Get Qualified, get a Job; Retire & Die...

...Tupperware; and Spoons for Drumsticks...

Do you remember being at School and being given "Careers Advice" by a uninterested middle aged underachiever...?

I do, I was told I had two choices; either go down the Pit or join the Army.

Both looked like sensible options until I had  the "dream" that I should really aspire to achieve explained to me. Apparently I should get qualified, find a job (packaged as a "career" to make it sound attractive...) take out a huge loan to buy a house, save any spare cash into a pension - then retire and die 50 years later.

I didn't want a "career" at 13 years old I wanted to be a Drummer; specifically I wanted to be the drummer in The Jam, Rick Buckler was not one of the "greats" and I knew I could do better. 

I can remember playing drums on my Mum's Tupperware using spoons for drumsticks and thinking that a normal career would not suit me very well...

But I was told that I would never make any money as a Drummer, and that in order to get a "good job" I should concentrate on getting qualifications and a trade that "no-one could take off me..."

Oh yes and get married and have 2.4 children in the process...

Live the Dream...

We have all been sold the same dream. Generation Y and Millennial's have it even worse now than us Generation X's did...

Now you have to have a degree to flip a burger, if you want any job that involves a desk then you need a Masters - there are more people in low level admin jobs with MBA's than there are in the Boardroom; academic inflation is the curse of the young...

I see people in jobs they don't like, but because it pays well and supports the Mortgage (translated as; contract until death..) they put up with the politics, boredom, and routine that eventually defines them.

One of my friends has been in the same job since she left school - she is 43 now and has been there for 25 years. The company has been sold and she is being made redundant; her world has fallen apart because the dream she was sold was not true.

What to Do...

I thank that career advisor every day, she was the one that put fear and loathing into my mind as a teenager. She empowered me to do things differently; it didn't feel like it at the time but her advice was the best I was ever given, she showed me what I didn't want and forced me to explore what I did...

Simply put - you have to let go...

Let go of the house, the car the salary and the status - it is the scariest thing in the world and also the most rewarding. Choose you dream and live it, stop waiting for the "right time" or the best opportunity, or the redundancy cheque or when the kids grow up.

There is a CEO in the UK who meets with me occasionally. He tells me that he is very entrepreneurial and has the right skills and attitude to be a Business Owner.

Last time we met, he pulled up in his silver Audi A6, wearing his Hugo Boss suit, silk tie and Rolex watch. I rolled up on my motorbike in leathers with full face helmet, Kevlar jeans and boots...

Over lunch he told me all about how great he was, and how unhappy it was making him. He told me that when the "time was right" he was going to resign and go out on his own, he just needed a bit more money and time to plan..

He asked my advice - I said leave the car here, text your resignation, go home and get on with it...

To him this was most amusing, but I was serious; he clearly was not...

Three times in my "career" I have sold or left everything and started a new venture. Including moving abroad twice and changing career numerous times...

He is drowning in his Career, his material acquisitions and financial instruments are dragging him down - he needs to let go, but he can't. The FEAR of loss is greater than his need for FREEDOM...

The only instrument I need is a Drum Kit, and the only FEAR I have is that we dont move fast enough...

I am still married to Lynn, the girl I met at High School, we have two amaznig sons and our lives continue to rock. So remember, don't let go of everything, just the things that are holding you down...

Who is in Your Top 10...?

...in B2B Sales this is a must...

There are three main attributes of a growing a business;

1. Competence at Attracting New Prospects and Converting them to Clients...
2. Retention of Clients...
3. Pace of Sales achieved with each Client and the Contribution they make...

All three apply to most companies but #1 is critical in when selling to other Businesses - B2B...

Why is this the case...?

In B2B we usually have projects or specific contracts we deliver for Clients - we also usually have to go along a Sales process to convert what starts out as a Prospect, into a Client.

So a great tip is to maintain a "Top 10" list of prospects that need specific attention in order that they become clients...

The Top 10 should only include those people who have taken action towards working with you - the action they take will be dependent on your company, but here are a few indicators that may be helpful..


1. Website Enquiry - if someone takes the time to connect with you or send a message via your website, that is a very good sign. Yes you may have auto responders in place, but people don't buy from auto generated messages; pick up the 'phone and speak with them...

In fact any positive response to any marketing needs a personal response - whether your method is Email, Lumpy Mail, Social Media, or Cold Calling...

2. Networking - I had someone come to me at the end of a presentation and say - "Loved that and I need your help in my business, can you contact me..." she qualifies to go onto me Top 10 List immediately.

Note there are a lot more sellers than buyers at networking events, so if someone simply gives you their card, that does not necessarily qualify...

3. Radar Effect - in an earlier Blog I wrote about how prospects gravitate towards you providing you have enough "touch points" for them to find out more about you. You should be able to get a "feel" for this activity and know when to put people on you list.

Check out the original Blog HERE - finding the G Spot with Radar...


For example in our Business we look for;

• Connecting on Linked In...
• Signing up for Newsletter and Blog...
• Comments on Postings...
• Buying one of my Books...
• Attending an Event...

As people progress through this list, they are clearly gravitating towards us and will go onto the list when they either buy the book or attend an event...

4. Referrals - any referral goes straight on the list. For two reasons;

First, there is a very high conversion rate from referred leads, and second, out of respect for the person passing the referral in the first place, they should be handled properly...

At the moment, my Top 10 list is actually 14...

The list includes only those people who have taken a positive move towards us and therefore need following up and managing through the process to make sure that they are a good fit - you don't have to take every client that is interested in you, and saying NO is as valid as saying YES sometimes...

It is handwritten - yes we have CRM systems, Autorepsonders and On line Trackers - but I know that my next Client will come to us from this list, and as I am growing my business this is like Gold Dust to me...

I check it daily, and make notes to check that I am up to speed with the next point of contact; if they should be promoted to a Client, or relegated to the Database...

So far, the conversion rate from the Top 10 list to becoming a Client is running at 82%...

The beauty of the list is that it simply keeps your Prospects at front of mind and it makes sure that you in fact have a Top 10 list in the first place...

If you don't have a list, perhaps your Sales Team should..?

So - how strong is your list...?

Do you have at least 10 prospects that can be nurtured...?

Or - does you marketing and Radar activity need improving...?

Someone in your Company should simply be able to predict where your next client is coming from... 

Would you like to go onto My Top 10 List...?

Would you like to find out how working with a Business Coach could be the best investment you ever make...?

I know that most people will ignore this offer, my stats tell me that - but for those who don't, and take action towards making their future brighter and more profitable - the rewards are compelling...

My Clients  grow their Sales and Profits dramatically, they spend less time in the Business and achieve their personal ambitions and Goals - it's good fun too...

What does Coaching cost...? - nothing if you do what I show you, your business will grow MUCH more than any fees I may charge...

Let's find out if you are ready for a Business Coaching Program - simply drop me a note to davidholland@resultsrulesok.com and lets explore the possibilities... 

What Shakespeare knew about Sales & Marketing

...how a Scabby Donkey could have changed history...

On the 22nd August 1485 During the battle of Bosworth when his horse, Surrey, is killed and he is unable to escape, find more troops, or indeed be seen by his existing troops, Richard III feared that all would be lost.

In his frustration, Richard knows that the most valuable thing in the world to him at that moment is a horse.

"A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse..." 

Shakespeare quotes Richard as saying as he knows that all is potentially lost and at that precise moment he recognises that if he doesn't find a horse he will lose his kingdom and therefore the horse was of equal value to him at that moment...

As it happens, no horse becomes available and Richards III is killed and the victorious Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond was crowned King Henry VII and effectively brought to an end the Plantagenet Dynasty making it a defining moment in both English and Welsh history.

How different could it have been if Richard could have had a horse...?

Now I want you to imagine yourself as a Horse Seller..

To be precise I want you to imagine that on the 21st August during the preparations for the battle you attempt to sell Richard III a new horse - to replace Surrey, his trusted steed...

The answer you would have got would have been NO...

Now imagine that if you could make the same offer, for the same Horse to Richard at the precise moment on the following day just after Surrey is tragically killed and he realises that all is potentially lost...

The answer you would of got would have been a resounding YES and the price would have been considerably higher too...

Timing is everything...

In Sales it is not that people don't need your product or service, it is just that they don't need it at the precise time you offer it to them.. 

You have been told that defining your Target Market and pitching Benefits rather than Features is the way to close a deal. On the day before the Battle your horse could have been faster, stronger and able to jump higher than any other horse; but it wouldn't have been enough to convince Richard III to change Surrey...

24 hrs later however, a scabby donkey with mange and a weak pulse would have been qualification enough to close yourself a very nice deal - all that changed was the time of the offer...

When timing is with you, your price increases and your quality reduces; not that you need to deliver inferior products, but if a donkey would do, sell 'em that, not a thoroughbred. 

So defining a target is one thing but choosing your time is critical; it is only "NO now", not "NO forever"...

Keep in touch with your prospects, your offer doesn't need to change, their circumstances will and that may be enough to give you the edge. Remember, when the need arises they will buy from whom ever springs to mind; make sure that it is you they think of first...

The Career Curveball Paradox...

...being Fired was a defining moment...

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By the age of 30, I had been trained as a Weapons Engineer and spent 6 years building my career in the Military Subcontracting, Logistics and Supply Chain sector - I had been the youngest Supervisor and Manager in the Company and had recently been "head hunted" by a competitor to be their youngest Operations Manager...

Life was good, I was confident, ambitious and effective; my career was on track, with a great salary and a golden opportunity to get a seat on the Board within a couple of years...

So it came as somewhat of a surprise, after just 10 months to be sat down by the Chairman and simply "invited to resign"; it appeared that making changes had ruffled the feathers of the other Managers and they didn't like it - I had made them look bad...

This meant that of the two big players in the Industry, I had resigned from one and been fired by the other - my options were somewhat limited...

Ouch...!

I remember going home and lying on the bed staring at the ceiling wondering if my "glittering" career was over, if I would ever find a job again or if I would end up flipping Burgers...

Looking back and joining the dots - this #careercurveballs was actually a defining moment that enabled (or forced...) me to make changes in my career that would propel me towards achieving the business and lifestyle of my dreams.

That feeling of negativity, anger and fear actually drove me on to find opportunities that otherwise I would have missed. Most people in my experience wait round for their "Old Job" to simply reappear somewhere else, and of course it rarely does..

From Guns to Dresses and Planes...

I chose to reinvent myself and my career - from Weapons Engineering I went to work at the Worlds No1 Ballroom Dancing Dress making company (slight change of path...) then ran Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Airports for an Aviation Business.

With my wife, Lynn, we started a Recruitment Agency and formed our Business Coaching and Training Company 12 years ago.

We have lived and worked in the UK and the USA - based out of Las Vegas - and have achieved life and business goals that would not have been possible had I not been fired...

We now live in France and travel the World working with Entrepreneurs, Executives and Business Owners - we are fortunate to be able to do what we love with people we like...

Being fired was the best thing that happened to me - it didn't feel like it at the time, but with the benefit of 20:20 hindsight, it was the darkest of days that simply allowed a new dawn to break...

My learning from that experience is that even when Life and Business throws you a curveball, it's not the end but the opportunity for a new beginning - but you have to be prepared to change and embrace the new path, hoping that your old job or career will somehow resurrect itself is in my view a waste of precious time...

When life throws you a Curveball - which it will - treat it as an opportunity to change rather than an excuse to withdraw...