Business Coaching

Certified Coach Training: Does It Mean Anything?

The issue of whether a coach should be a certified coach is a contentious subject.

Certified Coaching Schools And Organisations Believe In Certified Coaches

The certified coach training schools and companies have a vested interest in selling the training and certification process and will argue that you must be a certified coach if you want to work as any kind of coach - life coach, success coach, executive coach, marketing coach or small business coach.

After all, it is how they make their money and is their reason for being.

Business Coaching From Paul Simister Your Profit Coach

Welcome to my Business Coaching Blog which you will find packed with tips and ideas to make a small business more profitable.

If you are a business owner with up to about 25 to 30 employees who wants more sales and profit through the a combination of direct marketing and Internet based marketing, then you are in the right place.

I have two particular interests:

From the strategic perspective, I help business owners to profit from differentiation by standing out by being distinctive in a crowded marketplace.

From the tactical side, I believe that just about all businesses have hidden profits which can be released quickly and easily because assets and opportunities are overlooked.

Expert Status Helps Your Market Pay Attention

A simple fact. Experts command attention and respect.

I think one of the hardest lessons for anyone new to marketing their own business is that no one is as fascinated by all the ins-and-outs of what is going on as they thought.

The exciting new product or service you want to tell people about is seen as an irritating distraction, an irrelevance or an unwanted distraction by the people you are trying to market to.

But there are two ways around this business problem.

Criticisms Of The One Minute Manager

One of my favourite books for managing people is "The One Minute Manager" by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson (see my One Minute Manager Review) but I am aware that some people are critical of the approach.

As I am currently updating my notes and training on Pillar 7 of the Eight Pillars of Business Prosperity which focuses on leading your team, it makes sense to take a critical look at the One Minute Manager and see whether the criticisms are valid.

Michael Porter explains the Five Competitive Forces

I have written about Michael Porter and his famous Five Forces model for analysing the competitive forces which determine industry profitability before (Michael Porter Five Forces).

Now I have found a 13 minute video of Michael Porter explaining the ideas on video as he updated his seminal Harvard Business Review article The Five Competitive Forces Which Shape Strategy.

Cash In A Flash Mark Victor Hansen & Robert Allen

Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen have combined to write their new book Cash In A Flash and they have put together a very special offer which, if you want to make more money, you will probably find irresistible.

Cash In A Flash

This is the book to help you to make fast cash in slow times.

Here is the deal.

The Cash In The Flash Deal

Models of Persuasion - Elaboration Likelihood Model

This may be a bit "academic" but I want to start looking at models of persuasion to see what psychology can offer to sales, marketing and managing a business and I start with the Elaboration Likelihood Method.

It is common to see in marketing and sales books and training the idea that decisions are made emotionally and justified rationally.

To persuade someone to buy, you need to build up the emotional motivation by focusing on some combination of the pain of the problem or the gain of pleasure from the solution.

You then need to provide the logical reasons to buy so that the buyer can justify the emotional decision to buy to themselves, and often even more importantly to someone else.

Life Coaching Conspiracy by Dan Bradbury

This morning I read "The Life Coaching Conspiracy" by one of the rising stars of the UK's coaching industry Dan Bradbury.

I don't often comment on life coaching but I do know that some coaches try to combine life coaching with business coaching so I thought it could be relevant and there is a special reason why I wanted to let you know about it. More later.

Dan Bradbury argues that the coaching training schools are virtually suckering in people to qualify as coaches but the vast majority don't turn coaching into a viable business.

Make Your Marketing Outrageously Successful

I have just ordered "Outrageous Advertising That's Outrageously Successful" by Bill Glazer.

If you are not familiar with the Name, Bill is Dan Kennedy's partner in the publishing business Glazer Kennedy Insider's Circle.

Bill is a retail marketing/direct marketing expert who before joining Dan Kennedy ran Gage, a menswear business in Baltimore attracting customers with outrageous advertising.

Leading Teams - 10 Ways To Do It Better

I have been aware that on my Business Coaching Blog, I haven't been writing enough about the entire issues of leading teams, managing people and all the soft skills that can be so important in success. So I am pleased to say that I will be featuring more guest articles from business and management coach Martin Haworth as his article on How To Build Rapport has been very popular.

What better way to increase the articles on the blog about leading teams than to start with

Leadership - Ten Ways To Be Better At Leading Teams

Leadership is a fascinating art. A balance between getting things done and having enough about you to maximize both the motivation and engagement of all of your people for now and the future.

Delaying Tax Payments Can Help Your Business To Survive

I received an interesting email from business recovery expert Paul Masters of Leonard Curtis, the Mid-Sized Corporate Recovery Firm of the Year 2008 which looked at how delaying UK tax payments can help your business to survive in this recession.

I must point out that this is about the official Business Payments Support Service. It is a big mistake to think that you don't have to talk to HM Revenue & Customs and can just delay sending in the money you owe.

Sales Introverts & Social Media Marketing

What do you do if you need to sell but you are an introvert?

Many may be attracted to the social media networking available online through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Ecademy.

You can make connections without having to go out and meet people.

I found this interview between Jim Blasingame and Pat Weber who specialises in sales coaching for introverts.

  

Millionaire Mind in Turbulent Times London

The Millionaire Mind Intensive seminar in London in April was a big success and I understand a very intense experience to attend.

T Harv Eker has adapted the Millionaire Mind Intensive to the current difficult times and Millionaire Mind In Turbulent Times comes to London on 29th August to 31st August 2009 and tickets are still available. Update - back again February 2010

Millionaire Mind In Turbulent Times

Features Advantages Benefits Make Your Selling FAB

I have been reading a few blogs recently that go along the lines of "don't sell your features, sell your benefits instead" along the lines of "features tell, benefits sell" and I've left a few comments saying share your features AND benefits.

In fact, you need to go one step further to make it really easy for the prospective customer to join the dots and understand - you need to explain Features, Advantages & Benefits.

Definitions of Features Advantages & Benefits

Customer Service Moments Of Misery & Magic

Here is a ten minute video from one of my favourite business speakers, Tony Alessandra, the creator of the Platinum Rule as he rages about customer service from a national airline and explains his idea about Moments of Misery.

The Buying Cycle - Meet Your Customers Where They Are

Today I want you to think about your customers and their buying cycle.

Why The Buying Cycle Is Important

I am critical or marketing and sales approaches that scream out "me, me, me" and while we can only be responsible for our own actions, it has to make sense that if we are going to influence and persuade someone to buy, we must see things from his or her perspective.

Jay Conrad Levinson Big Seminar 13 Interview

Jay Conrad Levinson, Father of Guerrilla Marketing is appearing at Armand Morin's Big Seminar and he is being interviewed on a teleseminar on Tuesday August 11th 2009.

More details at Big Seminar 13 or sign up to hear the call for free at Big Seminar 

Disclosure - I am an a affiliate for Armand Morin and the Big Seminar and if you buy after clicking through from my link, I will earn a commission.

How To Upsell Profitably - Understanding The Finance Logic

One of my favourite techniques for increasing profit is the upsell and cross-sell which increase the average purchase value for a customer.

Where these are often talked about together I want to look at upselling on its own and in particular at the finance logic behind how to upsell profitably.

What Is An Upsell?

Latest Business Book Reviews From My Business Book Blog

I have been busy with my Business Books Blog in recent weeks and I have looked at and reviewed a wide range of different business books.

These include a Guerrilla Marketing book, a classic pricing book and books on the theory of constraints.

Business Coaching Blog On Alexa - Shocking Stuff

I have just been admiring the performance of my Business Coaching blog on Alexa but I am horrified at how much competitive information is provided.

What is Alexa?

Alexa is a website that is owned by Amazon that collects and reports data from people browsing the Internet.

Not every search that everybody makes is included in the rankings but it is probably the best comparative information we have on the popularity of websites.

How To List On Google Local Business & Google Maps

As paid advertising and promotion is expensive, more businesses should be turning to the Internet and taking advantage of what can be done for free so they can be found in Google and the other search engines.

While local search engine optimisation is important you should also take advantage of the special service that Google offers with the Local Business Center and Google Maps.

Other Experts On The Business Coaching Blog

As my Business Coaching blog has grown I have featured many people as gurus and experts, some with repeated postings which deserve recognition.

These are the people I refer to as Other Experts over in the Business Superstars and me list.