A week in the life of…

Some people wake on a Monday with a fear or dread…I never have. I believe that is because I have always chosen what I do.

I recently drew a timeline from the year of my birth to current day and I drew the line in the middle of the page. I then asked myself to remember years in my life, when I was happiest and when I was….well, a lesser me!

It was a brilliant exercise and one that showed to me something very very clearly. I am happiest, when I choose. Now that may see, simple to some, but stop and think for a minute…When I choose!

When I was being schooled…I had to do things the way others said…I didn’t always agree and if I felt my values were compromised I would stand up for myself…’spirited’ they called me back then! Then working for someone else as I grew to become a man. Varying my roles and therefore varying my experiences. Growing with every role, challenging myself and finding a way to make it fun, make it something I can give my all too. That was my choice.

SO….I choose Monday’s to be excellent every week. The beginning of a whole new week of opportunity.

When Monday 14th May came round, it was like any other Monday. Hit it…head on. Make it happen.

Two hours into the day, I found myself having raised two investigations with two Police Constabularies here in the UK. I was sitting in my office staring at a loss of £4k and wondering how a person can mimic a company, place orders fraudulently, appear to be organised in their make up and yet be of no interest to the Police! Apart from sorting some business that day, most of Monday was taken up with damage limitation.

Tuesday saw a completely different day. Damage limitation over, time to recoup some money!

Contact = Prospects

Prospects = Opportunity

Opportunity = Sales

Sales = Money

I picked up where the last few weeks had been heading, with my game head on, I utilised the power of the phone and began building relationships, building on relationships and closing some sales. Allowing myself time at the end of each day to reflect, record and measure my performance. Then business planning time…what is missing? What needs to change? What needs to improve…difficult conversations at time to have with ourselves…not because were alone, but because we can let ourselves off the hook all to easy. The answers we reach ‘can’ be half-hearted, easier, less stretching perhaps. So time to call my coach. As ever, she was there. She was awesome and things began to slot into place.

As the week progressed, I chose to take control of elements that I can control and release energy on those that I cannot affect.
I moved forward.
My business moved forward.
My customers moved forward.

By Thursday, I had pumped some meetings into my diary for next week. Met with a fabulous organisation and charity regards a learning program (which is by the way going to be unstoppable) I am involved with, met with a Kite Surfer who is looking to grow his business with someone who doesn’t drop everything when the wind is up. Met with an applications developer who wants his technology to become a household name…now this is going to be meaty! Oh how I love a challenge.

Friday wrapped everything up nicely with some breakthroughs with a client, they moved forward this week one hell of a lot. A culmination of hard work, emotional rollercoaster and some tough conversations to achieve an outcome. Very proud coach here.

Friday afternoon ended with a new client coming on board who runs a fantastic business networking business, exciting times ahead.

See, when you choose…and I mean actually CHOOSE to do something. You take OWNERSHIP of it…which means you naturally give it and yourself ACCOUNTABILITY to achieving it and therefore demonstrate in actions, not words, true RESPONSIBILITY for it.

It’s Sunday now, I have a whole new Monday tomorrow…and between you, me and however many people read this…I cant bloody wait!

Choose life people. Choose, be proud, be abnormal, be awesome and above all, be true to you.

 

NOW GO AND GET THIS WEEK….

 

That wont work here!

“Yeh…that won’t work in my business!”

I await the day to be proven correct by this statement…believe me. I hear it all the time.

You see…I have no interest in just turning up and carrying out a training course in your business, taking a big cheque and running off to the hills with an “I’ve done my bit, over to you Mr business Owner” attitude. I have my brand to protect.

This is, for one clear and simple reason…and that is ‘training’ per se does not work. That’s right, I just publicly said (as a seasoned trainer, that training doesn’t work…per se).

The Latin meaning for per se is ‘In Itself’ and that’s the point. When I take on a client, I need to understand the birth of the business, the dream, the idea. Then we invest time looking at the here and now.

What did you get into business for..?

What did you set out to achieve, what were you goals?

And, where are you now in relation to that dream? The reasons? The goals?

Ah…I see…excellent, so we have some work to do, plenty of opportunity to achieve what you wanted to achieve in the first place. So where do we start?

We start at the beginning. Before we do let me set out my stall and clarify a few things. And please, take this as it is meant. I have no intention of telling you that you have an ugly baby…even if you do, because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As the business owner and the beholder, sometimes however it is difficult to see what is right in front of you, primarily because of that very reason…it is right in front of you, meaning you are IN it…I can see things, not because I have the mystic skills of The Mentalist Patrick Jane or the fork bending ability of Uri Geller,

it is because I am not IN your business. I can stand outside of your business and look ON your business. When the magic starts to happen is when you join me.

So here are the raw truths…

YES your business is unique to you…if we search hard enough we will find others doing something similar somewhere in the world, so what makes you unique?

NO your industry isn’t so niche that the basic principles of what makes a business successful  will not work in your business.

And YES, the only thing stopping you achieving what you set out to achieve in the first is actually YOU.

Now we have that on the table, we can move on. Let’s begin with a little bit of lab work.

We need to turn the microscope on your business and move it around a bit. Not because I disbelieve what you are telling me, your beliefs are your beliefs. A friend once said to me, if you tell yourself something enough times you will start believing it. So your truths about your business are your truths, they’re just not mine. How could they be? I don’t know your business yet, that is why we start at the beginning.

Once we understand some key elements like…

What plans do you run and operate in your business?

What is your sales process?

What team do you have or what plans for a team do you have?

What are the challenges you or your team are facing in the business?

How do you make your money?

What are your margins in your business?

What is happening in your marketplace?

What makes you different?

What does the P&L look like, on any given day?

When we have invested some time here, we will begin to discover a few very important base foundations to grow from and grow we will. Apart from anything else, we need to find my fee!

What comes next is specific to your business. It has to be to work for you and your business and you will be involved 100% of the way. If you are not prepared for that…then don’t hire me. I can refer you to many consultants who focus in just one particular area and come with a ‘do that for you’ approach.

What we utilise to deliver the ‘what comes next’ isn’t something that NASA created, it is a combination of ingredients that are used in all successful businesses and it WILL work in yours because you have a business (or at least I hope you do, because I may be in the wrong room)

If you want some evidence of this, read The E-Myth by Michael Gerber.

Those ingredients look like…

Profit and loss, cashflow forecast and breakeven calculations

Sales Process

Marketing Process

Account Management/Customer Service Process

HR, Team and Individual development plans & processes

A measure tool (all will be explained)

A form of CRM

To mention a few…

In short this is the formula to understand and it is as I say not designed by NASA…

“Systems run a business. People run systems.”

Here comes the ‘Sales’ bit…

When you are ready to get serious about your business. Click here and get in touch. I will contact you and arrange a time suitable to us both and we can begin the process.

Again, to be clear. It will feel like more work, It will cost you money, it will be worth it. That I Guarantee.

Go on…..seduce me! I dare you.

Effective communication skills are highly valuable. They enrich our personal and social lives. In business it’s a matter of life and death.

This blog will show you how to gain almost instant rapport with whoever you meet whether in person or through writing using highly effective communication skills.

If you want to invest more time looking at Rapport Building then I highly recommend the book ‘Instant Rapport’ – Michael Brooks (no relation)

In recent years, much has been learned about the way the human brain processes information. The memories we have, the way we perceive experiences, are controlled by our visual, auditory and kinesthetic abilities.

Everything in our minds is there primarily due to what we see, hear and feel. Remember these three modalities, they are VERY important. Again, they are

• VISUAL
• AUDITORY
• KINESTHETIC

These three modes combine in any learning or communication process. We use all of them to a degree.
However, research indicates that with the majority of us, one of those modes is more dominant than others.

Do you like to learn by watching, looking at diagrams or training videos? Probably you are more visually oriented.

Do you prefer to be told through the spoken word? Or are you the kind that likes to get his hands on the subject and starting doing, learning through a process of experimentation? Then you are probably more of an auditory or kinesthetic.

If this is true of us, it is true of the other person. What if you knew which kind of mode is dominant in the person you are talking or writing to? Could that help build rapport or in some way make your communication skills more effective? ABSOLUTELY!

Companies have spent thousands of dollars educating their salesmen to utilise this knowledge. The results? Dramatic!
How can you apply this very valuable insight? By taking special note of the words and phrases your prospect uses.

People often use expressions that indicate which modality they are thinking in at that moment. For example, “I see what you mean”, “I hear you”, “I’ve got a feeling about this”. When you hear these expressions, sit up, take note. They are sign posts pointing to that person’s modality.

So you have the sign posts, what do you do now? You respond in the same manner. Start using expressions in that person’s dominant modality. Why should this work?
Because words convey ideas to the other person’s mind. You start communicating on the other person’s wavelength. Just like two modems making an internet connection, your two brains start ‘hand shaking’. The effect is amazing.

Skeptical? That’s understandable. Just start, try it and you won’t be any longer.

Here is a true life experience.

A successful financial advisor read up on this subject and started employing the methods.

One day he walked into the office of a manager interested in a savings plan. The financial advisor noticed many artistic pictures on the manager’s office walls. He commented on them and gave an honest compliment.

The manager used expressions like “let me show you”, “you must see this”. The financial advisor immediately picked up on this and realised the manager was a visual.

When the time came for him to make his presentation, he started off by saying, “Let me first give you the big picture” and with that he pulled out a diagram. The manager immediately leaned over and started closely scrutinising the savings plan. From there on it went like a dream.

The rapport was established early on. The manager began to think “I like this man, I can do business with him.” A very good plan was devised which suited the manager’s needs well and both parties were happy – the manager with his plan, the financial advisor with his commission. A win win ending.
Don’t underestimate the power of communicating in the other person’s preferred mode.

Now, how can you apply this in your business? Do you write ad copy or sales letters? Do you do face to face selling or telephone selling?

Sprinkle your words with phrases from each mode and see how the prospect responds. If they respond with similar expressions, you have identified their mode.

Here is a list of words and phrases to help you identify a dominant modality:

VISUAL 

crystal clear / focused / flash / hazy / sight for sore eyes / up front / it appears to me / get a bird’s eye view / it looks like / in the mind’s eye / you get the picture / it’s clear cut / take a dim view / tunnel vision / the naked eye

AUDITORY 

rings a bell / all ears / certain overtones / harmonize / make myself heard / tuned in / that’s unheard of / to tell the truth / in a manner of speaking / gave him an earful / listen up / tongue-tied / described in detail / sounds like / just say it

KINESTHETIC

I’m conscious of / you can sense / she perceived / lay your cards on the table / come to grips with it / that’s a pain in the neck / pull some strings / hang in there / touch base with / it boils down to / start from scratch / that was under handed / hold on / you need to experience it / in a moment of panic

These lists are just to get you started. There are an abundance of signals out there in the way people express themselves.
You just need to “read the signs”, “hear the bell ring” and “grasp the meaning” behind the words your prospect is using, either in written or spoken form.
 

Rapport is almost priceless. Agreements, contracts, big business deals are often concluded between people because they sense a bonding between them.

Develop and practice these essential communication skills and your life and business will take on new vitality!

Stretching, Pornography and The Business Growth Show

Reblogged from birchwoodrecruit:

On Friday I went to The Business Growth Show in Cheltenham. Regular readers will know I love to do my show round ups, this is a little different; Enjoy x

The night before a trade show always the same routine, bath and relax while mentally going through my handbag to make sure I have everything – pens (at least 3 just in case), business cards, make up, tic-tac’s.

Read more… 915 more words

Great day, great people and great excuse to talk about porn in public. I am excited about it all over again.

High performing teams

Transforming a group of diverse individuals into a high-performance team is a monumental task. Although teams have both strengths and weaknesses the ability to constructively exploit the strengths while improving upon the weaknesses is a challenge that most organizations will ultimately face. Accordingly a group that transcends these difficulties will eventually go on to develop the attributes that will effectively allow it to become a high powered team. While there are numerous models that can help to illustrate the elements necessary for team building Bruce Tuckman’s Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing Model of team development seems to illustrate this process with the most clarity.

 

The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing model of team development was first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965, who maintained that these phases are all necessary and inevitable in order for a team to grow, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, to plan work, and to deliver results. This model has laid the framework for subsequent models of team dynamics frequently used in management theory to describe the behaviour of existing teams.

Forming

In the first stage of Tuckman’s model a team is selected and the team leader takes an active role in outlining and defining the team’s objectives. At this stage team members receive most of their direction from the authoritative figure usually a manager because the team leader lacks direction and they are just becoming accustomed to their new team environment.

 Storming

In the storming stage there is an active role on the part of management in delegating duties and responsibilities. This is the idea stage. During the storming stage individuals will exchange ideas and determine how they will work collectively. Identifying problem issues and evaluating each other’s perspectives is central to this phase of team development.

Norming

This stage of development is where the ground rules are set for team performance.  In the Norming phase a pattern develops which begins to lay the framework for a cohesive environment. Additionally, ideas are agreed upon and shared and common ground is established. Management continues to play an active role at this stage however, their involvement is generally participative and the team has more decision-making ability.

 

Performing

During the Performing stage team members have reached the pinnacle of performance. The team has a set of standards in place. They have established a charter or way of conducting the business of the team and conflict is handled in a constructive and dynamic fashion. Furthermore, management no longer plays a central role in governing the team and the decision-making process is in the hands of the team itself. Teams that reach this stage often exhibit a synergy that did not exist previously.

 Adjourning

This fifth and final stage of Tuckmans model of team development commonly referred to as Adjourning, suggests that a radical transformation can occur as the result of the synergistic qualities of the team begin to become evident. According to Bruce Tuckman A team that manages to remain together may transcend to a transforming phase of achievement. Transformational management can generate key changes in performance through team synergy and is considered to be more far-reaching than transactional management.

Models such as Tuckman’s can help to lay the framework for team development yet supporting and strengthening the team dynamic is ultimately up to the team itself. Therefore it is essential that team members be encouraged to contribute collectively to their mission. Encouraging collaboration within the team environment is a key component to ensuring that the team is functioning optimally and also allows team members to take ownership and responsibility for their successes and failures.

While a high powered team can come from diverse backgrounds that team must also share common attitudes towards achieving their objectives. A team’s ability to recognize and adapt to opposing attitudes and differences can help improve performance and at the same time create an environment that is conducive to achieving the team’s objectives.

Opposing attitudes and differences often have a shared correlation with demographic characteristics and culture which can in a manner of speaking contribute to or detract from a team’s performance. Simply put decision-making and problem-solving are approached differently depending on one’s cultural background. Hence knowing which personalities work well together helps to identify which individuals will likely be cohesive together. Developing an attitude that stimulates cohesion is essential to helping the team to direct their energy towards their objectives. For that reason it is necessary to encourage the interpersonal growth of the team through team support functions. Contributing to the team’s objectives collectively and seeing positive results enhances the team dynamic by encouraging cooperation and partnership. It should also be noted that encouraging cohesion through team support functions helps to augment the teams overall performance. In the end the synergy that results from this encouragement will help sustain open communication and encourage a lasting and solid commitment toward organizational objectives.

Today, most organisations, large and small operate in a global economy. In this global context, different groups with diverse backgrounds and/or diverse factors (e.g., gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and religion) bring differences in perspectives, values, work ethics and ways of working into an organization as well as differences in language, national origin and culture. Some aspects of diversity may be evident while others are less noticeable. Diversity of thinking usually leads to a better overall result, as the needs of diverse customers will be considered. Further, challenges regarding managing workplace diversity in a global context are often related to underlying differences that affect intercultural relations in the workplace, such as stereotyping, degrees of language and cultural fluency, nonverbal communication, and different cross-cultural communication styles. The level of cultural diversity is also a factor in the complexity of intercultural communication and understanding. For example, culturally, there are different ways to make sense of a situation or convey bad news or different degrees to which one mixes business with personal life.

Now that is worth thinking about!

 

Applying You  – You; Simply Better

Open heart surgery and sales!

In general we tend to hold certain people or certain professions in high regard. In the majority of cases that is justified, however, in a number of cases throughout our life we are conditioned or become conditioned to take certain people or professions in high regard without really checking their credentials.

For example, when we need our car fixed we take it to a garage and we fall into a ritual routine of behaviours…we behave how we feel we should when we take our car to a garage.

We either

“act like we know something/anything about cars and begin telling the ‘would be’ expert what we believe is wrong with it, despite having no mechanical knowledge to write home about”

Or

“admit we know nothing about cars and lay our soul bare to the ‘Keyser Soze’ of the car mechanics invoice books”

The same is said when we go to the doctors or find ourselves in the hospital. We lose control. Not in a running around with wild hair screaming uncontrollably or sit in a chiar rocking with pencils up our nostrils way…we simply have little to no power in those situations and therefore lose control.

My question to the world is…….should we?  

Let me take you through a scenario and at the end of the scenario I will ask you a question to answer honestly.

The scenario isthis. You wake up one day feeling queezy, and decide to visit the quacks and get an MOT, when you are advised there is an abnormal finding on your heart. They refer you to the hospital with efficiency not seen in the NHS for over 40 years. Impressed by the speed of the service briefly outshines the weighty thought that is growing on your mind on your way to see the specialist. That thought being…why so quick?

You meet with the specialist and he advises the following:

You have a challenge with your heart, that despite being very serious, can almost certainly be rectified with open heart surgery within the next 72 hours. He introduces by name the surgeon who will be carrying out the procedure.

Dr Brown here is THE pioneer of open heart surgery. He pioneered the technique over 40 years ago.

(All very positive so far)

However, this is your heart and you only have one. So like me, you feel the need to ask this guy some questions to ‘test his metal’ as opposed to just accepting he is the best person to carry out the life threatening procedure just because he has cold hands, wears a white coat and his mate recommended him (too cynical!…perhaps)

Through asking questions you you uncover a few facts:

Since pioneering open heart surgery over 40 years ago, Dr Brown continues to use the same techniques he used to pioneer open heart surgery all those years ago.

Since this time, Dr Brown has never attended any medical seminars, advising on developments in open heart surgery. None in 40 years.

Since this time, Dr Brown has not read any medical journals or kept up to date with any enhancements or developments in open heart surgery. None in 40 years.

In fact he is doing as he says, using the same techniques he used to test and perfect open heart surgery over 40 years ago.

My question to you is this…

How comfortable are you now in going under the knife with Dr Brown within 72 hours?

(answer below in your replies please. )

If ‘Yes’ please highlight why

If ‘No’ please highlight why

 

 

 

Now that is worth thinking about!

Applying You  – You; Simply Better

Primula, Louis Prima, and Applying You

Reblogged from birchwoodrecruit:

I introduce people to people; that’s what recruitment is so its an obvious statement to make. What some of you may not know I also facilitate relationships between businesses and put the right people and organisations together. I know lots of businesses that could and should be working together and my interview blogs are proving very useful for many people from all walks of industry.

Read more… 818 more words

WOW...me reposting an interview with me, about me. It's all about me. :)