Nicholas Bate

Stop Press

Free Stuff

is now up-and-running (just below the calendar on the RHS). This contains free down-loads which you may find useful. The books are available as hard-copies and if you would like to buy one (or several) 100% of the fee is for NSPCC. E-mail me (see About section) for further details. More free stuff will be added over time.

If you like free stuff, don't forget changethis.com. And Tom Peters has a section, too.

The A to Z of Sales Excellence

P is Prospecting

Keep the funnel full. What ratio of calls/enquiries become prospects? Which of those become customers? Which become clients? Which become advocates? Know your ratios.

Keep prospecting.

The Man who Mistook his Laptop for his Life

The story so far: read The Man who Mistook his Laptop for his Life category….

1230
He drafted an e-mail with the new plan and sent it to the entire team.

1300
He started one-to-ones with each team member to advise on consequences of the model error and their role in the turn-around plan.

1545
A call came from his Mother. She never rang his mobile. Was all OK?
He listened; his mother was worried. Dad had had a minor stroke. Allan moved quickly to ‘find a solution’ mode. He’d immediately arrange a specialist he insisted. He’d be down as soon as the presentation was over. No, he couldn’t come sooner. Why do these things always come at once?
He switched off his mobile and took another paracetamol.

No, this was wrong. He rang his mother back. He’d be there Saturday, early. No, not tonight. But he would be there. He felt drained. He completed the one-to-ones at 1845.

2115
He left for home.

Join us at 3pm next Monday. In the meantime: Get a Life.

Something to Think About

"Dream as if you will Live forever. Live as if you will die today."

James Dean

The A to Z of Sales Excellence

O is Objection

Everybody want to know how to 'handle objections' such as "it's too expensive", "the creativity is lacking"...Get away from it being a 'technique'. Start by turning the objection into an objective. If they say "it seems expensive", your objective is to give them a better understanding of its value.

Every objection gives you your next objective.

The New World of Work Differentiators

1 of Many. Every Friday. 1000h.

The Story So far:
To build market share, to defend price, to ensure longevity of our organisation, we must be distinct, we must be different ('be distinct or extinct'). But in the New World of Work that is increasingly difficult to do. Globalisation, speed of change and technology drivers amongst other factors rapidly remove our advantages. But some organisations have managed to do it and continue to manage to do it: Starbucks is oft-quoted of course. In the UK the John Lewis organisation. Apple. Harley-Davidson. Many small web-based businesses who do a great job.
"If there is nothing very special about your work, no matter how hard you apply yourself you won't get noticed, and that increasingly means you won't get paid much either."---Michael Goldhaber, Wired Magazine
What makes their businesses successful and sustainable? The new differentiators. Many of the differentiators they use are surprisingly 'soft'. That is, they are tricky to define and to measure: they are intangible. In coming weeks we will explore them and understand how we can replicate the methodology.

New World of Work Differentiator 1: Design (Week 2 of 2). Week 2: the action.
Step 1: accept that great design does not come easy but that it will repay in: premium customers, word of mouth marketing, an element of simplicity (New World of Work differentiator to be discussed), an element of experience (New World of Work differentiator to be discussed), competitive edge, premium pricing.
Step 2: start noting and asking: how is this product/service used? In the UK the majority of the railways and the post office for example appear to have never asked those fundamental questions. Munich Airport from where I flew recently has.
Step 3: steep yourself in good design. Attend museums and read.
Step 4: commit and pay for good design and improve the design whenever you can
Step 5: pay for a trusted expert who can get your design to look good, too. Now you have cool and you are on to a winner.

Join us next week for another New World of Work Differentiator.

Something to Think About

"Follow your Bliss"

Jospeh Campbell

The Weekly Tutorial: How to Start a Small, Premium Consultancy

4 of 4

You are now in a position where you have done some serious thinking, you have a check-list of TTA (things to address) prior to start-up.

Today is the day you need to start sorting out your study library and/or your mentors. Take a trip to your favourite book-store and find basic books on sales/marketing/finance/leading; find ones which you are comfortable with. Read and absorb and distil down into the essence of what is important for you in your particular context.
Find those who have been successful at starting small premium consultancies. And it is also worth talking to those who have failed.
As you do, consider these essentials:
SELLING in not just about closing: it is about making it easy to buy.
LEADING is not about command and control: it is about inspiration.
MARKETING is not about big budgets: it is about being smart.
SURVIVAL is not about being a financial wizard: it is about getting the cash in. Then getting profitable cash in.

Finally on this week’s tutorial, start to think about who can give you help: who might make a great mentor? Decide to make touch with him/her next week.

See you next week for another tutorial.

The Weekly Tutorial: each week, Monday to Thursday at 0700. Coming up in January, February & March 2007
w/c 22 January: How to Learn Spanish
29 January: Increasing Effectiveness using FLOW state
5 February: Work/Life balance v2.
12 February: How to become an entrepreneur (inside an organisation, too)
19 February: How to overcome the only barrier to what you want to do: fear.
26 February: How to get the work-life balance you seek v2.
5 March: Cooking quickly, easily and healthily. And often for one person.
12 March: How to get fit v2

The A to Z of Sales Excellence

N is Niche

What's your area of speciality? Develop it quickly and confidently. As a consequence, you will be even more effective. As a consequence you will win more business. As a consequence you will earn more money.

Think Niche.

The Weekly Tutorial: How to Start a Small, Premium Consultancy

3 of 4

To do more than just survive, to make money and to have a comfortable lifestyle, you must be distinct. Bottom line: be distinct or extinct. So today is working on the question of: why would anyone want to buy from you? And the answer (I hope) is NOT because you offer the lowest prices. No, you have something special. But here’s the irony: if you do have anything special: a widget, a methodology, it won’t stay special for long.
So, your secret weapon is to be distinct on your service and responsiveness. Do not ignore that aspect. You must have something(s) which are unique about you: if not you will just be selling on price. Start work now on: what are your unique selling propositions?

Take your answers from yesterday. Put together you check-list of TTA (things to address) before you are ready for full start-up. Do that now.

The Weekly Tutorial: each week, Monday to Thursday at 0700. Coming up in January, February & March 2007
22 January: How to Learn Spanish
29 January: Increasing Effectiveness using FLOW state
5 February: Work/Life balance v2.
12 February: How to become an entrepreneur (inside an organisation, too)
19 February: How to overcome the only barrier to what you want to do: fear.
26 February: How to get the work-life balance you seek v2.
5 March: Cooking quickly, easily and healthily. And often for one person.
12 March: How to get fit v2