3051

To CEOs and Owners: Without asking anyone at the office, who do you think is in charge of your Conference and Event planning?
Not the 'location' details, but these crucial areas:
👉🏼Your People
👉🏼Your Purpose
👉🏼Your Spend
👉🏼Your Goals
👉🏼Your Messaging
👉🏼Your Travel & Entertainment Expense
👉🏼Your Coverage
👉🏼Your Prospects
👉🏼Your Scheduling
👉🏼Your Current Clients
👉🏼Your Products and/or Services
👉🏼Your Results

Count up how many events you participated in during '23- and scour for any meaningful data you can find on your ROI and new revenue.

If you are now thinking it's time to pull in the help of a strategy team to make the best decisions for 2024, reach us via the DMs below.

It's never too early to call for help.

3050

Are you looking to secure a promotion or new position in 2024?
You'll want to check out how our Executive Career and Leadership Coaching programs are making your goals a reality.

Request our complimentary Client Profile today to see if you are the type of candidate we are able to serve best.

After completing the profile, we offer a 25 minute Discovery Call where you can share your key objectives and we will offer you specific details on our services.

✅Growth into greater levels of leadership
✅Career growth
✅Prep for a new position internally or elsewhere
✅Increased confidence and capabilities

✨FORWARD Executive Career Services.
Automotive's premier personal, professional advisory for busy executives.

3049

Who do you know that would appreciate and benefit from access to more tools and insights like our highly-requested AIDE Model? This is another of our performance tools, designed to create behaviors and mindsets that lead to more successful outcomes.

Like, follow, comment and share and you will be included as we release many of our high-performing, proven processes.

3048

How do you predict the future?
You pay close attention to trends, behaviors and your own past.

If you want a more predictable future, the first step to take is to future-proof yourself.

Our AIDE Process will serve you well to
🌟Awareness
Reflect on what is happening in the marketplace that I am not fully leveraging? Are there areas I need to study/discuss/master to take advantage of emerging trends?

🌟Intention
Get and stay committed to a mindset of always paying attention to the growth around us and continuously the effectiveness and value we and our companies are bringing into this environment.

🌟Discovery
Do the work! Read current publications and studies from companies like McKinsey & Company to check yourself against the market. Move away from your own current lens and take a look at your offerings and their appeal and value today and the near future.

🌟Expectations
Build out your metrics based on what they should be, not as incremental growth from your current measurement system. Set clear goals built around your new findings and future possibilities. Step away from viewing your actions relative to past activities, but rather with a fresh slate with new players, processes and results.

While it's true none of us can predict the future, it's always true that we can deploy a strategic plan to view the landscape with a sharp lens and act with confidence.

2024 is almost here...ready or not.
If you'd like us to help you plan out your successful, strategically designed future, simply DM below.

For those who would like their own copy of our 'AIDE' platform, comment FSG AIDE below.

Here's to your powerfully planned new year!

3046

On Old Plans and New Strategies.

As we complete another revolution around the Sun, the 'resolutions' appear again on the horizon.

🤔Did last year's come to life?
🎉Congratulations!
🤯How did you do it?! What's the plan for 2024?

🥺Did you lose track in 2023 or were unavoidable challenges placed in your way?
🎉Congratulations! You are still here to talk about it and reset your expectations.

Not everyone who started 2023 with us had the privilege of making it through the entire year, no joke.⌛

🌟You have been given the gifts of Time, Experience, Challenges and Wins, all at your disposal to leverage towards a powerful, strategically successful new year.

Start with a list of what you have now that you didn't as you entered last January. New People, Connections, Friends, Experiences, Insights...yes, all in CAPS. Each should have the importance of a proper noun.

What worked? What didn't? What could have you streamlined? Where could you have increased your financial picture for yourself and your company?
What will you do know with all of this knowledge in front of you?

Make a clinic out of the year behind and look at the data.

Success can start any time. It can also slip away, which we witnessed this year as well.

Breathe fresh life and purpose into your 'resolutions' and bring the 'resolve' you deserve.

Always on your side, always here to drive performance...strategically!

Enjoy the holidays and treat yourself to some precious planning time.
-Laurie

3045

Meeting this business icon recently was an incredible privilege. He combines his sophisticated business expertise with his heart first street level approach.

It's no wonder Daymond John is beloved and admired by so many entrepreneurs around the world. He leads with genuine humility, stability and generosity.

Going through his many posts, I selected this specifically to share tonight for those who need it.

You might have given a lot to certain people for all the right reasons. It's important to remember tonight that not everyone you encounter will have your best interests at heart. They may not be operating with the same kindness and courage as you.

If this is where you find yourself recently. perhaps reading Daymond's notes below and his words from experience help you gain a clearer view on how to proceed, powerfully.

3044

On Acquiring Talent
We all say we want to 'hire the best' but how do we know we have found the right group of candidates from which to choose your new leader?

Check with us first.
We have a proprietary screening to identify the behaviors and mindsets for the role you are counting on.

Please share any open roles you are currently seeking to fill in the $225-$1m+ bracket in the comments below and keep watching for more innovation in attracting top-tier talent, for all tiers of your organization.

3043

LinkedIn is still the best way to let the world know
🌟Who you are
🌟What you do
🌟Your unique value and expertise...and

🌟What drives you

Yet most people I meet immediately shy away from the conversation about LI and say- "I know I need to work on my profile, I should engage"...but still they don't.


Fear. Fear of the unknown, of making a faux pas are keeping them from greater successes with terrific clients.
If it were there were a business problem, you would find time to solve it.


LinkedIn is a personal, professional opportunity. Don't let fear hold you back from experiencing the power of a global network.


If I held a brief class in a workshop format, who would you recommend should attend?

3042

There is a wide array of those who provide professional services to #Automotive Retailers. These people offer guidance and expertise as #Attorneys, #CPAs #WealthPlanning #Succession Planning #Acquisition hashtag#RealEstate partners and more.

If you have ever known a successful #Dealer, you have met an interesting business person with a lot of interest in growth, new ventures and financial success.

To those who help our #Dealer friends experience ever greater success- and stay out of harm's way- we tip our hat.

A few stand outs who you should know include David Blum, Stephen Dietrich and Stephen Jones.

Each offer their unique specialty in serving their clients. Who else would you recognize?

3041

The final day of AUTOVATE has begun.
Joining Cliff Banks on the stage are Willie Beck, Managing Director of @Bel Air Partners and George C. Chaconas CBI MAMI, Sr. Partner. Interesting to note, these competitors live near each other in Tampa. Fortunately, they're friendly colleagues.

We are deep in conversation regarding Dealership M&A.

WB- "What are your goals?
What do you plan to do after you sell?
What are stores worth based on metrics beyond blue sky reports...how solid are your people, performance and profit margins?

CB- "Every deal is its own book.
WB- "Expected return on investment is what buyers are considering.
"We always have a solid backup buyer

GC- "Finding a buyer is the easy part. Finding motivated, engaged sellers is always the art and hard part.
ROFR advantages/disadvantages...State to state

3039

On Capturing and Holding the Attention of Your Audience I The AUTOVATE Edition.

Admired industry giant Jim Press was deep in a fireside chat with Cliff Banks when I was able to join in. With his vast, respectable experience, he shared the importance of stating current, but reminded us that this does not mean old things were wrong. Rather, at times we must go back to go forward.

Now we have Chase Fraser, renowned Founding Partner of FM Capital with their 36 Dealer Group clients finds Dealers to be excellent partners. He shared a way to describe many as having a 'Golden Gut'! I plan to borrow this.

Bradley Eichers represented Ken Garff Automotive Group as a progressive Dealer Group who continues to lead the way with technology and strategic financial growth.

Michael Maledon has an impressive array of Auto + Investor leadership. Hearing the financial investment approach reinforced the incredible opportunities available for Dealers of all sizes.

Up now, Christopher Walsh is now President of The Reynolds and Reynolds Company. He's sharing how they are working to put solutions and empowerment to those closer to the customer. Empowering their people to make good decisions is making an impact.

We are learning here at AUTOVATE, we're having great conversations and we already have 2 significant potential client prospects...and it's early.

3038

AUTOVATE is live! It's only been hours and I've been able to catch up with so many colleagues, meet new friends, have incredible conversations and spend quality time with an outstanding client.
I'll take all the time I can get with Jennifer Reid, Marguerite Watanabe, Steven Apicella, Matthew Muilenburg, Mark Rikess, Ben Chodor, 🔹 Teresa Bordenet, Robert Baratta, Hans Bodine, Pete MacInnis, Julie Lawton, Paul Malone and more...tomorrow will be here in a blink.
When you want a proven, steady hand to maximize your conference and events strategy you know who to call.
Yes, we're everywhere, we're making a difference and all you have to do is let us know when you're ready to dominate your market.
Cliff Banks, congrats already. Alexi Venneri and team DAS Technology, great work bringing out the best to
#AutoVate 2023 is going down as a 'Can't Miss'!

3037

On Intentional Excellence.
En route to PHX, I couldn't locate my headphones. it happens.

✈️ Sliding through security thanks to a few very kind TSA agents, my search was on.

I saw a nice employee at the first restaurant I passed. I asked if they would mind sharing their recommendation on an electronics shop for a decent pair of great sound + noise-cancelling headphones.

He and his friend pointed me in the right direction. 👍 Excellent level of assistance...to a non-customer!

The young woman offered help as I entered her store. It was clear she could guide me through the dozens of selections.😳

Minutes later, she opened the box and had me ready to go as I put my credit card 💳 away. She was delivering excellence with her exceptional service and helpfulness.

My next stop? Dunkin for a fresh coffee. I was asked for my order while in the rather short line. Each staff member was friendly, efficient and clearing working well together. Seamless, thoughtful, friendly service at Dunkin'​ from this excellent CLT team.

Now to pick up a snack, I found a newer and very sharp fresh to-go only spot, Beatrice Market.

Thrilled to secure a turkey, cheese, egg white englush muffin...I was smiling as I went to pay.

A flight attendant was next up.
Thinking of her busy day and all the passengers she will be serving, I paid for hers. My American Airlines Flight Attendants are always ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's amazing how we can all make an ordinary day very special. I nearly forgot my incredibly sweet Uber driver. So many people have already made my travel day a joy...by design. They intentionally chose an Excellence mindset.

Off to AutoVate to share more of the same energy and keep the momentum alive.

Safe travels, friends and enjoy your day.
-Laurie

3036

On People-nomics. Securing top-tier talent for your leadership teams requires a clear, aligned strategy.

We improve results for our clients, solve their leadership hiring challenges and decrease time and expense. How do we do this? We create a path to attract your desired candidates and ensure everyone involved is engaged with your internal and external processes.

This story is far from over.
Your story with us is just beginning.

Talent Acquisition.
Career Strategy.
FORWARD Executive Leadership Services

Find out how our program ‘Automotive Performance Plus’ transforms relationships and results for dealers and vendors!