Nicholas Bate

The A to Z of Great Parenting

W is Who?

Who can help? Can a teacher offer more help? Ask! A relative? Ask! The library? Ask! Get really good at asking for help. It is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.

Encourage your child NOT to lose their early curiosity and insatiable why?

The Weekly Tutorial: Selling: from OK to Excellent

3 of 4

Today: delay.

To handle procrastination, to handle delay, avoid deals and discount as these will simply become the norm. Try this:

1. Early on in conversation with the prospect, find reasons why they must take action NOW i.e. reasons for urgency.
2. Concentrate attention on understanding the cost to them if they do not go ahead.
3. Build upon 2 by attempting to get this in quantiative terms i.e. the financial implication of not proceeding.
4. These points can then be played back in a positive professional business-like manner if a delay is suggested.

See you tomorrow at 0700.

Something to Think About

"efforts and courage are not enough without pupose and direction"

John F Kennedy 1917-1963

The a to Z of Great Parenting

V is Vision

Have some fun one day. Get a huge sheet of paper and both of you: draw your visions: where do you want to be in a few years time? And share them. Help your child develop and clarify their vision.

Having one does not guarantee anything, but it does make it a whole lot more likely.

the Weekly Tutorial: Selling: from OK to Excellent

2 of 4

Today: discount.

To handle discount:

1. You must have done your ground-work to defend price. See yesterday's tutorial.
2. You cannot negotiate until you have sold. Sell first, then move into negotiation.
3. Only give if you get.
4. Give slow.
5. Give small.
6. Keep summarising.
7. Remember that this year's agreement is not the base-point for next year's negotiation.

See you at 0700 tomorrow.

Great Firms?

Michael Wade (he of EXECUPUNDIT) has many strengths. One is his ability to articulate the ridiculous. You'll enjoy this I am sure on Great Firms......

We have really neat business cards with job titles like Production Wizard and CEO of Fun.
Our stationery is recycled paper.
Our firm's name is catchy.
So is our slogan.
The owners have like really interesting backgrounds.
We do killer PowerPoint.
Our office is done in a very impressive, cafe mocha motif with prints by street artists.
We are always thinking outside the box.
We also walk the talk.
We are very nonjudgmental.
We celebrate diversity so long as everyone feels the same way about things.
We can like basically talk the same language as most of our customers. Basically.
Every day is casual Friday.
We don't have employees. We have colleagues.
and more here...

The Man who Mistook his Laptop for his Life

For the story so far Ok, I am sure you are right. In fact, I know you are right. Can I get some coffee? You can, but it's the last for the day: your diet we understand has been poor and stacked full of stimulants and that's where we can rapidly start helping you get well. Ah, here's Dr Wensley your consultant. So Allan. I know Nurse will have done an excellent job giving you a fair perspective of how things stand at the moment. I would say overall excellent as long as you can make plenty of changes. In a case like this, it's not about surgery, even drugs. It's down to you. So, I suggest you continue your rest and we'll talk more fully tomorrow; your wife I understand will be here soon. They both left him and the room fell silent bar the hum of the air conditioning. He didn't feel so bad; he know he had been really lucky. And what a diagnosis: no operation, no drugs. Just rest! But then it struck him: his presentation: what happened? And his career? In ruins? To be honest. And he did feel very honest. He wasn't sure he actually cared. He didn't even seem too bothered about their current money problems. Maybe he was hallucinating? Ah. Coffee. The nurse who brought it helped him sit up in bed: it was a struggle. As she left he scanned on the side table the things from his jacket pockets. His wallet. His Mont Blanc pen. A business card. Oh yes! he smiled agin. Will Power, the guy who certainly saved his Life on the motorway. He re-read the card: William Power "Will Power" Life Coach from Ordinary to Extraordinary he flipped it over: Give me 2 hours of your time and pay my high fee and I'll get you your Life back. Or your money back plus 10%. Need some fresh thinking on work/life balance? Try Get a Life.

Something To Think About

"the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy"

Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968

Blog round-up

Changethis.com have a range of great new manifestos including the truth about Black Swans and what Starbucks must do to gain the high ground. The latest on Paul McCartney's new album: Memory Almost Full from Starbucks Gossip. David Seah does a very nice executive summary of The Four-Hour Work Week'. The summary is all you need! Meanwhile Guy does a very nice summary of Duct Tape Marketing. Again it's all you need. And read all these yet?

The A to Z of Great Parenting

U is Uncertainty

Nothing is certain, that's for sure. The sooner your son or daughter learns to manage that, the easier Life will become. Early expectations are that we have a 'right' to things; no we don't. Or that if we work hard we'll get the place at Uni we seek. No, not necessarily. If we get qualified, we'll have a 'job for Life'. Not-not at all, any longer. Life is hard, very hard at times. But it's so much easier when we accept that.

Help your child learn to work with uncertainty.