The Banana Box Challenge...

...what will you leave in yours...?...

Since we were married in 1986, Lynn and I have had 13 homes in 3 countries on 2 continents, and each time we move, we know that packing delicate articles requires specialist packing in trusty Banana Boxes...

These boxes are generally made of Double Wall Corrugated Cardboard as opposed to the Single Wall material used in Apple or even Orange boxes; they stack really well, are ventilated and have an opening in the lid so that the contents can be seen without removing it..

Trust me on the Banana Boxes...

A couple of weeks ago, a friend in Germany told me that his Grandfather had died at the ripe old age of 92, and the task of clearing his house and looking after all the "arrangements" had fallen to him...

The one thing that affected him the most, apart from the obvious grief at the loss of a member of the family; was what was actually left behind.

He showed me into his garage, where stacked up at the back, were around a dozen Banana Boxes containing papers, trinkets and the remaining evidence of a life.

He looked at them and simply said;

"It is really sobering to think that after 92 years, a life gets compressed into just a few boxes at the back of a garage..."

In the boxes were catalogues, brochures and pictures; there was also a number of "To Do" lists, invitations to parties and events that had remained unopened.

There was a blank passport application form, and numerous Post It notes attached to pages of magazines and flyers.

It seemed as if it was a collection of missed opportunities, where "thinking about it" had replaced  "Let's do it..."

One Day...

One day, when you have completed your life, someone will be looking at a similar set of your Banana Boxes at the back of a garage; the contents of which may be the only physical reminder of who you were and what you did... 

Your Banana Box Challenge - BBC - is simply this;

What will be in the boxes you leave behind...?

Will they be filled with memories of a life fully lived, or evidence of procrastination. Will they be filled with joy, amusement and fulfilment or fear, worry and regret...?

What would your BBC look like right now - is there space for more achievement, fun, contribution and travel...?

The time to start filling your BBC is now - we all have less time than we think, so how about if right now you made the one decision that you have been putting off, made the call you have been avoiding or simply said yes to the opportunity that you have been denying...

When strangers and family look through your Banana Boxes neatly stacked at the back of some garage; what will they find...?

The Secret Language of Business Revealed...

....a Humourous look at the DaBrenty Code... 

There are a series of Secret Codes and Phrases that are only known by Managers and CEO's, a Code that is simple to understand and interpret when you understand them. 

Otherwise known by the collective term - "Complete Boll@&#$.." - this is your guide to greater understanding and enlightenment of the secret language of Business..

 
It's a bit like 420 being the code for Cannabis - it's only known by those in the clique; so welcome to the Management Clique, and prepare to be demystified...

1. Challenging Trading Conditions - roughly means that planning and strategic thinking has been woeful, and that shareholders and stakeholders should expect low returns and dividends; in other words "we are screwed and we know it..."

It also means that the CEO is terrified that he or she will have to actually do what they are being paid for in the first place; anyone can run a business when trading conditions are favourable...

2. Confident of hitting Budget - we're in free fall and don't have a clue what to do, so the best we can hope for is that we hit the budgetted numbers we took a wild guess at over a bottle of Chianti 6 months ago. We have no chance of achieving anything this year, so of you want a dividend or a pay rise - good luck.

If the best a CEO can do is hit budget then, fire them; Budget should be minimum for survival, a good CEO will blast a budget out of the water...

3. Blue Sky Thinking - we have no idea what we are doing and are going to have to start from scratch. They may as well throw a set of chicken bones in the air or consult the Tarot; abandon all hope all who participate here.

Once CEO's start talking about Brainstorming, Pushing the Envelope and Running Ideas up the Flagpole to see who Salutes it; we know the game is up, and there is no hope of hitting profit targets this or any year.

4. Employee Empowerment - the beatings will continue until morale improves. Simply means that employees will be able to chose their flavour of working harder and achieving "ever more with ever less".

Employees will be empowered to leave and be successful somewhere else, or to work more hours for less pay so that the CEO experiencing #1 will somehow keep their jobs long enough to get the bonus cheque.

5. Going the Extra Mile - we so completely underestimated the scale of the problem that we have to work twice as hard with half the resources in order to survive.

Probably means that you will be expected to work at home, over the weekend and bend over forwards, backwards and sideways in order to keep the business in the black; and enable the CEO to Push the Envelope even further into the abyss while on the Golf Course.

6. We're Turning a Supertanker - we have no clue what we are doing and as a consequence we are going to do nothing for a while so don't expect to see any improvements for some time yet.

Actually, supertankers turn pretty quick - they can stop in 20 minutes and turn around within 2km. So if anything in Business takes longer than 20 minutes or needs travelling further than 2km - it's out of control.

7. Win Win Situation - management has won and will let you know how you can be happy about the crumbs left over or the non negotiable outcomes that they have chosen for you.

Usually found in the preamble to negotiations and discussions about pay & conditions; what it means is that you will have to compromise what you actually want to satisfy the needs of the company that pays your wages and they will make life hell if you don't capitulate with grace. Give up your dreams, you can't win this one...

8. Disruptive Innovation - we can't make any money doing what we thought we could, so we are going to have to do something new and hope that it just might work.

The last gasp of the desperate; if all else fails, cause chaos and keep your fingers crossed. Difficulty here of course is that the CEO that couldn't Turn the Super Tanker by Going the Extra Mile (or 2km..) has little or no chance of guessing right here either - put your pension and stocks on Black in the Casino; the odds are higher...

9. Strategic Globalisation - you are all fired and your jobs will now be done in India or Africa by people with twice the qualifications who will work for 1/10 of the pay.

It also means that although the company will be profiteering from the skills of the locally educated workforce, they will not be paying any taxes towards the education system that produced them.

10. Lean Management Strategy - see # 9 above. Lean is simply a buzzword for cutting overheads and "waste" which includes holidays, benefits, inefficiency and any suggestion of "waste".

Beware the 7 Wastes of Lean - the term is Muda - and they include; Transport, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction , Over Processing, Defects. Basically, you have nowhere to hide from the Six Sigma Blackbelt Ninjas; you are screwed here too, just like before..

11. Gamifiaction - we are going to make your job like a game so that you have fun while you are at works and perpetuate the myth that management actually has a clue what they are doing while they distract you and everyone else from the fact that - they have no clue what is going on.

A bit like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic; this strategy will at least make you smile as you lose your job at #9 and get sliced up during  #10.

Check out BuzzWord Bingo HERE


Special Offer...

Book a 57 minute Telephone Consultation with me and I will share with your the One Secret that will transform your Life, Business and Relationship - it may be the best call you ever make...

And - it's FREE of both Cost and any Obligation to buy anything from us ever...

Drop me a note to davidholland@resultsrulesok.com and I will make the arrangements..


OR...
Come along to our next UK event... 

Business Growth Workshop... 

Learn how to build Sales, Profits and Cash in your Business by using these simple Techniques and Strategies...

• The TWO things you MUST do when Marketing a Service...

• The SIX Keys to Persuasion that ALL Entrepreneurs should know...

• How to never have to CLOSE a deal and get them to BUY every time...

• The THREE tactics you HAVE to use to keep Clients for life... 

• Why PLANNING is almost USELESS In achieving your Success...

AND - we will be having some fun in the process; if everyone is good, I may even show a couple of Video's too...

Birmingham - Friday 25th April 2014

Places are offered to our Clients first, so there will only be a few places available - so make sure you book immediately; that means now, not tomorrow or next week or come back when you have had the chance to think about it, but RIGHT NOW..

Click - HERE

The #1 ReasonYour Marketing is Not Working...

...message will self destruct in 10 secs...

OK so not strictly true, but Mission Impossible describes how some people approach their Marketing...

Simply put, their Marketing doesn't work because - and this is the Technical Term for it - their Marketing SUCKS - and here's why...

 

Have you noticed that on Social Media sites, there are video's and articles circulated with a headline such as;

"The 5 Mistakes that Men make Dating Women - number 4 made me laugh soooo much I cried...."

Why do these headlines get used, when logically they are as irritating as they are transparent...?

Simple - because, we are not Logically motivated, we are Emotionally motivated and if your Marketing and Selling techniques ignore this then you are missing out on circulation, "click throughs" and increased business opportunities...

To understand how this works we need to look at what motivates us - certainly those on Social Media at least, but also in the wider population...

First, here's what DOESN'T motivate us...

Being "told" What to do - we like encouragement and enticement, not orders...

Logical Explanations - otherwise we'd all happily eat raw Carrots and Cabbage...

Facts from Authority Figures - why smoking continues to be popular...

So avoid technical specifications, qualifications and experience, data and explanations of "what" you do - at the early stages of Marketing, no one is interested in how many bits of paper you have or the fact that between you, the team has 372 years combined experience....

Here's what DOES motivate people to take action and move towards you and your company...

Intrigue - discovering something that they don't know...

The 5 Secrets of getting Rich that only Millionaires know...

Validation - supporting their instinctive thoughts and desires...

People like you deserve something special and unique...?

Benefit - how will they benefit from working with you, or opening the article...

Double you Sales in 7 months, and have more Sex in the Process...

Puzzles - solving a conundrum or maths problem.

72% of people can't solve this puzzle; are you one of them...?

Radicalism - unique, novelty and innovative solutions and thoughts..

Forget all that you were taught; this is how you make REAL money...

When we emotionally engage with people they connect with us more easily and are attracted to our marketing, offer and service...

Now...

Here's where the experience, knowledge and qualifications come in;

People may buy Emotionally but they confirm the emotional decision Logically - so be prepared to share your history, experience and testimonials; but don't do it too soon...

So consider when it is in your Marketing approach that people have first contact or experience with you...

This maybe on LinkedIn, FaceBook, through Networking, on Website etc...

And then make sure that it engages the Emotions - not Logic. No one hires a Business Coach like me on Logic. Logically no one needs one...

Emotionally, however, providing I help them generate Results, everyone needs a Business Coach - providing they are better off with me than without me, initially no on cares (except my Mum of course...) that I have an MBA with Distinction, a Ministry of Defence Deed, or an certificate in Underwater Welding...

Then..

Consider the next stages in your Pipeline and as soon as you are asking them to make a decision, to buy, attend or engage; make sure that you can provide them with the Logical support that validates their Emotional decision to prevent Buyers Remorse...

Have fun...

Special Offer...

Book a 57 minute Telephone Consultation with me and I will share with your the One Secret that will transform your Life, Business and Relationship - it may be the best call you ever make...

And - it's FREE of both Cost and any Obligation to buy anything from us ever...

Drop me a note to davidholland@resultsrulesok.com and I will make the arrangements..


OR...
Come along to our next UK event... 

Business Growth Workshop... 

Learn how to build Sales, Profits and Cash in your Business by using these simple Techniques and Strategies...

• The TWO things you MUST do when Marketing a Service...

• The SIX Keys to Persuasion that ALL Entrepreneurs should know...

• How to never have to CLOSE a deal and get them to BUY every time...

• The THREE tactics you HAVE to use to keep Clients for life... 

• Why PLANNING is almost USELESS In achieving your Success...

AND - we will be having some fun in the process; if everyone is good, I may even show a couple of Video's too...

Birmingham - Friday 25th April 2014

Places are offered to our Clients first, so there will only be a few places available - so make sure you book immediately; that means now, not tomorrow or next week or come back when you have had the chance to think about it, but RIGHT NOW..

Click - HERE

The Seven Mistakes 82% of Start Ups Make...

...Number 3 May Really Surprise You...

 These mistakes apply to Start Ups and even those companies who have made it past the critical Two and Five Year point...

As a Business Coach, I get contacted by all sorts of people in business, and if I had to boil them down the most common mistakes that they make to just Seven, these would definitely make it onto the list...

1. Lack of Cash #1 - starting a business without enough cash to support the investment that is required to hit break even, and begin to achieve positive cash flow... 

This usually comes from over ambitious assumptions being made with regard to the time required to get clients, coupled with an under estimate of the cash required to cover the costs.

To most Start Ups; assume it will take twice as long as you anticipate, and cost twice what you had budgeted - if you can cover that you will may be OK...

2. Lack of Cash #2 - once a business has got established, and overcome the initial cash challenges, it will usually hit another one  in order to maintain growth.

As sales activity increases and new clients are attracted- especially in the B2B sectors - cash will be drained from the business quicker than margin can be made; major culprits include;

Discounting to win larger contracts - stop doing this...

Fixed costs increasing in steps - Gross margin may be OK but your Net sucks...

Debtor Days increase while Creditor Days decrease - avoid this too...

Increased stock, WIP, Finished goods and SDNI hold up cash...

Remember, fast growth is that quickest way to kill a business - no business goes bust for lack of Sales, it is usually lack of Cash that does the trick...

3. Excess Cash - sounds ridiculous but...

In the USA I was approached at an event by someone who had just decided to start his own consultancy business. He told me that he had $75,000 in savings and wanted to know what I thought he should do to get started quickly...

I asked him what his monthly fixed costs were, including marketing and overheads; they were around $10,000 per month...

So I said that in my opinion, he should put $20,000 into the business, and the other $55,000 into a secure account that he could not easily access; this would focus him on getting the business moving quickly rather than living on his savings.

If he had to get clients before the money ran out, then he would; needs must.

He could do this after $20,000 or $75,000 - the choice was his.

He didn't like this advice, and it was around 8 months later I had a call from him. He explained that he lived off his $75,000 and when it was gone he signed his first client; and that if he had tucked the $55,000 away, he would have signed clients earlier and kept the money too - and expensive lesson in how too much cash can slow people down...

4. Hope as a Strategy - the misguided hope that because a product or service is good; it will attract clients to buy.

Having a passion for the product or service is not enough; you will have to be a Sales and Marketing expert too, or at least find someone who can do this for you. 

Customers don't buy what you sell; they buy the consequences of what you sell when they are derived as benefits to them. No one wants to hire an Accountant, Lawyer or Business Coach; they want the results or outcomes that can be derived as a consequence.

If your marketing says WHAT you do and ignores the BENEFITS that can be expected, there is a huge opportunity being missed..

5. Vision & Purpose - going into business with the sole purpose of making money will fail.

I see lots of people who start, or invest in a business with the sole purpose of getting rich; and whilst of course we are in business  to make money, it should not be the only focus.

Clarity of Vision, Mission and Purpose are critical - what difference do you want to make in the world, how much value can you deliver to people...?

If you provide a product or service with passion and add value in excess of the price ticket, you will make money; but money should not be the primary focus...

Imagine, a prospect asks you why you are in business and you say..

"to get rich, buy a Ferrari and retire..."

not as attractive as..

"we are in the business of delivering happiness..." c/o Zappos, Las Vegas.

I know which company I am more attracted to - Zappos went from start up to being sold for $1.2 Billion in 5 years with this simple mantra...

6. Bad Recruiting - your team can be your biggest asset or your biggest liability, it is up to you which they become..

The number of small companies who hire people without knowing what they are doing astounds me. whilst you may hire people on their skills and experience, you will fire 95% of them on their attitude - so check the attitude first...

Hire people who buy in to your Vision, Mission and Purpose; hire people with positive attitude over qualifications. Hire people you would be prepared to socialise with; if you wouldn't then neither will you team and clients..

7. Burnout - attempting to do everything themselves and assuming that they actually know enough to make the business a success; it's exhausting...

Quitting is the biggest destroyer of most businesses; the owners either literally or metaphorically give up and stop fighting to achieve their dream - it simply gets too hard.

The way round this is to do two things;

Keep Learning - read books, watch videos, go to seminars and events. "Worker harder on yourself than you do on your business.." - Jim Rohn 

Get Help - look for the experts to give you advice and guidance. Reaching out is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of pragmatism and lack of ego which will serve you well.

8. Enough is Enough - it is not good enough any more to simply keep your promises; you have to achieve more with less...

Assuming that what worked last week will work this week, or that "satisfied" customers are the objective simply won't cut it in today's market place.

Building a client base of raving fans is the best way to sustain your business on the basis of your reputation; always be innovating and looking for ways to over deliver. 

We are in the Social Media age, having positive stories out there based upon what you and your team did that was "amazing" will do more for your bottom line than any advert ever can..

Special Offer...

Book a 57 minute Telephone Consultation with me to discuss your business challenges and opportunities - it may be the best call you ever make...

And - it's FREE of both Cost and any Obligation to buy anything from us ever...

Drop me a note to davidholland@resultsrulesok.com and I will make the arrangements..



OR...
Come along to our next UK event... 

Business Growth Workshop... 

Learn how to build Sales, Profits and Cash in your Business by using these simple Techniques and Strategies...

• The TWO things you MUST do when Marketing a Service...

• The SIX Keys to Persuasion that ALL Entrepreneurs should know...

• How to never have to CLOSE a deal and get them to BUY every time...

• The THREE tactics you HAVE to use to keep Clients for life... 

• Why PLANNING is almost USELESS In achieving your Success...

AND - we will be having some fun in the process; if everyone is good, I may even show a couple of Video's too...

Birmingham - Friday 25th April 2014

Places are offered to our Clients first, so there will only be a few places available - so make sure you book immediately; that means now, not tomorrow or next week or come back when you have had the chance to think about it, but RIGHT NOW..

Click - HERE

How to Succeed in Business

...Why most people never start, or Fail if they do...

John did well at school and went on to get his Degree in Economics from a well known and highly regarded University in the UK.

By 28 he was married with two children, had a successful career in the Insurance industry and had become a Manager of a small team of brokers specialising in commercial risk in the shipping and international freight market. 

With his wife they bought a house with a mortgage of £300,000, and he had a company Audi A6, with 32 Days holiday and an expense account. 

He went on to study for his MBA, and completed it by the time he was 32; all looked good for John his family and his career.

Then One Day...

John met Helen, an old school friend, in a coffee shop. Helen had left school with no qualifications and had drifted from job to job for a few years since she left school. 

When John asked what she was doing now, she replied;

"I live in France now, I have my own consulting business and I love what I do..."

What car do you drive...? asked John...

"What difference does it make...? I fly to most places I need for my business, and I have an office at home too.."

This made John think...

How could Helen, without any qualifications have built her own business that she clearly loved, be living the dream in France and be master of her own destiny...

How could she not care about the car she drove - he loved his A6, it gave him status and authority and it looked good in the golf club car park.

Over time this got John to thinking - he should start his own business. He had the experience, the MBA and the contacts, he should really go out on his own..

As time went on he found that he didn't enjoy his job anymore, the conversation with Helen resounded inside his head and grew ever louder; his dissatisfaction grew each month until...

So he decided to start his own business..

Being an MBA he looked at the Niche, the Market, the Investment and the projected cash flow forecast for the first five years based on Sales and Margin targets...

He looked at the Marketing to include Web, Social Media and Direct Sales, he even priced up offices and lease cars so that he would be sure he had covered everything.

The plan looked good, so he shared it with his wife and a few close friends; he didn't get the response he anticipated...

• What if you don't make Sales...?

• What if you don't get the Clients...?

• You have a mortgage and children, it is too risky; wait until later...

John worked out that if he didn't achieve his plan he would run out of money and lose the house, car and everything. No more Audi A6, 32 days holiday, fancy house and expense account...

Suddenly John's job looked more attractive, safe and secure; he decided to wait until the mortgage was paid, until the children left home and until he was sure he could make it work...

Some years later, John met Helen in the same Coffee shop and decided to ask her advice.

"If there was one tip that you could give me about starting my own business, what would it be...?"

Helen replied...

"Simple, be prepared to risk everything you have in order to achieve what you want, if you are not prepared to lose them, they will simply remain a millstone round your neck that prevents you from achieving anything..."

John thought about what she said. It was an overwhelming FEAR of losing what he had that was preventing him going for what he wanted. The risk of losing his house, car, expense account and lifestyle was simply too great; it became his single debilitating focus that meant he traded Unhappiness for Fear and stayed where he was; employed...

He had become dependent upon his lifestyle, and that which we are dependent upon controls us; so he chose to do nothing...

Epilogue...

By the time John was 45, the company he worked for was sold and his job made redundant. All the things that made him feel safe and comfortable were taken away from him at the stroke of a pen; his Fears became his reality...

As he sat in the Coffee shop bemoaning his fate, he saw Helen; she wandered over and asked how he was doing, he explained what had happened...

"I wish that I had taken the risk years ago, now it is too late and I am too old to start a business; I have lost my job, car and status..."
 

"Perfect..." said Helen... 

"What do you mean...?"

"Now you have nothing to lose, you have nothing to risk and there is no Fear - this is the perfect time for you to start your business..."

John thought about what she said, but decided to look for a Job with an Audi A6, 32 Days holiday and an expense account; he missed the warm comfort of his familiar millstone...

And the moral to the tale of How to Succeed in Business...

• Risk everything you Have in order to achieve what you Want.  

• Don't let the thin veneer of Material Wealth conspire against your Happiness.

• What you own can be Taken from you if you don't Control what produces it.

• You Don't have as much Time as you think.

• You can make either Results or Excuses - but not both.

OUR NEXT EVENT...

Business Growth Workshop...

Learn how to build Sales, Profits and Cash in your Business by using these simple Techniques and Strategies...

• The TWO things you MUST do when Marketing a Service...

• The SIX Keys to Persuasion that ALL Entrepreneurs should know...

• How to never have to CLOSE a deal and get them to BUY every time...

• The THREE tactics you HAVE to use to keep Clients for life... 

• Why PLANNING is almost USELESS In achieving your Success...

AND - we will be having some fun in the process; if everyone is good, I may even show a couple of Video's too... 

Birmingham - Friday 25th April 2014

Places are offered to our Clients first, so there will only be a few places available - so make sure you book immediately; that means now, not tomorrow or next week or come back when you have had the chance to think about it, but RIGHT NOW..

For Birmingham Click - HERE