LISTEN UP was founded on the belief that nothing impacts our lives and earning potential more than our ability to interact with others.

Personally we need to work on our relationships with our wives, husbands, families and friends. Professionally we need to develop and maintain personal relationships with our co-workers and clients.

These interpersonal relationships provide the fuel that drive our lives. However, the lack of interpersonal communications skills in today's society is quite evident. Daily, Donald Wayne watched as men and woman walked up and rudely interrupted a conversation when a 5 year old would have shown better manners.

Everyday people greeted him with weak handshakes, no eye contact and or a total lack of energy and expected him to do business with them. Frequently, people Donald Wayne met couldn’t remember his name.

Observing people treating each other as a number made him want to yell from the roof tops, “LISTEN UP people, change your attitudes, respect and be interested in others, it will benefit you!” 

On a daily basis Donald Wayne started confronting business people on their lack of professionalism. Not in a mean, sarcastic way but on a truly personal level. His goal wasn’t to make the person feel bad but rather inform him/her on how he truly perceived him/her.

If a businessman did not stand to greet him he would call him on it and ask, “Why aren’t you standing to greet me? Do you not care to meet me? Believe me they all got to their feet embarrassed and apologetic, because they knew it was the right thing to do. If people didn’t look him in the eye while shaking his hand he would call them on it. While your hand is in another’s hand your eyes shall be on his/her eyes.  A simply gesture that communicates sincerity.

If someone didn’t remember his name, Donald Wayne would make him or her remember his name while stressing the importance of such a skill.  We cannot emphasize enough the importance of remembering names. Now, you might be thinking to yourself that you are also bad with names. Our advice to you is stop reinforcing that notion and start reinforcing to yourself that you will start remembering names.  When asked, “how do you remember peoples’ names?”, Donald Wayne will reply, “I know how important a person’s name is to that person.” 

Remember, the sweetest sound to any person is the sound of his/her own name.

What pleasantly surprised Donald Wayne was the response he received from people. The majority of them, "loved it." They responded to it. They were actually glad that he would tell them how he perceived them because no one else was willing.

They understood that he was bringing it to their attention because he cared about them. They appreciated Donald Wayne's candor and promised to change their ways. Most of the them would sincerely ask, "What else can you teach me?" The simple things Donald Wayne is talking about are just the tip of the iceberg. The truth is there is so much information regarding forming personal relationships that it would take hours to give you a brief overview. In fact, most people need a complete attitude adjustment. That is something that does not happen overnight or over a month but hopefully over several months. The concept is simple, Becoming truly interested in other people will benefit you. Most people are more willing to change once they realize the benefits associated with such a change.

In 2009 Teresa Dawn Simons joined LISTEN UP LLC as a Partner bringing with her nearly two decades of marketing experience and twelve years working in the digital marketing space. A Certified Inbound Marketing Professional with Honors Distinction, Teresa is proficient in best principles and practices including blogging, social media, lead conversion, lead nurturing, and closed-loop analysis. With a focus on Inbound Marketing, Teresa works with clients to construct online marketing strategies that reflect their company image and allows for optimal usability by visitors and search engines.

"One of the best things to happen to LISTEN UP LLC was for me to meet, Teresa Simons. Thankfully, Teresa, took an active interest in LISTEN UP LLC. She researched and analyzed our situation and then confidently let us know that "we needed her." How right she was! Our website has gone from the dark ages into the 21st Century all thanks to, Teresa Simons. Teresa put LISENUP.biz on the proverbial internet map. Her ability to create, tag and maintain our website has been a thing of beauty. Her attention to detail and strong interpersonal skills make her a joy to work with. In today’s world of electronic marketing having a strong web presence is absolutely vital. I sincerely urge you to contact, Teresa Simons, to learn how she can help your company grow, just as she has ours. Thank you, Teresa, LISTEN UP really did need you.”

~ Donald Wayne McLeod