Dustin Hillis Blog

As a Navigator it is important to understand these behavioral styles and be able to identify first your own style and then your prospects.

Checkout this podcast interview with John Lee Dumas the host of Entrepreneur on Fire and Dustin Hillis Co-founder of Southwestern Consulting. 3 Key Points: You cannot teach what you don’t know, and you cannot lead where you won’t go. Selling is the transference of emotions and expectations. Keep your principles. Stay focused on your principles. Enjoy! (Click here to listen […]

  On a recent episode of The Action Catalyst Podcast, I was interviewed on the topic of “How to Recruit and Scale a Sales Team”. This is an action-packed episode that you will want to listen to discover principles of scaling a sales team. Highlights: When scaling, duplicate your best practices. @dhillis It is the proven systems that are scalable. […]

Do you believe confidence is something you are born with or not? At Southwestern Consulting, we found that confidence can be developed and strengthened through awareness and training. There are 3 Types of Confidence. We all have experienced all 3 types in some form or fashion in various ways. Our goal is to progress through the 3 types of confidence […]

What do people like Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Mark Cuban and Mark Zuckerberg have in common? Other than being billionaires, they all are decisive. They know what they want. They understand their priorities. They make decisions. You’d probably never hear any of them say, “let me think about it”. Billionaires don’t have time to “think about it”; it’s either a […]

The difference between the ordinary salesperson and the extraordinary salesperson is mindset. With the goal of becoming a successful Navigator, you must develop an extraordinary mindset.

My father once told me “people buy because they like you and trust you.”  People love to buy, but they hate to be sold. The best salespeople on the planet understand that building trust is key. My new book Navigate 2.0 is about how to build trust and how to sell the way people like to buy. Most people sell […]

Recently a man was taking a picture with his smart phone and backed off the ledge of a cliff and died. Being present in the moment can be the difference between life and death. Being present in the moment can be the difference between staying married or getting a divorce. Being present in the moment can be the difference between […]

“Who thinks they are going to be in sales when they graduate?” is the question I kicked off my class lecture with in the business class at Vanderbilt University. Which is the same question I’ve asked in my last six times of being their guest professor.  It amazes me every time I ask the question that no one raises their […]

How to take the pressure off

The wealthiest man I know once told me the key to success is having amazing self-talk. I remember feeling disappointed when receiving this advice over a nice dinner. What a conundrum that I’m getting advice from the a man who was featured in Forbes Magazine as one of the most successful people alive and I’m having a negative response to […]

Mac Anderson is the founder of Simple Truths and Successories, Inc., the leader in designing and marketing products for motivation and recognition. These companies, however, are not the first success stories for Mac. He was also the founder and CEO of McCord Travel, the largest travel company in the Midwest, and part owner and vice president of sales and marketing for […]

John Dewey famously said that “Failure is instructive.”  To that, I boldly say, maybe.  The point of this blog is to help you think differently about mistakes and failures in your life and indeed use them to help you grow. Our Fear of Failure Anyone reading this blog has probably experienced the fear of failure. Sadly, fear of failure oftentimes […]

You and I both aspire to higher levels of performance.  Perhaps one of the best ways to think about how to make that growth happen is to reflect on something that drives most of us on a daily basis. The engines in our cars. Let’s say you decide that you want to start using your automobile to pull your boat […]

Freddie Ravel is the GRAMMY-nominated Keynote Maestro who combines his expertise for business breakthroughs and virtuoso piano performances with a clear and concise application of music’s communicative and scientific powers to inspire, ignite and lift the minds, hearts, and potential of audiences around the world. Backed by number one hits and collaborative successes with Madonna, Earth, Wind and Fire, Prince, and […]

Albert Einstein is said to have stated that “the power of compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.” Compound interest is the addition of interest to the principal sum. By reinvesting interest, the base grows larger and when that base grows again by a percentage, the amount of growth is compounded. Bankers and financial planners will regale […]

Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization.  Founded in 1985, the organization now has over 8,400 chapters throughout every populated continent of the world.  Last year alone, BNI generated 9.1 million referrals resulting in $13.1 billion dollars’ worth of business for its members. Dr. Misner’s PhD is from the […]

Reagan era politician and well-known political strategist Edwin Meese is famous for saying the following: “An expert is somebody who is more than 50 miles from home, has no responsibility for implementing the advice he gives, and shows no sides.”—Edwin Meese Sage wisdom, and it’s even truer today for leadership development.  Why?  Let’s break it down. More than 50 miles […]

Dr. Terry Lyles holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is recognized as a national/international educator, author of three books, speaker to universities, schools, Fortune 500 Companies, world-class athletes, and public audiences.  Dr. Lyles has trained hundreds of individuals including Fire Rescue workers in and around Ground Zero, International Forensic Medical Teams in the Asian torn Tsunami area and the Haiti […]

Todd Browne began his career at Tom James in August 1990. Through hard work, a steadfast commitment to staying at Tom James, and living out the principles of success that Tom James was founded on, Todd rose through the ranks and became President in 2011 and CEO in 2016. With a mediocre track record prior to Tom James, including flunking out […]

In November of 2004, Kimberly Ritzer walked into a little boutique during its opening week with one intention: congratulating the stranger behind the counter for being courageous enough to open her own business. What ensued was a lesson in celebrating each other’s differences and strengths. The stranger behind the counter was Megan Tamte, a third-grade teacher turned stay at home […]

Germain Böer is an innovator in all that he does. His courses use technology and creative assignments that challenge students to think, and feature speakers who have created unusual companies. He also conducts experiential learning programs that transform students into self-driven entrepreneurs. After working for Arthur Andersen & Co., the Institute of Management Accountants., and two universities, Prof. Böer joined […]