What is your definition of ‘Tough Times’? 

Take a moment, do some soul searching, and think about what your answer would be.  We will come back to this.

Personally, for me, the last two years have been trying.  The biggest would be that I lost three of my dearest friends, in the span of about a year.  Now, I am of an age where this could be happening more in my life, however, these three were all younger than me and taken way too soon.  That was from the beginning of 2019 to the beginning of 2020.  Then we all know what happened in early part of this year, the pandemic.  That changed lives in ways we never dreamed.  Being locked down, endless Zoom meetings, jobs lost, jobs on hold, being home with your family 24/7, being alone, no dining out, people sick, not understanding how to treat this thing, someone close to you having it and maybe even losing their lives to it, parents becoming teachers, and teachers becoming virtual teachers when they would rather be in a classroom with their kids, for some there was depression because they couldn’t see their family and friends in person or any reason that hit them close to home. It has been terrible.  The list is endless of how the pandemic affected any person.  And, of course, it was an election year like none other with all the tension around that.  Yes, I had to use my hair root touch up a few times until I could see the hairdresser again, my belief is, not only because of time, but because the stress was causing more grays than usual.   Then this week another person was taken too soon.  She was more of an acquaintance than a friend.  However, she had touched so many lives and in some ways, I didn’t realize how much she had touched mine until she was gone. 

So, now that I have depressed you,

 let’s talk about this from the side of what you can do and how you can change.  In the first line, I asked you to do some soul searching on how you would answer what ‘tough times’ are to you.  Did you do that?  Have you come up with your answer? 

Yes, many outside factors can trigger what we call, ‘tough times’ however, my belief is it is our attitude that determines how tough our times will be. 

Allow my to tell you about my friend, 

who was in the original three, who passed too soon. He taught me a lesson a few years back before we even thought about a pandemic,  that changed my life and whole attitude on ‘tough times’.  His wife is very ill, she has a debilitating disease and needs a lot of care.  What I knew he was doing for her, would make me question if I was strong enough to take care of my husband the way he took care of her.  It was amazing.  She was his number one priority, yet he ran a business, took care of a family, cared for and about each of his clients and team, and put many others before himself.  Oh, he wasn’t a total saint and had his days, however, I know he is in heaven for all he did.  The reason for telling you this was, that even now when I believe that I am dealing with a ‘tough time’ my thoughts go to him, and very quickly, my true reality sets in, ‘it isn’t so bad’.  I can get through this!  Matter of fact, when people apologize to me for the things that may happen, or they feel like they need to give an apology, here is my stock answer to them, “No need to apologize if this is my biggest problem in life, I got none.”  They generally smile and answer back with something like, ‘That is so true’ and just seem to be grateful.  It makes both of us feel good.  Attitude. 

..It is the day after this very contentious election and we still don’t have a winner. However, yesterday someone posted on Facebook ‘Fill in this line;  Tomorrow I will_______________”.  My response, “I will get up go to work, and still love everyone around me”.  Attitude.  How would you have filled in that line?  You see we only have control over one true thing in our lives and that is ourselves and our attitude.  We can be defeated by ourselves or we can stub our toes, hop around a minute, curse the world and then and keep moving and try to win. My friend in the story above, I used to tell him, you get 15 minutes to go somewhere or sit in your car, yell, scream at the universe, cry, pray, do whatever you want to help get the frustration out.  When the 15 minutes is over, it is over and now you keep moving.  That is what he would do. 

Here are some things I do when faced with a tough time:

• Use my 15 minutes
• Talk to a trusted friend, colleague, or my husband who can help me see the forest from the trees.
• Pray or talk to the universe.
• Think about my friend in the story above,
• Take inventory of the positives in my life,
• Think of the friends who stand by me.
• I don’t and won’t dwell in the past.
• Realize I can do more, I just have to change my attitude.

• Realize how important right now is!  

   

  Changing your attitude can change your whole life.

  Don’t dwell in the past.  Use the past as a learning tool, not a ‘woe is me’ tool.  That is not a tool.  Think about a car, the rearview mirror is tiny compared to the windshield, because what is in front of you is far more important than what is behind you.   And trust me, no matter what you are going through someone out there has it rougher than you.  Because in your perception of things you can always find someone like that.  Think of them and become grateful for your situation, you are learning from it.

  Make your list of what you can do to help in your ‘tough time’ moments.  All of us will have a little different list.  Yours is important.  Please share some of your list ideas below as another might add it to their list.

Kind Words from Happy Clients

Jason Bayer

J MAN STUDIOS

Nanette Polito's coaching was very educational and a tremendous asset to my small business. I not only learned the value of creating and building strong networks, but it also provided me with a system to track my process. The program also exposed me to the VCP principal (visibility, credibility & profitability) and how to best utilize this practice to build lasting relationships that were created among participants and the support I received from meeting weekly with other small business owners. I highly recommend Nanette!

 

Michael White

Referral networking is where it's at for marketing your business in today's world. Nanette Polito's programs and coaching will jump-start your abilities to achieve referral success. The best aspects of this course are engaging your need to get organized, get the best partners, and staying committed to the process. If you focus on this process, you will succeed in building your network's visibility, credibility, and profitability for you and your partners. We owe this to each other, in order to maximize our growth.

 

Gwen Pietzuch

USANA Health Sciences

I would highly recommend Nanette Polito's coaching. The material was pertinent to all businesses and really opens your mind to think creatively. I count the class members as colleagues and friends and will remember as I meet people "that I am always standing in the middle of a referral", not necessarily for myself, but for all those that I interact with via BNI and fellow classmates.

 

Christine Luken

Financial Lifeguard, Word Nerd

I cannot say enough good things about Nanette Polito! I enrolled in her program five months ago and am amazed at the results I have seen already. This class came at the perfect time for me because I was in the process of merging two businesses and trying to determine what my focus should be. Through the one-on-one coaching sessions with Nanette, it became clear what I was passionate about and where I should focus my energy. The subjects covered in class and the homework assignments have practical applications for my business. Within sixty days, I started seeing tangible results – connections, leads, and closed deals. At this point, the class is more than paying for itself. I’m excited to see my return on investment by the time class is finished! If you’re considering coaching just do it! You’re leaving a lot of money on the table if you don’t.

 

Scott Warner

Allied Van Lines Interstate

Before working with Nanette, one of my biggest challenges was networking and speaking confidently in front of a group of people. I didn't know how to market my business to my sphere of referral partners. By learning and understanding my 'Why', the reason for which I am in this career, I have learned how to effectively market my business.

What made me decide to invest in the program was Nanette's passion for seeing me succeed and watching other people's success from her programs.

I am loving my business again. My job had become mundane. I have a new appreciation for my partners that I have been able to share with them.

The return on my investment in the class has been the confidence to network. Nanette helped me greatly with the play "It’s a Wonderful Life” this helped me with being heard from the back of the room.

Nanette taught me how to enjoy my weekly business meeting with my sales team. How to have a foundation for the passion in the business I am currently employed. Understanding how many people can be a referral partner's in your realm or sphere.

 

David Clegg

Social Sherpa

Over the last two years, my entire approach to sales and marketing has experienced a radical overhaul thanks in no small part to Nanette and her passionate teaching and coaching.

Through Nanette's curriculum and peppered with her own experience and wisdom, she has refined (and in some cases eliminated) the skills that I have developed over a 25-year career in sales and sales management.

If you had given me an examine and one of the questions read something such as, "Which are easier to close, referred leads or cold prospecting leads?" I knew the answer. However, I never knew how to get out of the cycle of HUNT | KILL | EAT. That may sound crude, but that is the sales process for most companies.

What Nanette taught, but more importantly, COACHED me to do was effectively build deeply committed referral partnerships. These partnerships have brought greater results than I could have ever achieved alone.

It's not rocket science, but it is a system that you can replicate over and over again. Then, once your referral partners start using the same system, you begin to experience the synergy of referral marketing.

Thank you Nanette for your investment in my business, but mostly for your investment in me.

 

RC Rogers

I have been in Nanette Polito's Class for the last 6 months. In the beginning, I couldn’t figure out why I do what I do for a living. After one personal coaching session, I now realize “WHY”. Finding out “WHY” completely changes the reason I wake up in the morning.
I encourage anyone looking to better themselves and make more money in less time, to contact Nanette.

 

Brian Arlinghaus

Arlinghaus Heating & Air

The mood at Arlinghaus Heating & Air Conditioning has changed from above average to “greatness.” Nanette made a huge impact on my business life which also affected my personal life. The changes are un-imaginable. I have applied the tools that I learned from Nanette Polito to the Arlinghaus team and we are able to set goals that are clear and achievable. I had never truly put together an in-depth business plan and now I have. It is our path to follow with purpose and direction. I have been able to polish our mission statement creating one that is true to the Arlinghaus values. It is mandatory that every time we have a team meeting the mission statement is read out loud. The team loves it, they believe in it and they want to be part of it. It is:

“Through Teamwork, we will achieve and exceed the expectations of our customers by providing the best quality solutions, products, and services provided by highly trained and integrity like-minded individuals. People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care. Service is our passion.”

We now have weekly meetings with the installation and service departments. We are taking photos of all jobs and sharing them on a projector during the meeting. We then can collaborate to determine what we did correctly and what could have been done better. We refer to service manuals that are read aloud and encourage each team member to do some research at home. Arlinghaus has a standard to live up to and this tool helps us to achieve the best possible customer care.

Learning the skills to develop my company operating procedures and implementing them, has also affected my personal life. Because of the direction my business is now going, I have been able to enjoy much needed time at home with Heather and my kids with no stress. The payoff is tremendous!

So I am saying to you from the bottom of my heart, keep doing what you are doing because you have affected more than just my life, you have affected the lives of 26 Arlinghaus employees. They come to work with a purpose and they can go home in a great mood which affects their family life too. WAHOO!

 

Linda Austin, VanDyk Mortgage

Senior Loan Originator NMLS #1442497 OH MC #414969 KY

How quickly can you articulate to a lead or referral partner your “why” you are in business?
If it’s more than 60 seconds, Nanette Polito can help you communicate your passion clearly and effectively.

I have been fortunate that Nanette has coached me weekly. After only a few short weeks, small changes to my pattern of practice resulted in more leads, stronger referral relationships, and loans in the pipeline.
Nanette is genuine. She has a way to quickly establish rapport with her clients. Nanette relates to others based upon her various life experiences and helps them capture what’s best about themselves in order to monetize it and build a business.

I have attended several business meetings, workshops, and multi-session learning series that Nanette has held. She is an excellent teacher and an engaging speaker. Her classes are fun, full of practical tips and hacks that can be used immediately to get improved results.

I highly recommend hiring Nanette Polito as a business coach for your company and sales staff.

 

Nancy Piatt, IPR Group

Nanette builds relationships with you and your people to connect and communicate with them on their level (or personality)

Nanette teaches building relationships first and then work on the sale with potential clients.

Nanette helps me to get out of the comfort zone and make it so it's not so painful

Love my coaching sessions!!

 

Frank Littrell, ReMax

I cannot say enough good things about Nanette Polito. I have worked with her through some personal coaching as well as coaching with my Team and it has been great. Her desire to make everyone around her successful comes through her vibrant personality, but with a gentle touch. She's there for support, guidance, direction, tough-love, and a hug when it's needed. Okay, a hug even when it's not needed. If you're looking for a coach that understands human behavior and all personality styles and how to get along with them, you owe it to yourself to give Nanette a try. You will find a professional coach that will work hard to understand your business and guide you to greater success. Thanks, Nanette, for all you do for us!

 

Kirk Short, Wichita Home Team

 

Brian Adams, Seven Hills Technology

As someone from a non-sales background, a major concern of mine was finding the correct ways to talk about myself and my business. Nanette took a unique approach to work within my comfort zone and educate me regarding referral networking, quick "commercials", and targeted audiences. Working with Nanette has been a tremendous gain both personally and professionally, and her advice and expertise has helped in a variety of ways within my company, in areas completely unexpected at the time we began