1) The success of your business relies heavily on the performance of your team. If they underperform then so will your business. Click here to learn that employee satisfaction is key in your business, if your employees are not satisfied with their job, they will lack enthusiasm for the business they are working for - your business…

2) As a leader YOU determine your team’s level of enthusiasm. And without enthusiasm for the work they do, your people will be a major source of stress and strain to you that can be prevented. So, how satisfied are your team? Click here to learn that when your people feel engaged with the work they are doing and satisfied with their position, they will feel a greater connection with your business and greater commitment to their job.

3) When it comes to your business reaching its full potential, the enthusiasm and commitment of your team is paramount. Click here to discover that if want your business to be truly exceptional you need to have gold standard, exceptional employees.

4) How do you create an enthusiastic team - this is up to you as the business leader. But what is enthusiasm and how can it benefit your business? Click here to learn more.

5) You can easily identify the people in your business who are openly difficult, uncooperative and allergic to work. Luckily, in most businesses, they are few and far between. But, what about the ‘walking indifferent’ who silently kill the enthusiastic culture and high-performance in your business? Do you know who they are? Click here to learn the effect that these people can have on the overall success of your business.


6) Most people are naturally enthusiastic when starting a new job. However, extensive research shows that only 14% of businesses avoid this loss in enthusiasm within 6 months of starting work and the other 86% of businesses crush the newly recruited enthusiasm within 6 months! Click here to learn what 86% of businesses are doing wrong and learn how to prevent this drop in enthusiasm in your team.

7) You know you get the most out of your people and your team as a whole when they are enthusiastic about the work they are doing and believe wholeheartedly in your business. You also know an enthusiastic and well-motivated team will always out-produce and outperform an average team, so why is an enthusiastic workforce the exception rather than the rule? Click here to learn more.

8) Most people are both enthusiastic and well-motivated when they start a new job, but research has demonstrated that 86% of businesses lose the enthusiasm of their people within the first 6 months of starting their job! Why is this? Click here to learn more.

9) If you are struggling with the enthusiasm of your team then use the 3 sources of enthusiasm to help. Remember – as a leader you determine your team’s level of enthusiasm. Click here to learn more.

10) Ask your team, nothing will matter more than being treated fairly for the work they do, this comes from job security, pay and the respect and appreciation you as the employer show them. If you want high levels of enthusiasm in your team, all 3 fairness goals must feature, job security, fair pay and respect. Click here to learn the importance of fairness to the success of your team and your business.

11) When starting a new job people do not want to come to work to lose, they come to win – feeling pride in the work you do is a source of winning. Your people want to be proud of their work, the work that makes your business a success. Click here to learn why this is so important to your bottom line.

12) Your team is your greatest asset, they are responsible for the success of your business. And remember you, as the business leader, determine your team’s level of enthusiasm. Click here to learn the six primary sources of long-lasting achievement and how to use them in your business.

13) If you believe that the levels of enthusiasm and commitment in your team are ‘hard-wired’ then you’re missing out on greater results for your business. 14% of businesses have achieved high levels of enthusiasm and reap the rewards from this, thanks to better staff retention, stronger customer satisfaction, greater team spirit and greater innovation. Click here to learn how to be part of the 14%.

14) Your job is to start obsessing about the enthusiasm of your team. There are enough stresses and strains to running a business, so why not take full responsibility for something you have complete control over – the level of enthusiasm of your team! Click here to learn more.

1) The success of your business relies heavily on the performance of your team. If they underperform then so will your business. Click here to learn that employee satisfaction is key in your business, if your employees are not satisfied with their job, they will lack enthusiasm for the business they are working for - your business…

2) As a leader YOU determine your team’s level of enthusiasm. And without enthusiasm for the work they do, your people will be a major source of stress and strain to you that can be prevented. So, how satisfied are your team? Click here to learn that when your people feel engaged with the work they are doing and satisfied with their position, they will feel a greater connection with your business and greater commitment to their job.

3) When it comes to your business reaching its full potential, the enthusiasm and commitment of your team is paramount. Click here to discover that if want your business to be truly exceptional you need to have gold standard, exceptional employees.

4) How do you create an enthusiastic team - this is up to you as the business leader. But what is enthusiasm and how can it benefit your business? Click here to learn more.

5) You can easily identify the people in your business who are openly difficult, uncooperative and allergic to work. Luckily, in most businesses, they are few and far between. But, what about the ‘walking indifferent’ who silently kill the enthusiastic culture and high-performance in your business? Do you know who they are? Click here to learn the effect that these people can have on the overall success of your business.


6) Most people are naturally enthusiastic when starting a new job. However, extensive research shows that only 14% of businesses avoid this loss in enthusiasm within 6 months of starting work and the other 86% of businesses crush the newly recruited enthusiasm within 6 months! Click here to learn what 86% of businesses are doing wrong and learn how to prevent this drop in enthusiasm in your team.

7) You know you get the most out of your people and your team as a whole when they are enthusiastic about the work they are doing and believe wholeheartedly in your business. You also know an enthusiastic and well-motivated team will always out-produce and outperform an average team, so why is an enthusiastic workforce the exception rather than the rule? Click here to learn more.

8) Most people are both enthusiastic and well-motivated when they start a new job, but research has demonstrated that 86% of businesses lose the enthusiasm of their people within the first 6 months of starting their job! Why is this? Click here to learn more.

9) If you are struggling with the enthusiasm of your team then use the 3 sources of enthusiasm to help. Remember – as a leader you determine your team’s level of enthusiasm. Click here to learn more.

10) Ask your team, nothing will matter more than being treated fairly for the work they do, this comes from job security, pay and the respect and appreciation you as the employer show them. If you want high levels of enthusiasm in your team, all 3 fairness goals must feature, job security, fair pay and respect. Click here to learn the importance of fairness to the success of your team and your business.

11) When starting a new job people do not want to come to work to lose, they come to win – feeling pride in the work you do is a source of winning. Your people want to be proud of their work, the work that makes your business a success. Click here to learn why this is so important to your bottom line.

12) Your team is your greatest asset, they are responsible for the success of your business. And remember you, as the business leader, determine your team’s level of enthusiasm. Click here to learn the six primary sources of long-lasting achievement and how to use them in your business.

13) If you believe that the levels of enthusiasm and commitment in your team are ‘hard-wired’ then you’re missing out on greater results for your business. 14% of businesses have achieved high levels of enthusiasm and reap the rewards from this, thanks to better staff retention, stronger customer satisfaction, greater team spirit and greater innovation. Click here to learn how to be part of the 14%.

14) Your job is to start obsessing about the enthusiasm of your team. There are enough stresses and strains to running a business, so why not take full responsibility for something you have complete control over – the level of enthusiasm of your team! Click here to learn more.

BLOG 1 - The success of your business depends on the performance of your people...

The success of your business relies heavily on the performance of your team. If they under-perform then so will your business.

Employee satisfaction is key in any business, and when employees are not satisfied with their job, they lack enthusiasm about the day to day work they are doing and therefore lack enthusiasm for the business they are working for - your business…

As a leader YOU determine your team’s level of enthusiasm. And without enthusiasm for the work they do, your people will be a major source of stress and strain to you that can be prevented.

So, how satisfied are your team?

When your people feel engaged with the work they are doing and satisfied with their position, they will feel a greater connection with your business and greater commitment to their job.

What if you could have a team who displayed a high level of commitment and enthusiasm, what a shot in the arm this would be and how much less stressful would this be for you and your business?

Click here to learn how to create an environment for enthusiastic employees.


BLOG 2 – Ensure your business success by building the enthusiasm of your team

When it comes to your business reaching its full potential, the enthusiasm and commitment of your team is paramount.

If you want your business to be truly exceptional you need to have gold standard, exceptional employees.

How you achieve this is up to you as the business leader and your people’s level of enthusiasm is up to you also.

So, what is enthusiasm and how can it benefit your business?

Enthusiasm is best described as a positive energy, keenness and passion that exists within your team and therefore within your business. It is a motivated mindset, in which your team are always wanting to go the extra mile, rise to the challenge when there are setbacks, always wanting to learn and always have the best interests of your business at heart.

With this positive energy, your business becomes a good place to work and your profits will grow as a result.

Here’s a great story of what can be achieved by an enthusiastic workforce.

Barron’s Magazines are an ordinary magazine publisher, who publish a monthly magazine, they published their magazine as normal on September 14th, 2001.

You’re probably thinking that there is nothing remarkable about this, but consider that their offices had been demolished 3 days earlier on 11th September – their offices were next to the Twin Towers in New York.

The managing editor at the time was Ed Finn, who commented:

“the idea of not publishing never even came up; the only question any employee asked was how the team would accomplish it.”

Ed Finn and his team at Barron’s, were driven and motivated to get their work done, despite the adversity. The team were completely committed to getting their magazine published.

Click here to learn how to build and maintain the ‘Ed Finn’ level of enthusiasm within your team and ease the stress on you and your business.

BLOG 3 – Don’t let employee disenchantment spread through your business

You can easily identify the people in your business who are openly difficult, uncooperative and allergic to work. Luckily, in most businesses, they are few and far between.

But what about the ‘walking indifferent’ who silently kill the enthusiastic culture and high-performance in your business? Do you know who they are?

They are normal people with reasonable employee needs that have only been marginally met.

As a result, they have become disenchanted.

As a result, they will only give you (the employer) a mere fraction of what they are capable of contributing.

As a result, you will do more whilst they do less!

These people if unchecked can spread disenchantment throughout your team and business like a virus.

But they did not start off like this…

Most people are naturally enthusiastic when starting a new job.

However, extensive research by ‘The Sirota Group’ shows that only 14% of businesses avoid this loss in enthusiasm within 6 months of starting work and the other 86% of businesses crush the newly recruited enthusiasm within 6 months!

So, what are the 86% of businesses doing wrong when it comes to maintaining and building enthusiasm within their team and what can we all learn from the 14% who are obviously doing it right?

Click here to avoid these same mistakes with your team and you join the ranks of the top 14% of businesses.

BLOG 5 – Fair treatment is rule one when it comes creating enthusiasm in your team

Your team’s enthusiasm has a direct impact on their productivity and the success of your business.

In extensive research conducted by the Sirota Group they believed that the enthusiasm of any team as a measure of productivity and motivation, is central to a Three-Factor Theory (the 3 sources of enthusiasm).

The Sirota Group states “rather than believing you somehow have to motivate people to do work, this theory assumes that everyone starts out motivated – but then other things happen, or don't happen, that reduce this natural motivation”

If you are struggling with the enthusiasm of your team then use the 3 sources of enthusiasm to help.

Remember – as a leader you determine your team’s level of enthusiasm.

To rebuild your people’s enthusiasm, you, the business leader must create a working environment that builds high levels of fairness (equity), achievement, and camaraderie.

Fairness, what the Sirota Group calls ‘equity’ is a pre-requisite for enthusiasm. A sense of fair treatment comes from a blend of job security, fair pay and respect.

Here is the simple truth, equity - fair treatment - is the single greatest motivating factor.

Ask your team, nothing will matter more than being treated fairly for the work they do, this comes from job security, pay and the respect and appreciation you as the employer show them.

If you want high levels of enthusiasm in your team, all 3 fairness goals must feature, job security, fair pay and respect.

Click here to learn why a secure sense of fairness in your business is the foundation and the first step to building and maintaining profitable enthusiasm within your team.

BLOG 6 – Make the success of your team your greatest business achievement

When starting a new job people do not want to come to work to lose, they come to win – feeling pride in the work you do is a source of winning.

Your people want to be proud of their work, the work that makes your business a success.

Your people want their work to be acknowledged and appreciated and want to feel proud that they have been part of the overall success of your business.

They want to feel part of the team, have a sense of ownership and belonging.

How many times in the last 6 months have you rewarded your team, acknowledged their achievements, told them you appreciate the work they do and made them aware of the fact that your business is a success as a direct result?

David Sirota – author of the Enthusiastic Employee states:

“People want to feel good about what they do and for whom they do it, and, assuming the equity (fairness) needs are reasonably satisfied, pride is a major driver of performance and commitment.”

Sirota’s research points to six primary sources of long-lasting achievement:

The challenge of the work itself

Learning new skills

The ability to perform

The perceived importance of the employee’s job

The recognition received for performance – thanks and pay

Plus working for a company of which the employee can be proud

Your team is your greatest asset, they are responsible for the success of your business. And remember you, as the business leader, determine your team’s level of enthusiasm.

Click here to understand the positive effect your team can have when you recognise their work, achievements and commitment to your business.

BLOG 7 – Avoid stress and hassle when you tap into the natural drive and enthusiasm in your people

If you believe that the levels of enthusiasm and commitment in your team are ‘hard-wired’ then you’re missing out on greater results for your business.

14% of businesses have achieved high levels of enthusiasm and reap the rewards from this, thanks to better staff retention, stronger customer satisfaction, greater team spirit and greater innovation.

But, still a whopping 86% of businesses fail to increase the morale of their team from low or moderate to high morale because the fail to put the 3 sources of enthusiasm to work in their businesses.

Your job as a business leader is to ensure you are part of the 14% not the 86%.

Your job is to start obsessing about the enthusiasm of your team.

There are enough stresses and strains to running a business, so why not take full responsibility for something you have complete control over – the level of enthusiasm of your team!

The Sirota Group framework is a great place to start, it is a common-sense framework to assess the source of conflict or difficulty and set about improving your skills, knowledge and performance on the 3 sources of enthusiasm.

Accept personal responsibility for the levels of enthusiasm in your team

Seek to improve your team’s sense of fairness – what can you do to foster a sense of job security, financial stability and respect?

Seek to improve your team’s sense of achievement – build a sense of pride using the 6 sources of achievement

Seek to improve your team’s sense of camaraderie – what can you do to improve your skills at conflict resolution and partnership building?

Click here to focus on your management practices that build and maintain the 3 sources of enthusiasm in your team and build the success of your business.

1) Customers will only stay loyal to a business if they have a good reason to. As a result, you have to work even harder to keep your customers and build their trust in you, your products and services and your team. Click here to learn how…

2) When something goes wrong for one of your customers, I am sure you and your team work very hard to put it right and ‘wow’ them with your memorable customer care. It sounds like the right thing to do, you sort the problem out and ‘delight’ them with the level of care you have provided.
But what if it’s not enough if you want to win customer loyalty? Click here to learn why delight will not win you the loyalty of your customers.

3) Problems are always going to occur in any business, it doesn’t matter how hard you try and avoid them. The real key to your business success is what you and your team DO when they occur. So, what do you do when a customer of yours has an issue? Click here to learn how you turn a customer into a loyalty customer with effortless customer care

4) When a customer of yours has an issue, how do you respond? Do you try to delight, or do you make the path to solving the issue as effortless as possible for your customer?
Click here to learn that your business will be more successful if you are not side-tracked by ‘delight’.

5) When it comes to growing your business, it follows that you must take your customer service seriously. Click here to learn how you handle your customers and how you treat them when something goes wrong will determine your business success.

6) In this world of instant social media notification, disloyalty for any business is a dangerous game to play. Do one thing wrong and the whole world knows about! But in the same vein – do it right and you get re-purchases and positive word of mouth – big drivers of sales revenues and profits for your business.
Click here to learn that when you get it right, 91% of customers are likely to use you again.

7) When it comes to solving an issue your customer has, click here to learn why you will create loyal customers primarily by helping them solve their problems quickly and easily.

8) You and your team may have wasted much time and effort trying to exceed the expectations of your customers and delighting them with refunds, giveaways and money-off when things go wrong, but click here to learn that this isn’t the best way to ensure your customers return to you.

9) When it comes to getting customer service right in your business, is your problem-solving process effortless for your customers? Or do your customers have to work hard to get their issues resolved? Click here to stop hitting the same 4 issues when it comes to meeting your customers expectations.

10) Are you doing everything you can in your business to avoid the pitfalls of good customer service? If you step into your customers’ shoes, what do they experience when trying to resolve their late delivery, missing items or incorrect bill? Click here to learn what the 4 pitfalls are and use them to analyse your business’s own customer service performance…

11) If asked, what do you think your customers would say about your customer service? How do your customer service team treat your customers? And are you customers loyal?
Loyalty brings business success, but be careful to avoid the pitfalls along the way
Click here to learn what happens to your business success when you turn the customer service pitfalls into opportunities?

12) Bad customer service can cause disloyalty with call backs, transfers, department switching, having to repeat information and customers feeling they are being treated as another number. Click here to make your business win by avoiding the pitfalls of poor customer service.

13) If your customers believe your customer service is hard work, time consuming and stressful, or they are made to feel like a number not a person, then you and your business are in for a lot of negative word of mouth. Click here to learn that you and your business cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to the care you give your customers

14) Because customer expectations are always changing and getting more demanding, you and your business cannot afford to be complacent. Click here to start obsessing about customer loyalty in your business.

1) Customers will only stay loyal to a business if they have a good reason to. As a result, you have to work even harder to keep your customers and build their trust in you, your products and services and your team. Click here to learn how…

2) When something goes wrong for one of your customers, I am sure you and your team work very hard to put it right and ‘wow’ them with your memorable customer care. It sounds like the right thing to do, you sort the problem out and ‘delight’ them with the level of care you have provided.
But what if it’s not enough if you want to win customer loyalty? Click here to learn why delight will not win you the loyalty of your customers.

3) Problems are always going to occur in any business, it doesn’t matter how hard you try and avoid them. The real key to your business success is what you and your team DO when they occur. So, what do you do when a customer of yours has an issue? Click here to learn how you turn a customer into a loyalty customer with effortless customer care

4) When a customer of yours has an issue, how do you respond? Do you try to delight, or do you make the path to solving the issue as effortless as possible for your customer?
Click here to learn that your business will be more successful if you are not side-tracked by ‘delight’.

5) When it comes to growing your business, it follows that you must take your customer service seriously. Click here to learn how you handle your customers and how you treat them when something goes wrong will determine your business success.

6) In this world of instant social media notification, disloyalty for any business is a dangerous game to play. Do one thing wrong and the whole world knows about! But in the same vein – do it right and you get re-purchases and positive word of mouth – big drivers of sales revenues and profits for your business.
Click here to learn that when you get it right, 91% of customers are likely to use you again.

7) When it comes to solving an issue your customer has, click here to learn why you will create loyal customers primarily by helping them solve their problems quickly and easily.

8) You and your team may have wasted much time and effort trying to exceed the expectations of your customers and delighting them with refunds, giveaways and money-off when things go wrong, but click here to learn that this isn’t the best way to ensure your customers return to you.

9) When it comes to getting customer service right in your business, is your problem-solving process effortless for your customers? Or do your customers have to work hard to get their issues resolved? Click here to stop hitting the same 4 issues when it comes to meeting your customers expectations.

10) Are you doing everything you can in your business to avoid the pitfalls of good customer service? If you step into your customers’ shoes, what do they experience when trying to resolve their late delivery, missing items or incorrect bill? Click here to learn what the 4 pitfalls are and use them to analyse your business’s own customer service performance…

11) If asked, what do you think your customers would say about your customer service? How do your customer service team treat your customers? And are you customers loyal?
Loyalty brings business success, but be careful to avoid the pitfalls along the way
Click here to learn what happens to your business success when you turn the customer service pitfalls into opportunities?

12) Bad customer service can cause disloyalty with call backs, transfers, department switching, having to repeat information and customers feeling they are being treated as another number. Click here to make your business win by avoiding the pitfalls of poor customer service.

13) If your customers believe your customer service is hard work, time consuming and stressful, or they are made to feel like a number not a person, then you and your business are in for a lot of negative word of mouth. Click here to learn that you and your business cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to the care you give your customers

14) Because customer expectations are always changing and getting more demanding, you and your business cannot afford to be complacent. Click here to start obsessing about customer loyalty in your business.

BLOG 1 – What if you’ve had customer service wrong in your business all this time?

Your competition is stiff, the world of business is tough. In most industries it’s a buyer’s market and they can shop around and choose whoever they want to do business with and will jump ship at a moment’s notice if things don’t go right for them.

Customers will only stay loyal to a business if they have a good reason to. As a result, you have to work even harder to keep your customers and build their trust in you, your products and services and your team.

By providing the best customer service, you will increase trust, and that could mean the difference between customer loyalty and customers who jump ship.

So how do you do this?

How do you keep customers and make them loyal, make them return to you and recommend you to others?

When was the last time you looked at your customer service performance and the tools and techniques your team use?

When something goes wrong for one of your customers, I am sure you and your team work very hard to put it right and ‘wow’ them with your memorable customer care.

It sounds like the right thing to do, you sort the problem out and ‘delight’ them with the level of care you have provided.

But what if it’s not enough if you want to win customer loyalty?

What if there is a better way to deal with your customers problems…

Click here to learn what can happen to your business success when instead of ‘wowing’ or ‘delighting’ your customers, you commit to reducing their effort to getting their problem resolved.

BLOG 2 – Don’t be blinded by delight when it comes to your customer service

Problems are always going to occur in any business, it doesn’t matter how hard you try and avoid them.

The real key to your business success is what you and your team DO when they occur.

What do you do?

We all like the ‘wow’ stories about good customer service, for example:

A Lexus dealer changing the ashtray in a BMW and replacing it with the non-smoker pack without being asked, because BMW had failed to sort it out

Fed-Ex hiring a private jet to deliver a wedding dress on time, at no additional cost to the customer

How the Ritz-Carlton before returning a lost toy to his owner, created a photo album of ‘Joshie the Giraffe’ on his extended holiday, by the pool, playing golf and on the beach

These are great stories, but research shows that ‘delight’ is not going to help build loyalty after a customer has been disappointed by your product or service already.

Instead of trying to drive positive loyalty by delighting customers, you need to try and mitigate disloyalty by reducing the effort the customer has to make to get their problem resolved.

When a customer of yours has an issue, how do you respond?

Do you try to delight, or do you make the path to solving the issue as effortless as possible for your customer?

Your business will be more successful if you are not side-tracked by ‘delight’.

Crucially you need to make your customers experience of resolving their problem easy, like riding a bike downhill, no effort needed, no energy expended.

Click here to learn that when you ditch delight for effortless you are truly on the right path to customer loyalty and business success too.

BLOG 3 – The numbers don’t lie when it comes to customer loyalty

When it comes to growing your business, it follows that you must take your customer service seriously.

How you handle your customers and how you treat them when something goes wrong will determine your business success.

How many customers have you lost due to poor customer service?

Or, asked in another way - how many customers have returned (remained loyal) to you due to the way your customer service team dealt with a problem they had?

Research shows that customer loyalty delivers 3 powerful payoffs:

Increased re-purchase, increased spend and increased recommendations

All things as a business leader you spend your working life trying to achieve – right?

You know this already - word of mouth is the most powerful ally you have on your side. What your customers say to others can make or break your business.

And when you provide the best in customer service, guess what happens? Your customers will talk about you, they’ll remember you and be loyal to you.

The key to the best in customer service is to make your customers’ experience of resolving their problems effortless, like riding a bike downhill.

The numbers don’t lie, from 97,000 customer responses:

96% of customers who had to put a lot of effort into solving their own problem reported disloyalty and said they would not re-purchase

only 9% of customers who found it easy to resolve their problems reported disloyalty

‘low effort’ businesses outperform others by 31%

In this world of instant social media notification, disloyalty for any business is a dangerous game to play. Do one thing wrong and the whole world knows about!

But in the same vein – do it right and you get re-purchases and positive word of mouth – big drivers of sales revenues and profits for your business.

Remember when you get it right, 91% of customers are likely to use you again.

Click here to learn that when you work hard to be a ‘low effort’ business the rewards for your business will be big.

BLOG 4: Customer relief, the Holy Grail of your business’s customer service

When it comes to solving an issue your customer has, you will create loyal customers primarily by helping them solve their problems quickly and easily.

You and your team may have wasted much time and effort trying to exceed the expectations of your customers and delighting them with refunds, giveaways and money-off when things go wrong, but this isn’t the best way to ensure your customers return to you.

In fact, research proves that when you ‘delight’ customers, they are more likely to be disloyal than

when you make problem resolution easy for them.

In his book ‘The Effortless Experience’ by Matthew Dixon and friends, the evidence points to:


“the specific things customer service does to drive disloyalty among customers are largely associated with the amount of work – effort – customers need to make to get their issue resolved”

Minimising the effort and making it easy for your customers when it comes to resolving their late delivery, missing items or incorrect bill will minimise the number of customers you lose and in turn minimise the disloyalty effect.

In fact, one commentator on the research carried out in the book says:

“What if the Holy Grail of service isn’t customer delight but customer relief
– the simple relaxing of the shoulders that comes from having your problem handled quickly and smoothly?”

Click here to discover 4 customer loyalty wins that will ensure your customers experience an effortless problem resolution when things go wrong.

BLOG 5 – Avoid these 4 pitfalls when dealing with your customers complaints

When it comes to getting customer service right in your business, is your problem-solving process effortless for your customers?

Or do your customers have to work hard to get their issues resolved?

If you step into your customers’ shoes, what do they experience when trying to resolve their late delivery, missing items or incorrect bill?

It may help to study the 4 pitfalls below and use them to analyse your business’s own customer service performance…

These are 4 things that nearly all businesses have done at one time or another and many still do!

Customers have to contact you more than once – this is because you fail to solve their issue the first time. Nothing annoys a customer more than having to call you back.

Customers having to repeat their information to you. Having to repeat the same issue to several people when they are passed to another department.

Choose your words carefully – the words you use can affect the way your customer feels – get these wrong and you customers will walk away.

Bouncing customers around from department to department wastes time and irritates all customers.

These 4 pitfalls will bring business failure, research tells us that 96% of customers who found it difficult to resolve their problem and found the process high effort did not repurchase – their loyalty was lost.

Click here to learn in more detail about the 4 pitfalls to avoid if you want to make the experience your customers have effortless when resolving their problems.

BLOG 6 – Provide a personal and purposeful customer service in your business

If asked, what do you think your customers would say about your customer service?

How do your customer service team treat your customers?

Bad customer service can cause disloyalty with call backs, transfers, department switching, having to repeat information and customers feeling they are being treated as another number.

It’s important to remember that every customer is different, they have different needs and problems and the best customer service people tailor their response depending on the needs of that customer.

The best customer service people talk to customers in a personal and purposeful way, they work out their customer’s state of mind, what kind of situation they are in and how to tailor the resolution to the needs of the customer at that exact point in time.

Do your customer service people do this?

Improving your people’s skills at framing customer service using the right language, actively offering solutions and guiding customers towards a mutually beneficial solution will bring greater customer loyalty.

And using a checklist to ensure nothing is left out and all areas of the problem are dealt with can help too.

There are many pitfalls and mistakes that are made in customer service – you’ll know and have experienced many of them yourself – on the other side – as a customer.

Click here to learn that improving your people’s skills at providing a personal and purposeful customer service to resolve your customers’ issues will mean your customers are more likely to remain loyal to your business.

BLOG 7 – Techniques to deliver the best customer service in your business

If your customers believe your customer service is hard work, time consuming and stressful, or they are made to feel like a number not a person, then you and your business are in for a lot of negative word of mouth.

Because customer expectations are always changing and getting more demanding, you and your business cannot afford to be complacent.

To succeed you need to regularly upgrade the way you deal with disappointed customers.

In this social media obsessed world that we live in, dissatisfied and angry customers can impact on your revenues and profits negatively and leave you running around trying to patch up the problem.

Instead, be proactive, stand out from your competition and focus on making your customer issue- resolution EASY for your customer, this has a measurable return on investment in the form of recommendations, repeat purchases and positive word of mouth.

Here are 4 helping hands to get you started:

Make is clear to your people what your customer service priorities are.

The focus needs to be on making it as effortless as possible for your customers to resolve their issues, don’t wow them with kindness and over-the-top solutions. Customers want practical, simple, effortless resolution.

Minimise channel switching.

You will lose customers if they have to go from your website to the phone and then when on the phone they get passed from department to department. This will be made worse if they then have to repeat their details and explain the issue every time. Let’s face it this has happened to all of us at some point and it’s infuriating.

Manage future issues at the same time.

First Contact Resolution is a worthy goal. All customers want their issue to be solved the first time they contact you, but it’s not enough. To go one better you can anticipate what the next issue is going to be and prevent it from happening, meaning the customer does not have to contact you again.

Improve your team’s skills at framing customer experience.

Customer experience engineering is more than just good soft skills. They are skills that your team need to master. They need to tailor the service interaction towards the customer, use the right language, actively offer solutions and guide them towards a mutually beneficial solution by understanding their state of mind, the situation they are in and what their needs are.

Click here to learn that when your team are using the right techniques to deliver the best customer service, they will deliver a much better outcome for your customers and also for your business.

Update 1

Do you remember the Polaroid camera first time around? The three-year-old daughter of a businessmen came up with that idea on a day out with her Dad – you can learn more about that story here and two more stories that focus on asking a laser-like question, bringing an avalanche of opportunity for their respective business owners.

Update 2

Innovation, creativity and inspiration all start when you ask a question – a really simple question. But how? Check out this 4-page business breakthrough to help you uncover the strategy that will get you asking business changing questions.

Update 3

Like most business owners you spend most of your day locked in meetings, on the phone, answering emails, dealing with issues from your team or customers.

This probably leaves very little time for you to have your lunch, let alone take some time out of your business to ask breakthrough questions that could transform its long-term success and future.

And it’s a simple breakthrough question that brings innovation, inspiration and results. Click here to learn more…

Update 4

If a 3-year-old can ask her Dad (Edwin Land) a simple question about the photo he had just taken of her that then resulted in him launching Polaroid cameras and having a business worth £3.1 billion, then these simple, breakthrough questions are surely something you need to take seriously. Click here to learn how to ask breakthrough questions in your business.

Update 5

‘WHY?’ – a word that you probably use 100 times a day.

‘WHY?’ is crucial to the success of your business.

Innovative breakthrough ideas start with ‘WHY?’.

Click here to learn that your business success starts with one word…

Update 6

Warren Berger in his book ‘A More Beautiful Question’ uncovered a formula, a formula that goes a long way to explaining how some of the best business ideas and innovations have been created. Click here to learn what this formula is and the difference it can make to your business success.

Update 7

You’ve heard the phrase I’m sure, ‘Ask a simple question and you get a simple answer’.

It’s mostly said in jest, or to someone who is asking something pointless as a sarcastic remark. I’ve even said it to my kids…

But – here is the breath-taking breakthrough… what if it’s true? Click here to learn if it is…

Update 8

Learn the effect that asking a simple question and getting a simple answer had on Edwin Land, an Inventor and Bette Nesmith Graham, the results for them were profound and if you follow their simple formula, the results for your business can be profound too… Click here to learn to success of a question from a 3-year-old.

Update 9

‘WHY?’ questions are about seeing and understanding the problem and are the first questions to be asked in the 3-step breakthrough question formula.

This proven formula will enable you and your colleagues to ask simple, valuable and innovative questions. Click here to learn how…

Update 10

Click here to learn that rather than running from failure in your business you need to hold it to the light and ask:

WHY did the idea fail? WHAT IF I could take what I have learned from this failure and try another approach? HOW might I do that?

Update 11

A few simple questions asked at the right time in your business can have a profound effect on your future success. Click here to learn that when you take time-out with your team, away from the day-to-day running of the office you will be surprised at the questions they ask.

Update 12

Click here to learn how Why? What If? and How? all contributed to the creation and success of Airbnb and how Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky became successful by asking the right questions when struggling to pay their rent by challenging assumptions.

Update 13

In his book ‘A More Beautiful Question’ Warren Berger’s research points to a simple 3-question formula that you and I can apply to our businesses, our products and our services.

So why not take yourself and your team away from the office and have some time-out and give the 3-question formula a go? What have you got to lose? Click here to learn more

Update 14

It’s easy to admire the business success of Polaroid, Uber and Airbnb, but these are not just one-offs, with the right questions and the right ideas this same business success can be yours too.

What if you could create your own breakthrough idea, what if you could ask just one question that could transform the fortunes of your business? Click here to learn just 4 pointers to get you started.

1) Do you remember the Polaroid camera first time around? The three-year-old daughter of a businessmen came up with that idea on a day out with her Dad – click here and you can learn more about that story here and two more stories that focus on asking a laser-like question, bringing an avalanche of opportunity for their respective business owners.

2) Innovation, creativity and inspiration all start when you ask a question – a really simple question. But how? Check out this 4-page business breakthrough here to help you uncover the strategy that will get you asking business changing questions.

3) Like most business owners you spend most of your day locked in meetings, on the phone, answering emails, dealing with issues from your team or customers.

This probably leaves very little time for you to have your lunch, let alone take some time out of your business to ask breakthrough questions that could transform its long-term success and future.

And it’s a simple breakthrough question that brings innovation, inspiration and results. Click here to learn more…

4) If a 3-year-old can ask her Dad (Edwin Land) a simple question about the photo he had just taken of her that then resulted in him launching Polaroid cameras and having a business worth £3.1 billion, then these simple, breakthrough questions are surely something you need to take seriously. Click here to learn how to ask breakthrough questions in your business.

5) ‘WHY?’ – a word that you probably use 100 times a day. ‘WHY?’ is crucial to the success of your business.

Innovative breakthrough ideas start with ‘WHY?’.

Click here to learn that your business success starts with one word…

6) Warren Berger in his book ‘A More Beautiful Question’ uncovered a formula, a formula that goes a long way to explaining how some of the best business ideas and innovations have been created. Click here to learn what this formula is and the difference it can make to your business success.

7) You’ve heard the phrase I’m sure, ‘Ask a simple question and you get a simple answer’.

It’s mostly said in jest, or to someone who is asking something pointless as a sarcastic remark. I’ve even said it to my kids…

But – here is the breath-taking breakthrough… what if it’s true? Click here to learn if it is…

8) Learn the effect that asking a simple question and getting a simple answer had on Edwin Land, an Inventor and Bette Nesmith Graham, the results for them were profound and if you follow their simple formula, the results for your business can be profound too… Click here to learn to success of a question from a 3-year-old.

9) ‘WHY?’ questions are about seeing and understanding the problem and are the first questions to be asked in the 3-step breakthrough question formula.

This proven formula will enable you and your colleagues to ask simple, valuable and innovative questions. Click here to learn how…

10) Click here to learn that rather than running from failure in your business you need to hold it to the light and ask:

WHY did the idea fail? WHAT IF I could take what I have learned from this failure and try another approach? HOW might I do that?

11) A few simple questions asked at the right time in your business can have a profound effect on your future success. Click here to learn that when you take time-out with your team, away from the day-to-day running of the office you will be surprised at the questions they ask.

12) Click here to learn how Why? What If? and How? all contributed to the creation and success of Airbnb and how Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky became successful by asking the right questions when struggling to pay their rent by challenging assumptions.

13) In his book ‘A More Beautiful Question’ Warren Berger’s research points to a simple 3-question formula that you and I can apply to our businesses, our products and our services.

So why not take yourself and your team away from the office and have some time-out and give the 3-question formula a go? What have you got to lose? Click here to learn more

14) It’s easy to admire the business success of Polaroid, Uber and Airbnb, but these are not just one-offs, with the right questions and the right ideas this same business success can be yours too.

What if you could create your own breakthrough idea, what if you could ask just one question that could transform the fortunes of your business? Click here to learn just 4 pointers to get you started.

BLOG 1 – What can business owners learn from a 3 year-old?

If a 3-year-old can ask an obvious question, then can’t we all ask great questions?

On a sunny winter’s day in 1943 Jennifer (3-years old) asked a question of her dad. Edwin Land had just taken Jennifer’s picture with his favourite camera when she piped up “Why can’t I see the picture you’ve taken right now?”

Like most 3-year-olds Jennifer didn’t want to wait!

Jennifer’s question stayed with Edwin and resulted, in 1948, the first Polaroid camera. This single question generated 14 million polaroid camera sales and £1.1 billion (in 1948) or £3.7 billion in today’s money!

Get a breath-taking breakthrough for your business by just asking the right question – learn more on this by clicking here.

Grab a cuppa and download this business breakthrough edition called ‘Are you ready to ask a breakthrough question and get a breath-taking result for your business?’ to uncover the proven 3-question formula so that you and your colleagues ask the simple, valuable and innovative questions that will really shake things up!

BLOG 2 – Can a simple question make a big difference in your business?

It’s so easy to get bogged down with the day to day business of just getting the job done.

In fact, I am sure like most business owners you spend most of your day locked in meetings, on the phone, answering emails, dealing with issues from your team or customers.

This probably leaves very little time for you to have your lunch, let alone take some time out of your business to ask breakthrough questions that could transform its long-term success and future.

And it’s a simple breakthrough question that brings innovation, inspiration and results.

In fact, the simpler the question the better.

If a 3-year-old can ask her Dad (Edwin Land) a simple question about the photo he had just taken of her that then resulted in him launching Polaroid cameras and having a business worth £3.1 billion, then these simple, breakthrough questions are surely something you need to take seriously.

You ask questions every day, sometimes without thinking, but are these breakthrough questions to drive your business to the next level or are these questions about the day to day running of your business?

Do you take time out of your business to really think about these questions?

We’re all hungry for better answers, but first we need to take time out, step back and learn how to ask the right questions – the breakthrough questions.

When you do, you’ll get a breath-taking business breakthrough just like Edwin Land did.

Click here to learn how to use a proven 3-question formula – then you can ask the right simple, valuable and innovation questions in your business. Who knows where the right question will take you?

BLOG 3 – Innovative breakthrough ideas for your business success start with one word

‘WHY?’ – a word that you probably use 100 times a day.

‘WHY?’ is crucial to the success of your business.

Innovative breakthrough ideas start with ‘WHY?’.

The 3-question formula to create breakthrough questions starts with ‘WHY?’.

Warren Berger in his book ‘A More Beautiful Question’ uncovered this formula, a formula that goes a long way to explaining how some of the best business ideas and innovations have been created.

‘WHY?’ wakes you up, so that you become aware of and understand the problem.

‘WHY?’ is about seeing and understanding, looking with a fresh eye, which when you are entrenched in the every day excitement of getting the job done, is not easy to do!

To ask the right ‘WHY’ question you need to do the following:

1 - step back – take time-out of your business to really look at things with a fresh perspective, this is best done away from the office to avoid the normal distractions

2 - notice what others miss, try to see what is lacking

3 - challenge the natural assumptions of your business – including your own

4 - question the questions – get the team involved – ask the naïve and simple questions – sometimes people are too afraid to ask the same question a 3-year-old would – but it worked for Edwin Land (creator of the Polaroid camera)

5 - get an ‘stranger’ involved when you start asking ‘WHY?’ questions about your business, customers, products or services, this enables you to step back and really think about the questions being asked

Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky asked a simple ‘WHY?’ question when struggling to pay their rent on their San Francisco apartment, with astonishing results. They created a business from nothing that is now worth £2billion.

Click here to discover the question you should be asking to bring your business the success you seek. Learn how the question ‘WHY?’ worked for Gebbia and Chesky…

BLOG 4 – Why mistakes proved to be business winner for one American typist

You’ve heard the phrase I’m sure, ‘Ask a simple question and you get a simple answer’.

It’s mostly said in jest, or to someone who is asking something pointless as a sarcastic remark. I’ve even said it to my kids…

But – here is the breath-taking breakthrough…

What if it’s true?

What if it’s what is needed to cut through the clutter of your daily working life?

What if a simple question and a simple answer are exactly what your business needs?

It worked for Edwin Land and Bette Nesmith Graham with profound results.

Sometimes the simple questions really are the best ones!

Edwin Land was an inventor, who while on holiday with his family, took some pictures of his 3-year-old daughter Jennifer, using his favourite camera. In those days you had to take your film to a darkroom or a lab to be developed, a fact that Land was aware of, but his daughter was not.

His daughter was impatient and wanted to see the pictures, she didn’t want to wait.

Her question was simple:

‘Why can’t I see the picture you’ve just taken of me, why do I have to wait?’

This to Land, as an inventor, was a puzzle he simply had to solve and resulted in the first Polaroid Camera – launched in 1948. In 1978 at its height, 14 million Polaroid Cameras were sold, and the business was valued in today’s money at £3.7 billion.

All of that from a simple question asked by an impatient 3-year-old!

Bette Nesmith Graham, a typist by day and painter in her spare time, also asked a simple question:

‘What if I could paint over my mistakes when typing, the way I do when painting my pictures?’

Bette decided to take a pot of paint and water to work with her to try it out. Bette’s ‘miracle mixture’ made it easy to cover typing mistakes.

It was not long before she was selling her correction fluid to hundreds of secretaries and in 1980 Bette sold her ‘Liquid Paper’ business for £39 million!

Few people take questions seriously enough, but your business depends on you doing so.

Click here to discover why taking time out and asking questions of every aspect of your business will transform your products and services…

BLOG 5 – The 3-part formula to creating breakthrough questions for your business

Asking naïve or ‘beginners mind’ questions in your business puts you on the road to creative breakthrough questions.

Putting a stranger in the room when asking the ‘WHY?’ questions will bring another perspective to the questions being asked and enable you to step back.

‘WHY?’ questions are about seeing and understanding the problem and are the first questions to be asked in the 3-step breakthrough question formula.

This proven formula will enable you and your colleagues to ask simple, valuable and innovative questions.

After ‘WHY?’ comes ‘WHAT IF?’.

A ‘WHAT IF?’ question starts you thinking about the possible solutions – the answers to the ‘WHY’ question. The ‘WHAT IF?’ question generates options and ideas.

For example:

“What if I could somehow have a darkroom inside my camera and produce the photo immediately?” (Edwin Land’s was asked this ‘WHAT IF?’ question and went on to invent the polaroid camera.

“What if I paint over my mistakes when typing, the way I do when painting?” (Bette Nesmith Graham, a typist by day and painter in her spare time asked the ‘WHAT IF?’ question and went on to invent liquid paper)

A ‘HOW?’ question is the stage where the rubber meets the road.

It stimulates and prompts you to act on the possibilities you have come up with through the ‘WHAT IF?’ questions, to test your ideas within your business.

The ‘HOW?’ stage is the point where things come together.

Of course, they may then fall apart again, which is a positive thing, as the greatest learning comes from failure. Failure creates more questioning and a desire to get it right.

Rather than running from failure in your business you need to hold it to the light and ask:

WHY did the idea fail? WHAT IF I could take what I have learned from this failure and try another approach? HOW might I do that?

Click here to learn how when questions are asked in your business using the proven 3-step breakthrough question formula, you and your team will generate new ideas and make your business more successful.

BLOG 6 – What can your business learn from 2 struggling rent payers in San Francisco?

A few simple questions asked at the right time in your business can have a profound effect on your future success.

Take time-out with your team, away from the day-to-day running of the office and you might be surprised at the questions they ask.

Sometimes questions can be born out of necessity and other times they can be about a long-standing problem, issue or idea that someone has wanted to mention but not had the courage or the right platform to do so.

The key to this time is that it’s ‘no holds barred’ time. Time when no question is too basic, no question will be rejected, everything will be considered.

Here is a perfect example of a simple question asked at the right time that had a dramatic effect on 2 men’s lives.

Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky had one question uppermost in their minds:

‘How are we going to pay our rent?’

This was their main issue at the time, they had no jobs and not much money. But they did have a nice apartment in San Francisco, providing a roof over their heads and a place to sleep.

At the same time newspapers were reporting on the lack of hotel beds in the city….

So what question would you ask given these two facts? How about asking…

‘Why do people coming to our town have so much trouble getting a hotel room?’

Joe and Brian were problem-finding with this question.

And so was born the idea of ‘air bed and breakfast’. It’s now called Airbnb and is valued at more than £20 billion.

Click here to learn that Why? What If? and How? all contributed to the creation and success of Airbnb and how Joe and Brian became successful by asking the right questions and challenging assumptions.

Apply this formula to the questions asked of your business by you and your team and maybe you too can be as successful as Joe and Brian!

BLOG 7 – Get yourself a business breakthrough with 3 simple questions …

It’s easy to admire the business success of Polaroid, Uber and Airbnb, but these are not just one-offs, with the right questions and the right ideas this same business success can be yours too.

What if you could create your own breakthrough idea, what if you could ask just one question that could transform the fortunes of your business?

In his book ‘A More Beautiful Question’ Warren Berger’s research points to a simple 3-question formula that you and I can apply to our businesses, our products and our services.

So why not take yourself and your team away from the office and have some time-out and give the 3-question formula a go? What have you got to lose?

Here are 4 pointers to get you started:

Drag yourself away from the coalface.

Stop being too busy being busy, doing everything that just needs doing to keep your business going. Step back and go problem finding.

It worked for Bette Nesmith Graham who came up with ‘Liquid Paper’.

Create a whole series of ‘WHY?’ questions and seek out a problem worth tackling in your business.

Remember your team must know that every question will be considered, then you can fine-tune and filter the questions and focus on the one or two issues worthy of further investigation.

Next pose some ‘WHAT IF?’ questions.

These questions will generate options, ideas, possibilities and alternatives, just like Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky did when they set up Airbnb.

Make it happen with ‘HOW?’ questions.

Having found the problem and created options now it’s time to work out ‘HOW?’.

Prototype and test your ideas as fast as you can, remember innovation rarely happens overnight and there can be several failures along the road to success. It took 5 years for Edwin Land to launch the first Polaroid, but he started fast and never let set-backs divert him from his ultimate goal.

Click here to learn how to create the breakthrough questions that will uncover just one idea that will deliver a breath-taking result for your business…

​

If a 3-year-old can ask an obvious question, then can’t we all ask great questions?

On a sunny winter’s day in 1943 Jennifer (3-years old) asked a question of her dad. Edwin Land had just taken Jennifer’s picture with his favourite camera when she piped up “Why can’t I see the picture you’ve taken right now?”

Like most 3-year-olds Jennifer didn’t want to wait!

Jennifer’s question stayed with Edwin and resulted, in 1948, the first Polaroid camera. This single question generated 14 million polaroid camera sales and £1.1 billion (in 1948) or £3.7 billion in today’s money!

Get a breath-taking breakthrough for your business by just asking the right question – learn more on this by clicking here.

Grab a cuppa and download this business breakthrough edition called ‘Are you ready to ask a breakthrough question and get a breath-taking result for your business?’ to uncover the proven 3-question formula so that you and your colleagues ask the simple, valuable and innovative questions that will really shake things up!

BLOG 2 – Can a simple question make a big difference in your business?

It’s so easy to get bogged down with the day to day business of just getting the job done.

In fact, I am sure like most business owners you spend most of your day locked in meetings, on the phone, answering emails, dealing with issues from your team or customers.

This probably leaves very little time for you to have your lunch, let alone take some time out of your business to ask breakthrough questions that could transform its long-term success and future.

And it’s a simple breakthrough question that brings innovation, inspiration and results.

In fact, the simpler the question the better.

If a 3-year-old can ask her Dad (Edwin Land) a simple question about the photo he had just taken of her that then resulted in him launching Polaroid cameras and having a business worth £3.1 billion, then these simple, breakthrough questions are surely something you need to take seriously.

You ask questions every day, sometimes without thinking, but are these breakthrough questions to drive your business to the next level or are these questions about the day to day running of your business?

Do you take time out of your business to really think about these questions?

We’re all hungry for better answers, but first we need to take time out, step back and learn how to ask the right questions – the breakthrough questions.

When you do, you’ll get a breath-taking business breakthrough just like Edwin Land did.


Click here to learn how to use a proven 3-question formula – then you can ask the right simple, valuable and innovation questions in your business. Who knows where the right question will take you?

BLOG 3 – Innovative breakthrough ideas for your business success start with one word

‘WHY?’ – a word that you probably use 100 times a day.

‘WHY?’ is crucial to the success of your business.

Innovative breakthrough ideas start with ‘WHY?’.

The 3-question formula to create breakthrough questions starts with ‘WHY?’.

Warren Berger in his book ‘A More Beautiful Question’ uncovered this formula, a formula that goes a long way to explaining how some of the best business ideas and innovations have been created.

‘WHY?’ wakes you up, so that you become aware of and understand the problem.

‘WHY?’ is about seeing and understanding, looking with a fresh eye, which when you are entrenched in the every day excitement of getting the job done, is not easy to do!

To ask the right ‘WHY’ question you need to do the following:

1 - step back – take time-out of your business to really look at things with a fresh perspective, this is best done away from the office to avoid the normal distractions

2 - notice what others miss, try to see what is lacking

3 - challenge the natural assumptions of your business – including your own

4 - question the questions – get the team involved – ask the naïve and simple questions – sometimes people are too afraid to ask the same question a 3-year-old would – but it worked for Edwin Land (creator of the Polaroid camera)

5 - get an ‘stranger’ involved when you start asking ‘WHY?’ questions about your business, customers, products or services, this enables you to step back and really think about the questions being asked

Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky asked a simple ‘WHY?’ question when struggling to pay their rent on their San Francisco apartment, with astonishing results. They created a business from nothing that is now worth £2billion.

Click here to discover the question you should be asking to bring your business the success you seek. Learn how the question ‘WHY?’ worked for Gebbia and Chesky…

BLOG 4 – Why mistakes proved to be business winner for one American typist

You’ve heard the phrase I’m sure, ‘Ask a simple question and you get a simple answer’.

It’s mostly said in jest, or to someone who is asking something pointless as a sarcastic remark. I’ve even said it to my kids…

But – here is the breath-taking breakthrough…

What if it’s true?

What if it’s what is needed to cut through the clutter of your daily working life?

What if a simple question and a simple answer are exactly what your business needs?

It worked for Edwin Land and Bette Nesmith Graham with profound results.

Sometimes the simple questions really are the best ones!

Edwin Land was an inventor, who while on holiday with his family, took some pictures of his 3-year-old daughter Jennifer, using his favourite camera. In those days you had to take your film to a darkroom or a lab to be developed, a fact that Land was aware of, but his daughter was not.

His daughter was impatient and wanted to see the pictures, she didn’t want to wait.

Her question was simple:

‘Why can’t I see the picture you’ve just taken of me, why do I have to wait?’


This to Land, as an inventor, was a puzzle he simply had to solve and resulted in the first Polaroid Camera – launched in 1948. In 1978 at its height, 14 million Polaroid Cameras were sold, and the business was valued in today’s money at £3.7 billion.

All of that from a simple question asked by an impatient 3-year-old!

Bette Nesmith Graham, a typist by day and painter in her spare time, also asked a simple question:

‘What if I could paint over my mistakes when typing, the way I do when painting my pictures?’

Bette decided to take a pot of paint and water to work with her to try it out. Bette’s ‘miracle mixture’ made it easy to cover typing mistakes.

It was not long before she was selling her correction fluid to hundreds of secretaries and in 1980 Bette sold her ‘Liquid Paper’ business for £39 million!

Few people take questions seriously enough, but your business depends on you doing so.

Click here to discover why taking time out and asking questions of every aspect of your business will transform your products and services…

BLOG 5 – The 3-part formula to creating breakthrough questions for your business

Asking naïve or ‘beginners mind’ questions in your business puts you on the road to creative breakthrough questions.

Putting a stranger in the room when asking the ‘WHY?’ questions will bring another perspective to the questions being asked and enable you to step back.

‘WHY?’ questions are about seeing and understanding the problem and are the first questions to be asked in the 3-step breakthrough question formula.

This proven formula will enable you and your colleagues to ask simple, valuable and innovative questions.

After ‘WHY?’ comes ‘WHAT IF?’.

A ‘WHAT IF?’ question starts you thinking about the possible solutions – the answers to the ‘WHY’ question. The ‘WHAT IF?’ question generates options and ideas.

For example:

“What if I could somehow have a darkroom inside my camera and produce the photo immediately?” (Edwin Land’s was asked this ‘WHAT IF?’ question and went on to invent the polaroid camera.

“What if I paint over my mistakes when typing, the way I do when painting?” (Bette Nesmith Graham, a typist by day and painter in her spare time asked the ‘WHAT IF?’ question and went on to invent liquid paper)

A ‘HOW?’ question is the stage where the rubber meets the road.

It stimulates and prompts you to act on the possibilities you have come up with through the ‘WHAT IF?’ questions, to test your ideas within your business.

The ‘HOW?’ stage is the point where things come together.

Of course, they may then fall apart again, which is a positive thing, as the greatest learning comes from failure. Failure creates more questioning and a desire to get it right.

Rather than running from failure in your business you need to hold it to the light and ask:

WHY did the idea fail? WHAT IF I could take what I have learned from this failure and try another approach? HOW might I do that?

Click here to learn how when questions are asked in your business using the proven 3-step breakthrough question formula, you and your team will generate new ideas and make your business more successful.

BLOG 6 – What can your business learn from 2 struggling rent payers in San Francisco?

A few simple questions asked at the right time in your business can have a profound effect on your future success.

Take time-out with your team, away from the day-to-day running of the office and you might be surprised at the questions they ask.

Sometimes questions can be born out of necessity and other times they can be about a long-standing problem, issue or idea that someone has wanted to mention but not had the courage or the right platform to do so.

The key to this time is that it’s ‘no holds barred’ time. Time when no question is too basic, no question will be rejected, everything will be considered.

Here is a perfect example of a simple question asked at the right time that had a dramatic effect on 2 men’s lives.

Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky had one question uppermost in their minds:

‘How are we going to pay our rent?’

This was their main issue at the time, they had no jobs and not much money. But they did have a nice apartment in San Francisco, providing a roof over their heads and a place to sleep.

At the same time newspapers were reporting on the lack of hotel beds in the city….

So what question would you ask given these two facts? How about asking…

‘Why do people coming to our town have so much trouble getting a hotel room?’

Joe and Brian were problem-finding with this question.

And so was born the idea of ‘air bed and breakfast’. It’s now called Airbnb and is valued at more than £20 billion.

Click here to learn that Why? What If? and How? all contributed to the creation and success of Airbnb and how Joe and Brian became successful by asking the right questions and challenging assumptions.


Apply this formula to the questions asked of your business by you and your team and maybe you too can be as successful as Joe and Brian!

BLOG 7 – Get yourself a business breakthrough with 3 simple questions …

It’s easy to admire the business success of Polaroid, Uber and Airbnb, but these are not just one-offs, with the right questions and the right ideas this same business success can be yours too.

What if you could create your own breakthrough idea, what if you could ask just one question that could transform the fortunes of your business?

In his book ‘A More Beautiful Question’ Warren Berger’s research points to a simple 3-question formula that you and I can apply to our businesses, our products and our services.

So why not take yourself and your team away from the office and have some time-out and give the 3-question formula a go? What have you got to lose?

Here are 4 pointers to get you started:

Drag yourself away from the coalface.

Stop being too busy being busy, doing everything that just needs doing to keep your business going. Step back and go problem finding.

It worked for Bette Nesmith Graham who came up with ‘Liquid Paper’.

Create a whole series of ‘WHY?’ questions and seek out a problem worth tackling in your business.

Remember your team must know that every question will be considered, then you can fine-tune and filter the questions and focus on the one or two issues worthy of further investigation.

Next pose some ‘WHAT IF?’ questions.

These questions will generate options, ideas, possibilities and alternatives, just like Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky did when they set up Airbnb.

Make it happen with ‘HOW?’ questions.

Having found the problem and created options now it’s time to work out ‘HOW?’.

Prototype and test your ideas as fast as you can, remember innovation rarely happens overnight and there can be several failures along the road to success. It took 5 years for Edwin Land to launch the first Polaroid, but he started fast and never let set-backs divert him from his ultimate goal.

Click here to learn how to create the breakthrough questions that will uncover just one idea that will deliver a breath-taking result for your business…

Update 1
The importance of credibility should never be under-estimated – it’s hard to become credible, it takes time for your buyers to trust you, believe in you and your products.

And it can be lost in a heart-beat. So be careful… Click here to learn that your credibility matters to the success of your business.

Update 2
You have to be deadly serious about your credibility or people will not buy from you, and your business success depends on this very thing…

How credible do you think your business, products and services are right now? Click here to learn how to take credibility seriously in your business.

Update 3
As a business owner or manager, you believe in your business, you believe in your products and services.

However, this is all in vain if your customers don’t…

Your customers are not going to part with their hard-earned money if they don’t think you are credible.

When was the last time you thought about the credibility of your business and the products and services you sell?

Update 4
Click here to learn that YOU have to be credible!

Credibility in your business matters and when done right can have an immediate difference to your success.

Click here to learn a great story about Otis the elevator company, who took their business to new heights by risking everything to prove the credibility of their product.

Update 5
It can be frustrating when you know you have the right product or service for your customers, but you cannot convince them to buy it.

It’s even more frustrating if you then lose them to the competition…

How many times has this happened to you?

Click here to learn that to make your product or service truly credible you have to risk it all…

Update 6
Are you seriously about building the credibility of your business?

Are you as serious as Richard Davis?

Richard Davis was deadly serious, so much so that he shot himself point blank – because he believed in his product absolutely… Click here to learn whether the risk Richard Davis took paid off and the importance of credibility to the future of your business.

Update 7
Words just aren’t enough when it comes to gaining the trust of your customers. They need proof that your product or service will deliver what you are saying.

So, it pays to put your money where your mouth is and invest in Wanek’s suggested 6 sources of credibility. Click here to learn what they are and how they can work for your business.

Update 8
Have you ever heard the phrase, actions speak louder than words? Well when it comes to building the credibility of your product, service and business, this statement has never been more true…

It worked for Otis, the elevator company, it worked for Richard Davis and it can work for you. Click here to learn the importance of actions.

Update 9
Your business is constantly evolving, as a business owner or leader it can be hard, sometimes impossible, to keep up with the mountains of work you must do every day, whilst making sure you are ahead of the competition, have a happy team, are winning new customers and making a profit.

With all this, there is little time to spend on building the credibility of your business and your products and services, however click here to learn that building credibility is an essential component to keeping customers, winning new customers and growing your business.

Update 10
Tom Wanek, in his book ‘Currencies That Build Credibility’, suggests using 6 sources of credibility in your business. It pays for you to choose the sources of credibility relevant to your ideal or preferred customers. Click here to learn what they are and when used right how they can make your business successful, just like they did for Patagonia the clothing company.

Update 11
It takes time to build credibility – time, money and proof that your products and services are better than all the rest…

But beware… it’s easy to lose, less and less credibility will undermine the sales success of your business… Click here to learn the importance of credibility to your business

Update 12
Click here to learn a valuable lesson from Gerald Ratner on credibility gone bad…

Gerald Ratner proved undeniably that you should never undermine a product you are trying to sell. If you don’t believe in it, how can you expect the customer to believe in it and therefore to buy it? He is living proof that credibility matters.

Update 13
Without credibility or with less credibility than your competition, you will struggle to sell.

It pays to look closely at what’s relevant to your ideal customer when choosing what type of credibility will give you a competitive edge in your sector. Click here to learn how…

Update 14
What are your competitors doing to make their business or products credible and stand out?

Perhaps credibility isn’t being used well in your sector – what a massive opportunity to gain a huge competitive advantage!

Click here are 4 helping hands to help credibility pay off for your business

1) The importance of credibility should never be under-estimated – it’s hard to become credible, it takes time for your buyers to trust you, believe in you and your products.

And it can be lost in a heart-beat. So be careful… Click here to learn that your credibility matters to the success of your business.

2) You have to be deadly serious about your credibility or people will not buy from you, and your business success depends on this very thing…

How credible do you think your business, products and services are right now? Click here to learn how to take credibility seriously in your business.

3) As a business owner or manager, you believe in your business, you believe in your products and services.

However, this is all in vain if your customers don’t…

Your customers are not going to part with their hard-earned money if they don’t think you are credible.

When was the last time you thought about the credibility of your business and the products and services you sell?

Click here to learn that YOU have to be credible!

4) Credibility in your business matters and when done right can have an immediate difference to your success.

Click here to learn a great story about Otis the elevator company, who took their business to new heights by risking everything to prove the credibility of their product.

5) It can be frustrating when you know you have the right product or service for your customers, but you cannot convince them to buy it.

It’s even more frustrating if you then lose them to the competition…

How many times has this happened to you?

Click here to learn that to make your product or service truly credible you have to risk it all…

6) Are you seriously about building the credibility of your business?

Are you as serious as Richard Davis?

Richard Davis was deadly serious, so much so that he shot himself point blank – because he believed in his product absolutely… Click here to learn whether the risk Richard Davis took paid off and the importance of credibility to the future of your business.

7) Words just aren’t enough when it comes to gaining the trust of your customers. They need proof that your product or service will deliver what you are saying.

So, it pays to put your money where your mouth is and invest in Wanek’s suggested 6 sources of credibility. Click here to learn what they are and how they can work for your business.

8) Have you ever heard the phrase, actions speak louder than words? Well when it comes to building the credibility of your product, service and business, this statement has never been more true…

It worked for Otis, the elevator company, it worked for Richard Davis and it can work for you. Click here to learn the importance of actions.

9) Your business is constantly evolving, as a business owner or leader it can be hard, sometimes impossible, to keep up with the mountains of work you must do every day, whilst making sure you are ahead of the competition, have a happy team, are winning new customers and making a profit.

With all this, there is little time to spend on building the credibility of your business and your products and services, however click here to learn that building credibility is an essential component to keeping customers, winning new customers and growing your business.

10) Tom Wanek, in his book ‘Currencies That Build Credibility’, suggests using 6 sources of credibility in your business. It pays for you to choose the sources of credibility relevant to your ideal or preferred customers. Click here to learn what they are and when used right how they can make your business successful, just like they did for Patagonia the clothing company.

11) It takes time to build credibility – time, money and proof that your products and services are better than all the rest…

But beware… it’s easy to lose, less and less credibility will undermine the sales success of your business… Click here to learn the importance of credibility to your business

12) Click here to learn a valuable lesson from Gerald Ratner on credibility gone bad…

Gerald Ratner proved undeniably that you should never undermine a product you are trying to sell. If you don’t believe in it, how can you expect the customer to believe in it and therefore to buy it? He is living proof that credibility matters.

Without credibility or with less credibility than your competition, you will struggle to sell.

13) It pays to look closely at what’s relevant to your ideal customer when choosing what type of credibility will give you a competitive edge in your sector. Click here to learn how…

14) What are your competitors doing to make their business or products credible and stand out?

Perhaps credibility isn’t being used well in your sector – what a massive opportunity to gain a huge competitive advantage!

Click here are 4 helping hands to help credibility pay off for your business.

• BLOG 1 – How serious are you about building your credibility?
  When you watch a movie, you can almost believe anything on-screen, because it’s not real life, it’s fantasy.
  The skills of the characters in the movie, ‘The Incredibles’ for example – we know that people cannot lift cars, move faster than a speeding bullet and make themselves invisible, but we suspend belief and sit back and enjoy the movie.
  But in your business, in the real world, the buyers of your products and services will not suspend belief. If they are investing their money, they need to absolutely believe.
  They need to believe in you, your business, your products and services and believe that they are not wasting their money.
  To make this happen, to make your buyers part with their money and be happy to do so - you have to be seen as credible…
  Incredible – well that comes later! Let’s work on credible first!
  The importance of Credibility should never be under-estimated – it’s hard to become credible, it takes time for your buyers to trust you, believe in you and your products.
  And it can be lost in a heart-beat. So be careful…
  You have to be deadly serious about your credibility or people will not buy from you, and your business success depends on this very thing…
  How credible do you think your business, products and services are right now?
  Click here to learn how to create credibility for your business…
  
  
  BLOG 2 – Lift your business to new heights by building credibility
  As a business owner or manager, you believe in your business, you believe in your products and services.
  However, this is all in vain if your customers don’t…
  Your customers are not going to part with their hard-earned money if they don’t think you are credible.
  When was the last time you thought about the credibility of your business and the products and services you sell?
  You have to be credible!
  And the larger the purchase price for your goods and services, the more trust and credibility you will need in the hearts and minds of your customers.
  More credibility means more trust, more trust means more buyers buying from you, more buyers means greater profits and greater profits mean your business is succeeding, growing…
  You get the picture - so, how do you achieve this?
  How do you make your business, your products credible?
  Sometimes you must risk it all, just like Elisha Otis did in 1854.
  Most successful, credible brands have a great story – this one is unbelievable – except it did actually happen and Otis’s business success is built on it…
  The first passenger elevators had been installed in England in the 1830s.
  Hemp rope held the elevators up and would often break, killing passengers, making the flats on the higher floors of buildings the cheapest!
  As buildings got taller one man launched his invention…
  In 1854, Elisha Otis travelled to the New York World's Fair to promote his new invention. Standing high above the crowd on a platform elevator, he ordered the retaining rope cut. The crowd cried out. His invention, the elevator safety brake, held!
  And in that moment, one man changed the world's perspective on what's possible. In that moment Otis achieved instant credibility. He risked his life because he knew his product worked!
  Orders rolled in and Otis doubled their profits year on year. Now they have elevators and escalators in some of the tallest buildings in the world including the Eiffel Tower, the Petronas Twin Towers, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Tianjin 117 building which is the tallest building in China.
  In 2017 Otis Elevators revenues were over £9 billion…. worth the risk of cutting a bit of rope in 1854 don’t you think?
  Click here to learn that even in your business, to be truly credible to your customers, you need to publicly put your reputation on the line…
  
  BLOG 3 – What can a pizza delivery man teach us about credibility?
  It can be frustrating when you know you have the right product or service for your customers, but you cannot convince them to buy it.
  It’s even more frustrating if you then lose them to the competition…
  How many times has this happened to you?
  The question is (or rather questions):
  
  How do you make your customers believe in your business?
  
  How do you make your customers believe in your products and services?
  
  and…
  
  How do you make them see that your product is credible – more credible than the competition?
  
  Answer:
  
  You take a risk…
  
  The more you risk or spend on your credibility, the more believable your message becomes…
  You have to be serious about building your credibility…
  How serious are you?
  Are you as serious as Richard Davis?
  Richard Davis was deadly serious, so much so that he shot himself point blank – because he believed in his product absolutely…
  Davis was a pizza delivery man in a city where muggings and shootings were common. He developed a product that he believed could stop front line policemen/women and the armed forces getting life threatening bullet wounds…
  However, he had a credibility issue – no-one believed him, and no-one wanted to test it!
  So, in 1971 Davis went to the armed services with his new ‘Kevlar bullet proof’ vest and to prove it worked he asked them for a gun and some bullets.
  He then put on the vest and shot himself at point blank range!
  The ‘Second Chance’ vest worked – it stopped the bullet and he and his product were instantly credible.
  Since then he has shot himself over 200 times. He famously stated that ‘the first shot was for science; the rest were for showbusiness!’
  In 2005 Davis sold his ‘Second Chance’ business for £34 million.
  Credibility matters and the importance of risking it all, as in the case of Davis, cannot be underestimated. He was willing to apparently risk his own safety but also his reputation to prove beyond all doubt that his product worked and was credible.
  How far are you willing to go?
  
  Click here to learn how you too can transform the success of your business by being deadly serious about your credibility.
  
  
  BLOG 4 – Actions speak louder than words in building your credibility
  It’s very easy to tell your customers or future customers how good your products and services are, we’ve all heard and seen the sales talk…
  It’s faster, it’s stronger, it lasts longer..
  We care more, we listen more, we work harder than the competition…
  But to really believe any of this, your customers need more than words, they need actions.
  “Talk is cheap, actions speak”
  It’s because talk is cheap that your words won’t be believed.
  As Tom Wanek said in his little-known, but highly-valuable book ‘Currencies That Buy Credibility’
  “Trust is a language that does not rely on words”
  Words just aren’t enough when it comes to gaining the trust of your customers. They need proof that your product or service will deliver what you are saying.
  So, it pays to put your money where your mouth is and invest in Wanek’s suggested 6 sources of credibility.
  Look at the way that Otis did this when he cut the rope to prove his elevator brake worked and the way that Davis did when he shot himself point blank to prove his Kevlar vest really did stop bullets…
  They invested their time and money in their products, but then risked their reputations and safety to demonstrate that their talk was not cheap.
  Their actions clearly demonstrated the credibility of their products and brought them unprecedented results and success.
  Click here to learn what the 6 sources of credibility are, which of them worked for Otis and Davis and find out why they are so important to the success of your business…
  
  BLOG 5 – Build your credibility relevant to your ideal customers
  Your business is constantly evolving, as a business owner or leader it can be hard, sometimes impossible, to keep up with the mountains of work you must do every day, whilst making sure you are ahead of the competition, have a happy team, are winning new customers and making a profit.
  With all this, there is little time to spend on building the credibility of your business and your products and services, however building credibility is an essential component to keeping customers, winning new customers and growing your business.
  Where there is trust, there is a growing and sustainable relationship.
  Where there is trust, there is belief in you and your business.
  When you establish credibility, your customers will respect and trust you, choose you over the competition and recommend you to other customers.
  But how do you establish this trust? Have you ever tried?
  Tom Wanek, in his book ‘Currencies That Build Credibility’, suggests using 6 sources of credibility in your business.
  They are:
  
  1. Material wealth
  
  2. Time and energy
  
  3. Opportunity
  
  4. Power and control
  
  5. Reputation and prestige
  
  6. Safety and well-being
  
  It pays for you to choose the sources of credibility relevant to your ideal or preferred customers.
  Just like Patagonia (the outdoor pursuits clothing company).
  They have invested ‘time and energy’ on building a product range, whilst keeping environmental and sustainability issues at the heart of everything they do…
  They call themselves an ‘activist company’ and you only have to look at their website to see how important to them this is.
  Their mission statement is:
  
  ‘Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis’
  
  Patagonia ideally environmentally conscious customers and therefore have ensured their product range details the origin of all materials used in product creation. But we all have the opportunity to purchase them if we want.
  The customers of Patagonia believe in the products, trust the origins of product and deeply believe in the credibility of the business.
  Click here to learn the importance of choosing the right source of credibility for your business. When you make it the centre of everything you do, you will grow your business.
  
  
  BLOG 6 – Credibility, hard to build, easy to lose, just ask Gerald Ratner…
  Actions can be far more powerful than words when building credibility.
  Like Otis cutting the rope and letting the elevator drop from a great height… knowing that his elevator safety brake would work… even more impressive when you know he was standing in the elevator at the time!
  As the incisive business leader expert Robin S Sharma states: ‘Talk is cheap. Actions speak’.
  And when you focus on building your credibility through actions directly relevant to your ideal or preferred customers, you’ll build trust and build sales too.It takes time to build credibility – time, money and proof that your products and services are better than all the rest…
  But beware… it’s easy to lose, less and less credibility will undermine the sales success of your business…
  Gerald Ratner is living proof of credibility gone bad! And living proof that credibility matters!
  It took Ratner just 1 minute and 36 seconds to lose £500 million.
  In 1991 during a speech, Ratner openly discredited his products. The former chief executive of the British jewellery company Ratner’s Group commented:
  
  “We also do cut-glass sherry decanters complete with six glasses on a silver-plated tray that your butler can serve you drinks on, all for £4.95. People say, "How can you sell this for such a low price?", I say, “because it's total crap”.
  
  He then added that a set of Ratner’s earrings was "cheaper than a Marks and Spencer’s prawn sandwich but probably wouldn't last as long."
  Gerald Ratner proved undeniably that you should never undermine a product you are trying to sell. If you don’t believe in it, how can you expect the customer to believe in it and therefore to buy it?
  Ratner clearly shows us what to avoid doing over lunch unless you want to bring devastation to your business. He was being flippant – he did not take credibility seriously and paid the price!
  
  Click here to learn how to make credibility the cornerstone of your business success…
  
  BLOG 7 – 4 helping hands for you to build credibility for your business
  Without credibility or with less credibility than your competition, you will struggle to sell.
  It pays to look closely at what’s relevant to your ideal customer when choosing what type of credibility will give you a competitive edge in your sector.
  What are your competitors doing to make their business or products credible and stand out?
  Perhaps credibility isn’t being used well in your sector – what a massive opportunity to gain a huge competitive advantage!
  When you build your credibility above and beyond your competition you will secure a bright future for your business.
  Here are 4 helping hands to help credibility pay off for your business:
  
  1. Take credibility deadly seriously and build your sales success
  
  Don’t lose out to the competition by allowing them to master credibility before you do, use the 6 sources of credibility to steal a march on the competition and gain extra sales. And don’t be flippant about the importance of credibility, remember it took Gerald Ratner 1 minute 36 seconds to lose £500m!
  
  2. Invest in credibility that’s most relevant to your customers
  
  Money is always relevant and making strong guarantees is worthwhile ‘if you are not completely satisfied you get your money back’. But your investment might be time, safety, opportunity or prestige. Choose the right one for your market and your customers.
  
  3. Seek credibility through your actions not just your words
  
  Because actions speak louder than words, invest in actions to prove that your product works, like Davis did when he shot himself point blank, to prove his vest could stop a bullet.
  
  Nothing makes your business more credible or your customers trust you more than an act of proof.
  
  4. Make your credibility stronger than the competition
  
  You are only credible if you are better than your competition, work out (using the 6 sources of credibility) how to out-perform them. Whatever they are doing, do more. However good they are, be better. For example, Marks and Spencer’s were massively credible back in the 90’s, when you could return any goods and get your money back without a quibble – they stood out from the competition, because they were better – but now more and more retailers do this therefore they have lost their credible advantage…
  But what if they offered a lifetime return with your money back? They would go one better than the competition, regain their position at the top of the credibility tree…
  Remember the key to your credibility success is to focus your time and energy on what matters most to the ideal customers in your sector…
  Click here to learn how to uncover your credibility and the credibility of your products and services and create a big impact on the success your business.

Update 1
How many times in your business have you turned to another manager and said, ‘We need to start holding the people in our business to account’?

This is normally a reaction when something has gone wrong, a deadline has not been met or a customer has been let down…

These moments are normally avoided since we don’t as a rule like conflict, however click here to view accountability conversations as a business opportunity.

Update 2
No wonder the word accountability has such negative connotations. And since most people view it as something to get hit over the head with, we tend to avoid it and instead focus our energy on coming up with creative excuses, blaming, or finger pointing.

But click here to learn that rather than hiding behind the issues or creating excuses these moments could be viewed as an opportunity for personal development…

Update 3
The Business Dictionary Definition of accountability is:

The obligation of an individual or organisation to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner”.

The words obligation and responsibility can be intimidating and scary if accountability is defined like this and it’s no wonder that people think of it as a punishment when something goes wrong…

But click here to learn that it doesn’t have to be like this…

Update 4
How often do you hold the people in your business accountable?

Ken Blanchard (world-renowned business author and trainer) suggests: “The greatest test of a relationship is what happens when someone lets you down. Yet these are the moments of greatest opportunity”

Click here to learn that when you tackle below-par performance early and have a well-structured conversation to solve the issue you WILL strengthen the relationship.

Update 5
How often does conflict arise in your business?

How do you deal with it? Do you embrace it, or do you lock it away in a cupboard never to be seen again?

In Patrick Lencioni’s book ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ he promotes and positively encourages the idea of conflict.

The right kind of conflict, Constructive Conflict. Click here to learn more.

Update 6
Teams that fear conflict fail to have accountability conversations, they fail to address the issues that are holding the business back and fail to address the underperformance of any of their members.

Click here to learn that teams that engage in conflict must make their accountability conversations constructive and well structured.

Update 7
When it comes to having difficult or potentially confrontational conversations, how well do you prepare?

An accountability conversation is never going to go well if you start it with:

“For Heaven’s sake, what’s wrong with those bozos!”

Click here to learn that successful breakthrough accountability starts with you, working on you first. Before you even open your mouth!

Update 8
Remember, when asking a member of your team to account for their actions, the success of the conversation lives or dies on how you deliver what you want to say and the way the other person receives it…

Problems rarely come in tiny boxes, they come in giant, messy bundles that you have to take the time to unbundle…

Click here to learn that the key to the success of the accountability conversation you have is choosing the right problem or issue for your conversation and preparing well.

Update 9
You want to run a healthy business where you and your team are happy, enjoy coming to work and thrive…

However, you must also run a profitable business where your team work hard, push themselves and are accountable for the work they do, and the deadlines set…

So, click here to learn how to keep the peace even when conflict threatens because of underperformance, bad behaviour or failed delivery?

Update 10
In their book ‘Crucial Conversations’ the authors (Kerry Patterson et al) suggest a few tools to help you choose the right issue to focus on in your accountability conversation.

Think about the persons behaviour and use ‘CPR’ to help isolate the right issue for discussion.

This acronym stands for Content, Pattern and Relationship. Click here to learn how to use this to revive your business.

Update 11
When it comes to discussing the performance of your team and the work they do on a daily basis, how many times do you praise them?

How many times do you congratulate them for the deadlines they hit, for the work they have submitted, for the extra business they have won or for the long hours and dedication they show to your business?

Unfortunately, accountability is usually viewed in a more negative way… Click here to learn how to change the perception of accountability and use it as a positive business driver.

Update 12
Click here to learn what the ‘contrast principle’ is and that when you use successfully in your accountability conversations you will make the person feel safe and aware that you are focusing on the ONE issue that is causing a problem…

Update 13
How many times in your business have you avoided an accountability conversation?

At that moment when someone has not delivered something that they promised or not hit a deadline that was crucial, have you tackled the situation, had the conversation?

Click here to learn that the right accountability conversations will improve the morale of your team and drive up your profits.

Update 14
Put simply, most of us don’t want the stress or the grief that comes from having such difficult accountability discussions.

However, broken promises, missed deadlines and bad behaviour all hold your business back.

So, it pays to work on your accountability skills.

Click here to learn 4 tips to start making your accountability conversations more productive and less stressful. your text here...

1) How many times in your business have you turned to another manager and said, ‘We need to start holding the people in our business to account'?

This is normally a reaction when something has gone wrong, a deadline has not been met or a customer has been let down…

These moments are normally avoided since we don’t as a rule like conflict, however click here to view accountability conversations as a business opportunity.

2) No wonder the word accountability has such negative connotations. And since most people view it as something to get hit over the head with, we tend to avoid it and instead focus our energy on coming up with creative excuses, blaming, or finger pointing.

But click here to learn that rather than hiding behind the issues or creating excuses these moments could be viewed as an opportunity for personal development…

3) The Business Dictionary Definition of accountability is:

The obligation of an individual or organisation to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner”.

The words obligation and responsibility can be intimidating and scary if accountability is defined like this and it’s no wonder that people think of it as a punishment when something goes wrong…

But click here to learn that it doesn’t have to be like this…

4) How often do you hold the people in your business accountable?

Ken Blanchard (world-renowned business author and trainer) suggests: “The greatest test of a relationship is what happens when someone lets you down. Yet these are the moments of greatest opportunity”

Click here to learn that when you tackle below-par performance early and have a well-structured conversation to solve the issue you WILL strengthen the relationship.

5) How often does conflict arise in your business?

How do you deal with it? Do you embrace it, or do you lock it away in a cupboard never to be seen again?

In Patrick Lencioni’s book ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ he promotes and positively encourages the idea of conflict.

The right kind of conflict, Constructive Conflict. Click here to learn more.

6) Teams that fear conflict fail to have accountability conversations, they fail to address the issues that are holding the business back and fail to address the underperformance of any of their members.

Click here to learn that teams that engage in conflict must make their accountability conversations constructive and well structured.

7) When it comes to having difficult or potentially confrontational conversations, how well do you prepare?

An accountability conversation is never going to go well if you start it with:

“For Heaven’s sake, what’s wrong with those bozos!”

Click here to learn that successful breakthrough accountability starts with you, working on you first. Before you even open your mouth!

8) Remember, when asking a member of your team to account for their actions, the success of the conversation lives or dies on how you deliver what you want to say and the way the other person receives it…

Problems rarely come in tiny boxes, they come in giant, messy bundles that you have to take the time to unbundle…

Click here to learn that the key to the success of the accountability conversation you have is choosing the right problem or issue for your conversation and preparing well.

9) You want to run a healthy business where you and your team are happy, enjoy coming to work and thrive…

However, you must also run a profitable business where your team work hard, push themselves and are accountable for the work they do, and the deadlines set…

So, click here to learn how to keep the peace even when conflict threatens because of underperformance, bad behaviour or failed delivery?

10) In their book ‘Crucial Conversations’ the authors (Kerry Patterson et al) suggest a few tools to help you choose the right issue to focus on in your accountability conversation.

Think about the persons behaviour and use ‘CPR’ to help isolate the right issue for discussion.

This acronym stands for Content, Pattern and Relationship. Click here to learn how to use this to revive your business.

11) When it comes to discussing the performance of your team and the work they do on a daily basis, how many times do you praise them?

How many times do you congratulate them for the deadlines they hit, for the work they have submitted, for the extra business they have won or for the long hours and dedication they show to your business?

Unfortunately, accountability is usually viewed in a more negative way… Click here to learn how to change the perception of accountability and use it as a positive business driver.

12) Click here to learn what the ‘contrast principle’ is and that when you use successfully in your accountability conversations you will make the person feel safe and aware that you are focusing on the ONE issue that is causing a problem…

13) How many times in your business have you avoided an accountability conversation?

At that moment when someone has not delivered something that they promised or not hit a deadline that was crucial, have you tackled the situation, had the conversation?

Click here to learn that the right accountability conversations will improve the morale of your team and drive up your profits.

14) Put simply, most of us don’t want the stress or the grief that comes from having such difficult accountability discussions.

However, broken promises, missed deadlines and bad behaviour all hold your business back.

So, it pays to work on your accountability skills.

Click here to learn 4 tips to start making your accountability conversations more productive and less stressful.

BLOG 1 – Build stronger relationships with your team by holding them to account
How many times in your business have you turned to another manager and said, ‘We need to start holding the people in our business to account’?

This is normally a reaction when something has gone wrong, a deadline has not been met or a customer has been let down…

When a member of your team falls short or fails to live up to your expectations, you face a potentially costly conflict…these moments are risky and emotionally charged, as most people think of accountability as looking for the person to hang for poor performance or mistakes.

No wonder the word accountability has such negative connotations. And since most people view it as something to get hit over the head with, we tend to avoid it and instead focus our energy on coming up with creative excuses, blaming, or finger pointing.

But rather than hiding behind the issues or creating excuses these moments could be viewed as an opportunity for personal development…

These moments are opportunities for a business breakthrough, a breakthrough in performance and will build stronger relationships between you and your team…

When you embrace accountability and become brilliant at doing so, you will transform your business success.

Click here to learn how holding your team to account is a winning solution for the future of your business.

BLOG 2 – Have well-structured accountability conversations in your business
The Business Dictionary Definition of accountability is:

“The obligation of an individual or organisation to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner”.

The words obligation and responsibility can be intimidating and scary if accountability is defined like this and it’s no wonder that people think of it as a punishment when something goes wrong…

But it doesn’t have to be like this…

Accountability in your business should be looked at as an opportunity to strengthen your business and the relationships within it.

How often do you hold the people in your business accountable?

Ken Blanchard (world-renowned business author and trainer) suggests: “The greatest test of a relationship is what happens when someone lets you down. Yet these are the moments of greatest opportunity”

When you tackle below-par performance early and have a well-structured conversation to solve the issue you WILL strengthen the relationship.

When a colleague lets you down, misses a deadline or agreed target or gives you less in their performance than you were expecting, what do you do?

Say nothing – the poor performance carries on

Speak up and possibly create a conflict

Having the conversation is not easy – its awkward, uncertain, uncomfortable and most people are not willing to tackle an issue head on… Click here to learn how to have well-structured accountability conversations in your business…

BLOG 3 – Go in search of the right kind of conflict in your business
Challenging queue jumpers will can help you have greater accountability conversations in your business…

How often does conflict arise in your business?

How do you deal with it? Do you embrace it, or do you lock it away in a cupboard never to be seen again?

In Patrick Lencioni’s book ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ he promotes and positively encourages the idea of conflict. The right kind of conflict, Constructive Conflict.

Patrick has worked with many internationally recognised companies and believes firmly that it’s hard to move a business forward without conflict.

Holding someone to account is a conflict – and this should be an opportunity to move your business forward…

How often do you hold people to account in your business?

And how often is this conversation constructive?

Lencioni believes that conflict is productive, necessary and fundamental to the overall success of any team and any business.

Teams that fear conflict fail to have accountability conversations, they fail to address the issues that are holding the business back and fail to address the underperformance of any of their members.

Teams that engage in conflict must make their accountability conversations constructive and well structured.

Lead the way and your team will follow suit!

Accountability pays off – but it’s a challenge – your challenge!

Click here to learn how to have greater accountability conversations in your business…

go in search of the right kind of conflict in your business.

BLOG 4 – Prepare well to face the conflict of holding people to account
When it comes to having difficult or potentially confrontational conversations, how well do you prepare?

An accountability conversation is never going to go well if you start it with:

“For Heaven’s sake, what’s wrong with those bozos!”

Successful breakthrough accountability starts with you, working on you first. Before you even open your mouth!

Remember, when asking a member of your team to account for their actions, the success of the conversation lives or dies on how you deliver what you want to say and the way the other person receives it…

Problems rarely come in tiny boxes, they come in giant, messy bundles that you have to take the time to unbundle…

The key to the success of the accountability conversation you have is choosing the right problem or issue for your conversation and preparing well.

Let’s try an example from home; even if you don’t have teenagers, it’s easy to relate to this scenario:

You’ve given your teenage daughter a curfew time to come home, but over an hour late she saunters in with the boyfriend that you don’t really like, she doesn’t apologise for being late and it has happened despite her promise to be on time…

Which issue do you choose to address? It’s a messy bundle and you risk rushing in to a heated argument…

So, focus on the one issue that bothers you the most:

She’s late… again

She broke her promise

She created fear as you hate her driving late at night

She did not communicate her lateness

She has not apologised

She has defied your parental rules

Which issue would you choose?

Click here to learn how to prepare well to face the conflict of holding people to account

BLOG 5 –Use ‘CPR’ in your accountability conversations for a healthier business...
You want to run a healthy business where you and your team are happy, enjoy coming to work and thrive…

However, you must also run a profitable business where your team work hard, push themselves and are accountable for the work they do, and the deadlines set…

So how to keep the peace even when conflict threatens because of underperformance, bad behaviour or failed delivery?

When your accountability conversation is a well-structured, constructive conversation that focuses on the RIGHT issue then both parties will come out of it with a sense of accomplishment.

In their book ‘Crucial Conversations’ the authors (Kerry Patterson et al) suggest a few tools to help you choose the right issue to focus on in your accountability conversation.

Think about the persons behaviour and use ‘CPR’ to help isolate the right issue for discussion.

This acronym stands for Content, Pattern and Relationship

Content – what just happened

For example – why did you lose your temper in that meeting with the clients – you were too loud and started talking over them, it was embarrassing

Pattern – it’s a repeating pattern that is the biggest issue

For example - I have noticed this has happened before in other meetings, both internal and external, you cannot control your temper

Relationship – This concern is far bigger than content or pattern – as it causes a loss of trust

For example – you used to be the person I could trust in client meeting, now I am not so sure. This is putting a strain on the relationships we build and our relationship too.

Having unbundled all the issues, you can then begin the focus on the one that really matters, on the intentions and the consequences.

Click here to learn more about how using CPR in accountability conversations with your team will ensure the health and future success of your business.

BLOG 6 – Make your team feel safe when you are holding them to account
When it comes to discussing the performance of your team and the work they do on a daily basis, how many times do you praise them?

How many times do you congratulate them for the deadlines they hit, for the work they have submitted, for the extra business they have won or for the long hours and dedication they show to your business?

Unfortunately, accountability is usually viewed in a more negative way…

For example:

“Where is that report that I asked for last night? Why is it not on my desk this morning?

We need to talk about your performance”

This conversation is never going to go well, when you focus on the negative, the person you are dealing with will automatically be on the defensive.

Quite rightly, Kerry Patterson and his fellow authors in their book “Crucial Conversations”

suggest that using the right words and making the person feel safe are key to the success of your accountability conversations.

Often people feel threatened or intimidated by an accountability conversation and, as a manager, it is your job to make them feel safe, and this starts with you choosing the right words to use.

When you use the ‘contrast principle’ in your accountability conversations you are contrasting what you don’t mean with what you do mean.

For example:

“I don’t want you to think I’m unhappy with how we work together. Overall, I am very satisfied with things. I just want to talk through how we get your reports done on time”

The contrast principle will make the person feel safe, as you are telling them that (indirectly) that their job is not at risk, you are happy with the majority of what they do, and you are focusing on the ONE issue that is causing a problem…

Click here to learn how you can address the performance gap in your business by using the ‘contrast principle’ to make your team feel safe in all your accountability conversations.

BLOG 7 – Get accountability right and watch both performance and working relationships in your business improve…
How many times in your business have you avoided an accountability conversation?

At that moment when someone has not delivered something that they promised or not hit a deadline that was crucial, have you tackled the situation, had the conversation?

The answer for most managers or business owners is no… because holding people to account is not for the faint hearted, they are hard conversations to have – even harder to get right.

AND put simply, most of us don’t want the stress or the grief that comes from having such difficult discussions.

However, broken promises, missed deadlines and bad behaviour all hold your business back.

They all result in lower productivity, higher costs and lost profits.

So, it pays to work on your accountability skills.

Here are 4 tips to start making your accountability conversations more productive and less stressful:

Slow down – don’t launch into any accountability conversation without preparing. ‘Speed rarely leads to careful thought’.

For your accountability conversation to work you must take time to unbundle the problem. There is rarely just one issue at play…

Choose the right issue – avoid focusing on the wrong issue or too many issues – sounds simple but in any conversation it’s easy to get drawn into ‘oh yes and there is this too’.

Use CPR (Content; Pattern; Relationship) plus Intentions and Consequences to help you choose the issue of most importance and therefore the one to tackle.

Should you or shouldn’t you – having worked out the issue you want to address in your accountability conversation, now take time to think about whether you really want to or not. If it’s a one-off or a small infraction, then maybe this time it can be overlooked – but don’t overlook it just to avoid the conversation.

Make your people feel safe – use the right words in your accountability conversation, if a member of your team feels threatened by the conversation then it will fail. Use the contrast principle to let them know what you are happy with, but that you need to address ‘just’ this issue…

Click here to discover the skills necessary to have healthy accountability conversations in your business.

Update 1

The world of sales – love it or hate it, we are all involved in it. Most of us sell something or are sold something every day. Probably without even realising it…
Click here to learn how a new form of selling can grow your business 

Update 2

Selling is no more the exclusive remit of the sales person. Click here to discover that a new view of sales now determines your success, the success of your team and ultimately the success of your business…


Update 3

Most people don’t like sales people…
If you ask your team to describe a typical sales person, they may use the words pushy or aggressive or describe the car salesman in a shiny suit trying too hard to sell you a car you are not sure you want, at a price you're not comfortable with...
But this version of a sales person no longer exists in successful businesses. Click here to learn why…

Update 4

Now with the internet and social media the balance has shifted.
Before it used to be ‘buyer beware’ because sales people held all the information and consequently the power.
But now the internet allows information equality. So now it’s ‘seller beware’. 
Sales people no longer wield the power! Click here to learn how to turn this to your advantage in your business…

Update 5

Each of us – because we’re human – has a selling instinct. Everyone can convince, persuade or influence people by confronting and realising this basic premise… 
Click here to understand that there are no ‘natural’ sales people because we’re ALL natural sales people! 

Update 6

Atlassian are a large software company and work with the likes of Microsoft and Samsung. 
They manage large software projects and have $110 million sales, and yet they have no sales people? 
Click here to learn that the principles they put in place to make their business successful can be applied to yours too…

Update 7

How often do you consider your buyers’ point of view when selling your business’s products and services?
Tuning into your buyers’ perspective rather than your own will bring better results…
Click here to learn that in his brilliant research based, yet easy to read book ‘To Sell is Human’, Daniel Pink lays out a new formula for success.

Update 8

The old-fashioned shark like view of sales people was typically linked with the sale of double glazing or used cars. Then, the famous acronym ‘ABC’ stood for ‘Always Be Closing’
Click here to learn that Daniel Pink believes that the new face of selling relies on this acronym being very different…

Update 9

You know who Bob the Builder is… you even know his mantra: “Can we fix it? Yes, we can!”
And of course, he normally does!!
Click here to learn how Bob the Builders positive mental attitude can bring your business success

Update 10

Daniel Pink believes that positive self-talk works better when it’s a self-questioning ‘Bob the Builder’ style, rather than self-affirming statements of brilliance.
Click here to learn the affect to you, your team and your business when you start saying “Can I do this?” rather than “I can do this!”

Update 11

If Atlassian can sell $100m of computer software without a sales team and Mentos can boost their profits by cutting back their product lines and sometimes recommending their competitors’ products, then click here to learn how your business can also enjoy the pay-off of your team building ‘non-sales’ selling skills.

Update 12

Research demonstrates that we all sell and that 41% of our lives have us selling time, effort and attention, whether to our colleagues, buyers, friends and family and many suggest that such non-sales selling skills are vital to their success. Click here to learn the difference that the RIGHT kind of selling can make to your business

Update 13

Clarity is vital to your business success – your job is to help your buyers filter the information threatening to overwhelm them, make sense of it and get rid of the rubbish.
Click here to learn what happens when you ask questions that will uncover unexpected problems and possibilities to give your buyers clarity on the issues that need the attention.

Update 14

‘Selling’ becomes more about advising and consulting… offering insights and enjoying a partnership with your buyer. Click here to learn how the right kind of selling transformed the fortunes of the Sweet Seller Mentos…

1) The world of sales – love it or hate it, we are all involved in it. Most of us sell something or are sold something every day. Probably without even realising it…
Click here to learn how a new form of selling can grow your business

2) Selling is no more the exclusive remit of the sales person. Click here to discover that a new view of sales now determines your success, the success of your team and ultimately the success of your business…


3) Most people don’t like sales people…
If you ask your team to describe a typical sales person, they may use the words pushy or aggressive or describe the car salesman in a shiny suit trying too hard to sell you a car you are not sure you want, at a price you're not comfortable with...
But this version of a sales person no longer exists in successful businesses. Click here to learn why…

4) Now with the internet and social media the balance has shifted.
Before it used to be ‘buyer beware’ because sales people held all the information and consequently the power.
But now the internet allows information equality. So now it’s ‘seller beware’.
Sales people no longer wield the power! Click here to learn how to turn this to your advantage in your business…

5) Each of us – because we’re human – has a selling instinct. Everyone can convince, persuade or influence people by confronting and realising this basic premise…
Click here to understand that there are no ‘natural’ sales people because we’re ALL natural sales people!

6) Atlassian are a large software company and work with the likes of Microsoft and Samsung.
They manage large software projects and have $110 million sales, and yet they have no sales people?
Click here to learn that the principles they put in place to make their business successful can be applied to yours too…

7) How often do you consider your buyers’ point of view when selling your business’s products and services?
Tuning into your buyers’ perspective rather than your own will bring better results…
Click here to learn that in his brilliant research based, yet easy to read book ‘To Sell is Human’, Daniel Pink lays out a new formula for success.

8) The old-fashioned shark like view of sales people was typically linked with the sale of double glazing or used cars. Then, the famous acronym ‘ABC’ stood for ‘Always Be Closing’
Click here to learn that Daniel Pink believes that the new face of selling relies on this acronym being very different…

9) You know who Bob the Builder is… you even know his mantra: “Can we fix it? Yes, we can!”
And of course, he normally does!!
Click here to learn how Bob the Builders positive mental attitude can bring your business success.

10) Daniel Pink believes that positive self-talk works better when it’s a self-questioning ‘Bob the Builder’ style, rather than self-affirming statements of brilliance.
Click here to learn the affect to you, your team and your business when you start saying “Can I do this?” rather than “I can do this!”

11) If Atlassian can sell $100m of computer software without a sales team and Mentos can boost their profits by cutting back their product lines and sometimes recommending their competitors’ products, then click here to learn how your business can also enjoy the pay-off of your team building ‘non-sales’ selling skills.

12) Research demonstrates that we all sell and that 41% of our lives have us selling time, effort and attention, whether to our colleagues, buyers, friends and family and many suggest that such non-sales selling skills are vital to their success. Click here to learn the difference that the RIGHT kind of selling can make to your business

13) Clarity is vital to your business success – your job is to help your buyers filter the information threatening to overwhelm them, make sense of it and get rid of the rubbish.
Click here to learn what happens when you ask questions that will uncover unexpected problems and possibilities to give your buyers clarity on the issues that need the attention.

14) ‘Selling’ becomes more about advising and consulting… offering insights and enjoying a partnership with your buyer. Click here to learn how the right kind of selling transformed the fortunes of the Sweet Seller Mentos…

Blog 1 – A much better way of selling for your business…


The world of sales – love it or hate it, we are all involved in it.

Most of us sell something or are sold something every day. Probably without even realising it…

On your way to work today the person on the radio will have sold you the idea of staying with them by telling you what is coming up next.

If you stop to fill up with petrol, the counter is full of non-petrol related items that are tempting you to buy…

Selling is no more the exclusive remit of the sales person. A new view of sales now determines your success, the success of your team and ultimately the success of your business…

According to statistics in the UK 10 in every 100 workers are involved directly in selling, but another research study of 9057 non-sales employees shows that 24 minutes of every working hour is dedicated to non-sales selling…

The radio broadcaster, a teacher trying to sell the merit of the class she is teaching or a manager trying to explain the importance of deadlines…

Like it or not we are all in sales, 10% of people are selling as part of their current sales job, the other 90% are convincing you to make an exchange of time, effort or attention.
They are all convincing, cajoling, persuading…

And research suggests that nearly everyone considers non-sales selling to be crucial to the success of their business.

Click here to learn how to tap into this new form of selling and use it to build and grow your business…

BLOG 2 – How can business owners buy into the currency of sales in 2018?

Most people don’t like sales people…

If you ask your team to describe a typical sales person, they may use the words pushy or aggressive or describe the car salesman in a shiny suit trying too hard to sell you a car you are not sure you want, at a price you're not comfortable with...

This is an outdated version of a sales person where the sales person holds all the strings – and this version is absolutely no longer the case!

Now with the internet and social media the balance has shifted.

Before it used to be ‘buyer beware’ because sales people held all the information and consequently the power.

But now the internet allows information equality. So now it’s ‘seller beware’.

Sales people no longer wield the power!

Think about this likely scenario…you are ready to have a chat with a potential buyer, you have all your data and information about the products or services you want to sell…

…however, your buyer has done their own due diligence, they have educated themselves on your products/services, they have compared your business to the competition, they have all the reviews, feedback and information they need. And they have already formed an opinion by the time you are engaging in the sale!

So, in this new world of the empowered buyer, how do you make your business the one that the buyer chooses? – Click here to discover what the new currency is for your business today...

BLOG 3 – Persuasion and influence are your new selling tools…


Each of us – because we’re human – has a selling instinct. Everyone can convince, persuade or influence people by confronting and realising this basic premise…

…there are no ‘natural’ sales people because we’re ALL natural sales people!

As a manager, think about the time you spend doing ‘non-sales’ selling:

when recruiting, you are selling your company to your interviewee

when you want to change something in your business you are selling the idea to your team of doing things differently

and you deal with your own boss – persuading them on new ideas, investments or change in personnel

It’s all sales – just in a different form. So… who needs sales people?

Atlassian are a large software company and work with the likes of Microsoft and Samsung. Their software helps manage large projects, tracks progress and helps teams work together.

For them the new face of selling does not involve sales people at all…

Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes puts it simply “We have no sales people, because in a weird way, everyone is a sales person”

So how did they achieve $110 million (£82.5M) sales without a sales person?

Answer, they stayed relevant and delivered value…

In practical terms they use ‘Forward Deployed Engineers’ – when a customer has a problem, Atlassian sends their engineers who work with the customer and their teams to help find and solve the problems…

By working out the problems and providing solutions for their customers they forge stronger links, increasing longevity of the relationship and more sales.

Click here to learn how persuasion, influence, time and effort are the only sales people your business will ever need…


BLOG 4 – What single word will transform your business’s sales outcomes?

How often do you consider your buyers’ point of view when selling your business’s products and services?

Tuning into your buyers’ perspective rather than your own will bring better results… and in his brilliant research based yet easy to read book ‘To Sell is Human’, Daniel Pink lays out a new formula for success.

The old-fashioned shark like view of sales people was typically linked with the sale of double glazing or used cars. Then, the famous acronym ‘ABC’ stood for ‘Always Be Closing’

Daniel Pink believes that the new face of selling relies on this acronym now being:

Attunement, Buoyancy, Clarity

Pink summarises attunement: “Step outside our own experience and imagine the emotions, perceptions and motivations of another.”

Put simply it’s the ability to put yourself in the other person's shoes.

How often in your business do you have an honest conversation with your buyer and try to see things from their perspective?

You must understand the individual you’re dealing with and their business, when you do you’ll learn more, gain their trust and identify a way in which your product or service can solve a problem for them.

Most people naturally think that extroverts make the best salespeople...

However, Pink argues that rather than aiming to be an extrovert, you should aim to be an ambivert.


Click here to learn what an ambivert is and how your business will be more successful when you listen to AND understand your buyer.


BLOG 5 – How come Bob the Builder knows more about good business than you do?


Buoyancy is the key to keeping your business above water…

How do you use ‘self-talk’ to keep yourself and your business buoyant?

Optimism is the best business tool you have…

A positive mental attitude will guarantee business success…

What happens to your success when your self-talk is ‘self-questioning’ rather than ‘self-affirming’?

‘Bob the Builder’ has the right attitude, do you?

Why risk the future of your business by letting the negative get in the way?

Time to be like ‘Bob the Builder’ and believe in you and your business success…

In the ‘shark-like’ world of sales it is important to stay afloat…

You know who Bob the Builder is… you even know his mantra:

“Can we fix it? Yes, we can!”

And of course, he normally does!!

This is a positive mental attitude, something that would make any teenager’s eye roll!

However, having a positive mental attitude is key to success both personally and professionally.

Very few of us get the first job we apply for, we’ve all been ‘dumped’ and we’ve all tried something new and failed!

However, we then apply for another job, we seek out a new romance and we keep working on that new thing until we succeed.

In the business world it’s the same. In his book ‘To Sell is Human’ Daniel Pink was asked by one sales person “How do I succeed in sales in an ocean of rejection?”

In the ABC of selling, B is for Buoyancy.

Buoyancy is about staying positive and not letting rejection get the better of you.

Pink believes optimists realise rejection is temporary, it’s not specific, and it’s almost never personal.

He also believes that positive self-talk works better when it’s a self-questioning ‘Bob the Builder’ style, rather than self-affirming statements of brilliance.

Say, “Can I do this?” rather than “I can do this!”

“Can I do this? requires an answer and generates a series of questions to ask yourself – enabling self-talk about the ways and means of achieving what you want.

Staying buoyant and dealing with rejection with a positive mental attitude is vital if your business is to succeed.

Click here to learn the importance of optimism, self-talk and of course ‘Bob the Builder’ to your business…


Blog 6 – Here are 4 helping hands to take your business on the road to selling success ...


If Atlassian can sell $100m of computer software without a sales team and Mentos can boost their profits by cutting back their product lines and sometimes recommending their competitors’ products, then your business can also enjoy the pay-off of your team building ‘non-sales’ selling skills.

In his book ‘To Sell is Human’, Daniel Pink points out that selling is no longer the domain of the sharp suited, target driven sales force. Research demonstrates that we all sell and that 41% of our lives have us selling time, effort and attention, whether to our colleagues, buyers, friends and family… and what’s more, when asked, many suggest that such non-sales selling skills are vital to their success.

So here are 4 easy-to-remember ways to help you and your team improve their ‘non-sales’ selling skills:

Assess the time your team spend on ‘non-sales’ selling – it will be more than you think, and it will make them appreciate the value and importance that this ‘non-sales’ selling has to their overall performance.

Help your team build the skills of Attunement – watch what happens when you tune into your buyer’s perspective and drop the need to have all the power. Instead of extrovert/introvert, be an ‘ambivert’ – they are most successful at non-sales selling.

Help your team build the skills of Buoyancy – use a self-questioning ‘Bob the Builder’ method of self-talk to help your team learn that rejection is temporary, and that optimism increases your chances of success.

Help your team build the skills of Clarity – find the problems that your buyers did not even know they had. Help them cut through the information overload by asking the right questions.

Click here to start building the ‘non-sales’ selling skills of your team, help them be better at influencing, persuading and advising and watch the sales within your business grow.




Blog 7 – What happens to your business success when you start selling insights - just like Mentos did?


The world is overloaded with information. We can get information from anywhere,

the internet, email, social media, forums, online chat, other people, competitors….

I’m sure within your business you have too much information to process daily, therefore

it stands to reason that this is the same for your buyers.

Your job is to provide Clarity – in Daniel Pink’s book ‘To Sell is Human’ the ABC of selling ends with C for Clarity…

Clarity is vital to your business success – your job is to help your buyers filter the information threatening to overwhelm them, make sense of it and get rid of the rubbish.

Your job is to ask questions that will uncover unexpected problems and possibilities to give your buyers clarity on the issues that need the attention.

‘Selling’ becomes more about advising and consulting… offering insights and enjoying a partnership with your buyer.

Here’s a great story from Mentos (leading American sweet manufacturer) on the ethos of selling insights not sweets!

Mentos had a wealth of information about the sweets that people buy and eat, collected from every store they sold to all over America.

But… rather than just selling sweets, they visited each of their store outlets with a bespoke ‘Suite of Sweets’ they believed that each store should be selling.

This change involved:

reducing the product line
offering competitors’ products
removing any products that were not selling
selecting a flavour or product more suited to the region

This transformed the profits of Mentos and meant that the sales staff were welcomed into stores as advisors to the buyers on what sells best and what doesn’t, because they offered business insights rather than just pushing candy!

For your business to succeed you must ask questions to understand and uncover your buyers’ problems and gain their trust.

Click here to learn how to identify your buyers’ problems. Then you can frame your products and services in the right way to best help them.

Update 1

When you started your business, you had a business plan and goals in place to make your business successful…
…and probably the most important one was to attract and win lots of customers.
Indeed, without your customers you would not have a business!
But are your customers just satisfied by your business?
Click here to learn why just satisfying your customers is not enough…

Update 2

If you asked your customers are they satisfied with your business what do you think they would say?
Research suggests that between 60% and 80% of customers who describe themselves as simply satisfied by a business they have used, fail to use that business again!
Click here to learn how to ensure your business succeeds by doing more than just satisfying your customers…

Update 3

Step into your customers shoes for a moment and ask yourself how satisfied you would be as a customer, doing business with you…
To guarantee the long-term success of your business you need to aim higher. Instead of aiming for satisfied customers, aim for loyal customers. Click here to learn how…

Update 4

You win new customers when you have hordes of raving fans… and your business will grow from strength to strength. Click here to learn how to create a loyal base of raving fans who will ensure the future success of your business.

Update 5

Getting the job done is clearly crucially important in any business and often with little thought to the experience of the customer. Harsh but true…
However, when you and your staff make the customer experience an obsession, you grow your business - thanks to a band of loyal customers… Click here to learn how…

Update 6

Click here to read 2 stories about 2 very different companies who changed the fortunes of the businesses dramatically when they created a culture of customer amazement and made the experience of the customer the most important focal point to their people.

Update 7

Keeping customers happy and coming back to you again and again is one of the most basic ingredients for the long-term success of your business. Your customers expect much more than happy… …they want to be wowed. Click here to learn the affect to your customers and your business when you amaze them!

Update 8

In his book ‘The Cult of the Customer’ Shep Hyken points out clearly:
“a customer focused culture has to include everyone – all leaders, all employees must be on board”.
Click here to transform the success of your business by creating a culture of customer amazement.

Update 9

Your job as a business leader or manager is to reduce the uncertainty in your business and in your customers’ experience.
Click here to learn that when you start reducing uncertainty you build a culture of customer amazement.

Update 10

Zappos, an online shoe retailer, are a perfect example of the total involvement and ownership of the entire team in the culture of consistent customer amazement.
Click here to learn how Zappos dramatically improved the performance of their business by ensuring every member of the team was focused on delivering an above average experience for the customer.

Update 11

Every time a customer comes into contact with your business, no matter how long that contact is, they will form an opinion.
And we love to form an opinion!
Click here to learn how these touch points and impact points can make or break your business.

Update 12

Click here to learn what would happen to your business if you seriously looked at your touch points and impact points (the moments your customer comes into contact with your business, directly or indirectly) and upgraded and improved each one on a regular basis?

Update 13

To give yourself the edge over your competition customer satisfaction is not enough.
To grow your business successfully customer satisfaction is not enough. Click here to learn why your business success depends on you aiming for customer loyalty…

Update 14

Customer loyalty comes from looking after your customers experience. Click here to read 4 suggestions from Shep Hykens book ‘The Cult of the Customer’ that are certainly worthy of notice.

Update 1

When you started your business, you had a business plan and goals in place to make your business successful…
…and probably the most important one was to attract and win lots of customers.
Indeed, without your customers you would not have a business!
But are your customers just satisfied by your business?
Click here to learn why just satisfying your customers is not enough…

Update 2

If you asked your customers are they satisfied with your business what do you think they would say?
Research suggests that between 60% and 80% of customers who describe themselves as simply satisfied by a business they have used, fail to use that business again!
Click here to learn how to ensure your business succeeds by doing more than just satisfying your customers…

Update 3

Step into your customers shoes for a moment and ask yourself how satisfied you would be as a customer, doing business with you…
To guarantee the long-term success of your business you need to aim higher. Instead of aiming for satisfied customers, aim for loyal customers. Click here to learn how…

Update 4

You win new customers when you have hordes of raving fans… and your business will grow from strength to strength. Click here to learn how to create a loyal base of raving fans who will ensure the future success of your business.

Update 5

Getting the job done is clearly crucially important in any business and often with little thought to the experience of the customer. Harsh but true…
However, when you and your staff make the customer experience an obsession, you grow your business - thanks to a band of loyal customers… Click here to learn how…

Update 6

Click here to read 2 stories about 2 very different companies who changed the fortunes of the businesses dramatically when they created a culture of customer amazement and made the experience of the customer the most important focal point to their people.

Update 7

Keeping customers happy and coming back to you again and again is one of the most basic ingredients for the long-term success of your business. Your customers expect much more than happy… …they want to be wowed. Click here to learn the affect to your customers and your business when you amaze them!

Update 8

In his book ‘The Cult of the Customer’ Shep Hyken points out clearly:
“a customer focused culture has to include everyone – all leaders, all employees must be on board”.
Click here to transform the success of your business by creating a culture of customer amazement.

Update 9

Your job as a business leader or manager is to reduce the uncertainty in your business and in your customers’ experience.
Click here to learn that when you start reducing uncertainty you build a culture of customer amazement.

Update 10

Zappos, an online shoe retailer, are a perfect example of the total involvement and ownership of the entire team in the culture of consistent customer amazement.
Click here to learn how Zappos dramatically improved the performance of their business by ensuring every member of the team was focused on delivering an above average experience for the customer.

Update 11

Every time a customer comes into contact with your business, no matter how long that contact is, they will form an opinion.
And we love to form an opinion!
Click here to learn how these touch points and impact points can make or break your business.

Update 12

Click here to learn what would happen to your business if you seriously looked at your touch points and impact points (the moments your customer comes into contact with your business, directly or indirectly) and upgraded and improved each one on a regular basis?

Update 13

To give yourself the edge over your competition customer satisfaction is not enough.
To grow your business successfully customer satisfaction is not enough. Click here to learn why your business success depends on you aiming for customer loyalty…

Update 14

Customer loyalty comes from looking after your customers experience. Click here to read 4 suggestions from Shep Hykens book ‘The Cult of the Customer’ that are certainly worthy of notice.

BLOG 1 – Why just satisfying your customers could be a recipe for business disaster…

When you started your business, you had a business plan and goals in place to make your business successful…

…and probably the most important one was to attract and win lots of customers.

Indeed, without your customers you would not have a business!

But, if you asked your customers are they satisfied with your business what do you think they would say?

And in the competitive world we live in today, is simply satisfying your customers enough?

The simple answer is no!

Research suggests that between 60% and 80% of customers who describe themselves as simply satisfied by a business they have used, fail to use that business again!

So, what is clear is that if your business strategy to get and keep customers is built on just satisfying them then your business will not achieve what it could…

Aim higher!

Instead of merely satisfied customers, aim for loyal customers

Loyal customers will make your business grow

Loyal customers will make your business more successful

Loyal customers will give you the edge over your competition

Click here to learn how to create loyal customers and transform the profits of your business.



BLOG 2 – Turn your satisfied customers into raving fans…

Step into your customers’ shoes for a moment and ask yourself these questions…

If I were a customer using my business would I be happy with being simply satisfied?

Would satisfaction mean that I would come back again and again?

And would I refer my business to other customers?

If the answer to these any of these questions is no, then your business is at serious risk…

Instead of aiming for satisfied customers, your business needs to aim for loyal customers.

Loyal customers will buy from you again and again and give you excellent reviews.

Loyal customers who will recommend you to other customers and actively promote your business.

Just like Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and every successful business, you will secure consistent success when you generate the holy grail for your business – hordes of raving fans!

Raving fans will consistently buy from you and will avidly recommended you and your products and services.

You win new customers when you have hordes of raving fans… and your business will grow from strength to strength.

Click here to learn how to create a loyal base of raving fans who will ensure the future success of your business.



BLOG 3 – What happens to your business when you treat your staff like VIPs?


Getting the job done is clearly crucially important in any business and often with little thought to the experience of the customer. Harsh but true…

However, when you and your staff make the customer experience an obsession, you grow your business - thanks to a band of loyal customers…

But how can you create this culture of always considering the customer experience first?

Here are 2 examples of businesses creating a customer experience first philosophy…

The Ritz Carlton were asked to manage the take-over of an existing hotel in Shanghai. The hotel needed extensive renovation, but with a project like that where do you start?

The manager started with the employee entrance.

This sent a clear message to the staff of how much they were valued to Ritz Carlton.

Their staff or internal customers (as they are called) were treated like VIPs, and this meant that they treated the external customers like VIPs too…

Wainwright Industries was a business losing money until the chairman became obsessed about creating a positive and enriching experience for his people, he became obsessed about ‘people first’ and in turn created a culture of customer experience obsession within the business, growing the sales of the business to more than £70m.

Click here to learn that when you treat your staff like VIPs and create a culture of customer obsession you can energise your people into massively affecting the success of your business.




BLOG 4 – Are you operating a business obsessed by customer amazement?

Keeping customers happy and coming back to you again and again is one of the most basic ingredients for the long-term success of your business.

Your customers expect much more than happy…

…they want to be wowed, shocked, have something happen that is unexpected…

In short, they want to be amazed!

So, the pressure is on you and your team to amaze your customers, to ensure that you give them an unforgettable customer experience…

To truly achieve this, you need all your people on board.

In his book ‘The Cult of the Customer’ Shep Hyken points out clearly:

“a customer focused culture has to include everyone – all leaders, all employees must be on board”

And Hyken goes on to show through the success stories of Ritz Carlton and working with companies like Avis and Caterpillar that you have no hope of consistency, confidence or loyalty unless all your people are on board with your customer experience obsession.

Hyken suggests you aim for a modest goal:

“creating customer confidence and extraordinary loyalty by creating a consistently above-average customer experience”

He calls this ‘the culture of customer amazement’.

Click here to learn how to generate loyal customers by creating an obsession with the customer experience in your business…



BLOG 5 – How do you elevate your customers from uncertain to amazed?

It’s true that most of us, whether employees or customers, live within a culture of uncertainty.

As a customer you are uncertain of the quality of the product or service you are going to get, the delivery time or the payment schedule.


As an employee you are uncertain about the tools and the training you are given to deliver consistently above-average experiences to your customers…

Uncertainty leads to an inconsistency of customer experience.

Your job as a business leader or manager is to reduce the uncertainty in your business and in your customers’ experience.

When you start reducing uncertainty you build a culture of customer amazement.

Zappos, an online shoe retailer, are a perfect example of the total involvement and ownership of the entire team in the culture of consistent customer amazement.

According to Zappos founder and chairman Nick Swinnmum, getting all your people involved is crucial:

“You need as many eyes, ears and hands working towards the same goal for themselves, not for someone else”

This meant that the Zappos employees where delivering this above-average customer experience because they wanted to, not because they had to.

Swinnmum removed the uncertainty and inconsistency and moved his business into a culture of consistent customer amazement.

This change transformed the profits of Zappos…

So how do you start building this culture of consistency in your business?

First you need to know how inconsistent your business is…

In his book ‘The cult of the customer’ Shep Hyken suggested you take your business up the ladder of customer care…

Click here to find out more about this ladder and how to create a culture of consistent customer amazement in your business.



BLOG 6 – How much attention do you pay to the moments that matter to your customers?

Every time a customer comes into contact with your business, no matter how long that contact is, they will form an opinion.

And we love to form an opinion!

To ensure your customers’ experience goes from satisfactory to amazing you must take control of the impact and touch points.

So, what are they and how can you influence them?

Touch points are contact with the customer, a phone call, a face-to-face meeting or an online chat, these are all front-line interactions.

Impact points are the events which occur behind the scenes, the out-of-sight moments, like a baggage handler moving your luggage, a chef preparing your food or the packing of the item you have purchased. You don’t see these people but their treatment of you as a customer will have as much effect on your opinion as the people you come into contact with.

It’s a combination of the front-line touch points and the behind-the-scenes impact points that create the customer service experience.

What would happen to your business if you seriously looked at your touch points and impact points and upgraded and improved each one on a regular basis?



Alternatively think about the effect ONE interaction with an employee who is having a bad day can have.

I’m sure you’ve been on the receiving end of this at some point, the obnoxious sales staff, the unhelpful waiter, the delivery person who would not help you with a parcel…

What sort of opinion would this customer touch point create?

Launch a customer amazement revolution in your business by creating magical moments for your customers, click here to find out more.



BLOG 7 – Are your ‘ladies and gentlemen’ serving ladies and gentlemen?

To build an army of raving fans customer satisfaction is not enough.

To give yourself the edge over your competition customer satisfaction is not enough

To grow your business successfully customer satisfaction is not enough

You must aim for customer loyalty…

Customer loyalty comes from looking after your customers’ experience.

An experience that needs to be keenly seen to be front and centre by all of your people.

An experience that must be better-than-average, better than the competition and leave the customer coming back to you again and again and recommending you to others.

In fact, your customers need to be AMAZED!

So how do you do that?

Here are 4 suggestions from Shep Hykens book ‘The Cult of the Customer’ that are certainly worthy of notice:

Begin by assessing your business’s level of customer uncertainty or amazement.

If you don’t know your strengths and weaknesses you won’t know where to start, once you know how inconsistent you are, you can start building a culture of amazement.

Have ‘Customer Experience’ improvements show up as an agenda item every week for everyone in your business.

You show your dedication and commitment to improving your customer experience when customer touch points and impact points are discussed in every team and operations meeting.

Work out with your people the key customer touch points and the key customer impact points.

Help every member of your team to see how connected they are with your customer touch points and impact points and the effect they have on the customers’ experience. Then together you can work on a programme of refinement and constant improvement.

Work out your internal ‘Customer Experience’ mantra for your business.

Ritz Carlton’s was ‘ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen’

What would yours be? When you adopt a mantra that represents the culture of your business you can all work together to deliver an amazing experience for your customer.

Click here to learn how to make all 4 points work for you and create certainty about the future of your business.

Update 1

How many internal meetings have you been to this week that have left you feeling disappointed, frustrated and demoralised?
How many internal meetings have you been to that were unproductive, boring or frankly a complete waste of time? Click here to learn how to turn unproductive meetings into compelling meetings

Update 2

Meetings are notorious for lacking clear purpose and failing to generate decisions or actions.
Click here to learn that when you allow such wasteful meetings to prevail and you’ll always feel that your business is missing out on the performance and results it could and should have.

Update 3

How do the internal meetings that happen within your business make you feel?
Are you concerned that they seem to be ineffectual, unnecessary and only happen by habit?
Click here to break the habits in your business and make your internal meetings work for you…

Update 4

If you as a business owner or manager attend up to 15 meetings a week as the research suggests, then better meetings could and should bring you a better more successful business…
But have they…
Click here to learn how to transform your meetings into productive use of your time.

Update 5

There is a general belief in the business world that most internal meetings are pointless and result in little or no action or accountability…
Click here to learn that this is not the fault of the meeting, this is the fault of the person running the meeting or running the business and what to do about it.

Update 6

How do you turn around the success of your internal business meetings?
How do you make your meetings compelling, successful and action driven?
There are 3 grades of decision that decide what kind of meeting you should have. Click here to learn what these are and how to use them to decide on the right type of meeting to have in your business.

Update 7

How many meetings do you have in your business where the decision is inconsequential?
As the business owner or manager, you should just make the decision and the action should be implemented immediately. Click here to learn more.

Update 8

How many low consequence meetings do you have in your business?
When you go into these meetings have you already made the decision?
Click here to learn that if you have not made the decision then the meeting should not be happening – as it just becomes a discussion.

Update 9

Because you want your business to succeed, you want to make great decisions that have the full support of your team.
Making a decision first puts you, the business leader or manager, under the spotlight…
Click here to learn how to embrace this spotlight…

Update 10

Make your meetings more like watching a great movie, encourage the right kind of conflict and debate and you will get the best and right decisions for your business. Click here to learn how the right kind of conflict will bring your business success…

Update 11
It’s true, no-one really likes conflict…
However, when you are making high-stakes decisions you don’t want passive bystanders who just readily approve of everything you say, especially if deep down they don’t agree.

Click here to learn that you DO want to encourage healthy debate in your internal meetings

Update 12:
In your business meetings, do you welcome opinion, encourage debate?
How often does healthy conflict occur in your meetings about important, high-impact decisions?
Click here to learn that a simple meeting process can still bring your business the right results, even when the stakes are high…

Update 13

Do you think your internal business meetings are delivering your business the results it deserves?
Click here to learn that your Internal meetings should be designed to help you make or implement decisions. They should be designed to help you move your business forward and grow your business into one you would be proud to own and run.

Update 14

Click here to read 4 helping hands that will ensure you internal meetings are productive and compelling…

Update 1

How many internal meetings have you been to this week that have left you feeling disappointed, frustrated and demoralised?
How many internal meetings have you been to that were unproductive, boring or frankly a complete waste of time? Click here to learn how to turn unproductive meetings into compelling meetings

Update 2

Meetings are notorious for lacking clear purpose and failing to generate decisions or actions.
Click here to learn that when you allow such wasteful meetings to prevail and you’ll always feel that your business is missing out on the performance and results it could and should have.

Update 3

How do the internal meetings that happen within your business make you feel?
Are you concerned that they seem to be ineffectual, unnecessary and only happen by habit?
Click here to break the habits in your business and make your internal meetings work for you…

Update 4

If you as a business owner or manager attend up to 15 meetings a week as the research suggests, then better meetings could and should bring you a better more successful business…
But have they…
Click here to learn how to transform your meetings into productive use of your time.

Update 5

There is a general belief in the business world that most internal meetings are pointless and result in little or no action or accountability…
Click here to learn that this is not the fault of the meeting, this is the fault of the person running the meeting or running the business and what to do about it.

Update 6

How do you turn around the success of your internal business meetings?
How do you make your meetings compelling, successful and action driven?
There are 3 grades of decision that decide what kind of meeting you should have. Click here to learn what these are and how to use them to decide on the right type of meeting to have in your business.

Update 7

How many meetings do you have in your business where the decision is inconsequential?
As the business owner or manager, you should just make the decision and the action should be implemented immediately. Click here to learn more.

Update 8

How many low consequence meetings do you have in your business?
When you go into these meetings have you already made the decision?
Click here to learn that if you have not made the decision then the meeting should not be happening – as it just becomes a discussion.

Update 9

Because you want your business to succeed, you want to make great decisions that have the full support of your team.
Making a decision first puts you, the business leader or manager, under the spotlight…
Click here to learn how to embrace this spotlight…

Update 10

Make your meetings more like watching a great movie, encourage the right kind of conflict and debate and you will get the best and right decisions for your business. Click here to learn how the right kind of conflict will bring your business success…

Update 11
It’s true, no-one really likes conflict…
However, when you are making high-stakes decisions you don’t want passive bystanders who just readily approve of everything you say, especially if deep down they don’t agree.

Click here to learn that you DO want to encourage healthy debate in your internal meetings

Update 12:
In your business meetings, do you welcome opinion, encourage debate?
How often does healthy conflict occur in your meetings about important, high-impact decisions?
Click here to learn that a simple meeting process can still bring your business the right results, even when the stakes are high…

Update 13

Do you think your internal business meetings are delivering your business the results it deserves?
Click here to learn that your Internal meetings should be designed to help you make or implement decisions. They should be designed to help you move your business forward and grow your business into one you would be proud to own and run.

Update 14

Click here to read 4 helping hands that will ensure you internal meetings are productive and compelling…

BLOG 1 – Are you having the life sucked out of you in your internal business meetings?

Internal meetings are the lifeblood of every business.

Several meetings probably take place in your business every day.

Many people view them as the way people within the business communicate, a place where all the decisions are made, and the most important issues of the moment are decided…

But in reality this is simply not the case…

How many internal meetings have you been to this week that have left you feeling disappointed, frustrated and demoralised?

How many internal meetings have you been to that were unproductive, boring or frankly a complete waste of time?

Meetings are notorious for lacking clear purpose and failing to generate decisions or actions.

Allow such wasteful meetings to prevail and you’ll always feel that your business is missing out on the performance and results it could and should have.

So, if internal meetings happen every week in your business, why don’t you start looking at them as an opportunity to improve your results every week.

Meetings happen too often to ignore, so improve the way they work in your business. Go here to learn how…




BLOG 2 – Use your time wisely - make your internal business meetings matter

How do the internal meetings that happen within your business make you feel?

Are you concerned that they seem to be ineffectual, unnecessary and only happen by habit?

According to a 3M Meeting Network survey of managers, 25-50 percent of the time people spend in meetings is deemed as time wasted.

Effective internal meetings result in collaboration, action and progress for your business, otherwise what’s the point of having them? Without a clear decision being made, a meeting is simply a ‘talking shop’ – it’s like a boat sailing along without a rudder.

However, because internal meetings happen in most businesses every week they are a fantastic chance to drive your business forward every week!

Patrick Lencioni (author of ‘Death by Meeting’) believes:

“…improving meetings is not just an opportunity to enhance the performance of companies. It is also a way to positively impact the lives of our people”

And, if you as a business owner or manager attend up to 15 meetings a week as the research suggests, then better meetings could and should bring you a better more successful business…

You time is scarce, click here to learn how to improve the success of the internal meetings that happen in your business and put your time to good use.




BLOG 3 – Discover the 3 grades of decision making that will transform your internal meetings…

There is a general belief in the business world that most internal meetings are pointless and result in little or no action or accountability…

But this is not the fault of the meeting, this is the fault of the person running the meeting or running the business!

In his book ‘Read This Before Our Next Meeting’ Al Pittampalli states:

“One mediocre meeting after another quietly corrodes our organisation, and every day we allow it to happen.

If an operating room were as sloppily run as our meetings, patients would die. If a restaurant kitchen put as little planning into the meal as we put into our meetings, dinner would never be served. Worst of all, our meeting culture is changing how we focus, what we focus on and what decisions we make”


So, how do you turn around the success of your internal business meetings?

How do you make your meetings compelling, successful and action driven?

It is important to remember that at the heart of any successful meeting is a decision.

And we often assume that the meeting will make the decision.

However:

The meeting does not make the decision – you do.

As the business leader you are the decision maker.

Whichever type of meeting you have, what you want to achieve is the same:

healthy constructive debate

collaboration

progress and actions

Pittampalli puts a strong case forward for putting the decision first, the meeting second and perhaps not even having a meeting at all…

He suggests 3 grades of decision:

Decisions of no consequence

Decisions of low consequence

Decisions of mid to high consequence


Click here to learn how to use these 3 grades of decision making when deciding your meeting management.



BLOG 4 – To meet or not to meet - make your decision and avoid the meeting


Decisions – they are so easy to make. We make them all the time in our personal life…

Shall I have my hair cut?

Shall I get a new car?

Shall I organise a party for my daughter’s birthday?

These decisions are normally made individually – you might seek advice or talk it over with someone.

But most of the time you have already made your decision and you certainly don’t need to meet at length with a number of people to discuss it further.

So why is it in business, meetings seem to be held for the most inconsequential issues?

Al Pittampalli in his book ‘Read This Before Our Next Meeting’ suggests that there are 3 grades of decision:

Decisions of no consequence

Decisions of low consequence

Decisions of mid to high consequence

He believes decisions of no consequence do not require a meeting – these are decisions that cause little or no impact to your people or your business.

How many meetings do you have in your business where the decision is inconsequential?

As the business owner or manager, you should just make the decision and the action should be implemented immediately.

He believes decisions of low consequence require very little debate, but you may well need to collaborate with your team to ensure you have their support.

These meetings should be about finalising the decision you have already made and generating buy-in, so you can agree follow-on actions.

How many low consequence meetings do you have in your business?

When you go into these meetings have you already made the decision?

If not, then the meeting should not be happening – as it just becomes a discussion.

These meetings should be action and movement orientated.

For low consequence decisions Pittampalli suggests following a meeting process.

Click here to learn what this is and how you can implement it. Then your internal meetings can happen often, quickly and propel your business towards greater success.




BLOG 5 – Movie magic and meeting magic comes from conflict…


Because you want your business to succeed, you want to make great decisions that have the full support of your team.

Making a decision first puts you, the business leader or manager, under the spotlight…

This makes conflict and collaboration a critical part of your meeting management and your meeting success.

When the stakes are high, constructive debate is essential in the meeting.

In fact, the decision demands conflict, needs debate and disagreement. It’s healthy, its makes for better decisions and better meetings.

It’s just like watching a great movie…

Movies – you watch them, you love them… millions do. The industry is worth £38 billion a year.

Directors of these movies realised long ago that movies must have conflict to hold the audience’s attention.

Viewers need to feel the tension that the characters feel, need to believe the drama, it’s what makes the movie compelling.

Think about the start of every great movie – conflict always shows up.

At the start of the James Bond Movie ‘Spectre,’ Daniel Craig joins the day of the dead parade in Mexico and has a ‘conflict’ on a helicopter in the central square. He then ends up having a ‘conflict’ with Ralph Fiennes, who has recently taken over as ‘M’.

Conflict and the resolution of conflict make movies and meetings compelling.

Make your meetings more like a James Bond movie by seeing conflict as an opportunity to encourage debate, good decision making, collaboration and ultimately the growth of your business.



BLOG 6 – What happens to your internal meetings when you encourage debate?


It’s true, no-one really likes conflict…

However, when you are making high-stakes decisions you don’t want passive bystanders who just readily approve of everything you say, especially if deep down they don’t agree.

You DO want to encourage healthy debate…

In your business meetings, do you welcome opinion, encourage debate?

How often does healthy conflict occur in your meetings about important, high-impact decisions?

Remember, even in meetings where the stakes are high, you have already made the preliminary decision and may end up having to make the final decision.

Al Pittampalli in his book ‘Read This Before Our Next Meeting’ suggests a simple meeting process for high stakes meetings:

Share the issue only, avoid sharing your preliminary decision. You then avoid people readily agreeing with you to avoid conflict

Get attendees to share their thoughts, do this before you share yours

Reveal your decision, invite and encourage disagreement

Provoke debate if it is not forthcoming by using questions

After robust debate, seek agreement.

If there is no agreement, then you make the decision and let everyone know

Most people shy away from conflict but, when you encourage opinions and debate you increase the likelihood of a good decision and avoid catastrophic decisions and actions, or worse, no decision or action.

Click here to learn how to use this process within your business to have great meetings, great decisions and buy-in from your people too.



BLOG 7 – Time to start seeing your internal meetings as an opportunity for growth in your business…

Do you think your internal business meetings are delivering your business the results it deserves?

Internal meetings within your business should be designed to help you make or implement decisions. They should be designed to help you move your business forward and grow your business into one you would be proud to own and run.

But remember the meeting is not the decision-maker, you are. It’s you, as the leader, who makes the decision.

Think about how many decisions have you made in the last week, month, year. How many of them were at meetings where you encouraged debate, conflict or sought buy-in?

The tone and structure of your meeting depends on the level, impact or consequence of your decision.

Here are 4 helping hands to ensure your internal meetings are compelling and productive:

Before you organise the meeting decide what grade of decision you are making, there are 3:

decision of no consequence

decision of low consequence

decision of mid to high consequence

If your decision is of no consequence, simply make the decision and let your team know – there is no need to even have a meeting

If your decision is of low consequence, share your decision and your understanding of the issues and seek buy-in so that actions can move the decision forward

If your decision is of high consequence, then the quality of the decision really matters. During the meeting get attendees to share their thoughts on the issue first before you share yours, then focus on generating genuine debate and conflict, working towards a collaborative agreement, resulting in actions.

Your business success depends on your internal meetings being successful, especially if you have lots of meetings every week.

​Update 1

I am sure like every business owner you have doubts.
Doubts that you are, taking your business in the right direction, recruiting the right people, selling the right products and services.
But, click here to learn that these doubts don’t have to hold your business back?

Update 2

Doubts about whether you can or can’t do something will hold your business back.
They make it less likely that you will achieve the things you dream of because you are running from the fear of failure, however click here to learn how your business will succeed when you turn failure into a positive learning process.

Update 3

You know that the success of your business comes from your ability to be able to grow, develop and move with the times, especially in times of great challenge.
You know this because you have changed, learned and adapted to the ever changing and unpredictable environment you are in. Click here to learn how this change and the success of your business depends on having the right mindset…

Update 4

The odds in favour of your business success improve when you believe wholeheartedly that your mindset, your intelligence, character, skill and creativity can be cultivated.
Click here to learn how can you make a conscious effort to improve your business by developing a Growth Mindset?


Update 5

How does change happen within your business?
It is through several targeted initiatives or part of your everyday work?
Your business success depends on your ability to constantly improve what you do and how you do it.
The Japanese call this Kaizen – constant improvement. Click here to learn how this can seriously improve your business success.

Update 6

Click here to learn how applying Kaizen to your mindset means accepting that, despite any challenges or difficulties you face, you can work out a solution by responding positively to any issues, learn a new skill, improve your existing skills, build new insights and master a better way for you and your business.

Update 7

Recent advances in the study of the brain have shown the brain to be far more elastic that we previously thought.
Research shows that every time you are pushed out of your comfort zone to learn something new, complicated, difficult and right at the edge of your learning capacity the neurons in your brain form stronger, new connections.
Over time you actually get smarter! Click here to learn how you can make your brain work for your business.

Update 8

The DVLA statistics prove that everyone has a growth mindset at some point.
The need to drive as an adult is so great that in 2015 the DVLA reported that 45.5 million people in the UK had a valid driving licence. Proving that most of the UK population have a growth mindset. Click here to learn how to develop the growth mindset in your business…

Update 9

Creating a growth mindset in your business will enhance motivation and productivity.
It has also proved to be successful in the worlds of education, and sport.
Why not let your business learn from Michael Jordan – he is the most successful Basketball player EVER! But to succeed he failed many times. Click here to learn more.

Update 10

Michael Jordan had a growth mindset. He believed that his skill was not God-given, it was learned, through effort, hard work, determination and a belief that failure sets you on the path to greater achievement.
Click here to cultivate your growth mindset and apply it to your business success.

Update 11

If you and your team develop the growth mindset or learning mindset then your business will achieve greater success.
Carol S Dweck is leading research into the power and value of a growth mindset and believes it’s simply a matter of a learning mindset.
Click here to learn more.

Update 12

Carol S Dweck who has conducted research into the power of the right mindset believes if we can be more ‘growth’ than ‘fixed’ in our mindset then we will be more successful. She believes there are 4 steps to success. Click here to learn how Dweck’s 4 steps can be applied to you and your team and bring your business greater success.

Update 1

I am sure like every business owner you have doubts.
Doubts that you are, taking your business in the right direction, recruiting the right people, selling the right products and services.
But, click here to learn that these doubts don’t have to hold your business back?

Update 2

Doubts about whether you can or can’t do something will hold your business back.
They make it less likely that you will achieve the things you dream of because you are running from the fear of failure, however click here to learn how your business will succeed when you turn failure into a positive learning process.

Update 3

You know that the success of your business comes from your ability to be able to grow, develop and move with the times, especially in times of great challenge.
You know this because you have changed, learned and adapted to the ever changing and unpredictable environment you are in. Click here to learn how this change and the success of your business depends on having the right mindset…

Update 4

The odds in favour of your business success improve when you believe wholeheartedly that your mindset, your intelligence, character, skill and creativity can be cultivated.
Click here to learn how can you make a conscious effort to improve your business by developing a Growth Mindset?


Update 5

How does change happen within your business?
It is through several targeted initiatives or part of your everyday work?
Your business success depends on your ability to constantly improve what you do and how you do it.
The Japanese call this Kaizen – constant improvement. Click here to learn how this can seriously improve your business success.

Update 6

Click here to learn how applying Kaizen to your mindset means accepting that, despite any challenges or difficulties you face, you can work out a solution by responding positively to any issues, learn a new skill, improve your existing skills, build new insights and master a better way for you and your business.

Update 7

Recent advances in the study of the brain have shown the brain to be far more elastic that we previously thought.
Research shows that every time you are pushed out of your comfort zone to learn something new, complicated, difficult and right at the edge of your learning capacity the neurons in your brain form stronger, new connections.
Over time you actually get smarter! Click here to learn how you can make your brain work for your business.

Update 8

The DVLA statistics prove that everyone has a growth mindset at some point.
The need to drive as an adult is so great that in 2015 the DVLA reported that 45.5 million people in the UK had a valid driving licence. Proving that most of the UK population have a growth mindset. Click here to learn how to develop the growth mindset in your business…

Update 9

Creating a growth mindset in your business will enhance motivation and productivity.
It has also proved to be successful in the worlds of education, and sport.
Why not let your business learn from Michael Jordan – he is the most successful Basketball player EVER! But to succeed he failed many times. Click here to learn more.

Update 10

Michael Jordan had a growth mindset. He believed that his skill was not God-given, it was learned, through effort, hard work, determination and a belief that failure sets you on the path to greater achievement.
Click here to cultivate your growth mindset and apply it to your business success.

Update 11

If you and your team develop the growth mindset or learning mindset then your business will achieve greater success.
Carol S Dweck is leading research into the power and value of a growth mindset and believes it’s simply a matter of a learning mindset.
Click here to learn more.

Update 12

Carol S Dweck who has conducted research into the power of the right mindset believes if we can be more ‘growth’ than ‘fixed’ in our mindset then we will be more successful. She believes there are 4 steps to success. Click here to learn how Dweck’s 4 steps can be applied to you and your team and bring your business greater success.

BLOG 1 - Mindset matters – what impact is your mindset having on your business?

I am sure like every business owner you have doubts.

Doubts that you are:

· taking your business in the right direction

· recruiting the right people

· selling the right products and services.

But, do you allow those doubts to hold you back?

Or do you push through those doubts and make the necessary decisions without being afraid of failure?

Doubts about whether you can or can’t do something will hold you back.

These same doubts will hold your business back.

They make it less likely that you will achieve the things you dream of because you are running from the fear of failure.

When you turn failure into a positive learning process, the fear of NOT getting it right becomes the challenge TO get it right.

Know for certain that you can do something, and your self-belief improves.

Know for certain and the focus, effort and perseverance that you put into achieving that something means that you have increased dramatically your chances of success.

When you have the right mindset, the power to make something happen is yours.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn that the dreams you have for your business can become a reality with effort and persistence.

BLOG 2 – What happens to your business success when you start to take the mindset of your team seriously?

You know that the success of your business comes from your ability to be able to grow, develop and move with the times, especially in times of great challenge.

You know this because you have changed, learned and adapted to the ever changing and unpredictable environment you are in.

You have probably done this at times in a reactive way, because a certain circumstance has forced the change.

And how has the mindset of you and your team influenced the ease and success of the changes?

So, what is a mindset? – A mindset is a belief about yourself and your basic qualities. Think about your intelligence, your talents, your personality.

Are these qualities simply fixed traits, carved in stone and that’s that? – A Fixed Mindset.

Or are they things you can cultivate throughout your life? A Growth Mindset.

The odds in favour of your business success improve when you believe wholeheartedly that your mindset, your intelligence, character, skill and creativity can be cultivated.

So how can you make a conscious effort to improve your business by developing a Growth Mindset?

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn how a growth mindset can change your business success.

BLOG 3 - How can ‘Kaizen’ positively influence the success of your business?

How does change happen within your business?

It is through several targeted initiatives or part of your everyday work?

Your business success depends on your ability to constantly improve what you do and how you do it.

The Japanese call this Kaizen – constant improvement.

The word translates to mean change (kai) for the good (zen).

Businesses that follow that Kaizen approach believe that everything can always be improved.

Your business and the people within it all need to have a growth mindset for Kaizen to work as there is never a period of status quo.

There must be continuous efforts to improve, these can be small changes over time, which in the long term add up to large changes, or these can be one off changes.

The Kaizen approach is at the heart of the Toyota Production system and has influenced many production processes throughout the world.

A growth mindset is the Kaizen of human development.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn how to adopt a Kaizen approach within your business.

Applying Kaizen to your mindset means accepting that, despite any challenges or difficulties you face, you can work out a solution by responding positively to any issues, learn a new skill, improve your existing skills, build new insights and master a better way for you and your business.

BLOG 4 – The DVLA, the unlikely pioneer of the business growth mindset…

Recent advances in the study of the brain have shown the brain to be far more elastic that we previously thought.

Research shows that every time you are pushed out of your comfort zone to learn something new, complicated, difficult and right at the edge of your learning capacity the neurons in your brain form stronger, new connections.

Over time you actually get smarter!

This ability to learn comes from having a growth mindset.

There are 2 types of mindset.

The fixed mindset and the growth mindset.

The fixed mindset people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They also believe that talent alone creates success, without effort.

They can often be heard saying things like ‘I cannot speak French it doesn’t come naturally to me, but you should hear Claire, she has a natural talent for it’

The growth mindset people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed and improved through effort and hard work. They have a love of learning and view failure as a necessary step on the path to greater achievement.

There is no doubt that we all have a little bit of both, we are human after all.

And you will be able to identify the people in your business that have more of one than the other.

BUT…

Can’t any skill be learned? We all learnt to drive after all…

The DVLA statistics prove that everyone has a growth mindset at some point.

The need to drive as an adult is so great that in 2015 the DVLA reported that 45.5 million people in the UK had a valid driving licence. Proving that most of the UK population have a growth mindset.

They all learnt to drive, along the way there will have been mistakes, test failures and retakes, but the fact remains that all these people learnt a brand-new skill, something they had never done before from scratch…

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) how to develop the growth mindset in your business… Remember it’s already there…

BLOG 5 – What can Michael Jordan teach your business about the right mindset?

Creating a growth mindset in your business will enhance motivation and productivity.

It has also proved to be successful in the worlds of education, and sport.

Take Michael Jordan – he is the most successful Basketball player EVER!

He helped his team The Chicago Bulls win the NBA championship 6 times and was the NBA all star player 14 times, but he was not always the best… he was not always good.

When he started out his coach observed that although he was not that good…

‘he was the first at training and the last to leave, every day I saw him working hard at getting better’

He worked hard, got better and the rest is history as they say BUT…

During his career he failed many, many times.

He missed 9000 shots!

He lost 300 games!

He missed 26 game winning shots… Game winning!!!

BUT his belief was ‘to succeed, first you must learn to fail’

Michael Jordan had a growth mindset and is now worth $3 billion!

He believed that his skill was not God-given, it was learned, through effort, hard work, determination and a belief that failure sets you on the path to greater achievement.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to cultivate your growth mindset and the growth mindset of your team and apply them to your business.

BLOG 6 – Discover the 4 ‘mindset-steps’ to long-term business success

If you were asked whether you had a fixed mindset or a growth mindset what would you say?

Would anyone want to own up to having a fixed mindset…

You, like most of us probably have a bit of both…

When approaching a new business challenge or doing something new in your business you have your fixed mindset saying:

“Are you sure you can do it? What if you fail? Let’s just stay as we are!”

And you have your growth mindset saying:

‘I am sure it will be tricky at first, but if I don’t try I will never know, and if I fail, that’s OK, I can always try again’

Carol S Dweck is leading research into the power and value of a growth mindset and believes it’s simply a matter of a learning mindset.

She believes there are several ways of stacking the odds in our favour. If we can be more ‘growth’ than ‘fixed’ in our mindset then we will be more successful.

If you and your team develop the growth mindset or learning mindset then your business will achieve greater success.

She talks about 4 steps to success:

1) Hear your fixed mindset voice – if you ignore it your business will never reach its full potential

2) Remember you have a choice – how your business deals with challenges, new ideas and opportunities is up to you

3) Answer with a growth mindset voice – be positive and accept that failure is learning

4) Take the growth mindset action – learn and try again – eventually this should be the voice you hear more often.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn how Dweck’s 4 steps can be applied to you and your team and bring your business greater success.

BLOG 7 – Time to understand the vital impact of the 2 mindsets in your business…

In her many years of research Carol S Dweck, author of the best-selling book ‘Mindset – challenging the way you think to fulfil your potential’, proved the power and value of a growth mindset.

Her research focused on the education sector and asked one key question:

‘Is a person’s intelligence, skill and creativity static or are these things that can be cultivated’

The answer to this question according to Dweck is a key indicator about whether you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset.

She believes if we can be more ‘growth’ than ‘fixed’ in our mindset we’ll be more successful.

If you can encourage a growth mindset in your business, then your business will be more successful.

Do not ignore your fixed mindset, being human means having both mindsets is essential to you building a stronger growth mindset.

Everyone needs that voice telling them they can’t, it awakens the voice that tells them that they can!

Here are the 4 basic steps to help embrace the growth mindset in your business:

Step 1 – Learn to hear your fixed mindset ‘voice’.

When you acknowledge your fixed mindset voice it means you can move you, your people and your business to a greater use of the growth mindset, resulting in business improvement.

Step 2 – Remember! You have a choice.

You can interpret difficulties with a fixed mindset as signs that you don’t have the ability to deal with them or you can interpret them with a growth mindset as signs that you need to work harder, deal with the problem and stretch yourself to solve it.

Step 3 – Talk back with a growth mindset voice.

Counteract your fixed mindset voice with views and perspectives that enable you to maintain a learning approach to every challenge you face.

Step 4 – Take the growth mindset action.

Over time the voice you respond to most becomes your choice and the mindset you will use to deal with the challenges you face. Using the ‘Kaizen’ approach of continuous improvement (Toyota use this in their production processes) will help you adopt the growth mindset more easily.

It will enable you to:

· take on your challenges wholeheartedly

· learn from any set backs

· and try again.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn how to get your people to think differently about their mindset, and put the 4 steps above into action

Update 1:
Whether you love it or hate it negotiating is a part of everyday life, whether it’s discussing who drives on a night out, with your children about what time they go to bed or which location to choose for a holiday…
So how are your negotiating skills?
When you’re preparing for a negotiation how do you feel – Nervous? Excited? Ready for a fight? Click here to learn more…

Update 2:
Your ability to negotiate well is critical to the success of your business also, poor negotiation can cripple a business just as quickly as losing key customers.
Whether you love negotiating or, like the majority of us, feel nervous before entering into a negotiation, the fact of the matter is that you can get better at it. Click here to learn how…

Update 3:
Successful negotiation does not have to be a battle you have to win and the other party must lose.
And you will negotiate better agreements when you stop seeing negotiation as an ‘I win, you lose’ conflict.
For the long-term success of your business you should aim to create a courteous and constructive interaction that is a win-win for both parties. Click here to learn why…

Update 4:
You know how important successful negotiation is to your business and that successful negotiation is a method by which people settle differences.
Ideally this process will mean that all parties reach a compromise or agreement while avoiding argument and dispute.
So why do so many of us find it hard to negotiate well? Click here to learn more…

Update 5:
Contrary to what some believe, negotiation skills are not about beating the opposition, the best negotiations are ones that generate win-win situations for all parties, resulting in everyone walking away for the negotiating table thinking that the deal they have is a good one. Finding a deal which makes everyone happy is difficult, but it is possible… Click here to learn how…

Update 6:
A very simple story about a dying father leaving camels to his sons proves that in every negotiation there is a win-win to be had…
Click here to learn that when you remove the personalities from the negotiation like the sons did by involving a third party you too can divide your camels successfully and reach a negotiation outcome that all parties feel is a win-win.

Update 7:
Good negotiations will contribute significantly to your business success, so it pays to take them seriously. If you go to the negotiation table with a ‘I win, you lose’ mentality then the negotiation is likely to descend into argument and conflict very quickly…So where do the best negotiators start?

Update 8:
Preparing and asking great questions to seek understanding of both parties is essential for successful negotiation.
No amount of preparation is too much in approaching the complex or high-stakes involved in some negotiations. Plan both your approach to the subject under negotiation and the questions you want to ask.
Click here to learn what the best questions to ask are?

Update 9:
Dealing with any negotiation can often be aggravated by the negotiating partners taking things personally or not understanding each other’s side of the issue or their needs.
This can mean that one party, or all of them become angry, argumentative or upset meaning compromise becomes hard or impossible to reach. One party may even feel that the other is directing anger just at them and making it personal. Click here to learn how to manage the feelings towards a successful negotiation…

Update 10:
In their book ‘Getting to Yes’ Roger Fisher and William Ury state
"During a negotiation, it would be wise not to take anything personally. If you leave personalities out of it, you will be able to see opportunities more objectively."
They believe that successful negotiation can occur when you separate the people from the problem - by designing a smoother and more efficient process which allows the people to behave and communicate more constructively. Click here to read how this worked for the Good Friday Agreement and brought two warring Northern Irish factions into Government together…

Update 11:
Negotiations can often create strong and negative emotions and feelings.
How have your business negotiations gone in the past?
Have you been able to deal with both the facts and the feelings of the parties involved?
Click here to learn how to make your negotiation a success when you face both the facts and the feelings of all the parties involved.

Update 13:
Ignore feelings in a negotiation and your negotiation will be less of a success than it could have been.
Show that you understand both the facts of the negotiation but also the feelings of all the parties involved and you are on your way to creating a resolution where both parties win.
Click here to learn the importance of feelings in any negotiation…

Update 14:
When thinking about the outcomes of a negotiation, thinking in a binary ‘either/or’ or ‘yes/no’ way will likely reduce the success for all parties concerned, it will actually make a resolution much more difficult.
It’s almost impossible to reach an agreement, especially when there is more than one party involved, with only one single outcome in mind.

Update 15:
Click here to learn that when you present multiple options in any negotiation situation you increase the chances of a mutual win-win deal being reached. Learn from the story of a Dad trying to stop an argument between his twins over an orange that if you listen to the reasons and interests of both parties resolution is much more likely…

Update 16:
Negotiation is part of our everyday lives. We negotiate with our kids about homework, with a builder about the cost of work we want done and with our family about who will take out the recycled items at home.

Update 17:
Business negotiations also happen all the time with customers, suppliers, employees and managers. Click here to learn that when you succeed at negotiating you put your business on the road to sustainable success.

Update 18:
As a business leader you will be negotiating every day or every week with people that can determine the future success of your business, how you handle these negotiations will also determine the success of your business, click here to read 4 important points to help you navigate the negotiation process…

1) Whether you love it or hate it negotiating is a part of everyday life, whether it’s discussing who drives on a night out, with your children about what time they go to bed or which location to choose for a holiday…
So how are your negotiating skills?
When you’re preparing for a negotiation how do you feel – Nervous? Excited? Ready for a fight? Click here to learn more…

2) Your ability to negotiate well is critical to the success of your business also, poor negotiation can cripple a business just as quickly as losing key customers.
Whether you love negotiating or, like the majority of us, feel nervous before entering into a negotiation, the fact of the matter is that you can get better at it. Click here to learn how…

3) Successful negotiation does not have to be a battle you have to win and the other party must lose.
And you will negotiate better agreements when you stop seeing negotiation as an ‘I win, you lose’ conflict.
For the long-term success of your business you should aim to create a courteous and constructive interaction that is a win-win for both parties. Click here to learn why…

4) You know how important successful negotiation is to your business and that successful negotiation is a method by which people settle differences.
Ideally this process will mean that all parties reach a compromise or agreement while avoiding argument and dispute.
So why do so many of us find it hard to negotiate well? Click here to learn more…

5) Contrary to what some believe, negotiation skills are not about beating the opposition, the best negotiations are ones that generate win-win situations for all parties, resulting in everyone walking away for the negotiating table thinking that the deal they have is a good one. Finding a deal which makes everyone happy is difficult, but it is possible… Click here to learn how…

6) A very simple story about a dying father leaving camels to his sons proves that in every negotiation there is a win-win to be had…
Click here to learn that when you remove the personalities from the negotiation like the sons did by involving a third party you too can divide your camels successfully and reach a negotiation outcome that all parties feel is a win-win.

7) Good negotiations will contribute significantly to your business success, so it pays to take them seriously. If you go to the negotiation table with a ‘I win, you lose’ mentality then the negotiation is likely to descend into argument and conflict very quickly…So where do the best negotiators start?

8) Preparing and asking great questions to seek understanding of both parties is essential for successful negotiation.
No amount of preparation is too much in approaching the complex or high-stakes involved in some negotiations. Plan both your approach to the subject under negotiation and the questions you want to ask.
Click here to learn what the best questions to ask are?

9) Dealing with any negotiation can often be aggravated by the negotiating partners taking things personally or not understanding each other’s side of the issue or their needs.
This can mean that one party, or all of them become angry, argumentative or upset meaning compromise becomes hard or impossible to reach. One party may even feel that the other is directing anger just at them and making it personal. Click here to learn how to manage the feelings towards a successful negotiation…

10) In their book ‘Getting to Yes’ Roger Fisher and William Ury state
"During a negotiation, it would be wise not to take anything personally. If you leave personalities out of it, you will be able to see opportunities more objectively."
They believe that successful negotiation can occur when you separate the people from the problem - by designing a smoother and more efficient process which allows the people to behave and communicate more constructively. Click here to read how this worked for the Good Friday Agreement and brought two warring Northern Irish factions into Government together…

11) Negotiations can often create strong and negative emotions and feelings.
How have your business negotiations gone in the past?
Have you been able to deal with both the facts and the feelings of the parties involved?
Click here to learn how to make your negotiation a success when you face both the facts and the feelings of all the parties involved.

12) Ignore feelings in a negotiation and your negotiation will be less of a success than it could have been.
Show that you understand both the facts of the negotiation but also the feelings of all the parties involved and you are on your way to creating a resolution where both parties win.
Click here to learn the importance of feelings in any negotiation…

13) When thinking about the outcomes of a negotiation, thinking in a binary ‘either/or’ or ‘yes/no’ way will likely reduce the success for all parties concerned, it will actually make a resolution much more difficult.
It’s almost impossible to reach an agreement, especially when there is more than one party involved, with only one single outcome in mind.

14) Click here to learn that when you present multiple options in any negotiation situation you increase the chances of a mutual win-win deal being reached. Learn from the story of a Dad trying to stop an argument between his twins over an orange that if you listen to the reasons and interests of both parties resolution is much more likely…

15) Negotiation is part of our everyday lives. We negotiate with our kids about homework, with a builder about the cost of work we want done and with our family about who will take out the recycled items at home.

16) Business negotiations also happen all the time with customers, suppliers, employees and managers. Click here to learn that when you succeed at negotiating you put your business on the road to sustainable success.

17) As a business leader you will be negotiating every day or every week with people that can determine the future success of your business, how you handle these negotiations will also determine the success of your business, click here to read 4 important points to help you navigate the negotiation process…

BLOG 1 - Start looking for win-win negotiations in your business.

Whether you love it or hate it negotiating is a part of everyday life, whether it’s discussing who drives on a night out, with your children about what time they go to bed or which location to choose for a holiday…

So how are your negotiating skills?

When you’re preparing for a negotiation how do you feel – Nervous? Excited? Ready for a fight?

Your ability to negotiate well is critical to the success of your business also, poor negotiation can cripple a business just as quickly as losing key customers.

Whether you love negotiating or, like the majority of us, feel nervous before entering into a negotiation, the fact of the matter is that you can get better at it.

Successful negotiation does not have to be a battle you have to win and the other party must lose.

And you will negotiate better agreements when you stop seeing negotiation as an ‘I win, you lose’ conflict.

For the long-term success of your business you should aim to create a courteous and constructive interaction that is a win-win for both parties.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn that the key to success is seeing every negotiation as a path towards mutual agreement…

BLOG 2 - How can camels help you become better at negotiating?

You know how important successful negotiation is to your business and that successful negotiation is a method by which people settle differences.

Ideally this process will mean that all parties reach a compromise or agreement while avoiding argument and dispute.

So why do so many of us find it hard to negotiate well?

And why do so many business negotiations struggle to find a compromise?

Contrary to what some believe, negotiation skills are not about beating the opposition, the best negotiations are ones that generate win-win situations for all parties, resulting in everyone walking away for the negotiating table thinking that the deal they have is a good one.

Finding a deal which makes everyone happy is difficult, but it is possible…

A very simple story about a dying father leaving camels to his sons proves that in every negotiation there is a win-win to be had…

A dying father in the Middle East left 17 camels to his 3 sons.

To his first son he left half his camels, the second son he left a third of his camels and to his youngest son he left a ninth of his camels.

Of course, 17 cannot be divided by 2,3 or 9!

Discover how the sons, with a little help from a wise old woman, solved the problem and reached an outcome they were all happy with.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn that when you remove the personalities from the negotiation like the sons did by involving the wise old woman you too can divide your camels successfully and reach a negotiation outcome that all parties feel is a win-win.

BLOG 3 - Achieve successful negotiation by asking great questions

Good negotiations will contribute significantly to your business success, so it pays to take them seriously.

If you go to the negotiation table with a ‘I win, you lose’ mentality then the negotiation is likely to descend into argument and conflict very quickly…

So where do the best negotiators start?

Where should you start?

Preparing and asking great questions to seek understanding of both parties is essential for successful negotiation.

No amount of preparation is too much in approaching the complex or high-stakes involved in some negotiations. Plan both your approach to the subject under negotiation and the questions you want to ask.

So, what are the best questions to ask?

Ensure yours questions are respectful and working towards an agreement, don’t make them antagonistic and confrontational – this will most likely make your partner shut down and prepare for battle…

Rehearse the questions and the likely outcomes – that way you can anticipate the possible response from your negotiating partner and additional possible questions to follow up with…

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to see successful negotiation is about asking the right questions, in the right way, at the right time… with examples of great questions you can use


BLOG 4 - When it comes to negotiation – three isn’t a crowd…

Dealing with any negotiation can often be aggravated by the negotiating partners taking things personally or not understanding each other’s side of the issue or their needs.

This can mean that one party, or all of them become angry, argumentative or upset meaning compromise becomes hard or impossible to reach. One party may even feel that the other is directing anger just at them and making it personal.

In their book ‘Getting to Yes’ Roger Fisher and William Ury state

"During a negotiation, it would be wise not to take anything personally. If you leave personalities out of it, you will be able to see opportunities more objectively."

They believe that successful negotiation can occur when you separate the people from the problem - by designing a smoother and more efficient process which allows the people to behave and communicate more constructively.

This can be achieved best with the use of a third party, a mediator to keep the negotiation focused on the problem, not the people.

It worked when the ‘Good Friday Agreement’ brought to an end the 30 years of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland.

It brought two warring Northern Irish factions into Government together and set up a power-sharing assembly to govern Northern Ireland by cross-community consent.

Both parties succeeded partly by separating the problem from their personalities and allowed a third party to be involved in smoothing the negotiating process.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn how any negotiation can be successful with the help of a third party to remove the personalities from the problem.

BLOG 5 - Let silence be the winner for successful negotiations in your business…

Negotiations can often create strong and negative emotions and feelings.

How have your business negotiations gone in the past?

Have you been able to deal with both the facts and the feelings of the parties involved?

Ignore feelings in a negotiation and your negotiation will be less of a success than it could have been.

Show that you understand both the facts of the negotiation but also the feelings of all the parties involved and you are on your way to creating a resolution where both parties win.

Chris Voss, former FBI negotiator, believes that repeating the last 3 words of any statement by your negotiating partner will effectively demonstrate you understand the facts and have listened clearly…

Follow this with silence and he believes you prompt sharing at a deeper level.

It’s also a great way to show that you are listening to your negotiation partner and you understand their feelings.

What’s important is that your negotiation partner sees that you understand their point of view and the opinions they are expressing. Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to find out why…

BLOG 6 - Hunt for multiple options for negotiation success…

When thinking about the outcomes of a negotiation, thinking in a binary ‘either/or’ or ‘yes/no’ way will likely reduce the success for all parties concerned, it will actually make a resolution much more difficult.

It’s almost impossible to reach an agreement, especially when there is more than one party involved, with only one single outcome in mind.

Using well prepared questions to explore multiple options for the successful resolution of the issue is essential and makes compromise much more likely…

Focusing on the interests and reasons for why both/all the parties want the agreement in the first place enables you to present different multiple options.

This enhances the likelihood of reaching an agreement, as it gives everyone the ability to satisfy their most critical interests and reasons.

You might use the phrase “Let me propose a few options, each of which would be acceptable to us”

This shows your negotiation partner that you have considered more than one option and are willing to bring them to the table, showing you are reasonable and open to compromise.

If the Dad who had 12-year-old twins arguing over an orange had listened to the reasons and interests behind why the girls each wanted the orange, he would not have cut the orange in half and given each of them a half to end the dispute.

This did not help the twins, as one wanted the rind to bake a cake and the other wanted the flesh to quench her thirst.

By cutting the orange in half neither of the girls got what they wanted.

If he had stopped and listened to the reasons why they wanted the orange, he would have realised that there were a number of options to successfully solve the argument.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn that when you present multiple options in any negotiation situation you increase the chances of a mutual win-win deal being reached.

BLOG 7 - 4 ways to ensure successful negotiation in your business…

Negotiation is part of our everyday lives. We negotiate with our kids about homework, with a builder about the cost of work we want done and with our family about who will take out the recycled items at home.

Business negotiations also happen all the time with customers, suppliers, employees and managers.

Seeing every negotiation as a problem to solve together rather than a battle to win sets you up for stronger results.

As a business leader you will be negotiating every day or every week with people that can determine the future success of your business, how you handle these negotiations will also determine the success of your business, so here are 4 important points to help you navigate the negotiation process…

1) Analyse, prepare and plan your negotiation discussion.

Be clear on what you want from the discussion and what you best outcome is, what your walk away outcome is and what your BATNA (Best Alternative To A Negotiated Agreement) is. Prepare the right questions to ask with all 3 of these things in mind. Try and work out what your negotiation partner wants from the process and prepare some questions based on the responses you think they may have.

2) Prepare and ask great questions

Negotiating is really a problem-solving discussion. Prepare respectful, non-confrontational questions, these will provide the pathway to a healthy discussion. Great questions are at the heart of a win-win result for both parties

3) Demonstrate that you understand both the facts and the feelings

The great questions you ask will mean that you have an open, honest and frank discussion, sharing the facts and how you all feel. Sharing your feelings and letting your negotiation partner know you have heard what they have said means you are on the road to a win-win agreement

4) Seek multiple options that might work based on the interests and reasons you both have.

Rather than focusing on a single outcome, it pays to have multiple options based on the interests and reasons behind your partners position. By working at creating multiple mutually agreeable options, resolution is much more likely.

Click here (URL to you webpage BBS) to succeed at negotiating, and you put your business on the road to sustainable success.

Update 1:
As a business leader, you make decisions every day, some are easy, some are difficult…
Your job is to make the right decision and avoid the pitfalls of bad decision making. Click here to learn how…

Update 2:
Sometimes it can be tough to make a decision and even more difficult to know if you have made the right decision.
But… The simple fact is when you get your decision-making process right, you will get your decisions right.
This will make your life as a business leader easier and your business will be more successful as a result. Click here to learn how…

Update 3:
As a rule, humans don’t have a particularly strong track record of making good decisions.
Whether in business or in our personal lives we get it wrong more than we get it right… So why is this?
Because we all fall into the common decision-making traps. Click here to learn how to avoid these traps and make the right decisions for your business.

Update 4:
Failure to make the right decision within your business is not surprising given that none of us really know the skills required to make decisions, the skills that lead to greater business success and profitability.
Within your business I am sure you have sent people on training courses for management, recruitment, selling, buying and planning…
BUT what about decision making? And yet it is the single most important business skill to have… Click here to learn the importance of the decision-making process when it comes to the success of your business…

Update 5:
Life would be a lot easier if we just knew how to make good decisions but research shows we all make a lot of bad ones.
Click here to learn how to improve the success of your business by using a tried and tested decision-making process.

Update 6:
The chances are your natural decision-making process is not something you have given to much thought to, but, the chances are you have done alright so far…
But you want better than alright? Your business deserves better than alright? Click here to turn alright into great!

Update 7:
If you want your business results to improve beyond ‘alright’ then it’s a good idea to improve the quality of your decision-making process, so, what is preventing you from making winning decisions in your business?
There are 4 hazards you must avoid if you want to make great decisions, click here to learn what they are and how to avoid them and make great decisions for your business.

Update 8:
Good decision making in any business means avoiding the pitfalls of bad decision making.
You might have been lucky in the past and made the right decisions without following a proven process.
However, click here to ensure the future success of your business is not left to luck.

Update 9:
Without even realising it, your natural decision-making process has natural flaws…
How many times in your business have you made decisions based on just 2 options?
How many times have you made a decision based on the fact you like one outcome more than the other?
Click here to learn the importance of these flaws and how to avoid them.

Update 10:
Your emotions have an impact on the business decisions you make.
This is not a bad thing, but the key is to be able to identify and control your emotions.
Click here to learn how to use your emotions constructively in the decisions you make for your business.

Update 11:
Your emotions will always influence the business decisions you make; however, these emotions can set you up to make a bad decision.
So… it pays to put some distance between your emotions and the final decision.
Use the 3-stage 10/10/10 question – how would you feel about the decision in 10 minutes, 10 days or 10 years…
Click here to learn the value of asking yourself the 10/10/10 question before making a business decision.

Update 12:
We are all guilty of overconfidence.
We naturally assume that we know more than we actually do and jump to conclusions, thinking we can accurately predict the future.
Preparing to be wrong in business is just admitting that we cannot predict the future.
Click here to learn how to avoid overconfidence when it comes to making the right decisions for your business.

Update 13:
A recent study showed that when doctors expressed complete certainty that a diagnosis was correct, they were wrong 40% of the time.
So, if a well-trained professional making a decision in their specialist area is wrong a substantial portion of the time, then maybe you could be wrong when making some business decisions too.
Click here to learn that preparing to be wrong is one of the most important things to do when it comes to making the right decision

Update 14:
In their book Decisive – How to make better decisions Chip and Dan Heath put it simply:
‘When it comes to making decisions, it’s clear that our brains are flawed instruments. Whether we rely on complex analysis or gut reactions, the results are about the same’
So, click here to learn how to transform the success of your business by implementing this proven 4-part decision making checklist.

Update 15:
The bigger your business decision the better you need to be at decision making, so, it pays to ‘catch yourself on’ and sense-check your business’s decision making with a proven, 4-part, decision making checklist, click here to learn how…

​1) As a business leader, you make decisions every day, some are easy, some are difficult…
Your job is to make the right decision and avoid the pitfalls of bad decision making. Click here to learn how…

2) Sometimes it can be tough to make a decision and even more difficult to know if you have made the right decision.
But… The simple fact is when you get your decision-making process right, you will get your decisions right.
This will make your life as a business leader easier and your business will be more successful as a result. Click here to learn how…

3) As a rule, humans don’t have a particularly strong track record of making good decisions.
Whether in business or in our personal lives we get it wrong more than we get it right… So why is this?
Because we all fall into the common decision-making traps. Click here to learn how to avoid these traps and make the right decisions for your business.

4) Failure to make the right decision within your business is not surprising given that none of us really know the skills required to make decisions, the skills that lead to greater business success and profitability.
Within your business I am sure you have sent people on training courses for management, recruitment, selling, buying and planning…
BUT what about decision making? And yet it is the single most important business skill to have… Click here to learn the importance of the decision-making process when it comes to the success of your business…

5) Life would be a lot easier if we just knew how to make good decisions but research shows we all make a lot of bad ones.
Click here to learn how to improve the success of your business by using a tried and tested decision-making process.

6) The chances are your natural decision-making process is not something you have given to much thought to, but, the chances are you have done alright so far…
But you want better than alright? Your business deserves better than alright? Click here to turn alright into great!

7) If you want your business results to improve beyond ‘alright’ then it’s a good idea to improve the quality of your decision-making process, so, what is preventing you from making winning decisions in your business?
There are 4 hazards you must avoid if you want to make great decisions, click here to learn what they are and how to avoid them and make great decisions for your business.

8) Good decision making in any business means avoiding the pitfalls of bad decision making.
You might have been lucky in the past and made the right decisions without following a proven process.
However, click here to ensure the future success of your business is not left to luck.

9) Without even realising it, your natural decision-making process has natural flaws…
How many times in your business have you made decisions based on just 2 options?
How many times have you made a decision based on the fact you like one outcome more than the other?
Click here to learn the importance of these flaws and how to avoid them.

10) Your emotions have an impact on the business decisions you make.
This is not a bad thing, but the key is to be able to identify and control your emotions.
Click here to learn how to use your emotions constructively in the decisions you make for your business.

11) Your emotions will always influence the business decisions you make; however, these emotions can set you up to make a bad decision.
So… it pays to put some distance between your emotions and the final decision.
Use the 3-stage 10/10/10 question – how would you feel about the decision in 10 minutes, 10 days or 10 years…
Click here to learn the value of asking yourself the 10/10/10 question before making a business decision.

12) We are all guilty of overconfidence.
We naturally assume that we know more than we actually do and jump to conclusions, thinking we can accurately predict the future.
Preparing to be wrong in business is just admitting that we cannot predict the future.
Click here to learn how to avoid overconfidence when it comes to making the right decisions for your business.

13) A recent study showed that when doctors expressed complete certainty that a diagnosis was correct, they were wrong 40% of the time.
So, if a well-trained professional making a decision in their specialist area is wrong a substantial portion of the time, then maybe you could be wrong when making some business decisions too.
Click here to learn that preparing to be wrong is one of the most important things to do when it comes to making the right decision

14) In their book Decisive – How to make better decisions Chip and Dan Heath put it simply:
‘When it comes to making decisions, it’s clear that our brains are flawed instruments. Whether we rely on complex analysis or gut reactions, the results are about the same’
So, click here to learn how to transform the success of your business by implementing this proven 4-part decision making checklist.

15) The bigger your business decision the better you need to be at decision making, so, it pays to ‘catch yourself on’ and sense-check your business’s decision making with a proven, 4-part, decision making checklist, click here to learn how…

BLOG 1 - Bad decisions in your business are just so easy to make…

As a business leader, you make decisions every day, some are easy…

· What time shall I organise that meeting?

· Shall I work through my lunch?

· Shall I visit that client tomorrow?

Some are difficult…

· Shall I recruit that person?

· Shall I invest in that company?

· Shall I take on additional clients?

Your job as a business leader is to make the right decision and avoid the pitfalls of bad decision making.

Sometimes it can be tough to make a decision and even more difficult to know if you have made the right decision.

Then, once the decision is made it can be even more difficult to implement that decision successfully within your business.

But…

The simple fact is when you get your decision-making process right, you will get your decisions right.

This will make your life as a business leader easier and your business will be more successful as a result.

Beware… Bad decisions are just so easy to make…

Use the proven decision-making process outlined in this 4-page Business Bitesize and to take your business to new heights. (URL to your webpage BBS)



BLOG 2 - What are the four hazards that will derail the decision making in your business?

As a rule, humans don’t have a particularly strong track record of making good decisions.

Whether in business or in our personal lives we get it wrong more than we get it right… So why is this?

Because we all fall into the common decision-making traps.

We let our emotions, our bias, our overconfidence and our urgent need to make the decision get in our way.

A 2010 McKinsey study showed that even in the world of big corporate business the decisions are often wrong.

In fact, this study showed that there was a profound lack of good decision making on the big acquisition deals in the corporate world…

So, if they get it wrong, the leaders of some of the biggest companies in the world aren’t we also likely to be guilty of bad decision making too?

The study investigated 1048 business decisions over a 5-year period, most of these decisions were subject to rigorous analysis before the final decision was made.

The study proved that a good decision-making process matter 600% more than rigorous analysis.

Our failure to make the right decision all the time is not surprising given that none of us really know the skills required to make decisions, the skills that lead to greater business success and profitability.

Within your business I am sure you have sent people on training courses for management, recruitment, selling, buying and planning…

BUT what about decision making?

And yet it is the single most important business skill to have…

Decision making is vital…

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to uncover the four steps you must take to make more of your business decisions the right ones…


BLOG 3 - How to identify and drive out flawed decision making in your business

Life would be a lot easier if we just knew how to make good decisions but research shows we all make a lot of bad ones.

Improved success in your business requires a better decision-making process.

The chances are your natural decision-making process is not something you have given to much thought to…

But, the chances are you have done alright so far…

But you want better than alright? Your business deserves better than alright?

If you want your business results to improve beyond ‘alright’ then it’s a good idea to improve the quality of your decision-making process

So, what is preventing you from making winning decisions in your business?

There are 4 hazards you must avoid if you want to make great decisions:

1. Stop being so narrow

2. Stop being so biased

3. Stop being so emotional

4. Stop being so confident

In their book Decisive – How to make better decisions. Chip and Dan Heath call these 4 hazards ‘the four villains’ of flawed decision making.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn how to overcome these hazards by using a 4-part sense check and start making great decisions in your business.


BLOG 4 - How to avoid the pitfalls of your natural decision-making process in your business.

Good decision making in any business means avoiding the pitfalls of bad decision making.

You might have been lucky in the past and made the right decisions without following a proven process.

However, should you leave the future success of your business to luck?

Without even realising it, your natural decision-making process has 4 natural flaws…

Two of these are: Being so narrow and being so biased.

A narrow decision is essentially a thumbs up or down decision – where you only have (or give yourself 2 options).

How many times in your business have you made decisions based on just 2 options?

But, when you widen the options the better your final decision is likely to be.

Generating a number of different options may seem to make your decision more complicated but alternatives force you to dismiss the ‘whether or not’ decision and widen the beam of your decision-making spotlight.

The decision you make will be improve when you widen your spotlight.

Bias is the second of the 4 flaws in any natural decision-making process. Without realising bias habitually influences most of the decisions you make.

How many times have you made a decision based on the fact you like one outcome more than the other?

How many times have you decided on the outcome you would like and sought out the information to back it up, disregarding all the other alternatives?

This is called confirmation bias…

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn that when you widen your options and reality test them you will make the right decisions for your business…


BLOG 5 - Use the 10/10/10 question process to make better decisions in your business...

Your emotions have an impact on the business decisions you make.

This is not a bad thing, but the key is to be able to identify and control your emotions.

Most of the time you will not even realise that they are there…

But they are, ready to derail you from the right decision path…

You cannot turn your emotions off, this is your business…

You have worked hard to make it successful?

Your emotions will always influence the decisions you make; however, these emotions can set you up to make a bad decision.

So… it pays to put some distance between your emotions and the final decision.

Sleep on it, or…

Use the 3-stage 10/10/10 question – how would you feel about the decision in 10 minutes, 10 days or 10 years…

If you feel someone or something is hampering the decision-making process 10 minutes might be all the time to you need to step back and consider all the options…

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to learn how to use emotions constructively in the decisions you make for your business.

BLOG 6 - You were probably guilty of ‘overconfidence’ in the last business decision you made?

We are all guilty of overconfidence.

We naturally assume that we know more than we actually do and jump to conclusions, thinking we can accurately predict the future.

Preparing to be wrong is just admitting that we cannot predict the future.

A recent study showed that when doctors expressed complete certainty that a diagnosis was correct, they were wrong 40% of the time.

So, if a well-trained professional making a decision in their specialist area is wrong a substantial portion of the time, then maybe you could be wrong some of the time too.

In the case of the doctor you would be inclined to seek a second opinion but how do you ensure your decision is open to evaluation?

Ask yourself this…

How many times in your business have you done one of the following?

· Weighed up the likely outcomes of your decision – best case, worst case and most likely outcome?

· Created room for error – built a buffer into the decision you have made?

· Written down the potential problems/pitfalls of the decision?

· Created a trip wire – for example ‘if we don’t make 10% profit we will re-evaluate’?

When you do any number of these things you are futureproofing the decision you make and therefore making the right decision more likely.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to ensure that your decision-making process is strong enough…

BLOG 7 - Use this 4-part checklist and make more profitable decisions in your business.

In their book Decisive – How to make better decisions Chip and Dan Heath put it simply:

‘When it comes to making decisions, it’s clear that our brains are flawed instruments. Whether we rely on complex analysis or gut reactions, the results are about the same’

So, it pays to ‘catch yourself on’ and sense-check your business’s decision making with a proven, 4-part, decision making checklist:

1. Stop looking so narrow – widen your options

Do you use a 50/50, yes or no answer to make your decisions?

When you widen your options, you apply the magic of AND rather than OR. Remember AND can be used multiple times, increasing the number of options you can have. When you consider a variety of alternatives then you improve your chances of making the right decision.

2. Stop being so biased – reality test your analysis.

Bias can lead you to apply unjustified weight to a decision you prefer, it will also mean that you will collect evidence to support this view, resulting in any other option being dismissed before being properly considered. When you reality-test your decision, for example get interview candidates to do real work not just answer questions, you are more likely to see who the right candidate is and it might not be the one you preferred.

3. Stop being so emotional – step away and get some perspective

During any decision-making process emotions run high, and high emotions can cloud any judgement about the right decision to be made. Your job as a business leader is to step back ‘get some air’ and take a look at the short and long-term effect the decision will have on your business, so that you make the right one.

4. Stop being so confident – prepare to be wrong

Even the best of us can be overconfident. If Doctors can get it wrong 40% of the time then can you be completely certain all the time that you have made the right decision. Your job is to prepare for things to go wrong, predict the issues and be ready with a back-up plan.

The bigger the decision the better you need to be at making decision.

Click here (URL to your webpage BBS) to transform the success of your business by implementing this proven 4-part decision making checklist.

​Update 1:
Running your business can be a demanding, exhausting and gruelling affair.
But it can also be, and in fact should be, rewarding, satisfying, meaningful and yes even enjoyable, after all it is a large part of your life…
Your business needs you to do many things every day (go with the flow) for your business to just exist…
BUT you want your business to do more than just exist…
You want your business to grow, be successful, be better than your competition and be more profitable… Click here to learn how

Update 2:
Going with the flow of your business can seem never ending, there is always a long list of jobs for you to do; take a customer call, deal with team member issues, chase debtors, not to mention the endless meetings, phone calls and emails… the list goes on and on…
Doing the day-to-day jobs keeps your business going but at the end of each week do you sit back and wonder what you have achieved?
Do you sit back and wonder why your business is not moving forwards the way you want it to, the way you have always dreamed it would?
Click here to learn how to build the business of your dreams.

Update 3:
Whether your business is large or small there are constant jobs that need doing by you every day…but if all you ever do is the day-to-day work every day, all you’ll ever get is more of the same day-to-day work tomorrow.
Why not get better?… Click here to learn how…

Update 4:
Just like steering a dinghy in fast moving water, you can only steer the boat if the boat is going faster than the torrent – you can only steer your business if you are also working on improving your business…
Do ONE thing EVERY DAY that takes you towards your goal, your dream and ultimately towards a business you would be proud to own and run. Click here to read more…

Update 5:
Running a business is hard, you have days when you have no time to yourself and if you do you are fatigued by the sheer effort of running your business…
But… if you want to achieve your Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) and knock your first domino over then both the time and fatigue issues must be addressed. Click here to learn how…

Update 6:
Getting your daily work done is necessary and it cannot be ignored, but once you have decided on your ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal’, one that you feel passionate about, you should not ignore the work that must be done to achieve this. So how do you make a start? – click here to learn how…


Update 7​:
Whether you like Ed Sheeran’s music or not, you will have heard of him. He is, without doubt, currently the biggest selling male artist and recently headlined Glastonbury!
But this success has not happened overnight, he is not a product of a music mogul or a television programme, he is a product of his own consistent, daily hard work and single-minded determination.
Since the age of 13 Ed Sheeran had a plan… Click here to read how Ed Sheeran’s plan can help your business.

Update 8​:
The drive, energy and focus that Ed Sheeran had to achieve his ultimate goal – his Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG), the drive energy and focus that he had to consistently do his ‘one thing’ every day is the reason for his success…
Apply the same drive, focus and determination to the achievement of your BHAG as Ed Sheeran did and watch your business score number 1 hits and beat all the competition. Click here to learn how

Update 9​:
As a business leader, you will know that success comes from consistent momentum, but as a business leader you might not know how to apply this momentum to the success of your business.
Once you have your Big Hairy Audacious goal (BHAG) – a goal for your business that you feel passionate about and one that you CAN achieve - you need to set about achieving it. Click here to learn how.

Update 10​:
In his book ‘Good to great’ Jim Collins research study showed how 11 great businesses exceeded market growth by more than 3 times the norm (one attained 18 x market growth). All 11 businesses made lots of little steps, little regular steps that resulted, eventually in rapid and sustainable growth.
Collins called this the ‘flywheel’ effect – regular actions build momentum and eventually the wheel starts flying.
Click here to learn how taking little steps can create the flywheel effect in your business.

Update 11​:
Its so easy to let the many varied day-to-day jobs of running your business dominate your working life.
Only when you take daily action on the jobs that will improve the future success of your business will you gain the success you seek. Click here to read more…

Update 12​:
Distraction-free time every day, working on your ‘one thing’ every day, will help you achieve your Big Hairy Audacious Goal and bring business success.
Take small daily or weekly steps applying a single-minded focus to get you towards your goal.
Click here to learn how…

1) Running your business can be a demanding, exhausting and gruelling affair.
But it can also be, and in fact should be, rewarding, satisfying, meaningful and yes even enjoyable, after all it is a large part of your life…
Your business needs you to do many things every day (go with the flow) for your business to just exist…
BUT you want your business to do more than just exist…
You want your business to grow, be successful, be better than your competition and be more profitable… Click here to learn how

2) Going with the flow of your business can seem never ending, there is always a long list of jobs for you to do; take a customer call, deal with team member issues, chase debtors, not to mention the endless meetings, phone calls and emails… the list goes on and on…
Doing the day-to-day jobs keeps your business going but at the end of each week do you sit back and wonder what you have achieved?
Do you sit back and wonder why your business is not moving forwards the way you want it to, the way you have always dreamed it would?
Click here to learn how to build the business of your dreams.

3) Whether your business is large or small there are constant jobs that need doing by you every day…but if all you ever do is the day-to-day work every day, all you’ll ever get is more of the same day-to-day work tomorrow.
Why not get better?… Click here to learn how…

4) Just like steering a dinghy in fast moving water, you can only steer the boat if the boat is going faster than the torrent – you can only steer your business if you are also working on improving your business…
Do ONE thing EVERY DAY that takes you towards your goal, your dream and ultimately towards a business you would be proud to own and run. Click here to read more…

5) Running a business is hard, you have days when you have no time to yourself and if you do you are fatigued by the sheer effort of running your business…
But… if you want to achieve your Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) and knock your first domino over then both the time and fatigue issues must be addressed. Click here to learn how…

6) Getting your daily work done is necessary and it cannot be ignored, but once you have decided on your ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal’, one that you feel passionate about, you should not ignore the work that must be done to achieve this. So how do you make a start? – click here to learn how…


7) Whether you like Ed Sheeran’s music or not, you will have heard of him. He is, without doubt, currently the biggest selling male artist and recently headlined Glastonbury!
But this success has not happened overnight, he is not a product of a music mogul or a television programme, he is a product of his own consistent, daily hard work and single-minded determination.
Since the age of 13 Ed Sheeran had a plan… Click here to read how Ed Sheeran’s plan can help your business.

8) The drive, energy and focus that Ed Sheeran had to achieve his ultimate goal – his Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG), the drive energy and focus that he had to consistently do his ‘one thing’ every day is the reason for his success…
Apply the same drive, focus and determination to the achievement of your BHAG as Ed Sheeran did and watch your business score number 1 hits and beat all the competition. Click here to learn how

9) As a business leader, you will know that success comes from consistent momentum, but as a business leader you might not know how to apply this momentum to the success of your business.
Once you have your Big Hairy Audacious goal (BHAG) – a goal for your business that you feel passionate about and one that you CAN achieve - you need to set about achieving it. Click here to learn how.

10) In his book ‘Good to great’ Jim Collins research study showed how 11 great businesses exceeded market growth by more than 3 times the norm (one attained 18 x market growth). All 11 businesses made lots of little steps, little regular steps that resulted, eventually in rapid and sustainable growth.
Collins called this the ‘flywheel’ effect – regular actions build momentum and eventually the wheel starts flying.
Click here to learn how taking little steps can create the flywheel effect in your business.

11) Its so easy to let the many varied day-to-day jobs of running your business dominate your working life.
Only when you take daily action on the jobs that will improve the future success of your business will you gain the success you seek. Click here to read more…

12) Distraction-free time every day, working on your ‘one thing’ every day, will help you achieve your Big Hairy Audacious Goal and bring business success.
Take small daily or weekly steps applying a single-minded focus to get you towards your goal.
Click here to learn how…

Blog 1 – Why risk the future of your business, it’s time to STOP going with the flow…

Running your business can be a demanding, exhausting and gruelling affair.

But it can also be, and in fact should be, rewarding, satisfying, meaningful and yes even enjoyable, after all it is a large part of your life…

Your business needs you to do many things every day (go with the flow) for your business to just exist…

BUT you want your business to do more than just exist - you want your business to grow, be successful, be better than your competition and be more profitable.

Going with the flow in your business can seem never ending, there is always a long list of jobs for you to do; take a customer call, deal with team member issues, chase debtors, not to mention the endless meetings, phone calls and emails… the list goes on and on…

Doing the day to day jobs keeps your business going but at the end of each week do you sit back and wonder what you have achieved? Do you sit back and wonder why your business is not moving forwards the way you want it to, the way you have always dreamed it would?

Take a moment to ask yourself, “is what I’m doing right now moving me toward the goal I have for my business, or am I just busy doing work?”

ONE thing stands between you and your goals. This ONE thing is about getting extraordinary results in every situation.

Click here to learn what the ‘ONE thing’ is and how it can change the fortunes of your business…



BLOG 2 – The ONE thing that you do today will take your business in the right direction

Whether your business is large or small there are constant jobs that need doing by you every day…

But if all you ever do is the day-to-day work every day, all you’ll ever get is more of the same day-to-day work tomorrow.

Why not get better?…

Just like steering a dinghy in fast moving water, you can only steer the boat if the boat is going faster than the torrent – you can only steer your business if you are also working on improving your business…

Here is the key: Do ONE thing EVERY DAY that takes you towards your goal, your dream and ultimately towards a business you would be proud to own and run.

Gary Keller in his brilliant book ‘The One Thing’ provides a focus question that you should ask yourself, to help you work out the goal for your business:

“What’s the one thing I can do today such that by doing it, everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?”

The question states today, but remember you are in control of the time frame, for you it may be this week, this month or even this year… but at least you will be making a start…the time frame must suit the needs and priorities of your business…

The other phrase that is key to you getting your goal right is can do - not ‘should do’, or ‘could do’, or ‘would do’. The word ‘can’ implies action, as opposed to the others which imply intention.

What is the ONE thing that you can do?

Click here to learn how doing ONE thing that you can do will seriously change the direction of your business…


BLOG 3 – What happens to your business when you have a clear and compelling goal?

Do you want to move your business forwards and distance yourself from the day-to-day grind?

To achieve the kind of business you want to run and be proud of, you need a goal, you need focus and direction…

Not just any goal, a clear and compelling goal that is going to change the fortunes of your business…

…a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG)– this is your ultimate goal – the end result, a goal that you feel very passionate about.

Your Big Hairy Audacious Goal should be a clear and compelling statement of strategic intent – the specific goal you have for your business in the time frame you have set out.

However, for you to achieve your BHAG you must be driven and focused on all the daily actions in between that every day drive you towards it.

Think of your BHAG as the big ultimate domino at the end of a domino run. What does it look like? Know this and you’ll be driven and know which daily actions (smaller dominos) to knock down to achieve it.

As John Bytheway, bestselling author and speaker says “Inch by inch, life’s a cinch. Yard by yard, life’s hard”

To learn more on how creating a domino effect in your business can help you achieve your BHAG click here



BLOG 4 – Make PRODUCTIVE TIME to focus on achieving your business’s Big Hairy Audacious Goal

Running a business is hard, you have days when you have no time to yourself and if you do find some time, you are fatigued by the sheer effort of running your business…

But… if you want to achieve your Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) and start a domino run to success then both the time and fatigue issues must be addressed.

Getting your daily work done is necessary and it cannot be ignored, but now that you have your BHAG, one that you feel passionate about, you should not ignore the work that must be done to achieve this.

So how do you make a start?

Here are 4 simple questions to ask yourself so that you can start knocking dominos over...

Have I committed daily or weekly diary time to knocking over dominos that take me towards my BHAG?
And how much time (30 minutes or 60 minutes of consistently planned time)
What time of day am I most productive?
Brain fatigue is the enemy of productivity – so make sure you choose a time of day when you are most focussed – for most people this is first thing in the morning
Where shall I have this planned time to work on my BHAG?
Distraction is the other enemy of productivity – so this needs to be somewhere you cannot be disturbed – maybe you work at home for the first hour or in a coffee shop?
What reminder or prompt do I have in place to make me aware of this time in my diary?
This should be a trigger that cannot be ignored or forgotten. It’s no use getting to work only to discover that you should have gone to a café or stayed at home.
Why not allow yourself 30 minutes of consistent distraction-free time, every morning or an hour per week to start knocking over dominos towards your BHAG. Click here to learn more



BLOG 5 – How can Ed Sheeran’s BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) help your business succeed?

Whether you like Ed Sheeran’s music or not, you will have heard of him. He is, without doubt, currently the biggest selling male artist and recently headlined Glastonbury!

But, this success has not happened overnight, he is not a product of a music mogul or a television programme, he is a product of his own consistent, daily hard work and single-minded determination.

Since the age of 13 Ed Sheeran had a plan…

Since the age of 13 Ed Sheeran has known what is Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) is and has done his ‘one thing’ every day to achieve it.

Apply the same consistent daily determination in your business to achieve your BHAG.

Ed Sheeran’s BHAG is ‘I want to be the biggest male artist in the world’

What is yours?

During 2009, sleeping rough, Ed Sheeran played more than 300 gigs at small venues and open mic nights…

He did this consistently and every day he moved towards his BHAG – the one he has had since he was a teenager, the one he feels the most passionate about – the one he feels he CAN do!

What is your BHAG – the one you feel passionate about – the one you CAN do?

And what are you doing to achieve it?

Ed honed his talent every day and any day he did not perform, sing or write a song in his mind was a wasted day… a day when a domino should have been knocked over and wasn’t.

This drive, energy and focus that Ed Sheeran had to achieve his ultimate goal – his BHAG - the drive energy and focus that he had to consistently do his ‘one thing’ every day, is the reason for his success…

The reason that he sold out 3 nights at Wembley in 2015…

The reason that his latest album Divide is the fastest selling album of all time…

AND the reason that in March 2017 all 16 of the songs from this album were in the Top 20, and in fact made up 9 of the top 10!

Apply the same drive, focus and determination to the achievement of your BHAG as Ed Sheeran did and watch your business score number 1 hits and beat all the competition.

BLOG 6 – Start building consistent momentum towards success in your business…

Real life business success shows the power of small daily steps. The power of consistent daily action to create momentum towards your ultimate goal.

In his book ‘Good to great’ Jim Collins research study showed how 11 great businesses exceeded market growth by more than 3 times the norm (one attained 18 x market growth).

All 11 businesses made lots of little steps, little regular steps that resulted, eventually in rapid and sustainable growth.

Collins called this the ‘flywheel’ effect – regular actions build momentum and eventually the wheel starts flying.

What little steps can you take in your business to create the flywheel effect?

Getting the wheel started takes a lot of effort – you push, and you push, and you push and sometimes many days pass without progress or change. Then, it becomes a little easier to turn it. And finally, it starts to generate momentum all on its own, and suddenly, what once took so much effort becomes effortless, and self-sustaining.

Big things happen when you do a bunch of little things supremely well that then compound over time.

By planning and having distraction free time to do your ‘one thing’ every day towards your ultimate goal you too can create the consistent and intelligent momentum needed to create a ‘flywheel’ effect of success in your business.



BLOG 7 – Why risk the profits of your business – be single minded about your ‘one thing’

It’s so easy to let the many varied day-to-day jobs of running your business dominate your working life.

Only when you take daily action on the jobs that will improve the future success of your business will you gain the success you seek.

Take small daily or weekly steps applying a single-minded focus to get you towards your goal.

Here are 4 helping hands to get you started:

Work out your long term Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG). The goal you feel most passionate about achieving – the one that occupies your mind most of the time, the one that makes you go to work every day.

Use Keller’s focus question to help work out what your ‘one thing’ is.

“What’s the one thing I can do today such that by doing it, everything else becomes easier or unnecessary”

This will then become your focus for today, the week, the month, the year. This is the thing that by doing it will create a domino effect of success in your business.

Block off distraction-free time in your diary each day or week.

So that you can make progress towards your BHAG and do your most important ‘one thing’

Do your ‘one thing’ when you are at your freshest and most energised.

This will be the point where your brain is at its sharpest and you are at your most focused, that way you are making the best use of the diary time you have scheduled.

Distraction-free time every day working on your ‘one thing’ every day will help you achieve your BHAG and bring your business success. Click here to read more.

​Update 1)
If great email marketing can earn a business £34 for every £1 spent on it, wouldn’t it make sense to get your email marketing working better?
But where to start?
Click here to learn more


Update 2)
Do you have an email marketing machine making money for your business?
But where to start?
Start with a few small steps, improve your website, create some valuable content relevant to your target audience and build a series of emails to get your just rewards. Click here for a few tips that can really help you and your business grow…


Update 3)
As a business owner, it’s easy to dismiss email marketing as a thing of the past, in fact some have even said it’s dead…
Especially with social media and the mobile way of working getting all the attention, and marketing emails flooding yours and my inbox every day…
However, statistics on email marketing don’t agree. Click here to learn more…


Update 4)
If you dismiss email marketing your business will lose…
I know its hard when hundreds of irrelevant emails pour into your inbox every week, but the truth is…
Email marketing works, email marketing provides you, the business owner with the most direct line of communication for better sales conversion.
Email marketing moves the conversation about your products and services to a more personal environment — the inbox.
This form of direct marketing when targeted and relevant can transform the profits of your business. Click here to learn how.


Update 5)
Are you using email marketing in your business?
Does email marketing work for you?
If email marketing isn’t working for your business it’s probably because your emails aren’t working and not because email marketing doesn’t work!
Email marketing works best when it’s done as a series…
Click here to learn how…


Update 6)
If you love a film, you are already wanting to see the sequel, if you love a TV series like Games of Thrones or Sherlock you are already looking forward to the next episode or wondering when the next series starts…
How is this relevant to email marketing?
A series, a set of related things or events keep you interested in that subject.
And a series works both for your favourite television programme and for email marketing. Click here to learn why…


Update 7)
When you start to see your email marketing as a series of connected messages you can focus on building a targeted and relevant series of communications.
Statistics from Experian prove that great email marketers get £34 back for every £1 they invest in email marketing…
Click here to learn how your email marketing series can boost the profits of your business.



Update 8)
SPAM: Irrelevant messages sent on the internet to many recipients.
We all get spam, emails that are irrelevant, potentially containing a virus and basically just a complete waste of time. Researchers have determined that over 25% of what lands in your inbox every week is SPAM.
So, as a business owner using email to market your products and services how to do you make your customers and future customers sit up and take notice… Click here to learn how


Update 9)
​How do you make your email marketing stand out from all the other emails that person receives?
The answer is: relevant high value content…
Relevance is your marketing best friend.
When your email marketing is not relevant, it’s not good.
Relevance matters - click here to learn why


Update 10)
Your website – if you are serious about growing your business with the right marketing, your website will be where you have invested most of your marketing money.
This is your ‘shop window’, where you advertise your business, who you are, what you are about and what you do.
This is also where all your high value content is…
So, is your email marketing sending people to your website?
Click here to learn the importance of this to the success of your business


Update 11)
Your website and email marketing should be connected at the hip. Are yours?
Ryan Diess (author and marketing entrepreneur) has with his team invested millions in marketing tests, generating visitors to their websites and sent over a billion emails.
Diess believes that to truly make your email marketing series work you must make your business website work better.
Click here for more


Update 12)
You might be using email marketing to let your customers know about your products and services, but are you actively driving them to your website?
If the email you send is information only and has no further action required, the chances are the email contact list you have is not growing and the visits to your website remain low.
It is your job using the right marketing to grow your email contact lists, grow relevant visits to your website and in turn grow your customers. Click here to learn how


Update 13)
What is a lead magnet? - ‘a specific chunk of value (content) that solves a specific problem for a specific market that is offered in exchange for a name and email address’
Your Lead Magnet must be exciting, consumable and offer great value all within five minutes of the opt-in (when your visitor enters their contact details).
Click here to read more on the intrinsic value of lead magnets to the success of your email marketing and therefore your business.


Update 14)
​Some people in the content marketing industry are saying that email lists are a thing of the past and that email marketing is dead
This is not the case – not even close…
Building an email list is just as important today as it’s ever been. Click here to learn why


Update 15)
When it comes to reaching your audience for a small amount of time every day, social media might be your preferred method with the use of a daily news feed…
BUT … when it comes to converting prospects into customers, email marketing still does a better job.
In email marketing your audience is key, front and centre of everything you send, and obviously like most businesses your customers have different issues and requirements.
Click here to learn how clever email marketing can give your audience exactly what they want.

1) If great email marketing can earn a business £34 for every £1 spent on it, wouldn’t it make sense to get your email marketing working better?
But where to start?
Click here to learn more

2) Do you have an email marketing machine making money for your business?
But where to start?
Start with a few small steps, improve your website, create some valuable content relevant to your target audience and build a series of emails to get your just rewards. Click here for a few tips that can really help you and your business grow…

3) As a business owner, it’s easy to dismiss email marketing as a thing of the past, in fact some have even said it’s dead…
Especially with social media and the mobile way of working getting all the attention, and marketing emails flooding yours and my inbox every day…
However, statistics on email marketing don’t agree. Click here to learn more…

4) If you dismiss email marketing your business will lose…
I know its hard when hundreds of irrelevant emails pour into your inbox every week, but the truth is…
Email marketing works, email marketing provides you, the business owner with the most direct line of communication for better sales conversion.
Email marketing moves the conversation about your products and services to a more personal environment — the inbox.
This form of direct marketing when targeted and relevant can transform the profits of your business. Click here to learn how.

5) Are you using email marketing in your business?
Does email marketing work for you?
If email marketing isn’t working for your business it’s probably because your emails aren’t working and not because email marketing doesn’t work!
Email marketing works best when it’s done as a series…
Click here to learn how…

6) If you love a film, you are already wanting to see the sequel, if you love a TV series like Games of Thrones or Sherlock you are already looking forward to the next episode or wondering when the next series starts…
How is this relevant to email marketing?
A series, a set of related things or events keep you interested in that subject.
And a series works both for your favourite television programme and for email marketing. Click here to learn why…

7) When you start to see your email marketing as a series of connected messages you can focus on building a targeted and relevant series of communications.
Statistics from Experian prove that great email marketers get £34 back for every £1 they invest in email marketing…
Click here to learn how your email marketing series can boost the profits of your business.


8) SPAM: Irrelevant messages sent on the internet to many recipients.
We all get spam, emails that are irrelevant, potentially containing a virus and basically just a complete waste of time. Researchers have determined that over 25% of what lands in your inbox every week is SPAM.
So, as a business owner using email to market your products and services how to do you make your customers and future customers sit up and take notice… Click here to learn how

9) How do you make your email marketing stand out from all the other emails that person receives?
The answer is: relevant high value content…
Relevance is your marketing best friend.
When your email marketing is not relevant, it’s not good.
Relevance matters - click here to learn why

10) Your website – if you are serious about growing your business with the right marketing, your website will be where you have invested most of your marketing money.
This is your ‘shop window’, where you advertise your business, who you are, what you are about and what you do.
This is also where all your high value content is…
So, is your email marketing sending people to your website?
Click here to learn the importance of this to the success of your business

11) Your website and email marketing should be connected at the hip. Are yours?
Ryan Diess (author and marketing entrepreneur) has with his team invested millions in marketing tests, generating visitors to their websites and sent over a billion emails.
Diess believes that to truly make your email marketing series work you must make your business website work better.
Click here for more

12) You might be using email marketing to let your customers know about your products and services, but are you actively driving them to your website?
If the email you send is information only and has no further action required, the chances are the email contact list you have is not growing and the visits to your website remain low.
It is your job using the right marketing to grow your email contact lists, grow relevant visits to your website and in turn grow your customers. Click here to learn how

13) What is a lead magnet? - ‘a specific chunk of value (content) that solves a specific problem for a specific market that is offered in exchange for a name and email address’
Your Lead Magnet must be exciting, consumable and offer great value all within five minutes of the opt-in (when your visitor enters their contact details).
Click here to read more on the intrinsic value of lead magnets to the success of your email marketing and therefore your business.

14) Some people in the content marketing industry are saying that email lists are a thing of the past and that email marketing is dead
This is not the case – not even close…
Building an email list is just as important today as it’s ever been. Click here to learn why

15) When it comes to reaching your audience for a small amount of time every day, social media might be your preferred method with the use of a daily news feed…
BUT … when it comes to converting prospects into customers, email marketing still does a better job.
In email marketing your audience is key, front and centre of everything you send, and obviously like most businesses your customers have different issues and requirements.
Click here to learn how clever email marketing can give your audience exactly what they want.

BLOG 1 – Why risk the future growth of your business by not taking time to get your marketing right

As a business owner, it’s easy to dismiss email marketing as a thing of the past, in fact some have even said it’s dead…

Especially with social media and the mobile way of working getting all the attention, and marketing emails flooding yours and my inbox every day…

However…

Statistics on email marketing performance don’t agree with this.

In fact, with a strong, relevant, targeted, content marketing approach, email marketing is more powerful than ever.

Email marketing moves the conversation about your products and services to a more personal environment — the inbox.

It is a fact that email marketing is on the increase.

Email marketing works, email marketing is far from dead, email marketing provides you, the business owner with the most direct line of communication for better sales conversion.

Email marketing has no intention of giving it up any time soon and can transform the profits of your business. Click here to learn how.



BLOG 2 – What can a TV series teach you about boosting your bottom line?

Are you using email marketing in your business? Does email marketing work for you?

If email marketing isn’t working for your business it’s probably because your emails aren’t working and not because email marketing doesn’t work!

Email marketing works best when it’s done as a series…

If you love a film, you are already wanting to see the sequel, if you love a TV series like Games of Thrones or Sherlock you are already looking forward to the next episode or wondering when the next series starts…

How is this relevant to email marketing?

A series, a set of related things or events keep you interested in that subject.

And a series works both for your favourite television programme and for email marketing.

In fact, email marketing is at its most successful when done as a relevant and specific series.

Individual marketing emails simply do not work as well.

Remember that email marketing is about more than just sending as many emails as you can.

When you start to see your email marketing as a series of connected messages you can focus on building a targeted and relevant series of communications.

Statistics from Experian prove that great email marketers get £34 back for every £1 they invest in email marketing…

Click here to learn how your email marketing series can boost the profits of your business.



BLOG 3 – Are you missing out on future business because your marketing lacks relevance?

SPAM: Irrelevant messages sent on the internet to many recipients.

We all get spam, emails that are irrelevant, potentially containing a virus and basically just a complete waste of time. Researchers have determined that over 25% of what lands in your inbox every week is SPAM.

So, as a business owner using email to market your products and services how to do you make your customers and future customers sit up and take notice…

How do you make your email stand out from all the other emails that person receives?

The answer is: relevant high value content…

Relevance is your marketing best friend.

When your email marketing is not relevant, it’s not good.

Relevance matters not only because it provides targeted high value content, but also because it builds trust in you (the sender). It makes the reader willing to read on.

If the reader (your potential customer) receives an email about a specific subject that interests them, or a specific subject they have an issue with – then you have their attention.

Click here to read how relevance can not only increase the success o

BLOG 4 – Reduce the risk to your business by making your website work seamlessly with your marketing…

Your website – if you are serious about growing your business with the right marketing, your website will be where you have invested most of your marketing money.

This is your ‘shop window’, where you advertise your business, who you are, what you are about and what you do.

This is also where all your high value content is…

So, is your email marketing sending people to your website?

Do you know who visits your website?

Do you capture the contact information of all the people who visit your website on a list?

What do you do with the contact information your website visitors have given to you?

Are you actively working on growing this list?

Are you actively working to increase the volume of relevant traffic that visits your website?

Your website and email marketing should be connected at the hip. Are yours?

Ryan Diess (author and marketing entrepreneur) has with his team invested millions in marketing tests, generating visitors to their websites and sent over a billion emails.

Diess believes that to truly make your email marketing series work you must make your business website work better.

How?

Lead Magnets

To read more on what a lead magnet is and how to make it work for your business click here

f your email marketing but the profits of your business.

BLOG 5 – Find, catch and keep your customers with smarter email marketing

You might be using email marketing to let your customers know about your products and services, but are you actively driving them to your website?

If the email you send is information only and has no further action required, the chances are the email contact list you have is not growing and the visits to your website remain low.

It is your job, using the right marketing, to grow your email lists, grow relevant visits to your website and in turn increase your customer base.

These 3 things will grow your business and your profits…

So how do you do this?

By using lead magnets…

A lead magnet is ‘a specific chunk of value (content) that solves a specific problem for a specific market that is offered in exchange for a name and email address’

For example, if you want people to read your latest case study, then you put details of the case study and a link in the email. The link asks for their name and email address, as soon as they have filled this in they get an immediate download of the material.

Your Lead Magnet must be exciting, consumable and offer great value all within five minutes of the opt-in (when your visitor enters their contact details).

When your website uses lead magnets in a smart and effective way it will help you achieve 2 things:

Your list numbers will grow
You will learn more about the people on your list and what interests them, helping you refine the emails you send to them in the future.
Click here to learn more about the intrinsic value of lead magnets to the success of your email marketing and therefore your business.



BLOG 6 – How can you use email to convert prospects into customers and grow your business?

Some people in the content marketing industry are saying that email lists are a thing of the past and that email marketing is dead.

This is not the case – not even close…

Building an email list is just as important today as it’s ever been.

When it comes to reaching your audience for a small amount of time every day, social media might be your preferred method with the use of a daily news feed…

BUT … when it comes to converting prospects into customers, email marketing still does a better job.

In email marketing your audience is key, front and centre of everything you send, and obviously like most businesses your customers have different issues and requirements.

This specific issue or requirement must be used to segment your list to make your email series relevant, there is technology out there that will do this for you now…

The point of email marketing segmentation is to give people exactly what they want.

Then, as Ryan Diess suggests in his book ‘The invisible selling machine’ you can build your email series in 3 steps:

Welcome emails – these 2 or 3 emails (initial hurdles) are to get the subscriber to like you, trust you and to know you and what you are sending them

Engagement emails – maybe 4 more hurdles where you make offers and suggest your subscriber might like to buy – don’t rush or push – keep your content relevant and focused on the subject of your lead magnet

Ascension emails – The final series of emails that turns buyers into multi buyers and offers additional opportunities. This is where the real money is made!

Remember: email marketing segmentation is about more than just converting. It’s about understanding your audience better and how to better serve them in the process.

You should be using email marketing segmentation – because it works.

Click here to learn how to make it work for you and your business…




BLOG 7 – How can email marketing yield a serious payoff for you and your business?

If great email marketing can earn a business £34 for every £1 spent on it (statistic: Experian) wouldn’t it make sense to get your email marketing working better?

But where to start?

Start with a few small steps, improve your website, create some valuable content relevant to your target audience and build a series of emails to get your just rewards… here are a few tips to help you:

Use specific lead magnets on your website to build a segmented email list
Create worthwhile content your target audience will value highly and happily exchange their contact information for
Design a series of emails around each segment of your email content list to make your emails relevant
Automate your emails so they can happen day and night
Do you have an email marketing machine making money for your business?

Click here to learn how…

Update 1:
As a business leader or manager, one of your jobs is to solve difficult issues and problems.
This requires you to influence people just about all of the time. This influencing can take many different forms: gaining support, inspiring others, persuading other people to embrace an idea or change and help create and build new relationships.
Whatever form it takes, when you become an excellent influencer your job gets easier. Click here to learn how you can influence even the most challenging of people and transform the success of your business.

Update 2:
You know those people in your business with deep rooted behaviour issues that are affecting your overall success…
You know that to move your business forward you need to change the way they do things.
The question is how do you do this…
The world’s best influence experts use a formula – 6 sources of influence, to help them change what people do, click here to read more.

Update 3:
Your business must respond to changing markets, technical advances and customer demands if it is to survive…
But sometimes it is difficult to get some of your team to respond in the way that you want.
Most people have a familiar way of working, a routine, an entrenched behaviour that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
Your job as a business owner or manager is to influence the change in this behaviour to allow your business to grow its profits.
When you improve your people’s motivation and ability to change their mindset you will influence their behaviour to do what’s needed. Click here to learn how it worked for The Carter Centre to wipe out a deadly disease.

Update 4:
The story of the success of The Carter Centre in eradicating the Guinea worm disease proves that even deeply embedded behaviour can be changed provided there is the right motivation and the ability to do something about it.
In 1986 3.5 million people in 21 countries suffered from Guinea worm. Dr Donald R Hopkins working for the Carter Centre, changed the behaviour of millions of people to eradicate this disease.
Read here

Update 5:
Influencing habitual long term behaviour change is not easy, it’s complicated, it’s time consuming...
Most behaviour change fails because we look for simple solutions. There are many forces at play influencing the way we do things, so for long term effective changes in behaviour we must introduce layer upon layer of new influences.
In fact, for real and permanent behaviour change you MUST apply at least 4 out of the ‘6 sources of influence’ to your business. Click here to read more…

Update 6:
If Dr Mimi Silbert and the Delancey Street Foundation in the US can change the behaviour of dangerous criminals with a history of violence, drug use and gang related crime then surely you can drive through the change that you seek in your business…
Typically, the Delancey residents have 4 serious criminal convictions and a history of being involved in crime for a number of years. Their involvement in crime has become a way of life, the norm, their ‘revert to type’ behaviour.
So how has Dr Silbert and her team turned 16,000 ex-cons into stable proactive members of society and influenced real and permanent change in their behaviour?
By using the ‘6 sources of Influence’ and building layer upon layer of influence to drive through real and permanent change.
Click here to read more about the success of the Delancey Street Foundation and learn that your skill to influence others will determine the success of your business…

Update 7:
The most important capacity we possess is our ability to influence ourselves and others. Learn to see every important challenge you face as an influence challenge”. The Influencer: The Power to Change Anything
The authors of the Influencer: The Power to Change Anything make the point that complex problems are not solved by silver bullets.
Their research found that change in your business will be more successful if you find a few vital behaviours that will have the most impact in contributing to the change you are looking to achieve. Click here for more.

Update 8:
Be a successful influencer by using the 6 sources of influence in your business.
Motivate your individuals, build their skill level, get them to work as a team using a few vital influential individuals, recognise and reward their achievements and make small environmental changes to successfully influence the behaviour change you are looking for and to bring about real business wins.

Update 9:
How do you influence the behaviour of some of the most challenging people in your team?
You run a successful business…now you want it to grow… to be more successful… to be more profitable…
For success you must influence a change in behaviour of the few people in your business holding you back.
Click here to learn how

Update 10:
How do you influence the behaviour of some of the most challenging people in your team?
Here are a few helping hands to ensure your business success:
• Be clear on the behaviours you DON’T want
• Work out the influences that are supporting the wrong behaviours
• Be clear on the behaviours you DO want
• Work out which new influences support the new behaviours you want
Click here to learn more.

Update 11:
You might have a new project or idea that you need support from your team for, or you might have a business challenge or a recurring frustration that you feel is holding your business back and stopping for you from making that ‘big business’ win.
You want to share your idea or challenge with your team but you know that there are a few members of your team who will be resistant or negative and will not fully embrace the idea of the change you seek.
So, what steps do you take to get your people onside and fully embracing the new behaviours you want?

Update 12:
In their brilliant book ‘Influencer: The Power to Change Anything’ the authors focus on 6 sources of influence and use brilliant examples of how these influences have been applied to bring about long term successful changes in behaviour.
Read more here on how to use the 6 sources of influence to bring about long term successful changes in behaviour in your business.

Update 1:
As a business leader or manager, one of your jobs is to solve difficult issues and problems.
This requires you to influence people just about all of the time. This influencing can take many different forms: gaining support, inspiring others, persuading other people to embrace an idea or change and help create and build new relationships.
Whatever form it takes, when you become an excellent influencer your job gets easier. Click here to learn how you can influence even the most challenging of people and transform the success of your business.

Update 2:
You know those people in your business with deep rooted behaviour issues that are affecting your overall success…
You know that to move your business forward you need to change the way they do things.
The question is how do you do this…
The world’s best influence experts use a formula – 6 sources of influence, to help them change what people do, click here to read more.

Update 3:
Your business must respond to changing markets, technical advances and customer demands if it is to survive…
But sometimes it is difficult to get some of your team to respond in the way that you want.
Most people have a familiar way of working, a routine, an entrenched behaviour that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
Your job as a business owner or manager is to influence the change in this behaviour to allow your business to grow its profits.
When you improve your people’s motivation and ability to change their mindset you will influence their behaviour to do what’s needed. Click here to learn how it worked for The Carter Centre to wipe out a deadly disease.

Update 4:
The story of the success of The Carter Centre in eradicating the Guinea worm disease proves that even deeply embedded behaviour can be changed provided there is the right motivation and the ability to do something about it.
In 1986 3.5 million people in 21 countries suffered from Guinea worm. Dr Donald R Hopkins working for the Carter Centre, changed the behaviour of millions of people to eradicate this disease.
Read here

Update 5:
Influencing habitual long term behaviour change is not easy, it’s complicated, it’s time consuming...
Most behaviour change fails because we look for simple solutions. There are many forces at play influencing the way we do things, so for long term effective changes in behaviour we must introduce layer upon layer of new influences.
In fact, for real and permanent behaviour change you MUST apply at least 4 out of the ‘6 sources of influence’ to your business. Click here to read more…

Update 6:
If Dr Mimi Silbert and the Delancey Street Foundation in the US can change the behaviour of dangerous criminals with a history of violence, drug use and gang related crime then surely you can drive through the change that you seek in your business…
Typically, the Delancey residents have 4 serious criminal convictions and a history of being involved in crime for a number of years. Their involvement in crime has become a way of life, the norm, their ‘revert to type’ behaviour.
So how has Dr Silbert and her team turned 16,000 ex-cons into stable proactive members of society and influenced real and permanent change in their behaviour?
By using the ‘6 sources of Influence’ and building layer upon layer of influence to drive through real and permanent change.
Click here to read more about the success of the Delancey Street Foundation and learn that your skill to influence others will determine the success of your business…

Update 7:
The most important capacity we possess is our ability to influence ourselves and others. Learn to see every important challenge you face as an influence challenge”. The Influencer: The Power to Change Anything
The authors of the Influencer: The Power to Change Anything make the point that complex problems are not solved by silver bullets.
Their research found that change in your business will be more successful if you find a few vital behaviours that will have the most impact in contributing to the change you are looking to achieve. Click here for more.

Update 8:
Be a successful influencer by using the 6 sources of influence in your business.
Motivate your individuals, build their skill level, get them to work as a team using a few vital influential individuals, recognise and reward their achievements and make small environmental changes to successfully influence the behaviour change you are looking for and to bring about real business wins.

Update 9:
How do you influence the behaviour of some of the most challenging people in your team?
You run a successful business…now you want it to grow… to be more successful… to be more profitable…
For success you must influence a change in behaviour of the few people in your business holding you back.
Click here to learn how

Update 10:
How do you influence the behaviour of some of the most challenging people in your team?
Here are a few helping hands to ensure your business success:
• Be clear on the behaviours you DON’T want
• Work out the influences that are supporting the wrong behaviours
• Be clear on the behaviours you DO want
• Work out which new influences support the new behaviours you want
Click here to learn more.

Update 11:
You might have a new project or idea that you need support from your team for, or you might have a business challenge or a recurring frustration that you feel is holding your business back and stopping for you from making that ‘big business’ win.
You want to share your idea or challenge with your team but you know that there are a few members of your team who will be resistant or negative and will not fully embrace the idea of the change you seek.
So, what steps do you take to get your people onside and fully embracing the new behaviours you want?

Update 12:
In their brilliant book ‘Influencer: The Power to Change Anything’ the authors focus on 6 sources of influence and use brilliant examples of how these influences have been applied to bring about long term successful changes in behaviour.
Read more here on how to use the 6 sources of influence to bring about long term successful changes in behaviour in your business.