“Do you have ups and downs in business? Of course you do – we all do. The tough period for us was from July to November last year – since then things have changed immeasurably. I am always reminded during the tough times of Winston Churchill’s famous quote – “When you are going through hell, keep going”! During the tough times we kept on doing the things that we had to, the things that we know are right and that work. That is what got us to today when business is good and getting better all the time.
The secret is to remember to keep doing everything you should even when times are good. Don’t be tempted to’ take your foot off the pedal’ so to speak. That is a hard lesson we have all learned in the past!
In setting goals for the next 12 months, I have laid out some challenging and stretching targets which will move me toward my ultimate goal of greater freedom of choice. For me that is the Holy Grail – being able to choose when and work and with whom. I am not looking for an easy life, far from it. I just work towards being more in control of my own destiny.
It is us as individuals who control our destinies. Not our employer or our boss or how much we earn (or don’t!) and the sooner that we all understand and accept that, the sooner we can move forward and achieve more than we ever thought possible. If you are not happy with where you are, ask yourself how much actual control you are exerting over my own destiny or have you given that responsibility to others. If so it may not be surprising that they don’t look after it as much as you would – they are looking after their own!”
Thanks to all who attended the Social Media Marketing session at Home House, London on the 20th July – 18 people who gave up their time to attend. It was a great mix of people from some who are experienced in the use of social media to those who are just starting out.
Pointers from the session:
- Most people are aware of the need that if you are in business you can’t afford to not be involved
- The social media arena is changing at a phenomenal rate – an expert today can be out of touch tomorrow
- The traditional way of marketing your business is chamging – instead of ‘pushing’ out our brand the future will be where we ‘pull’ people to our brand through social media
- There are many tips and techniques which can be employed to enhance our social media presence
- Effective social media marketing is much more than being on Twitter/Facebook/Linkedin etc. – its also about what you say, how you communicate and strangely its also about listening!
The feedback was great from everyone! A Home House member commented that the course was worth the price of the Home House membership on its own! That sort of feedback is priceless!
We are planning some more courses so watch this space.
All of us are using social media more and more these days. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin etc. Its quite straightforward to set up the accounts but how do we ensure that we are using them to the best effect.
One of the key aspects for effective social media is what we communicate not just the fact that we communicate. I am sure we have all seen some of the dross that is published through these mediums and we have all heard of the horror stories about injunctions and the like!
In order to overcome this we have teamed up with an expert in this area and are running a session specifically to go beyond the mechanics of social media and into the human and business communication side. The session will be on Wednesday 20th July at Home House private members club, Portman Square, London, from 1 till 4pm. the cost is £195 plus vat per person. We have 15 people so far and if you are interested please contact info@axiodevelopment.co.uk.
What is customer service? Do you ever wonder? There are times when I get great customer service and i’m happy to give credit for that. There are also times when I get what seems like great customer service but it turns out its just another way to make money from you.
Two examples recently:
- My sattelite TV provider contacted me to offer a free replacement HD box. They cited the fact that I had been a customer for 8 years and they valued my business. I contacted them and arranged the swap – all was done very efficiently and we now have a new box that should last many more years. In this way they have ‘locked’ me in as a customer for a longer period. That’s fine by me – I got something from the deal and so did they. Thats what I call good customer service.
- I am about to change my car (its on a contract hire deal) and I have a personalised number plate. The current company wrote asking me to fill in the various forms for the DVLA and send them two cheques – one for the DVLA and the other for an ‘admin’ fee for them. When queried they said it was just so that they can check their records! They hold the upper hand because they have the registration document but it’s all something I could do myself easily. Thats exploitive customer service as far as I am concerned.
I fully undersatnd and agree that we are in a free world and businesses can charge what they want. However when I do business all charges that I make are fully explainable and I am happy to do so. The big companies seem not to adopt this philosophy. They think that they can, and do, get away with anything and we the customers have no cause of redress. We are just supposed to roll over and accept the lame excuses of ‘its just so that we can check our records’!
Great customer service should be a win-win deal. Its an old cliche but its true. Businesses that only provide service that benefits them and not the customer as well do not represent what is good about customer service. We the customers need to be flagging this up at every opportunity – unless we stand up for what is right, the situation will not change.
When you run your own business and do a lot of the work yourself, you often get into a repeating cycle. You spend a lot of time looking for business, doing all the activity, making the calls and appointments and then when the business lands you rush off to deliver it and the activity stops. Then when the business is complete you turn around and suddenly there is nothing new to be focussing on and you have to start all the activity again. And so it goes in a repeating cycle!
Its a fact of the small business owners life. I have constantly battled with this and I still do. I have alleviated it somewhat by ensuring that some activity is always going on so that the pipeline is constantly moving. With the best will in the world this is often difficult. A better way I have found is to partner with other business people. I also work on a lot of business with other people – people who are good colleagues and are trusted. In this way there is always someone working on landing more business.
You could argue that this reduces the potential earnings from any given account – fair point. But I have found that the level of business that 2 people can go for is greater that on your own so that in practice I have always earned more and more consitently than working on my own.
For me also it helps me sharpen my skills, keeps me focussed and gives a more professional front to the customer. I am in a people business and working with good people is what i’m here for – not just people in my customers. It pays more in the long run and not just in pound notes!
The recession is still affecting us right? Well in some areas definitely, but I am getting a lot of positive reactions from many of my customers. It’s like they have all said “ok, so the recession is not going away quickly, but we have to keep moving forward….”. It seems like the inertia is falling away and business is just getting on with ‘getting on’!
I am getting more and bigger enquiries for work and these are turning into orders. I have been doing nothing different – ensuring I keep up the activity which I know has to be done, keeping in touch with people but not perstering them. I just sense that there is a mood chamge out there in many sectors and its good news!
It all says to me that the most important thing when times are tough is to keep doing what you always did – don’t chamge for change’s sake. If it worked before it will work again. Too many people, understandably, rush to try new things when times are difficult and whilst its important to be open to new ideas we must not forget the basics. They will always be relevant and will always need to be done. I love the quote from Arnold Palmer, the golfer – The more I practice the Luckier I get! That applies to business too!
Working recently with a customer in central London, we have been developing their senior management team to be more effective communicators. This has involved several rounds of presentation skills training where they have been filmed many times and given feedback on their performance.
Whilst it is not always the most pleasent of experiences seeing and hearing ourselves on DVD it is invaluable because it allows us to see ourselves how others see us and this is a rare opportunity. People can be coached to do and say things in many different ways, but when they see it for themsleves that is often the point where they ‘get it’ and beging to make significant progress.
With our customer in London we have seen huge progress in the conviction and belief that their managers are showing and this is having the effect of building confidence and trust at all levels in the business. People are now being seen as doing what they say they will – that is not always the case as I am sure many of us have experience of!
Effective communication at all levels in business is a fundamental plank of business success. Too often it is ignored in the rush to ‘do something’. Making time to deliver more effective communication can have a greater impact than many other areas of business development. Those organisations that commit time and effort to this will, I believe, see the greatest progress in today’s ultra competitive marketplace.
This week I signed a 12 month contract with a civil engineering business in the north midlands. They are a medium sized business and they are bucking the trend at the moment – they are snowed under with work, have in place plans to extend their premises and take on more staff!
Meeting with the MD and senior directors it was soon clear that they have seen that the skills and attributes which have got them to where they are today may not be what they need to take them to the next level. They know that they are still too much involved in the day-to-day and that they are not focussing on the bigger picture enough. Additionally they do not have in place a plan for the next 18 months to 3 years which will deliver the growth that they want.
It was so refreshing to hear them say that they need to develop their skills to a level which will keep up with the growth of the business. Many people in their position might sit back and say “we are doing well, business is good, we are earning money, what do I need to develop myself for?”
Just like successful sportsmen and women, successful businesses and business people do not sit back and bask in the good times. They recognise the need to continue to develop, to hone and expand their skills so that they are at the top of their game. It will be a pleasure working with them over the next 12 months.
Everyone is looking for the edge these days – what is going to make them stand out, convice people more and convey what we believe in. It is vital in business that we discover our USP and then maximise this when dealing with our customers.
Many people spend lots of time and money looking for this through their products and services, their web presence and their promotional material. All of this is useful and important. The one thing they often miss is themselves! Developing our comminucation skills and how we appear to others is vital – at the end of the day people still buy people!
Our High Impact Business Communication and Presentation skills programme does just what it says on the tin! Through a series of presentations, each of which are filmed, and supported by strong, effective feedback, skills are developed and honed. Many people say they are not good at presenting themselves or that they are ‘scared’ of it – the truth is that most have not had any training in the skills.
Our recent course, held in the Leeds area, had a range of participants from sales managers, HR executives through to business owners. Here’s what they said:
“This will increase sales and help me get better outcomes from meetings”
“Really good input and feedback that can be put into practice”
“By coming accross as more confident it will win me more appointments and business!”
For more info about upcoming programmes please contact info@axiodevelopment.co.uk or visit our website to subscribe for future updates.
