tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3134278402930198642024-03-13T22:09:43.459+00:00Bright MarketingRobert Craven's book is 'Bright Marketing - why should people bother to buy from you?'. (And his latest is 'GROW YOUR SERVICE FIRM'.)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.comBlogger603125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-48154688914610123882015-01-28T10:37:00.000+00:002015-01-28T10:37:48.089+00:00Changing Needs of Medium-Sized Entrepreneurial Businesses<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is <i>‘Changing Needs of Medium-Sized Entrepreneurial Businesses</i>’, my chapter from <i>The Great British Entrepreneur's Handbook 2015</i>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/changing-needs-medium-sized-entrepreneurial-robert-craven</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[The book <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-British-Entrepreneurs-Handbook-2015-ebook/dp/B00P81I25G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422360727&sr=8-1&keywords=great+british+entrepreneur+2015+handbook" rel="nofollow" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96999c; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">The Great British Entrepreneur's Handbook 2015</a> is available free of charge on Kindle at Amazon]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ay1iKAnSno8/VMi6wRuFafI/AAAAAAAAD8Q/q8QG-gnvvrw/s1600/ep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ay1iKAnSno8/VMi6wRuFafI/AAAAAAAAD8Q/q8QG-gnvvrw/s1600/ep.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The business development needs of small and large businesses seem to be catered for by coaches and big-ticket consultancies respectively. However, the market is failing to satisfy the needs of the directors of medium-sized businesses. This is a failure in terms of: </em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1) not giving clients what they really want and need, and <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />2) missing opportunities to deliver consultancy that adds true value to the businesses of clients.</em></div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px 5px 0px 40px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What’s available to help the growing business is limited and inappropriate for the real needs of the client. Recent surveys and reports confirm that consulting firms and the business support industry as a whole are failing to deliver what growing entrepreneurial businesses really need.</em></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px 5px 0px 40px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">FACT: the guru-based model of expert advice may not give the client what the client really needs.</strong></blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The recent fad for guru-based, personality-based consulting firms may have now peaked. There are now many, probably too many, so-called gurus. Or at least too many people claiming to be or being accredited as gurus.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
While years ago there were successful-business-folk-turned-gurus, today there are salesmen-turned-gurus. By adopting Americanised direct marketing and presentational practices, they have become predators on the ignorant and unwary. This loss of quality and the growth in quantity has been exacerbated by the recession-driven burgeoning of the coaches market: thousands of coaches offering competitively-priced (=cheap?) services to low grade companies with little growth potential.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
All of this has devalued ‘guruship’, especially in the eyes of prime, middle market directors.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
While accepting that the principles promoted by many gurus are well-founded and well-presented, the results achieved for most companies are not sustainable. Too many gurus offer too-good-to-be-true silver bullets.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
However, it needs to be said that there are routes to success, that there are some certainties of outcome, that there are methodologies to be adopted, and strategies to be identified, which do work, and these can be implemented by many client companies.</div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px 5px 0px 40px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">FACT: Guru–led consultancy practices create a schizophrenic proposition</strong></blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The get-rich-quick-quick, too-good-to-be-true propositions ‘work’ for those clients who are ignorant, inexperienced, desperate, or all three. However, it does not resonate with experienced business people (the middle market); they know they need help, but they don’t believe in miracles. It is no surprise then that the vast majority of guru fodder are companies that are very small (or very large).</div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px 5px 0px 40px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">FACT: Hard things are hard</strong></blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Most business books and their authors attempt to provide recipes for challenges that have no recipes. There is rarely a recipe for a really complicated, dynamic situation. And most situations are not straightforward. The hard thing about hard things is that there is no formula for dealing with them (Horowitz, 2014).</div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px 5px 0px 40px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">QUESTION: Is there a middle ground? A third way?</strong></blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Between the synthetic siren calls of the gurus and the laden drones of certain academics lies a sweet spot that can really appeal to experienced business people. It combines the practical methodologies of the gurus with the intelligent, analytical skills of the academics. It promises results – but neither miracles nor degrees. It is neither quick nor slow, cheap nor expensive.</div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px 5px 0px 40px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">FACT or OPINION?: Guru/coaching fails small businesses</strong></blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Here is one version of what is going on. This is perfectly simple: guru/coaching is how-to. It isn’t where, when, how, who, how much, or with what result. It does not address the real problems most small/new businesses have. The smaller clients do not know what direction they should be going in – or are not sure about it; their biggest challenge is therefore strategic (where they should be going) and not tactical (how they should get there).</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
How-to gurus/coaches help clients get further down the road they are on. And faster. They don’t usually do more than cursorily check if that is the right or best road for that particular business in its market, or with its management strengths and weaknesses.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">OPINION: At the opposite extreme…</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
While gurus/coaches are happy to work (metaphorically) for a good dinner, heavyweight management consultants want signature rights to your bank account. Where gurus/coaches work from the inside (and rarely see the big wide world), management consultants start on the outside, and work their way in.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
They say they can’t talk about your business without understanding the world and local economies, your market, its trends, its leaders, its dynamics. Then they need to understand your company inside out – interviews, research, etc with staff, then all over again with clients, suppliers, etc. Then they need to work out the strategy for your business. Then how to implement that strategy. Then they need to hold your hand while you do it.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
This is big ticket, big commitment.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Big companies often know that much of this big ticket consulting business school shenanigans is nonsense; meanwhile they know they need to be seen to be doing it by shareholders and stakeholders. That’s how it all works.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Medium-sized companies – say from £1 to £50 million turnover – don’t have the need, luxury, patience or profits to justify that approach. Neither the guru/coach nor big management consultancy approach works for them.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SO what’s in the middle… for the middle…?</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
What will work for the medium-sized business? Well, something which does not have the dictatorial basis of either gurus or management consultancies. Something that is more collaborative and participative. Something that is more respectful of the client’s own experience, expertise and achievements - and is more enduring. Something that is a two-way process: each party has something to give - and something to take.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Our peer-to-peer era</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
We live and work in a peer-to-peer era where knowledge, the right facts, is ubiquitous; and often it is free, or low cost. We also live in an era where ‘wisdom’, knowing the right answer, or the right thing to do, is as rare, valuable and valued as ever; indeed, more so in a complex world with many choices, and many wrong paths to go down. Most of us no longer believe (if we ever did) that one person – one guru – has all the right answers all of the time.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Most don’t believe that ‘wisdom’ is equally and identically applicable to all situations, all companies, all markets, all of the time. Most believe in bespoke solutions requiring specific, not just generalised, ‘wisdom’.</div>
<blockquote style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px 5px 0px 40px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">FACT: Middle market clients want more than just more sales/profits/customers</strong></blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Most business plans, and all business how-to providers, tend to be quantitatively focused: they talk numbers, KPIs, money, money, money. And of course they are right to start there – no money, no business. Where they are wrong is stopping there – failing to take a business on to bigger, better things.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
It could be argued that the trouble with these entrepreneurial gurus is that they lack real ambition for the businesses they work with. Many owner-directors not only want to achieve more profits, they <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">can </em>achieve more than that, <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">much </em>more.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
What they want, what they lack, is a bigger picture. This is not about even more profit or even more staff (although it might be); it is more about what it is that directors are trying to create and achieve with their businesses. This nebulous aspiration is best encapsulated in the Greek work, eudaimonia.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In search of Corporate Eudaimonia</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Eudaimonia (literally, from the Greek meaning wellness or good spirit) is perhaps best translated as ‘human flourishing’, and by implication is all about achieving the best possible balance of financial, physical and moral well-being.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In a phrase, getting the best out life and work: what we want for ourselves, fellow owner-directors (and most shareholders) and for the company. Consequently, it has wider perspectives than pure maximisation of profit.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
It’s about creating long-term infrastructure solutions that will help build and maintain company growth, higher margins, and, ultimately, higher profits and exit value, but…</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
…but not building it only on financial performance. Respecting that sustainable corporate success requires a great brand, great products, great people, loyal customers, and an ongoing investment in development.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Owner-managers versus owner-directors</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The distinction between those who work <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">in</em> and <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">on</em> the business always resonates, but there is a greater divide linked to this. (Gerber, 2007)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In practice, very small businesses (let’s say under £1m turnover or have under £100,000 net profit) are owned and run by owner-managers, who cannot but work <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">in</em>the business day in, day out.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
By contrast, owner-directors largely work <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">on </em>their business, while still working in it. Their role is more strategic and wide – and their businesses are usually well-established with a functionally defined staff, and a brand (not just a business). Their businesses have a turnover in excess of £1m and up to £50m, and a £500,000 net profit potential.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What owner-directors believe and want</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Experienced owner-directors don’t believe in miracles, or the efficacy of quick fixes. They don’t believe in simple formulae for business success, and they tend not to believe in ‘gurus’. They tend to have a justifiably high opinion of themselves mixed with real-world, enforced humility.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
They think they have some – but not all – of the answers. They know they have done many things right, and failed with many others. They understandably don’t want to be preached to, nor have their experience and expertise ignored, or undervalued. They want heterarchy (a system of organisation where the elements are unranked) not hierarchy. They want to work in a peer-to-peer manner with mutual respect. Almost everything about the ‘guru’ approach is wrong for them – and it irritates them.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Owner-directors don’t…</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Owner-directors don’t want and don’t believe the <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">MBA In A Day</em> proposition. They probably don’t believe in MBAs, and certainly don’t believe you can learn that much in a day. They see it as marketing nonsense that lacks credibility – and consequently doubt the value of anyone who promotes such a thing.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Owner-directors don’t believe that their business can be, or needs to be, transformed. They want improvement, not revolution, and they know that improvement is as much to do with how their business operates as anything related to direction or strategy.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
They are highly suspicious of ‘consultants’, especially those who offer high-level strategy without pragmatic implementation, and equally of those of the short-sharp-shock school of thinking.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
They are looking for evolution: performance improvement over time, fitness in changing markets.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">What is to be done?</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
I have simply identified what seem to be the real needs of a large number of owner-directors. There is a gap between what the clients want and what the suppliers are delivering. It will be the generation of suppliers who understand the real needs of their clients that will prosper in the future.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
However, because of the expert nature of the business support industry (“I am the expert, I know best. Let me help you”), so trends have tended to be driven by the supply side, the consultants and not by the clients themselves.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
Basically, consultants are giving clients what they, the consultants, think the clients need. 79% of consultants believe they deliver an exceptional customer service. But only 16% of their clients agree. That’s a service delivery gap of 66%. (Mind the Consultancy Gap Survey, 2014).</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Behind these figures lies the fact that clients want something different from what is being offered and delivered. It is time for the consultancy industry to wake up and smell the coffee!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ay1iKAnSno8/VMi6wRuFafI/AAAAAAAAD8Q/q8QG-gnvvrw/s1600/ep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ay1iKAnSno8/VMi6wRuFafI/AAAAAAAAD8Q/q8QG-gnvvrw/s1600/ep.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">‘Changing Needs of Medium-Sized Entrepreneurial Businesses</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">’, my chapter from</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Great British Entrepreneur's Handbook 2015</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/changing-needs-medium-sized-entrepreneurial-robert-craven</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4d4f51; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 30px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[ <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-British-Entrepreneurs-Handbook-2015-ebook/dp/B00P81I25G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422360727&sr=8-1&keywords=great+british+entrepreneur+2015+handbook" rel="nofollow" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #96999c; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">The Great British Entrepreneur's Handbook 2015</a> - available free of charge on Kindle]</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-50116904498516103772014-12-15T09:59:00.001+00:002014-12-15T09:59:44.777+00:002015 predictions: all about more and less!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZccEW6uBU0k/VI6wtI1NFaI/AAAAAAAAD14/8cXdJ_481Z8/s1600/2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZccEW6uBU0k/VI6wtI1NFaI/AAAAAAAAD14/8cXdJ_481Z8/s1600/2015.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Like 2014..., 2015 will be the year that everything
and nothing changes. It will be a year of contradictions… of opposites:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 24.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Everything will be the same but nothing will be the
same<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 24.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">We will be even more closely connected yet less
connected at the same time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 24.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">We will become even closer but even more lonely<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 24.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It may even be the year that social media gets
exhausted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 24.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Everything will go faster but slower<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 24.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">We will want everything faster but we will want
things slower.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">That's
what I think and that's what some of the top lists on the internet suggest...<br />
<br />
<b>Top trends for 2015 will include:</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>1 The Digital Stuff</b><br />
<br />
<b>Your digital footprint will be your most valuable asset</b><br />
Customers talk and now they talk more than ever – what others say about you
will be more important than what you say (advertising is dying). Natives
naturally check out who says what about you and compare it with what you say
and how you say it.<br />
<br />
<b>More, more, more </b><br />
Customers will want/demand/expect more of a 360 degree experience – more of
everything… an immersive experience. 4D is better than 3D, etc… we will be
expecting smell, taste, sound. Not just products.<br />
<br />
<b>Faster, faster, hyper-fast. </b><br />
Living in what Mack calls <i>“the age of impatience</i>”, customers expect
more, faster and more conveniently than ever before. The consequence of this is
that we become more impulsive – the logical extension of going faster.<br />
<br />
<b>Shoot ‘n’ Go</b><br />
Pictures will replace 1,000 words.<br />
Still and moving pictures will become their own currency. Everyone can
shoot/edit/publish/distribute their own experiences, friends… in fact, anything
that can stand in front of a smartphone will be shot. Everything will become
increasingly visual: websites, adverts, communication.<br />
<br />
<b>Mobile technology changes everything </b><br />
Especially in emerging economies – it gives you access to health care,
education, finance. It knows no boundaries. In the first world, nothing will be
safe: everything can be (and probably will be) disrupted. Nothing is sacred.
There will be an app for everything!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>2 The ANTI-DIGITAL STUFF (in a kind of digital way)</b><br />
<b><br />
Customer is King</b><br />
The customer experience will become the new competitive battlefield<br />
We will get one step closer to the idea that the customer is king. Companies
that offer the basics (courtesy, speed, warmth, friendliness) and provide
legendary service will be the winners in the long run.<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Revenge of the Luddites</b><br />
As a reaction to too many people literally living through their smartphone we
might find the emergence of smartphone-free zones both socially and at work. It
is time to get back to old-fashioned ways of communicating and connecting, like
sharing a nice cup of tea or a walk in the countryside.<br />
<br />
<b>A Campaign for Real</b><br />
There will be an increased sensitivity that will seek to differentiate between
the authentic and genuine as opposed to the manufactured, synthetic,
superficial and fake: food, TV, music, people, etc.<br />
<br />
<b>Being Mindful </b><br />
As a backlash to the hyper-fast world we now live in there will be a growing
interest (probably an obsession) with all things peaceful, quiet and
reflective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">As
I said, everything and nothing changes. The problem is that the technology will
fool us into thinking that we will be happier and more efficient. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
bankers and the politicians and the media will still be the same. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
importance of love, the family and laughter will still be the same!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-40482695203314093412014-12-13T07:49:00.000+00:002014-12-13T07:49:00.047+00:002015 - The Year That Social Media is Exhausted<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.keepcalmandposters.com/posters/1616379.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.keepcalmandposters.com/posters/1616379.png" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<h1 style="background-color: white; color: #0098db; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 28.1818180084229px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></h1>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><br style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">According to</span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"> </span><a href="http://mashable.com/2011/12/27/5-tech-trends-to-watch-in-2012/" style="color: #0b2265; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">Mashable</a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"> 2012 was <b>"the year we exhaust social media."</b> Or should it have been 2013!</span><br style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><br />Well it doesn't seem to have happened in 2014 so maybe in 2015???</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">I don't think that social media is dead ("<i>deceased, no more</i>" as in Monty Python) but as Mashable say, we </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">are exhausted. Social/digital Exhaustion could become next year's catch phrase.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">People finally realise that connecting or following, being followed (as a numbers game) or liking is meaningless unless there some purpose and some result. (See </span><a href="http://robert-craven.blogspot.com/2011/06/is-twitter-for-losers.html" style="color: #0b2265; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">Twitter is For Losers</a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">)</span><br style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><br style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">I think the light bulb moment happens when you employ people and they appear to be playing on social media (while you are paying them to do so).</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">Now I don't deny the benefits of being open, pursuing random connections and so on. I love it. BUT we must not confuse activity (=wheel spin?) with business.</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">I am not the social media guru (see my ironically titled e-book <a href="http://www.directorscentre.co.uk/articles/social-media-ebook">I am not a Social Media Guru</a>) but we have noticed that many of our clients have become fixated with activity and almost irrelevant vanity metrics when they need to get back to basics... </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><b>So reflecting about the state of play... </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the one hand, we have the social media zealots grabbing at the next new best thing universal antidote. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">On the other hand, we have the incredibly lazy marketing habits of the old school agencies (see</span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"> </span><a href="http://realbusiness.co.uk/advice_and_guides/why-marketing-is-a-load-of-bcks" style="color: #0b2265; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">Why Marketing is a load of B******s!</a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">) s</span><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">imply spending more in a naive attempt to interrupt and buy people's attention. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>What we do know...</b><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">What I do know is that there is:</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- just too much noise and it is turning off a lot of people</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- just too much "me-too" follower behaviour (buyers and sellers)</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- not enough common sense engagement and connection</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- a brilliant system (fast, quick, vast, cheap) to reach out and find and explore and share with others.</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- tons of opportunity if you can just navigate your way through it all</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- not enough time to do it all so a need for clear guidelines, prioritisation and time management!!!</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">But all of the above is obvious!!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><b>Or is Social Media just a red herring?</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">To be honest, I am starting to feel that the problem is actually not so much about Social Media and is more about about <b>THE MESSAGE</b>. Your message. (The channel/platform debate may actually be a red herring.):</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- What exactly are you saying that is interesting? </span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- Is it compelling? </span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- Is it worthy of attention? </span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- Is it clear and helping other to understand what you do? </span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">- And how can you help?</span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">All the talk is about how you communicate and what works . (Maybe that's simpler than dealing with the basic <i>"Why should people bother to buy from you?"</i> question!) </span><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><br style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;" /><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">But if the message is broken (and let's be honest, most are) then you are simply wasting your time.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="line-height: 18.8030300140381px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See </span></span></span><a href="http://robert-craven.blogspot.com/2012/01/2012-year-that-social-media-became.html" style="background-color: white; color: #0b2265; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 18.8030300140381px;">2012 - The Year That Social Media Became Exhausted</a><br />
<h1 style="background-color: white; color: #0098db; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 28.1818180084229px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; position: relative;">
<br /></h1>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[Image: <a href="http://www.keepcalmandposters.com/posters/1616379.png">http://www.keepcalmandposters.com/posters/1616379.png</a>]</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-16323208322096770182014-12-11T09:05:00.000+00:002014-12-11T09:05:00.168+00:00Top Blogs Of 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1G1m6ZPIpwk/VIbG6Kqc69I/AAAAAAAAD1o/DWAPfufjyRI/s1600/top%2Bblog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1G1m6ZPIpwk/VIbG6Kqc69I/AAAAAAAAD1o/DWAPfufjyRI/s1600/top%2Bblog.png" height="183" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the Top 10 Robert Craven Blogs of 2014 - on LinkedIn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Social Media</span><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140523074433-13943480-so-much-social-media-nonsense"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So Much Social Media Nonsense</span></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140629072009-13943480-why-your-blogging-strategy-is-probably-wrong"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why Your Blogging Strategy Is Probably All Wrong</span></a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Service Delivery and Customers</span></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140602114924-13943480-the-service-delivery-gap-you-are-missing"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Service Delivery Gap You Are Missing</span></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140818100008-13943480-lousy-rotten-stinking-customers-and-clients"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lousy Rotten Stinking Customers And Clients</span></a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Time/Self Management</span></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140706102950-13943480-what-to-include-in-your-not-to-do-or-to-don-t-list"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What To Include In Your Not-To-Do List</span></a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Growing Businesses</span></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140930100157-13943480-why-consulting-firms-are-failing-medium-businesses"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why Consulting Firms Are Failing Medium-Sized Businesses</span></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141026125833-13943480-directors-do-not-need-silver-bullet-business-advice"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Directors Do Not Need Silver Bullet Business Advice</span></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140619102357-13943480--i-am-not-an-sme-you-patronising"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I Am Not An SME, You Patronising ***!</span></a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Professional Service Firms</span></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140711124842-13943480-why-the-professional-service-firm-blocks-its-own-growth"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why The Professional Service Firm Blocks Its Own Growth</span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140901112720-13943480-what-do-you-look-for-in-a-speaker">What Do Event Planners Look For In A Speaker?</a></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-12554498021996038562014-11-22T08:45:00.000+00:002014-11-22T08:45:00.070+00:00Humans Need Not Apply<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Pq-S557XQU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;"><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;"><b>Humans Need Not Apply</b></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;"> is a 2014 short internet documentary film, directed, produced, written, and edited by CGP Grey.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">The film focuses on the future of the integration of automation into economics, as well as the worldwide workforce. Grey released the film online through YouTube</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This video is really thought-provoking about the future of work, Not for future generations but for the younger generation. it asks some tough questions. It is compelling viewing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">Bruce Kasanoff of </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;">Forbes</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;"> commented that the video was "sobering," and "suggests, in a convincing fashion, that many human jobs will disappear over the coming years, because automation will do them faster, better, and cheaper."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Will our jobs disappear?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-9178787527120081242014-11-20T10:26:00.002+00:002014-11-20T10:26:51.251+00:00Great British Entrepreneur's Handbook 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.harriman-house.com/images/books480/2220/3d-book.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.harriman-house.com/images/books480/2220/3d-book.png" height="320" width="183" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Delighted that I am a featured contributor in the brand new <i>Great British Entrepreneur's Handbook 2015</i> - It is currently available as a print edition (£12.99) or on Kindle (free) from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-British-Entrepreneurs-Handbook-2015/dp/0857194380">Amazon</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My chapter is entitled<i> "The Changing Needs of Those in the Middle"</i>. It seems to have ruffled a few feathers!!! It starts:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The business development needs of
small and large businesses seem to be catered for by coaches and big-ticket
consultancies respectively. However, the market is failing to satisfy the needs
of the directors of medium-sized businesses.</span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a failure in terms of</span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1)
not giving clients what they really want and need, and</span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2) missing opportunities
to deliver consultancy that adds true value to the businesses of clients.</span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What’s available to help the growing
business is limited and inappropriate for the real needs of the client. Recent
surveys and reports confirm that consulting firms and the business support
industry as a whole are failing to deliver what growing entrepreneurial
businesses really need...</span></i></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is the blurb for the book:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Great British Entrepreneur's Handbook 2015 shares the secrets of experienced entrepreneurs on everything from how to tell your business' story compellingly to the secrets of growing a business to the next level. With wit and wisdom, the personalities behind some of the leading firms and bestselling business books of today guide budding entrepreneurs through all the highs and lows of what it takes to be a business success.</i></span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Check out <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> the brand new </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Great British Entrepreneur's Handbook 2015</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> - It is currently available as a print edition (£12.99) on Kindle (free) from </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-British-Entrepreneurs-Handbook-2015/dp/0857194380" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amazon</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-45787360974644696182014-11-10T10:39:00.001+00:002014-11-10T10:39:28.479+00:00Simon Sinek: Start With Why<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/qp0HIF3SfI4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1em;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1em;">
I implore that you watch the video above. Then the brief notes below will make sense.</div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1em;">
According to Sinek, the fundamental difference between the "Apples" of the world and everyone else is that they start with "why." </div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1em;">
<img align="right" alt="" src="http://www.salespodder.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/golden-circle.jpg" style="border: 0px; float: right; margin: 20px 20px 20px 0px;" />Sinek has developed what he calls the "Golden Circle," </div>
<ol style="color: #555555; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 3em; padding: 0px;">
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.75em;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Why</span> - the core belief of the business. It's <em>why</em> the business exists.</li>
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.75em;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">How</span> - <em>how</em> the business fulfills that core belief.</li>
<li style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.75em;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">What</span> - <em>what</em> the company does to fulfill that core belief.</li>
</ol>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1em;">
Sinek found that most companies do their marketing backwards. They start with their "what" and then move to "how" they do it. </div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1em;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1em;">
See more at <a href="https://www.startwithwhy.com/">startwithwhy</a></div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1em;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: proxima-nova, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1em;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-64793377701813383222014-11-05T08:59:00.000+00:002014-11-05T09:09:46.879+00:00Metro recognises our fave brands: Madecasse and Bighams<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Always delighted to see our favourite brands in the news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday we saw not one but two of our fave businesses side
by side in the London Metro.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7mRGi7L7FEs/VFnl5FJTOdI/AAAAAAAAD0U/RRMBHnKlgtw/s1600/madecasse%2Bbighams%2Bcutting%2Bmetro.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7mRGi7L7FEs/VFnl5FJTOdI/AAAAAAAAD0U/RRMBHnKlgtw/s1600/madecasse%2Bbighams%2Bcutting%2Bmetro.JPG" height="165" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well done to the Metro for recognising truly great independently-run
businesses. Businesses that I am proud to be associated with.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.madecasse.com/">www.madecasse.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bighams.com/">www.bighams.com</a> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-59564964937249736002014-10-09T07:37:00.002+01:002014-10-09T07:37:37.054+01:00The Strategy Workout - Get What You Want... out of your business<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/47NFkqF5KWU" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div id="watch-description-clip" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; float: left; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 390px;">
<div id="watch-description-text" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Robert Craven introduces The Strategy Workout.<br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
"Robert and his colleagues at <a href="http://www.directorscentre.com/">The Directors' Centre</a> work with ambitious directors of fast-growing businesses who feel that they could be doing even better. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
As a keynote speaker his style is challenging, honest and goading; free of business school hyperbole he makes his audience think. </span></span><br />
</div>
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In this four minute clip Robert introduces the workshop <i>'Strategy Workout: Get More of What You Want from Your Business</i>', in which you will create a 3 step, 3 year plan for you and your business that will get results.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"More importantly, the tools actually work to help create 'sustainable business growth'. Businesses are able to measure and deliver on their roadmap... accountability gets built into a simple but effective board room process."</i></span></span></div>
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The FT describes him as '<i>the entrepreneurship guru'.</i> </span></span></div>
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He is not full of theoretical rhetoric; he offers practical solutions - tangible business results. </span></span></div>
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Robert's books Bright Marketing and Kick-Start Your Business are business best-sellers and have been acted upon by thousands of growing businesses. </span></span></div>
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div id="eow-description" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His latest book is Grow Your Service Firm."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.robert-craven.com/">www.robert-craven.com</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
</span></div>
</div>
<div id="watch-description-extras" style="border: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;">
<ul class="watch-extras-section" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="border: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;"><div>
<br /></div>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-14627265399838772622014-09-30T11:05:00.001+01:002014-09-30T11:05:57.177+01:00Why consulting firms are failing medium-sized businesses<br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Here is the Executive Summary from this month's White Paper, <em>'Why consulting firms are failing medium-sized businesses'.</em></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<img alt="" class="left" data-mce-src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/3/005/08c/180/06c3e04.jpg" src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/3/005/08c/180/06c3e04.jpg" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; max-width: 606px;" /><br /></div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 27px; margin: 1em 0px;">
Executive Summary</h3>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
A <em>service delivery gap</em> is reported consistently in consultancy practices.</div>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1em 0px; padding-left: 3em;">
<li><strong>79% of consulting practices reported that they delivered an above-average customer experience</strong></li>
<li>When asked, only<strong> 16% of the clients felt they received an above-average experience.</strong></li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
The reality is that consultancy practices are failing to deliver.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Between the synthetic siren calls of the gurus and the laden drones of certain academics lies a sweetspot that can really appeal to experienced business people.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
What works for the entrepreneurial owner-directors of medium-sized businesses is something which does not have the dictatorial basis of either gurus, academics or management consultancies. Something that is more collaborative and participative. Something that is more respectful of their experience, expertise and achievements – and is more enduring.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
What they want, what they lack, is a bigger picture that comes from focusing on <strong>Corporate Eudaimonia</strong> (‘human flourishing’), the best possible balance of financial, physical and moral well-being. Consequently, it has wider perspectives than pure maximisation of profit.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Experienced owner-directors don’t believe in miracles, or the efficacy of quick fixes. They think they have some – but not all – of the answers. They understandably don’t want to be preached to, nor have their experience and expertise ignored, or undervalued. They want heterarchy (a system of organisation where the elements are unranked) not hierarchy. They want to work peer-to-peer with mutual respect.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Owner-directors don’t believe that their business can be, or needs to be, transformed. They want improvement, not <strong>revolution</strong>, and they know that improvement is as much to do with how their business operates as anything related to direction or strategy.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
They are looking for <strong>evolution</strong>: performance improvement over time, fitness in changing markets.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333330154419px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Read and download the full report, <a data-mce-href="http://robert-craven.com/mind-the-consultancy-gap-why-consulting-firms-are-failing-medium-sized-businesses/" href="http://robert-craven.com/mind-the-consultancy-gap-why-consulting-firms-are-failing-medium-sized-businesses/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #006699; outline: medium;">'Why consulting firms are failing medium-sized businesses'.</a><em></em></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-57291411127348217462014-09-23T08:34:00.001+01:002014-09-23T08:34:38.213+01:00How to Win Business awards<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 1.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Robert Craven shares his insights on making your awards application stand out from the crowd.</span></em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 1.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://robert-craven.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/0458957.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f15123; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="How to win business awards" class="aligncenter wp-image-2181 size-full" height="288" src="http://robert-craven.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/0458957.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto 2.4rem; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" width="490" /></span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 1.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the past few years I have been a judge for numerous national business awards and competitions: Great British Entrepreneur, Start-ups, Growing Business, Fast Growth, Bio-Tech, working with the ‘good and the great’ to recognise and celebrate the achievements of individual businesses and their owners.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 1.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The process of judging is always a humbling affair; it involves a lot of highly-heated debate as well as a lot of laughter. The refining and narrowing down of a group choice to one winner is not as scientific as a one would like, but at the end of the day the best business wins. There is a lot of similarity between the way that job applications get handled and award applications get dealt with.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 1.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The sifting process...</span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 1.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_2182" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px auto 2.4rem; max-width: 100%; width: 610px;">
<a href="http://www.highlandfayre.co.uk/HamperBlog/?tag=/Great-British-Entrepreneur-Awards]" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f15123; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="How to win business awards" class="wp-image-2182 size-full" height="399" src="http://robert-craven.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/2888ed1.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-bottom: -0.4rem; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: auto;" width="600" /></span></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 1.6rem; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GBEA image</span></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 1.6rem; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Read on at <a href="http://robert-craven.com/how-to-win-business-awards/">http://robert-craven.com/how-to-win-business-awards/</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-44624166821888465482014-08-21T08:11:00.000+01:002014-08-28T12:35:06.397+01:00Stop Blogging and Think<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If
you wish to prove that your new business is just a run-of-the-mill and
unoriginal, vanilla-flavoured company like the rest, just keep on banging out
those quickly-written and, to be honest, shallow blog posts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://letmebuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/stop-blogging.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://letmebuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/stop-blogging.png" height="102" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every
so-called social media guru screams, ‘Content is King’. No! Content is not King;
Engagement is King. If you put out even more mediocre, average and truly uninsightful
blog posts then you will simply be adding to the mass of mediocrity that
clutters our inboxes. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do
you truly believe that your audience can differentiate your unremarkable and
unmemorable little blog offerings from anyone else’s? Do your “10 Tips...”, “What
we can learn...”, and “How to…” –type titles really make potential clients
think, “Yes, I want to buy from them!”? I doubt it. No, you just look like a
breathlessly over-enthusiastic start-up. Why would they look at your sheer
predictable averageness? More relevant, who does find those titles attractive? I
doubt it will be the people you are trying to attract...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Continues at <a href="http://robert-craven.com/stop-blogging-and-think">http://robert-craven.com/stop-blogging-and-think</a>/ </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Image: <a href="http://letmebuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/stop-blogging.png">http://letmebuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/stop-blogging.png</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-92145537214231594362014-08-08T08:30:00.000+01:002014-08-08T08:30:01.456+01:00Owner-Directors Do Not Need Silver Bullet Advice<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Owner-managers</i> (the smaller, younger naive businesses) find it almost impossible to sort the good from the bad in the sea of offers of help. Their very naivety excludes them from knowing what they don’t know and what it actually is that they need. As a result, they tend to jump from one exciting initiative to the next.<br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.ronaldolima.eti.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/silver-bullet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ronaldolima.eti.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/silver-bullet.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On
the other hand, <i>owner-directors</i> (in larger
and more mature businesses) are not taken in by the breathless excitement of
those selling hope to the needy. However, they find it hard to find the right
assistance (being too big for the<i>
owner-manager</i> offerings and too small for the offerings of the big
consultancy houses).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As
a starting point I would suggest that asking, ‘Where should the <i>owner-director</i> look for help and
support?’ may actually be the wrong question. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
right question might be to ask ‘Exactly what is the problem and what are the
underlying causes?’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately
most suppliers of assistance do not carry out the appropriate diagnostic. Marketing
consultants assume the problem is marketing, social media consultants assume
the problem (and the solution) is social media and so on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
would argue that what the business actually needs is an objective diagnostic, a
look under the bonnet that examines what the key issues are and some sort of
prioritised shopping list. The systematic approach is especially required for
the<i> owner-director.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Too
often, the focus of interventions is on the business and the business goals and
performance indicators. While it may be easier to measure and report on the
easily measurable (the things that we can enter on to a spreadsheet), this
rarely tells the whole story. The items that are tougher to measure are often
left out of the equation. This is ironic as these are often the really
important things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
sort of questions I am referring to are less tangible but more about many
owner-directors’ definition of success: Is this business fulfilling its
purpose? Have we created a team and culture that is positive and self-reinforcing?
Is this business sustainable in the long-run? Does it allow me to do what I
really want to do with the rest of my life? Is it going to provide me with the
funds I need (now and later)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As
we come out of the recession and as a little bit of pressure is coming off
businesses so more and more owner-directors, managing directors and CEOs are
starting to question the very fabric of their business and why they as
individuals do what they do. There seem to be more and more people searching
for answers, if only to validate that what they currently do is ticking all the
right boxes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Businesses
are looking to create far more of a well-rounded solution recognising the need
to create balance as well as a sustainable future. This requires an understanding
of the bigger picture as well as its component parts: aspiring to develop a
flourishing team, sales processes, cash-flow and profitability that deliver on
the greater goals of the business. It seems that it is no longer just about the
profit and the ROI but now there is a desire to create a more complete business
that it is more satisfying and rewarding to own and run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The<i> owner-director</i> may have been duped into
parting with their own hard-earned cash in the past; the last thing they need right
now is another guru with a magic wand. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />While a dramatic transformation, a
radical revolution in how one does business may sound exciting (re-stimulating
the passion and excitement of the old days), the wise <i>owner-directors</i> realise that what they probably need is a more
delicate and evolutionary approach to growing and developing the business. The
quest for explosive sales results is replaced with a desire to achieve
sustainable growing profit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
<i>owner-director </i>is very different from
the smaller, owner-manager. <br /><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They have too much to lose (the nice car, home and
holidays that come with painstakingly nurturing and growing a business) and
they are no fools. What they are looking for is far-more considered support
from people who have a mix of: been-there-done-it expertise, grey-haired
wisdom, background credibility and the ability to communicate and assist. At
this point in the business, one is looking for support in the long game,
recognising the benefit of consistent and constant improvements (3% here and 4%
there) that will create an engine for growth.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-28834407373858436742014-08-01T08:29:00.000+01:002014-08-01T08:29:00.274+01:00Work Less, Achieve More<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are endlessly told that hard work
creates more profit. Work harder to create more profit in your new business.
Does more work really mean more profit? Do we have to put in ludicrously long
hours to be successful?<br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.siebert.aero/images/product_images/super_images/10139_Fly_More_Work_Less_hinten_2011130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.siebert.aero/images/product_images/super_images/10139_Fly_More_Work_Less_hinten_2011130.jpg" height="320" width="316" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have been brought up to believe that
working more equates to being more successful. More input equates to more
output. Well, I am not sure I agree. I think the logic (and many of the
assumptions behind it) is flawed.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sure, if you are a one-person-business,
charging per unit of time, then more units equals more money. But most
businesses try to grow by employing people to spread the workload. Or, maybe
you should simply charge more per unit of time!<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those of us who are not charging by
the hour, then I would argue that it may well be more profitable to work
less. I repeat… to work less. Less hours… less stress… less banging your
head against a brick wall.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I shall be more specific.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jim currently works 5 days a week. In
effect, he contributes 20% of a week's value on each working day. He admits
that if he only worked four days a week (ie took Fridays off), then he could
easily do “25% days”. In other words, with a Friday off he could and would work
more productively on the other four work days.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the maths deceives us of the real
benefits of the extra day off.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If Jim spends Fridays doing whatever it
is that he wants to (gardening, household/DIY chores, playing guitar, walking
the dogs) then he will spend much of that time ruminating and reflecting on the
days that he does work. Consciously, unconsciously, or subconsciously, he will
be thinking about what he does on the working days. And this is where things
get interesting.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With a bit of space from the work
environment, Jim returns on a Monday with a new zest and vigour. But that is
not all.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While Jim spends his Fridays doing his
own thing, he will come up with great ideas for the business. So, he comes
back to work refreshed, reinvigorated, and ready to go. Except now he has a
freshness and an intensity about himself. He has more focus. More focus on what
is required.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />FACT: You never come up with great
light-bulb moments when sat in front of the computer.<br />
MORAL: Spend time away from the computer.<br />
ACTION: To help your business, book more days off! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />To be more effective you need to work
less. My challenge to you is that you can achieve more by working less.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Working harder creates burn-out.
Working harder satisfies the voice in your head, the monkey on the shoulder,
who says, “If you are not working long hours then you are short-changing
yourself". What utter tosh. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />We have been sucked in by the
protestant work ethic (which did apply to factory workers where longer hours
equal more pay). However, most of us are not factory workers, we are knowledge workers,
and our pay is proportionate to the quality of ideas rather than the number of
hours that we work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />So, what's holding you back?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Admittedly,
you have to put in the hours in the early stage of your business in order to
get the enterprise off the ground. If success is a consequence of the number of
people that know about you then you need to meet as many people as possible.
However, I would argue that there is no point being a busy fool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Once
the business is up and running, the quality of your time is more important than
the quantity. You need to spend as much time working ‘on’ the business as
possible, stepping back and making sure you are doing the right things. The
risk of spending too much time ‘in’ the business is that you might become a busy
fool where you can’t see the wood for the trees. You don’t want to build a
business that is 100% dependent on you 100% of the time. You want to create a
self-sustaining machine that will survive without you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Taken
to its logical extreme, anything that is a repeated task should be handed over
to someone else. If you can give a task to someone who can do it for £6.50 per
hour then your holding on to that task means that, in effect, you only value
your time at £6.50 per hour. Surely it is worth more than that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Here
are my one-liners, to print and put by your computer screen:<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />“ONLY
DO WHAT ONLY YOU CAN DO”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“PRODUCE
20% MORE AND WORK 20% LESS”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let
others do the rest.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Image: <a href="http://www.siebert.aero/images/product_images/super_images/10139_Fly_More_Work_Less_hinten_2011130.jpg">http://www.siebert.aero/images/product_images/super_images/10139_Fly_More_Work_Less_hinten_2011130.jpg</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-13765318409420229472014-07-26T09:09:00.000+01:002014-07-26T09:09:00.690+01:00Clients see a decline in professionalism - everywhere<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.cisi.org/bookmark/web9/common/library/images/ethics/ethicscircles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.cisi.org/bookmark/web9/common/library/images/ethics/ethicscircles.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was a
golden age in the years before the internet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Clients of lawyers, accountants, architects, business consultants and financial
advisers looked up to and respected their advisers. In fact, it was a two-way
thing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Advisers understood what it meant to be professional. They worked on behalf of,
and in the best interests of their clients. Clients trusted you and you valued
the trust that they imbued in you. But that trust got shattered.<br />
<br /><br />
Cunning advisers in almost every field would take advantage of their position.
By definition, the professional expert had been trusted to do everything in
their power to improve the lot of their clients. But now things had changed.
Advisers started to work on their own account. They put their own needs (or
should I say greed) ahead of the needs of their client. They started to abuse
the trust. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
As it happened, the next thing was that the internet came into the equation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
The actions of the few unscrupulous advisers had muddied the waters for all
their kind. All got tarred with the same brush. But the internet seemed to
redress the balance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
For a start, the speed and reach of the internet meant that a good or a bad
reputation got spread ten times faster than in the old-days. More importantly,
much of the so-called precious, hidden, ‘expert’ information was now available
for all and sundry to see. It took a few clicks of Google and there it was for
all to see. The big ‘secrets’ were no longer so secret.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
The days when people in authority abused their power were over. Hurray! At
least that’s how it seemed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
But be warned, because now there is a different kind of knowledge and it is in
the hands of your clients. I am referring to the half-baked, semi-, demi-, wiki-cum-people’s
knowledge that is very much a mixed blessing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Doctors now see patients who have already self-diagnosed and are in a state of
perpetual anxiety as they have looked up maybe 23 potentially life-threatening
diseases they may have contracted which any expert could see was flu. Lawyers
have clients quoting case law as if they had been in articles for the past five
years. And on and on it goes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Now, the downside of such a situation is clear. Everyone’s an expert and a
little bit of information is a dangerous thing. The upside is that clients will
be savvier, more aware, and will no longer take recommendations at face value.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I see this as
an opportunity. The experts, those in authority, need to recognise that their
reputations have been battered. Priests, politicians, bankers and pop stars are
at the top of the list of abusers. Lawyers, accountants, architects,
consultants, journalists of all kinds have all had their share of damage caused
by the abusers of trust. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
To stand out in this new world requires you to have a reputation beyond
reproach. You need to recognise that people have always talked but now they
talk to several thousand people with the single click of the keyboard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
There will always be a place for honest servants of their clients (after all
you do serve your clients!) whose actions vindicate, validate and justify the
trust that has been put in them. Every industry will have their abusers. You,
however, need to consistently deliver with honesty and integrity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Actions speak louder than words. Your reputation is created and spread by your
clients. End of. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
We are not talking about some kind of cover-up or euphemistically called
reputation management campaign. We are talking about acting and behaving with
respect for your clients and their needs. All the time. Always.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Remember, a pig with lipstick on is still a pig, no matter how you look at it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
PostScript – the same applies to food manufacturers and their inability to put
the advertised ingredients into their products!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">image: <a href="http://www.cisi.org/bookmark/genericform.aspx?form=29848780&URL=ethics">http://www.cisi.org/bookmark/genericform.aspx?form=29848780&URL=ethics</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-19017602828264857572014-06-29T08:04:00.000+01:002014-06-29T08:04:16.799+01:00I don't like Customer Service...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rsyouRyUWXo" width="459"></iframe><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"We should celebrate how grumpy we are in the UK!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jack Whitehall - Live at the Apollo - British/American customer service</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-86434197905542918912014-06-27T08:01:00.004+01:002014-06-27T08:01:54.262+01:00Mind the Gap: Service Delivery Myopia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/4/005/065/319/26a914e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/4/005/065/319/26a914e.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have been asked to gather examples of my recent study, 'Mind the Gap'. Certain individuals have seen fit to 'borrow' and misrepresent the findings (text and graphs). </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Twelve years of polls and surveys (</span><a href="http://www.directorscentre.co.uk/downloads/20140423/download" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; color: #2a8ab9; line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none;">the ‘Mind The Gap’ research, 2014</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">) revealed that there is a significant gap between what companies believe they deliver, and what customers believe they receive. This is referred to as the </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">service delivery gap or service delivery myopia.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can see the original work at the following places:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
</div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://robert-craven.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/mind-gap-what-companies-are-missing.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mind the Gap - What companies are missing...
the service delivery gap</span></a> </span>(Robert Craven Blog)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140602114924-13943480-the-service-delivery-gap-you-are-missing">The Service Delivery Gap You Are Missing</a> (LinkedIn)</span></span></b></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.directorscentre.co.uk/articles/the-craven-gap">MIND THE
GAP – What companies are missing and what to do about it</a> (Directors' Centre Business Club)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://startups.co.uk/why-do-businesses-think-their-customer-service-is-better-than-it-actually-is/" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: .1pt;">Why businesses</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> think their customer service is better
than it actually is?</span></a><b> </b>(StartUps.co.uk)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Most-business-seriously-overestimate-quality-1815345.S.5869355075972931587">Most
business seriously over-estimate the quality of the service they deliver
to their customers/clients... and this impacts on profit</a> </span>(LinkedIn)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">You can download the full </span><a href="http://www.directorscentre.co.uk/articles/the-craven-gap" style="border: 0px; color: #006699; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">pdf here</a></span></span><br />
<div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Robert Craven</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Directors’ Centre Ltd ©2014</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-31441115607744080312014-05-16T09:31:00.000+01:002014-05-16T09:31:07.461+01:00Anti-Social Media: a rant<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/24dash-media/image/2008/05/08/3866/380_Image_antisocial_graffiti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/24dash-media/image/2008/05/08/3866/380_Image_antisocial_graffiti.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Social Media is not…! <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why do they call it social
media? It is anything but social. It is anti-social.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What social media does can be
really damaging to a business. Under the mistaken idea that they are ‘doing
business’, business owners and sales/marketing people get preoccupied with
social media and replace the basic, traditional forms of sales and marketing
with counting clicks, likes and followers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bare facts are that ‘doing
business’ is about understanding who your customers are, what their problems
and hurts are and engaging with them in a way that they buy from you when they
are ready. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Social media may be part of the
recipe but it is not the recipe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<u1:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Too many people confuse talking
business with doing business. They become social media-obsessed and confuse
their social media interactions with their original purpose. In effect, they
become busy fools.<o:p></o:p></span></u1:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most businesses spend</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">75%</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> of
their time arguing over </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">communications
channels</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> (LinkedIn or FaceBook or Instagram etc...)</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">20%</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> of
their time discussing </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">marketing</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">, and</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">5%</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> of the
time discussing whether they have </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">the
right product for the specific target customers needs</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is all so wrong. So
upside-down... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You need to turn this pyramid
on its head and spend:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">75%</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> of the
time discussing whether you have the </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">right
product for the specific target customers needs</b></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">20%</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> of your
time discussing </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">marketing</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">, and</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">5%</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> of the
time of your time arguing over </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">communications
channels</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> (LinkedIn or FaceBook or Instagram etc...).</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obviously, social media done
well is another matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">image link: http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/24dash-media/image/2008/05/08/3866/380_Image_antisocial_graffiti.jpg</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-3184900883866368832014-05-06T08:17:00.000+01:002014-05-06T08:17:00.021+01:00Mind the Gap - What companies are missing... the service delivery gap<div style="border-bottom: solid #4F81BD 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: accent1; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.0pt 0cm;">
<div class="MsoTitleCxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoTitleCxSpMiddle">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a a copy of highlights of the <a href="http://www.directorscentre.co.uk/articles/the-craven-gap">Mind the Gap</a> research paper. You can download the full <a href="http://www.directorscentre.co.uk/articles/the-craven-gap">pdf here</a></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoTitleCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoTitleCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoTitleCxSpMiddle">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoTitleCxSpMiddle">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoTitleCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoTitleCxSpLast">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">MIND
THE GAP -<br />
What companies are missing and what to do about it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoSubtitle">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Conclusions of 12 years of Service Delivery Gap Polls
and Surveys, 2002-2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoSubtitle">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Robert Craven<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoSubtitle">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Directors’ Centre, May 2014<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoSubtitle">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
Directors’ Centre Ltd ©2014 </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoSubtitle">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">Background</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The
publication of <i>Customer is King</i>
(2002) was based on the assumption that there was a gap between:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">1)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">What companies believed they
delivered, and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">2)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">What customers believed they
received.</span></li>
</ol>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">This is
referred to as the <i>service delivery gap</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">While
plenty of models and anecdotal evidence existed at the time (eg<i> </i></span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(1985), </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">and
subsequently <i>Bain & Co</i>, (2005)),
it was felt necessary to test the hypothesis in the field. This report draws
together <i>The Directors’ Centre</i>’s findings
and conclusions of 12 years of relatively informal data gathering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">Results
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">A service
delivery gap is reported consistently and across all sizes of business and
across all sectors that we came into contact with (professional service,
service and manufacturing firms).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">80% of companies reported that they
deliver an above-average customer experience.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Only 14%</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> of the same companies <b>believe that their clients think they
received an above-average customer experience.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">When
asked, the actual clients (in a smaller dataset) supported the companies’ views
about the customer’s experience<b>: only 11%
of the actual clients felt they received an above-average experience.</b></span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-indent: -23.999998092651367px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">This “service
delivery myopia” or “deafness” appears to be most apparent in professional
service firms: the firms are the most optimistic and their clients’ reported
experience is very low.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Table 1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxLV_8GWiG8/U1-6g1erAdI/AAAAAAAACVE/Ul2pO4d7lTc/s1600/gap_table1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MxLV_8GWiG8/U1-6g1erAdI/AAAAAAAACVE/Ul2pO4d7lTc/s1600/gap_table1.png" height="262" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Table 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EXwwSeEHxyY/U1-6nZ1w9NI/AAAAAAAACVM/5euIBOJHkMc/s1600/gaptable2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EXwwSeEHxyY/U1-6nZ1w9NI/AAAAAAAACVM/5euIBOJHkMc/s1600/gaptable2.png" height="268" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Chart_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_i1025"
type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:461.25pt;height:307.5pt;visibility:visible'
o:gfxdata="UEsDBBQABgAIAAAAIQDmHGKsKwEAAGADAAATAAAAW0NvbnRlbnRfVHlwZXNdLnhtbKxTS0/DMAy+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">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\ROBERT~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.png"
o:title="" cropbottom="-10f"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="f"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">Observations</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like male
drivers, most companies believe that they are above-average. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Paradoxically,
they are not so confident as to say that their clients would agree. The clients
(as suggested by the companies themselves) support the view that few supplier
companies deliver above-average service levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The gap
appears to remain relatively consistent over time and between industries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It
surprises the authors that suppliers appear to hold logical but inconsistent
points of view:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A totally unrealistic view (over-inflated?) of the customer experience they are delivering</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">A
</span><i style="text-indent: -18pt;">totally realistic view</i><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> of what their
clients think of their delivery.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This
cognitive dissonance, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the discomfort<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>experienced when one holds two or more
contradictory ideas at the same time, seems to be buried in their psyches (Festinger,
1962). </span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">It is
argued that the delivery gap may occur for a number of reasons:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basic blindness or inability to take on customer feedback</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Being too much in love with one’s own product/service</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not being close enough to the customer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Failure to track and monitor every step of the customer journey</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Preoccupation with hard measures and statistics that sit neatly in a spreadsheet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Forgetting the purpose, the why, of their business</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inability to believe that there could be a better way of delivering</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Smugness that the customer is not always right</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Failure to design new products/services that exceed customer satisfaction.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The service delivery gap model developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1985) identifies five different gaps and the list above could fit neatly into these five categories:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1. The customer gap: </b>the gap between customer expectations and customer perceptions.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2. The knowledge gap:</b> the gap between consumer expectation and management perception.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3. The policy gap:</b> the gap between management perception and service quality specification.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4. The delivery gap: </b>the gap between service quality specification and service delivery.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>5. The communication gap:</b> the gap between service delivery and external communications.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Consequences</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">It would appear
that there is a cause-and-effect (chicken and egg) loop that is difficult to
unpick eg does a service delivery gap cause an inability to take on customer
feedback or is it the reverse?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">While the
cause-and-effect loop is interesting to explore elsewhere, it is believed that
the consequences of these gaps impinge significantly on the profitability and
sustainability of the business (<i>Bain
& Co</i>, 2005).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">A word of
warning: </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">correlation does not
imply causation; </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">correlation</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">between two variables does not necessarily imply that one<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">causes</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">the other! What is not in
dispute is the consistent presence of the gap!</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">Key
Points<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Excellent
customer service is difficult to deliver</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">While
excellent customer service is easy to describe it seems to be much harder to
deliver, consistently. Good relationships are hard to build and even harder to
maintain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Business
myopia</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Businesses
seem to be blind to what the customer really wants or needs. Too much in love
with their own product/service and their own processes, businesses fail to see
or acknowledge how they are failing their customers. We regularly heard statements like, “Customers
don’t know what they really want”, “We still deliver the best product but
customers just don’t seem to get it”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Communications
gap</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Many
businesses simply fail to understand who their customer is, why and when and
how and where they buy the product/service. The company then proceeds to use
inappropriate messages often via the wrong channels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Confusing
products and services with markets and customers</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The product/service-centric
view of the world is doomed in the long run; it will fail to follow the needs
of customers as their tastes and technology change. The business needs to see
the product/service through the eyes of the customer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Similarity</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Most
businesses are competing in over-cooked marketplaces: more competitors
competing on price, weary customers progressively less impressed by
empty/vacuous marketing messages. Similar-looking businesses employ similar
people with similar qualifications to use similar software and hardware to
create similar-looking websites to sell similar-looking products to similar
people at similar prices.</span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Five-year-old-itis</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Too many
businesses are still working with five-year-old assumptions about who their
customer is, what they are buying, for what reason, the right price point, the
right sales channel and who or what the competition really is today.
Out-of-date, it is no wonder their latest P&L doesn’t match their business
plans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Hard
vs Soft thinking paradox</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">It is
argued that hard-thinking (measuring and analysing accounts) conflicts with
soft-thinking (relationships and service). An impact of chasing hard results is
that costs will be squeezed to maximise profits (at the cost of customer
service performance).<br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></h1>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">Solutions<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">In some
senses, the solutions feel like a return to the basics of a first year <i>Marketing 101</i> course. Somewhere along
the way, businesses have lost the plot. The key is to design the customer
journey through the eyes of the customer. The following strategies and
initiatives will start to address the service delivery gap issues:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Get
customer-cen</span>tric</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Identify key target customers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Create a clear value proposition and a clear message and voice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Design and align sales, marketing and operations</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Use the appropriate cha<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">nnels to communicate.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">Background<o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">This was
never intended to be an intellectually rigorous piece of research but simply a
privately-funded survey to get an understanding of some of the key behaviours
and drivers in this field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">There has
been much talk of customer experience and also of service under-performance;
the survey was designed to test some crude assumptions and propose some
conclusions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">Commentary</span></span></h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Everything
and nothing has changed between 2002 and 2014. On the one hand, communication,
design, production and distribution are cheaper and faster than ever. On the
other hand, there is still a need to engage, on a personal level, and to
respond to customer wants and needs in a way that they find accessible and
compelling. Businesses that fail to address these apparently contradictory
pressures will fail in the marketplace. (Think of <i>Encyclopaedia Britannica, Kodak and Blockbuster</i>.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The high
scores for the companies’ belief that they deliver an above-average experience
is supported by polls taken at the same meetings
asking businesses to produce scores for their financial, their marketing and
their operations effectiveness. Crude results from just over 20,000 participant
scores are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finan</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">cial performance: 6</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marketing performance: 4</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Operations</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;"> performance: 8</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Owners and
directors clearly believe that they do deliver a high quality operation (their product/service).
This supports the fact they would also believe that they deliver an above-average
customer experience. It appears they might be too much in love with themselves!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<h1>
</h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<h1>
</h1>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">References</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h1>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 730px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 116.75pt; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td colspan="3" style="height: 116.75pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 480.3pt;" valign="top" width="640"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Allen
J & Rigby D</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> -
The Consumer of 2020, Global Agenda, Jan 2005<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Bain
& Co</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> - Closing
the Delivery Gap, 2005<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Craven
R</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> - Kick-Start
Your Business, 2001<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Craven
R</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> - Bright
Marketing, 2007/11<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Craven
R</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> - Customer is
King, 2002/2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Craven
R</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> - Grow Your
Service Firm, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Festinger L</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> - </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Cognitive
Dissonance, Scientific American, 207(4), 93-107, 1962</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">KPMG
</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> - 7 Steps to Better Customer Experience
Management, 2011 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Levitt
T</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> - Marketing
Myopia, Harvard Business Review, 1960<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">McKinsey</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> - Why Most B2B Marketing Messages
Fail to Move the Customer, 2013<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">McKnight S</span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> - Bridging The Gap Between Service Provision and Customer Expectations,
Emerald 10, 2009</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Parasuraman A, Zeithaml VA &
Berry LL</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> - </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A Conceptual
Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Journal
of Marketing, 1985</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Shahin A & Samea M</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">
- Developing the Models of Service Quality Gaps: A Critical Discussion,
Business Management and Strategy, 2010</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 2.0cm; margin-right: -40.8pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-indent: -2.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Temkin
Group</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> - The ROI
of Customer Experience, 2012<br />
</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -40.8pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -40.8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can download the full <a href="http://www.directorscentre.co.uk/articles/the-craven-gap">pdf here</a><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="height: 116.75pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -40.8pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 116.75pt; mso-row-margin-right: 3.0cm; mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="height: 116.75pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 395.25pt;" valign="top" width="527"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 1cm; text-indent: -1cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The
Directors’ Centre Ltd ©2014</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span>
</td>
<td style="height: 116.75pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td colspan="2" style="border: none; mso-cell-special: placeholder; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;" width="113"><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<!--[if !supportMisalignedColumns]-->
<tr height="0">
<td style="border: none;" width="527"></td>
<td style="border: none;" width="89"></td>
<td style="border: none;" width="24"></td>
<td style="border: none;" width="89"></td>
</tr>
<!--[endif]-->
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> <span style="line-height: 115%;">Appendix</span></b></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">About
the Author<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Robert
Craven, BSc(hons), Economics and Politics (Bath) and MBA (Warwick Business
School) is Managing Director of <i>The
Directors’ Centre Ltd</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Formerly
Director of Consultancy and Training, and Teaching Fellow, at <i>Warwick Business School</i>’s Centre for
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Visiting Professor at <i>ESC Toulouse</i>. He is currently Programme
Director (Export Growth Masterclass) at <i>Cranfield
School of Management</i>. Robert has written six, and co-authored two, business
books aimed at helping the owners and directors of growing businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.robert-craven.com/">www.robert-craven.com</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">About
The Directors’ Centre<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A management
consultancy that focuses on delivering sales and profit results to the
directors of growing businesses. Led by Robert Craven, it is know for a
free-of-nonsense approach to helping clients run the businesses they really
want to run. Its approach is highly practical and results-oriented. Clients
include: <i>Bingham’s, Hobbs House Bakery,
Barclays, AirBus, Sandals, LandRover Jaguar, Ritz Carlton</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.directorscentre.com/">www.directorscentre.com</a></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can download the full <a href="http://www.directorscentre.co.uk/articles/the-craven-gap">pdf here</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
Directors’ Centre Ltd ©2014 </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-50359756684375393092014-05-01T19:08:00.000+01:002014-05-01T19:08:44.280+01:00Business Club Update for May 2014<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is the May version of the Business Club update...</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="background: #CC0000; padding: .6pt .6pt .6pt .6pt; width: 100.0%;" width="100%">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Directors' Centre Business Club<br />
</span><b><span style="color: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Focusing
On Growing Your Business </span></b><span style="color: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> May
2014</span><span style="color: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 1.2pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="height: 1.2pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="background: white; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.0%;" width="100%">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Dear Anthony,</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">After 12 years of research
into the disparity between </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">what service levels
companies believe they deliver to their customers and what the customers
really think</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">, Robert has collated all
his findings and created a <strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Service
Delivery Gap report</span></strong>. We are releasing the report to our
Business Club members first and it's free to download. Do let us know what
you think!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Please let us know if there are any particular topics/pain
points that you would like us to cover; just drop <a href="mailto:js@directorscentre.com" linktype="2" shape="rect" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Jo an email </span></b></a>and we will do our best to
help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Business Club update: </span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="3" class="MsoNormalTable" style="height: 350px; mso-cellspacing: 1.5pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 583px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img border="0" height="79" hspace="5" id="_x0000_i1025" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.714" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/714.jpg" vspace="5" width="127" /><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdJdsZOv_gwU6U8zEwXP5jucgcjNyFsV3b4BNw8Dyc9Dm-Fr9wzLUkq3TiSIQQDJ6HBBndNGIWwBBgakWLZD4OJMaVTrOfOZl8sO5e2SmR7xdKlQIHDvTuCIwhOHCwmbL8lnEjLL3O6ueUVvn3JyaWrUd7P6cDYB-Y70WsXrWPWwL3XYCnehd6ERetWWA3X7t8MWLK1mgdQceqCb3Hyev1XGRY_NGmojlb9bWc3xko5ufJsciKqgHBIDARhYcmuFBW3N0CDJ4K3Zg1Kgk1L01rGSrN4jQmZ38q&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">MIND THE GAP - What companies are missing and what to do about
it</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Report:</span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Hundred's
of polls and surveys highlight the large gap between what companies
believe they deliver to their customers and what the customers really
think.<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">(Available To
Everyone)</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"> </span><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75"
coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe"
filled="f" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=""
style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;margin-top:0;width:95.25pt;
height:59.25pt;z-index:251660288;mso-wrap-distance-left:3.75pt;
mso-wrap-distance-top:3.75pt;mso-wrap-distance-right:3.75pt;
mso-wrap-distance-bottom:3.75pt;mso-position-horizontal:left;
mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical-relative:line'
o:allowoverlap="f">
<v:imagedata src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/715.jpg"/>
<w:wrap type="square"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img align="left" border="0" height="79" hspace="5" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.715" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/715.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_s1026" vspace="5" width="127" /><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdCGuDLUVvfS3_HctYsarKR8Qo7SM20F9DXTus6yW2VfBAheymd8s-pPr_PCjbCVzzzqfJit3OjbGNXjB1rYkD81FS3TlJGzEPdvUBN9sksy8DtY8_Tf58Y3iFF9Y7-1-J8YBoOqhPZSOUpQZ3KZqGorj13jNXMo7ukHFCg1jTr3y8TcnI8FAGRofsxZ7nXNIBBlRZfiRrTeMoK5We-VpbPkb5ckA4cq34-KJb0l__vLWUYqveiR8SJglR-TdWbKZB_KMUgYueGsOss0Q8eRoxXBPWR2hIdBIkzN0WaeWHbno=&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Why
Leaders Eat First</span></a></span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Video:</span></strong> Simon
Sinek reveals the hidden dynamics that inspire leadership and trust.<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">(Available To
Lite and Full Members)</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="mailto:office@directorscentre.com" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"></a><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_s1027"
type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Book A Call"
href="mailto:office@directorscentre.com" target=""_blank""
style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;margin-top:0;width:100.5pt;
height:62.25pt;z-index:251661312;mso-wrap-distance-left:0;
mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:0;
mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:left;
mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical-relative:line'
o:allowoverlap="f" o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/542.jpg"/>
<w:wrap type="square"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><a href="mailto:office@directorscentre.com" target=""_blank""><img align="left" alt="Book A Call" border="0" height="83" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.542" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/542.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_s1027" width="134" /></a><!--[endif]--><a href="mailto:office@directorscentre.com" target="_blank"></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Consultancy Call: </span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="mailto:office@directorscentre.com" linktype="2" shape="rect" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Book A Call With Robert Craven</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A great opportunity to discuss your business plans for 2014
- call </span><strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">01225 851044</span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> to book your slot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(Full Members Only)</span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdWNkJIw417b8VNAqlo8ke7PGeYx-_1OGi5yGo_5b1J86-qg9nxs85KY_4WtXH8cX2Y6YYAskvI-onHt7SgvENVE8x72Pf1zi7LRCFLOza4Rr5peXGpaGcfSkSWCvGE1nddmcSMFcS_EdR2K8mkzsfIDaL8p6TU6uiWcV_RE9wfHum_0rTFkbv5drPaGUECafvcQ_NnXH1IYgEtIA5uaa9QpYj0pbrRw8sqjEpUz7N0Xfrrt4ZhbT5w_SRyJJutOsaaSWFxptPkzV-G9Dm8r5Rix9_rhkL954ZawsdjiZzxCmKzzOqjEpQQA==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"></a><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="_x0000_s1028" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=""
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdWNkJIw417b8VNAqlo8ke7PGeYx-_1OGi5yGo_5b1J86-qg9nxs85KY_4WtXH8cX2Y6YYAskvI-onHt7SgvENVE8x72Pf1zi7LRCFLOza4Rr5peXGpaGcfSkSWCvGE1nddmcSMFcS_EdR2K8mkzsfIDaL8p6TU6uiWcV_RE9wfHum_0rTFkbv5drPaGUECafvcQ_NnXH1IYgEtIA5uaa9QpYj0pbrRw8sqjEpUz7N0Xfrrt4ZhbT5w_SRyJJutOsaaSWFxptPkzV-G9Dm8r5Rix9_rhkL954ZawsdjiZzxCmKzzOqjEpQQA==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA=="
target=""_blank"" style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;
margin-top:0;width:100.5pt;height:62.25pt;z-index:251662336;
mso-wrap-distance-left:0;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;
mso-wrap-distance-right:0;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;
mso-position-horizontal:left;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;
mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f" o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/716.jpg"/>
<w:wrap type="square"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdWNkJIw417b8VNAqlo8ke7PGeYx-_1OGi5yGo_5b1J86-qg9nxs85KY_4WtXH8cX2Y6YYAskvI-onHt7SgvENVE8x72Pf1zi7LRCFLOza4Rr5peXGpaGcfSkSWCvGE1nddmcSMFcS_EdR2K8mkzsfIDaL8p6TU6uiWcV_RE9wfHum_0rTFkbv5drPaGUECafvcQ_NnXH1IYgEtIA5uaa9QpYj0pbrRw8sqjEpUz7N0Xfrrt4ZhbT5w_SRyJJutOsaaSWFxptPkzV-G9Dm8r5Rix9_rhkL954ZawsdjiZzxCmKzzOqjEpQQA==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" target=""_blank""><img align="left" border="0" height="83" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.716" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/716.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_s1028" width="134" /></a><!--[endif]--><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdWNkJIw417b8VNAqlo8ke7PGeYx-_1OGi5yGo_5b1J86-qg9nxs85KY_4WtXH8cX2Y6YYAskvI-onHt7SgvENVE8x72Pf1zi7LRCFLOza4Rr5peXGpaGcfSkSWCvGE1nddmcSMFcS_EdR2K8mkzsfIDaL8p6TU6uiWcV_RE9wfHum_0rTFkbv5drPaGUECafvcQ_NnXH1IYgEtIA5uaa9QpYj0pbrRw8sqjEpUz7N0Xfrrt4ZhbT5w_SRyJJutOsaaSWFxptPkzV-G9Dm8r5Rix9_rhkL954ZawsdjiZzxCmKzzOqjEpQQA==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" target="_blank"></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUd9lb6ieHC4QHuOkQ9hyt_q2BEFoctkvqiswEQKJ7vuTT8BhnHuGxHAjforjYxxPWTrFhz-EAOY6FxuhsgjTEap1KXU1bwT6UzKoZRRcENNM3kkR7Ut9AdxJvI5iZYHgOvDBo0knCYMl1NMDIWrQTb-0wxaJz16ENHdtmwklHHBvBt7DJZVGohUw3LLjIjc8GAs4Ap7ui_bUMqmWXUdfBTbY5W62Rt_YzrHdsQxRgxflVQ2Mx8N5K-vyOPg0d6TCy2CNYY6a9S7_Nil_LM4dAXOdX88T5ET6U2M88cs8VyCtw=&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Work
Less, Achieve More</span></a></span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Article:</span></strong> Robert
Craven challenges the theory that working harder creates more profit.<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">(Available To
Everyone)</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdl-IXb5D3tdst7JAoiRr6lskkoNW3ZQnp6gmgUSvdhdw-oPht7H32J8MZmtFLvq8ahbCmC0dQqNPfxtkOwulgDD9-2CSle9fofhAYzdpn9KluD2mDM0_wA3MAV1LJ1xIYanDdMck7VVAigFHOhS0g-msFirSj5SFY1x3WvC-wsUtcDgTnrNwZyrySfzACMRCha4gF80IyDsO_Np_1KtrpuCpe-7Lc6EdkSpcSNOKi3-8bcdSPqJSVTV8SsMbX6soudc4jSxyCkUaChYVjf-Q7pkyWIiGdcCbvfU3gW0haQaQ=&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"></a><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="_x0000_s1029" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=""
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdl-IXb5D3tdst7JAoiRr6lskkoNW3ZQnp6gmgUSvdhdw-oPht7H32J8MZmtFLvq8ahbCmC0dQqNPfxtkOwulgDD9-2CSle9fofhAYzdpn9KluD2mDM0_wA3MAV1LJ1xIYanDdMck7VVAigFHOhS0g-msFirSj5SFY1x3WvC-wsUtcDgTnrNwZyrySfzACMRCha4gF80IyDsO_Np_1KtrpuCpe-7Lc6EdkSpcSNOKi3-8bcdSPqJSVTV8SsMbX6soudc4jSxyCkUaChYVjf-Q7pkyWIiGdcCbvfU3gW0haQaQ=&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA=="
target=""_blank"" style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;
margin-top:0;width:100.5pt;height:62.25pt;z-index:251663360;
mso-wrap-distance-left:0;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;
mso-wrap-distance-right:0;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;
mso-position-horizontal:left;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;
mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f" o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/716.jpg"/>
<w:wrap type="square"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdl-IXb5D3tdst7JAoiRr6lskkoNW3ZQnp6gmgUSvdhdw-oPht7H32J8MZmtFLvq8ahbCmC0dQqNPfxtkOwulgDD9-2CSle9fofhAYzdpn9KluD2mDM0_wA3MAV1LJ1xIYanDdMck7VVAigFHOhS0g-msFirSj5SFY1x3WvC-wsUtcDgTnrNwZyrySfzACMRCha4gF80IyDsO_Np_1KtrpuCpe-7Lc6EdkSpcSNOKi3-8bcdSPqJSVTV8SsMbX6soudc4jSxyCkUaChYVjf-Q7pkyWIiGdcCbvfU3gW0haQaQ=&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" target=""_blank""><img align="left" border="0" height="83" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.716" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/716.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_s1029" width="134" /></a><!--[endif]--><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdl-IXb5D3tdst7JAoiRr6lskkoNW3ZQnp6gmgUSvdhdw-oPht7H32J8MZmtFLvq8ahbCmC0dQqNPfxtkOwulgDD9-2CSle9fofhAYzdpn9KluD2mDM0_wA3MAV1LJ1xIYanDdMck7VVAigFHOhS0g-msFirSj5SFY1x3WvC-wsUtcDgTnrNwZyrySfzACMRCha4gF80IyDsO_Np_1KtrpuCpe-7Lc6EdkSpcSNOKi3-8bcdSPqJSVTV8SsMbX6soudc4jSxyCkUaChYVjf-Q7pkyWIiGdcCbvfU3gW0haQaQ=&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" target="_blank"></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdc0PxnoYGIFAW7mALAlpMNP4XeRg1E75xzzbluhQYFVT-PKer-h3LQi7-6Mm_OCVBhsX_GR2dtgfIXEpLgPh2Z3XPl0v0PugcEpYqL3dNcsBtGh_n56meUS_3GwipqO8RUDTvG7yuCVkmY3r05w1jrlhZWaZ3S2-Y0O3uRtpPfYDLdwb94aVt6GwFE7K3kW4BZWmfuZipxVT6KUJzaBKusnR-qF5teQpMZPOgToHchuOeDgBwHxmcOirfwxrreD29QtGnKHBHuEDmfdOgI97VEME_VPjNUfvC&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Naked and Silent - What if the only thing standing between you
and what you want is you.</span></b></a></span><u><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">..'</span></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Article:</span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Jonathan
Fields discusses why it is that even when someone asks for help, they
ultimately behave as if they know everything and then complain nothing's
changed.<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">(Available To
Lite and Full Members)</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdFfRLnlxOH-GtMgzS33YEkG3HcSvDwJhbjdufQ1QnW5n_0ARWd5Z9oT5XGo0qp93WDDuanXKfha6rxtQf4rck4xsSfHOvBuUeSGLSHMMe0b9GKMHxjUF6T4XDi4PiDRotUnu1sRoit3soVNh1jm4AzXk5ileQ0n8g0viG30MscJniIMZeYLGSrYi7HNDjdhkzWB_bkgPDdj5MOG7Tt3dANyyoIX0HOSSi_-9neCjvXqPzOGcYoqxAwYnNGwOwbj_-Ox1zeCvS-m_3G44oicX8jKcPKMR4ytgDdWNO26i6topTdhivlF5xuA==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"></a><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="_x0000_s1030" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="What Else Can You Write About"
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdFfRLnlxOH-GtMgzS33YEkG3HcSvDwJhbjdufQ1QnW5n_0ARWd5Z9oT5XGo0qp93WDDuanXKfha6rxtQf4rck4xsSfHOvBuUeSGLSHMMe0b9GKMHxjUF6T4XDi4PiDRotUnu1sRoit3soVNh1jm4AzXk5ileQ0n8g0viG30MscJniIMZeYLGSrYi7HNDjdhkzWB_bkgPDdj5MOG7Tt3dANyyoIX0HOSSi_-9neCjvXqPzOGcYoqxAwYnNGwOwbj_-Ox1zeCvS-m_3G44oicX8jKcPKMR4ytgDdWNO26i6topTdhivlF5xuA==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA=="
target=""_blank"" style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;
margin-top:0;width:100.5pt;height:62.25pt;z-index:251664384;
mso-wrap-distance-left:0;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;
mso-wrap-distance-right:0;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;
mso-position-horizontal:left;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;
mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f" o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs014/1102142668211/img/418.jpg"/>
<w:wrap type="square"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdFfRLnlxOH-GtMgzS33YEkG3HcSvDwJhbjdufQ1QnW5n_0ARWd5Z9oT5XGo0qp93WDDuanXKfha6rxtQf4rck4xsSfHOvBuUeSGLSHMMe0b9GKMHxjUF6T4XDi4PiDRotUnu1sRoit3soVNh1jm4AzXk5ileQ0n8g0viG30MscJniIMZeYLGSrYi7HNDjdhkzWB_bkgPDdj5MOG7Tt3dANyyoIX0HOSSi_-9neCjvXqPzOGcYoqxAwYnNGwOwbj_-Ox1zeCvS-m_3G44oicX8jKcPKMR4ytgDdWNO26i6topTdhivlF5xuA==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" target=""_blank""><img align="left" alt="What Else Can You Write About" border="0" height="83" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.418" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs014/1102142668211/img/418.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_s1030" width="134" /></a><!--[endif]--><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdFfRLnlxOH-GtMgzS33YEkG3HcSvDwJhbjdufQ1QnW5n_0ARWd5Z9oT5XGo0qp93WDDuanXKfha6rxtQf4rck4xsSfHOvBuUeSGLSHMMe0b9GKMHxjUF6T4XDi4PiDRotUnu1sRoit3soVNh1jm4AzXk5ileQ0n8g0viG30MscJniIMZeYLGSrYi7HNDjdhkzWB_bkgPDdj5MOG7Tt3dANyyoIX0HOSSi_-9neCjvXqPzOGcYoqxAwYnNGwOwbj_-Ox1zeCvS-m_3G44oicX8jKcPKMR4ytgDdWNO26i6topTdhivlF5xuA==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" target="_blank"></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdcAiUu05zerreXq9XzXncKdivnIwrrWYCo1r6U0oa1sOcw7O6H7CBYoIupiu-FD7XvAsj34muuo6vU8OZC8GqnsI8AisOjtYXNUQN-I5jhETVB6PXGmEhljL7980JzE54ydC16NHM6MO8E8kwftdN5FOv4O7fmAUysZjuOg-zX4t4ZmbQ89hH1WuJb2H2nuNavGPyqHjmE7M_EMtqPR4HGLKxrZ0iZWPOs3MNEfJZBJXb9m3553OkwA0uhz0SvEqrQBEKVbJNIiJ0iBHxYwzfC8u7x8gNMF8qZ72QsZa42GWZMnANbe-HTA==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Jo's
Choice</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Jo looks back at past articles and picks her favourite.
Check out what she's watching today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">(Available to Full Members)</span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdllEZBOIPiHxqdTJcOUpgVJzLWAlsMQw6PKnrBnC1dWlnRRm8wKLwZ9pqwJAmrti6out2fFyFH5hr0TvYd3cO5kNGbFFVCaxyMfF7FayFwiqrPyJik1zWxIq4oeDT-rI3LNKnapgxgoA_WCPThNJf0AlKW-bPZKtlJAsuqed2Xgfe4hDtuL_P5-Nb646ghVfxw6p19hu4DPErkQS_pW3FwhMsy4AwA32D1hr2dx53o6UcaCU7kMrOn4ydPh2gzhZy1nOA5SPZHIXD8Nx2erdagHSglZ-z3f-g5kDl8aKs09piwvoR4-fwZ_CaJaKyhhtv&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"></a><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="_x0000_s1031" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=""
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdllEZBOIPiHxqdTJcOUpgVJzLWAlsMQw6PKnrBnC1dWlnRRm8wKLwZ9pqwJAmrti6out2fFyFH5hr0TvYd3cO5kNGbFFVCaxyMfF7FayFwiqrPyJik1zWxIq4oeDT-rI3LNKnapgxgoA_WCPThNJf0AlKW-bPZKtlJAsuqed2Xgfe4hDtuL_P5-Nb646ghVfxw6p19hu4DPErkQS_pW3FwhMsy4AwA32D1hr2dx53o6UcaCU7kMrOn4ydPh2gzhZy1nOA5SPZHIXD8Nx2erdagHSglZ-z3f-g5kDl8aKs09piwvoR4-fwZ_CaJaKyhhtv&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA=="
target=""_blank"" style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;
margin-top:0;width:100.5pt;height:62.25pt;z-index:251665408;
mso-wrap-distance-left:0;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;
mso-wrap-distance-right:0;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;
mso-position-horizontal:left;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;
mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f" o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/715.jpg"/>
<w:wrap type="square"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdllEZBOIPiHxqdTJcOUpgVJzLWAlsMQw6PKnrBnC1dWlnRRm8wKLwZ9pqwJAmrti6out2fFyFH5hr0TvYd3cO5kNGbFFVCaxyMfF7FayFwiqrPyJik1zWxIq4oeDT-rI3LNKnapgxgoA_WCPThNJf0AlKW-bPZKtlJAsuqed2Xgfe4hDtuL_P5-Nb646ghVfxw6p19hu4DPErkQS_pW3FwhMsy4AwA32D1hr2dx53o6UcaCU7kMrOn4ydPh2gzhZy1nOA5SPZHIXD8Nx2erdagHSglZ-z3f-g5kDl8aKs09piwvoR4-fwZ_CaJaKyhhtv&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" target=""_blank""><img align="left" border="0" height="83" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.715" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/715.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_s1031" width="134" /></a><!--[endif]--><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdllEZBOIPiHxqdTJcOUpgVJzLWAlsMQw6PKnrBnC1dWlnRRm8wKLwZ9pqwJAmrti6out2fFyFH5hr0TvYd3cO5kNGbFFVCaxyMfF7FayFwiqrPyJik1zWxIq4oeDT-rI3LNKnapgxgoA_WCPThNJf0AlKW-bPZKtlJAsuqed2Xgfe4hDtuL_P5-Nb646ghVfxw6p19hu4DPErkQS_pW3FwhMsy4AwA32D1hr2dx53o6UcaCU7kMrOn4ydPh2gzhZy1nOA5SPZHIXD8Nx2erdagHSglZ-z3f-g5kDl8aKs09piwvoR4-fwZ_CaJaKyhhtv&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" target="_blank"></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdIF2EP0d7Pe9UzeIB5gLNaYw1i18Z-QITCj91skiA8TLKhk1Q6IVVgHV0QIhC_8kGmWSKythWan_C7azB45Ob4JomiPAt8mPJD39KM0mKSC02fUWl9pG4M1L9w_pfAUUz7pncYQtqyf8kbxV4U9MA7ITIIBQr_JWrrERweuXRz6r6n_QyE0VYmD0hOarGhupF47l1dVPywX7ZaXF51yrrEm0B8dnacdOt-5St9QQsbEuJTu4xHB2BSX3l2ZxAX3GAM49l7cIJsGj_BNxUQDyRVPQYcLlU_L_s15Sedpa3pWJtCGVq4Wm1Hg==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Digital
Training Video Series</span></a></span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Video: </span></strong>Amber
Gupta provides tested digital marketing tools, strategies and techniques
that you can utilise in your business now.<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">(Available To
Everyone)</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdCQbfzcF5YzoB9s_Exj-YNR_0UytitPVYKrv-zvzJo0t7kLPh08idJqoa4cZ4vZxpR3tIL5fgR8zAhyUBrpDHKPzHnQksSVyTCTo68HyY9mkEBsECzJgB7Kn8nxfa5XKu1QAYBdINayb4ehjfCdSdZiVczCFMN-kkv64SlJp0EOIOFhe8QpUKCwH3vZFZrDXtaBbYuXQxg-TJPYFHwTopyLCgPb7_CridsIwbMpbqUp94ksAoX8L68zrKVJ1VsXllpPA5d7qCEljx1gBDFDgN3BOE5muG-ucZ&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"></a><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="_x0000_s1032" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=""
href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdCQbfzcF5YzoB9s_Exj-YNR_0UytitPVYKrv-zvzJo0t7kLPh08idJqoa4cZ4vZxpR3tIL5fgR8zAhyUBrpDHKPzHnQksSVyTCTo68HyY9mkEBsECzJgB7Kn8nxfa5XKu1QAYBdINayb4ehjfCdSdZiVczCFMN-kkv64SlJp0EOIOFhe8QpUKCwH3vZFZrDXtaBbYuXQxg-TJPYFHwTopyLCgPb7_CridsIwbMpbqUp94ksAoX8L68zrKVJ1VsXllpPA5d7qCEljx1gBDFDgN3BOE5muG-ucZ&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA=="
target=""_blank"" style='position:absolute;margin-left:0;
margin-top:0;width:100.5pt;height:62.25pt;z-index:251666432;
mso-wrap-distance-left:0;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;
mso-wrap-distance-right:0;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;
mso-position-horizontal:left;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;
mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f" o:button="t">
<v:imagedata src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/716.jpg"/>
<w:wrap type="square"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdCQbfzcF5YzoB9s_Exj-YNR_0UytitPVYKrv-zvzJo0t7kLPh08idJqoa4cZ4vZxpR3tIL5fgR8zAhyUBrpDHKPzHnQksSVyTCTo68HyY9mkEBsECzJgB7Kn8nxfa5XKu1QAYBdINayb4ehjfCdSdZiVczCFMN-kkv64SlJp0EOIOFhe8QpUKCwH3vZFZrDXtaBbYuXQxg-TJPYFHwTopyLCgPb7_CridsIwbMpbqUp94ksAoX8L68zrKVJ1VsXllpPA5d7qCEljx1gBDFDgN3BOE5muG-ucZ&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" target=""_blank""><img align="left" border="0" height="83" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.716" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/716.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_s1032" width="134" /></a><!--[endif]--><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdCQbfzcF5YzoB9s_Exj-YNR_0UytitPVYKrv-zvzJo0t7kLPh08idJqoa4cZ4vZxpR3tIL5fgR8zAhyUBrpDHKPzHnQksSVyTCTo68HyY9mkEBsECzJgB7Kn8nxfa5XKu1QAYBdINayb4ehjfCdSdZiVczCFMN-kkv64SlJp0EOIOFhe8QpUKCwH3vZFZrDXtaBbYuXQxg-TJPYFHwTopyLCgPb7_CridsIwbMpbqUp94ksAoX8L68zrKVJ1VsXllpPA5d7qCEljx1gBDFDgN3BOE5muG-ucZ&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" target="_blank"></a> <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdy527dwfKSoUmKuOwkg5gw3uF3erczmdjpOS9mCHGv8l1nOe5xLahfpOjEdx3G9BkP-wfruK0pGY31Qd30oE0A-2qytDaQOiibNK_DUoLx7WglM_RcgcDXgr_iJPktxmRIEsTdrDWOtrh_BAkJv2b1cfNfaOOAmMYZaBx3Idj0d4muQ_NsZhKZozMpuZ8Cf7jL163eULbxkzyLEAfEujKxVSC3tahAC08lijVRHmC5dSvuUBTWKRPPGMhTj9WMvD2ieE53C7XQ3pHtI60bFkY7-KU9AaKJg3d9wmKcrI-wMI=&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Poorly
Served Directors of Medium-Sized Businesses</span></a></span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Article:</span></strong> Robert
Craven discusses the very different needs of the different sectors of
businesses that get lumped together as SMEs.<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">(Available To
Lite and Full Members only)</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="_x0000_s1033" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style='position:absolute;
margin-left:0;margin-top:0;width:95.25pt;height:59.25pt;z-index:251667456;
mso-wrap-distance-left:3.75pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:3.75pt;
mso-wrap-distance-right:3.75pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:3.75pt;
mso-position-horizontal:left;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;
mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f">
<v:imagedata src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/716.jpg"/>
<w:wrap type="square"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img align="left" border="0" height="79" hspace="5" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.716" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/716.jpg" v:shapes="_x0000_s1033" vspace="5" width="127" /><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUddjB_kMw_rsZ_9dJPBDqo2DZScC3UmmZWutL_3kB9IhA3oD1pJdGU2ymcnlqpKnb4bZCEbgixQntKKfWbXjkIIJjKPg8r355-Nf-VKtLaptU4PNpM_y2H5E8ZmDV94R7h6g6pYLlaMf5sf_9hW6g3gaFujxNKhY4KhmPZn7kee6Tyz37ic6aEMxBrvaKxT4VdkgTKMaaP-xZbNBi8fB3e-pi_aBl6p-XbGidSH1iGH0JLctzDtKsyHNXoF35Il1h6MH6KTIctOyqzO8wFNrXnwwCdbXwmNQ4Aqu86KD8kDUpWMnmzKt77hg==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Is
LinkedIn Becoming a Publishing Platform?</span></a></span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Article:</span></strong> Amanda
DiSilvestro helps you understand how you can get involved in the new
LinkedIn publishing platform and how to make the most of this new
opportunity.<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">(Available To
Lite and Full Members only)</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img border="0" hspace="5" id="_x0000_i1026" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.717" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/717.jpg" vspace="5" width="127" /> <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdXNv_J1IINyOJ7LgqFPTPFl-Awh08TZFl3UrPbkB4l1RENUaUO9E-IVXrvlazTol5q9tSuIz9vamRpZOxQNA6LdyviZfbggrTG4xhnw-lt89U6xDfDic9bMLntvbjDUaUPx6F4RJeVDm7bGrxnWxFc0gh3uInrQ6lFMrfzc0l27e5GLAwu0kOyvKhODgI6_2wj_Hrz37uaUb4VxXNgAtcnBY6elZbMhSqGm-pRC-eqG7VCv3rCTzOc6u2nWVCtSfs9ZjgJ5ocZHsP-eSDLJFOoef_UU81Xkyt&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Digital Minds: 12 Things Every Business Needs to Know About
Digital Marketing</span></b></a><br />
<b>eBook:</b> For a limited time only WSI, Digital Minds book is
free to download on Kindle<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">(Available To
Full Members only)</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 82.2pt;" width="137">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<img border="0" hspace="5" id="_x0000_i1027" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.716" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/716.jpg" vspace="5" width="127" /> <o:p></o:p></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 258.0pt;" width="430">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdiUt2r-uwhrxlO9ZNojNDiAS-FzldjlfCe-XeBk1gErTAMunkmZQDuhIC8Fysgpg0yJ8kqlVRGeUTQdKctIebNXyxjiyF4mwLhapFXacS4lVrEV8qJXQYrAAzKroKJlIDdrteoba4oYgqk4XneKapEHlHKo1yBMSZ4RoNui0WbbSCO9YrfnFiKRw6QVX0jHl4SxY_Va8IRNetlUeBxHCCrZWKAw50P_vTx4x-FIWy8p8xqOIlb2tWEGjzq-ZCHu_I69MqCg0sWv7mEElL6NtUHjRfaJp6uvDtINExw56V8-AjBaAtvVJ_FQ==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="color: #cc0000;">10
Quotes to Get You Through the Marathon of Entrepreneurship</span></a></span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Article: </span></strong>Adam
Toren has compiled a list of 10 key quotes to help you along your
entrepreneurial journey.<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">(Available To
Everyone only)</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Forward this email
to friends and colleagues so they don't miss out!</span></strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK7" style="height: 153px; mso-cellspacing: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUde8uTR7QAG44yHrVAc_dvVW3S_gW4mbwNvNSSjO1MMfqBlDNX-VOL71ppPvhIhbzhKFdHhWWPJTKz0KR6trxTsyb2rjr7yAZnub8zh7DyWUsnAcVlYSqM_JkI-7mYXS_b3h69WsGENd7k2mM-kM_a9K6_xB7zLHrOTaL6rFaie2mw_IdcNSluXKBpwx6GFm1__JlamiIX3wuPbp7FDPSjoxHDse7bhjDooN6XrASps1wRMW7w4EkXF7ami1F54ngXB-uUeQrN29lQWj1AoTQNug==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img alt="Book Robert For Your Next Conference, Event, Semianr Or Away Day" border="0" height="141" hspace="5" id="_x0000_i1028" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.664" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs140/1102142668211/img/664.jpg" vspace="5" width="500" /></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK6" style="width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Join the Business Club on
social media: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUK_ug_qNemQriQE3108ZPr1ZeJNauyM-zLCteWdvRk9siPRzOFHVY1qvAyKjH0dlMOAy3K0zfTxfUx_UxnHzCESSeDXeCVX_4-CDHoWceSpuAxbDIYRBV5yju2Rigf8-dT0JKJhQShhsB-RE24XP64t9l2KHM7AdOdoYI7T-XuwFFqA_COaJXOw=&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="facebook" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img alt="Find us on Facebook" border="0" id="_x0000_i1029" src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/ui/images1/ic_fbk_36.png" title="Find us on Facebook" /></span></a><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUCvVT81dAhSZJ2PMdd390bNFFhJed7GEcp80FUEyFCwQgxX0rH6iTJvzYD6-6UIfq67cfvYc_T-F54w21AO-VgbvrVIrI8v9VkRRB2U7G0e2PtoqKoI1BAETkXiZpOobIA==&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="twitter" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><img alt="Follow us on Twitter" border="0" id="_x0000_i1030" src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/ui/images1/ic_twit_36.png" title="Follow us on Twitter" /></span></a><br />
<br />
See the latest update now at <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001AvvFCKH4yyJ-h-sJ07t8Ooz5epCiSEUVbnUIcTt9Jt7QAwMEnVSXUPRXq_4mQQUdv82iuYkJrgzEOcjGkxv45kxAeVad4oleE4BgHSZqjIG66dPOLhNCsWQH-3nJOzMyoyoYXINKUenZ_p1UGCqMAOpEom6ul99-h1Tec0gsVq0dsdHBBZvpGaALR1sx26FA9vX3jopfUJBMyHoO-Y-fvoUU7EaBFFbHMVwBg7LUY2tPTEQknudtUeweSrWZNRMSewQNjcXp48wMZ9tUnHPCvB1H2iOV_qsYZon6si6yJYNQfNtHX46r4kMfcMP2EVBf&c=5cl2eW3PYf2fPAohuKAIyhXIwTZw-Iz4fN3iHXX5q_ZO3tmZetDCOA==&ch=IuS1YdCeXe1HyrZmiYqj1rIm0SidcQdGnFv3mHiB3mi4WWRNc6plPA==" linktype="link" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">www.directorscentre.co.uk</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">________________________________________________________________</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK5" style="mso-cellspacing: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1102142668211" shape="rect" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #ff6600;">Join Our Mailing
List!</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-89880061362484188432014-04-29T13:43:00.001+01:002014-04-29T13:43:34.602+01:00Robert Craven, Professional Speaker - PSA London Showcase<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WEkMLFyl7XA" width="480"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-72004656864183967802014-04-15T10:05:00.000+01:002014-04-15T10:05:54.704+01:00Kick-Start Your Business published in Bulgaria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i4.helikon.bg/products/3013/03/33013/33013z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i4.helikon.bg/products/3013/03/33013/33013z.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More foreign translations... Bulgaria methinks? Can be bought at <a href="http://helicon.bg/">helicon.bg</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m-4LB9hGFJM/UzBuXTPMGMI/AAAAAAAACUo/RSr46CbfdLE/s1600/kick-start.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m-4LB9hGFJM/UzBuXTPMGMI/AAAAAAAACUo/RSr46CbfdLE/s1600/kick-start.JPG" height="369" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-70736002684788750522014-04-10T15:14:00.001+01:002014-04-10T15:52:23.319+01:00#Troubleshooter for Hire!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/272x153/p01wmj9b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/272x153/p01wmj9b.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The original <i>Troubleshooter</i>
TV programme with the delightful Sir John Harvey-Jones had a great formula: an
experienced business leader visits and advises small and often struggling UK
businesses. It made business management a popular discussion subject. Using a reality
TV format it led the way for future TV series such as <i>The Apprentice</i> and <i>Dragons’
Den</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The programme follows a great format. Present the people,
the business and the issues. Introduce the business expert and watch how his attempts to improve the business performance pan out. I have met several of the
<i>Troubleshooter</i> ‘victims’ and you get an insight into business process and the
filming process.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Harvey-Jones was not, and is not, the only business troubleshooter.
Some time ago, Cranfield School of Management’s Colin Barrow said that I, Robert
Craven am <i>“the closest thing that growing businesses have to a modern-day John
Harvey-Jones." </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JHJ was one of a kind and I was hugely flattered to be compared
with him!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have worked with the likes of Barclays and BlackBerry and
been asked to help businesses everywhere from Tehran and Zambia to Cyprus and
Russia. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whether on TV or in someone’s business, the troubleshooter
role is the same. It is about asking the fundamental questions: “Where are you
now, where are you going, how are you going to get there? What are the key issues
in the industry, the marketplace and for your competitors?” The cunning bit is
coming up with workable solutions that are appropriate for the business and its
owners.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, both troubleshooters are back. There is a new TV
series (with Digby Jones) and I am back in the SouthWest ready to help local businesses. I am
offering to work with local businesses in clinics and healthchecks to identify
key issues and how they can be solved. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To find out more about my Troubleshooter services, contact <a href="mailto:rc@directorscentre.com">rc@directorscentre.com</a> 01225 851044 <a href="http://www.robert-craven.com/">www.robert-craven.com</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To find out more about the BBC New Troubleshooter programme go to the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b040tmm9">BBC website</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Image linked from http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/272x153/p01wmj9b.jpg</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-49228799231337866882014-03-24T15:44:00.002+00:002014-05-16T09:30:13.338+01:00What To Include In Your Not-To-Do (or To-Don't!) List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://christinekane.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/not-to-do.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://christinekane.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/not-to-do.jpg" height="242" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="article-intro" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 10px; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are 12 things to include in a </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">not-to-do list</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
<div class="article-image" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 20px; padding-right: 50px; width: 252.796875px;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>1 Don't email first thing or last thing each day</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't email before 10am or after 4pm. Emailing first thing screws up the day as you get distracted beyond belief. Emailing last thing screws up your sleep pattern – it can wait till tomorrow!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2 Don't check emails regularly</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check them at set times, say 10am and 3.30pm (ie: not often). You must define one important/key task for each day and that must be your first priority. Email addiction will destroy your business and screw up your brain.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>3 Don't answer calls form people you don't know/recognise</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Never ever answer a call unless you know who it is from. You should have a PA or virtual PA screening all your calls. Let them know who you will and who you won't speak to and instruct them as to how to handle the various different types of call, eg keynote speaking enquiries to Trish, consultancy enquiries to Jo and so forth. You should be designing the business so that it operates without you. Try putting autoresponders on your email that say, <i>"I am out of the office but consultancy enquiries can be dealt with right now by Jo at js@directorscentre.com or on +44 (0)1225 851044 and keynote speaking enquiries can be dealt with by Trish on...."</i> You could do the same with your direct line answerphone if you don't have someone to filter your calls for you. Just stop talking to people you don't know – the call is probably for their benefit and not for yours!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>4 Do not turn up to meetings on time</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is known as Lombardi Time. The great Hall of Fame football coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vince Lombardi, invented a strategy that he recommended to his coaches and players. Lombardi Time states: <i>"Show up for every important business meeting 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled meeting time."</i> The idea is to use the 15 minutes to catch your breath, collect your thoughts and pre-plan what you want to accomplish in the meeting and how you'll go about it. I hate being late. If others are late I consider it the height of rudeness. If you look closely (because you arrived early), you'll see people arrive at meetings, and this will tell you a lot about the way they lead their lives.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5 Don't work with or employ energy-sapper</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This one is "stolen" from Clive Woodward. From</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> time to time, we all work with energy sappers/zappers and don't we just know it. They seem to squeeze every last ounce of passion and excitement out of any project. Their mantra is some permutation of: </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"Yes but..." </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"If only..." </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"They won't/can't'/haven't/shouldn't/couldn't..." </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"Well, if that's what you want to do..." </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"I don't really see the point of..."</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These people become high-maintenance (and usually low-profit) because of the damage they do to your own immune system. Their stress and negativity-dumping behaviour sucks the very lifeblood out of your most precious asset – your enthusiasm. Replace all energy sappers with energisers. It is as simple as that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6 Don't build the business around yourself</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the early days it's great to see those emails and texts for you – you are important and wanted. However, this excitement soon turns into an addiction. Your definition of success starts to depend on how much you are needed. Wrong! Try to design the entire business model with the sole intention of getting it to operate without you. Start with the end in mind: if you intend to get out of your business at some point, then you need to design the whole thing with that endpoint in mind. Otherwise you end up as the tiredest person in the graveyard!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7 Don't carry a BlackBerry/iPhone 24/7</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The world will not grind to a halt if you are not there to take every call. In fact, customers might treat you with a bit more deference if you ration your available time with a little more respect for what is really important.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8 Don't play it too safe</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The riskiest thing is to be safe. Very good is bad because no-one notices it.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9 Don't be reasonable</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man."</i> GB Shaw</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10 Don't get the negative feedback habit</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We spend 95 per cent of the time focusing on the five per cent of things in our businesses that don't work and only five per cent of the time focusing on the 95 per cent of things that really do work. When things go wrong, there is no point dragging the team into the boardroom to dissect and analyse every action that (may have) contributed to the poor result.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is far better to take the team into the boardroom when things have gone well to dissect and analyse every action that (may have) contributed to the good result. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">11 Don't take it all too seriously</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No-one enjoys working with a bore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>12 Don't forget why you are doing it in the first place</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; padding-right: 50px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you are on your deathbed, you won't say say, <i>"I wish I'd spent more time at the office."</i> Get real, have fun, laugh and lighten up! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313427840293019864.post-65571982825641022172014-03-23T12:06:00.002+00:002014-03-23T12:06:37.899+00:00Nuevos secretos de la venta: Como conseguir que le compren a usted antes que a su competencia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344722785l/13587504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344722785l/13587504.jpg" width="204" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;"> </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Esta guía de negocios valiosa ayuda a los dueños y directores de empresas pequeñas entender y utilizar el poder del marketing y provee consejos prácticos para identificar el consumidor principal de un producto y alcanzarle de manera eficaz</em></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">means</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This valuable business guide helps small business owners and directors understand and harness the power of marketing, and provides practical advice for identifying a product’s core consumers and targeting them effectively.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Can be bought at </span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13587504-nuevos-secretos-de-la-venta">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13587504-nuevos-secretos-de-la-venta</a></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818;">I have just found it - I knew we were doing a Spanish version of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bright-Marketing-Small-Business-Startups-ebook/dp/B005TGZE60">Bright Marketing</a>!</span></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04641628859399373785noreply@blogger.com0