Inspirational Emails

Over the past 15 years, we’ve probably helped more people achieve more in their personal or business life than 99.9% of all other companies on this planet. It’s a bold claim, but we mean it. When it comes to personal achievement, corporate achievement, sporting achievement, financial achievement. etc there are few who can compare.

But that’s enough of blowing our own trumpet! What does this mean for YOU? Achievement doesn’t always happen by accident - it follows certain laws - step by step laws anyone can follow - and when they do - ACHIEVEMENT ALWAYS FOLLOWS. Now isn’t that nice to know!!

Great achievers follow the laws - poor achievers don’t! Have you ever heard of Alexander the Average? No, of course not.

If you’ve been struggling with achievement - recognise the laws, relate to them, assimilate them - and more than anything else APPLY them. You will then be on the road to achieving things you previously only dared dream about.

If you need assistance with achievement at work or in any aspect of your life, then I’ve got something for you that you will find literally invaluable - I’ve prepared a ‘fast-start’ introduction to the 7 Immutable Laws of Human Achievement. A copy is yours if you’d like one (and if you’re committed to actually achieving more, not just dreaming of it). Simply go here to claim your copy.

As a hard-driving Director or Manager with lots of vision, energy and business acumen are you getting frustrated with how long it’s taking - after you’ve made some tough recession-proofing decisions - for the performance improvements you need to come through?

Are some of your team de-moralised because of today’s bad economy? Or because of the bad press the country has been attracting?

Are the team routinely under-performing, even though you’ve reduced the targets?

Are individuals failing to take the initiative, or making excuses for not working together as a team - at the very time they all need to pull together most?

Would you like to turn your situation around almost immediately - i.e within 30 days?

Do you think something like that is impossible? Think again!

There’s only one thing that will create an instant turnaround during the recession - your people - or rather, your people’s performance.

The old adage of “businesses don’t succeed - people do!” has never been more true.

Your people are probably working harder than they’ve ever done - but there’s something missing - that little extra that makes all the difference. The little extra that turns ordinary people into extraordinary performers.

Remember that water boils at 100?c - not at 99?c. Getting that extra 1?c turns a hot performance into a boiling hot performance. It’s then, and only then that the latent energy is released in the form of steam - which can be harnessed to provide the power to drive machines to produce almost anything.

Human beings are the same - unleashing their full potential is the key to an instant turnaround.

All your teams have potential they are not currently using - it’s called discretionary potential.

Learning how to release this discretionary potential creates instant turnarounds.

Your people intentionally (or unintentionally) regulate the passion, energy and creativity they put into their jobs dependent on a number of factors - The biggest factor is the way they feel they’re being treated.

If your people feel they’re being treated well, honestly and fairly - and they’ve got clear direction†- they’ll be unstoppable.
If your people feel they’re unappreciated and important issues are being hidden from them - they’ll pull back and only do “just enough”.
If your people feel they’re being abused, they’ll find clever and costly ways to get back at the boss and the organisation.

Does any of this sound familar?

Since the recession started our tried and tested Business “Turnaround” Programme has shown hard-working, well-intentioned managers how to transform performance - how to turn strategic intent into tangible business results - how to develop excellence in execution!

These are managers who knew what they wanted their people to do - they just couldn’t get them to do it!

They just lacked the three secrets we gave them to use, to turn them into business transformation specialists.

If you want to discover, The Secrets of Creating an Instant Turnaround,† simply click on this email link to request your FREE copy of our report.

Why is it that each member of a sales team is recruited, inducted and trained in the same way; Sells the same products and services; Is given the same coaching and motivation by the same Sales Manager; - and yet only some succeed whilst many fail.

If you’ve ever worked in a sales team you’ll know that there are always one or two ‘superstars’ - the ones who perform consistently ‘head and shoulders’ above the others. Top sales volumes, top margins, top customer satisfaction and loyalty, top referrals etc

So, what makes the difference?

It’s so simple - yet many Managers who are struggling to hit targets overlook it.

The top sales producers have a system. This system isn’t given to them. They usually have to work it out for themselves - through hard work ... and a lot of painful trial and error.

When they’ve ‘cracked the system’, they keep their secrets under lock and key. Why would they want to give their secrets away and invite unnecessary competition?

In short, successful, productive sales people say and do what unsuccessful sales people are unwilling or unable to say and do!!

The good news is that over the last 3 years we’ve studied hundreds of sales people - the successful and the unsuccessful ones!

We’ve observed thousands of ‘live’ sales interviews and we’ve documented the sales system that top producing sales people adopt. This means the sales system is also RECESSION PROOF - it works and increases sales, even in the tough times we are now facing.

We’ve proved this sales system, which can be mastered by all your sales team; it ALWAYS increases sales, margins and customer satisfaction and loyalty. Just read the comments on the right to see what we mean.

We’ve found that most sales people use some of the elements of our world-class ‘Profitable Growth Relationship Sales System’. The problem is they don’t apply the WHOLE system - therefore there’s no consistency in performance or results. That’s why so many Sales Directors and Managers are frustrated with poor sales results.

We found certain critical elements are:-

1) actioned really well
2) actioned really poorly
3) not actioned at all
by individuals within the sales teams.

This means it is IMPOSSIBLE to drive profitable sales growth and customer satisfaction and loyalty, deliberately and - on purpose.

Our market-proven ‘Profitable Growth Relationship Sales System’ is not a sales process. It focuses on the really important element of ANY sales-based interaction, which is: what your sales people say and do with customers - it’s about winning attitudes and behaviours, it’s about the relationships your team build with your customers. It’s about becoming respected as a ‘trusted advisor’ - rather than seen as a “smart a***d sales person” by the customer!

If you’d like to find out what potential improvements in your sales and profits could be made (yes, in the current economic climate) here’s how to get started, simply click here for your FREE 4-Step ‘Sales-Sense’ Check-up (plus the chance to enjoy a free sales techniques†audit from our†sales development experts).

Sales growth is not about the economy, the low number of prospects; it’s not about luck; it’s about having a PROVEN system that maximises your chance of a sale at EVERY step.
We’ve developed a system that, when applied effectively, CANNOT FAIL to increase sales and profits.

We want to share the secrets with you. As we’ve said, if you’re not sure you’ve got a consistent sales system and need a bit more help to get this sorted out - then why not let us come and audit your sales techniques for FREE. The offer is ONLY available to three companies so you need to contact us now and we’ll put your name in the draw. (entries must be received by 1st June). It’s the next step you need to take to get started on the path to ‘Profitable Sales Growth’. Simply click on this link to ensure you’re entered into the draw.

Most sales opportunities are lost within the first 4 seconds and the first 4 minutes of a customer or prospect talking to a sales person. Once lost, the customer’s willingness to buy is almost impossible to get back.

The amount (and value) of lost sales happening every day is astronomical, yet most sales people and sales managers are unaware of how important those first 4 seconds and 4 minutes are in the whole sales process.

You see, it takes just a quick glance, maybe 4 seconds, for someone to evaluate you when you meet for the first time. In these few seconds the other person forms an opinion based on your appearance, your body language, your demeanour, your mannerisms and how you are dressed.

The next 4 minutes is usually used to re-enforce the initial evaluation.

Because of this, many sales people may be sales breakers rather than sales makers. Much of the emphasis in the training they’ve received is on the middle or the end of the sales process - product knowledge, negotiating, objection handling and closing. Opening the relationship with the customer in the first place is by far the most important part of the sales process - and the most difficult for sales people to master.

Almost 50% more customers can be won by improving the quality of their initial contact with sales people acting as sales makers.

The following key findings are the results from our customer satisfaction research including ‘mystery shopper’ exercises, customer traffic surveys and customer focus clinics, which we’ve recently conducted for our clients.

We researched the sales approaches of a wide variety of organisations and found that the main causes of lost sales were because of sales people acting as sales breakers:-

1. CUSTOMERS ARE IGNORED, often for several minutes and even when they begin to show a distinct interest in buying. In many cases, it’s the customer who initiates the first contact.
2. CUSTOMERS ARE “LECTURED” about products and features that have little, if any, relevance to the customer’s actual needs.
3. CUSTOMERS ARE NOT LISTENED TO when they describe their requirements. Indeed, customers often complain of BEING TOLD by the sales person what they need!

For the other main reasons please click this link.

The overwhelming verdict of customers- which stops them from buying- is that they often feel the salesperson is only interested in ‘closing the sale’ and looking after their own needs and therefore isn’t interested in them as a real person, or looking after their needs as a customer.

Sound familiar?

The frightening thing is that the Number 1 sales breaker among prospects and customers remains in the ‘opening the relationship with the customer’ bit of the sales process.
Do all your sales people, honestly, get this first bit right, every time? What’s going to happen in the rest of the sales process and more importantly to the sale, if your sales people don’t become black belts in the ‘all important’ first bit of the sales process?

50% more customers CAN be WON!

We’ve proved it time and again - yes even in these tough times. In fact, ESPECIALLY IN THESE TOUGH TIMES because customers need more reassurance and confidence than ever before - for them to part with their hard earned money.

Just take five minutes to look around your organisation. Are there more sales breakers who are mostly focused on closing the sale, rather than sales makers who regard closing the sale as the start of a long and mutually profitable relationship with the customer? Are they someone who works to find the best solution to your customers needs?

THE CONCLUSION IS INESCAPABLE - Organisations that train their customer-facing people with a better approach with customers and prospects, stand to increase the number of customers up to 50%!

If you’d like to find out how your efforts at ‘opening the relationship with the customer’ measures up and discover at least three important ways you can improve the immediate and critical ‘4 seconds and 4 minutes’ impact your sales team create with their prospects, then here’s what you should do - you can click this email request link or contact us on 01244 681068.

You’ve been telling us why you love us so much.

The tangible improvements in performance - the kind that are reflected on bottom line results is one reason.

Our down-to-earth “John Smith’s Bitter” no-nonsense approach to business and people development is another. “You always give us a good dollop of common sense stuff that works” as one of our customers so eloquently put it.

And, more than anything else, it’s because we know that employees are what they think, feel and believe in.

Building skills and positively changing behaviour, and the results that go with it, is what we do best - however - it’s achieved BECAUSE we know how to change what people think, feel and believe in.

Many organisations neglect this - and we’ve found none of our competitors know how to do it.

For instance, in the last few weeks I’ve had five sales people in to see me as we have some sizeable needs within the business for certain products and services. Guess what I saw? Great sales skills that identified my needs and wants and that intrigued me and made me feel valued and respected? Terrific presentations that left me spellbound and eager to buy? (We do really need these products and services NOW!) Superb objection handling techniques, negotiation and closing skills? NO, it was woeful!
These sales people represented five reputable companies.

They didn’t think like sales people, or like winners - their whole body language, and sales techniques behaviour reflected that.

The fear they felt was tangible. You could smell their fear. They made me feel uneasy. Their lack of confidence rubbed off on me.

Their lack of belief in themselves and in their products and services resulted in a “pitch” that was so poor they couldn’t even attempt to ‘close’ me!

Oh, and none of them have followed me up!!

People need fixing on the inside first (what they think, feel and believe in), before you can begin fixing them on the outside (sales training, interpersonal skills, presentation skills, etc.) in order to drive up the results.

Fixing people on the inside is what our customers tell us we do better than anyone - that’s why our customers love us.

Do you want to love us too? Then here’s the first step: Simply claim your free 20 minute, strictly private and confidential, telephone consultation.

We’ll listen to your problems and challenges, ask you some insightful questions, and then together we’ll agree whether or not we can help you.

Companies such as Royal Bank of Scotland, NSG Pilkington, Shell, IM Group, e-on Ruhrgas, Rolls Royce (aero-engines) and Mars have found that we can.

It’s about doing simple things extraordinarily well.

The rest of 2009 looks set to be tough. But whatever issues and challenges there may be, if you and your people have got the right attitude, you will inevitably find ways of overcoming of them!

But, don’t think you’re alone with the issues and challenges your organisation may be facing - our survey just before Easter revealed the following top five challenges you told us you were currently experiencing:-

1. Maintaining focus on quality and not lapsing into old ways of working.
2. Maintaining faith in ourselves, our teams, our products and services.
3. Keeping self and staff motivated through the restructure and introduction of new systems and procedures.
4. Being honest and making people accountable for their actions.
5. Continue to win more sales through offering quality over price in a more price sensitive environment. Focus and concentrate on the value adding parts of the business.

Sound familiar? I’m sure you too can relate to some, if not all, of the above - so what’s the solution?

Well there are proven strategies that we have developed and refined over the past nineteen years. And when we help our clients implement them, they really answer these†five challenges and deliver results.

For example; a recent organisation we worked with (a sector more battered than most in this recession) tripled the profitability on the sale of their products by cross-selling and up-selling value-added services that their customers needed. Three months ago, our client would have been happy with†just the sale of†the product - let alone the add-ons!

May be we can help you uncover the lost potential in your business - sales revenues, profits, customer loyalty, delivering change, engaging staff etc - Who knows?

Now, as promised, here’s the final three of the six essential motivational strategies to help you personally be more positive and effective:-

4) Listen to motivational tapes/CD’s
This is time well-spent in the car - my car is like a “university of positivity” on wheels - Earl Nightingale, Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar - brilliant minds - brilliant tips.

5) Attend the right seminar/training courses
Not the ‘death by PowerPoint’ type- If it doesn’t “feed your mind and stir your soul into action” the seminar or course was rubbish!

6) Turn off the Television/Radio
24 hour news has a lot to answer for, most of the content is not news - it’s not facts - its OPINIONS - usually bad and negatives ones! I was approached recently to appear on TV as a motivational expert - they decided to ‘pull’ me at the last minute because I was “too positive”!

Once you’ve adopted and tested these six essential personal strategies, why not let us know how you get on?

If you missed the first three†strategies†- please click on this email link and we’ll send them to you.

If you think we may be able to help you in some way, why not contact us for a free, no obligation, telephone consultation. It could be the most important call you make this year!
Apologies - We’re only human!

Just a very quick email

I know you don’t normally hear from us on a Thursday via email but I couldn’t sleep last night - I woke up at 3am this morning realised we’d missed out a vital part of our message in yesterday’s newsletter. (We’re only human at the end of the day!)

So, here’s the key message-

“Our customers really appreciate us keeping them focused on what really matters. They’re so busy implementing our tried and tested strategies for immunising themselves from the excesses of the recession and enjoy seeing the results they bring THEY REFUSE TO PARTICIPATE IN MOANING, WHINGING AND BELLY-ACHING ABOUT THE ECONOMY. The extra time this releases - and the confidence it gives - is immeasurable”

One of our clients has even got a badge with this on - how good is that! - They’re taking this very seriously.

That’s it - simple but extraordinary!

You’ve been inundating us with requests for help to grow your businesses and make the most of opportunities in these tough times. Thank you for the trust you’re showing in us.

Many organisations have cut costs once, and then had to cut them again. They’ve lost people; they may have to lose some more. They’ve re-structured, and re-structured again.

You want to know how to keep the remaining people positive, motivated and focused! Many of you seem to think the fact they’ve still got jobs is motivation enough!

But people aren’t wired like that!!

They want us to produce a ‘magic pill’ that will make them perform at their best.

We don’t have a ‘magic pill’ - what we do have is pretty magic though. We’ve developed a six-step motivational strategy that works every time

- ask the two retail motor groups who, with our help, after making some tough business decisions last year have had record 1st Quarters.

- ask the travel agent group who increased sales by nearly 500% the month after we began working with them.

- ask the financial services company who increased sales by 126% whilst in the teeth of the ‘credit crunch’.

Someone once said “success isn’t about doing extraordinary things - it’s about doing simple things extraordinarily well”.

This week I’m going to give you some real insights into the first three of six essential motivational strategies to help you personally be more positive:-

1) Read the right stuff
How much good news do you see in newspapers and magazines? Read stuff that inspires you.
2) Hang around with the right people
Why do they call it ‘Happy Hour’ in the pub on a Friday night? People whinging, moaning and belly-aching about bad things aren’t exactly ‘happy’. Find a group of positive thinkers and stick with them.
3) Find a mentor
Who do you admire most? Whether you know them or not - get close to them, study them - find out what makes them successful and emulate their thinking and doing.

Look out next week for examples of three more practical methodologies to help you increase motivational levels!

These are simple steps - but if you have any concerns or don’t know where to start when it comes to the most effective way to motivate your team in order to maximise their performance, then we can help - with a little bit of our Sewells ‘motivational magic’.

Why not email your motivational symptoms to me, Dr Holden, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and we’ll come up with a remedy to deliver results like the ones you’ve read above!

One of the unfortunate observations we regularly make in organisations is the reluctance, fear, and lack of courage or skill that managers have in letting employees know they have doubts or concerns about their work, attitude or behaviour.

Many employees mistakenly think that if no-one has reprimanded or criticised their work, they’re doing a satisfactory job.

Doubts and concerns can be expressed in a positive and supportive way. In fact, it’s a great way for managers to show they care and like the individuals in their team.

“I care about, and like you so much - I’m going to tell you my doubts and concerns so we can work out a plan for you to put them right!”

That’s courageous, authentic management.

If our managers aren’t able to be honest with us - can we be honest with ourselves?

Let’s try a little “self certification”. How would we rate ourselves job-wise, attitude-wise and performance-wise?

Let’s rate ourselves - on a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is low and 10 is high) :-

- I believe in my work
- I’m proud of what I do
- My contribution is the best I can make
- My support for my team mates is the best it can be
- My positive attitude shines out of me
- I willingly accept and embrace change
- My commitment and hard work is all it could be
- I never gossip, whinge or moan
- I treat others with dignity and respect at all times
- I am reliable, honest and always act with integrity

How do you rate you? Your manager probably rates you the same - BUT MAY NOT TELL YOU! If you’ve got some ‘brave pills’ ask your manager or team mates to rate you! How did you do then?

So, what changes do you need to make to get YOU to be 10 out of 10 on every question?

If you want to take the first steps to do something about this for yourself - or for your team - then why not sign up for our tried and tested FREE Five Step Team Development Guide?

This guide explains and illustrates our proven methods and strategies that will transform both your attitudes and your performance, as it has done for thousands of others.

You’ll want to be one of the first to receive it - and it’s free! All you need to do is simply click this email link to express your interest and we’ll do the rest. (Release date will be the end of April).

If you have issues with underperforming teams, or team leaders who need to be braver and more dynamic, then I recommend you take advantage of a free 20 minute, strictly private and confidential, telephone consultation. Simply click this email link and we’ll arrange the date and time. We don’t talk jargon - we’re really good listeners and it doesn’t cost you anything to discover how you can quickly change the attitudes and behaviours of your people on a permanent basis.

What results can you achieve? Well here’s the experience of a Travel Company we worked with “After the first Sewells’ workshop, even in the teeth of the recession, with enquiries down, weekly sales totals rose nearly 500%.”

We look forward to hearing from you to arrange your free telephone consultation, and reserving your free copy of the Team Development Guide.

As we continue to feel the effects of the global economic turbulence, it’s only natural for many to feel a bit overwhelmed and perhaps even out of control.

24 hour news has got a lot to answer for - it’s now gone beyond the R word - recession - all the talk is about the D word - depression! The news stations keep trotting out the ‘experts’ who missed seeing the credit crunch coming or the banking system collapsing - to now tell us the future holds nothing short of Armageddon!

And some people still believe them and their predictions! There’s a D word that sums that attitude up - and the word is daft!

If we’re daft enough to believe these ‘experts’ we may as well throw in some other D words as well - dismay, disappointment, discouragement and disillusioned.

Even if your people are feeling all those D words, there is a way back - back into the light and the warmth.

Where there’s no place back from is the D word you must never use - DEFEAT!

Defeatism is a terrible place to be - it’s the absence of hope - a feeling of hopelessness - of being lost, adrift, with no way back.

Human beings can never†get defeated - unless they give up and stop trying. History is littered with examples of adversity being conquered by the human spirit.† What kind of spirit are you pouring into the team to make them unstoppable? To ignite the passion to win through no matter how much chaos the market might be experiencing?

How much would a stronger winning spirit in each individual, team and department benefit your organisation?† Please don’t tell me “not at all”, because if you do you’re doomed.

Don’t tell me “you don’t know” because you’re playing Russian roulette with the future of your organisation.

When you discover the immediate performance transformations that injecting real spirit, belief, pride, positive attitudes, a sense of belonging, confidence and the expectancy of winning big can bring, you can start looking forward to the future again with excitement and anticipation rather than dread and trepidation.

We’ve got five “check up from the neck up” Corporate Attitude Health Checks to give away (normal cost £1500). They will tell you everything you need to know about the kind of spirit that is flowing through your team, department or organisation.

It’s all done over the telephone so it won’t disrupt your operation too much as we only need five minutes on the telephone with a cross-section of each of your people.

You’ll receive a private and confidential report on our findings. Together with recommendations and strategies to make up any shortfalls that may be causing your results to not be all you were hoping for.

All you have to do is be one of the first five companies to email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and we’ll do all the rest!

Recent research shows that 73% of the companies who are struggling through the recession are doing so because of an inability to permanently change behaviour in their people. Without that ability they will never be able to produce the performance improvements required to deliver the results they need on a sustainable basis.

The senior teams in these organisations know what their people need to do - they just can’t get them to do it! Does this sound familiar?

The ability to transform business performance - yes, even in recessionary times - starts with cohesion in the Boardroom. Cohesion around thinking differently, about how to make ideas work and how to make things better. You don’t want “devil’s advocates” or “naysayers”. The motto in the boardroom should be “if you can’t think of anything constructive to say - don’t say anything!” Otherwise, the much needed energy, dynamism and determination will be killed off.

This cohesion creates a positive “force-field” built on the total belief that the current business problems, as mighty as they seem, can be solved.

Managers in the line can then, with confidence, lead and inspire their teams not to be timid and wait for what might come out of these hard times, but to be bold, creative and proactive in order to produce the outcomes you need and want.

New processes, systems, structures, etc are an important part of the solution, of course they are, but without creating energy, passion, drive, determination and a “can do”, “bring it on” attitude in EVERYONE - you’re doomed!

You can’t keep cutting costs forever. At some time soon you need to start re-engineering value back into the business. And, you need your people 110% engaged to do that.

If this reflects some of your issues and you want to know more about what to do to end the effects of the recession for your organisation at least - then click on the link for our 4-step guide.

What’s the secret to getting the team to exceed sales targets when the market is so uncertain? More leads? Slashing prices? New products (or at least re-packaged products)?

While all the above play a part, sales people are not in control of them. The secret, therefore, is to let them be aware of what they are in control of - and then motivate them to be “revved off the clock” so they can cease control and win through - no matter how tough things get!!

So, what’s the secret to making more (profitable) sales?

It’s AARDER that will make it easier:

A = ATTITUDE:  developing an expectant attitude is the foundation from which everything else flows. Without it sales people should stay at home.
A = ACTIONS:  smart, consistent actions are a consequence of the right attitude.
R = RESILIENCE:  never, never, never give up. Customers today need 3 or 4 times more contact than they used to need before they buy.
D†= DISCIPLINE:  send the information you said you would. Call back when you promised. Go the extra mile.
E = ENTHUSIASM:  nothing kills a sale faster than a lack of enthusiasm. If a salesperson isn’t enthusiastic, how do we expect customers to be?
R = RESULTS:  they don’t happen by accident. Look at the “sales funnel” and learn how to improve the ratios that generate sales and growth margin.

The top performing sales people take 100% responsibility for their results. The others will blame everyone and everything else for their lack of results.

If you need something to make you smile (or even laugh out loud) then please click on the link.
AARDER will make it easier to exceed sales targets, especially in these tough times. We’ve helped organisations large and small smash their sales targets this year already. Maybe we can do the same for you, who knows?

If you want more information, call us now and see how we can help you make your sales plan on 01244 681068, or if you prefer to email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), that’s fine too.

The really smart business people already have a clear view on how deep the recession is going to bite and how long it’s going to last.

It’s not a pretty view, but they have resolved to take whatever action is appropriate to survive the recession.

However, many are now also preparing for the recovery. They want to be in the best position possible to gobble-up the opportunities that will invariably present themselves. They want to leave their competitors standing when the good times return.

Prepare for growth - now! Because growth goes in cycles. Remember about the Chinese Bamboo Tree; plant its seed and water and nurture it. You might become frustrated and discouraged - unless you know about the growth cycle of the tree.

There’s no visible growth for the first, second, third or fourth year! During the fifth year, the tree will grow 90 feet in six weeks! Did the tree really wait five years to begin growing? Of course not.
The nurturing of the first four years allowed the tree to develop a strong root system which could accommodate the tremendous growth when the time was right in that fifth year.

Invest in and nurture your people now. The recession will not last five years. But you need to be ready - more than ready - well before it ends.

Call us now and we can help you get ready on 01244 681068, or if you prefer to email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), that’s fine too.

Our reputation for helping individuals and teams to develop positive thinking - and the positive attitudes that go with it - is second to none.

Positive thinking is a critical element of success in any field, at any time - especially when times are tough like now.

However, being a positive thinker will not catapult anyone or any team of people within an organisation to the level of success they desire, without the positive ACTION that goes with it.

The world-class reputation we’ve gained has been based upon our ability to get individuals and teams to turn their positive thinking and attitudes into the positive BEHAVIOURS that cause breathtaking performance improvements.

It’s the law of cause and effect in action.

What makes us unique is the way we inspire and motivate people to WANT TO make the behavioural changes that promotes and enhances the brand image of our clients.

When the human spirit is ignited, there are virtually no limits to what individuals or teams can achieve.

Our intention is not for these emails to be “food for thought”, our intention is for them to be “food for action”. For without action, thought is nought.

If you want to:-

- Lose weight - cut out the rubbish you eat - ACT!
- *You owe it to yourself and your family.
- Write a book - begin to write - ACT!
- *You know you’ve got a great story to tell.
- Increase Sales - learn how to “open relationships” rather than “close the deal” - ACT!
- *You realise that the way your selling isn’t the way your customer wants to buy during a recession.
- Dramatically improve the customer experience because customer attrition is creeping up month on month - ACT!
- *Develop a truly customer-centric culture that engages all employees.

Anything you want to accomplish in life - at work or at home - will only be achieved by bold, decisive and appropriate ACTION.

Wishing won’t bring it about, neither will hoping.

A business strategy means NOTHING without inspired and appropriate EXECUTION.

Do you know what to do to turn those brilliant non-physical electrical impulses we call thoughts, ideas, strategies and intentions into physical realities?

If you don’t you need to call us now and let us explain how we do it - everytime, everywhere with everyone.

Our world-class reputation has been hard-earned - and therefore, it is deserved.

Don’t take a chance, take action! Call us now on 01244-681068 to discuss how we can help turn your brilliant thoughts into physical realities.

Even the most experienced people I know have never seen anything like the tough times we’re going through. It seems like it’s going to get a lot tougher before it gets better.

The “Brave Pills” have been taken, budgets re-written and now is the time for action - dynamic, positive, courageous action to pull the organisation through the recession.

So now your people - or rather their attitudes and actions - will determine your future success. Are you cool with that? Are you? Really?

We are noticing a worrying trend; it’s one where people seem to be looking for excuses as to why the detailed, planned activities you’ve put together are not producing the results you expect.

Excuses, excuses, excuses - and let’s face it, there are plenty of them today to fall back on. Please don’t make the mistake of confusing excuses with reasons.

I don’t know about you, but I discovered at an early age that it’s actually harder to invent excuses than it is to knuckle down and do whatever it takes to be successful.

How many of your people and team mates have got “excusitis”?

You can’t hope to hit your business objectives if there are too many excuses flying around.
There are three types of people:-

1. Those who see
2. Those who see, once they’ve been shown
3. Those who never see

If you want a “full-on” effort from everyone you need to call us now on 01244-681068 to discuss how we can help make your results in 2009 beyond your wildest dreams.

Alternatively, click on the link to have a look at our “Don’t wish” list.

I had the privilege of sharing a stage at a National Conference last week with Sir Matthew Pinsent. He was talking about winning in sport and I was talking about winning in business and in life.

You could have swapped our key messages - they were more or less identical - then they would be - the laws of success are the same no matter what area of life you apply them to.

Here were his three attributes of a gold medalist (times 4 in his case).

1. The ability to goal set:-

* In his case (and the team) creating a firm picture of where they wanted to be - in 4 years time!
* Committing to the goal above all else - wife, family, birthdays, going to friends parties etc -
* They deal with problems real-time and fix them. They’re allowed to say anything if it’s getting in the way of goal achievement. No problems are more than 90 minutes old before a plan or solution is created.

2. Creating a detailed plan - and executing it:-

* With times of what could be possible - and by when.
* They had to work as a unit, working with their best attributes and around their weaknesses.
* “It didn’t so matter what you did in the boat - so long as you all did it together!”

3. Train their minds as much as their bodies:-

* Elite sports people don’t do ‘earphones’ when training - they’re so focused it would be an interruption.
* They mentally rehearse for a 6 minute race, every day, for 4 years!
* They are usually terrified before an event - with 2 voices in their heads. One is saying “you’ve earned the gold, you’re the best”, the other is saying “you’re going to mess up”. They silence the second voice.

The final thing was that in the final “they left nothing on the lake”. In other words, when they crossed the finishing line they were completely spent! As Matt said “the worst thing in sport is losing knowing you’d left something on the lake”.

Are your people leaving something on the lake in relation to amazing your customers with levels of service, touching scared customers enough times and in the right ways for them to part with their hard-earned money and increasing the speed to market? If they’re not, please give us a call on 01244 681068 for a free consultation and we can discover exactly where they are in relation to where they actually need to be! If you prefer to email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) that’s fine too.

Can be a dangerous thing especially when times are tough like now.

There are two kinds of people when it comes to how they deal with new knowledge:-

1. Those who think “blimey, I didn’t know that yesterday, so today I now realise I know everything”.
2. Those who think “blimey, I didn’t know that yesterday, so today what else is there to know?”

Someone once said “It’s what you learn after you think you know everything that really counts”.

Those ‘know it alls’ are dangerous people and can (and do) put the organisations they work for at risk of serious under performance or even bankruptcy.

These people won’t even talk to people like us - who are willing to share all our world renown, tried and tested ways of delivering the performance improvements they want and need. Maybe you could help us by suggesting ways of opening up a proper dialogue with them? - We’re†giving away a free signed copy of “the guide” (the life changing personal development book) for the best idea! Please email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

“We’ve got it all sorted, thank you” they say. Yet month on month sales are declining. But they still say they’re ok!

Customer attrition is at record levels. But they tell us their customer service initiatives are working!

Employee morale and levels of engagement have gone off the end of a cliff. But they’re sure that the new roadshows, they’ve just started, will turn things around. The reality is that they’ve gone down so badly they made things worse, not better!

So when we call these people, after three months or so to see how it’s all going - what do we find???

We find they’ve moved on, the business is in a mess - and they’ve now been replaced by more ‘know it alls’ who will rollout more outdated, tired remedies that didn’t even work in the good times let alone the shockingly bad times we have now.

Do we know it all? Heck no! But what we do know is that no one of us is smarter than all of us.

As the old BT advertisement used to say - “It’s good to talk”. It’ll cost you nothing to at least have a meeting - you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

If having a meeting isn’t your thing why not download our free report on “The 5 Essential things you need to know to grow your business during a recession (after you know it all)”

If you would like any further details on the ‘how to’s’ surrounding these 5 Essential things you need to know to grow your business during a recession (after you know it all). Then call us now on 01244 681068 or email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Our last few emails seem to have inspired many of you into taking positive action on wanting more information on how we can help you to lead, communicate key messages, engage team mates and amaze customers more effectively.

That’s what we’re here for - to help you thrive through the recession, yes THRIVE!

The facts first -

* 24 hour news has got a lot to answer for - all those hours and minutes to fill - and what do they fill it with - items that frighten people.
* In 2008:-
* UK GDP (total national output to you and me) was down 1.8% (compared to 2007)
* UK Retail Sales were up 2.4% (compared to 2007)
* UK Manufacturing was down 5.2% (compared to 2007)

It’s tough out there, but it’s not the economic Armageddon they’re talking about.

* When people are frightened it’s harder to get them to part with their hard earned money for goods and services (it can take 7 - 10 ‘touches’ rather than 2 or 3)

The answers next -

Communicate, communicate, communicate - but be succinct and speak in ways that inspire your people to go to the ends of the earth for you - and in ways that customers can understand and be enthused by.

A religious friend of mine says that Christ was a brilliant communicator. “Follow me” he said - you don’t get much more succinct than that!

He went on to say “I will make you fishers of men!”, now that’s both succinct and inspirational.
But who was he talking to? FISHERMEN! He used words that they could understand.

What would their reaction have been if he’d have said “I will make you human resource professionals with a particular specialism for the analogue modelling involved in the physco-dynamics of gaining personal commitment from others!”? They’d have rowed off in the opposite direction!

Any fisherman will tell you “If they aint biting, change the bait!”

If your people are not going to the ends of the earth for you in order to thrive during the recession, you may need to change the bait.

If customers are not flocking to you, or buying more than they’ve ever done, so that you can thrive during the recession, you may need to change the bait.

This week we’ve included a free report ‘10 Top Tips to help you become a better communicator’. Please click†here to access the report.

The Sewells ‘bait shop’ is now open. Why not call us on 01244 681068 or email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to arrange a time, place and date to meet, we’ve got everything you need to thrive - and more besides