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speaker biographies
Speaker
NIDO QUBEIN
Subjects
sales, motivation
Video Clip
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Nido
Qubein was a penniless immigrant to the United States from the Middle East
in 1966 with barely any knowledge of English and no marketable skills.
Today Mr. Qubein is an internationally successful business leader. He is
CEO of Creative Services, Inc., a North Carolina-based international
consulting firm. Mr. Qubein is also director of Southern National Bank
Corporation, a six-billion-dollar bank holding company with over 200
offices. He serves on the board of Harvard University's Institute for
Economic Development and the international board of American Humanics
Foundation.
Qubein's
story is truly inspirational:
Through friendships made as a counselor at a youth camp, Qubein came to
High Point College in North Carolina. He received his bachelor's degree in
human relations in 1970; he earned his master's degree in business from
nearby University of North Carolina in 1971.
In 1971, he began a
small publishing company and wrote, edited, and collated leadership
materials, which he then sold by direct mail. People began to buy and ask
him to come and speak to their groups.
In 1973, he started
speaking and soon was giving more than 200 speeches a year to clients such
as AT&T and Nabisco. But Qubein's keen insight told him that
motivational speeches were not enough to keep a business prosperous.
"The value of
inspirational talks is limited," says Qubein. "They give a
temporary boost, but when the adrenaline is gone, you tend to go flat
again; you go back to the old way of doing things. In fact, motivation can
actually cause frustration, because people are really looking for
education."
So Qubein
expanded from motivational speeches to management consulting, providing
employees and staff with the education they needed to succeed. Qubein
believes people are educated, not trained. Animals are trained.
To make the point, he
illustrates the difference with a story about a trip to a fast food
restaurant where he ordered a milk shake and an apple pie. The well-trained
young woman waiting on him took his order and asked, "Would you like
a dessert to go with that?" This young woman was obviously told to
try to sell a dessert with every order and she was operating exactly as
trained.
According to Qubein,
American corporations are spending millions to train, not educate, their
employees. His point is to teach employees how to learn, how to proact,
and how to react. Training, in his opinion, only shows employees how to
handle specific situations.
"The word
educate," contends Qubein, "stems from the Latin word educo,
meaning to change from within. We, as professionals, are change agents.
Our job is to help our clients improve the performance and productivity of
their people resources. Education must be repetitive to work. It must
allow for practical application. "And," according to Qubein,
"executives do not know how to create their own employee education
programs or how to find someone to do it for them. In too many
businesses," Qubein observes, "the dailiness of life takes over
and executives find themselves dealing with issues as they arise, rather
than planning a management strategy and employee development program.
“Today's customer
doesn't want to buy a speech or presentation. What customers want to buy
are solutions to their problems. In other words, they are saying, `Show us
how to innovate and how to make sure that we are all doing the right
things to be competitive in the global marketplace.' And, `Please,' they
are begging, `Manage the journey; don't just announce the
destination."'
Qubein adapts his
approach to companies. "In the 70s," declares Qubein,
"companies were looking for someone to motivate their employees.
During the 80s they saw the need for education. During the 90s, the need
is for implementation. The client wants to know `What's in it for me?' The
ideal is for us to go in and do a needs analysis and find out where the
company wants to go."
To do this, asserts
Qubein, you need to learn to think and act like a problem solver. Develop
a problem-discovering-solving mindset. Any time you approach a client-whether
in person or through promotion-be looking for the most pressing problems
the client has that you can solve.
"We have to quit
thinking `What can I sell this client?' and start thinking, `What problem
can I solve for this client?"' reiterates Qubein. "Let us serve,
not sell. Also, it's important to hone our problem-solving skills. The
future of this business is owned by problem solvers."
So Qubein
provides his corporate clients with a three‑dimensional approach to
management. He provides them with motivation and inspiration. He provides
them with education. And he guides them through the practical
implementation of the things they've learned. He likes to create a program
for clients, show them how to implement the program, then, after one to
three years, place the implementation in the company's hands.
To keep clients from
getting tired of seeing and hearing you year after year, Qubein insists
you need to develop precision speaking skills, contribute to your client's
continuum of learning, develop proprietary materials and systems, and
focus on product/process/person progress. You need to design comprehensive
learning systems and remember the law of supply and demand: The greater
the demand, the shorter the supply, and the higher the price.
The more of what you do
that people want, and the fewer people who can do it, the higher the fees
you can demand for it. "Our task," according to Qubein, "is
to do as much as we can for each client-to translate raw data into useable
information in hopes that we can help people and nurture a better global
village."
Despite Qubein's
emphasis on designing comprehensive learning systems to help educate
businesses, his fame began, and continues to grow, as a motivational
speaker. He is a recipient of The Cavett, considered the Oscar of the
speaking profession. He was inducted into the International Speakers Hall
of Fame in 1986-the youngest person ever inducted. He is a past president
of the National Speakers Association and continues to be active as
chairperson of the National Speakers Association Foundation.
From
his plush office and private recording studio, Nido Qubein turns out a
steady stream of motivation tapes and inspirational books distributed
worldwide by Prentice Hall and Nightingale-Conant. He is the author of
more than 30 books, including best-sellers such as Communicate Like a Pro
and Get the Best from Yourself The Complete System of Personal and
Professional Development.
Although he consults
for multibillion-dollar corporations like General Electric, most of his
clients are small - to medium-sized companies with five to 1000 people.
All his business comes, according to Qubein, by word of mouth and about
three-quarters of his clients are repeat customers.
Dr. Norman Vincent
Peale calls Qubein "an amazing person." Qubein shares his
expertise and his wealth with organizations great and small that call upon
him for help. In 1971, fresh out of college, he established the Nido
Qubein Associates Scholarship Fund. This fund has provided scholarships to
more than 300 students at North Carolina private colleges. About 100 area
business executives also contribute to the fund.
Qubein believes that
giving of one's time and resources to causes that uplift humanity is good
for the soul as well as for business. "You don't help others so that
others will help you in return," he said. "You do it because
it's your obligation as a member of humanity. If you give from your heart,
others will give from their hearts in return, and you become a sharer in
human generosity."
Nido
Qubein is a master of communications. He radiates an aura of success. He
knows business from the inside and can communicate his insights to
audiences large and small. Qubein is a master practitioner.
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Windsor, Connecticut 06095
Voice: 800-875-2893
Fax: 860-687-1062
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