Nicholas Bate

Why We Love The Beatles: 78 of 100

There are so many gorgeous iconic representations of The Beatles. The group on stage with John and Paul tight around the microphone and Ringo perched on high. A 'grown-up' Fab Four on a Zebra crossing. Matching moustaches in the Sgt Pepper era. Swirling cigarette smoke at a press conference and Paul looking very jet-lagged or maybe he's just...

And then there are those early 'mop-top' hair-cuts.  It was often said that Astrid Kircherr designed them which she has always said is daft: 'it's simply what German boys wore' she said. And as always with The Lads , in particular John and Paul at  this stage, they were brilliant at copying and improving. Within months it had become another aspect of one of the planet's fastest growing brands but in a world which was so much simpler that nobody used phrases like that. Thank goodness.

It's another reason we love The Beatles.

On making ceramic pots...

...read more here.

Start Reading Again

Book are one of the cheapest, most convenient, tactile and manageable ways of learning. And in An Age of Uncertainty, learning and learning fast is a route out of the chaos:

1. Always have a book on the go;
2. Take notes in whatever way works for you;
3. Ask people you meet and respect, for their book suggestions;
4. Use the library to keep your spend down;
5. Investigate Kindle;
6. Deliberately read outside your core area to spark new ideas;
7. Re-cycle books to friends and colleagues;
8. Get the team to 'teach' a book they have read to colleagues;
9. Set yourself a bold goal: double your current reading habit (used to be one/month-go for two/month);
10. In a month, double it again (now go for one/week). Repeat until you hit your personal threshold. 

Twenty-Five Clusters of Five: Number 12

There's an 'er' which is very unhelpful in a recession; that's the 'er, what the heck are we going to do?' But there are five '...er's which are invaluable:

1. Be faster. Answer the phone in one less ring than the competition. Get the quote out in 50% less time than last year.
2. Be smarter. Ask great questions of your client. Help them grow their business or make their life better. Or both.
3. Be leaner. Get rid of unwanted cost immediately.
4. Be meaner. Chase. Politely. Business. More. Often. Now.
5. Be better. Have more uniques.

Why We Love The Beatles: 77 of 100

It was 1966. John remarks that 'The Beatles are bigger than Jesus'; Revolver is recorded; Capitol withdraws the 'Butcher' cover; McCartney crashes moped and 'Paul is dead' rumour starts; Sergeant Pepper started.

Elsewhere: Indira Ghandi becomes president of India; Freddie Laker starts his airline; world cup stolen and recovered; Ronald Reagan wins republican nomination for California; England wins World Cup; Aberfan disaster.

Beat the Recession: Twenty-Five Clusters of Five: Number 11

Recessions naturally cause us to focus on selling. And selling naturally causes us to focus on stuff such as closing and pitching and objection handling. All well and good. But it won't work and can't work unless we did our marketing in the first place; and a first place to start is good old Kotler's Four Ps. There is often a keenness to change or discard any theory over 12 months old which is a huge shame; in the case of Kotler's thinking much is as robust as the day he first wrote it:

1. Book an away day with your team (yes, I do know there's a recession  on);
2. Review your product: what exactly is it?;
3. Review your pricing: how did you come to those decisions?
4. Review your promotion: how do you connect with your potential customers?
5. Review your place or channel: how do your customers actually buy from you?

I am confident the actions and re-focus you generate will more than re-pay your apparent 'lost' selling time.

Fresh starts

can coincide with new seasons, new semesters, new calendar months. And we can also take a fresh start and re-invent any time we wish.

TTD (Things To Do): To Have More Energy

1. Start with getting quality and sufficient sleep;
2. Get hydrated by drinking water throughout the day;
3. Build stamina by expecting more of your body. Yes take the stairs; yes walk to Blockbuster;
4. Reduce distractions which drain our focus and concentration be that on our desk or in our head;
5. Take time out to reflect;
6. Read whatever inspires you;
7. Connect with those who are encouraging and loving rather than critical and political;
8. Decide that you want to have and will have abundant energy: you were designed to do so;
9. And start today.

Generation...F...

with Gary Hamel.

Amazing 2009

1. 2009 continues to be an amazing year:
2. you have a plan;
3. you have a plan and it's exciting;
4. you have a plan and it's working;
5. despite it being REALLY tough you have made huge progress.