Business Coaching

Personality Test - What Sports Car Are You?

I thought I'd have a bit of fun today with a personality test.

I do tend to be a little sceptical of these personality tests, accepting the ones that came out with the right results but ignoring those which say I'm crazy, mean, nasty or dangerous (just joking - none have gone that far). 

So yes you guessed it. I like the results on this one.

This test wants to find out what car you are, so for those of you who thought i was just an old banger, here's the proof that you are wrong.

I'm a Ferrari 360 Modena!

You've got it all. Power, passion, precision, and style. You're sensuous, exotic, and temperamental. Sure, you're expensive and high-maintenance, but you're worth it.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Sleek, racy, exotic - it's all so true.

So go on, take the test. It only takes a few minutes.

To Your Success

Your Profit Coach

Paul Simister

Business coaching for the customer focused entrepreneur

Dealing With Emotional People

In my June edition of the Achievers Edge (Peter Thomson's monthly audio newsletter) was another very interesting feature from Nancy Slessenger about how to deal better with emotional people. I have written before about Nancy as an expert in how to deal with difficult people.

Nancy told two stories about people who have a strong connection to their emotions and both resonated with me. Some people think that coaches are very touchy-feely and while some are, I'm not. I am much more task focused and it seems that where problems start.

When an emotionally driven person runs into a task driven person you can very easily run into a stalemate situation with each person exaggerating their biases.

The Samaritans

The first story Nancy told was about the time when she had a very depressed person working in her team and other members of staff were concerned about the suicide risk. So Nancy decided to ring the Samaritans (UK helpline for the suicidally depressed) to find out how the process worked.

Nancy just wanted the facts and if possible to try to set up a meeting but the person the other end of the telephone was not interested in the task but wanted to know how Nancy felt about this situation. "I'm concerned but I am sure that everything will be OK if she can get some help."

"Yes but how do you really fee-eel?" came back the reply.  The Samaritan obviously thought that Nancy was doing the "A friend of mine... "routine. It didn't get anywhere because the more Nancy pushed for action (information), the more the other person believed that she was repressing her feelings and had to be forced to confront them.    

The Computer Bug

The second story concerns another member of Nancy's staff who was very reluctant to hand over an old computer to another member of staff so that she could have a new one. As Nancy pushed for action, she met resistance and heard excuses.

It was only when Nancy asked how she felt and suggested some emotions - upset, angry, worried - that the truth came out. She was worried because she hadn't fixed a computer bug and she was embarrassed to hand it over like this.

Nice Stories (Especially When Nancy Explains Them)

But what is the implication for us as managers and coaches.

If you are dealing with a task focused person, you need to stay on point and focus on the facts and what action needs to be taken.

If you are dealing with a feelings focused person, you have to find out how they are feeling and how those feelings are connected with what they are to do. Only then after you have recognised and dealt with the emotional issues can you move to agreeing future actions.

This was the third feature from Nancy Slessenger in the Achievers Edge but if you want to hear or read her ideas, there are some links on the dealing with difficult people page.

As a task driven person with a suspicion of touchy-feely ideas, she makes many of these  people issues fascinating.

What Else Was In The Achievers Edge

It was a great edition with:

1. Personal development - starting and completing projects
    
   
2. Guest interview - Richard Richardson, co-author of Marketing Judo (so good I ordered the book)
    
   
3. The edge of the month - how good are you in the last three feet?
    
   
4. Communication - tricks of sleight of voice
    
   
5. Control your life - never take a no from someone who can't say yes
    
   
6. Audio excerpt from Jim Rohn's "The Day The World Turns You Around"
   

If you would like to learn more about the Achievers Edge, Peter Thomson has made an excellent introductory offer - see Achievers Edge

To Your Success

Your Profit Coach

Paul Simister
Business coaching for customer focused entrepreneurs

How To Do More With Less - Michael Port

In this week's Think Big Revolution Monday teleseminar Michael Port (author of Book Yourself Solid and Beyond Booked Solid) explains how to do more with less.

Is that something you are interested in?

• How to do more marketing with less effort?
   
• How to have more free time and less unproductive busy work?
   
• How to have more money without having to work so hard?

To receive advance notification of these calls sign up and join MIchael Port's Think Big Revolution and even join the call yourself to learn how to do more with less.

Update

Thanks to an agreement with Michael Port, I am able to post the downloadable link to the call on my blog.

How To Do More With Less

To Your Success

Your Profit Coach

Paul Simister

Business coaching for customer focused entrepreneurs

Master Business Building Club - Make Money, Save Time

Master Business Building Club is a membership site and can cure a growing problem.

The Explosion of Information Leads To Overload

Ever since the mid nineties the Internet has exploded and with it, the amount of information available has increased exponentially to a point where there is total information overload.

I don't know about you but for all of Google's good intentions, whenever I search for information, I have to battle through spam sites and even when I get to what looks like good information from a respectable looking website, I'm never quite sure until I build up a relationship with the source that only comes from time and repeated exposure to the ideas.

But how often does that happen?

There are hundreds of websites that I have bookmarked but never returned to.

I keep signing up to email newsletters, only for the missives to go straight into an individual folder where they are usually ignored until eventually I cancel. I'm tempted into all these sign-ups by great sounding reports or short email courses which I download but never read?

Does that sound familiar?

But it's not always like that.

Give Attention To People You Trust

There are some people who have earned my attention and they continue to get it while they work in my best interests.

Hopefully I have earned your attention and respect so while you are here, please make sure that you sign up to my newsletter or the RSS feed (top left hand side of the page).

This idea of "rewarding trusted sources with your attention" is why I believe that membership sites of high quality content are the future. It makes life so much easier for you.

I don't have the time to keep researching on Google trying to find the right keywords to give me the information I want. When I search general terms I find that I get 2 million hits and many of the top ten are of dubious relevance. When I search for a tightly focused specific term I often don't find anything.

Do you have the same problem?

You want information but you want to find it quickly and feel confident that it is high quality.

Membership Sites Are The Future

That's why I think that membership sites have such an important role to play in the future.

A good membership site takes away the clutter and you build a relationship with just a few information providers who you get to know and trust.

As well as providing great fixed content in written, audio and video format, there is usually a forum where members interact, share ideas and generally help each other.

For example in the Internet marketing world, the StomperNet membership site has been an incredible success. Every year or so it opens for a few days (it is currently closed) and is swamped with new members even though it costs a massive $800 per month.

Ouch but these Internet marketers can make $250,000 if they get their tactics right and only $25,000 if they are stuck in the crowd. So on that basis it makes sense that they are happy to pay the money for the high quality information.

What Do You As The Owners Of A Small Business Want?

I told you the story about StomperNet to show you that these membership sites work but I know that you're probably not that keen on Internet marketing.

So why don't we have a little think about what we want as owners of small business.

There's support for our business strategy, especially as it looks like the Western economies are in for a tough couple of years.

Some fresh marketing ideas would go down well and in addition tips on how to attract new customers and sell more to existing customers would be very useful.

I talk about the importance of being a customer focused entrepreneur. This is a person who understands their customers, wants to look after their needs and focuses the business on them.

Working closely with customers means that you will see more of their problems and as a result discover opportunities to provide solutions. To deliver the answers you will probably need to find partners. What is it they say "Jack of all trades, master of none." It makes sense then that help and advice in creating strong profitable partnerships would be useful.

You may need some advice with technology. I must admit that I am a bit of a technophobe and quickly feel out of my depth with every new technology that comes along. I need people I trust to explain to me what's what in language I can understand and then explain how I can benefit.

Then in all the pressure to be a success, it is important to keep focus on the big picture.

Hopefully we both work to live and not live to work so tips and advice on how to lead a balanced and productive life would be useful.

That's a demanding list and it's not likely to come from one person. I know that I cover many of these topics on my blog but I am quick to show you that I am leaning on the experts and giving you my interpretation of their ideas.

Introducing The Master Business Building Club

The Master Business Building Club is a new venture that is just starting to be launched. It is headed by Mitch Meyerson and Travis Greenlee.

I know Mitch and respect him for always producing high quality services. It was Mitch who trained me to be a certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach.

I could tell you about the Master Business Building Club but the video on the website will do a better job.

But if you agreed with me above as I went through the list of topics that we may need help for, then this could be the membership site for you.

Just take a look:

Master Business Building Club

There is a free 30 day trial so watch the video, sign up and put a note in your diary in four weeks time to review your decision. Over the next four weeks test out the Master Business Building Club and prove to yourself one way or another whether you are getting value for money.

If you don't find yourself going back to the website then you know it's not for you but if you get value, then stay as a member. I am sure that the membership site will continue to grow and develop.

And no, it's not $800 dollars a month. Only these rich Internet entrepreneurs can afford to splash out that kind of cash.

In fact for little more than a dollar a day you can have ongoing membership of the Master Business Building Club.

I've just realised that's the equivalent of only a few minutes of coaching time per month.

Are they trying to put me out of business?

What Are Your Thoughts?

Do you agree with me that trusted membership sites are the future?

Are you a member of the Master Business Building Club and if so, what do you think? It will help others if you can add a review of the club to help other people decide to join.

Update - 4 July 2008

My name is Paul and I am a business information addict...

I held off for two whole weeks but I couldn't take it any more as people I respect were telling me how great it will be.

I just had to step in and take a look around and you can too by joining the Master Business Building Club on the 30 day free trial.

It's early days yet but this could be the time to get in and influencing the Master Business Building Club yourself.

I will be keeping you up-to-date with how it is progressing.

To Your Success

Your Profit Coach

Paul Simister

Business coaching for customer focused entrepreneurs

Rapport: How To Build Rapport Quickly & Easily

Today I am featuring an excellent article I found by business and management coach Martin Haworth on how to build rapport quickly and easily in eight steps.

So over to Martin

By building rapport quickly, you instantly create excellent relationships for your business success. In this article you will find eight simple skills to get your quick and easy relationship building off to a great start!

Building quick rapport is all about creating a relationship, in the moment. And this is vital in business, education, friendships and many other areas of life. We need relationships to help us get the things we want for ourselves in our lives, like money, promotions, success, partners and above all to feel part of society.

You see we are social animals, us humans and if we find it challenging to make relationships, then we feel excluded. And that ain't comfortable.

So, let's build rapport quickly and easily in the just eight easy steps. Try a few; try them all - print this out as a reminder - have fun with it and see the difference!

1. Pay Attention

Now some will say that you must make continued eye contact, but, you know, some folks find that invasive and threatening. So match what they do, if they look at you, look at them.

But whatever you do, ensure that you give an appropriate level of attention to them. In Dale Carnegie's wonderful book, 'How to Win Friends & Influence People', he tells a story of how he sat next to someone at dinner one evening. All night his fellow guest talked; all night Carnegie listened.

A few weeks later, he was amazed to hear from a mutual friend how interesting his dinner companion had found him - even though Carnegie said virtually nothing all evening!

2. Value Them

..which leads us to how you relate to them. If someone is talking to you about something, make sure you show you value what they are saying, by asking them at least one additional open question about what they are talking to you about.

Remember these? The 6 W's of HoW, What, Where, When, Why or Who. Six easy, helpful, interested open question types that start quickly to show you are interested in them, building a really fast relationship..

3. Be Like Them

By matching physically, you will make a far greater impression. So, if they are standing, stand, leaning forward, lean forward.

Ever spoken to a child? What did you do - you crouched down, didn't you. Why? Because you felt more able to communicate. It works well for big people too!

4. Follow Up

How often have you discussed something and then it hasn't been followed through afterwards. Promises not kept. And how did that leave your relationship with that person? Not good eh?

Following through on what you promise is not just good practice, it is vital if you want to build a strong, trusting relationship. People notice, even when you don't. Also remember to underpromise and overdeliver.

5. Laugh a Lot

Laughter is a powerful tool in building relationships - you are sharing the same emotion, in the same moment. Ever seen two people in fits of laughter? How strong was that bond then? Pretty strong, I guess. Ever been there yourself? Yes, you know the feeling. It works, so share the fun and joy of the moment.

6. Hear Them

It is not about listening, it's about hearing them. So what's the distinction here? It means being so with the person that you sense other things beneath the words. This is a very powerful tool you can use.

Further sensitive questioning then adds into your evidence, which can give you great clues to help build the relationship.

7. Be The Audience

Remember that when you are talking, you might be using the same language, but you hear it with different ears, different experiences and altogether a different 'take' on the words.

A great coach I know, Elaine Wylie, had a problem with her cell phone one day and heard a serious echo. She heard herself fully before her caller responded. It was very revealing. So hear what you are saying from your audience's 'ears'.

8. Give space - Listen up

Have you ever spoken to someone uninterrupted for as long as it took to say all you had to say? Were there spaces where it went quiet? What did you say next?

In Nancy Kline's wonderful book 'Time to Think' she explores great exercises to do just that. The experience is magical. Give your listener space to talk and let them fill the silences. You will have pure rapport and a recognition that you care so much.

So that's all there is to it. There maybe a few other things, but get these ideas somewhere like right and it will create relationships of value for you all over the place - through the rapport you have built in the moment.

Daunted? Don't be. Try one or two at a time and see the reaction - play with these ideas. Build your confidence. Enjoy the learning to Build Rapport Fast!

(c) 2008 Coaching Businesses To Success. Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. There are hundreds of hints, tips, ideas and articles at his website,    http://www.Coaching-Businesses-To-Success.com 

Thanks Martin for letting me republish your great article on building rapport. Soft skills like rapport building are so important when working towards success.

Have you ever noticed how some people (perhaps friends from school or university) have always been popular and then when they entered the world of work, they were on the fast track to success?

It's because they have developed this wonderful ability to build strong, lasting relationships with people who can and do help them because they are liked and trusted.

Some people just have the special knack of putting people at ease and within minutes of meeting a new person are then chatting away like best friends and that's because they have honed their natural rapport building skils.

Working with people you like makes business easy and fun while working with people who you dislike and don't trust quickly becomes extremely stressful.

Business growth expert Peter Thomson has a saying:

"When the relationship works, all the major problems are minor. When the relationship doesn't work, all the minor problems become major."

If you trust someone you know that they will be fair and see that any problem is put right and solved equitably. If you don't trust someone, you waste time looking for the problems and the catches in a deal and then try to protect your corner.

So How Can Rapport Building Help Your Business?

The first obvious place is in your sales process.

Some sales trainers (including Chet Holmes) teach that building rapport is step one in the selling process.

But I'm not talking about the cheesy rep who picks up the photograph of little Johnny on your desk and says "What a beautiful little boy" but genuine rapport as explained in Martin's article.

People buy from people they like and they like people like themselves

You show the prospective customer that you are interested in them, their problems and finding the right solution and not one that "will do" and makes you a fast buck.

The next place is with the relationships with your employees and team members. The more they like and respect you, the more willing they will be to help you to work towards your business vision.

Next are your suppliers. You may see your suppliers as people to be squeezed as hard as possible but often there are all kinds of extra concessions and favours you can receive if you are liked.

I recommend that everyone grade their customers and one of the factors determining grading is how much you like working with them. I perhaps take this further than most but one of the prime factors in me agreeing to work with a one-to-one coaching client is that I must like them and really want to help them.

Martin also mentioned a book (also available as an audio) called "How To Win Friends And Influence Them" by Dale Carnegie. It is a classic although I should say that it is also quaint. It was published back in 1936 and it seems strange to read stories about Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt.

Wikipedia has a short summary of the key factors from "How To Win Friends" which is well worth reading and learning the techniques.

Building rapport is the first step to creating great relationships and that will put you on the fast track to success, however you choose to define it.

To Your Success

Your Profit Coach

Paul Simister

Business coaching for customer focused entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurial Virus & Creativity by Scott Hallman

I am pleased to bring you another of Scott Hallman's Tuesday Profit Tips™ and this time Scott talks about improving your personal productivity by controlling what Scott calls the Entrepreneurial Virus but which I think of as the interruption virus. It shows that modern technology designed to improve our personal productivity may be destroying our powers of creativity.

Over to Scott and listen to him introduce this topic (open in a new tab and press play)

Entrepreneurial Virus

The "Productivity Enhancers"
That May Be Killing Your Business

Hi, this is Scott Hallman and welcome to this week's Tuesday Profit Tip™ that is focused on the "Manage" your business section of what we teach.

Technology has provided us with some incredible ways to increase productivity. But is it possible to get too much of a good thing? Well, when it comes to our personal availability - anywhere, anytime, in an instant, the answer is absolutely yes.

Now don't get me wrong, 24/7 access can be a great thing, but it needs to be controlled and balanced to avoid contracting a 'Entrepreneurial Productivity Killer Virus' that will weaken your ability to maximize your business potential.

If you are like many of our clients, you may have tremendous difficulty staying focused and therefore struggle with getting important tasks completed - even ones that can have a measurable improvement on your profits, lifestyle and competitiveness of your business. You may also have a habit of putting off planning "until you have time".

If that describes you, even a little, then I think you will get a ton of value out of what I am going the share with you here.

It took a week in the extreme wilderness to get me to realize the problem

I just got back from the remote area in Canada, where one of our lake houses is located. It is remote to say the least. In fact, we are 40 minutes from a grocery store and there are only 19 homes and a few fishing lodges on this 10,000 acre lake!

There is not a lot to do up there except relax….something I have yet to learn to do well. And, the cell phone does not work here at all and there is no Internet access!

What I noticed while I was there was an incredible burst in my creativity. In fact, I could hardly write the thoughts down as fast as they came to me. I even finished two chapters of my book, which I have put off for two years. My ability to focus was unbelievable.

Well, you say, "That is because you were in paradise." Perhaps, but my contention is that this had only a small part to do with it.

Let me continue with the story.

As we re-entered the US, via car, I instantly began getting calls, texts, emails - over 200 of them, and was back in the fast, constant interruption state of mind….you know, that state where it is almost impossible to stay focused on anything and where you feel this ludicrous need to answer every email, call and text immediately.

What occurred to me is that one of the major problems with Personal Productivity is these interruptions that are part of our 24/7 communication world …regardless of whether we are at dinner with your family, at a ball game, driving, sleeping, or working on an important project. We simply have little uninterrupted time these days and this can destroy our ability to stay focused and get things done.

Think about a time that you wrote a plan or thought through a complex problem or developed sales copy or a script, or designed a compensation plan, or any other activity that requires concentration. Now, how long did it take you to get in the "creative zone" - fifteen minutes, thirty minutes or even an hour? And if you were interrupted, how long did it take you to get back in the "creative zone"? Well, if you are like me, a one hour task can take four to five times longer with just a few interruptions.

Amazingly, as I am writing these very words my wife just came in and massively interrupted me with a non-urgent issue (my view anyway). And it totally interrupted my "creative zone".

Where was I, oh yes…

It took the past to understand what we need in the future

When I built my first national company, I developed 90% of it while driving in the car, BEFORE there were affordable cell phones. I was in the car several hours a day and it was during that "quiet" time that I did my creative thinking and planning. I would leave a prospect's or client's office and instantly start creating solutions to the problems or improvement to our service.

My friend, Jay Abraham, once told me that when he writes copy he often puts it aside and does something relaxing until the inspiration hits and his creative juices go nuts…sometimes this takes him a week or more.

Give Yourself the Gift of Being Disconnected

So let me ask you a question. Do you give yourself permission to turn off the phones, email and interruptions to focus on important projects?

If not, my challenge to you is to carve out dedicated times each week where you allow yourself the chance to get into the"Creative Zone" by getting totally disconnected and working on important tasks and projects.

A couple important keys to doing this effectively:

• It is critical that you give yourself time to unwind and get into state. This may take 30-60 minutes so don't get frustrated.
   
  
• Go somewhere where any signs of work and electronic communication gadgets are no where around. I have several areas I work in depending on what I am doing. My creative place is by my pool and pond.
   
• Work on only ONE project or key task at a time.
   
• Enjoy the feeling of creativity. It is an energy like no other and the rewards of getting things done are awesome.

Go for it and ProfitNOW™.

To your Success,

Scott Hallman

Small Business Growth Club
(Everything you need to Build-Grow-Manage-Profit from your business for less than $1 a day!)

Thanks Scott.

Effective use of your time lies at the very centre of any great achievement and while it is easy for me and other business coaches to talk about time blocking, I do realise just how difficult it can be to achieve. Not answering your telephone or ignoring your emails flouts the desire to be very responsive to customers and clients.

But checking your email for potential customer contacts opens you up to all those people who are competing for your time, attention and money.

Even the obvious spam takes up valuable seconds and I even feel obliged to check my spam filters from time to time to make sure that an important message hasn't been routed in there by accident.

Can you find a compromise?

Must you always be at the beck and call of anyone who wants you?

I don't think so.

You can train yourself to be disciplined and even share your system with your clients. Suppose you scheduled in three times per day to check your emails and respond to questions and you stuck to it.

By being ultra responsive, you can be training people to abuse your time. If you respond quickly, they don't need to think ahead and plan what they need so they won't.

It is a difficult issue but you owe it to yourself to decide your priorities and then have the self discipline to live by your rules.

I know I urge you to focused on your customers and what they need and want but remember, responding to queries from a customer or prospect is likely to be interfering with the quality or timeliness of work you are doing for another customer.

Your Profit Coach
Paul Simister
Business coaching for customer focused entrepreneurs.

Cure Your Public Speaking Fears

Last week I admitted that I was a victim of a self limiting belief. I love small group training sessions but the thought of speaking in public to a large group sends a shudder down my spine and makes me back-track rapidly.

Unfortunately this is starting to hold me back as I have ducked and dived under a few recent opportunities as I become more established.

1. A couple of months ago I was asked to give a talk on Guerrilla Marketing because I am one of the few certified Guerrilla Marketing coaches in the UK.
   
   "How many will be there?" I asked?
     
   "Hopefully about 40 to 50" was the answer. The alarm lights were flashing in my mind and I declined the opportunity.
     
2. Last month, one of the local radio stations in the West Midlands called me and asked me if I would be a guest adviser on a particular subject.  This time the alarm bells were ringing along with the flashing lights. Fortunately it wasn't a subject I knew much about so I was able to salvage my conscience that way rather than face up to the fact that I was "chicken."
    
3. This week, one of the UK national television stations called and asked if I would be interested in talking to them about appearing on a TV programme. You didn't see me for dust.

Do you have the same problem?

You have probably heard of the survey that asked people what scared them the most.

In first place was speaking in public, in second place, walking in to a room full of strangers and third, death.

I don't know about you but if someone gave me the ultimatum "Talk to this group of people or I'll shoot you", I think I could just about manage to mumble away but it does show you just how common is the fear of public speaking.

Poor Public Speaking Performance Confirms The Belief

If your mind is telling you that "you are no good at public speaking" and "public speaking scares you", guess what?

The next time you speak in public you will live up to your mind's expectations.

Remember the Law of Attraction as featured in the film The Secret - you attract what you think about.

You force yourself to do it but you don't enjoy it and to be honest, you're probably not very good. A few kind people may come up and say that "it was interesting" but no one will enthuse.

Here's The Good News - It Doesn't Have To Be Like That

Public speaking is a skill that can be learned and mastered. Then your self talk becomes positive and people will tell you that your talk was great.

Michael Port, author of best selling books "Book Yourself Solid" and "Beyond Booked Solid" has given me permission to republish his Think Big Revolution Monday teleseminars on my blog so I've gone back to last year and found two recordings to help you improve your public speaking skills.

Michael is a great speaker himself but as a former film and television actor, you would expect him to know the inside tricks.

Public Speaking Call 1 - Michael Port and Marcia Wieder

Join Michael in his discussion with America's Dream Coach, Marcia Wieder, as they talk about how to confidently deliver an inspiring message to an audience - whether it be 1, 100, or 1000 people.

Marcia has appeared on Oprah, The Today show, and in her own PBS-TV special.  She has written several books which have been translated into numerous languages.  As past president of the National Association of Women Business Owners, she was often in the White House where she met former U.S. presidents, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter and George Bush Sr.  In addition, as a columnist for Motto magazine and The San Francisco Chronicle, she urged readers to take "The Great Dream Challenge."

Learn from Marcia's extensive experience about how to improve your speaking abilities - to become an inspiring speaker!  Discover the technique of weaving stories into your presentation to create the impact that you're looking for.

A course is mentioned but this was in October 2007 but if you are interested, it will be worth checking out the website for any repeats.

Download this mp3 audio

Public Speaking call 2 - Michael Port and Patricia Fripp

Join Michael as he enlists the help of Patricia Fripp, who was the first female President of the National Speakers Association.  As a public speaking expert, Meetings and Conventions Magazine called her, "one of the country's 10 most electrifying speakers".

Learn how to move from being good at giving presentations to being great at giving presentations with advice from the experts!  Discover the tools to use to become fully self-expressed, to catapult to the next level.

Download this mp3 audio

The Benefits Of Audio Learning

I love audio learning because the emotion of the words and the personality of the speaker come over so much better than in writing.

But the problem is you can't scan so I like to listen to recordings using FasterAudio which allows me to speed up calls through the introductory fluff and bits that aren't relevant to me and then slow it down for the key sections.

Say after me "I am a great public speaker and I love it. I speak to small and large groups regularly and it is always very successful."

Join Michael Port's Think Big Revolution

Michael Port wants you to Think Big and has created these regular teleseminars to help you.

If you would like to sign up for news of the calls as they happen then pop over to Michael Port's site and sign up to the Think Big Revolution

To Your Success

Your Profit Coach

Paul Simister

Business Coaching for customer focused entrepreneurs

Overcoming Information Overload

Since I came back from holiday, I have been suffering from information overload. This has been a problem that has crept up on me through my developing interest in Internet marketing and information marketing.

I receive so many emails offering free reports, teleseminars, webinars, downloadable recordings and videos that it would have been very easy to avoid doing any productive work at all. What was manageable on a daily basis became overwhelming in a ten day batch.

It won't surprise you to know that I am a firm believer in the ongoing power and benefits of continual personal development and learning but it is important to know where to draw the line, stop learning and start using.

I have written about this concern before in my "Are You a Business Advice Junkie? and "Cold Turkey For The Business Advice Junkie" but I want to return to the theme of information overload.

The Problems Of Information Overload

• Higher levels of stress
   
• Confusion and frustration
   
• Little time for action
   
• Increased pressure to strive for perfectionism if you could just know a few more secrets
   
• Delayed decision making as the focus is on more research, facts and analysis

The Solutions To Information Overload

• Focusing on what you need to know rather than what it's nice to know
   
• Learning to make better use of what you already know
   
• Finding the best sources of quality information which you trust and rely on
   
• Self discipline to the way you manage your time in research and a commitment to taking action within your self imposed deadlines.

Peter Thomson and the Performance Effectiveness Quotient

When Peter and I had lunch last week, we discussed the problem of people buying information, not for the reason of what it can do to make their lives or businesses better but for intellectual entertainment.

I was thinking more about this while I was driving back home and I remembered that Peter had a great technique for developing and enhancing your personal skills which he calls the Performance Effectiveness Quotient.

Your success in any activity is a combination of three separate areas:

1. Your knowledge of the skill area
    
2. Your ability in applying that knowledge
    
3. How often you use the knowledge.

This makes a lot of sense to me.

You may know a lot about a subject but you find it very difficult to apply that knowledge  turn it into an effective skill. This means that you don't use the knowledge and take productive actions which create a benefit.

This is the classic situation of someone suffering from information overload.

They have an ongoing thirst for knowledge and to benefit from learning but the concentration of effort is misplaced.

In this situation benefits don't come from knowing more but from learning to apply what you know and then consolidating and reinforcing the skill through frequent action.

Applying the Performance Effectiveness Quotient

This is covered in Peter Thomson's super audio program from Nightingale Conant called "The Best Kept Secrets Of The World's Great Achievers" (and for anyone interested in buying the mp3 download it is in section 1 Straight To The Target) but hopefully Peter won't mind if I give you the flavour.

Identify your important skill areas for your role (at work and in life) and then rate yourself out  of ten for your knowledge, ability to apply the skill and how often you  use the skill.

Turn the ratings into percentages and then multiply together. This means that if each element is rates as 6 out of 10 (or 60%) your overall rating is 60% x 60% x 60% or just 21.6%.

To get better in your performance in this skill area, you have to find which element is the easiest to upgrade and then work on that.

So if your ratings are 70%, 70% and 20%, then you need to focus on using the skill more often because you are wasting an important capability.

If you have ratings 70%, 20% and 60% then you are trying to use a skill which you know a lot about and use regularly but you have not developed an effective way of applying your knowledge and working out the systematic steps to effective application becomes the priority.

Applying the Performance Effectiveness Quotient To Your Business

Peter Thomson explains the Performance Effectiveness Quotient as a way to develop and strengthen your personal skills but there are two extensions that you can apply to your business:

1. Using the Performance Effectiveness Quotient in your team development and appraisals. How often have you seen good training go to waste? If you try to consolidate the training (which may have been focused on the increase in knowledge) by extending it across to the two other areas, you will start seeing an improvement in the results and benefits of the training.
    
2. Using the ideas behind the performance Effectiveness Quotient to develop the capabilities of your business. Just as an individual has skills which differentiates them as a person, a business has distinctive capabilities which are at the foundation of any differentiation based competitive advance.

Increasing Business Capabilities

My Eight Pillars of Business Prosperity are a structured way for you to look at your business and focus your improvement initiatives.

Just to remind you I have  identified eight fundamental pillars or capabilities which businesses need to continue to improve in addition to the particular skills of the trade or profession:

1. Pillar 1 - Measuring your key numbers and managing performance
    
2. Pillar 2 - Developing your vision and translating it into everything you do in your business
    
3. Pillar 3 - Developing and enhancing your market position so that you are seen as the natural choice in a great market opportunity
    
4. Pillar 4 - Generating new customer leads
    
5. Pillar 5 - Converting leads into customers
    
6. Pillar 6 - Keeping customers happy and turning one time customers into regular customers
    
7. Pillar 7 - Leading and building your team to achieve your business vision
    
8. Pillar 8 - Systematising your business to improve quality, reduce variation and lower costs.

You can take each of these Pillars and look at how well your business knows what to do, how well it applies what it knows and how often effective action is taken.

If you would like an introduction to Peter Thomson's ideas, his Achievers Edge monthly newsletter is excellent.

To Your Success

Paul Simister

Your Profit Coach, business coaching for the customer focused entrepreneur

© Planning & Control Solutions Ltd 2007-2008 All Rights Reserved

How To Be A Complete And Utter Failure - Steve McDermott

In a radical departure for my blog, instead of helping you to succeed, today I want to help you learn "How To Be A Complete and Utter Failure in Life, Work & Everything"

So here is my tip - listen to Steve McDermott.

I was introduced to the ideas of Steve and "how to fail" by Peter Thomson's Achiever's Edge but I'll let you into a little secret.

Steve McDermott doesn't really want you to fail. It's reverse psychology.

He has written the book "How to Be a Complete and Utter Failure in Life, Work and Everything: 44 1/2 Steps to Lasting Underachievement" which I haven't read yet but I am excited by the live CD "How to Be a Complete and Utter Failure."

Two reasons:

1. It is very funny
    
2. The messages are powerful

The CD covers Six and a Half steps that have to be listened to very carefully in case you might do the opposite:

1. Don't change your mood
    
2. Don't change your beliefs
    
3. Don't know what you value
    
4. Don't do things on purpose
    
5. Don't spend any time in the future
    
6. Don't have goals
    
7. Don't stop doing everything by halves

Steve McDermott has been voted European speaker of the year.

Should you wish to book Steve McDermott you can find out more details from his entry on Speakers for Business Steve McDermott and there are a few samples of his public speaking.

The CD is strongly recommended if you feel that you need to get yourself motivated, learn and have a laugh all at the same time. I am sure that this is one "change your life" CD that I will be listening to many times.

The CD is available from Amazon.co.uk

and his book on the same theme has great reviews which you can get from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com 

This is the problem with Peter Thomson's Achievers Edge, Peter does introduce you to so much good stuff that you will want to know more.

To Your Success

Paul Simister

Your Profit Coach, business coaching for customer focused entrepreneurs

© Planning & Control Solutions Ltd 2007-2008 All Rights Reserved

Presentation Skills: How To Make Better Presentations - Free Report

I have a free 15 page report for you to improve your presentation skills called "How To Make Better Presentations" as part of my commitment to moving the free-line.

Have you always wanted to be the person who holds an audience spellbound as they listen with intense concentration while you make your case?

Or are you someone who avoids speaking in public whenever possible?

Do you know someone who is a hopeless presenter and needs to improve their skills?

How To Make Better Presentations will help.

Presentations Are Scary

In one study, public speaking was considered to be the scariest thing and death came third!

I admitted in my review of Michael Port's excellent book "Book Yourself Solid" that I was scared of talking to large groups of people and that this fear has held me back from promoting my business using speaking. It's a bit strange because I love small group training as it gives me a real buzz but the thought of moving from an audience of 10 to 100 or even 1,000 is just too much.

I had better point out that I didn't write How To Make Better Presentations but I have read it with great interest.

Your Presentation Skills May Be The Difference Between Success Or Failure

Whether you are presenting to existing customers, in a selling situation to prospective customers, to employees or to a networking group, your presentation skills could be the difference between success and failure.

The difference between people buying into your ideas or rejecting them out of hand.

What You Will Learn From "How To Make Better Presentations"

• The 4 types of presenter
   
• How the components of the communication process fit together
   
• The many different elements of speaking -it's not just what you say or how you say it
   
• How to prepare yourself for the audience
   
• 14 tips to help you talk to your audience including the 5Cs of platform excellence
   
• 6 tips for setting up your presentation
   
• 7 questions to ask yourself before you rush to prepare a multi-media presentation
   
• 9 general tips for presentation including how you can use colour to influence the mood of your
  audience
   
• How to use a microphone
   
• 11 tips for creating better computer presentations
   
• How to open your presentation and what you must avoid
   
• 6 tips on how to answer questions
   
• And much more

All You Have To Do To Receive "How To Make Better Presentations"...

...Is sign up below or if you are already one of my newsletter subscribers, the link will be sent out to you with the April 2008 Better Business Focus in about a week's time.

This is a double confirmation system because I hate spam as much as you do and I would hate to think that someone doesn't want my emails.

Name:

Email:

I will also send you my very popular email newsletter.

I usually email to my subscribers two or three times a month so this is not a subscription list that sends you two emails per day every day. My emails also include an unsubscribe option to take you off the list if you do not find the information invaluable for your business.

Isn't it time that you improved your presentation skills?

Update - Cure Your Public Speaking Fears

Thanks to Michael Port, author of Book Yourself Solid, I have posted links to two teleseminars Michael did on public speaking.

To Your Success

Your Profit Coach

Paul Simister

Business coaching for customer focused entrepreneurs

© Planning & Control Solutions Ltd 2007-2008 All Rights Reserved