Career, Money, Health - can you have it all...?

...or do we have to compromise...

Imagine that you are a professional Juggler...

You are highly skilled, trained and qualified and you are juggling FIVE balls; each of these balls has a name...

1. Money...

2. Family...

3. Health...

4. Status...

5. Possessions..

Picture Credit - www.victoria-writes.com

As you get more proficient and skilled you throw the balls higher and faster, but as you get faster the risk of dropping one of them increases...

The challenge we face is; which ball do we drop in order to get the others to go higher and faster...

Which one would you choose if you had to..?

Each ball has a different effect when it is dropped too...

The Money Ball bounces back immediately, even though it makes a big noise as it hits the ground...

The Family Ball is resilient and bounces well, but has a soft coating that damages easily leaving scars, even after it has been caught and healed...

The Health Ball has a tough coating but inside where you can't see, it is easily and irreparably damaged if dropped...

The Status Ball is imaginary and can be created at will, it only exists in the mind and has no value except to the ego...

The Possessions Ball is shiny synthetic and attractive but naturally decays over time, if dropped is easily replaced..

For many they drop the Health Ball first, followed by the Family Ball and focus on what they feel is the most precious ball of all - the Money Ball...

The Money, Possession and Status Balls are all given priority, the others are dropped, kicked, denied or lost forever...

Which Balls have you dropped recently...?

At an event in the UK, I was chatting to the CEO of a large company over dinner after a conference...

He was about 50 years old and was sat at the table juggling his Money, Status and Possession Balls for all to see - if you know what I mean...

What I couldn't see any evidence of were is Family and Health Balls...

During the conversation, he asked me who was sat on my right - I explained that this was Lynn, my wife and business partner; we always travel and attend events together...

He looked shocked - I had just kicked him in one of his Balls; the Family one...

I could never do that; I've been married three times and divorced twice. My wife doesn't understand what I do anyway...

Then allowed me to kick him again..

He asked who was sat with Lynn..

I explained that Jonathan and Richard were our sons and that whenever we could we included them in events workshops and conferences too...

never had time for kids, always too busy; having a family and growing a business don't go well together...

Well they do for me...!

We can see what priorities people have in life, they are juggling their chosen balls in plain view for everyone to see..

Some only have one, usually either the Status or Money Ball. Some have two or three; the challenge for all of us is to successfully juggle all five..

This is Jonathan and Lynn in Metz, where we live - I will be in trouble for sharing this one probably...

A truly successful, fulfilled and professional Juggler can keep all the Balls in the air all the time - and at any time one gets dropped, they don't kick it away and ignore it, they pick it up again...

Life is does not have to be about compromise, but it is about priority...

My focus and absolute priority has been and remains Family, I admit I have dropped the Health Ball a few times and it now needs a bit of restorative love and care - so I'm working with a Health Coach to bring it back to it's former glory...

If you want to see a convincing story - check out Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead...

Mouse Here to take a look...

This is Richard our youngest, sitting on my Bike at our home in France last summer...

Have my Money, Status and Possession Balls been dropped as a consequence of this...?

No not at all - and they don't have to be for anyone...

So for 2015, just think about which Balls you need to pick up again, which need some care and repair and which ones in reality are synthetic and unimportant..

Have fun in 2015, and don't let anyone kick you in the Balls...

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Next Event - come along, meet the Team and be Inspired...

Birmingham 30th January LINK - SOLD OUT...

Luxembourg 6th February LINK - Just 5 Places Remaining...

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...

Limiting Beliefs = Limited Results...

For Managers, CEO's and Business Owners, one of the phrases they should dread hearing is...

We've always done it that way....

Not because it means that what they are doing is fundamentally wrong, but that the accepted methods, systems and processes have simply become comfortable at best and destructive at worst...

Where do these beliefs come from - a simple case study...

Over the Christmas Holidays I was chatting with a colleague in the USA; he is in a similar business to me but works with a much larger organisation.

He was explaining how his sales system worked - believe it or not this was compelling at the time - and what results he expected to achieve...

Here's what he told me...

1. First week back after Christmas is really slow - people don't want to take sales calls or book appointments so they won't start any activity until Monday 19th - in fact Monday is such a bad day for selling, that calls would be made on a Tuesday and Wednesday...

2. The very best performers in the business were able to book One Appointment per day, or five each week from which they would actually meet with three (two would cancel"and every two weeks they would sign a client - a conversion rate of around 16%...

3. On average, each member of the team only actually achieve 2 appointments per month - so for 205 the objective was to raise this to 3.

This process represented his Belief about what was achievable within the organisation and it helped him and the whole company develop an accepted "Pattern of Expectation"...

This pattern had been developed over years of experience, looking at what others in the industry were achieving and even what the company that he had left before he joined them had achieved; these are called Echo Patterns.

Echo Patterns are what we choose to believe about business and life based on previous experience; not of what is actually possible..

These "beliefs" and Echo Patterns around Selling were used to target activity, growth expectations and reward for excellence. It became a Corporate Limiting Belief that everyone had bought into..

So I asked him...

How could you add a zero to these results...?

What I meant was increase by a factor of 10 the number of appointments made in a day...

He replied...

I wish we could, but in this industry it's just the way it is...

So I thought I'd try something...

I would attempt to break the "Pattern of Expectation" that my friend had told me was the way it had to be..

So I decided to call a number of prospects on Monday 5th January with the intention of booking not one but twenty appointments...

That's adding a Zero and Doubling it; all on a day that "appointments can't be made"...

So, on Friday 2nd January we sat in my office and made a list of people and prospects that we wanted to work with during 2015..

The list was just 26 names long and included Corporations, Entrepreneurs and Business Owners; they had all connected on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter or they had been to an event, bought one of my books or downloaded my Blogs.

Then on Monday 5th January - when no one takes sales calls apparently - I hit the 'phones, sent emails, Facebook & LinkedIn messages and even sent out a few texts...

No scripts, templates or gimmicks - just an offer of meeting with me over a coffee to l see how we could work together in 2015...

The Results...

• 19 Appointments booked on the day...

• One speaking gig booked at €750.00 per hour...

• 5 appointments confirmed on Tuesday too...

• One instant referral to another prospect - lunch booked...

OK- so I haven;t converted them all to paying clients yet; but I have set myself a target of 100% conversion...

They want to meet so they want to buy. it's only me that can talk them out of it; will keep you posted...

Why did I do it...?

Well really, because I am by nature contrary - I will argue with anyone about anything, whether I think I'm right or not...

So I wanted to see if I could prove him wrong..

And here lies the opportunity...

1. What Echo Patterns are being allowed to be prevalent in your business...?

2. Are you and the team limiting the pace of growth and success simply because you are convinced "that is the way it has to be.."

3. How could you shatter the Corporate Limiting Belief and add a Zero to results you can achieve in 2015..?

So while your competitors are waiting to get 2015 started, how can you steal a lead and add a zero and double it to your results too.

Next Event - come along, meet the Team and be Inspired...

Birmingham 30th January LINK - Customer Service Master Class...

Luxembourg 6th February LINK - Customer Service Master Class...

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...

The only MBA you'll ever need...

Back in the "old days" getting a simple degree was all that was needed to get a great job that would carry a person from their 20's to their 60's and deliver them to a safe if somewhat boring retirement...

As a teenager the laughable "career advice" I got was simple..

get a qualification, get a job then retire and die...

Not a lot of fun, I decided to rebel...

Since then the job market has changed dramatically; now to get a job with prospects people need to have a degree and a masters degree too; and their job will change six times during their career too..

If you want to find a graduate; go to McDonald's and one will probably serve you a Big Mac...

Academic inflation has overtaken many people, there are loads of highly qualified but wholly unprepared MBA's out there. There are also loads of people who really don't enjoy what they do and have no clue about what the future looks like...

If you really want to get ahead and achieve happiness, success and fulfilment there is one MBA qualification that is guaranteed to help you; and better still you don't need to go to University to get it either..

The only qualification you'll ever need...

Should you enrol on the programme, you'll find it tough and demanding; you may lose some of your friends, alienate yourself from some of your family too, and you don't even get a certificate either...

Sounds tempting doesn't it...?

So what is this MBA programme all about then..?

The first thing to remember is that success and achievement is based more on your attitude than your skills; just about anyone can get a qualification in something, but displaying the right attitude takes skill...

Attitude is a lagging indicator. It is what others perceive about you based on your actions, it is how you show up in the world and determines the results you achieve and the opportunities that will come your way...

Attitude is a consequence of behaviour, not the other way round. To get your attitude right, you need to get your behaviours right, and your behaviours will be determined by your motivation..

Welcome to the Motivation Behaviour Attitude programme...

1. Motivation...

When we know what motivates us, we can find our purpose and passion. I see plenty of people whose "goal" is money, cars or a big house; in reality these are satisfiers not motivators...

Making a difference, leaving a legacy, fighting for a cause are all great motivators, money and success are simply the side effects of achieving what motivates you, not the other way round.

When we figure out what actually motivates us, we become energised, emotionally engaged and full of purpose - finding out our WHY is the best place to start with defining what motivates us.

To help, consider how you are motivated...

Are you a "Goal Achievement" type of person or are you an "Avoidance of Loss" type of person...?

Do you seek "External Validation" of what you do, or do you prefer "Self Validation"..?

Understanding not only the Goal but the type of motivation we need is critical - right Goal but wrong motivation means people give up to easily..

Draw a simple chart and plot where you think you appear on it - mine is shown below - I know that I am Externally Referenced and have am more motivated by Loss than I am Gain; so I choose goals that fit this criteria, such that I am more motivated to achieve them...

2. Behaviour...

Once you have the Goal set and understand what drives you, your behaviour has simply to be consistent with them and the standards and rules you agree with yourself...

You behaviour is driven by your Goals, Motivation and Standards - it is what is seen by the people around you and experienced by your colleagues, clients, family and friends...

What standards are you going to be held accountable to...?

Will you dissociate from anyone who doesn't match them..?

This is where change takes place; it's how you work, how you live that makes the difference...

For example;

1. Never be late - always be early for meetings and appointments..

2. Keep Promises - your word is you bond...

3. Deliver - get results for people...

4. Learn - knowledge is the key to achievement...

5. Play Nice - always with integrity, trust and respect...

3. Attitude...

Attitude is what how people describe you...

Your Attitude is a consequence of your Behaviour - not the other way round. Get the behaviour right and the Attitude looks after itself...

In Recruitment people are hired on the skill but if they are fired it is usually because of Attitude not Skills...

Your attitude towards success, achievement and the well-being of others will define your results; it is how your personal brand is defined and what people will remember you for...

In my own career I have found that it has been my Attitude that has generated the best opportunities which have included Promotions, and Job Opportunities and also Contracts and Client bookings...

It has also helped me build a happy marriage with Lynn over the last 28 years - we have been together since we were teenagers...

"Can Do" - is probably one of the best attitudes to display...

Imagine that one Friday evening you get a call from your Boss / Client / Friend and they ask you go to Dublin, pick up a Menu from a hotel and have it signed by the chef and bring it back to then on Monday morning.

What would you say...?

Think carefully - this is Attitude driven by Behaviour showing up...

Something similar happened to me (three times as it happens...) and my Behaviour meant that I simply said YES and got it done without hesitation...

My Attitude was "Can Do" - it defined me then and defines me now - it sets me apart and has enabled me to achieve more than I ever thought possible..

Finally, your Attitude will begin to affect your Motivation - you'll find that you get bigger and better opportunities, you'll start to over achieve and money and success begins to flow toward you...

It becomes a Virtuous Circle...

Next Event - come along, meet the Team and be Inspired...

Birmingham 30th January LINK - Customer Service Master Class...

Luxembourg 6th February LINK - Customer Service Master Class...

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...

Business Lessons from Toddlers and a Labrador...

Anyone with toddlers or a Labrador will know that the most important thing about a gift is the packaging...

Cardboard boxes, plastic bottles and wrapping paper are so much more fun than whatever the contain; unless in the case of a Labrador, it's a tennis ball of course...

Back in 1986, before mobile phones, the interweb and even before Kim Kardashian could clog up YouTube with her bottom; I was studying for my Institute Qualifications - the Institute of Packaging no less...

To this day I am able to use the letters MInstPkg(Dip) after my name; I don't for obvious reasons, including the fact that nobody actually cares - apart from my Mom who thinks it means I am a Doctor of something...

Doctor of Boxicology for example...

Dixie Dean was my tutor - he was a legend in the packaging world and one of the first lessons he taught us the 3 P's of Packaging...

1. Preservation - the package must prevent the product from going rusty, getting wet or deteriorating prior to use.
2. Promotion - has to inform, attract and differentiate the contained product such that it can be recognised, identified and located.
3. Protection - preventing damage from drops, shakes and knock of all types; keeping the product in tact during transit and storage.

Now imagine someone in Sainsbury's on a Saturday afternoon attempting to select a bottle of wine to impress the other half over a Chicken Madras later in the evening...

How would they decide which wine to choose..?

Not knowing anything about wine, expect that it comes in two main flavours; Red and White with fizzy options available if you aren't married yet...

Exactly - the label and the price...

They may know that Appellation Controlee is better than Vin de Pays, although they won't know why. They may also know that Bordeaux is a safe bet, but not that it is a region and not a grape variety...

And they definitely won't know that Cremant is a nicer drink than many Champagnes and costs around 1/3 of the price too...

If in doubt, and a decent bottle of red is required, the rule is simple;

Don't buy the cheapest, and if the bottle looks nice and has a fancy label and cork (not a twist cap of course..) then life is good...

You could of course go for a Chateauneuf du Pape and warble on about the Popebeing based out of Avignon, France in the 14th Century for a while and how nice the castle is; at least it will make you sound like you know what you are talking about and will take your and your partners mind off the actual taste of the wine...

You could even sing the song "Sur le pont d'Avignion.." too...

Remember...

Marketing = Packaging...

Only interesting to Toddlers and Labradors in the long run...

And here lies the challenge with marketing - in common with Packaging t does nothing to enhance the product it contains; the best packaging in the world will still only guarantee that a product arrives, even if it's a rubbish product...

But this is how people buy products and especially how they buy services - they won't admit it but "hope" is their major decision making strategy.

Perceived risk is reduced based on the look and feel of the Marketing; the website, the logo and what other people are saying about the product or service in question.

This is why the best products and services don't necessarily make the most money, because their marketing (packaging..) sucks; no one can find them or if they can, are not sufficiently convinced to actually make an enquiry let alone a purchase...

Packaging and Marketing conspire to lure purchasers, but they do not guarantee the quality, standards and performance of the service they will experience.

Does your product or service actually live up to the promises made in it's Packaging...?

Better still..

Does your Packaging live up to the standards of your service or product...?

Packaging will attract the interest, but gets quickly discarded once the product is in use - no one cares about the box your curved screen TV came in when your watching Dexter take another blood sample...

Authenticity wins every time...

...but your Packaging had better be good too...

Customers simply want to know that what yo say about your product or service in your Marketing is true - that you will deliver with authenticity, be the real deal and keep your promises...

Authenticity keeps customers coming back time after time and telling people about you; it's the simplest rule in business that is so often overlooked...

Make a compelling Promise and Keep it; simple...

If your product and service is rubbish, then no amount of packaging will save you, remember this..

"Above all it's a Rover..."

So the plan needs to be...

1. Build a product or service that is truly excellent, represents great value and actually solves a problem for someone..

2. Package it in such a way that it attracts the right people to you - they may still buy because you are not cheap and have a nice label...

3. Authentically deliver exactly what you promised, consistently, on time and on budget; and keep innovating all the time...

In 2015, don't let someone with a dodgy product but interesting Packaging steal your customers and margin away; this year get your Marketing sorted and start to attract the clients, sales and profits you really deserve...

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...