Practical Performance Coaching

Steve Head

Steve Head gave chief executive mentoring and experiential learning group members (from Peter Pritchett’s Academy Groups 5 and 32) a very practical and powerful workshop on Practical Performance Coaching in July. Developed from Tim Gallwey’s “The Inner Game” and sports coaching experience, high performance coaching is the process by which the coach can allow an individual to discover more of their brilliance or talent.

The members went away with 5 main insights/action points:

• Focus on strengths not weaknesses. So much 121 work (and competency work in general) is focussed upon overcoming weaknesses - however, individuals generally achieve much more (and feel more fulfilled) when playing to their strengths;
• p=P-I (Performance = Potential - Interference (Tim Gallwey);
• Performance Coach works to reduce/eliminate the impact of the Interference (the negative self-talk, lack of real confidence etc). Skills Coach works on the techniques - which affects the potential;
• Much apparent confidence is “Conditional Confidence” - i.e. it depends upon context, tools, other people/situations - rather than Internal or True (unconditional) Confidence. We were encouraged to try this mantra: “I will do my very best with what I know now and when I know better I will do even better.”;
• We worked with the GROW model (Goals, Reality, Options, What next) and practiced how that might work. We then went onto GROW++ which adds consideration of Motive, Beliefs/Values and Resources.

Peter Pritchett, Chairman Academy Groups 5 and 32

The Academy for Chief Executives, a leading provider of experiential business learning® facilitates peer groups of CEOs and Managing Directors who meet together every month to network and take full advantage of experiential learning. To hear great speakers like this every month and engage in The Board You Could Never Afford®, or to find a local group near you, visit www.chiefexecutive.com.

 

Non-Financial Ways to Motivate Your Staff

Motivating your staff doesn’t always have to be about money or financial rewards.

At a recent meeting of experiential business learning® group, The Academy for Chief Executives, the issue of introducing non-financial rewards as a way to motivate staff was raised during the afternoon session (’The Board You Could Never Afford®‘). Many CEO members were able to draw on their own experiences of implementing these motivational initiatives into their own businesses. I’d like to share with you just a snippet of their advice:

• Introduce incentive schemes and perks - such as employee well-being (regular health checks, doctor/physio on site monthly, support for gym membership, social clubs);
• Establish an appraisal system where clearly defined objectives are mutually agreed - appraisals should be continuous, not just once a year!;
• Consider setting up an employee share scheme;
• Improve work-life balance by introducing flexi-time. This can actually increase productivity and reduce levels of absenteeism;
• Give recogniition in as many ways as possible - (praise for a job well done, long service awards, even something as simple as an extra hour at lunchtime as a reward for projects completed on time etc can make a world of difference);
• Job enrichment - ensure your employees are given more interesting, challenging and complex tasks. Encourage your staff to consider problems they face and propose their own solutions.
• Lastly, take time to understand your employees’ core values and beliefs, this will help you to tailor non-financial rewards to them.

Although written in 2003, the BBC website has an interesting feature on how two very different companies motivate their staff: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/2988186.stm.

For confidentiality reasons we cannot divulge all of the advice provided by our members – however, we do hold open meetings where guests are able to attend and experience for themselves the real power of ‘The Board You Could Never Afford’®. To find out how you can take advantage of advice like this every month, visit www.chiefexecutive.com.

 

Unleash the Power of the Internet

Academy Group 16, chief executive mentoring and experiential learning group (with members from the Cumbrian area) recently heard SEO and internet marketing expert, Guy Levine (see Guy’s website at www.webmarketingadvisor.com ) give a very interactive session on “unleashing the power of the internet”.

He explained how internet marketing is evolving and how understanding the way in which search engines work makes the difference between zero visibility and high visibility of a web site. Achieving the latter can put a commercial website at the top of a search engine’s list.

Guy gave Academy members valuable tips on their own company websites, and provided ideas as to how they could be developed to make them a more effective internet marketing tool.

The three main take-aways members gained were:

• Decide what you want the website to do for you. Once you have decided the business result which you would most require, make sure every word and picture on the page drives people to take that action;
• Take the sales process which works in your real business and apply it to you website. A website is not a place to just let visitors stroll around, they need to be taken through a series of steps;
• Once you have your website converting, use the search engines to drive as much traffic as possible to the website; the key to this being the choice of keywords you use. Choose the words which are most likely to generate new business, not just impressive rankings!

Guy’s expertise and track record in internet marketing via effective websites is remarkable and he increased our understanding of this important topic.

Nick Jackson, Chairman Academy Group 16

The Academy for Chief Executives, a leading provider of experiential business learning® facilitates peer groups of CEOs and Managing Directors who meet together every month to network and take full advantage of experiential learning. To hear great speakers like this every month and engage in The Board You Could Never Afford®, to find out more about the Cumbrian Group, or to find a local group near you, visit www.chiefexecutive.com.

 

Changing The Groundhog Day

Jessica Richards was on top form when she returned to experiential business learning® group Leaders Forum 9 for the third time in 7 years.

Using her unique ‘Changing the Groundhog Day’ approach (different place, different people but the same situation again!), she helped group members achieve significant change in both their personal and professional lives.

Patterns of behaviour, which had been established as a result of situations long ago, were demonstrated to be no longer the required or desired behaviour pattern.

Members became more aware of both what they’ve been doing as well why they’d been following their behaviour patterns and this awareness has resulted in a now choice rich situation.

Jessica’s Groundhog Day is a belief changing experience, focusing on eliminating limiting beliefs which get in the way of leaders optimising their performance. Highly interactive with the added benefits of providing for everyone easily implementable relaxation processes, backed up with good supporting materials.

All members were very impressed with the refreshing and highly relaxing session.

Joanna Jesson, Chairman Leaders Forum 9

The Academy for Chief Executives, a leading provider of experiential business learning® facilitates peer groups of CEOs and Managing Directors who meet together every month to network and take full advantage of experiential learning. To hear great speakers like this every month and engage in The Board You Could Never Afford®, or to find a local group near you, visit www.chiefexecutive.com.

 

Perception and Risk: Climate Change

Academy Group 16, chief executive mentoring and experiential learning group (with members from the Cumbrian area) recently heard Adam Woodhall (see Adam’s website at http://www.ppp-online.co.uk/ ) give a very interactive session on perception and risk, entitled “Familiarity, Flukes, Fact and Future”.

The session started with raising awareness of the gulf between peoples’ perceptions and the actual, real risk of major changes - changes which will radically change not only the way we must operate as businesses, but also our everyday lives.

This was explained against the background of what is ‘normal’ and the unexpected risk that lurks unseen.

Adam’s presentation on climate change challenged perceptions and dispelled myths and misunderstandings whilst highlighting the sobering facts about climate change and global warming.

He clearly demonstrated the effects of global warming on ice fields and arctic ice melt - such as the 43% decrease in permanent arctic ice and the alarmingly rapid increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Adam also made comparisons between previous periods of ice ages and global warming and the present global warming as the CO2 concentration climbs to levels not seen for millions of years.

In addition, Adam highlighted the increased risk of coastal flooding and changing rainfall.

The session ended with members identifying what actions they could undertake to make their businesses more efficient and reduce costs.

A timely reminder of what we can do as businesses and individuals to combat climate change.

Nick Jackson, Chairman Academy Group 16

The Academy for Chief Executives, a leading provider of experiential business learning® facilitates peer groups of CEOs and Managing Directors who meet together every month to network and take full advantage of experiential learning. To hear great speakers like this every month and engage in The Board You Could Never Afford®, to find out more about the Cumbrian Group, or to find a local group near you, visit www.chiefexecutive.com.

 

The Turning Tide – and why businesses buy

The emotions behind how we make our personal purchasing decisions as consumers are often very well researched by those who seek to sell to us. But professional buying-decisions in industrial markets have their emotional triggers too – and they are changing.

The focus of successful business-to-business sales teams has been moving rather subtly over time. Perhaps you may recognise the following sequence, of how professional selling has developed over the years?

‘Product Focus’
Most industrial sales people, and certainly those who have had any sales training worth its name, have known for years that detailed product knowledge is essential for success. (Even so, lack of product knowledge still tops many league-tables of industrial buyers’ greatest dislikes of the sales people they meet!)

Needless to say, the greater the complexity of a product or service, the more that really knowledgeable sales people can offer to support their customers most effectively and add greatest value. And of course, more corporately, the greater the embedded product knowledge, the easier it has been to know how to differentiate successfully one’s own products services, from all the other competitors.

‘Features – and Benefits’
However, the downside of such an exclusively ‘product-focus’ has always been that it has tended to be feature led. (You can still see this approach at work in many advertisements for some technical products, especially when aimed at technical buyers – and even when aimed at those who may not be technically skilled!) Yet most successful industrial-sales companies know that this approach can be strictly limited.

Accordingly, most professional sales teams have learned to build on their product’s features by making very strong links between each relevant feature and the benefits it may confer, as relevant to each prospect. This has led to a much greater focus on professional ‘benefit selling’, even ‘solution selling’, and quite rightly too. After all, most customers want to buy benefits and solutions to their problems - not ‘features’!

Getting Closer to the Customer
To sell benefits and solutions successfully, however, many companies have found it is essential to know at least as much about their customers’ use and application of their products and services as the customers themselves – and possibly even more. After all, a ‘customer benefit’ is only relevant if the buyer can actually take advantage of it!

Hence the rise of both product-specialist and key-account management teams.

With much greater customer-focus however, has also come the realisation that many industrial buying-decisions are not solely factually-driven, evidence-based alone. Many sellers are increasingly aware that even for their solidly rational, industrial buyers, emotions can have a key role to play in their decision-making, however covertly or implicitly.

Not the least, these emotions may be influenced by trust, respect, confidence, reputation and the quality of any past trading relationships. After all, you don’t see many buyers willingly buying from companies they actively dislike, if they can possibly help it, in any field!

And this is where buyers’ behaviours seem to be changing most dramatically.

Emotions and the Purchasing Decision
Not long ago, the kind of emotions that influenced many industrial buying decisions have typically been:

• ‘corporate pride’, for example in spear-heading new processes, services or products; and ‘rivalry’, as in ‘let’s keep ourselves ahead of the game’;
• ‘leisure’, such as ‘will this purchase make all our working lives easier and/or more effective?’; and ‘pleasure’, perhaps by being an early professional adopter of the latest gizmo or technology;
• ‘loyalty’, most especially to past suppliers and technology; and ‘exclusivity’, for example, ‘we can make advances with this new purchase that none of our competitors can match’;
• ‘authority’, through our own enhanced reputation and ‘street credibility’; or ‘envy’ – perhaps based on others’!

But especially in the last year, I observe these emotions that influence buying decisions have somewhat changed. Increasingly, the focus now appears to be on:

• ‘security’, ‘confidence’ and ‘reliability’;
• ‘safety’, and even (economic) survival.

What to Do?
If this is your experience too, without ignoring all the other elements above in your sales and marketing planning, I strongly recommend you run some simple customer surveys to establish:

1. Are all our trading relationships in good repair; are we trusted?
2. What do we want our reputation to be as a supplier, and what is it actually?
3. Do we always do what we say we will do, right first-time, on-time, all the time and reliably?
4. Do our products do what we claim they do; do our services support fully support these claims?
5. What do we already do very well, and is it recognised?
6. What must we do even better?

There is nothing very new about this, but the key focus has shifted.

So ask yourself:
How can we offer our customers even more security, confidence and reliability?

I wish you all good fortune!

By Jeremy Thorn
Jeremy@JeremyThorn[dot]co[dot]uk
www.jeremythorn.co.uk

Jeremy Thorn has managed both small and large sales forces internationally and is the prize-winning author of ‘The First-Time Sales Manager’, ‘How To Negotiate Better Deals’, and the tips booklet ‘115 Essential Tips on Pricing’. He is a regular guest speaker to experiential business learning® organisation, The Academy for Chief Executives, and others on a variety of practical business topics, including ‘Bringing Home the Bacon’ on ethical sales skills, ‘How to Negotiate Better Deals’ and ‘Team Breakers and Makers’. Jeremy is the past founding-Chairman of QED Consulting and an experienced Non-Executive Director or Chairman of a number of technically-driven businesses in the UK and overseas.

 

Generating Referrals for Your Business

Academy Group 32, chief executive mentoring and experiential learning group (with members from the East Midlands area) recently heard Rob Brown give a very practical insight into how to implement and extract real value from a structured referral system. Any company that could use extra business generated from referrals should come to one of Rob’s sessions.

His top 3 tips were:

• Turn the fans of your business into advocates (he gave a process for this).

• Seek active referrals, rather than passive ones - get a personal introduction and strong endorsement (Rob gave us a 7 step process that all members present could use for getting active referrals).

• When seeking referrals be really focused and specific upon the introductions that you would like the referrer to give you - the more specific you are the easier it is to think of someone suitable.

A really useful session from Rob on how to develop a structured process and system for getting high-quality referrals into your business. Very practical and enjoyed by all members present.

Peter Pritchett, Chairman Academy Group 32

The Academy for Chief Executives, a leading provider of experiential business learning® facilitates peer groups of CEOs and Managing Directors who meet together every month to network and take full advantage of experiential learning. To hear great speakers like this every month and engage in The Board You Could Never Afford® , to find out more about the East Midlands group, or to find a local group near you, visit www.chiefexecutive.com.

 

The Metaphor of Poker - Risk and Reward in Business

Members of The Academy for Chief Executives (from London and Scotland) recently had corporate speaker Caspar Berry talk to them about the analogies to be drawn between poker and business and the nature of risk and reward.

He spoke to chief executive mentoring and experiential learning group members about the business connection between an expert poker player and business decisions. Caspar is a highly qualified ‘high roller’ who has turned his attention to how his experiences in the world of poker can add value to Leaders.

His thinking was original and all the members felt that it added value to their fall back.

The three key points were:

• It’s okay to make mistakes.

• You should always calculate the gamble. (The difference between a gamble and a calculated risk was fully explored along with an understanding that luck is that which you cannot control.)

• Short term failure leads to long term success. (A theme which comes through from many speakers is “have a long term goal or purpose”. Caspar discussed risk and reward related to achieving the long term goal.)

Caspar has a unique and challenging message that forces people to question many of the things they take for granted. He delivered powerful and pertinent messages about the way we think, particularly when it comes to risk-taking, communicating, decision-making and innovating.

The Academy for Chief Executives, a leading provider of experiential business learning® facilitates peer groups of CEOs and Managing Directors who meet together every month to network and take full advantage of experiential learning. To hear great speakers like Caspar Berry every month and engage in The Board You Could Never Afford®, visit www.chiefexecutive.com.

 

Google has changed - have you?

A brand new website selling plumbing equipment does sales of over £100,000 in the first month (www.plumbnation.co.uk), another one selling used photocopiers (www.copiersforsale.co.uk) recoups it website investment in six days.

These are reasonably typical stories about the success that can be achieved through websites nowadays. What’s surprising is not the success stories but the number of companies still not using the power of Google to generate sales.

Both these companies harness the power of ‘Google Base’, here’s an example (note the ‘shopping bag’ icon next to the snippet)…

This is a free service from Google and is immediate. (see http://base.google.co.uk/) and terribly effective given the way the item stands out at the top of the list.

You’ve always been able to use this service – the big difference is that now through ‘Google Universal Search’ (GUS) these results are shown on the main Google Page.

‘Google Base’ is only relevant if you have something to sell. But you can take advantage of GUS even if you don’t. For example Google News, Videos and Images are all items you can get to appear at the top of the Google listing now. Probably the most well known is appearing on the map…

This is not just relevant to hotels and other ‘local’ services, its relevant to most businesses because over 40% of searches now include local variables (eg data cabling Liverpool, search marketing company Cheshire, business mentoring Leicester)

The point is Google has changed, there are now opportunities to appear on the list in more relevant and striking ways than the conventional list of blue search engine links. Google has changed, and we need to change to harness its huge sales delivery potential.

Jan Klin is Managing Partner of Jan Klin & Associates, a Cheshire based Internet Marketing company. www.janklin.com ; 01928 788100; jan@janklin.com.
Jan is a speaker through experiential business learning® specialist, The Academy for Chief Executives and more information and free lessons can be found on the above topics at his blog (http://janaklin.blogspot.com)

 

How to Get Your Bosses to Deliver on their Promises

The Academy for Chief Executives, a leading provider of experiential business learning® facilitates groups of CEOs and Managing Directors who meet together every month to network and take full advantage of experiential learning. Part of membership is ‘The Board You Could Never Afford‘® where members take their issues to the table and discuss with their peers.

The Academy’s Leaders Forums enable SMEs, owner-managers of smaller businesses, or key personnel in large corporates enjoy the same Academy learning experience.

I’d like to share with you an issue recently discussed, and the advice offered by fellow members:

“How do I get my bosses to deliver on what they promise me?”

• Must obtain in writing details of compensation and bonus plan from top CEOS and then get it signed.
• Don’t wait until weeks later to try and clarify the compensation
• Get it in writing “the faintest ink is better than the strongest memory”
• Have an independent person represent you to their bosses who will highlight your true value to the organisation and come out with a better deal than you could have ever negotiated for yourself in the first place.

This is just a snippet of the advice given by our members. For confidentiality reasons we cannot divulge all of the advice provided – however, we do hold open meetings where guests are able to attend and experience for themselves the real power of ‘The Board You Could Never Afford’®.   To find out how you can take advantage of advice like this every month, visit www.chiefexecutive.com.