Jim Cathcart is a best selling author of 18 books and a member of the Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame for his work in advancing the concept of Relationship Selling™. He has delivered over 3,100 speeches worldwide and served as president of the National Speakers Association. His company helps people develop the confidence and skill to grow their small businesses into profitable enterprises. Jim is the first Entrepreneur In Residence at the Center for Entrepreneurship, School of Management, California Lutheran University.
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
- Joe Willard
- Earl Nightingale
When business started difficulties overcame:
“one day I heard Earl Nightingale on the radio, he was called ‘the dean of personal motivation’, he was on about 900 stations around the world back in 1960s and 70s. And in 1972 I heard him on the radio on a show like yours but shorter and he said if you will spend one hour a day and study in your chosen field five years from now you will be a national expert in that field. And that was the first time it ever occurred to me that I could genuinely make a difference because I thought I had had an unremarkable life, I thought I would have a pleasant life but no big deal, and that made me understand that if I really did become disciplined about one hour of focused study every day beyond my normal work day five years that’s 1250 hours minimum. And with that much study in one field of course you would be a leading authority. So I started studying the field that he was in the field of human development and became truly fanatical about it, I mean in the textbook sense of that word fanatic. And five years later I was a full-time professional speaker and trainer teaching other People’s courses and then my courses and then writing books and being partners with a college professor out of San Diego Dr Tony Alessandra, and then we went back to being separate businesses again and remained good friends”…[Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
- SEE YOU AT THE TOP 25th Edition Book by Zig Ziglar
- The Greatest Salesman in the World Book by Og Mandino
Favourite Quote:
“You Can Have Everything In Life You Want, If You Will Just Help Enough Other People Get What They Want.” – Zig Ziglar
Recommended Online Resources:
- The Entrepreneur Way
- “I would tell other entrepreneurs to start with you. This program and all of the recordings of the other programs and all the resources that you offer, that’s wonderful. You see entrepreneurs are people who are striking out on their own whether they are within an organisation or not, they are initiating things, they are taking the lead, they are creating something that didn’t exist before – that is what entrepreneurialism is about. And entrepreneurs need people that have been there like you and me to listen to and learn from. They need resources that have been proven to be useful to other entrepreneurs…”
- “look for co-working spaces where people of like-mind get together.”
- “and listen to some of the previous broadcasts on this show and get the tips from those folks and then actually put them on a to-do list and take action on those because that will make all the difference for an entrepreneur”
Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“my best advice is do what you do with integrity. Be real, tell the truth, do what works not what you think is going to look good. If the truth is that what you are doing is not worth much then don’t charge much for it. If the truth is that what you are doing is worth a fortune then find a way to respectfully get the value that you are worth. In other words, raise prices, charge what you are worth and package yourself appropriately… truth is at the core of everything… The truth will set you free… that’s true and that’s what an entrepreneur needs. An entrepreneur needs feedback. It’s like in Bill Gates’s book ‘Business at the speed of thought’ he said bad news must travel fast. Well absolutely because as a business owner if there is bad news about my business I want to know it right now before it is too late to do anything about it”…[Listen for More]
More About Jim Cathcart:
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
“Nobody knows everything, yet most people hate being exposed to the idea that they don’t have all the answers.” D.B. Eshleman
Other Quotes From the Chat with Jim Cathcart:
- “I have always hated sales because I saw it as something I did to other people and I felt guilty for doing it but the way you explain it I see it as a helping profession and I can’t wait to make my next sales call”
- “you are seeking people you can help not people you can persuade”
- “the purpose of business is to make life better for somebody”
- “the more people I can help to feel great about themselves, to feel focused and confident and enthusiastic about what they are doing in their business the more I am making the world a better place through my skills”
- “get really really clear on what it is you are doing. What are you doing for people and why should they care”
- “Why should we go back to work tomorrow?….Why should we go back into this business tomorrow? What is there about it that makes this a good choice? There are millions of businesses which are going to”
- “don’t do it because the sales margins are high, don’t do it because it is easy to get into it, don’t do it because so-and-so thinks it’s cool, do it because it means something to your heart and soul, because you want to look forward every morning to going to work and helping other people. And if you don’t hear that music and feel it then you can sing the lyrics right and nobody will want to listen”
- “there are so many people that have secrets to success, some of whom have never succeeded, and so we have to be careful whose secrets we are listening to”
Barry Hall
Many thanks Neil for a great interview with Jim Cathcart. Really enjoyed the conversation. — Barry Hall.
Neil Ball
Barry, I am delighted you enjoyed it and got value from this episode