Happy New Year - a Fun Blog to kick off 2015...

...Four Lessons from my Dad's Shops...

I started working in the family business from the age of Five - stacking shelves, sweeping up to begin with, but by the age of Eight I was serving customers, moving vans and trucks in the yard and gong to market at 05.00 to buy the produce.

It was my first Business Apprenticeship, that lasted until I was 17, so as it's nearly 2015 - I thought I'd bring you a smile with the lessons and tips I learned from the sharp end of fresh food retailing...

1. Attractive people get the best service - when an attractive woman came into the shop they got noticed by the guys working there, and the same happened when a good looking guy walked in with the girls.

There would be a rush to be the one who served them, the trick was of course not to be seen to be so eager, that was not cool at all. 

Ugly, unattractive or scruffy people got noticed too, for the opposite reasons and would be avoided; the trick here was to engineer the work and waiting customers so that you only served the good looking ones.

Lesson - always look your best, be polite and engaging and you will get much better levels of service than if you are ugly, rude or scruffy; if you cant be attractive, at least be tidy and polite. In Sales, you will sell more too...

One Christmas a young man came into the shop and bought one apple, on orange, one banana, one tomato, a small tin of peas and a small piece of fish.

Doreen who was working on the checkout looked at him and his purchases and said "you are single aren't you..?"

"Yes.." he replied "how did you know...?

"Because you're an ugly @#$£..."

2. People buy on Greed not Price - for example, oranges were sold by quantity whereas apples were sold by weight, don't know why but they just were.

One orange would be priced at 10p, however, if we sold the same orange at a price of 4 for 50p, we sold more...

Note here how greed dazzles they eyes and intellect of the customer. There is a psychology to selling even fruit and vegetables that can be used in all areas of business - people buy what they believe gives them the best deal, not what actually does...

Lesson - bundling is great way of increasing volume and profits. Next time you are in the supermarket, check out the "£/ kg" or "£/litre" comparisons between individual products and those that are bulked together - you may get a surprise; and don't let greed be your only buying strategy.

Tragically at one of the stores we had to fire Kevin for gross misconduct.

Kevin had been seen by customers and his co workers attempting to insert a large cucumber into both the bacon slicer and the bread mixer; so we really had no choice...

Unfortunately, we also had to fire the bacons slicer and the bread mixer too...

3. People buy with the Eye - Granny smith apples are the best looking apples. They are uniform in weight and size and have a thick peel that can be polished to a shiny and lustrous finish.

As a 6 year old one of my jobs was to stack the fruit for display. If I polished each apple, and stacked them in a perfect pyramid with tissue paper between each layer of the stack, they looked amazing.

These apples could be sold for 50% more than the same apples sold loose from a bin into which they had simply been tipped form the box.

Picture Credit - Wrensoft.com

Lesson - presentation is key. People believe that if something looks good, then it must be good, whatever you are selling, always present it well and package it properly (see below...) it is worth the effort.

One year we had a Christmas party at the Birmingham branch an all staff were in fancy dress; being six I, came as a Dwarf...

Steve arrived late and was not in costume, but he had decided to bring his girlfriend along...

Seeing he was not in costume, Dad challenged him at the door of the shop before allowing him in...

"what have you come as...?" he barked...

Quick as a flash, Steve replied "Ninja Turtle..."

"...and who's this...? Dad enquired...

"It's Michelle..."

You may need to think about this one...

4. Packaging adds value and fools the Eye - selling flowers at some of our shops, we had to find a way of selling them quickly and at good margin. Flowers don't last long in storage and they are easily damaged so stock loss tends to be high.

Danny, who had been thrown out of the Army for stealing a Tank whilst on deployment in Germany - it was only a small Tank apparently, had a bright idea...

One Rose would sell for £0.95, however, if we packed it in a square plastic tube with a gift card and a red bow on it, we could sell them for £4.95.

The packaging cost around £0.50 so this was great for margin too - Danny also offered to write the cards for an extra £1.00 too...

Lesson - it's not what you sell it's how it appears to the buyer. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder as value is in the mind of the customer.

Packaging of your product is key, and so is the packaging of your service - what do you surround your service with that makes it look and feel better to your customers..?

One Saturday, Helen who was a regular, attractive and polite A Grade customer came into the shop...

She looked upset and anxious so Kevin (before he was sacked for his Cucumber episode..) asked if she was OK...

She replied that she had been to the doctor with a worrying condition that she was concerned about...

She told Kevin that the symptoms included having a lettuce leaf protruding out of her underwear...

"That sounds terrible..." Kevin said..

"...and that's just the tip of the iceberg..." replied Helen...

From all the Team at Results Rules OK we wish you a Healthy, Wealthy and most of all Fun 2015...

David Holland MBA is the Founder and CEO of Results Rules OK, a Business Coaching, Training and Publications Company with offices in France, Luxembourg and the UK...

To find out more about working with David as you Business Coach, Executive Coach or Team Trainer - just drop him a note todavidholland@resultsrulesok.comfor an introductory and complimentary discussion that just could change your life, your business and your results...

If you'd like to come to one of our Events to meet David, the Team and some of his Clients, then check out the website HERE - we look forward to seeing you and hearing from you...

Stop all your Marketing and do this..

...your network holds the key to your success...

In 2015, if you couldn't do any marketing except through referrals and introductions, what would you do...?

Time to Dump all your Marketing Strategies...

Imagine never having to update LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ ever again; no more cold calls, direct mail and email campaigns...

No more SEO, Pay Per Click or Adwords; forget advertising, printed mugs and tee shirts, let alone the taxi backs and flyers that never work anyway..

You aren't even allowed to go to your favourite Breakfast Networking events, so good for the waistline too...

How could you double your business without all these tactics..?

Simple - the rule of 5;3;1

Imagine actually meeting people face to face and talking to them about how you can help each other - a radical ideas indeed...

First, make a list of everyone you know...

1. Friends...

2. Family...

3. Clients...

4. Suppliers..

5. People you like...

6. Influencers you've heard of..

7. Competitors...

8. Celebrities / Authors you'd like to meet...

Your Target here is to get at least 250 names - sounds a lot but over a glass of Merlot, you'll be surprised who you can put on your list...

Then make a commitment to contact FIVE of these people every week and simply invite them for a Coffee; not a Sales Meeting, but simply a conversation to find out how you can help each other.

Your objective is simply to find ways to cooperate and collaborate with them and explore the possibilities...

This is how the "system" will likely work...

• Contact 5 People per week - 250 people contacted in a 12 month Period...

• Likely that 3 of those People will agree to meet with you during the 12 months; so 150 meetings...

• 1 of the 3 you meet will have an opportunity or an idea that can add value to you and likely to them too; 50 new opportunities...

You'll build a real network of around 150 people that, providing you keep in touch with, communicate with and add value to; may be all you need to attract enough opportunities to double your business in 2015...

The magic of 150 is called Dunbars Number - a sweet spot for the maximum number of people that each of us can develop into a stable social relationship.

Now imagine if your Team did that too...?

So simple and effective - you'll slap yourself you didn't do it sooner..

If you had just one Opportunity each week from this simple method - what could it do to your results...

This is not a "made up" system - I have tested this out and so far have achieved the following in the last 4 weeks...

1. Strategic alliance with a Top Accounting firm in the UK...
2. Merger offer from the USA - this one alone will double our sales...
3. Proposal request from Investment Bank - Circa $25,000...
4. 2 Day workshop Booking from Germany...

Now imagine you did this AND you kept your other marketing strategies running too - how great could 2015 actually be...?

Have a great 2015...

David Holland MBA is the Founder and CEO of Results Rules OK, a Business Coaching, Training and Publications Company with offices in France, Luxembourg and the UK...

To find out more about working with David as you Business Coach, Executive Coach or Team Trainer - just drop him a note todavidholland@resultsrulesok.com for an introductory and complimentary discussion that just could change your life, your business and your results...

If you'd like to come to one of our Events to meet David, the Team and some of his Clients, then check out the website HERE - we look forward to seeing you and hearing from you...

3 Reasons your Start Up will fail in 2015...

...or at least it will if you make these mistakes...

Speaking with Angel Investors is always interesting and entertaining...

They remind me of Gamblers - they always tell you about their wins, but gloss over the losses; telling me they are in the "investment" or "development" phase...

They have that hopeful optimism of explorers and prospectors; the next big win is just around the next ridge, gold will be found under the next rock..

When they calm down and reflect on their investments, there is a pattern that emerges about why Start Ups fail - so here are the lessons they have learned so painfully...

The Number One reason a start up fails is...

The person in charge is an idiot...

So if you are an idiot - don't start a business - just a tip. Sounds really harsh, but look around you at the people who get fired from their jobs for being incompetent, or made redundant for being ineffective, and overnight become "Entrepreneurs.."

Entrepreneur translates to "Unemployable" so remember that it's not because they are any good that they are starting their business - it's simply that they don't have any other option..

Would you invest your money in an idea created by an unemployable idiot..?

Some Investors do - it's called Greed, they of course call it strategic planning, but as whiskey is sure to improve the looks of the person sat at the bar with you, greed makes a junk start ups look amazing, sexy and attractive...

For 2015, if you are thinking about jacking it all in, taking your final pay-check and opening a bar, cafe, on-line business blah blah blah; think again, take this quick idiot test and if you don't score well - polish up the CV and phone the agency in the morning...

1. Are your great at Sales and marketing...? Yes = 10 No = 0
2. Can you live for 12 months without any income...? Yes = 10 No = 0
3. Is your idea radical, new and cutting edge...? Yes = 0 No = 10
4. Are you likeable and attractive...? Yes = 10 No = 0
5. Will you work 90 hours a week, with no holidays...? Yes = 10 No = 0
6. Do you let life's drama become an excuse..? Yes = 0 No = 10
7. Does your partner have an income...? Yes = 0 No = 10
8. Is your ego bigger than your mortgage...? Yes = 0 No = 10
9. Is adding value your #1 motivation...? Yes = 10 No = 0
10. Do you have a Coach..? Yes = 10 No = 0

If you score less than 100; go get a job...

The Number Two reason a start up fails is...

The product or service never gets finished...

When someone has a great idea about a product or service, in their mind they can see it finished and working; the challenge is not the idea, its the execution...

Of course, all products and services can be refined, improved and developed over time. It's why we have the IPhone 6, Windows 8 and New Daz...

Speaking with a Startpreneur at a recent event, he was explaining to me how his product had been designed, refined, re-designed, tested, refined again and then tested yet again...

I asked him how many product he had actually sold in the last 2 years...

None - the product wasn't ready...

He was haemorrhaging around $500k a year, his investors were getting nervous, he wanted to build the perfect product but in the dazzling glare of perfection he had forgotten the small problem of cash flow...

If you are going to launch - then get the product and service "good to go..." but forget perfection - it simply doesn't exist...

At some point you have to let your idea float into the market and hope that enough people like it that they will actually pay money for the pleasure of experiencing it.

Launching is hard because it means that there a risk of failure, rejection and the dream being over - while things sit on the drawing board the dream is kept alive on the investors life giving transfusions of cash...

Many ideas simply die because they run out of time; the cash dries up or the market takes over and the idea itself becomes obsolete. If you are going to launch a business in 2015 - get 90% happy with it and press the launch button...

The Third reason a start up fails is...

It's a service that no one actually wants...

At a recent seminar in the UK, I was approached by a man with an idea; beam me up Scotty...

He showed me a prototype of an App that would transform the way we use social media, communicate with each other and build our business networks...

He absolutely loved it, he was excited and passionate about the idea and how much money he could make as a passive income in year 3 onwards...

Looking for investors and distribution partners, he showed me the App and how it could tag, transfer, message and arrange "face-time meetups in the real world.."...

Yawn...

First, I am the wrong person to pitch this to - I am not an 18 year old looking to get laid on a Saturday.

Second, the fact the HE thought this was a cool idea, doesn't mean that anyone else will; excitement and hope are not business strategies...

He had put his last £££'s into the development of the App - there had been no research, testing, control group study or even basic market research done - just an idea in the shower..

Sometimes the best ideas come to us in the shower - most times it includes what to have for lunch or buy for Christmas - not the multi million £ business idea that will make us a fortune and cure world hunger..

RULE...

Selling a new product to a new market is tough - don't be the first in your sector.

Follow Richard Branson and go second - he learned from Freddie Laker and created Virgin Atlantic...

Do your market research, find a great product or service that is in demand already, then do it better; innovation is expensive, use it to refine your product not define it..

Have a great 2015...

David Holland MBA is the Founder and CEO of Results Rules OK, a Business Coaching, Training and Publications Company with offices in France, Luxembourg and the UK...

To find out more about working with David as you Business Coach, Executive Coach or Team Trainer - just drop him a note to davidholland@resultsrulesok.comfor an introductory and complimentary discussion that just could change your life, your business and your results...

If you'd like to come to one of our Events to meet David, the Team and some of his Clients, then check out the website HERE - we look forward to seeing you and hearing from you...

Success Lessons from the Russians...

...how to improve by 1000%...

With just a few days to go before Christmas and the New Year of 2015 - it's a time for celebration, family and relaxation...

It's also a time when we reflect on the year that has been and the one that has yet to come...

It really doesn't matter whether 2014 was a good, bad or indifferent year; it is likely that most of us will be asking ourselves..

How can next year be even better...?

To some this may mean more money, to some it will mean better health,relationships or opportunity; the currency of success is as individual as we are...

So exactly how can we transform our results next year...?

One way is to learn from a Russian Miner called Aleksei Stakhanov...

In 1935, working in the Russian Coal-mines, Aleksei found a way to mine a total of 106 Tons of coal in under 6 hours - almost 14 times his quota...

Then a few weeks later his colleague Nikita Izotov broke this record by mining 607 Tons of coal in a single shift...

Breaking quotas and beating all expectations became a national obsession. The movement was named after it's initiator and its supporters became known as Stakhanovites...

The principles of the movement spread to the Agricultural, Shoe Making and Manufacturing sector - On November 14–17, 1935, the 1st All-Union Stakhanovite Conference took place at the Kremlin which emphasized the role of the Stakhanovite movement in support of the re-construction of the national economy...

It is argued that one of the reasons Russia was able to beat the Germans during WW2 was their ability to produce huge volumes of weapons and armaments at extreme levels of productivity...

As part of the movement, there was a group of "1000%'ers" whose objective was to find a way to improve output per shift by 1000% - in other words, to add a zero...

A medal of Valour was even awarded to the best performers and supporters of theStakhanovite Movement - Soviet Medal for Labour Valour...

The challenge for us is that our Results and levels of Success are a consequence of our expectations - if we only believe that we can improve by 10% next year then that is probably the best we will possibly achieve...

If however we believe that 1000% improvement is possible, and we have evidence that someone has actually achieved it - even if it is in a 1930's Russian Tractor Factory - we shift our paradigm, expectations and actions accordingly...

So how can we make 2015 dramatically better than 2014...?

1. Change the paradigm - the self limiting beliefs that we have are self fulfilling prophecies of mediocrity...
2. Set the Goal - write up a goal of 1000% improvement in your currency of success...
3. Find a Way - look for new methods, knowledge and connections. Work with people that believe in you and your crazy goal...
4. Find Others - who are going for 1000% and let go of the doubters, the average and the mediocre...
5. No Excuses - remove the excuses and drama from your life and focus on the Goal. Less excuses = More achievement...
6. Coach - get a Coach to be your guide, cheerleader and inspiration. To hold you accountable to being the best you can be...

I was once asked...

"what is the best way to achieve a goal..?"

I replied...

"set the goal really low so your success is guaranteed...."

This is how plenty of people set their Goals - for 2015 don't copy them...

The best way to achieve something significant is to simply add a Zero to your Personal Best, then find a way...

Have a great Christmas and a Prosperous, Healthy and Happy New Year...

David Holland MBA is the Founder and CEO of Results Rules OK, a Business Coaching, Training and Publications Company with offices in France, Luxembourg and the UK...

To find out more about working with David as you Business Coach, Executive Coach or Team Trainer - just drop him a note todavidholland@resultsrulesok.com for an introductory and complimentary discussion that just could change your life, your business and your results...

If you'd like to come to one of our Events to meet David, the Team and some of his Clients, then check out the website HERE - we look forward to seeing you and hearing from you...

How to get your Dream Career in 2015...

...a proven formula for success...

Christmas and New Year are when plenty of people "decide" to make changes in their lives; could be heath and fitness, stopping smoking, new job or relationship..

January is also the time when all these decisions get forgotten and somehow life takes over and the routine starts again...

It doesn't have to be this way...

The reason that so many people go back on the commitments they make to themselves is that they don't understand their own motivation, or at least they don't knwo the ingredients that make up motivation..

Luckily, there is a "formula" for achieving change that we can use to develop a framework of motivation that actually works...

Welcome to Gleichers Formula - LINK

The base principle is that we are inherently resistant to Change - we may not think we are, but subconsciously unless we satisfy all aspects of the Formula...

The formula for change explains how we can overcome this inherent resistance and achieve the outcomes - such as getting that Dream Career - that we actually want...

How does it work..?

The Formula suggests that there are Three Components of motivation that enable us to overcome our Resistance to change;

1. Dissatisfaction - are we actually unhappy with our current situation, or in reality is it tolerable; is the change more painful than doing nothing.
2. Vision - do we have clarity around not only the goal, but what the benefits of it's achievement will mean to us.
3. First Steps - knowing "what" we want is one thing, knowing "how" to go about achieving them is something else.
4. Resistance - our inbuilt mechanism that wants us to stay put in our current situation; our "risk aversion" circuit.

Applying the Formula to your Career in 2015...

Imagine, you are at the New Years Party, on the stroke of midnight you tell yourself that this will be the year that you break through, get the job you really want and career you have been dreaming about...

Lets assume that n a scale of 1-100 your resistance to change is 80..

Your level of Dissatisfaction is running at 7 out of 10 - you are quite unhappy and frustrated with your current job / boss / prospects...

Your Level of Vision is only 1 out of 10 - you really have no idea what your Dream Career looks like, where it will be or what it entails...

Understanding what the First Steps should be is 4 out of 10 - you have an idea about putting together a CV, and approaching agencies but not in any detail..

The Formula works like this...

7 x 1 x 4 = 28

...which does not overcome your resistance to change score of 80.

In this situation - even though it may seem like a good idea at midnight, you will almost certainly give up quickly as your resistance takes over...

How to get your Dream Career in 2015...

Simple - use the formula...

Quickest way - reduce your Resistance; be OK with risk and uncertainty so that change is easier to initiate...

Difficult in my experience..

The best way is to build your levels of D & V and build a plan such that F is clear and simple to initiate too...

It is usually Vision that people struggle with, most people are really good at feeling Dissatisfied, it's the Vision that holds them back...

You can of course build your Dissatisfaction - how bad has it got to get before you make a change; challenge here is that high D can mean panic, and the best decisions are not taken under panic conditions...

A better way can be to work on the Vision - paradoxically, the greater your Vision the higher your Dissatisfaction with your current status may be so it ticks a couple of boxes...

Here are a few Ideas to get you started...

• Build a Dream Board - be really specific about dates, locations, outcomes and numbers...
• Write your Goals down - keep them with you at all times, have them on your 'phone for easy reference...
• Research - identify what your Dream Career actually looks like, what it entails and all that goes with it...
• Review - keep the Dream alive by having it in plain view and easy to refer to and remind you about the future...
• Commit - write a contract with yourself, tell others that are close to you, make it so it's a non-negotiable Vision...

Once you have clarity around your Vision - get Planning...

Raising your clarity around the First Steps, doesn't mean you have to know every single thing you have to do to achieve the Vision - it just requires clarity about what to do first to get things under way..

Here are some tips...

• Get the CV up to date...
• Target Organisations and Market yourself...
• Research Visas, permits if needed...
• Contact specialist Agencies and register...
• Set a timeline...
• Polish up your interview skills...

These are little steps that, when combined, will give you progress and movement towards the Vision - the First Steps then become Next Steps as the journey continues...

David Holland MBA is the Founder and CEO of Results Rules OK, a Business Coaching, Training and Publications Company with offices in France, Luxembourg and the UK...

To find out more about working with David as you Business Coach, Executive Coach or Team Trainer - just drop him a note to davidholland@resultsrulesok.com for an introductory and complimentary discussion that just could change your life, your business and your results...

If you'd like to come to one of our Events to meet David, the Team and some of his Clients, then check out the website HERE - we look forward to seeing you and hearing from you...