For football fans...and everyone else

Why are people so rude?

We all uderstand how to behave in a social environment. Everyone is courteous, polite and friendly, well almost everyone.
But in business situations these same people don't always act i the same way. Why that is I do not know.
Many people find attending business events somewhat of a challenge; a key reason is because they anticipate meetig people who they think will be unpleasant, downright rude sometimes and the worst fear of all,turning their backs.
REJECTION...that is all our worst fears when we attend events knowing we will not know too many people.
Here are some thoughts
1 Aim to move away from these rude people as soon as you can and don't let them spoil your event.We attend these events to build or reinforce relationships. Do you really want to build a relationship with people like these?
2 When you feel a touch nervous act as a host even if you're a guest. Hosts always feel more in control. They introduce one to another, include as many people as possible in a conversation, hand someone a plate in the food queue, offer to get someone a drink.
3 Remember , everyone at business events is there to network. There is a common platform.

Even when you're on holiday....

...it's good to think about what you're doing now ...and, even more importantly, in the future.
Will you be happy doing what you're doing this time next year?
If not start to act. Life is not a rehearsal; this is it as far as I know.
Next year Kintish will bee working less and earning similar money. How? By acting anc changing things.
IF YOU ALWAYS DO WHAT YOU'VE ALWAYS DONE
YOU'LL ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU'VE ALWAYS GOT/

Happy with what you've got . Great ...change nothing
If not....

Our friends abroad

These are our friends and cousins who we are staying with over the holidays.
They are the most hospitable people we know and we could give the world their address!
If we did and you turned up, they would be as welcoming to you as they are to us.
BUT..we aren't telling you...unless you send me £1000. I will give £100 to them and keep the rest
happy New Year

Act...or react!

I have just read a brilliant book, written over 20 years ago called What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School by Mark H McCormack. As relevant now as when written.
He talks about being proactive all the way through your life. be in control, make the first move, act...don't react.
Networking the best proactive way of business development there is.
Want to listen , look or read about becoming a more effective networker?
View here for Kintish networking skills products

I’m vulnerable too.

I spend most days helping people overcome their fears and concerns with networking.
In theory I ought to be able to walk into that room, see the sea of strange faces and have no misgivings or feelings of disquiet. But guess what?
In spite of knowing every else feels nervous, virtually everyone will be welcoming, polite and courteous and how to be behave with perfect etiquette I too walk in that room thinking “Will I be judged and found wanting?” “Will every turn their back on me?”


Think back to day 1 at school!
The feeling lasts moments but this posting is to tell the world I am normal. I hate rejection and bleed when I am cut.

Do you like someone? do they like you?

The three key steps to building relationships is
A getting to know people
B creating some sort of ‘liking’
C building trust at a later time
LIKING
The more I think about this step the more I realise how critical it is. Think about it. When we like someone we like everything about them. BUT when we don’t like someone, for whatever reason, we tend to find fault in everything to do with that person. We don’t think what they do is any good, their friends and even family can be up to much, we don’t even bother reading the newsletters they may send!
Stupid really but we’re all human being with the normal emotions. We can’t help ourselves. And remember this. Not everyone is going to like you however wonderful

It's Christmas time...time for socialising, time for networking

Either way you are going to meet strangers, you know those funny people your mummy told you not to talk to when you were very young


But you're now grown up. here are some thoughts before you enter the arena

1 99% of people are nervous. If you're not you, are abnormal!
2 Expect nearly everyone to be welcoming and polite. There will be the odd rude person. Don't focus on them, put your energies into the majority of pleasant people.
3 You are as good as everyone else in that room. You might not be as rich, as beautiful or have an important job title.
4 Networking i.e. building relationships is about giving first. Give of yourself, pay attention to what others are saying and you'll become popular quickly and create a great impression.
5 Be brave...approach strangers and say, "Please can I join you?" or " may I introduce myself?" You won't be rejected...honest!

Time to go into the arena

Manage your clients’ expectations

If there is one key phrase in customer service I believe it’s that.
I would like to think I am a loyal customer to my suppliers and when I have to change I feel uncomfortable and really don’t like it. In fact, for me, the emotion of losing a client or changing a supplier is very similar.There is failure in the air.

I had been working with someone where the deal was he did a certain amount of work each month at a fixed fee. He is an expert in his field and I believe I was getting value for money. At the start of this month I got 2 invoices. When I queried this I was told how much extra work had been done. I didn’t dispute that, although I didn’t know exactly what I was getting for my money each time. What I tried to explain was I would have expected to have been asked permission to do this work in advance of our normal arrangements. When my supplier couldn’t see my point I thought, ’Let’s shake hands and move on.’ We need certainty in our lives and, in business, no shocks. We need to keep the customer informed all the way through the relationship, in other words manage their expectations.

Plan and prepare for your networking

Just think of those 7 open questions
WHO will be going? Who should go with me? Who will the hosts be?
WHAT is the event all about? What will the format be?
WHEN is the event? Can I go, what are the timings?
WHERE is it? Do I have directions, any parking problems?
WHY is this event being held? DO I need to know some history behind it?
WHICH dress or suit am I going to wear?
HOW will I get home if I have too much to drink?! How am I going to be perceived if I get in that state?

The most important person in your business is the customer…not!

Yes, there is no business without a customer and all commerce stems from that person. But for a business to thrive and you to have fun in your daily work life the key party are your colleagues. When you are in charge of others treat them with respect courtesy and consideration and they will treat the customer as the most important person. This will happen without you having to prompt them. They will take pride in their work, be a great ambassador for your brand and will give outstanding client service.
When you create the right environment you get people doing the ‘right’ things most of the time.

How has 2006 been for you?

The Kintish business has looked like this graph since inception 6 years ago.We have had good years and 'average years.We have had 2 great years and are at our most successful.
WHEN YOU ARE AT YOUR MOST SUCCESSFUL, YOU CAN OFTEN BE AT YOUR MOST VULNERABLE
One can get complacent, ‘nothing can touch us now’ ‘we’re bomb-proof’.
Anyone with a memory for business back to the late 1990’s will remember Marks & Spencer. In 1998 they made £1,400,000,000 and became arrogant. They are back but even this year they will ‘only make about £800,000,000
I learn from stories like that. We have had a major review of our business and will be making a number of changes, no sorry, improvements to ensure the graph keeps going northerly and we keep everything fresh. No complacency for

Do you hate gatekeepers?

Gatekeepers, the scourge of the follow up!
There are many reasons people don’t follow up opportunities which may arise after attending business events. A regular one is ‘how do I get passed the gatekeeper? Firstly you have to pass the receptionist then when you’re really unfortunate a P.A. or secretary.
Look at these ladies above. How can you possibly be nervous about people like them? What is your person like?
The chances are you will say ‘very pleasant’. And most of them are…when you treat them properly. Gatekeepers can often be gate openers but only when you are polite and courteous. These people can make all the difference to you reaching your prospect; in fact they can be the golden key to your next step in the networking process

Jonathan Walsh from Friends Provident said this about Business Cards

Take the right approach to networking

Networking events allow salespeople to scout for customers, but instead of collecting as many business cards as they can, your salespeople should set a more promising goal: Get to know just three people. Tell them to find out everything they can about their three contacts without trying to sell anything up front, and use that knowledge when they call back later. They may not meet as many people at every event, but those they do get to know will be better sources of sales and referrals.
—Adapted from “The 10 commandments of networking,” by Mark McGregor, on About.com

Networking and success

It doesn’t matter if you don’t like networking, if not you’re good at it, or if you just don’t do it – this won’t stop you from being successful!
However, when you are a confident, enthusiastic and effective networker, I can guarantee that you will be.

Aimee baby

My granddaughter...happy 10 months old exactly

Kintish interferring

My son-in-law has just been promoted to manager. As an interferring father-in-law this is an email I have just sent to him

Fantastic news. Well done.
Here is one or two tips to consider as a manager.
1 These people can and hopefully will make money for you. BUT don’t forget they are volunteers and can walk out on you any time!
2 Appreciation is the key. A “thank you, that was great” is the best motivator in the world. Far better than any pay rise
3 If they do it wrong sit them down quietly away from everyone and ask ,”If you could do that again, what would you do differently?”
4 Don’t criticise, condemn or complain. It is a total lose-lose.
5 Regularly have one-to-ones with your team and ask them
1. how they are getting on.
2. what they like about working there,
3. what irriates them
4. if there is one thing they’d like you to do differently what would it be
5. what training they would like to help them with their career.

Never cancel meetings like those and never have any interuptions.
Hope you don’t mind me putting my oar in!!
Again, well done
Will

Networking…forward to basics

Networking is simply building relationships .It is the first step in possibly doing
business sometime later.
To be a confident networker you don’t need to be an extrovert you need to have good self-esteem and feel good about yourself. Walk into that room believing you’re as good as everyone else there. Maybe not a wealthy, not as experienced or even as beautiful but you are there to give. The first principle of networking is giving. To give of yourself is the key to this activity. Spend more time being interested rather than interesting and listening carefully for potential and future opportunities.
When you spot a potential opportunity to build on a relationship or offer to help it is your duty to move the relationship forward
This is an opportunity to help and add value and not to sell .You probably don’t like selling and that is the reason you may leave many events with nothing …but a hangover!
When someone says they are not happy with their existing advisor or supplier or they need advice or product where they don’t know anyone at that moment here is your opportunity to offer your HELP. The objective is, in the longer run, is for your client to gain more from the transaction than you, i.e. add value.
When I present to a company or audience on various aspects of networking skills I expect the extra work they will ultimately gain as a result of my knowledge will be a large multiple of my fee.
Think like that and you will find business development more comforting. Yes, it’s your business you’re developing but also your clients too.

I met Paul the peridromophilist last week!

Bet you don't know what one of them is!
I thought it was at best a secret society and at worst an illegal organisation. But no, it is someone who collects.....click here for your suprise.
Amazing what goes on in the world!

From marketing to selling

Each week I receive a fantasitc newsleter from Robert Middleton called "More Clients". This week he goes forward to basics and entitles his article GETTING TO YES -PART 1
I could have rewritten the article in my own words but why change something which is perfect....read on.
First, a quick review:

The job of marketing is to turn strangers into prospects who have a positive experience of you and your services. Your marketing is successful if you can get a prospect to "Second Base" where they want to explore working with you. (See the Marketing Ball Model in the Infoguru Manual.)

That's where selling starts.

There are two more bases to touch before you have a new client.
Third Base is where a prospect wants to work with you. They are ready to buy. Fourth, or Home Base is where you have agreed on details, price, proposal, etc. and have received your first payment (which has cleared the bank).

As with the marketing process, the selling process can go very quickly or very slowly, but you can't skip any steps.

Starting this week, I'll give you an overview of the steps in- between Second and Third Bases (continued next week), and also give you the Key Mistakes for each of these steps. In the third installment I'll explore getting from Third Base to Home.

The Steps between Second and Third Base (4 of 7)

Making a Connection
Selling, like marketing, is based on relationships. People buy from people they know, like and trust. If you've done a good job of marketing, you've paved the way for selling.

But you can't jump into trying to make a sale.

You need to connect with the prospect who is now ready to explore working with you. They are not just interested in buying your services; they want to know that you care and that you understand what they really need.

So, the foundation of any sales conversation is empathy and listening. You don't need to push, you need to be open. Your attitude could be summed up as: "I hope I can help you. Let me learn more about you and together let's see what's possible."

Key Mistakes
- Thinking the sales conversation is about you, not the prospect.
- Doing all the talking, with little active listening.
- Connecting only at a business level, not a personal level.

Getting Focused
You want to set the groundwork for the selling conversation by reiterating the key elements of Marketing Syntax: Who you work with, the challenges your clients face and the outcomes you produce for them.

I'm talking about a very, very brief introduction, followed by, "But before I know if my services are right for you, I need to learn more about your situation."

Even though someone is meeting with you and supposedly has absorbed your marketing message and materials beforehand, it's still important to get your prospects focused on what this sales conversation is about.

Key Mistakes
- Jumping into questions before getting focused.
- Assuming they already know about your business.
- Failing to take charge and lead the sales conversation.

Understanding the Situation
Once you've focused the meeting (and this could be on the phone or in-person), your next job is to find out about the client's current situation. To do this, you need to ask a LOT of questions.
They need to feel you really know them and what's important to them.

I've often asked my clients what they had learned about their prospect's situation, and was surprised that most of them didn't know the basics: How the business got started, what the business sold, size of the business, number of people, revenues and key competitors.

In fact, if you're selling to a company, you'd better know all of that going in!

Key Mistakes
- Asking questions as a formality, to get to the "important part of
the meeting" (your wonderful service).
- Not going into questions in sufficient depth.
- Not showing real interest in the answers.

Discovering the Challenges
The selling conversation then needs to morph seamlessly into the reasons your prospect is meeting with you in the first place. What are the challenges, problems, predicaments and pain they are experiencing?

You're looking for that nerve, that thing that is irritating them enough to seek the counsel of a professional. What's missing?
What's not working as well as it could? What keeps them up at night? What is this challenge costing them?

Key Mistakes
- Failing to find the ONE key challenge your prospect faces.
- Assigning equal importance to all the challenges.
- Jumping into your solution too quickly.

When you've covered these four steps, you're just getting started.
Next, you need to know where they want to go.

Your time is so precious. It is an irreplaceable resource

..so don't waste it. if you are an advocate of networking think carefully where you should invest your time. Don't spead yourself too thinly. be involved with groups where you really get to know others and them you.
It takes time for people to know like and trust each other. You have to work hard at it and build relationships in a patient manner.
Don't flit from one group to another or if you are in a small number of groups aim to get there as often as possible.When you do you just create flimsy acqaintences and the chance of people referring others to you is slim

The Ten Secrets For Successful Internet Marketing In the 21st Century

by Gihan Perera

This man is worth listening to.
get his newslettter it really is valuable stuff.

Recently, Internet research group Netcraft reported that there are now over 100 million Web sites on the Internet. That's a far cry from the few hundred that were around when I first started using the Web in 1995.
In that time, the rules have changed. Things that used to work even a few years ago no longer work now. That's why I've decided to list these "Secrets" for successfully marketing yourself on the Internet now.
I've only got space to give you a quick summary here. But I've also put together a 45-minute audio recording that goes into these in more detail. You can get it at no charge - details after the article.
Secret #1. Friends, not strangers
Use the Internet to market to "friends" (existing clients and customers), rather than just looking to get new customers ("strangers").
Secret #2. High margin, not high volume
Create product/service bundles that have high value and high profit margins, rather than trying to sell low-margin items to lots of customers.
Secret #3. Lead with expertise, not sales
People search the Internet looking for information. Give them the information first, before you launch into your sales pitch.
Secret #4. Sell on value, not on cost
Your customers don't care how much it costs you to provide your products and services. They care about the value you provide.
Secret #5. Generate leads, not sales
It's tempting to think that you can do the entire sales process on your Web site, without any effort on your part. This is possible, but DIFFICULT. Use your Web site to generate a new lead for your business, and then take over to deal with the customer directly to make the sale.
Secret #6. Find a market niche, not a wide spread
The Web is now much more competitive than ever before. The successful Internet marketers focus on a tightly defined, highly specialised niche market rather than trying to be all things to all people.
Secret #7. Build relationships, not transactions
All the money is in the customer, not in the first sale. Foster the long-term relationship with your customers, and they'll keep coming back to you for more.
Secret #8. It's still about people, not computers
Regardless of the technology, it's still about people buying from people. Make sure your Web site and e-mail marketing talk to the person sitting behind the computer.
Secret #9. Create intermediation, not transparency
There's so much information out there now that your customers are clamouring for experts to sift through it and deliver it in a way that provides meaning and value.
Secret #10. Market offline, not just online
The Internet is just another marketing tool. Don't rely on Internet marketing alone. Combine your on-line marketing with off-line marketing methods as well.

The Grand Hotel Eastbourne

I spoke at at conference there in the last day or so. I spend my life in hotels so don’t get easily impressed.
This hotel impressed. Not just the decor and old-fashioned splendour but the service levels. If you want a special few days away on the south coast, try this place. You won’t be disappointed

Today's 2 minute silence for the fallen in the wars

As I was paying my silent respects it crossed my mind how long two minutes can be.
This is particularly when you explain to people what you do. Measure out 2 minutes in silence then think how bored someone could be in that time!
People don't really care what you do...they only care waht you can do for them. Include in your SHORT reply the word 'help'.
When people ask me , "Will what do you do?" I don't tell them I'm a speaker or presenter, I tell them I help people who struggle with networking. If they are interested they will ask the next obvious question.
If they say, "That's interesting...and where did you holiday this year?" I safely assume they are not interested in my area of work.
How many time shave you been bored after 45seconds let alone 2 minutes?
Give some thought to your answer, keep it interesting and short.

What do you do when you feel ill at work?

You either sit quietly feeling sorry for yourself...or you stay offfeeling sorry for yourself.
BUT if you're 'live on stage'
!
you just have to get on with it.
My fear? How many of the first 3 rows are ill in bed today with a bad cold, sore throat and feel rough. they won't need to think hard where they got the germs from

Boots the Chemist...Good customer care?

Nicola told me this

On the 06/11/06 I went to Boots and bought some nurofen, I then came back to the office 2 hours after getting back I needed some tablets, I opened the packet and it was empty!!

I then rang the store I purchsed them from and complained, they told me they must have been stolen out the packet whilst on the shelf at which point I told them that it is not good enough and I want them to bring me some nurofen to work, the girl on the other end of the phone went quite and then put me on hold, SHE THEN CAME BACK ON THE PHONE ASKED FOR THE ADDRESS AND SAID THEY WILL SEND SOMEONE TO THE OFFICE WITH TABLETS…

An hour later I had tablets and my bad head was gone….



Just shows what you can do…WHEN YOU ASK THE QUESTION

How do you feel Monday mornings?

A great start to the week...i don't think
I have been away all weekend at the PSA convention ( see a posting below) and it’s only when you miss a relaxing weekend do you realise how important they. Particularly on Monday mornings.
I dragged myself out of bed today, and was on the move before dawn. I have to be honest, the mood for presentation was not my normal one!
But then I met the happy helpful trolley lady on the train, the happy helpful Sheffield taxi driver who carried my heavy bag into his cab, then Gill and Kerry who gave me a warm welcome at the client’s premises.
You know what? By the time I started I was feeling in fine fettle.

"It's not what happens to you, it's what you do about it."

I have just spent a brilliant weekend at the Belfry. No,not playing golf but attending the Professional Speakers Association annual convention. I heard some good speakers, some very good speakers, learnt lots and lots about marketing, made lots of new friends, reinforced old friendships and went to bed late!
All in all very memorable.
But the high light for me was a keynote by W. Mitchell. Read his story here.
Here is a quick part of his story
W Mitchell knows about challenge, change and courage -- all first hand. He speaks to you about the battles and the victories of life. From co-founding a metal casting company that put thousands to work, from his election as mayor and congressional nominee, from a fiery motorcycle accident that left him burned over 65% of his body, and from the airplane crash that took away his ability to walk, Mitchell now soars above the rest with grace, good humor and gumption.

If ever you get a chance to hear this man go listen, you won’t forget his talk for a long time. If you are a miserable state because the computer has broken or the client changes their mind think about W. Mitchell and his philosophy on life.

"It's not what happens to you...it's what you do about it."

I have just had a most insriring weekend at the annual conference of the Professional Speakers Association.
I am proud to say I am its treasurer and have just been awarded the FPSA- Fellow of the Professional Speakers Association. It recognises one as a senior member of the profession of speaking.
I heard lots of great speakers but the greatest was from a man called W. mitchell. The title of his talk was the title of today's blog. His story in a nutshell is

From co-founding a metal casting company that put thousands to work, from his election as mayor and congressional nominee, from a fiery motorcycle accident that left him burned over 65% of his body, and from the airplane crash that took away his ability to walk, Mitchell now soars above the rest with grace, good humor and gumption.

<Read lots more about this incredible man here. If ever you hear he is going to be in your part of the world GO FIND AND LISTEN. You will be blown away

is your business development like baby chicks in the nest?

Baby chicks wait for their mummy to go and get the food.There they are with their little mouths open.

Unless mummy comes...they starve.
How do you get most of your new business? Through recommendations, introductions and existing clients coming back for more.
In other words you rely on third parties to decide how fast your business grows.
a bit like mummy and her chicks?
Need to learn to network to go and find your own food?

View here for seminars and here for our range of books, CD's and DVD's
The analogy about the birds was given to me from Grahame Codd a partner at solicitors Irwin Mitchell

The importance of remembering names

"If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made an impression on you. Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance."
Dale Carnegie When you meet people for the first time you say "Oh I forget their name within seconds." True?
No, you don't forget the name, you simply didn't hear it in the first place. The reason for that is you're simply not listening.You can often be nervous and / or want to make a great first impression.well, the best way to do this is to concentrate for just one second as they give their name. As you shake hands and listen, repeat their name and try and associate the name with something memorable. This could be either someone you know with the same name or try to rhyme it with another word. any trick to help you remember.
When we go networking, we are there "to win friends." so listen to what Dale Carnegie says on the subject.

"Chairman of Governors speaking"

At least the top man heard about the debacle and called to apologise. On that basis I even offered to return but only to help pupils who were interested in learning.

How important is academic excellence in the scheme of things?

I had my worst day presenting this week. I was asked to 'motivate' 200 6th- formers.The school is acknowledged as a top school when it comes to education.
But their manners and behaviour....wow. That wouldn't make them top or any where near it.
The head teacher spent most of the time "sshhushing" but to be fair it was mainly the boys.
Did they learn anything? A few did I suppose. What was my thinking about what is supposed to be THE TOP SCHOOL IN THE REGION? I was embarrassed and the experience left a bad taste in the mouth.
Good manners is just as important as good A levels. Do the teachers and governors realise this when it comes to success in life?

Don't be in too much of a hurry to promote, until...

you get good.This is whatever you do for a living!
If you do all it means is you just speed up the rate at which the world finds out you're no good!

Do you want a new job?

I met my friend Carl(not his real name) yesterday who told me his son was struggling getting a job as a trainee professional. He wondered if he wasn't good at this ..or wasn't profient enough at that. so I offered to see his son jeff ( not his real name).
He popped over this afternoon and what a delightful chap he was. There was no one thing I could put my finger on. We then discussed why he had had 4 'no thanks'. He was honest enough with both of us to say why he thought he didn't make it.
I then explained he had to get involved with business development! "Ugh?" he said.
I then explained marketing your services products and yourself is a numbers game. I sent him away with a supporting letter and a list of companies to contact. In the spirit of networking I will write a letter of support when he approaches these companies. Why? Because I know these people!!

Back and refreshed...or what?

In the last three weeks I have been at my busiest and quietest! Busybecause it's that time of year and quietest because I have been away relaxing on holiday.
And you know what? Sometimes I find doing the latter more stressful. Am I odd, sad or what?
My analysis of the situation is whatever it is you love best...just keep doing it.When I sit in the sun I'm often thinking "I could be doing this" or "I'd like to write an article about x" or " I must speak to my team about y".Is that relaxing? i don't think so.But on the other hand if one just works and gets the monetary results what is the endgame? To build a stack of gold coins...to hand to your children so they can just go first class!
Isn't life complicated?

Fancy reading my new book? View here!

My friend ANDY BOUNDS SAYS

8 ways to make your presentation better straight away
1. When preparing a presentation, your first thought – 100% of the time – must be "what do I want to get out of this presentation?" Write this down and keep referring to it. For every new point you add to your presentation, ask yourself "does this new point help me achieve my objective?" If it doesn't, don't include it in your talk.
2. Always think "The audience is more important than me". Therefore think what will interest them, not what interests you. Also, as C.P. Scott once said "Never overestimate your audience's knowledge; never underestimate their intelligence." Your audience does not know as much about your subject as you. Therefore, help them. Ensure your structure is very easy for them to follow; explain jargon if you can't avoid using it.
3. Want to find the main points of your presentation? The points you absolutely must get across to achieve your objectives? The easiest way to do this is to write all your points down and then play "Winner stays on". Look at the top two points and ask yourself which is the most important. Cross out the other one. Now look at the "winner" (the point you didn't cross out) and compare it to the third point. Again, cross out the less important and compare this new winner to point four. Do this repeatedly and you will find your main points very quickly.
4. Use the word "you" at least once in the first 2 sentences of your talk. If you don't, you are not talking to your audience, you're describing yourself. (A good tip… ask yourself "could my audience think I could give this identical talk to one of their competitors?" If they could think that, it's too impersonal).
5. Practise the first 2% of your talk for at least 20% of your preparation time. Losing them at the start is fatal. Practise every aspect of your start. Not just the words, but your body language, voice, tonality etc.
6. Using PowerPoint? Audiences tend to remember more of the top half of slides than the bottom half. So put your main points at the top. Don't do what most presenters do and build up to your main points at the bottom. Audiences won't remember them.
7. Audience concentration levels dip in the middle of a talk. So don't put your main points there. Bring them in very early instead.
8. If making a sales pitch, mention your unique selling points. And make sure they are unique! "We provide great customer service"… "We treat you as partners, not customers" don't make compelling arguments if your competitors say these same points in their pitches. Which they will.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HIM HERE

Is it any coincidence the Law Firm I

worked with yesterday had a daily lunch where all the partners met and them being the most proftibale firm in the City?
Thought for partners of professional services firms.

The salesman...did he get the order?

I met a man today who had some software I was interested in. When we met I immediately told him I was a 'hurry up ' man. I asked to cut to the chase and tell me how he thought the software could be useful to me. This nice man was basically a technician not a salesman. To his credit he brought a presentation and in spite of my opening words had to go through it slide by slide! I was patient ...to a point but it did take us nearly 1 hour before he said something along the lines "So what can I do for you?"
Will we do business? Who knows? Time will tell.

THE LESSON
When you go and meet a prospect ask what they want , listen, and try to give benefit-based answers. Then ASK FOR THE BUSINESS!

What are conversations made up of?

Yes, the answer is talking and listening. In more detail it's asking questions, making comments , giving opinions,and listening in a pro-active manner.
I had a short cameo today when I met a man at the IoD London. We shared a table and got chatting. I found out about what he did now, what he had done in the last 30 years and what plans he had for retirement.
He asked me nothing. Who got the most out of that 10 minutes?
To be a good networker the key is asking pertinent questions , listening carefully and acting if you spot a potential opportunity.
He will have gone away thinking "What a great man I just met, he was so interesting."!

Women networking

Did you know women network completely differntly from men?
needf to know more?
Write to will@kintish.co.uk

A magical weekend

Our children, all of whom live over 200 miles away, came for the weekend with grand-daughter Aimee. We had lots of parties with them and other relations and friends.
That's what life is all about.
Wow, the house is quiet now!

Aren't ( most!) people good.

I was a bout to present to a barrister chambers in Birmingham last night...and we had a power cut.
100 miles and 3 hours wasted. What do you do? It wasn't the client's fault, it was an electricity fault!
The client asked "Will, what are we going to pay you?" I suggested that as long as they rebooked me that would be fine. "No that's not fair" the Chief Exec said and then offered to pay me a small fee for my troubles.
Aren't people good?

In around 1996 I said I was going to write a book

I did! And it came out on Thursday September 14 2006. The book I was going to write was all about Client Care.
This book is called "I hate networking!" Here is the picture on the front cover


We had a party to launch it in partnership with Helen and Brett of Capture 1 Video.
They have launched their fantastic product for people setting up in business. It is a 5-set DVD showing the best and worst practices.
Other people who were really helpful in getting the products ready were
Steve Swinyard the printer of JS Dutton Gareth Lewis , the ebay man who helped with all the design.
It was a 'right good do' and I hope lots of people made some useful contacts

Keep the cards

Mark Lee of Book Mark Lee wrote to me recently about him starting up in business.

"As I mentioned however I did have 3,500 email addresses to notify when I started in business. To be fair this was not wholly down to networking. Probably about 2500 names had been collated from business cards over the years. I was actually surprised it wasn’t more but I guess the rest must all still be in the CRM systems of firms I used to work with. The remainder of the names were captured by the email management software I use. It went looking for email addresses in my outlook in/sent boxes and also picked up addresses in the cc box of emails sent to me – so I didn’t know everyone I initially emailed. I provided an opt-out which was used extensively initially. I’m now still emailing c2600 people each month.

How did I get such an extensive list? By keeping business cards and following up after meeting people. When I started up by myself I paid my teenage daughter to copy all the relevant info into my home office pc from the hundreds of business cards I had collected. Am I pleased I kept all the cards and did not reply on my firm’s CRM system – you bet!

Learn from Mark you start-up business people.

My delegate Ian told me his Auntie said

"Whenever you enter a room', she said,
'you are not better than anyone else in the room and remember that they
are no better than you."

In addition,remember this from me, Will Kintish.
Everyone feels nervous. Everyone at a business event wants to do business. They want to meet you like you want to meet them.
So, take a deep breath and enter that room head held high and think What Ian's Auntie said.

This reminded me of something my daughter sent me recently about Audrey Hepburn's 'beauty tips'.

Interested -v- Interesting

Went to a wedding of the daughter of a very old friend yesterday in the gardens of Middle Temple
Invariably one meets 'strangers', people you've never met before and unlikely to meet again. I met one lady who told me her life story and it was only after 30 minutes did she ask, "So what do you do?"
In contrast Jackie , who I sat opposite at dinner said "Didn't we meet at the bride's mother's 50th birthday?" (Help I thought I don't remember her). She then went on to recite the whole of our conversation from 8 years previous. I was massively impressed and even more embarrassed! But hey what a great listener she was , and again last night.

People love talking about themselves, even me, but when you listen like Jackie did, you build the greatest of relationships. Now that's a good networking strategy, how good is your?

Kintish doing it right + doing it wrong

I attended an excellent presentation by Sandy Lindsay of Tangerine PR organised by Pro Manchester.I did 2 things badly
1 I didn't get a list of attendees before the presentation. I should have called the day before but even on the day I forgot. I know I missed some opportunities as there were some target names I eventually found out
2 I left immediately after the presentation giving me no time to do some serious networking. I only left because I was presenting right afterwards

However I did do 2 things right
1 I got there early. I wasn't quite sure where the venue was but even after struggling to find the front door for quite a while I was still in plenty of time
2 I played host when I saw a number of 'Billy and Betty Nomates' on their own. I ensured no-one was on their own even though I was just a member of the audience.

Give and you shall receive

I had 2 instances of this today. Tony, a senior man at a big bank asked if I'd do a free hour for him and his mteam on a particular aspect of networking. No problem. When I arrived they asked how they could help me..this was even before I had given any advice.
I hope I helped and then mentioned the introductions I was loooking for. I know I will get more business from this 1 hour.

This evening I did a presentation at a discounted price. The organiser knew this and her gratitude showed when she asked if I could do some more work at a commercial rate.

I am a presenter

“The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts to work the minute your born, and never stops until you get up to speak in public.”

- John Mason Brown

I heard from the Dale Carnegie organisation today.
They were the people who gave me all the advice and help to make me into a confident and effective speaker.
Here is some advice from their email today

Confident Gestures:
• Stand with feet shoulder width apart
• Uncrossing arms in front of the body or at sides
• Holding open palms facing the audience, or closed palms facing the speaker
• Holding head straight up, chin up, and chest out
• Eye contact with group
• Smiling

Source:
Getting Rid of the Fear and Horror of Public Speaking
2 days, 8 hours per day

Dale Carnegie changed my life for the better and forever. It all satrted by changing my attitude, its true what they say 'Attitude IS Everything'.

3 Networking tips. Business cards, badges and boring

Business Cards
Cotrary to graphic designers views having a great business card won't bring you new work.However, badly designed ones can create an immediate "is this person really serious about their business" impression!
The most important aspect of busines cards is not yours but ASKING FOR THE OTHER PERSON'S IF YOU ARE GOING TO FOLLOW UP.

Read my article titled 'Business Cards are Priceless!'

Badges
Wear your badge on your right lapel. The person you greet will see it clearly at the end of your out-stretched arm. If you attend lots of events buy your own with your name clearly printed on. Magnetic ones won't damage your clothes. We buy ours from Recognition Express in Manchester. Can't recommend them highly enough

Boring
When we go networking we sometimes meet boring people. Please don't look disinterested or look over their shoulder. That is the height of ignorance. There are the right ways of moving on with courtesy and respect. How? I'll tell you on another day!

For more Networking Tips have a look at my website.

Unconditional positive regard

I heard this phrase for the first time yesterday. It was in reply to my question to delegates of Cyril Sweett Global Management Consultants. What personality traits are required to be an effective networker?"
It is a common phrase used by mentors, counselors and facilitators when working with their clients.
I asked Louise and Patricia to tell me what they meant when answering my question. They said "When you meet people in a networking or social environmental don't be judgemental and treat all people with the same respect and courtesy you would expect others to treat you.
new stuff for me and very relevant.

You MUST always gain something from your networking time.

I attended the monthly event run by Helen Bennett of Business Network North West. Even in August this fantastic event attracted about 100 people
The fundamental reason we go to business related events is to
SPOT THE AHAA MOMENT.
What would someone need to say for you to think?
“Ahaa, there’s an opportunity here to……”
1. Help others with their business challenges
2. Introduce Jack to Jill for their mutual benefit
3. Raise my own and the company’s profile
4. Meet key people and decision makers
5. Start the building of a business relationship
6. Spot potential new business by listening carefully
7. See if an existing client needs other services
8. Correct matters when an existing client isn’t 100% happy with our service
9. Gain useful information about……
10. Increase my knowledge of……
11. Find out what the competition is doing
12. And finally. Just relax and have fun.

Today I had ‘ahaa moments.
2 I was able to introduce Fiona to Gareth
3 By just being there
4 I met 2 of these
5 I sat at lunch with 4 people I hadn’t met before
7 I had a good chat with Gavin and he thinks we may do more business in the winter.
9 I had a great conversation with Graham about some ways I can make my business easier to run
12 And I just had fun.

And all in 94 minutes. Networking clubs do work when you understand the reason you’re there.

One of the best way of marketing yourself

If you have an expertise and want the world to know about you start by GIVING IT AWAY.
Today and last week we ran VIP events in Manchester and London where we invited potential clients to see and hear what we do. I believe we are going to create lots of work as a result of holding these events.
"THE MORE YOU TELL , THE MORE YOU SELL."
Rather than spend time going to tell people what you can do and use all the various selling techniques( which most people find uncomfortable anyway) show your wares the way we did.
In our follow -up calls we won't need to sell anything as these prospects have seen us, heard us and can now make an informed value judgment if they want to acquire our services.And, of course if they weren't interested in the first place they wouldn't have come.It will be a case of the price and whether or not it fits in to their overall training plans.

A magical weekend for the Kintish family

No work but pure fun and pleasure with all my family, The star was our granddaughter,little Aimee

And there too were our 4 children who all came to stay with us in the Yorkshire Dales. We had fine weather for visits to Bolton Abbey and then on aother day to Skipton. Lots to eat, drink and much relaxation ready for the busy Autumn.

How much do you drink at business events?

Most people like socialising and partying, but struggle with the third, networking. However, all three types of events are virtually the same. At each, we meet people, some we know and some we don’t. We eat, we drink, we converse, we laugh, we start or continue to build relationships, we talk, we listen, and we have general social interaction. You can have fun, pleasure and excitement at both, so is there a difference? Yes, one important difference being the amount of alcohol you drink. Representing yourself and/or your organisation at a business-related event and getting intoxicated is unlikely to be good for business! And when next morning comes, how are you going to remember what was said by a potential prospect?!

Do the things you fear and the fear will disappear

When you walk into a room for business or social purposes how do you feel?
Do any of these strike a cord?

1 Where do I start in this room full of strangers?

2 How do I break the ice?

3 How do I create a good first impression?

4 How can I make myself interesting and exciting?

5 How do I keep the conversation going?

6 When do I move from the small talk to business?

7 How do I move on after a conversation?

8 How do I approach groups?

9 How can I ensure it won’t be a waste of time?

10 How will I manage rejection?

If this is you , you're normal. 99% of people have one or more of these fears

Do the things you fear and the fear will disappear

When you start accepting invitation, learn to network with confidence , all these fears will diappear

Borrowing form the bank? Here are your manager's secrets

When they lend money they think "CAMPARI & ICE"!
Now we all know bankers like a good lunch but this is an acronym as follows.

C haracter
A bility (How good are you at what you do?)
M eans (What's your overall financial situation?)
P urpose (of loan?)
A mount
R epayment
I insurance ( i.e. security)

And, from the banks' point of view?

I nterest (rate)
C harges
E xtras (What else can they interest us in?!)

Now you know.

Brilliant questions to ask at an interview

Nicloa of Kintish went to a BNI meeting today and heard the following

These are the questions that Kevin @ Yorkshire bank suggested we asked if we can not decide which person we should have for the job-

1 We have all had less than perfect results explain when this has happened to you?
2 Sometimes customers have unrealistic expectations of the product or service; explain when this has happened to you?
3 Give me an example of how you identify and set your direct performance goals?
4 Think about a good and bad decision you have made and tell me about them?
5 What kind of sales situation gave you the most difficulty, and tell me about a time you had to persuade a reluctant customer to buy your product?

What have you done today to sustain or grow your business?

Every day we lose clients. They die, they retire, they merge,they sell, they don't need your services any more. Oh and they become dissatisfied with your costs or services and go to the opposition.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TODAY TO KEEP THE TANK FILLED?
Try this as an exercise.
Give yourself 1 point for gaining a referral or introduction
Give yourself 2 points for getting an appointment to do new or additional business
Give yourself 3 points for meeting a decision maker
Give yourself 4 points for gaining new business

EVERY DAY AIM FOR AT LEAST 4 POINTS.
If you don't get them your pipeline is likely to reduce meaning your client tank will reduce meaning.....

What modern day professional services companies do.

I presented a networking skills workshop to Halliwells plc today, a major UK law firm.
What is so unusual about that? Simply that my audience was made up of first year trainees, many of whom only started work last week. The modern day firm realise that bright capable young people can attract new business WHEN THEY ARE TRAINED TO DO IT PROPERLY.
Do you and your company need help? If so have a look here

Things kids say.....

Ann Davies my Business Development Director has recently been on a family holiday. On one particular day while she was relaxing by the pool, her 6 year old daughter, Morgan, shouted out "Mum, you don't earn as much money as Dad because all you do is sit at a computer all day while day works really hard fixing things for people". Ann's husband is a joiner. Ann thought this was hilarious that a child this young can have these thoughts! How naive!

Children can say the most funniest things. I'm sure there are lots of you out there that can add to the list!
All contributions gratefully accepted

Pain -v- pleasure. Are you unfit and / or overweight?

Pleasure and pain are usually thought of as contrasting pairs. They are opposites of each other because one is considered to be good and the other bad. They are a pair because they represent two extremes on the same scale. According to SPINOZA’S DEFINITIONS OF THE EMOTIONS (Ethics Part III) pleasure is defined as "a passive state wherein the mind passes to a greater perfection," and pain is "a passive state wherein the mind passes to a lesser perfection."

I swam 40 lengths today. How boring was that 40 minutes? Very. But I'm home now where my mind has passed to a greater perfection.For me the pleasure of keeping fit is greater than the pain of being bored for 40 minutes.
If you believe you are unfit or overwieght and hate the pain of this try exercise. YOU WILL GET FITTER AND YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT. You don't even need to spend any money. Just go for a brisk walk for 30 minutes daily and watch the results.
The PLEASURE of how you will feel will far outweigh PAIN (not real pain) of having to exercise for just 30 minutes. Try it.

In very simplisitic terms,every decision we make, to do or not do something, is based on
'Do I want less pain or more pleasure?"

How much you you want to be a more effective networker?

Ask yourself these questions?
Why do you want to be a better networker?
What is the difference you want to see?
Why is it important?
What is cost of not being good networker? PAIN?
What could the value be if current to desired state? MORE PLEASURE
How would you know? PLEASURE?

Key reasons you should join formal networking clubs

1 They are safe havens for even the most inexperienced networkers
2 You market yourself to a number of people all at once
3 It helps you with your presentations skills and overall self-confidence
4 When you attend regularly you build trust- leading to people recommending you. Recently my friend Andy Bounds (great presentation skills presenter and trainer) got introduced to 2 companies which have become large clients. This was as a result of being a member of the largest breakfast networking club BNI. The funny thing here is that most people in BNI are involved in small businesses.
But think, “EVERYBODY IS SOMEBODY’S SOMEBODY”

Mistakes people make when attending formal networking clubs

1 People don’t turn up as often as they should. Your fellow members have short memories, if you're not there referral business will be offered elsewhere

2 People don’t give the session the ‘space’ it needs. Get there early and aim to leave space at the end. That's where the real business is done, in the informal sessions.

3 Don’t go only thinking ‘What’s in it for me?’ Start with ‘What’s in it for you?’
Have a 'giving' attitude. The more help, advice and referrals you give your fellow members, the more you will get back.

4 Don’t just talk to ‘your mates’. Aim to speak to new members and guests before the event. The more people you meet the more opportunities you will create

5 Don’t be impatient. Networking is about building relationships. Don't expect business to regularly come to you for at least 6 months. It takes time for people to know, like and trust you.

6 You can’t build meaningful relationships at the actual meetings. Plan to meet fellow members on a one -to- one basis when you do that do you get a greater insight into their business an vice-versa. That way you will know how you can help and be helped.

7 Don’t be boring. When you present for your 1 minute make it interesting. Tell anecdotes, mention the different services you offer, even tell personal stories. People buy you before they will buy your services

8 Don’t have a narrow mind to connections. Remember the people round the table may not be your immediate target audience but they all know 200+ others. Everybody is somebody's somebody.

Reticular activating sytems + working the room

Focusing on two or three key business or personalissues does something else for your behaviour.
It triggers your Reticular Activating System.
Your brain is assaulted by thousands of messages each second. Everything you see, hear, smell, feel and touch is a message entering your brain. The Reticular Activating System filters through all these messages and decides which ones will get page one treatment - that is, arouse the brain.
One of the things we've learned from working with entrepreneurs is that you tend to pay attention to the things which are important to you at the time. If your currently dominant thoughts are about creating a new brochure, you'll start seeing other brochures. You'll hear conversations about brochures. You'll pick up ideas relating to brochures and even notice colors that would be attractive for the new brochure.
In other words, the Reticular Activating System will pass through anything even remotely related to the important issue - the brochure. From a practical point of view, this means that, if you want to solve a problem or achieve a goal, keep it at the top of your mind. Think about it, talk about it, write about it and imagine it completed. This is one of the reasons why affirmations work so well and why it is important to review your goals frequently.
If you focus on improving a specific key indicator of your business success, your Reticular Activating System will pass through sights, sounds, people and ideas even remotely related to that point of focus. In other words, if you measure it visibly, frequently and attentively, it will likely improve.
New Car?
When you bought that new modelof car you thought 'I'm going to be one of a few people with this . I thought that when I got my prized BMW. But now I have it it seems everyone in the world has one. All of a sudden I notice Beemers, before they were of no interest to me
WORKING THE ROOM
What has this got to do with working the room?
Read the blog on another day

Would you rather listen than read? This is fantastic

If you are lazy like me and would rather listen than read an Adobe document (PDF) click to 'view' on the top menu and you will see a line "Read out aloud". Click on there and just listen to the words...you lazy people.

We don't learn until we're really ready

Barny, my friend, said this last week and it got me thinking.There has to be a reason to want to learn. That's why kids often waste so much time at school. Who wants to learn geography or history? It needs a good teacher, a really good teacher to mmotivate.
And that's why I listen to self -help or learning audio CD's for a second and third time. I miss so much becuase of my selective listening. I listen to something for a 3rd time and think 'I nevre heard that before'. The reason being I wasn't ready to learn that bit on those first 2 occasions.
People who come on my seminars and workshops more than once for the same reason.They say that's new stuff. I quietly smile...inside

"There's no such thing as bad children, just bad parents"

I heard this today on an audio CD entitled "What to say and how to say it" by John Costigan.It is a CD about gaining more sales with lots of practical phrases when going through the conversations. The phrase above started a chapter in which he said "There's no such thing as a bad customer, just a bad sales person." Worth an investment if you want more business

Like ducks on a pond

This is such a pleasant time of year. Telephones aren't ringing, appointment calendars have gaps and there is time to reflect and enjoy life. It's so easy to coast through these lazy Summer weeks, letting time pass until things perk up. Why rush?
But under the surface, things are happening. It's a question of realizing at what level. Many companies and organizations use this time to plan and prepare for the coming season. Leaders are busy, using this time of year to plan ahead.

Managers and executives are already busy solidifying options for the balance of the year. They have the time and are open to new ideas. These important people are even more receptive to your suggestions during this period.

This week's tip:
---------------
Different networks have differing cycles. Synchronizing your activities with the needs of your different networks allows you to stay ahead of the relationship curve to supply value and deliver services when they have the most impact.
So who should you contact this week to ask about Fall product or service needs?

The above came from Michael J Hughes a Canadian networking guru. Well worth subscribing for his great newsletter

A day without accountants, solicitors or surveyors

My usual audience of the professionals was missing today. Instead I worked with business development professionals from the Principal Hotels Group. They have 6 hotels and I stayed at 3 of them. Top class buildings, top class service.
As an ex-accountant I'm always a littel wary talking to these full time 'sales people' about getting more business. But, hey, they gave me top marks and said they learnt lots.
Interested in talking to us about running an in house workshop for you? View here for details

For £25 you could be on TV or the radio or quoted in the news

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Presschoice enables you to tell the media how they should contact you, directing journalists to exactly the place in your organisation which is best able to handle their calls.


But more than that, it also enables you to promote your organisation as an expert in any number of fields you choose. That’s because when listing on the database, you can choose a number of subjects which you wish to comment on. Anyone looking for experts in those areas, will be given the contact details you provided.


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The UK's big secret

When people want to see the north of England, most head for the Lake District or Scotland. 2 great places.
Have a look at this



and this



and this



This is the Yorkshire Dales
I went walking at 7am and see lots of sights like these. It's paradise and well worth a visit

"What do you do?"

Every week I get Robert Middleton's newsletter
This was in this wek's edition

One of the greatest confusions in talking about, and marketing, professional services is that we tend to answer the questions about our services at face value.

This is a big mistake because what people ask and what they really want to know are two quite different things. So, if you answer the question they ask, they don't get the answers they want.

Confusing? Definitely!

The first question everyone asks us is "What do you do?" That's THE question. But if we answer it at face value we don't communicate much of real value:

"I'm a management consultant." (OK, now I have your label, but I
really don't know what that means to me.) or...

"I do workshops on productivity and performance." (Better, but still
I'm not seeing a big benefit here.) or...

"I work with software firms to be more productive and profitable."
(Yeah, I could see that this would be valuable.) or...

"I work with start-up software firms who are struggling to make a
profit." (Bingo! my son-in-law works for a company like that!)

So what's the underlying question to "What do you do?" My observation is that it's, "Are you someone who can help me?"

Now the person you're talking to may not work for a software firm that's struggling to make a profit, but if they do (or know someone who does), you've hit a vital nerve with your answer. None of the other answers even get close.

Wouldn't it be great if it got easier from there? Well, it doesn't!
Because people keep talking in code. And you have to decipher the next one as well. Here it is:

"That's great, how do you do that?"

But don't go there. Translate the question as follows: "What kind of results do you produce for your clients?" Then answer like this:

"The clients who work with me get these kind of results: They become profitable in six months or less and stop struggling with cash flow." This is music to the ears. The language of results. Just make sure you talk about what you can really deliver.

This kind of marketing language will get the attention and interest of prospects, and make them want to know more. But you're not done yet. You're going to get more coded questions:

"That's terrific. But how does your service work?"

The red lights should go off at this point. Don't go down that path.
Better men and women than you and I have gone there never to return. The vast majority tend to go in one of two directions:

They go into "tech-talk" that explains their approach or process in excruciating detail. But tech-talk can be confusing to the average
layman: "The sub-optimal performance horizon undermines the maximization of variable input factors in the productivity matrix. So we co-harmonize these factors." Huh??

Or they go in the opposite direction explaining how their service works in terms so generic that they lose all impact. "Well, we're all about productivity, alignment and commitment. When we get those things going, results tend to improve pretty fast." Well, Duh!

Both of these approaches are dead ends. Nobody really wants to know how your service works. The hidden question behind the question is: "Do your services actually work?" That would be a little rude, wouldn't it? But answer it, nevertheless, as follows:

Tell a story. Success stories that outline how you helped a specific client gets listeners hanging on your every word:

"We met a very promising start-up software firm who didn't think
they could hold on another month. We helped them get their cash
flow working, got them some more money and then showed how they
could sell the software faster to their target market. Nine months
later they are profitable and growing quickly."

Not so hard right? You can do this quite successfully with a little practice. You should prepare several success stories in verbal and written form. They are a powerful persuasion tool.

Starting to get the idea? If you don't understand the real questions beneath the standard questions, you'll miss the opportunity to tell them what they really want to know.

*
The More Clients Bottom Line: To speak a prospect's language you need to understand that the fundamental question everyone is asking is "What's in it for me?" Answer that and you'll do fine.

How are you answering your prospect's questions?

There's hot and there's melting

I worked in London today in the heat wave. As I went down yesterday knowing London was to be 30+ degrees ‘I wasn’t bothered’ as I’d worked at this client before and they had the best air-conditioned room any where in London. It was on floor 8 , the top of the building with the sun streaming in but I wasn’t bothered.
UNTIL
Until I go there to be told there had been a power failure the previous night and the air-conditioning didn’t work. Talk about slaving over a hot flipchart. I must have lost 2 stone..But as people who know me they’ll say that’s not a bad thing!

Kintish at the BBC

Through my networking I met a man who is heavily involved with Working Lunch shown daily on BBC 2. He was good enough to invite me to watch the programme from the control room. I was like a kid who’d been asked to be a mascot at Wembley for his favourite team!
I sat next to the producer Lynn and the director and all the other people who, in my job we call ‘admin and support’.
It was fascinating watching the programme unfold. They kept changing things throughout and the poor presenters were being bombarded with @ 22 seconds too long …miss out next bit’ or ‘you need to adlib for 43 seconds , we can’t get the link to Denmark.
If you aver get a chance to go and have a look around the BBC at White City…take it.

A magical weekend

Do you ever have one of those weekends where everything goes to plan? Relaxation reigns, lots of food, drink, entertainment and sunshine. What more can one want? Oh yes, good company and lots of laughs.
We went to the RHS Flower Show in Cheshire Saturday and an outdoor Mozart concert on Sunday at Gawsworth Hall in Macclesfield. It was in a magnificent setting in the gardens of a beautiful manor house which has been there for about 700 years. The owners were collecting the tickets, clearing the bins and even introduced the concert.
The Hall has 30+ concerts, plays, and readings etc. each summer all with well known names entertaining. It’s worth a look at this. I did do a bit of networking too. Met loads of people I knew which added to the day.
This group have remained friends...and married for over 30 years. Is this a record?

Come on the networking journey

Whenever you go on a journey the objective is to arrive safely.
From my experience so many people start on their networking journey but never arrive.
It starts with attending events where we meet people. We build new or reinforce relationships but how many people actually move to the next step.... following up?

Is this you when you think about having to make a follow up call after spotting an potential opportunity?



If so and you chicken out, the chances of you reaching the end of your journey, i.e. doing business, is substantially reduced.
Don't become a networking criminal...



...always follow up when you believe business can be created.

If you struggle with this we can help.
See here for our nationwide programme of public seminars

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

An award should go to the gate attendant at Brisbane New International
airport. A crowded Singapore -London flight was cancelled. She was the
lone attendant in charge of re-booking a long line of inconvenienced
travellers.

Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his
ticket down on the counter and said, "I HAVE to be on this flight and it
HAS to be FIRST CLASS".

The attendant replied, "I'm sorry sir. I'll be happy to try to help you,
but I've got to help these people first, and I'm sure we'll be able to work
something out." The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the
passengers behind him could hear, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?"

Without hesitating, the attendant smiled and grabbed her public address
microphone: May I have your attention please? May I have your attention
please?" she began. With her voice being heard clearly throughout the
terminal, she said, "We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW
WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to Gate
14."

With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at
the attendant, gritted his teeth and said, "F*^#"... You!" Without
flinching, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to get in
line for that too.

When you look after your staff....

they look after you. Since being in charge of my business i find this rule works. well most of the time;people do take advantage of your good nature sometimes.But, hey, so what.At least you'll feel you've done the right thing and can sleep well

STAFF ARE VOLUNTEERS
The piece of paper entitled "Contracts of Employment" basically only need to be adhered to by one of the parties...the employee. They can walk out any time they fancy. The employer can't just say, "I've had enough of you...push off!" Such is life.

Here is a picture of a great day out me and my team had in the very hot Lake District

How much time do you spend with your children?

I am nowhere near the perfect father, far from it, but I have shown an interest in my sons football for over 25 years. Even last night I went to watch Antony play Futsal ( yes Futsal) which is a 5-a-side game needing skill and lots of stamina. The goals are small, there is no offside, and the key to winning is passing and movement off the ball.It was exciting, fast flowing and will eventually become a major sport. Check out the website. Oh and by the way his team won 7-1 and he scored a hat trick!

Humour is the key to good business

I laughed today when I saw a white van with the following signs
Eddie’s Plumbing Services….working in partnership with the taxman.
No gimmicks, no offers, no freebies , no bulls**t…just affordable plumbing.
If you need a plumber in Leeds, look him up, he must be worth a chat at least
I think this must be him
Eddie's Plumbing & Heating Services
0113 216 1356
28 Waincliffe Drive
Leeds, LS11 8ET

From failure to success

Today was a great day. I presented to a group called Praxis. This is a non-profit making organisation made up of people who liaise between people at universities with ideas and business people who can turn those ideas into money.
I spoke at their conference. They must have been important people; it was called the Directors Forum. Did we laugh! My wife says they’re laughing at me not with me. I want them to do both, after all I do try to make my presentations humorous.

Kintish failed for the first time in 6 years

I was running a workshop in London at 2pm and left home in Manchester at 7.30am.The car journey takes 3 hours generally so I believed I had allowed enough time.
When we got stuck at Stoke (about 20% of the journey) and weren’t moving I took a deep breath and called my client to admit I was to let him down.
This has never happened in the 6 years I have been presenting.
He was very understanding and we have rearranged.
WHAT DID I LEARN?
Well, normally I travel by train so maybe it’s time to line Richard Branson’s, already deep, pockets yet further?

Robert Middleton is the man for you if...

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What are the key questions you need to ask in order to be a successful marketer of your services? The answers you so desperately need will only come through asking - such as...

Who are my ideal clients?

What are my clients' most pressing problems?

How can I effectively package solutions to those problems?

How can I become better at delivering those services?

How can I make those services more attractive?

How can I get the attention of my prospective clients?

How can I educate my prospects about how I can help them?

Those are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself. Can you answer all of them clearly and concisely? If you can, great; you have laid the foundation for marketing your services. If not, your marketing will grind to a standstill.

I've just written my book

I have been planning this for over 3 years now. Not only is it ready for the printers it has also been produced in audio form.
It's called "I hate netwroking" and is about the networking life of Brian, the reluctant networker. Most of the book is dialogue between Brian and his conscience...i.e. me!

Here's an extract

The Networking Life of Brian

Chapter 1
The Invitation
Brian’s office 9.15am. Four weeks before the event. Brian is sorting out his post.

“Right, what have we here? Letters from clients, junk mail, letters from Revenue and Customs... we’ll certainly add that to the junk mail pile. Ah, what’s this - an invitation from another professional services firm?


Walter, Feather & Co
Invites Brian Camberton
To our Annual Premier Networking Event
At the Grand Hotel
Tuesday 4th March at 6pm
RSVP

Ooch I hate those events…waste of time…They hardly recommend any work to us so what’s the point? In fact, knowing that firm, they’re bound to invite 150+ people and I’ll feel like a fish out of water. No, I’m going to bin it. Not for me, thank you.”
“Hi, Brian. Please stop before you throw that invitation in the bin. Didn’t you say recently that despite it being a good year, things have started to slow down and you could do with more work?
“Who in heaven’s name said that?! I’m hearing voices. I must be going mad”
“I’m sorry Brian, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Will and my role in life is to help you and other professionals become more confident and effective networkers. When you listen to my tips, techniques and ideas, I promise that networking will become a lot easier, more enjoyable, and, more importantly, you’ll leave every event with something useful.”
“Well hello there, Will. Are you an expert in this networking stuff?”
“Well I don’t like to boast but I do have a pretty deep knowledge of the subject. But then so do you I hear, a leading authority in your field too?”

“I suppose it has been said.”
“You’re being a little modest here now aren’t you? People come from miles for your advice, you write lots or articles and you have even been interviewed on the TV.”
“You have checked me out thoroughly.”
“Yes, master networkers spend time in preparation as you’ll see later. Now tell me, how much business development do you do?”
“None really, I leave it to others. But I must tell you this, Will, they drive me mad to get more involved.”
“They?”
“My partners, the management board, even some of the my subordinates tell me we’d get so much more work if I ‘got involved’.
“So why don’t you?”
“Because I’m a professional , others should do that. Just let me do a great job for my clients and the work will come.”
That’s true , but to a point. It means you rely on others to send you that extra work, you’re not in control are you?”
“I suppose you’re right. So what do you think I should do?”
“May I start by asking you to consider this? You just never know who’s going to be at this event; what useful contacts or even prospective clients you may meet. You’re going to raise your profile and that of the firm. You may learn something and, believe it or not, you might actually have a good time.”
“What event’s that then?”
“The one you’ve been invited to. Look – the invitation you’re holding. Why not give it a go?”
“I don’t believe it’s ever possible to have a good time let alone pick up any business.
I’ve been attending these events for years and I can’t remember the last time I arrived home thinking it was time well-spent.”
“As I say, I’m here to change all that. Stick with me for this one event and let’s see what happens. After all, you were recently moaning that business wasn’t as brisk as you’d like it to be. Perhaps a re-think in your attitude can improve the situation?”
“How do you know I said that business isn’t what it could be?”
“As an authority on networking, Brian, it’s my job to constantly keep my ears and eyes open. When you’re awake, alive and alert, you can pick up so much useful information.”
“Sounds like you’re spying on me.”
“Only for your own good, Brian. Tell me, have you ever been trained in the skills of networking?”
“Let me think…no I don’t think so.”
“So is it any wonder you find it difficult and unsettlng? How would you feel if you had to do your professional work without any formal training?”
“Well, I just wouldn’t be able to do it.”
“Correct, so why should you feel secure and reassured in this aspect of your work?”
“Putting it that way, I guess you make a valid point.”
“So?”
“Okay, Will. I’ll go to this event but I just know it’s going to be waste of time. Where’s that invitation. I had better RSVP.”
“Good. Stay with me Brian and let me give you all the support you need.
And that brings us nicely onto the first thing I’d like to say. Ignoring an invitation, throwing it in the bin the way you did, is nothing short of rude. You wouldn’t do that with an invitation to a friend’s party now would you? You see Brian, replying courteously - even in the negative - ensures that you stand out from the crowd. Every time you and your company’s name are seen in a positive manner, that’s good marketing. If you can’t go, first and foremost send a polite reply. However, alternatively, why not suggest that someone else represents the business to see what opportunities exist? And, unless it is a £100 per head dinner or a really glitzy affair, you may wish to ask your hosts if you can bring a colleague with you. That way there will be two of you networking on behalf of your company. After all, as they say in the air-force, it’s good to have a wingman.”
“I see. Maybe I would do well to listen to what you have to say. I’d better send that reply card back saying I’m going to attend.
“Good start, Brian, who knows what might happen?”

Tags: Kintish Products Networking

It's time to sack some clients and customers

When a client or customer contacts you, you generally have one of two reactions, "Oh good!" or "Oh god!"
If the latter occurs think how life would be without that person. Bliss perhaps?

The issue here is most professionals won't get rid of clients because of insecuirty and lack of self-confidence.
Many people tell they have little time to go out networking. I say it's because you're spending too much time with BMW's

BMW'S
No, not the posh cars which come out of Germany but
B ITCHERS
M OANERS
W HINGERS

Get rid of them, they cause you nothing but stress. They take take take and generally it's advantage they take most.
Think
Is there mutual trust?
Is there mutual respect?
Is there mutual liking?
Do these clients recommend others?
What do we earn from these clients?
What more can we earn from these clients?
Are these clients BMWs?
Do we recover good time charge rates?
Do they pay?

Part of your marketing should include ACTING ONLY FOR CLIENTS YOU DESERVE.
Go on chose one client and send them "I think it's time for you to find someone else" letter.
You'll feel wonderful.
I have a measurement chart for you to assess whether they're worth keeping. Ask me for it.

Tags: Networking Attitude Clients

The father of my granddaughter sent me this

~Gene Perret
What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they
give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure.

~Welsh Proverb
Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.

~Gore Vidal
Never have children, only grandchildren.

~OgdenNash
When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window.

~Marcy DeMaree
Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day,

and now the day was complete.

~Lois Wyse
If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I'd have had them first.

~Mary H. Waldrip
Grandhildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.

~Proverb
You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your
grandmother.

~Alex Haley
Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do.
Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.

~Joy Hargrove
One of the most powerful handclasps is that of a new grandbaby around the finger of a grandfather.

~G. Norman Collie
Grandchildren don't make a man feel old; it's the knowledge that he's married to a grandmother


~Authors Unknown
Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple. Grandmas are short on criticism and long on love.

Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting.

Grandparents are similar to a piece of string - handy to have around and easily wrapped around the fingers of their grandchildren.

Grandmothers are just antique little girls.

It's amazing how grandparents seem so young once you become one.!

A grandparent is old on the outside but young on the inside.

Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies.

Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts
forever.

A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween

Tags: Proverbs Quotes

How good are you at remembering peoples' names?

Most people say, "Rubbish" or "I forget their name as soon as I hear it" or "I'm not bad with faces...but names...yuk!"
Well, here's the answer. It's generally nothing to do with your memory ,it's all to do with your attitude. Or, more precisely your hearing. We're all so keen to make a good impression,we aren't listening when someone gives their name.
In future, as they do, listen carefully and as you're shaking hands repeat their name and concentrate for that 1 second. You will hear it and,if you want to, you will remember it. You may not remember it again 30 minutes later when you have met another 10 people but at least in those early moments of building a relationship you will be fine. Repeat the name to yourself, use some word or picture association and maybe use their names just 2 or 3 times early on during the conversation.
Try it...it works
This is from part of Dale Carnegie principles in his world best seller, 'How to win friends and influence people'

Tags: Networking Attitude Memory