SOLO NEWSLETTER
January 2007
Albert Wright
020 8343 8558
Copyright
Hello, this is Albert Wright from TOPP, The Outstanding Professional Programme, bringing you, my Tony Harrison friends, your January Newsletter for 2007.
I am not going to talk about New Year Resolutions, plenty of other people are doing that, instead I am going to introduce you to some of the writers and speakers who continue to influence me so you can go direct to the “source” as and when you wish, as well as getting my own comments and interpretations.
My list of Outstanding Writers and Speakers
I have already hinted at the debt I have to my own coach, John Niland of Success 121 (more in later newsletters) and Tony Harrison himself. In the December newsletter I introduced the author and speaker Robert Craven, of The Directors Centre www.directorscentre.com and I encourage all of you to go and listen to Robert perform when you can in 2007 - or at least read one of his books.
The next person I want to introduce is Mike Southon of the Beermat Ecademy. Mike, along with Chris West, is the author of the Beermat series of books, the one I particularly recommend is Finance on a Beermat, the best and simplest introduction to finance for small business owners I have come across, and not just because I got a free autographed copy last year.
I recommend this book at all the seminars I deliver on Understanding Finance and several other tutors, who like me deliver Finance for Business Advisers, recommend it too. For more details about this finance course and similar finance courses email me at albertswright@hotmail.com. I even give the book away to delegates on my Flattening the Fear of Finance programme.
I have heard Mike speak around half a dozen times at Ecademy and other events and he is so easy to listen to and puts things so simply he makes it easy to understand and remember. Other books in the Beermat series include Sales on a Beermat and the Beermat Entrepreneur, both a good read.
For more information go to www.beermat.biz.
Mike and I sat next to each other last year at a dinner and he is even nicer in person than he is on stage. We have since met or exchanged emails several times to talk over a number of projects and keep in touch.
One of the fascinating things I have discovered about people like John Niland, Robert Craven and Mike Southon is that they will talk to people like you and me and go on talking to you as long as you have something interesting to say and do not waste their time.
They are all “abundance mentality people” who want to freely share what they have rather than considering their success has to be at someone else’s expense.
Now this has been an eye opener for me, as for most of my life I never wanted to ask anyone for help or advice and felt I had to do everything myself – BIG MISTAKE.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness or incompetence, as I used to think, but a sign of humanity and humility.
I discovered people who know stuff, (like John, Robert and Mike) like to be asked for help and generally will help, and even more surprising for free, at least if you do not “over ask”.
Just taking John, Robert and Mike, the amount of free resources on their web sites is enough to keep you going for weeks and I recommend their web sites to you while I finally put the finishing touches to mine.
One thing all 3 understand is the need for any and every business, from the Solo Professional to the multi national corporation, to market constantly.
“The customer is king”, is not only the title of one of Robert’s books but without a customer we do not have a business.
So this month, particularly if things recently have not gone as well as expected, think about what you can do to market yourself. TOPP, The Outstanding Professional Programme has a number of suggestions.
One is to Put Yourself at the Centre of your Clients’ World. To do this you clearly need to know who your target client is.
In the work I do with business start ups, a question I ask that sorts the realists from the dreamers is “Describe your first 5 customers? Tell me about them, their gender, age, educational background, the newspapers and magazines they read, the places they shop, their favourite TV stations and web sites, where they go for their holidays, what films they like, what car they drive, how many kids they have, what area they live in and then tell me why they should do business with you?”
This is a really hard task, but without sorting out who your customer is, you cannot begin to do an appropriate business plan or start a marketing campaign that will provide value for money.
The customer, the client, is the centre of everything for us. We need to know where and how to find the customer and then make that customer come and find us.
At the moment, for example, I am searching for London based clients for Small Business Solutions’ contract from Business Link to offer subsidised help with finance raising.
So whom exactly am I trying to reach?
My target customer is the owner of an existing business, or someone seeking to start up in business in the next three months. They must be based in one of the 33 London boroughs and be seeking to raise finance totalling more than £10,000.
In addition they must be prepared to contribute a minimum of £600 to the cost of the help we will give them in raising the finance and devote time and energy to the task of raising money.
So where and how am I going to find such people?
One source we are trying is via intermediaries such as bankers and accountants, who may have been approached already by people seeking to raise money and simply need more help to access the right sort of finance. Other avenues are via classified adverts in London newspapers, via blogs on Ecademy, via newsletters such as this, speaking at conferences organised for small businesses and networking through business groups such as Business Referral Exchange (BRE), Business Network International (BNI) and local Chambers of Commerce and business clubs.
To date we have been able to talk to over 30 eligible people one to one about the details of the scheme and over twenty have started working with us to raise finance.
If you would like a free 30 minute briefing on either raising finance or a free 30 minute coaching session on how to attract more clients for your own business, phone 020 8343 8558 to book an appointment.
Next month I will be introducing you to three more business / coaching writers and speakers I have found helpful in growing my own business. They are Nigel Risner, Jack Canfield and Rachel Elnaugh.
There will also be more information about free seminars and events and the titles of some recommended books and web sites.
Where possible I would like to discuss subjects you might be interested in but I need to know what they might be, so do phone or email me with your suggestions.
In the meantime if you have any questions or want more information about The Outstanding Professional Programme and coaching, you can email me at albertswright@hotmail.com Please put “coaching” in the heading so you do not get deleted by my junk mail filter.
By February my new web site, which will be at www.sbsltd.netwill be up and running and you will be able to download some information and resources directly.
For now, until next month, best wishes for 2007. Albert Wright
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 3 February 2007
Albert Wright
020 8343 8558
Copyright
Hello, my new theme is “less is more”.
I think it was Oscar Wilde who said, “I am sending you a two page letter as I did not have time to write one page”. This letter, maximum 3 pages, is an effort to be succinct but effective. Again I am going to introduce you to another writer who continues to influence me, so you can go direct to the “source” as and when you wish.
My list of Outstanding Writers and Speakers So far I have spoken of John Niland of Success 121, Tony Harrison, Robert Craven of The Directors Centre www.directorscentre.com, and Mike Southon of Beermat fame www.beermat.biz
This month the focus is on Nigel Risner, a most entertaining speaker, better to see in the flesh (which I have done about 5 times) than read on paper. He too has his newsletter, books, CDs, boot camps, web site and lots of freebies at www.nigelrisner.com
What is Nigel’s message?
Reading and thinking leads to shelf motivation not self-motivation, the key to a successful life is ACTION. He holds up one of his books and says “Who wants this book?” repeating “Who wants this book?” until someone moves forward and takes it from his hand, proving his point about the need for ACTION to get what you want.
I tend to be a bit of a thinker and planner rather than a doer myself. I often need a kick up the rear to get going. Managing yourself is about managing your attention and mine often wanders. My coach, in the absence of a boss, is the one who often brings me back to focus on my objectives and take action to achieve them.
Do you need a similar incentive? Could I be that coach? What are the actions I need to take?
Last month I spoke about the importance of getting customers and marketing.
This month my actions are on improving my business systems and getting a recognised accreditation.
The accreditation I have chosen to go for is called Customer First. Partly because it is a condition of continuing to have a public sector funded contract like Access to Finance, that allows me to bid for and win contracts that enable us to offer subsidies to clients who seek help to raise £10,000 or more in London to grow their business and partly because it has some good practices to suggest.
There are 3 sections to focus on in the programme: Customer Relationships, Market Awareness and People.
The process involves responding to 32 statements about accepted good practice and listing the evidence that indicates your business is compliant with these statements.
Around ten days after sending off the self-assessment we will be visited by an assessor who will tell us whether our own assessment is valid, if we have failed to reach the compliant standard on any of the 32 statements, what are our areas for development and what, if any, are our areas of good practice.
The exercise has taken us around 16 man hours so far, plus attending only one of around 4 one day workshops that were available for free to help prepare us. (We did not have time to attend the other 3 – more on managing yourself and releasing time for your priorities in a later newsletter).
There is a fee for the inspection but a subsidy towards the cost from the London Development Agency (LDA) for businesses such as ours. I will report on our success or otherwise following the assessment visit, in April.
If you want more information about the Customer First standard for your own organisation go to www.customerfirst.org.
Has the exercise been useful? Yes. Cost effective? Depends if we get through first time, as there is a cost for re-inspection.
What action have we taken to improve things and show we are compliant? We have created a number of documents to help us be more consistent, more efficient and to create an evidence record of what we do. It has got us to think more about how we deal with enquiries, how we treat clients, how we follow up with clients, how we refer them and signpost them, how we market to them. In addition we have looked at our systems for communicating with each other, where we keep and how we share information, how we handle complaints, how we reply to questions about our fees, how we tell people what we do.
We now have a series of forms and documents including a form on which to record client enquiries, a mini diagnostic to aid us in identifying client needs, a template introductory letter to clients, a template follow up letter after an initial visit / extended phone consultation, a client evaluation questionnaire, a client service agreement statement, a terms and conditions document and we have updated our “About Small Business Solutions Ltd” information summary that we give to clients and launched a new business web site at www.sbsltd.net.
Copies of any of the above are available to newsletter subscribers who might find the documents useful after adaptation. Contact me by phone or send me an e-mail at albertswright@hotmail.com (one bit of the new web site I have failed to get to work yet is the e-mail bit) with CF documents in the subject box.
A lot of what we have done has been part of our plans for over a year, but we never got round to doing it all, finishing it off, actually introducing it, until the catalyst of Customer First forced us to take ACTION.
Do you have all the ideas and plans but never get round to taking ACTION because you haven’t got the motivation or a suitable catalyst that helps create a deadline?
If you would like a free 30 minute briefing on how we approached applying for Customer First accreditation or a free 30 minute coaching session on how to end procrastination and take ACTION to achieve objectives phone 020 8343 8558 to book an appointment or send me an e-mail with “Coaching session” in the subject box and details of your phone number and the best time to call and I will phone you to arrange the 30 minute slot at a mutually convenient time.
What else is free this month I hear you ask?
We have two free Fact Sheets – Fifteen Ways to Raise Finance and What Lenders Look For When You Ask for Money for Your Business – but you have to ACT to get them by picking up the phone or sending an e-mail.
I am still looking to you to let me know the subjects you might be interested in so do phone or email me with your suggestions.
In the meantime if you have any questions or want more information about The Outstanding Professional Programme itself, you can email me at albertswright@hotmail.com. Please put “coaching” in the heading so you do not get deleted by my junk mail filter.
Next month a new author and speaker, Rachel Elnaugh, and the importance of passion and enthusiasm plus her finding that these alone are not enough to sustain a successful business.
Have a good month and take some ACTION. Albert Wright
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 4 March 2007
Albert Wright
020 83434 8558
Copyright
Sorry about publishing everyone’s e-mail address last month – we are moving to a new automated web site soon – honest.
I strive to be succinct and effective, more for less, maximum 3 pages. Suggest you read slower as minimum waffle means each word counts for more.
This month, next on my list of Outstanding Writers, Speakers and Entrepreneurs is Rachel Elnaugh.
Previous people include John Niland of Success 121, Tony Harrison, Robert Craven of The Directors Centre, www.directorscentre.com, Mike Southon of Beermat fame, www.beermat.biz and Nigel Risner of www.nigelrisner.com.
Rachel came to fame as my next door neighbour, setting up Red Letter Day, the packaged experience and leisure specialist, going on to be the first female panellist on Dragons Den, losing her business while still on TV (a celebrity first) and bouncing back, as expected, to now be an author and speaker with new books, CDs etc.
Her message for success, be passionate, love what you do, build a brand, innovate and keep an eye on the numbers. Unfortunately she learned the last item the hard way and lost control of her £16m sales a year business she had spent 15 years building. When I met her in the summer of 2005, after a break of several years, she was about to have her fourth child and the business was a month away from collapse. My son, her first employee, who had only just gone back to work with her after a gap of nearly 10 years was also about to lose his job.
Energy and enthusiasm were not enough to carry her through.
Rachel had taken a couple of years off to be with her young family, do her own thing and launch a TV career with the Dragons. Having taken her eye off the business, made some key people / trust errors, been betrayed, misled and misinformed, her business was coming down around her ears. In time she will publish her version of events, for now there is a short piece on her recent CD.
What was Rachel’s message?
Literally, the girl next door can build a multi million sales business in ten years from the front room, be a limelight celebrity and millionaire and lose it but still keep her dignity, optimism and humanity.
ACTION was again a feature of her success, as was seeing a gap in the market and grabbing it. You can learn more at www.rachelelnaugh.co.uk. If you want to see her recommendation of me as the “adviser to contact”, look in the Business Angels section.
Local events and lessons to learn
This month the pressure has been on to finish our Access to Finance contract, offering subsidised help to businesses seeking to raise finance, get the invoices out, finish the work, get paid and get out.
As expected around 90 clients came in at the top of the funnel expressing enthusiasm to raise money to grow their businesses. Some backed out when they saw the Business Link and London Development Agency programme required them to make a financial contribution for our help but more fell down by not having / being able to devote the time to creating a business plan that made sense to them and potential investors / lenders and described a believable scenario that included profits.
By the end of the day we will be down to 10 businesses of which about 5 will raise the money they need and want. Our best success so far is for Theme Park Media, www.themeparkmedia.co.uk where we have loans of £300k, equity investment of £40k and new leasing arrangements of around £110k. What we have learned is the need for focus and persistence to achieve success. The clients who would not invest the time do not get the prizes. Like most business models there is a high attrition rate from those showing interest, to those investing time and money, to those finishing the race and those that win the medals. A good coach to see you through to the end is a useful asset to have.
My own coach is the one who often brings me back to focus and encourages me to see it through to the end to win the prize.
Do you need a similar coaching role in your business, could I be that coach?
If you would like a free 30 minute coaching session on being focussed to achieve objectives phone 020 8343 8558 to book an appointment or send me or Zoe an e-mail with “Coaching session” in the subject box and details of your phone number and the best time to call and I will phone you to arrange the 30 minute slot at a mutually convenient time.
What else is free this month?
Well. a ticket worth £895 to attend a 3-day Breakthrough to Success workshop with Christopher Howard.
I recently attended the workshop myself in London at the Excel centre along with around 1,000 other people. I met some interesting people, heard some very useful information, picked up some good tips, saw some good live coaching on stage with genuine volunteer client, worked through several relevant exercises in groups and on my own, bought what look like good coaching materials and books (spending more than I intended) and came away satisfied that the three days had been well spent.
I would not have paid £895, but would have been happy to pay £250 to get a condensed version of the programme, which could have been completed in one, long day. There was too much (for me) of silly game playing, singing, razzmatazz and promotion of costly seminars and programmes, warm up sessions and extended breaks.
If you are interested, I have twenty tickets to give away on a first come first served basis.
To get a ticket email Zoe or me with “ticket” in the subject box and provide your name and the address to which you want the tickets sent. For more information visit www.christopherhoward.co.uk.
Next month a short note on another Outstanding Motivator author and speaker, Marcus Buckingham, whose mission is to get us to play to our talents not fix our weaknesses plus details of a special offer from Barclays Bank and Robert Craven.
Have a good month and take some time to FOCUS and to see things through to a FINISH.
Tip – have only three things on your “to do list” each day – and complete them.
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 5 April 2007
Albert Wright
020 8343 8558
Copyright
This month, next on my list of Outstanding Writers, Speakers and Entrepreneurs is Marcus Buckingham.
Previous people include Rachel Elnaugh of Dragon’s Den and Red Letter Day, John Niland of Success 121, Tony Harrison, Robert Craven of The Directors Centre, www.directorscentre.com, Mike Southon of Beermat fame, www.beermat.biz and Nigel Risner of www.nigelrisner.com.
Reading Marcus Buckingham’s book “First Break All the Rules” came about by mistake. I had asked my daughter for a book as a birthday present but she forgot the title I gave her (and so have I now) and bought “First Break All the Rules” instead. I am glad she did.
Buckingham had a long association with Gallup, the polling people, and his book was based on extensive research on what makes a good business – the answer good managers.
The key messages are that people count, how an individual manager gets on with his / her team has the greatest influence on business performance and how that business is perceived by the workers depends on their immediate manager more than the board of directors. Basically, people make a difference and all people can make a difference if they do what they are good at (generally what they enjoy doing), have the right tools, training and leadership.
Good management is not about treating everyone the same, because everyone is different to start with, it’s about getting the best from people, letting them play to their strengths, develop their talents – not fixing what is wrong / less good but developing what they do well.
He suggests all businesses with employees do a survey asking their employees 12 key questions to identify how well the business is doing:
1 Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2 Do I have the equipment and materials I need to do my work right?
3 At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday?
4 In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for good work?
5 Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6 Is there someone at work that encourages my development?
7 At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8 Does the mission / purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important?
9 Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10 Do I have a best friend at work?
11 In the last 6 months have I talked to someone about my progress?
12 At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow? In general, the more “yes” answers the better the business unit.
Much of the rest of the book and subsequent books such as “Now discover Your Strengths” focus on talent identification and matching talents to roles to deliver excellence.
Much is also said on the importance of correctly describing and measuring and rewarding the successes / outcomes you want to achieve. His message for success, get the right people into the right jobs, playing to their talents. Don’t try and fix what seems not to work in a person, work round the faults and failings and go for the strengths. If you get the casting right, the right players in the right roles – you win.
Local Events
This month I have had a holiday and spent time catching up with filing and administration – things I hate, am not good at and try to delegate. I also helped write two new bids for clients. We are awaiting the result, which is overdue. After a hectic March I am finding it difficult to motivate myself in April so I call my own coach. Part of his advice is to focus on achieving three things a day. With practice it works well.
If you are finding it hard to get going again after the Easter break and need a bit of a push, phone me to set up a free coaching session on Getting Motivated.
The number is 020 8343 8558 to book an appointment or send me or Zoe an e-mail with “Coaching session” in the subject box and details of your phone number and the best time to call and I will phone you to arrange the 30 minute slot at a mutually convenient time.
What else is free this month?
Well. tickets worth £895 to attend a 3-day Breakthrough to Success workshop with Christopher Howard are still available. For more information visit www.christopherhoward.co.uk
Equally, if not more important, Robert Craven is off again on tour with his Barclay’s Bank backed half-day seminars on Marketing and Profit. I have attended these Let’s Talk events several times and always get a new insight or a new or revitalised enthusiasm. Robert is a fantastic presenter offering dozens of great ideas and encourages you to take action. To view dates times and locations go to www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk.php. Any problems email Lesley at lb@directorscentre.com or phone 01225 851044.
Tickets are worth £225 but as a reader of this newsletter from Albert Wright of Small Business Solutions Ltd, you and up to 3 colleagues can get tickets for FREE. Give yourself half a day out. I guarantee you will learn something and are likely to meet some other interesting people if you are good at networking – if you are not and would like to be better at networking, phone me for a free coaching session on Networking.
Next month a short note on another Outstanding Motivator author and speaker, John Barnes of Marketing Judo and Harry Ramsden fame. John and I were at University together and had it not been for former Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw’s brother, life would have been different for both me and John – and possibly Jack Straw.
Have a good month and take some time to FOCUS on your TALENTS. If you are not sure what they are, give me a call and we can complete a quick questionnaire that should help identify them.
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 6 May 2007
Albert Wright
020 8343 8558
Copyright
This month, next on my list of Outstanding Writers, Speakers and Entrepreneurs is John Barnes.
John has only one book so far, Marketing Judo and an accompanying website www.marketingjudo.co.uk
It is about how small businesses can use their flexibility, brains and not budget, to out market the big boys and is based on his experience as Chairman of Harry Ramsden’s, the Yorkshire based fish and chip shop business that he made into an international catering company before selling on to a much bigger plc.
I was at Manchester University with John in the late 1970’s where we both studied Modern History, Politics with Economics, and had a coffee with him earlier this month on one of his trips down to London. I also used to go to Harry’s when I lived in East Morton while working for Marks and Spencer in Bradford and had fond memories of their haddock. I invested in John while he was at Harry’s and sold for a good profit before he left.
John’s career shows how an ordinary graduate, having learned his trade working for large international companies like Procter and Gamble, can go on to buy into a small local company and by marketing a strong brand can make millions.
This got me thinking about brand me and you and how we could do more to promote our brand. My non-coaching business, Small Business Solutions Ltd, does what it says on the tin, offers solutions to the problems faced by small businesses but is far from an ideal name and or brand to use in promoting a coaching business to solo professionals. I need a better business name.
How does your business name brand your business?
Albert Wright Associates (AWA) might fill my need to feel important but it tells potential clients nothing about what I do or the benefits available to them and is not something you would type into Google if you were looking for a business coach. Continuing with this train of thought I came up with “Business coaching for solo professionals” (BCSP) and “Coaching for Solo professionals”, which, when put into Google, came up with 127,000 and 147,000 matches, so may need some refining but is a start.
I also began thinking about what my brand would stand for, what my Brand Values were and what was the best way of promoting these. The values include: making a difference, adding value, being honest yet supportive, innovative, different, unusual, professional, high quality, results oriented – and how I could manifest these values in person, on my business cards, web site and other promotional material.
I realised that my involvement as a licensed coach with The Outstanding Professional programme had a good fit but more was needed.
If you would like a free 30 minute coaching session about discovering your brand values and how to promote them – phone me on 020 8343 8558.
Local Events
This month I am pleased to report that my bid writing skills worked for at least one client and for another got her into the second round.I continue working on focusing on achieving three things a day and my sense of progress and satisfaction is increasing. How about you? Writing this newsletter on Bank Holiday Monday I am onto my second task already.
If you are finding it hard to get going again after the break and need a bit of a push, phone me to set up a free coaching session on Getting Motivated. The number is 020 8343 8558 to book an appointment or send me an e-mail with “Coaching session” in the subject box and details of your phone number and the best time to call and I will phone you to arrange the 30 minute slot at a mutually convenient time.
Free this month
Tickets worth £895 to attend a 3-day Breakthrough to Success workshop with Christopher Howard are still available. For more information visit www.christopherhoward.co.uk.
Robert Craven can still be enjoyed for free, rather than for £225, at one of his Barclay’s Bank backed half-day seminars on Marketing and Profit by going to www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk.php. Any problems email Lesley at lb@directorscentre.comor phone 01225 851044.
Not quite free, but heavily subsidised for London businesses seeking to raise Finance, is the London Development Agency / Business Link Access to Finance scheme. This gives up to 5 days of support for putting together a business plan and applying for loans, grants or equity finance – for more information phone me on the usual number 020 8343 8558.
Next Month, a short piece on another Outstanding Motivator author and speaker, Stephen Covey. For those who have not got his book, The 7 Habits of Effective People and do not have the time to read it, I will be offering to e-mail a short summary I liberated from someone else’s resources for readers of this newsletter.
Have a good month. In June I am off to a Talent identification and development workshop as part of the Outstanding Professional programmeand I am taking another short holiday- this time in Tuscany.
If you are still not sure what your talents are, give me a call and we can complete a quick questionnaire that should help identify them.
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 7 June 2007
Albert Wright
020 8343 8558
Copyright
This month on my list of Outstanding Writers, Speakers and Entrepreneurs is Stephen Covey.
Mr Covey has so many books that those not familiar with him are best going to www.franklincovey.co.uk to find out more.
His most famous book, and the only one I have so far read (though I possess others) is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. If you don’t like American self-improvement with mild religious overtones, this book will not be your cup of tea, but in not reading it you will be missing out. It’s a book where I ended up underlining whole paragraphs and writing lots of notes in the margin.
It is about personal change and reminded me a bit of our home-grown author Charles Handy, but more on him later in the year.
First published in 1989, it has its fair share of what has become jargon with Paradigms, Empowerment and Principles in abundance.
For me the most important message was “start with the end in mind”.
Decide where you want to be, focus on this objective and work back from there to identify what has to be done to reach your destination. Life is not an exam, where you may not know the answer, for your life to be what you want it to be, you decide the answer you want in advance and then go off to get it.
This got me thinking about my life and objectives, one of which is to make 10 people millionaires in the next ten years and in the process to become a millionaire myself. By adding value to the work of others I will create value for myself. The fees I will charge will be less than the value I create for others so I want to work with people with big ambitions who have the desire to become millionaires and are not ashamed to say it.
This conditioning may hold us back from succeeding in life as it may even cause us to be less than we can be and restrain our ability to encourage others.
If you would like a free 30 minute coaching session about challenging unhelpful or inappropriate beliefs about making, having and spending money or achieving and enjoying personal success – phone me on 020 8343 8558.
Local Events
No floods in Barnet but the weather can get us all down, as can being under the weather (I am just recovering from a weekend in bed with a severe cold) and needed my boost this morning from one of my Personal Support Team (PST).
If you find it difficult motivating yourself and keeping on track and can’t afford a coach, why not get yourself a PST and become part of someone else’s in return?
To set up a free coaching session on Getting a Personal Support Team phone 020 8343 8558 to book an appointment or send me an e-mail with “PST session” in the subject box and details of your phone number and the best time to call and I will phone you to arrange the 30 minute slot at a mutually convenient time.
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 8 July 2007
Albert Wright
020 8343 8558
Copyright
This month next on my list of Outstanding Writers, Speakers and Entrepreneurs is Jack Canfield.
I spent part of my June holiday week in Tuscany sitting by a pool reading “The Success Principles – How to get from Where you are to Where you want to be.”
Jack has certainly done that for himself, as the multimillionaire creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul empire, where the original book with Janet Switzer went on to sell over 80 million copies and spawn a whole Chicken Soup industry.
The first six pages of the book are filled with testimonials from the great and the good, as is now the fashion, particularly with American authors. The rest is packed with quotes, suggestions, ideas, exercises and calls to goal setting and action.
I have been reasonably obedient and produced my list of 20 things I want to Do, Have and Be so I know where I am intending to go in the future and my list of 100 things I am proud to have achieved (my Victory Log) so I can reassure myself I have a successful track record and I have downloaded a variety of tools to help me get there. It’s now up to me to use them. Like Stephen Covey, Jack Canfield has books galore and his web site at www.thesuccessprinciples.com has free tools and resources that are very practical.
The suggested reading list at the back of his book will probably keep me going for the next ten years.
So what’s the message? – we are back again to Taking a 100% responsibility for our lives.
Deciding what we want, believing in ourselves and that we can get it.
Writing down our goals.
Taking action.
Feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
Asking for what we want.
Rejecting rejection.
Keeping score.
Using feedback.
Embracing change.
Transcending limiting beliefs.
Saying no.
Hiring a coach.
Tell the truth.
Get what you focus on and find a way to serve.
Practical and honest stuff about what to do and how to do it. A clear message that knowing what without the will to do and taking action is worthless. You cannot become successful just from reading a book on success any more than you can ride a bike as a result of only reading a book about learning to ride a bike.
To be a success you have to “do” not read, to take action not learn, to have a go, practice, get on with it rather than think. It’s not difficult, but it is hard, to be successful. It takes persistence, involves work and pain. In the same way successful retailing (my career background) is about detail and 90% perspiration 10% inspiration, so is success in most fields.
All good revision.
So what I am going to do?
For this month at least, practice saying “no".
Something my own coach gave me a session on last year, but I am out of practice. Chapter 43 is about “Say No to the Good so You can say Yes to the Great”.
My plan now includes a “Not to Do” list, at the top is “stop receiving emails I never read – cancel subscriptions to newsletters” – if you find my newsletter a waste of time or are deleting it unread, contact Zoe now and get yourself removed from our list.
Second on the list, practice saying no to things that don’t make me enough money. “My saying no to you is not against you or what you are trying to do."
Recently I realised I have been over committing myself to voluntary community and subsidised work. My policy now is to only take on what I feel I can deliver on time and to the standard my clients’ deserve for the fees they are paying. "It’s not against you, it’s for me and my clients”.
I will report back as to how I get on next month, but if you are one of my ten aspiring millionaires for the next ten years, don’t forget to phone now.
If you would like a free 30 minute coaching session about saying no without feeling guilty or the importance of saying no to the good so you can say yes to the great, – phone me on 020 8343 8558.
Local Events
Wimbledon is nearly done, the sun is coming out. Have you set up your first Personal Support Team (PST) yet? Are you interested in setting up your second?
The first is to keep you on track, motivated, full of ideas, to give access to good, honest, advice and challenge, the second team is to give you the space to be great.
My second support team consists of Jean and Zoe. Every month I struggle to delegate. After about a year I am almost in a position where Jean is sending out my invoices, dealing with my accounts, filing and photocopying, chasing unpaid bills, setting up meetings and making sure I go to the right place at the right time.
Zoe sends you this newsletter and books coaching appointments and will shortly be launching and maintaining two coaching web sites and another newsletter to a different set of people for me. Without this support team I would achieve much less.
If you find it difficult to delegate or have yet to convince yourself to delegate, phone me on 020 8343 8558 or Zoe on 01525 375871 to set up a free coaching session on Getting your second Personal Support Team.
Still free this month
A free phone briefing for those wanting a subsidy to help with raising finance through the London Development Agency / Business Link Access to Finance scheme and a Free introduction to our associates InBiz, who are funded to deliver the service.
As I write this my colleague, Robert, is in the other office advising Jean Paul (JP), a designer in his late twenties, how he is going to apply for a £20,000 loan to launch his web site, graphic design, get a new laptop, desk top, printer and software plus a van, to make his business more efficient. JP has already been assisted in opening a business bank account and making better use of his time.
The five days of support is costing him only £600 and already he has been helped in getting fees of over £4,000, a short-term loan from a private investor and advice on how to save time to improve his business. If you want help putting together a business plan and applying for loans, grants or equity finance – a service normally costing over £3,000, for more information phone me on the usual number 020 8343 8558.
Next month
The Outstanding Speaker and Motivator Richard Denny is in the spotlight. I saw Richard two years ago and he was still delivering the same content as the first time I heard him over 15 years before. He now has pod casts and e-courses on offer alongside his trusty overhead slides, proving again that product and message is more important that presentation and packaging. The feedback from my Coaching Academy coaching course attended early July has been put over to next month. It was great.
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 9 AUGUST 2007
Albert Wright
020 8343 8558
Copyright
This month next on my list of Outstanding Writers, Speakers and Entrepreneurs is Richard Denny.
His pride in selling is evangelized today by Mike Southon the Beermat man. They both point out that in the commercial sector, everyone else’s job depends on someone selling something to a customer. He makes you proud to say you are in sales, sees selling as noble profession and encourages every small business owner to get out there and sell.
Personally I like selling, and with Richard’s and Mike’s advice and that of my coach John, I even ask my customers for money.
Too many small business leaders think selling is beneath them. They are ashamed to ask for the business and do not value what they sell.
Many of my one man band clients, excellent at what they do, are crap at selling. The main reason is attitude of mind. They do not seem to be able to explain to their clients that they add value, the goods and services they sell bring benefits to their customers, they make a positive difference.
Far too many of those delivering services get stuck with pricing per hour rather than pricing for value. They look at time spent rather than results achieved. They give themselves no value for their years spent in training, learning, getting skills and knowledge.
It’s as if they want to charge by the hour but are embarrassed to believe they can be worth the equivalent of £200 an hour or more.
Well I am and I can. I have spent 20 years in developing my skills as a coach and businessman. I see myself as charging £100 an hour for giving the coaching or advice, writing the business plan or the bid, negotiating the deal etc and the other £100 an hour as the price of knowing what to say, write or negotiate about.
In the same way that a shop selling a shirt not only has to cover the cost paid to buy the shirt from the manufacturer but also the overhead costs of the building, recruiting and training staff, in a knowledge / skills based business the overhead that has to be covered are the years spent getting the skills, practicing them and keeping knowledge and skills up to date. If you are in a service industry and are not getting what you are worth call me. In three years I have tripled what I get for what I do.
Coaching Academy
The 3-day programme was good. I now have many more ideas for boosting my coaching business including a template for holding a one-day coaching workshop to introduce people to the idea of coaching and explain why it is likely to be successful for them. I will be holding such a workshop later in the year and you will all be invited.
Saying no
This is still proving difficult. I have managed to unsubscribe from 3 email newsletters but I have added two new ones. On some I now read the headings and zap if not relevant to me, rather than reading it all as I used to do. I have also not renewed magazine subscriptions I hardly ever read.
Thankfully my application to become London regional chairman of the Institute of Business Consultants was rejected – they said “NO” to me after an interview, but I see this as a good result as it will allow me to focus more on other priorities. In hindsight I should not have applied – but ego got in the way.
I am also saying “NO” to new clients by using price as a filter. Experience indicates that those who want advice for free or next to nothing often make the worst clients. Those who pay more seem more committed and more ready to put effort into the project in hand. If you would like a free 30 minute coaching session about saying no without feeling guilty or the importance of saying no to the good so you can say yes to the great, – phone me on 020 8343 8558.
Local Events
More floods but not in Barnet.
Free this month
A free phone briefing for those wanting a subsidy to help with raising finance through the London Development Agency / Business Link Access to Finance scheme and a Free introduction to our associates InBiz, who are funded to deliver the service. See last month’s newsletter for more details. For help putting together a business plan and applying for loans, grants or equity finance – phone me on the usual number 020 8343 8558.
Next month
Details of the next series of Barclays Bank sponsored Robert Craven events and how we can help you attend for free, saving you £295. A brief look at writer and presenter, Michael Gerber of “E Myth” fame. Tips about goals – with a focus on why we want to reach a specific goal and how much we want it.
Richard is probably old enough to be my father but is still going strong. He came to fame in the 80s and his Selling to Win on my bookshelf came out in 1988, followed by Motivating, Communicating etc to Win, in hardback and soft back through the 1990s. He was soon into tapes and CDs, DVDs and web sites and www.denny.co.uk even has video clips of him still presenting with his overhead slides!!!
To me he excels in sales training and captivating audiences with live presenting of simple concepts, which he somehow manages to make profound. I must have heard him speak a dozen times and heard the same set piece at least 5 times, yet each time he sounds fresh and energizing. He always looks the part and made public speaking an art form.
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 10 SEPTEMBER 2007
Albert Wright
020 8343 8558
Copyright
This month, next on my list of Outstanding Writers, Speakers and Entrepreneurs is Michael Gerber of “E Myth” fame.
For those unfamiliar with his work, the essential message is - have systems and work on your business not just in your business. The title of his major book is The E Myth Revisited, Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It. My copy was published in 2001 and outsold the original published in 1995, which sold over 1 million copies. I also have his video, Small Business Success, The 7 Point Plan for Growing Your Business, which follows much the same theme, as does the web site www.e-myth.com
He suggests you get to know your business inside out and, preferably having done each task yourself, you first write down in a manual the best way to do everything (as you might with a franchise) and then hire people and train them to understand and follow the manual.
He insists that to own a business, rather than be self-employed, involves having systems and people that can operate and generate profits without the owner being there all the time – even without the owner being there at all.
For him a business is a money making machine with a system that works and runs itself, without the owner being there. Many other leading business entrepreneurs also take this view, although to get to this position, most agree, it takes many years of hard work. Gerber began his own business in 1977 and his success is proof of his methods.
So how does all this affect you and me?
Well it means we must outsource or take on staff, but only when we can clearly explain what we want to have done, monitor it and make sure it happens. We have to delegate.
I now have two personal assistants to help me with my work. Zoe who mainly deals with booking coaching clients, formatting and sending out my newsletters and fact sheets and updating my web sites and Jean who handles my invoicing, preparing presentations, assisting with bid writing and keeping me up to date.
In total they work for me for around 50 hours a month and it makes sense for me to “employ” them (though not on a PAYE basis). It’s the only way my business is going to grow and is part of my aim to personally, “do only those things that can be done by me and have others do all that can be done by others”.
In today’s jargon it’s “outsourcing”, and when done properly it works and is profitable.
In my own case I need to improve my systems and my written “manual” so Zoe and Jean have much clearer instructions set out in more detail to help us all work more efficiently.
If you would like a free coaching session on how to commercially justify having “staff” phone me on 020 8343 8558 or Zoe on 01525 375871 to book an appointment.
If you would like to read previous newsletters go to my partly completed new web site www.successfulsolo.com and click newsletters.
Coaching Academy
Work has yet to start on my coaching workshop, planned for November, to introduce people to the idea of coaching and explain why it is likely to be successful for them. In the meantime CA are offering virtually free two-day introductory sessions on their web site www.the-coaching-academy.com worth £500 - but even if you mention my name, there is no further discount.
Free this month
A phone briefing for those wanting a subsidy of up to £2,400 to help with raising finance through the London Development Agency / Business Link Access to Finance scheme. See July’s newsletter for more details.
Robert Craven and the Directors’ Centre
The next series of Barclays Bank sponsored Robert Craven events, worth over £200 plus a free networking lunch start in September. They are great, both the Bright Marketing and More Profit sessions, in addition the Directors’ Centre are also hosting Employment Law and Even More Profit workshops in association with Peninsula. See www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk-SBS.phpfor how to get your tickets. Robert has also just brought out a new book on marketing, which I am currently reading.
GOALS. WHY SIMPLY HAVING THEM WRITTEN DOWN IS NOT ENOUGH
Everyone teaches that to be successful you not only have to have SMART goals but you need to write them down and refer to them every day.But for me this never seems to be enough.
My goals only ever get achieved if I start by working out WHY I want to achieve them and how much I want to achieve them.
If the reason WHY is not powerful enough I get nowhere. Take my never ending (and never really beginning) campaign to lose weight and become healthier and fitter.
Although my goal is “On August 1st 2008 I will weigh 13 stone instead of 16 stone” I am not really committed to it. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is low and 10 high, I am at 3.
We had a treadmill delivered last week. It’s unpacked but not yet set up.
Why do I want to loose weight, get fitter and healthier?
I tell myself so I can live longer, be healthier, feel better, look better, be more “desirable”, run for buses quicker, have a better sex life. Yet I am still complacent, I have a great partner (who is also a tad overweight) so no need to be more attractive to women, live longer – we have parents over 80 but I don’t envy their quality of life so I only want to live till about 75, be healthier – if this means the effort of taking exercise and having a different diet I think I like watching TV and reading and eating and drinking what I do now better.
My motivation is not strong enough.
The power of “WHY” I want to achieve my goals is less than the effort I need to make to take the action I know I must take to achieve them. I need to convince my subconscious mind that the effort is worth the result; the pay back will be worth it.
I have now started doing a bit of “visioning” seeing myself in the future as how I want to look and feel in an attempt to get to the point where the satisfaction felt of being the new me outweighs the effort involved in getting there – I will also use my own coach to help. I will let you know how it goes and when I have got to the “tipping point”.
Do you have issue around motivation?
Do you want support through coaching on making your “WHY” stronger so that you can achieve your goal of weight loss, business success, family success, whatever?
To book your free 30-minute taster phone coaching session ring me on 020 8343 8558 or Zoe 01525 375871.
Next month the featured guru is Julian Richer.
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 11 OCTOBER 2007
Albert Wright
020 8343 8558
Copyright
This month my Outstanding Writer / Speaker / Entrepreneurs is Julian Richer. I have never met Julian but his book The Richer Way was one of the first books relating to business that impressed me when I read it in 1997.His essential messages were: have great systems, great people, great customer service, give the customer value and constantly try to do things better. He used these principles to make his own business, Richer Sounds, the music hi fi retailer, very successful and went on to advise Archie Norman during the turnaround of Asda into a successful business.
He advocated open communications, promoted and rewarded staff for good suggestions and hard work, including giving the best salesperson of the month the company Bentley to drive around in for a week, having profit share schemes, paying commission bonuses and generally rewarding the results he wanted his staff to achieve.
He was an early advocate of making sure everyone believed in “ doing what works best” now, while looking for a better way of doing everything and adopting the “better way” as soon as it was proven.
Julian Richer was also keen on measuring key performance indicators, setting targets, developing action plans and then monitoring their implementation.
He was a great believer in training and motivation, getting his staff to understand why they should do things in a certain way as well as how to do things.
Richer Sounds have a two week work trial, a welcome pack, a buddy and then Induction training for 3 days off site, followed by a “trainee badge” in the shop until they get 25 “excellent” votes from customers for service. There are then at least two annual training courses for each colleague, regular career counseling, the encouragement of dual roles in the business and the chance for good managers to become associate directors for shop inspections.
Morale and motivation were very important to him and I have used the questions in his Annual Staff Attitude Survey to better understand how workers (who he called “colleagues”) feel about the business, their managers, their customers and themselves, to good effect on several occasions. Like Michael Gerber, he believed you need to get to know your business inside out and was a frequent visitor to his shops where he would spend a minimum of 5 minutes talking to every member of staff.
For him, happy staff using appropriate systems and equipment led to hard working staff, to happy customers and profits. His business had low staff pilferage, low staff turnover and good profits. He believed in taking risks with people and giving them dual jobs and moving them to new jobs before they became “stale”.
Sometimes people were over promoted or ended up in the wrong job and when identified this was dealt with quickly. He and his staff saw no stigma in failure that resulted from attempts at improvement. He has excellent chapters on staff recruitment and motivation and on selling and customer service.
So how does all this affect you and me?
Well, having good systems in place is something I know I have to improve on. Sometimes I have a system, like logging a customer enquiry and getting back to them within 48 hours, but I don’t follow it. Why? – Because it’s not easy. I do not always have a customer phone enquiry sheet with me, or I take the call on the mobile in the car and forget to make a note when I stop. To resolve this last problem I now ask the client to email me with their enquiry so it “gets into the system” and then it generally works that they get the reply in 48 hours – until that is, my internet connection goes down for 10 days, as it did this month.
Two hours with the help line proved a waste of time, an hour from Russell, my IT guy got us to getting Tiscali to send an engineer with a new set top box, which, when fitted, got me back to normal.
I never realised how important my connection to the Internet had become. I don’t know what I would have done without being able to pick up and send emails from my laptop at clients’ premises and friends’ homes.
Back to Richer, at least I am into constant improvement and am a strong believer in trying to do things better every time (which sort of gets in the way of having systems?). Not really, because the system, the template, the document acts as the best starting point for now, which must be followed by all until the better system is identified, put on trial and if successful adopted.
If you would like a free coaching session on how to introduce systems into your business to better cope with routine tasks then phone me on 020 8343 8558 or Zoe on 01525 375871 to book an appointment.
If you would like to read previous newsletters go to my partly completed new web site www.successfulsolo.com and click newsletters.
Coaching Academy
My next session is on the Diploma in Small Business Coaching, starting on October 6th. Work on my coaching workshop, planned for November, to introduce people to the idea of coaching and explain why it is likely to be successful for them, has now been postponed to the end of January 2008.
Free this month
Access 2 Finance A free 30 minute phone briefing, worth £100, for those wanting a subsidy of up to £2,400 to help with raising finance through the London Development Agency / Business Link Access to Finance scheme. See July’s newsletter for more details.
Robert Craven and the Directors’ Centre
I am looking forward to going to one of Robert’s events in Oxford in November now the autumn series of the Barclays Bank sponsored programme is underway. The events, worth over £200 plus a free networking lunch, started in September. They are great, both the Marketing and Profit sessions. In addition, the Directors’ Centre are also hosting Employment Law and Even More Profit workshops in association with Peninsula, which you can also attend for free, through our association with Robert. See www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk-SBS.php for how to get your tickets.
Robert’s new book, Bright Marketing, Why should People Bother To Buy From You? Is a great read.
Coaching Academy
Our strategic partnership with CA is starting to come together after an exchange of emails with Jonathan Jay. Having attended an event in Coventry, I can recommend their virtually free, certificate and two-day introductory sessions. Details on their web site www.the-coaching-academ.com worth £500 - but even if you mention my name, there is no further discount.
Goals
Last month we looked at WHY SIMPLY HAVING THEM WRITTEN DOWN IS NOT ENOUGH; we have to have a strong reason “why” we want to achieve them.
In relation to my own goal of, “On August 1st 2008 I will weigh 13 stone instead of 16 stone”, a new factor has entered the scene. My doctor has told me he suspects I have diabetes, so it is off to the clinic this month for how to handle it.
I am sure losing weight will be part and the desire to live a bit longer and stay active might now become enough of a WHY to take action. My commitment has moved to 4 on the 1 to 10 scale, action usually starts when it gets to 6.
The treadmill is now set up and I have been walking to and from the station (sometimes). My “visioning” seeing myself in the future as alive and how I want to look and feel is getting more real, but I need to spend more time on it. Not yet at the “tipping point”.
Do you have issues around motivation?
Do you want support through coaching on making your “WHY” stronger so that you can achieve your goal of weight loss, business success, family success, whatever?
To book your free 30-minute taster phone coaching session ring me on 020 8343 8558 or Zoe 01525 375871.
Next month the featured guru is the man who wrote Rich Dad Poor Dad.
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 12 NOVEMBER 2007
From Albert Wright
020 8343 8558
Copyright
This month my Outstanding Writer / Speaker / Entrepreneurs is – Robert Kiyosaki.
I came across Kiyosaki in the last few years and have two of his books, Rich Dad Poor Dad and Rich Dad Poor Dad 2 – The Cash Flow Quadrant. The second is only really worth buying if you liked the first, which was published in 2000. The sub title is “What the rich teach their kids about money- that the poor and middle class do not”.
The book describes what he learned from his real dad (poor dad) and his friend’s dad, (rich dad) with whom he spent a lot of time. His own dad was a teacher / tutor, who later went into a senior position in education administration in the USA and retired on what might be thought a good pension and was apparently, comfortably off. This dad had conventional middle class values, work hard, get a job – but did not know how to become rich. The other dad seemed to have started with less money and education but had a different approach to life and it is the attitude to money that Kiyosaki sees as the hallmark of rich dad thinking.
Most people learn to work for money, but rich dads learn to have money work for them. He takes you through his story showing how he learned about money and eventually hints at his 4 quadrants. On the way he explains profit and loss and assets and liabilities – with an unconventional slant.
For him, assets are what put money in your pocket and liabilities are what take money out of your pocket. The rich buy assets; the poor have expenses and the middle class buy liabilities (a mortgage) when they think they are buying an asset (a house), which only sometimes becomes a true asset – a source of net income.
He encourages you to think about money rationally rather than emotionally and think what it can do. He believes in investing, starting small, stocks and property, carefully chosen. He encourages the building of assets, things that make you money while you sleep, that make money without you having to be directly involved. “Your head determines what is in your hands”. For him there is earned income, passive income and portfolio income – and the greatest of these is portfolio income.
For the quadrants he takes you through ESBI. Earned income, self employed income, Business owner income and Investment income.
For more go to: www.richdad.com
His essential message is get money to work for you.
So how does all this affect you and me?
Well, in line with other teaching on wealth creation, it encourages us to work smarter rather than harder, putting other people and money to work for us, rather than trying to do it all ourselves. It also asks us to look at life from different angles and question conventional wisdom and follow a different path to most people, because most people aren’t that rich or successful.
If you would like a free coaching session on how to create and examine different options to move you or your business forward, then phone me on 020 8343 8558 or Zoe on 01525 375871 to book an appointment.
If you would like to read previous newsletters go to my not yet completed web site www.successfulsolo.com and click newsletters.
Coaching Academy
My session for the Diploma in Small Business Coaching turned into a session on becoming a licensee in delivering DISC personality / personal style profiles. It would take too long to explain why, but I have now started the Small Business Coaching Diploma. The DISC session proved most interesting. After 5 hours training, by spending 10 minutes filling in a 24 point questionnaire and drawing 3 graphs based on our answers, around 60 of us discovered how we behave, what we think of ourselves, how others see us and how we might act under pressure.
The results proved remarkably accurate for most people and having learned to interpret the graphs and practicing with others, we were soon on to providing insights to any one who offered to cooperate.
Back home and in the office more tests have been delivered with similarly insightful results.
If you would like to complete an online DISC personality profile exercise, get a 6 page report on what it indicates and a free 30 minute telephone call to discuss the indications with me, phone me on 020 8343 8558 or Zoe on 01525 375871 to book an appointment.
Free this month
Access 2 Finance
A free 30 minute phone briefing, worth £100, for those wanting a subsidy of up to £2,400 to help with raising finance through the London Development Agency / Business Link Access to Finance scheme. See July’s newsletter for more details.
Robert Craven and the Directors’ Centre
The autumn series of the Barclays Bank sponsored programme is now well underway. The events, worth over £200 plus a free networking lunch, started in September. They are great, both the Marketing and Profit sessions. In addition, the Directors’ Centre is also hosting Employment Law and Even More Profit workshops in association with Peninsula, which you can also attend for free, through our association with Robert. See www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk-SBS.php for how to get your free tickets.
Coaching Academy
Our strategic partnership with CA continues to develop as I build contacts with several of their senior trainers and coaches.
The more I see of this company the more I like it. I can recommend their virtually free, certificate and two-day introductory sessions. Details on their web site www.the-coaching-academ.com worth £500 - but even if you mention my name, there is no further discount.
Basic Coaching
I revisited the GROW model of coaching this month, continuing my studies into goal achievement. We already know goals must be written down and repeatedly studied to have a hope of succeeding and we have to have a strong reason “why” we want to achieve them.
The G for Goals in GROW, also stresses the importance of clarity and crispness in the goal – like my 13 stone by August 31st 2008.
The R is for reality, what is happening now, where is the starting point, is the goal realistic, my 13 stone is, if I start early enough.
The O centres on Options available, what could the future be like and which is the best way to go to reach the goal, medication, operation, exercise, eating less, a new coach, an exercise trainer, hypnosis? So far my choices are exercise and eating less (and drinking less alcohol).
W is for Will as in will power / commitment or what will I commit to actually doing and when will I take the first step. The will power has moved from 4 to 5, but really needs to be 7 for me to get moving.
More on how I may take the next step next month.
Do you have issues around motivation?
Do you want support through coaching on making your “WHY” stronger so that you can achieve your goal of weight loss, business success, family success, whatever?
To book your free 30-minute taster phone coaching session ring me on 020 8343 8558 or Zoe 01525 375871
Next month the featured guru will be the American, Jay Abraham.
SOLO NEWSLETTER
Number 13 DECEMBER 2007
From Albert Wright 020 8343 8558
Copyright
This month my Outstanding Writer / Speaker / Entrepreneurs is – JAY ABRAHAM. Jay was one of the first business gurus I came across over 10 years ago. I have tape sets, manuals, books and a Nightingale Conant boxed set of his “Your Secret Wealth, Hidden Assets and Opportunities That Can Change Your Life” audiotapes.
A key feature of the way he writes and talks is to use multiple examples and lists of things. Never give one example when you can give a list, it certainly bulks out the book and the tape. He was one of the USA’s top Marketing Consultants and introduced me to concepts like the Acquisition Cost of a Customer, the Life Time Value of a Customer, Back End Selling, Wealth Creation, Value Creation, Leverage and Optimization, many of which I still use today.
Jay is an enthusiast, full of energy and vitality; he makes you want to listen. Some of the examples in his work are a bit out of date but the principles are everlasting. His insights into customer buying restraints and the power of Risk Reversal were a real eye opener for me and I use it everyday in Small Business Solutions with our Fee Guarantee – “If you do not believe the work we have done is worth more than the fee you have paid, we will refund the difference up to £3,000” – in other words, what do you have to worry about in making the decision to work with us, if it does not work out, you get your money back, the risk in doing business with me is mine, not yours, you have nothing to lose, trust me.
The policy is designed to take the fear of failure away from buying, the fear of making the wrong decision.
If you would like coaching on how to introduce Risk Reversal to your business proposition give me a call on 020 8343 8558 to book a phone appointment.
Your 30-minute consultation call, an investment of only £70, is covered by our own Fee Guarantee. Effectively, unless we add value you get the call for FREE.
Another of Jay’s tips deals with asking for referrals. If this is something you find difficult to do call for a coaching session on this very subject.
Other sessions I do influenced by Jay include: Setting down your Unique Selling Proposition, Developing Your Elevator Pitch and Identifying Your Target Customer. Mr Abraham has done a lot for my thinking and he may be able to do the same for you.
If you would like to read previous newsletters go to my not yet completed web site www.successfulsolo.com and click newsletters.
Coaching Academy
I have now completed two further one-day sessions on Customer Focus and Sales and Marketing as part of my Diploma in Small Business Coaching.
One of the interesting exercises was about what each of us think about salesmen and if we are going to be our own sales and marketing department, how we might need to amend some of the negative attitudes and thoughts we have about selling if we plan to do it well.
Going back to last month, if you would like to complete an online DISC personality profile exercise, get a 6 page report on what it indicates and a free 30 minute telephone call to discuss the indications with me, phone me on 020 8343 8558 or Zoe on 01525 375871 to book an appointment.
Free this month
Access 2 Finance. Still available is a 30 minute phone briefing, for £100, for those wanting a subsidy of up to £2,400 to help with raising finance through the London Development Agency / Business Link Access to Finance scheme.
See July’s newsletter for more details. All covered by our Fee Guarantee.
Robert Craven and the Directors’ Centre
The autumn series of the Barclays Bank sponsored programme is coming to an end. The events, worth over £200 plus a free networking lunch, are great. I have now attended both the Marketing and the Profit sessions. This month I am going to one of their Employment Law and Even More Profit workshops in association with Peninsula.
All these excellent workshops can be yours for free, through our association with Robert. Go to www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk-SBS.php for how to get your free tickets.
Coaching Academy
I can recommend their virtually free, certificate and two-day introductory sessions. Details on their web site www.the-coaching-academy.com worth £500, cost much less.
Coaching Practice
I am part of a group of coaches that meet monthly for professional development and practice and last month we tried out a new for me process tool called Outcome Thinking, which was quite powerful.
It involves a structured series of questions to get you started on achieving a well-defined goal.
In some sessions the results achieved were extremely worthwhile for the time invested.
If you would like to know more, give me a call on 020 8343 8558 and I will do a 30 minute practice session with you for FREE as a way of further developing my own skills in this process.
I have yet to try it for my weight loss goal where my motivation remains at a stubborn 5 but I have started working on it with a new coach who uses Clean Thinking and will update you in the New Year.
Do you have issues around motivation?
Do you want support through coaching on making your “WHY” stronger so that you can achieve your goal of weight loss, business success, family success, whatever?
To book your free 30-minute taster phone coaching session ring me on 020 8343 8558 or Zoe 01525 375871.
Next month the featured guru will be Alan Leighton, Chairman of the Post office and formerly with ASDA, as I have recently read his book on Leadership. Season’s Greetings to all readers and remember, New Year’s resolutions are … for most people, so don’t worry about it. Be happy.
Any problems email Lesley at lb@directorscentre.com or phone 01225 851044.
I am also offering a free phone briefing for those wanting a subsidy to help with raising finance through the London Development Agency / Business Link Access to Finance scheme and a Free introduction to our associates InBiz, who are funded to deliver the service.
At my meeting with them last week, it was confirmed they are offering, for as little as £600, up to 5 days of support for putting together a business plan and applying for loans, grants or equity finance – a service normally costing over £3,000, for more information phone me on the usual number 020 8343 8558.
Next month,the outstanding author, Jack Canfield, is in the spotlight. I am on a coaching course this weekend and will feed back later this month
Robert Craven on the road in Docklands and elsewhere, can still be enjoyed for free, rather than for £225, at one of his Barclay’s Bank backed half-day seminars on Marketing or Profit by going to www.directorscentre.com/lets-talk.php Robert is a very entertaining speaker. While not wishing to go as far as saying “Greed is Good”, I will say that poverty is not good, for me, my clients or friends. Some of the nicest people I know are millionaires.Many of us may have hang-ups about money, particularly if we lived in a Christian or religious household. Our upbringing may have lead us to believe that “money is the root of all evil”, “rich people are never happy”, “blessed are the poor”, “I do not deserve riches” etc.