Life is like a box of chocolates

| Print | PDF 

Ok so to give the quote in full “Life is like a box of chocolates.......you never know what you’re going to get”. There is a reason this statement was made by an idiot and that is because it is complete rubbish. I know exactly what I am going to get when I pick a box of chocolates because I read the little card that comes with it. In my house it is known as the “coffee avoidance card”. Fair play, if I am feeling a little adventurous then I’ll dive straight in without thought for my own tongues safety and run the risk of hitting coffee or even Turkish delight but that’s because I can occasionally be a bit of a maverick.

This is back to planning again. By reading the card I have reduced my chances of making a mistake. It is the same principle with reading the MFI instructions before putting the kids desk up (Dad!). Let’s not go into our business blind otherwise we will make mistakes.

With the little chocolate guide I can choose which direction I want to go in. Let’s say our objective is to finish the box. Well I need to decide how I am going to do that so I start with a plan. The plan tells me there are some chocolates that are more enjoyable to eat (logo) and some which are ok (website copy) and some which I don’t want to touch (financial planning). So I invite a friend round to eat the ones they like and together we make progress. Then we invite another friend round and we get through the box by combining our chocolate eating skills. Objective complete and everyone happy.

So if your business is a box of chocolates, how are you going to get through them? There will always be the odd person that devours the whole box but what happens then? They have to have a lie down on the couch for the rest of the day basically putting them out of action. Is that any way to run a business?

So that box of chocolates.....do you want Acorn to eat the coffee one? We’ll do it, but only because it’s you.

( 2 Votes )

The Boy, The Fish and The Lesson

| Print | PDF 

Recently a young chap went fishing to celebrate the end of his GCSE's in Dorset. Not so unusual. The 16 year old then proceeded to catch the biggest Goldfish ever caught in Britain. Unusual. Not an experienced elder statesman of the riverbank. Not using £5000 of the latest high tech fishing equipment. Not equipped with the muscles of a Hebridean Housewife. However he was the one who caught the fish. Despite the thousands upon thousands of people who have fished that spot in Poole (no pun intended), he was the one who got it. Why?

Boy and fish

Well, let's have a think. He was prepared for the trip and had planned to go fishing. He knew what he wanted to achieve. He took all of the equipment he needed and wasn't wanting for anything. He took his rod, waterproofs and even lunch. The lunch wouldn't help him catch the fish directly but it kept him feeling good and able to concentrate on the task at hand. He knew where he had to be to reach his goal. He wanted to go fishing so chose a place where there were fish, it wasn't rocket science. He then proceeded to use all of the tools he had in the correct way in order for him to complete his goal. And that's what he did. This 16 year old caught a 5lb 16inch Goldfish which was 3lb bigger than any other caught.

So what happened? Erm....didn't you read the above? Allow me to bullet point it as if he ran a business:

  1. He had a plan for what he wanted to do.
  2. He had a clear objective. A goal.
  3. He got all of the tools needed for him to be effective. He didn't put square pegs in round holes.
  4. He knew where he had to reach his goal/customer. He went straight to his customer and didn't wait for them to come to him.
  5. He used all of his knowledge and skill base within his company to achieve his objective.
  6. He completed his end goal.

Shouldn't you be putting everything in order to be successful?

To finish the story, there was another unreported bit. Apparently he went camping on a farm the week after and you should of seen the size of the potato he dug up to make chips with!

Planning......worth thinking about if it gets results.

***Photo BNPS***

( 1 Vote )

Networking or Notworking?

| Print | PDF 

The main objective with networking is to meet people....true? Wrong! A man who sells Liverpool FC scarves will be delighted if you tell him you can get him in front of 6,000 people, but do you think he would mind if they all sat in the Stretford End of Old Trafford? So it’s not the amount of people you need, it’s the people who could make a difference to you and your business.


Let’s say you’ve done your research, found an event and even brushed your teeth for the third time and polished your shoes....what do you say? The danger that many fall into is becoming the best dressed mute in the room! If you are there for your business then it’s easy, no honestly it is. It’s just like going on Mastermind and answering questions on your specialist subject. In this case it is you and your business. You set it up, you run it, so who better to tell people about it. You’re not selling anything to them, you’re having a conversation which may or may not stimulate them to the point of a purchase. But remember that “the sell” isn’t your main objective, keep it in the back of your head and let the conversation flow.


Now if you thought that was the easy bit, here’s the shocker......there’s something easier! And if you have ears then your virtually an expert....listening! Finger on lips, no talking in assembly, just listen to what the equally nervous lady in front of you has to say. You hear but you need to listen. When you listen, you can ask questions and when you are asking questions you are having a conversation and then blimey you could be a millionaire by the end of the year! Well ok, like every strong farmer i’ll hold my horses but it will lead you down a productive path.


All you have done so far is put your clothes on, brushed your teeth, opened your ears and.......well actually you are networking like a pro. There’s nothing to be scared of, just be yourself and try approaching someone with a smile and a hand out. Just walk up to the nearest person on their own and say hello because that’s what you would want isn’t it. We have all been at an event and just stood there not knowing what to do and equally we have all been secretly over the moon when someone came right up to us and said hello. Just try taking the initiative at your next event.


REMEMBER: You can’t get anything wrong, It’s not a test!

Hand out your business cards and collect as many as you can. As Mark Greenwood always says, you never know who they may know. There may be business done, there may be nothing but more people know you and your business than when you woke up in a panic this morning. Every card you pick up, make sure you send a little e-mail saying it was nice to meet them or better still, just give them a quick call. Everyone is nervous and as soon as we all realise it then we’ll be networking like a hyperactive IT Engineer!


Enjoy it and at the very least, you can always come and talk with me until something better comes along.

FOR A LISTING OF NETWORKING EVENTS PLEASE VIEW OUR CALENDAR. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD A NETWORKING EVENT THEN PLEASE CONTACT US.

 

( 3 Votes )

Let's talk about BIG ONES..............and BIG TENS!

| Print | PDF 


Let’s all admit it right from the start, we all hate sales and it gets in the way of doing the job. We haven’t got enough, we’ve got too many, they’re not the right ones, they don’t spend enough. People even complain sometimes and want it their way! Ooh the cheek!


We always get advice on sales, we get told how to increase sales all of the time and the word Boost is always bandied about. But that can’t be it surely? Follow these techniques, get the sales in and grow your business? Well that’s it, everyone crack on for an hour or so and I’ll meet you in Rigby’s Pub at 3pm.

NONSERigby's PubNSE, too often sales is seen as a separate component of your business but it has to be considered as an integral part of an overall strategy to grow your business. What happens if you get an increase of 50% in your sales? Have you got the resources within your business to provide a consistent excellent service? You may also be encouraged to go for that one big client but it has a ring of eggs and baskets to us. You will have to do vast amounts of work to satisfy this client, they will generally have more demands than your smaller clients (but not always) and they are also more likely to leave you. Yes, that means the extra resources you have brought in are now redundant and it is likely that when you look back to the small clients that have always been with you, they may now be gone. Why should they stick around when you forgot about them to chase the big boys? Where is the loyalty to them?


Sales & Marketing & Customer Service & Business Growth & Resource Management is a balancing act and all need to be considered at once. Let’s take a brief look at two possible strategies, the BIG ONE and the BIG TEN:


The BIG ONE – You want to grow your business quickly but can’t cashflow an increased sales team until the sales are brought in. A very familiar vicious circle. But want if you could sell once and bring in 25 clients? Is what you provide attractive to a governing body or a consortium or group? If you spend a little bit of time getting your pitch right to them then they can do the subsequent sell to their members. Beware, you will have to usually give them something for their efforts or discount your services but it may bring in enough sales at once to be able to take on the additional support structure to satisfy their needs.

The BIG TEN – You want to grow your business, it goes without saying (so why did you just say it – Ed.) but how do you get there? This is the danger spot where many businesses will try and jump straight to the top and cut out the little businesses who have been brand loyal. Aiming high is an admirable dream but can’t you keep all your customers along the way? One simple method is to choose ten businesses that could take your business up one notch and use a personal sales approach to attract them. Take the time to bed them in and ensure you have the resources to satisfy their needs and only then you can move to the next ten. This process can be repeated as all of the businesses you target will provide word of mouth and grow your sales, you have put a highly customer service orientated team in place to deal with them and you have a platform to lead your organisation forward.

Who knows, your whole business could be transformed because of your BIG ONE......or even your BIG TEN!
If you want to discuss this then please give us a shout.

 

( 1 Vote )

The Ultimate Guide to Team Work: Summer 2010....

| Print | PDF 

Don’t know whether anyone noticed but there is a little thing called the World Cup happening this summer. My non-football obsessed friends certainly noticed and World Cup Logobegan to verbalise their fears that Eastenders and Coronation Street will be strewn across the TV schedules. An old chap called Albert down the local has even greater fears – will his Jack Russell Tinker be able to cope with the crowds on a Tuesday afternoon while his owner enjoys a quiet bitter?
Well you know what? Ignore the football, I am! Honestly dear, it’s a learning experience. Football is the greatest game on earth and there are the most amazing skills going to be on show. There is magic associated with the World Cup, great names such as Messi, Maradona, Pele, Cruyff OR Baggio, Eusebio, Garrincha and Scifo. Fantastic players, yes, fantastic leaders? Not all.
Of the above, Baggio, Cruyff, Messi, Scifo and Eusebio never won the World Cup. And the reason for this? Well it’s simple, they weren’t in the best team.
Even if you don’t follow football you can appreciate that it takes great communication, knowledge of other peoples roles and responsibilities and a willingness to work for each other to be successful. Each team needs great strikers, like each company needs great sales. However if the midfield don’t get the ball to the strikers then how can they score? Some of the exceptional ones can create the chances themselves as can any really good sales person, hence they are both expensive! You can all make your own analogies for the defence, the goalkeeper etc...
England have always had the debate on who to select and the majority of the nation gets involved. We always get caught in the trap of the big names. But what would of happened if we took a group of solid players who got to learn each other’s game and develop as a single unit. Sprinkle it with a little flair (which is still always preferential) and the possibilities are dream worthy.
Finally that leads us to the Captain, the Leader.....the Managing Director? Have a look, but in most teams the Captain isn’t the best player. It’s the player who organises, uses other players to their strengths and positions themselves in a place they can see clearly what’s going on. In other areas it is about leading by example such as Steven Gerrard at Liverpool. Perhaps he is as good as he is because he has his excellent Head of Department – Jamie Carragher, running his defence?
Have a look at your organisation. It make make you think. And yes dear it is football, but I’m looking for communication techniques!

P.S. I wonder if Liverpool want a Customer Experience Audit? I can certainly help with their Business Growth Strategy!

 

( 4 Votes )

More Articles...