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Michael Levin

President and CEO, Custom Solutions Inc.

President and CEO, Custom Solutions Inc.

Michael Levin is the President and CEO of Custom Solutions.  He has launched and built numerous companies into multi-million-dollar entities in a wide variety of industries.

He is a three-time #1 International Best-Selling author.   His books include his #1 inspirational best-seller  “Let Them See You Sweat”  along with “The Art of Collaborative Selling”. He is also co-author of Jack Canfield’s, “The Road to Success”.

Michael is also a former 50 Senior Executive for Pepsi-Cola, running gold-standard divisions in San Francisco, Oakland and Reno.

He has delivered his keynotes and workshops on leadership, change, sales, and communication skills around the world for companies and conferences of all sizes.  Michael has been on TV and radio shows around the USA sharing his knowledge. He has appeared on Home Shopping Network, featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and had his products featured in Oprah Magazine.

  • Creating an Entrepreneurial WorkplaceÂź

    Michael’s talk on “Creating an Entrepreneurial Workplace¼” is about his powerful philosophy that creates ownership and empowerment throughout an organization.  Your people will not only embrace change they will actually lead and drive that change.

    You will learn real tools to create that environment as well as how to overcome roadblocks and challenges, and Michael’s philosophy of how to create sustainable change instead of “Flavor of the Month”.

    You will also learn key communication tools including Michael’s 4-step process for resolving conflict, questions and concerns in a collaborative manner.

    Attendees will come to understand the paradigm shift required, from leaders to front-line staff, to create this environment. This philosophy has made Michael’s companies, his client’s companies, and the divisions he ran for Pepsi Cola incredibly profitable by creating a highly motivated, inspired and entrepreneurial team.

    Learning Outcomes

    • You will learn how to create ownership and empowerment throughout the organization.  This will be even more valuable during these times, as leaders are trying to hold their team accountable and responsible while working from home.
    • We will discuss the challenges companies face with moving from a more traditional autocratic environment to one of entrepreneurism. We will discuss the behavioral shifts necessary from both senior leaders and the front line and how to achieve those shifts.
    • We’ll discuss critical communication skills in creating this environment including Michael’s 4-step methodology for resolving conflict that leads to collaborative and mutually beneficial solutions.
  • Creating an Entrepreneurial Workplace: Breaking the Archaic Rules of Autocratic Leadership

    Today’s times have caused us to look at leadership differently.  I’ve always believed that traditional top-down autocratic leadership is archaic.

    In today’s environment, I believe the following to be true:

    • Entrepreneurism within a corporation is critical for innovation and solving problems.
    • That there is a paradigm shift that leaders need to understand: “In order to gain more control you must we willing to relinquish control.
    • That, as leaders we must follow four key principles and then get out of the way so our people can shine.
    • That we miss out on critical components of creating a diverse workplace environment because many organization’s inherent processes cause dramatic barriers for people of color, marginalized groups and women.

     

    Are you open to exploring the following paradigm shifts from traditional autocratic organizations?

    Does your organization still conduct performance appraisals? I believe there is a much better solution to help motivate and retain your people.When it comes to cost cutting is one of the first things you look at as an organization is cutting heads?  I will share why I believe a critical form of cost savings isn’t cutting heads but that the opposite can actually be true and will share why.

    What is your turnover rate?  Is it higher than you like?  Do you have difficulty retaining key people?   I will share how my Entrepreneurial Leadership philosophy can help solve that problem.

    Are your future leaders fully vetted to ensure they are both qualified and trained for their next position prior to promotion?  My findings are that over 95% of companies do not.  I will share my 10 Steps for Developing Future Leaders to help you solve that problem.

    Tied to my “Creating an Entrepreneurial Workplace¼” philosophy, in my talk we will discuss all of the above and the incredibly positive impact these changes can make for your organization, your people and your customers.

  • Embracing and Driving Powerful Positive Change in Your Organization

    Embracing Change is about how to not only get your people to embrace change but actually lead and drive that change.

    In this talk, I will share why change is so difficult for companies to create and why change that does occur so frequently becomes “Flavor of the Month”.

    You will learn my number #1 key that companies fail to do which is absolutely essential for your team to be open to change and how to implement that key.

    You will also learn the three stages that I believe must occur to create not only change that is embraced but change that is sustained.

    Learning Objectives

    • Your attendees will not only gain an understanding of how to get their team to embrace change but to actually lead and drive that change. They’ll also learn the changes senior leadership must make to create this environment.
    • They will gain an understanding of why change frequently isn’t sustained and becomes an uphill battle. They will learn what I believe are the three steps that are critical to creating positive sustainable change and how to implement those steps.
    • They will learn, from the stories I share from both mine and my client’s personal experiences, how companies typically try to implement change, and why they so often fail miserably at it.
    • You will learn the critical importance of understanding that it’s not what change is made it’s how that change is made.
  • Let Them See You Sweat: Lessons I’ve Learned on My Personal Journey With Stress

    Based on my three-time #1 best-selling book of the same name, I will share openly about my personal journey with stress and how I dealt with both the typical and unusual physical impacts I experienced including my body actually stopping sweating.

    I will share with you why I believe stress often goes undiagnosed and dismissed as the possible cause of significant physical damage and how you can be your own best advocate.

    I will also share some of my 15 Key Learnings and what you can do to help effectively manage not only the stress in your live but your team’s and those you love.

    I will also tell inspiring stories of those who came to realize how stress impacted their lives and the miracles that occurred from recognizing and dealing with that impact.

    Learning Objectives

    • You will learn why I believe stress often goes undiagnosed and how you can be your own best advocate to take care of yourself emotionally and physically.
    • I will share with you about what I believe are the delayed effects of stress and how you can be proactive to mitigate the physical effects stress can cause.
    • I will share many of my key learnings that have helped me and others reduce stress while still successfully balancing the work and family demands we have in our lives.
  • Owning Your Life’s Journey

    Michael shares from his experience about how taking ownership of your life helps you create the journey and life you want and deserve.  Michael lost both his parents as a teenager, his Mother to cancer and his Father to suicide.  He was on his own without any money or a place to live.

    Michael shares his story about his journey and how he created the life he desired despite those challenges.  He built multiple multi-million dollar companies, had a highly successful career running gold standards divisions for Pepsi Cola, wrote or co-authored three books including a #1 best-seller, appeared on Home Shopping Network and got featured twice in Entrepreneur Magazine.  He will talk about the people how he owned his life’s journey, stories of those who helped him, and how he believes in paying it both forwards and backwards.

    He will also share his 10 Personal Keys to Success and how to take ownership to create the Life you Want and Deserve. Michael in describing his keynote said “This talk is not about what I’ve overcome.  Many have been through far worse.  It’s about what I’ve learned from this experience in the hope of helping others.  If my talk can help my audience, their teams, or their friends and family, that would be my hope.”

  • Presenting With Power, Persuasion and Presence

    In this inspirational talk, I will help you understand how to overcome the #1 fear:  Speaking in Public.

    I give roughly 100 talks a year around the world and have trained thousands around the world on this topic from workshops to keynotes.  I will help you understand how to use the 3Ps; Power, Persuasion and Presence to create the greatest impact on your presentations.  This will include both internal and external presentations as well as in front of large or small groups.

    We will talk about how to create the impact you want as well as the technical parts of presenting from what do I do with my hands to eliminating filler words.

    We will also talk about different mediums and how you can create the impact you want whether you are live or virtual.

    Learning Objectives

    • I will share important tips to help reduce nervousness and connect and inspire your audience.
    • We will discuss the technical components with respect to your voice, body language and eye contact.
    • We will discuss how to overcome “Death by PowerPoint” and create high-impact connected conversations that allow you to achieve your desired outcome.
    • I will share how to reach your audience both live and virtually and keep a potentially distracted audience engaged.
  • The 7 Lessons I Learned from Being on Wheel of Fortune

    Being on Wheel of Fortune was a surreal and, in many ways, an out-of-body experience.  It was also incredibly fun and a bucket list item I was thrilled to have the opportunity to do.

    What I didn’t expect was how it both taught me and reinforced several life and business lessons.  In my talk, I will share the 7 Key Life and Business Lessons that came from this experience as well as a few bonus lessons.

    I will talk about how you can apply those lessons in your life and how I’ve also applied them in mine.

    And yes, I will also tell you about the most common question I get; “What were Pat and Vanna like?”  I will also share some behind-the-scenes info from my Wheel of Fortune experience.

  • Sitting on the Same Side of the Table: The Art of Collaborative Selling

    Based on my book, “Sitting on the Same Side of the Table:  The Art of Collaborative Selling”, I will help attendees learn how to close more business and more profitable businesses.

    In this program, I will teach you how to move away from traditional PowerPoint presentations and create dynamic interactive influential conversations that lead to strong long-term positive business relationships.

    Whether you are selling a product or service, I will share stories about how I have significantly grown my own companies by incorporating my philosophy even in the worst of times.

    Learning Objectives

    • You will learn the power of my “Sitting on the Same Side of the Table” methodology, how it helps create and build relationships, and how it leads to collaboration while reducing the need for negotiation.
    • I will share my unique and paradigm-shifting 4-step methodology for overcoming objections, questions and concerns that yields dramatically better results and leads to mutually beneficial outcomes. You will not only find it works better than traditional objections methodologies you will also find it to be extremely helpful and effective even at home.
    • I will show you, how even in the most difficult of times, you can yield tremendous results.
    • I will tell you how, with a business I owned in the Automotive Industry, I increased my profits by 70% in one year right in the middle of our last recession and massive automotive industry downturn.
    • I will show you how to move from traditional PowerPoint presentations to high-impact conversations through my methodology which increased my personal close rate from roughly 33% to 70%.
    • I will tell you the one thing I believe every salesperson must have on every sales call and how to properly prepare that one thing.
  • The Exceptional Customer Experience: Tools to Help Your Business Thrive and Drive Glowing Customer Reviews

    “When it comes to creating an exceptional customer experience (CX) in today’s times, I think there is a tremendous opportunity to stand out and shine above the competition”.  Michael Levin

    While in some respects there is a greater focus on CX, there are also inherent frustrations (How many prompts do I have to press before I actually talk to a live person?  Why do I have to pay a “Convenience Fee” for using your automated system when it saved you money?”).  I believe some of these frustrations lead to great opportunities for those committed to CX while creating an environment of ownership and empowerment.

    In Michael’s talk, he will share the following to create a great CX in today’s environment:

    • How to help ensure a great CX for your business’s demographics, generations, and behavioral styles.
    • Based on Michael’s “Creating an Entrepreneurial Workplace¼” philosophy, how to create ownership throughout your organization so your team feels empowered to take care of your customers.
    • Michael’s4-step methodology to help overcome customer concerns and any dissatisfaction they may experience and have them leave a happy and satisfied customer.
    • The questions your team needs to ask to understand your customer’s needs and take care of those needs in a way that serves both them and your business.
    • The little things you can do can make a big difference regarding both your customer’s experience and the reviews they give you.
    • How to hire and retain good people so your team provides the experience you want your customers to have.
  • The Secret to Building High-Impact Multi-Generational Teams

    Why do we struggle with team building? Why do our companies got locked up in functional silos that don’t serve us, our company or our customers? How do we get our people to work together collaboratively for the good of all?

    In Michael’s inspirational talk on Team Building, he will literally give you the blueprint to building high-impact teams that you can take back and immediately implement. He will share with you how to get your people to both willingly and gladly work together to drive critical innovation, initiatives and solve problems and challenges.

    He will talk about the roadblocks we frequently create for ourselves and our people that get in the way of team building and how to overcome them. He will show you how to not only drive amazing business results but create a much happier workforce that can lead to both greater retention and recruitment.

    Learning Objectives

    You will learn:

    • Michael’s very simple tool to effectively create high-impact teams.
    • The roadblocks that create functional silos and a lack of team unity and how to overcome them.
    • How to get your people excited about participating in cross-functional teams to drive critical initiatives, innovations and solve problems and challenges
  • TJ Taber | Senior Production Manager, Events & Leadership Councils

    We recently had the pleasure of hosting Michael as one of our Keynote Speakers and all I have to say is WOW! Michael is a dynamic, professional, inspiring, and passionate speaker.  His down-to-earth approach and real world experiences really “speak” to the audience. 10 out of 10!  Look forward to working with Michael again at future events.

  • Eric Hawley | CIO, Utah State University Director, Association for Information Management, Utah

    Michael dedicates valuable time up front to listen and learn about our event: people and purpose! This is not a generic presentation. Invite him in, challenge him – he listens, customizes, and delivers.

  • Anthony W. Minge, Ed. D | Senior Partner Fitch & Associates, LLC

    Michael has an inspirational message that connects with audiences. The sharing of his messages reminds us that there are many parts to the human equation and to navigate the good times and the bad we have to rely on more than ourselves and our instincts. He reminds us that friends, family, and colleagues are critical elements to our well-being in the life-journey and let’s us know that not only is it ok to reach out to them when in need, but that it can actually damage those relationships if we don’t.

  • Jack Sanford | General Manager, Bay Associates Wire Technologies

    Michael’s leadership philosophy and methodology have greatly helped our employees feel more empowered and take greater ownership. They are now leading critical initiatives to improve our company and our processes.
    As well, it’s a pleasure to see improvement in our communication amongst our teams and how we work better together to find collaborative solutions.

  • Jim Kaspari | Investor, Entrepreneur, Health and Wealth Coach

    I strongly recommend hiring Michael Levin as a public speaker for your company and your clients. I have had the pleasure of attending several of Mike’s presentations.

    He has a warm, friendly style that engages the audience well. He is an expert in the areas of sales, marketing, entrepreneurialism, product development and general wealth building.

    Speaking in public effectively is truly a rare skill and art. I know your clients will enjoy the experience and give excellent feedback on any of Mike’s presentations, courses or workshops.

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