Time flies!

Time flies!

No sooner have we said goodbye to 2013 then here we are approaching the end of January 2014. How does that happen and where does the element of surprise or shock really come from?

Sir Terry Wogan used to joke that thankfully when God made time, he had the foresight to make plenty of it. But does it really feel like that to you?

If your business is anything like mine you’ll probably be wishing right now that you had more time available to finish off all those important if not urgent tasks. More time would allow you to solve a whole host of knotty problems at a stroke, make those pressing calls or finish that website upgrade that’s been bugging you for weeks. But would it?

Why is this one of the biggest issues in business that continues to fox us, deceive us and at times play downright unfair with us?

As with most big issues, the main problem often lies in our passive attitude towards it. Lie back and let it happen and time will simply roll over us like the sea broke down the defences at Aberystwyth in the recent storms. Of course we are powerless to stop the passage of time unless we happen to be Doctor Who – but we can recognise the reality of the issue and devise a plan to deal with its often pernicious effects.

By respecting time, valuing it and planning its use well we can often make more use of the same resource. This may sound far-fetched but you only have to give it some serious commitment to see what I mean.

It’s often said in business that just turning up is 90% of the battle and I think that remains as true today as it ever was. The well-organised person who sets the alarm to arrive unflustered for a 9 a.m. appointment many miles from base is always going to beat someone who arrives ten minutes late or not at all. Having got up early of course, the successful candidate is now in a much better position to take full advantage of the rest of the day and push home further his or her advantage.

So, by respecting time and giving it the status of a valuable and finite resource, business people not only get more done - they also get the massive benefit of being perceived as in control. This really is the big game changer because, of course, everyone wants to do business with someone who displays a can-do attitude. Manage your time well and everyone will want to be involved with you as you efficiently rip your way through obstacles and move with visible relish from one challenge to the next.

So, yes, time definitely flies but as far as I can see not half as much if you’re flying too!

to blog or not to blog

To blog or not to blog

I believe there is a spark of creative genius in each and every one of us – even me!

 I will attempt to show you what I mean by using this simple blog as an illustration of my point. As with all efforts at creativity, there is some degree of risk involved when your work is critically reviewed but I hope to convince you there is also a very high chance of success to be enjoyed if all goes to plan…

 I started to blog only recently at the start of 2012, having been encouraged by family, friends and business colleagues to take the plunge and see what I could produce. I didn’t really know what I was doing as this was uncharted territory for me, didn’t know if my ideas would be relevant to anyone or indeed if I was capable of successfully writing a creative piece of work on a specific theme. So, you can imagine the trepidation with which I approached that first task. However, I’m glad to be able to say that that first piece of work went down OK and, more importantly, gave me my first taste of success in the way that I was hinting at in the paragraph above – what I mean by that is the simple act of creating that blog produced several very important successful outcomes for me, both as a person and a businessman:

·         The blog proved to me that I could indeed tackle scary new ideas and change the way I had been accustomed to behave for over 50 years.

·         It convinced me that I certainly can be creative, even with what to me at the time was an alien way of writing and communicating. I don’t think I was unique in considering myself not especially creative but in truth I was the one who had put me into a non-creative pigeon hole and the good news was here was a way out!

·         The task showed me there is distinct pleasure to be had in ordering your thoughts in this way and often we are not aware how much contribution we can make until we crystallize our thinking in writing for the scrutiny of others. 

·         This first blog produced positive comments and very pleasing feedback over time, often from unexpected sources and spread over a very wide range of contacts with a great diversity of backgrounds and reasons for reading my blog. Like the proverbial pebble dropped in the pond, I managed to create a ripple which went a long way and proved to be a very effective way of connecting with my wider audience. All of a sudden I had managed to wake up dormant contacts and had found a way of expressing ideas which was new and totally unique to me. I’m sure there was a large of amount of luck involved too but then it’s possible to make your own luck if you work hard enough at it.

·         Not having been expecting any success at blogging, it has been extremely gratifying, over the eighteen months or so since I’ve been at it, to realize how expectations can be exceeded in the most unlikely of fields if the required effort is put in – surely a good lesson for anyone in business to learn. DIY can work and work very well – with the power and reach of the internet at our disposal, shaky or lucky starts can soon be transformed into steady progress and the results of that can easily serve as the foundation for something bigger and better.

I’ve enjoyed writing this blog today as I’ve not had time to pen one since March this year. The reason for that has been my twice monthly business column for the Chester Standard, a local newspaper with a circulation of nearly 100,000, which has kept me rather busy as I’ve got into my stride with the totally new levels of commitment. I share this not for any reason of self-promotion but simply to show what can be achieved if change is embraced. Oh and I’m not daft enough to think I’m suddenly a world-famous columnist either but one thing’s for sure I would not have taken up the challenge without the blogging experience to bolster my confidence.

Here’s a link to my first blog 

If you care to have a read of it I’d be delighted as always to hear your thoughts. Please email me at info@barnhillmarketing.co.uk or tweet @barnhill_jeff.

My Chester Standard column can be viewed online here on page 29

Could your business be enjoying the fruits of High Growth?

The benefits of producing a sustainable High Growth curve in your turnover and profits are more accessible these days than you might think.

I have been working with several new clients recently as a coach on the Government’s GrowthAccelerator service. This is a programme which is funded by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and is available to all SME businesses from any sector based anywhere in England. Provided you turnover is less than £40m and you employ 1-249 people, you could be eligible if you meet the growth criteria.

Although you certainly will need high energy levels and high levels of commitment to achieve High Growth status (officially defined as ambition, opportunity and capacity for growth at 20%+ pa) I was surprised to learn just how grounded and “normal” some of these client businesses can be. Most of these companies (and I fully support this view) shun grandiose schemes or intellectual strategy and use technology on a highly selective basis only where the benefits are crystal clear and unambiguous. By following a simple plan and being flexible enough to change it when the market produces the slightest twitch and stick with it when the pressure mounts with every subsequent twist and turn – rewards can be reaped.

Some of these rewards would include benefits such as these where UK plc is also undoubtedly a beneficiary:

•     High Growth firms show on average a 300% increase in employment over a 3 years 
•    A contented workforce is empowered to act independently and follow a shared vision
•     Creating a sense of exhilaration that comes from making regular rapid decisions

If you want to know more about my views on developing a High Growth business – check out my latest article on page 26 in the Chester Standard.

Alternatively, if you are interested in hearing direct from me please drop me an email to info@barnhillmarketing.co.uk

Pressure and stress are not the same…

 

thanks to thisiscolossal.com

This is going to be a short blog because I’m under pressure! The particular pressure I’m under is “good pressure” and is largely self-inflicted. As markets grow more difficult and opportunities for growth become harder to find in a shrinking or barely-growing economy, my response is to put myself under good pressure and it’s paying off now as it always has in the past.

Not settling for a comfortable workload is a key part of growing a business and an attitude which I advocate to clients all the time. It improves your attitude, makes you necessarily more efficient as careful time planning is vital and – BIG ADVANTAGE – it bolsters your image and gives you an aura of success which your down-in-the-mouth competitors lack! As you motor from one job to the next, it is virtually impossible to show the world dead eyes or to look as if you are out of the game.

 I see a lot of dead eyes these days in people who mistake “stress” for “good pressure”. Don’t pander to stress would be my advice. Don’t even name it - just get on with your business under the serene influence of “good pressure”. Once you’ve started you won’t look back…

 

 PS This blog took 30 minutes to conceive, tidy up and push out. The positive effects of the work will far outlast a paltry half hour, as I’m sure you can imagine.

 

National Poetry Day 2012

For National Poetry Day 2012 – I have penned the following contribution:

What’s the good of poetry if you don’t read it or say it aloud?

It’s for posh people and arty types – not ordinary folk from the crowd

Actually – I disagree! The whole point of it is it’s specifically for you and me!

Don’t worry about rhyme – assonance is not a crime

Do it tongue in cheek – just be sure you have a good time!

Jeff Hardman

“Original thinking is good for business”

I don’t know about you but I find writing original thoughts on a piece of blank paper (albeit electronic paper, so to speak) very challenging and yet very rewarding. Somewhere in that very simple thought are, I hope, the seeds for this blog…

At the end of my last piece I said I’d get back to you regarding this        idea which surely everyone in business has heard of – namely that

the arrangement of two ears and one mouth which we’re all blessed

with at birth is perfectly aligned to the ratio in which they should

be used in relationship building. It’s so appealing to me for a

number of reasons:

·         I love it because over the years it has helped me to build strong links with clients I have come to respect, befriend and learn from

·         It encourages proactive listening which is a device for mining intelligence that even the prospect may not know he or she possesses until encouraged to share by the respectful blanket  of listening he or she is gently wrapped in

·         The observance of the 2:1 rule gives you time to think so that when you do get your turn to contribute there is a far greater chance of saying something which is not only intelligent but also aligned with or mirroring the information you just received

·         It’s impossible to do this without a very good chance of enjoying the process of relationship building and your up-beat mood will be conveyed clearly to your considerable advantage by your body language

·         And finally the greatest attribute of all regarding this dictum is that it encourages mutual respect and fosters the ability to weigh all arguments fully before coming to a decision

So I think I’ve just found the link to the start of this blog – going into a conversation with both ears fully open is a bit like writing from scratch on a beautiful white sheet of paper. You don’t know where your thoughts are going to take you, you are prepared to sift, weigh and analyse before you commit to forming and expressing your own opinion. I recommend you try it – the blogging and the 2:1 thing. Very often we miss opportunities to learn from simply thinking, listening or reflecting and the answers coming from these types of sources are often far more valuable and offer much more insight than you might imagine.

Oh and don’t forget, you’ll be able to say it’s all your own work and the results will be there forever for you to enjoy and for all to see and share. Just for a change, don’t google it – think or consult, stand back and see what happens!

Stories, Relationships and Business

This blog’s about stories – simple, plain and unadorned stories. I read a lot about back-stories on the web these days – I’m not quite sure what they are but anyway the ones I’m going to talk about are just stories of the kind that most of us have listened to in childhood, told to friends and our own children in our younger years and now relate to others thus bringing the whole thing full circle.

Stories have existed since long before formal literature came on the scene. People have always wanted to hear and tell stories and of course the oral tradition of storytelling around the hearth in the home was able to flourish without the tiresome problem of having to read and write. But the real beauty of stories is that they are open to all – you don’t need a degree to tell a good story and in fact it’s probably better if you haven’t because that might just get in the way of forming that vital bond with the people who are listening.

All well and good, but can storytelling serve a greater purpose than just entertainment or a pleasurable diversion? In my opinion yes! Stories can and often do make an appearance in the world of business and ignoring their power is to miss a very considerable trick! There’s a very trite dictum in business that goes something along the lines of “make friends first and plans second” and to my mind making friends (business contacts), storytelling and relationships are and should be inextricably linked. I know this because the use of storytelling has been one of the main building blocks of my business practice for years and I'm glad to say that the concept hasn’t let me down yet.

Finally, I’ll let you into a secret – I’m not a very good storyteller because I tend to forget the detail and sometimes even lose the thread or forget the “punch line”. Luckily for us all, telling the story proficiently is not the main thing – the main thing is sharing the story. You can do this without being word perfect, clued-up or as witty as a top comedian. In fact, making mistakes and losing the plot occasionally simply makes your story more endearing, engaging and therefore memorable. The mistakes reveal that you are human and perhaps in need of some empathy like most other people in the world. If your listener shows empathy, shares your discomfort and supports your stumbling efforts you can both enjoy the ending of the story together in a shared experience. Without any real pain and often with the pleasure of a shared moment, a relationship has been built and its chances of survival from this very early beginning are good because the storyteller and the listener have both revealed something of themselves, found common ground and put in the first of what hopefully will be a very strong foundation for a lasting and mutually beneficial business relationship.

I’ve just realised I haven’t talked about the possibilities here for getting the ratio of listening to speaking in the right proportion with all the implications that offers in terms of learning vital facts about your future customer and friend – next blog I think…