Project Distinct Podcast
549 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsHow do YOU stand out in today’s competitive marketplace? What does it take to sell uniquely…and serve remarkably? How can customers tell a difference between you and your competitors? “PROJECT DISTINCT with Scott McKain” reveals what it takes to soar above the crowd and dominate your market. You’ll discover the elements required to make your competition irrelevant. Subscribe and join Hall of Fame professional speaker Scott McKain daily! What if you don’t listen…and your competition does?
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Episodes
S2 E343: Encore Episode - Keys to employee engagement
February 17, 2020 08:00 - 8 minutes - 8.05 MBYou cannot create distinction without an engaged team delivering an ultimate customer experience. On today’s Project Distinct, Scott McKain reveals some shocking statistics about employee engagement — and gives you specific steps to take to enhance the involvement of your team.
S2 E342: Encore Episode - Dealing with a difficult boss
February 16, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 19.2 MBWe’ve all experienced managers who were tough to work for — and, if that’s what you’re dealing with now, how can you handle it? In today’s Project Distinct, Scott McKain shares his story of a difficult boss — and how you can avoid the mistake he made. And, he’ll reveal simple, practical steps to help you be more productive when you have to work with a difficult personality.
S2 E341: Encore Episode - Millennials and Leadership Development
February 15, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 19.4 MBAccording to Harvard, Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce. So, how is YOUR organization equipping them to be the leaders who will take you into the future? According to a recent study, probably not very well. Today’s Project Distinct looks at what Millennials want in training and development and Scott Mckain reveals the two steps you need to take NOW to ensure future growth.
S2 E340: Encore Episode - Contagious Attitudes
February 14, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 18.7 MBWhether we realize it or not, the attitude that we display to others is highly contagious. And, this naturally means that the attitudes we reflect to our customers helps set the tone for their experiences with us. Today, Scott McKain reveals new research on the critical importance of sending out “good vibes” and what it can mean to our customer and employee relationships.
S2 E339: Encore Episode - What Metallica can teach you about business
February 13, 2020 08:00 - 8 minutes - 16.9 MBIt’s hard to imagine any band customizing their concert performances more than Metallica does. In today’s Project Distinct, Scott McKain lists how the supergroup makes each show a special event for local fans — and relates it to the steps we need to take in business to make our customers feel more engaged.
S2 E338: Encore Episode - More on ALL Business is Show Business!
February 12, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 9.39 MBIn this episode, Scott takes a look at the specific reasons WHY your business is a “show business” — and offers specific ideas on what you can do to enhance the customer experience.
S2 E337: Encore Episode - Why YOUR business IS “show business”
February 11, 2020 08:00 - 7 minutes - 7.21 MBA remarkable event created Scott McKain’s unique business philosophy: “ALL Business is Show Business.” In today’s Project Distinct, he relates the story of how it happened, and why it’s important to you and your efforts. (If you’d like to hear the entire audiobook of “ALL Business is STILL Show Business,” it’s available on Audible.)
S2 E336: Encore Episode - Fighting commoditization
February 10, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 9.84 MBIn today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, it’s natural that commoditization is a magnet that pulls businesses and professionals back to the pack. In today’s episode, Scott McKain relates the story of how commoditization impacted his industry of professional speaking — and reveals the aspect of business that can help you prevent being a commodity.
S2 E335: Encore Episode - Three questions to create a compelling competitive advantage
February 09, 2020 08:00 - 8 minutes - 8.63 MBEveryone seeks an advantage — however, we often fail to understand that what we perceive as a strength may not be compelling to customers in our market. In today’s Project Distinct, Scott McKain offers three questions we should all be asking to make our competitive advantage enough to motivate our customers.
S2 E334: Encore Episode - The Six Levels of Customer Interaction (Part Three)
February 08, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 14.1 MBScott McKain concludes his examination of the six levels of interaction that revolve around the intensity of customer relationships. Today, it’s the final two levels — client and advocate. What happens when the repeat customer becomes more engaged and exclusive with you? And, what does it take to grow a client into an advocate who will promote your business for you? Whether it’s B2C or B2B, the principles are the same — and you’ll grow both your business and your career when you understand a...
S2 E333: Encore Episode - The Six Levels of Customer Interaction (Part Two)
February 07, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 13.8 MBScott McKain is examining the six levels of interaction that revolve around the intensity of customer relationships. Today, it’s the next two levels — first-time buyer and repeat customer. What happens when a prospect decides to make her first purchase? And, what does it take to keep them coming back for more? Whether it’s B2C or B2B, the principles are the same — and you’ll grow both your business and your career when you understand all six levels…continuing today!
S2 E332: Encore Episode - The Six Levels of Customer Interaction (Part One)
February 06, 2020 08:00 - 8 minutes - 12.9 MBIn this series, Scott McKain examines the six levels of interaction that revolve around the intensity of the relationships you have with customers. Today, it’s the first two levels — suspect and prospect. You’ll discover how those who may not have the need or ability to buy move up into a prospect with whom you can do business. Whether it’s B2C or B2B, the principles are the same — and you’ll grow both your business and your career when you understand all six levels…starting today!
S2 E331: How can I become a better speaker?
February 05, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 13.3 MBIn this episode, Scott McKain answers one of the questions he’s asked most: How can I improve my speaking skills. With research published by Harvard, combined with his own wealth of experience, here are tips to help you attain the speaking skills you desire.
S2 E330: Encore Episode - The clarity of Nido Qubein and High Point University
February 04, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 9.4 MBAs the Corporate Educator in Residence at High Point University, Scott McKain has just spent a couple of days on campus at one of the nation’s most innovative institutions of higher learning. In this episode, he reveals one of the first steps that his friend, Dr. Nido Qubein, President of HPU, took to dramatically change the fortunes of the school — and how you can apply the same approach to your business or career.
S2 E329: Encore Episode - The problem with the “hustle”
February 03, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 14.8 MBSo many are talking about the importance of the “hustle” on social media, Inc. Magazine asks if we’ve devolved it into “hustle porn.” There’s no doubt we need to make an effort to attain success — but, is there a problem with all the 10Xing and the “hustle”? In today’s episode, Scott McKain shares what really matters as we seek to create distinction.
S2 E328: Encore Episode - Lies you're told about personal and professional improvement
February 01, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 9.4 MBWe are coming from a good place: we want to get better, personally and professionally. Thus, we often fall for promises that cannot be delivered upon — and often feel that we have failed, not that the promise was ridiculous. In a recent post by Brad Stulberg, titled “The Problem with ‘Hack’ Culture,” it’s exposed that many of the career or life “hacks” we see around us are the 21st Century equivalent to snake oil sales. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain talks about overcoming this sa...
S2 E327: Encore Episode - Communication is your most important skill
January 31, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 10.1 MBAccording to leading futurists, the most important skill you can have is…communicating narrative. On today’s special PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain will discuss the importance of crafting and relating compelling narrative — AND reveal a unique way that you can dramatically enhance your ability to speak in order to grow your career and business.
S2 E326: Encore Episode - Trust - the essential element for customer and employee experiences
January 30, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 9.43 MBIf I don’t trust you, why would I want to do business with you? If I don’t trust you, why would I want to work with you? Yet, we often find that creating and sustaining trust is woefully lacking in many organizations — and from those who lead them, as well. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain discusses the critical factor of trust. And, he will provide a couple of terrific resources where you can discover more about what you can do to enhance the trust that your internal and external ...
S2 E325: Encore Episode - How Google failed the trust test
January 29, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 9.92 MBDo you trust your customer as much as you want them to trust your products and services? How do you SHOW your customer that you do? This weekend, Scott McKain relates his horrible experience with Google customer service. It’s a textbook example of a company putting their own policy in front of serving a customer in need. If you don’t want to fail your customers the way Google failed Scott, today’s PROJECT DISTINCT is a “must listen!”
S2 E324: Encore Episode - 4 Steps to Improve Your Company's Training
January 28, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 9.58 MBWould you want a surgeon to operate on you if she hadn’t received ongoing training after graduating from medical school? Probably not. We recognize in many professions that ongoing training is required to continue to work in that field. So, if it’s so important to them — why not to the employees of your company (no matter the size)? On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain will discuss a recent study by McKinsey and Company on the four steps necessary to improve your organization’s training...
S2 E323: Encore Episode - Ultimate Customer Experience ® Week - The Five Steps of the UCE
January 27, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 10.3 MBThis week has been “Ultimate Customer Experience ® Week” on PROJECT DISTINCT! On today’s episode, Scott McKain will review the Five Steps to the Ultimate Customer Experience — as well as five “stops” you need to make…and five “starts” you need to take…to deliver a UCE for your customers.
S2 E322: Encore Episode - Ultimate Customer Experience Week - The Fifth Step
January 26, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 10.3 MBThere are five steps to creating and delivering the Ultimate Customer Experience ® — the topic for an entire week of episodes of PROJECT DISTINCT. Today, Scott McKain reveals the fifth step through his story about two resort hotels located near each other, yet delivering vastly different experiences to their customers. From this, you’ll discover the last step — and perhaps, the most important step — in delivering Ultimate Customer Experiences for YOUR customers!
S2 E321: Encore Episode - Ultimate Customer Experience ® Week -- The Fourth Step
January 25, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 10.6 MBIt’s the next to the last step for delivering the Ultimate Customer Experience — and it’s one that is frequently overlooked or under appreciated. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain shows us the three action steps we must take to create the kind of connectivity with customers that create an ultimate experience…and execute the Fourth Step of the five that are required. PS - there was a bit of a recording issue in Scott’s hotel room as we did this — while the audio isn’t up to our usua...
S2 E320: Encore Episode - Ultimate Customer Experience Week - Step Three to a UCE!
January 24, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 10.6 MBIt’s obviously important to serve our customers! Yet, service — while critical — isn’t enough to deliver an Ultimate Customer Experience. On today’s episode of PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain reveals the third of the five steps required. It examines the element we need to add to service to engage and amaze our customers.
S2 E319: Encore Episode - Ultimate Customer Experience Week - Step Two to a UCE!
January 23, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 10.5 MBWhile we want to make our customer experience extraordinary, customers do NOT want us to “make it right.” On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain will show us what customers REALLY want so you can deliver an “Ultimate Customer Experience ®.”
S2 E318: Encore Episode - Ultimate Customer Experience Week - Step One to a UCE
January 22, 2020 08:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBThe “Ultimate Customer Experience ®” Week continues on PROJECT DISTINCT! Today, Scott will reveal the first step required to deliver an Ultimate Customer Experience for both your internal and external customers. And, ironically, the way you achieve the UCE does not start with the customer at all…
S2 E317: Encore Episode - It’s" Ultimate Customer Experience ®" Week! Show 1: Let’s talk about customers and experiences.
January 21, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 9.83 MBAll week on PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain will be revealing insights from the soon-to-be-released update of his book, “The Ultimate Customer Experience ®” — and, today we will talk about YOUR all-time best customer experience, and why it’s so critical to your ability to deliver UCE’s to YOUR customers and colleagues.
S2 E316: Encore Episode - Norwegian gets the little things exactly right
January 20, 2020 08:00 - 11 minutes - 11 MBWelcome to NEW episodes of PROJECT DISTINCT! On today’s podcast, Scott McKain will let you in on the “Ultimate Customer Experience ®” he had while away — and how Norwegian Cruise Lines delivered it. It’s an important idea for EVERY professional and any business! And, it’s here for you on this NEW episode of PROJECT DISTINCT!
S2 E315: Encore Episode - Are you promoting to a level of incompetence?
January 19, 2020 08:00 - 8 minutes - 8.26 MBBack in the 1960’s, Dr. Lawrence Peter released a book, “The Peter Principle,” that was intended as satire. Instead, it revealed a truth about how we manage our organizations and promote our people. Now, recent research has revealed not only the truth, but also the impact of this challenge that we face as we promote — and as we are promoted — in our businesses. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain will discuss the phenomenon and show us what to do about it. Link to Forbes article that...
S2 E314: Encore Episode - The Intention Imperative with Mark Sanborn
January 18, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 10.1 MBAccording to bestselling author and Hall of Fame speaker, Mark Sanborn, today’s leaders often lack clarity and therefore the ability to execute, leaving their organizations mired in the status quo. Scott’s longtime friend and renowned leadership expert will demystify the essential elements of great leadership and provide a formula for leaders to achieve breakthrough success. You’l learn about his new book, “The Intention Imperative” on today’s PROJECT DISTINCT from guest host Mark Sanborn! ...
S2 E313: Encore Episode - The people create the experience no matter your size
January 17, 2020 08:00 - 8 minutes - 8.23 MBAs Scott McKain was flying to a speech near Portland, Oregon today, he revisited an important lesson: no matter the size of your organization, it’s your people who deliver the customer experience. The important question becomes — especially for smaller organizations or entrepreneurs — how are you training and monitoring your team’s performance to ensure that they deliver as you desire? That’s the topic of today’s PROJECT DISTINCT!
S2 E312: Encore Episode - The first 3 things to fix to deliver great customer service
January 16, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 8.81 MBAccording to Shaun Belding, writing on Entrepeneur.com, companies are losing $75 BILLION a year because of inferior customer service. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain will reveal the three aspects you need to fix — which is, in fact, three great places to start, as well — if you want to deliver the “Ultimate Customer Experience.®” Here’s the link to Shaun Belding’s post: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/339557
S2 E311: Encore Episode - The 3 qualities required for customer and employee connection
January 15, 2020 08:00 - 7 minutes - 7.81 MBWe all desire higher levels of engagement with our customers and employees. Did you know there are three specific qualities that are required in order to make that happen? On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain outlines for us these three qualities — and gives us the critical reasons why they are vital to our professional and organizational success.
S2 E310: Encore Episode - Why the CEO must be the chief customer experience officer in any organization
January 14, 2020 08:00 - 11 minutes - 11.4 MBIn any organization, EVERYONE is responsible for the customer experience. However, the latest evidence clearly shows that it is of such great importance that the CEO — even the Board of Directors — must consider it as “job #1.” On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain provides the evidence and reasoning behind why delivering an “Ultimate Customer Experience ®” is the single most important thing any business does, regardless of its size or number of employees.
S2 E309: Encore Episode - Your story is better than your statement
January 13, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 9.08 MBWith more ways than ever to connect with customers, we now have more ways to miscommunicate with them, as well! On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain takes a look at the most impactful — and memorable — form of distinctive business communication: narrative. Here’s why the stories you tell are more memorable than the statements you share —
S2 E308: Encore Episode - The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur with John Jantsch
January 12, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 9.37 MBOn a special episode of PROJECT DISTINCT, our guest host — author and marketing consultant, John Jantsch — will talk about entrepreneurial success. John’s forthcoming book, “The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur” is a guide for creating a deeper relationship with the entrepreneurial journey. Today’s episode is a deep and insightful look at an important topic — one that is a “must listen!” For more information on John’s forthcoming book: https://ducttapemarketing.com/the-self-reliant-entrepreneur/
S2 E307: Encore Episode - Happy employees create happy customers
January 11, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 9.99 MBWe all say we want happy customers — but, are we willing to make the effort to ensure we create happy employees who can deliver the type of customer experience that will help us achieve that goal? On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain will review specific points that will help us create a culture of happy employees. Here’s the link to the post Scott discusses today: https://supportyourcustomer.com/happy-employees-make-happy-customers-how-to-achieve-this
S2 E306: Encore Episode - Will AI dramatically change the customer experience?
January 10, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 9.96 MBThere’s so much talk about Artificial Intelligence and how it’s going to revolutionize everything from driving our cars to the experiences we have as customers. Yet, Scott McKain asks in today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, will it REALLY have a disruptive impact? Or, do we need to tap the brakes just a bit on what we think is the future of CX and AI? You’ll find out on this episode! Here are the posts that Scott references during today’s show: "How AI will -- and won't -- dominate customer service...
S2 E305: Encore Episode - Avoiding disruption through distinction
January 09, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 8.92 MBNo one wants their business to be disrupted — yet, we see it happening around us almost every day. How do you make certain that YOU are staying connected to customers in a way that makes disruption unlikely? On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain analyzes why disruption happens — and why distinction is the vaccine that prevents it from occurring to you. Here is the link to the article in MarTechSeries.
S2 E304: Encore Episode - Creating customer joy - the story of Josh and the Apple Store
January 08, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 9.77 MBWe’d all like our customers to be joyful about doing business with us! But, what’s the difference between customer “joy” and customer “happiness”? And, how do we help our customers to be so joyful about our customer experience that they want to spend more, more often with us — and recommend us to their colleagues and friends? On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT — a day after Apple introduced the new iPhones — Scott McKain relates his unique experience with Josh at the Apple Store as an example of cr...
S2 E303: Encore Episode - Should your best customers get preferred treatment?
January 07, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 9.85 MBWhen we read constant complaints about the preferential treatment and privilege that some receive — and how opposed to it that the general public seems to be — it begs an important question: Should some customers get preferential treatment over others? On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, you’ll learn where Scott McKain stands on the issue, and why you should be teaching your team to treat customers wonderfully…but differently.
S2 E302: Encore Episode - It can happen to us; so here is what we can control…
January 06, 2020 08:00 - 7 minutes - 7.57 MBScott McKain’s blog post this week about challenges — and how we prepare and respond to them, both personally and professionally — received such terrific feedback that he decided to make it into today’s PROJECT DISTINCT podcast. Get ready for a thought provoking and inspiring few minutes that may help you with the challenges that CAN happen to us.
S2 E301: Encore Episode - Could you be guilty of the sin of micromanagement?
January 05, 2020 08:00 - 8 minutes - 8.66 MBYou want to be certain your team or organization delivers on its promises — and that’s a good thing. But, what if — in your effort to succeed — you end up being too controlling of your team and micromanaging. Scott McKain knows the problem — he admits he has been guilty of it! On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott looks at what the dangers are of micromanagement — and how to break yourself of this habit for the benefit of you and your colleagues. Here’s the link to the blog post that Scott ...
S2 E300: Encore Episode - Your customers won't be loyal if they don't know how to play your game
January 04, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 9.03 MBImagine kickoff at one of this weekend’s NFL games with no yardage markers on the field or goal lines over which to score. How excited would you be to cheer your team if you didn’t know how they could win the game? So, why do we fail to onboard customers into our loyalty programs — then wonder why they aren’t more engaged when we haven’t taught them how to win at our game? Based on new and insightful research from Brierley + Partners, today’s PROJECT DISTINCT reveals why you need to consider...
S2 E299: Encore Episode - Distinctive times to thank your customer
January 03, 2020 08:00 - 8 minutes - 8 MBWe are all pretty decent at saying “thank you” when someone buys our products or services. Yet, to stand out from the competition, we must take a unique approach. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain provides two specific times we can say thanks to customers that most organizations and professionals overlook.
S2 E298: Encore Episode - The importance of small wins
January 02, 2020 08:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBToo often it seems with think of winning as some kind of Super Bowl-esque moment where we get to spike the ball, bask in the adoration of cheering customers and colleagues, and raise a trophy towards the heavens. However, we know in business that real life isn’t like that at all. That’s why significant leaders need to consider the importance of small wins to build the team’s momentum and grow the confidence of your team members. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain discusses the importa...
S2 E297: Encore Episode - It's TOTALLY personal, it's business!
January 01, 2020 08:00 - 10 minutes - 10.4 MBWe’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s not personal, it’s business.” But, is that REALLY anyway to do business? On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain argues that ALL business is personal…and he gives us a great story of how one business — the Taj Palace in New Delhi — made his visit memorable by making it personal!
S2 E296: Encore Episode - You SHOULD sweat the small stuff
December 22, 2019 08:00 - 10 minutes - 10.1 MBA famous book tells us, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.” Yet, for most businesses and professionals, sweating the details is an essential element in distinction. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain will tell us why we should pay attention to the small details, and offers a three-step plan to help us know how to “sweat the small stuff.”
S2 E295: Lies you're told about personal and professional improvement
December 21, 2019 08:00 - 9 minutes - 9.4 MBWe are coming from a good place: we want to get better, personally and professionally. Thus, we often fall for promises that cannot be delivered upon — and often feel that we have failed, not that the promise was ridiculous. In a recent post by Brad Stulberg, titled “The Problem with ‘Hack’ Culture,” it’s exposed that many of the career or life “hacks” we see around us are the 21st Century equivalent to snake oil sales. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain talks about overcoming this sa...
S2 E294: Encore Episode - Hard skills versus soft skills
December 20, 2019 08:00 - 10 minutes - 9.8 MBYesterday’s episode generated several questions about where soft skills are in relationship and importance to hard skills. On today’s PROJECT DISTINCT, Scott McKain takes a look at the question…asks if perhaps we need different names for those qualities…and expands on why both are critical to success, but one is more important in today’s hyper-competitive world.