-star football game June 26 at St. Cloud State. Rochester Century’s Jon Vik will coach the outstate team.
Read more on Pioneer Press

Jeff Fuller Texas A&M WR 2009 Highlights

Nascar News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:54:31 +0000

Highlights of Texas A&M wide receiver Jeff Fuller from the 2009 regular season. The sophomore missed 3 games with an injury, but still managed to catch 34 passes for 466 yards and 7 touchdowns, including 6 for 132 and 3 tds against archrival Texas. Caught 50 passes for 630 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2008 as a true freshman. Footage by Aggie Athletics www.aggieathletics.com

Crown Royal Racer

Nascar News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:54:27 +0000

Jamie Mcmurray Wins 2010 Daytona 500

Nascar News — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:54:25 +0000

Jamie McMurray, driving a Chevrolet stock car, wins the 52nd Annual Daytona 500. He was able to keep the lead in the final 2 laps despite Dale Earnhardt Jr’s astonishing leap from 10th to second place at the Daytona International Speedway. ”The race, which was slowed by two red flags for track repair, was highlighted by a record 21 different leaders who exchanged the lead 52 times” states www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

After the race McMurray gave an emotional speech while ecstatic fans cheered in the background. “I can’t really put it into words the way it feels. As a kid growing up, this is what you dream of — being able to win the Daytona 500.”

The now celebrated racing star almost didn’t make it to the 2010 Daytona 500 due to the challenges of finding a sponser. Although Mcmurray raced for Chip Ganassi’s team in the past, last Fall Ganassi unexpectedly added him again despite a break in their relationship. To everyone’s surprise the two were able to look past their differences and focus on the race – A move that has now made history!

Ganassi and McMurray worked hard to get where they are, but they didn’t do it alone. The car that got them to the finish line was manufactured by Chevrolet and endorsed by Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Boats (just to name a few). To honor it’s special place in NASCAR history, the winning car has been inducted into the Daytona 500 Experience, where it will be displayed for the rest of the racing season.