As England football fans went to bed last night, many, including the players and management (hopefully), will have been reflecting on what might have been.
Another 4 years of builld-up to the 2010 World Cup, promises of success, and fanatical support, came to nothing on a field in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Crushing disappointment, coupled with the knowledge that even if England had scraped a win, Argentina await in the next round, enveloped all those with more than a passing interest in the game.
The good news is that it was only a game of football. Nobody got hurt and we all live to fight another day. I have sympathy for those that paid large sums of money to see a team underperform on the world stage but as with all things, there really are no guarantees. You pay your money and you take your chance, as the saying goes.
Speaking of sayings, one of my favourites, and one extremely annoying to the few burdened people that I play golf with, is 'Coulda, woulda, shoulda'. I could have played a better shot. I would have made the green. I should have used a more appropriate club. They come thick and fast after every dud shot. Never after a great one! As a relatively new player, I still hit my fair share of bad shots, but my mind set has changed. I realise I can only affect the the shot I am playing right now. Not the ones I've already played. They are history and I have to learn from what I did wrong. Not the ones I'm going to play. Other than having the correct kit such as waterproofs if it rains (it is truly miserable playing golf whilst soaked to the skin) and some fluids or a snack, there's not much you can you do.
No, it's just that one shot. Right here, right now....
As I view the position of the ball, the distance ahead and take into account wind strength and direction, it is this shot and this shot only that I am able to influence. My club selection done, I approach the ball and, stopping short, I take a couple of practice swings. I then address the ball, assuming my stance, softening my knees, moving my weight onto the balls of my feet whilst keeping my heels grounded. Club head square to the ball, breathing regular, I start my backswing, keeping my head still and looking at the ball and only the ball. I bring the club head through the ball at an even tempo, still continuing to look only at the ball. Only as I complete the follow through with the club do I move my eyes away from where the ball once stood....
Great shot or terrible, that shot is now consigned to history and the next one demands my undivided attention. There's nothing that a 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' will do to help.
And so it is in life and business. We can say 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' all day long about everything and everyone. But it won't matter. Excuses and recriminations won't help you. Learn from the past, be better prepared for the future, but give your here and now the courtesy of your complete attention.
Today can close the door on the failures of yesterday and open the doors that lead to the success of tomorrow. Today wants all of you to itself, and rightly so. Get out there, make the most of it. Not everything will go to plan, but hey, that really is life!
Thanks for stopping by.
PS - If you find your plans consistently come to nothing, maybe take a look at your plans. Go through them with a friend to get a different perspective. It's a good thing to have a plan but give yourself a fighting chance to start with :)
Monday 28 June 2010
Friday 25 June 2010
The Sayers Sales Surgery Opens for Business!
Over at Acquire Coaching we've recently started offering sales workshops and 'sales surgeries' in response to demand from our customers. They aren't just for the sales team, but also for sales managers, many of whom have little to no training in people management. Did you know that when it comes to hiring sales managers, more often than not the top performing sales person is promoted? As great sales person does not a good manager make. Not automatically anyway. We'll address this thorny issue in the next post.
So, I thought it would be great to offer additional value to my blog visitors by giving away some complementary sales surgery slots. All you need to do is send me a brief overview of your issue and we'll work it through together to help you to break through the barriers holding back your sales. Online business or more traditional, doesn't matter. In fact, if it's generic business assistance you need, fire away, I'm happy to look at it.
Sounds simple enough right? Good, because it is. Sales advice, no charge. Go figure! All I'd ask, is if you find my advice helpful, that you drop me a line to say so. It never hurts to have a list of happy customers!
Below is an outline of what we're doing for some of our customers at Acquire;
Sales Surgery – Selling with Precision
Following demand from existing customers Acquire is now running sales surgeries at customer venues around the UK!
What’s a sales surgery?
It’s that simple. Come along and bring your sales problem with you and we’ll work through it together. If we can’t get to the heart of the problem in the allotted time, we’ll continue over email until we resolve it. Together.
What’s in it for me?
The benefits are clear;
- Fresh eyes on the problem
- Objective and honest feedback
- Non-judgemental environment
- Complete confidentiality
- What’s discussed in the room, stays in the room!
- Break through barriers holding back your sales!
Stay tuned for the next post where we'll talk about sales manager workshops.
Thanks as ever for stopping by.
PS - Part 2 is now published here.
Monday 21 June 2010
Mission Accomplished!
Event 1 of 5
Yesterday I completed the longest and toughest competitive running event I've attempted so far (I've only ever done 1x 10K road race, officially). 20K (approx 12.5 miles) is quite a long way but yesterday was a different challenge altogether. I knew it was off-road. I expected hills and was prepared for some of them being steep.
The race consisted of 3 events in 1: 10K, 20K and 30K races. The clues were there. It was called Mid-Summer Madness and it was organised by a company called Go Beyond Ultra whose strapline is 'Human Endurance Defined'... That should have served as a warning!
10 laps of 2K each. Forget undulating, this was steep gulleys and and old railway embankments thrown in for good measure to the point where many inclines were just too steep to run up. The 'easy' elements of the course were clearly used by mountain bikers, given the number of ruts in the ground. About the only flat, proper path is pictured above...
As early as the first lap I was wondering what I'd let myself in for. Within a couple of minutes of starting there were a couple of heavy fallers. My turn was to come on lap three. Note to self... Don't lose concentration on a steep descent with loose gravel and earth underfoot!
By lap three I was feeling the pace but had joined up with a 'buddy' who informed me that the previous year he'd dropped out of the 20K and so this time around had entered for 10K only. Not exactly what I needed to hear that this point! We chatted and drove each other on for 3 laps until he finished then it was 5 laps on my own.
Strangely, it took me 5 laps to learn how to run some of the trickier parts of the course, having never experienced anything like it before. All of a sudden I seemed to find my pace and was feeling better about the world.
By the end of lap six I was aware that my troublesome left knee was starting to ache. Not a good sign. At the start of lap eight I was in genuine discomfort and the difficult terrain was taking it's toll. This, combined with the temperature starting to creep up and the lack of fuel except water and jelly babies, meant I was getting very tired and I was occasionally light-headed.
On the final lap, knee pain aside, I relaxed and enjoyed the ride. There were several times during the race when I'd have liked to have stopped and I thought by the end I'd collapse and maybe have a little cry! I had people waiting for me at the finish line and there was no way I wasn't going to make it to the end.
And make it to the end I did in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 28 seconds. Not a bad effort for a first attempt!
So thanks for your support, it's always much appreciated. If anyone would like to start the ball rolling, I'm raising money for 3 very worthy charities through these 5 events. See here for details.
Yesterday I completed the longest and toughest competitive running event I've attempted so far (I've only ever done 1x 10K road race, officially). 20K (approx 12.5 miles) is quite a long way but yesterday was a different challenge altogether. I knew it was off-road. I expected hills and was prepared for some of them being steep.
The race consisted of 3 events in 1: 10K, 20K and 30K races. The clues were there. It was called Mid-Summer Madness and it was organised by a company called Go Beyond Ultra whose strapline is 'Human Endurance Defined'... That should have served as a warning!
As early as the first lap I was wondering what I'd let myself in for. Within a couple of minutes of starting there were a couple of heavy fallers. My turn was to come on lap three. Note to self... Don't lose concentration on a steep descent with loose gravel and earth underfoot!
By lap three I was feeling the pace but had joined up with a 'buddy' who informed me that the previous year he'd dropped out of the 20K and so this time around had entered for 10K only. Not exactly what I needed to hear that this point! We chatted and drove each other on for 3 laps until he finished then it was 5 laps on my own.
Strangely, it took me 5 laps to learn how to run some of the trickier parts of the course, having never experienced anything like it before. All of a sudden I seemed to find my pace and was feeling better about the world.
By the end of lap six I was aware that my troublesome left knee was starting to ache. Not a good sign. At the start of lap eight I was in genuine discomfort and the difficult terrain was taking it's toll. This, combined with the temperature starting to creep up and the lack of fuel except water and jelly babies, meant I was getting very tired and I was occasionally light-headed.
On the final lap, knee pain aside, I relaxed and enjoyed the ride. There were several times during the race when I'd have liked to have stopped and I thought by the end I'd collapse and maybe have a little cry! I had people waiting for me at the finish line and there was no way I wasn't going to make it to the end.
And make it to the end I did in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 28 seconds. Not a bad effort for a first attempt!
So thanks for your support, it's always much appreciated. If anyone would like to start the ball rolling, I'm raising money for 3 very worthy charities through these 5 events. See here for details.
Winning Takes More Than Merely Turning Up
So an interesting few days have passed. On Friday I watched with increasing gloom the England Vs Algeria football match. As is always the case when England play (football, rugby, cricket etc.), whether justified or not, there is always an enormous expectation of victory. In fact a rout would be preferable!
It's indicative of the England performance, or lack thereof, that my 2 young sons, whom for both this is the first World Cup that's been of interest, first complained of it being boring and then took themselves off to bed before the match limped to a close.
So what went wrong? Did the England players turn up to the World Cup Finals expecting to walk through their group opposition? Where was the hunger, the determination to succeed? Have they forgotten that it's an honour to represent ones country? It certainly looked to be the case.
We could be forgiven for thinking that they turned up for the game expecting to casually thrash Algeria. No effort, physical or mental, just turn up, win and go home. Put like that it sounds pretty stupid doesn't it?
This happens a lot in business. We have a great idea or product. Or we're naturally talented and our skills are in demand for a while. We're surprised when an orderly queue for our product or services doesn't form.
It takes concerted effort to not only achieve initial success but to stay successful. Look at Coca Cola. It's been the number one soft drink for how many years? And yet it advertises all year round to ensure it stays in our minds and more importantly our wallets. I still love the Christmas ads. What can I say?
Very little in life it seems, unless you're incredibly lucky, is a 'gimme'. We have to work not only hard but smart too. Consistently. Back to the sprint vs marathon analogy.
Sometimes we can't see the wood for the trees and that's where it can help to have an objective pair of eyes take a look.
I'm always happy to help. Thanks for stopping by.
It's indicative of the England performance, or lack thereof, that my 2 young sons, whom for both this is the first World Cup that's been of interest, first complained of it being boring and then took themselves off to bed before the match limped to a close.
So what went wrong? Did the England players turn up to the World Cup Finals expecting to walk through their group opposition? Where was the hunger, the determination to succeed? Have they forgotten that it's an honour to represent ones country? It certainly looked to be the case.
We could be forgiven for thinking that they turned up for the game expecting to casually thrash Algeria. No effort, physical or mental, just turn up, win and go home. Put like that it sounds pretty stupid doesn't it?
This happens a lot in business. We have a great idea or product. Or we're naturally talented and our skills are in demand for a while. We're surprised when an orderly queue for our product or services doesn't form.
It takes concerted effort to not only achieve initial success but to stay successful. Look at Coca Cola. It's been the number one soft drink for how many years? And yet it advertises all year round to ensure it stays in our minds and more importantly our wallets. I still love the Christmas ads. What can I say?
Very little in life it seems, unless you're incredibly lucky, is a 'gimme'. We have to work not only hard but smart too. Consistently. Back to the sprint vs marathon analogy.
Sometimes we can't see the wood for the trees and that's where it can help to have an objective pair of eyes take a look.
I'm always happy to help. Thanks for stopping by.
Thursday 17 June 2010
Keep on running....
So this week I managed a lunchtime 10 miler and although cardio-wise all seems well, the knees have been somewhat raw afterwards. So the question is, how much of a run should I do between now and Sunday's 20K off-roader? I'm thinking maybe a gentle 3-4 miler tomorrow (Friday) just to tick over.
Anyone with a better idea, please do let me know.....!
Anyone with a better idea, please do let me know.....!
Change Requires Change
Albert Einstein said that the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
He had, and still has, a very good point!
More and more I speak to people who aren't happy with where they are professionally, and occasionally personally. Few of us are lucky enough to live a utopian existence so this shouldn't come as a huge surprise. What has struck me though, and has been further reinforced in various conversations recently, is that even if the issues are realised and a better option is placed for the taking, people often ignore it.
Would many people rather perpetually moan rather than seek a better way? It would seem so.
Just yesterday I spoke with a good friend of mine whom we shall call 'Bob'. Bob is in an unenviable position professionally. He works for a US supplier of IT, although not a major player. And neither is it niche. Therein lies the rub. Without a niche claim and no tangible marketing to drive leads, Bob is reduced to cold calling to drive his leads. Subsequently he can't build a pipeline which means he can't close enough business to earn more than his base salary.
This situation is ongoing even though his boss, who runs Europe, Middle East and Africa for the company acknowledges the issues as a global concern for the organisation. From this we can deduce that Bob's situation isn't going to change any time soon.
Now it just so happens that I can utilise Bob's skills to our mutual benefit. I am a partner in a training company which is ramping up it's UK operations. Due to this increase in activity I am looking to take on sales people and freelance trainers.
Bob's selling skills are exactly what I need. And whilst I'm not in a position to throw huge sums of money at him, I can afford to be very generous in a profit-share. The best bit of all? Bob can work for me a few hours per week without impacting his existing job, thereby maintaining the security of a handsome base salary and corporate perks, whilst having the ability to earn a significant income from other sources.
Bob has seen the literature and collateral and read the case studies. He understands the differentiators and USP's in a crowded market. He sees the value. He knows that this would be a clear case of win/win.
And guess what?
Bob's given me a variety of reasons why he might not be able to do it, whilst continuing to whine about his current situation. This is just one in a long line of examples but the same thing comes up again and again.
If you are locked in a repeating cycle you must CHANGE SOMETHING to get a better outcome!
In Bob's case, the issue is now one of confidence, which is lacking having strived and failed to gain results over an extended period of time. I'm working with Bob to overcome this issue.
What's your reason? What's your excuse?
PS - I am not immune to these things. None of us are. But once we understand that something needs to change in order to improve a situation, we can analyse what needs to be done and plan accordingly. I'm not advocating knee-jerk responses as I'm not a fan of frying pan to fire experiences either :)
He had, and still has, a very good point!
More and more I speak to people who aren't happy with where they are professionally, and occasionally personally. Few of us are lucky enough to live a utopian existence so this shouldn't come as a huge surprise. What has struck me though, and has been further reinforced in various conversations recently, is that even if the issues are realised and a better option is placed for the taking, people often ignore it.
Would many people rather perpetually moan rather than seek a better way? It would seem so.
Just yesterday I spoke with a good friend of mine whom we shall call 'Bob'. Bob is in an unenviable position professionally. He works for a US supplier of IT, although not a major player. And neither is it niche. Therein lies the rub. Without a niche claim and no tangible marketing to drive leads, Bob is reduced to cold calling to drive his leads. Subsequently he can't build a pipeline which means he can't close enough business to earn more than his base salary.
This situation is ongoing even though his boss, who runs Europe, Middle East and Africa for the company acknowledges the issues as a global concern for the organisation. From this we can deduce that Bob's situation isn't going to change any time soon.
Now it just so happens that I can utilise Bob's skills to our mutual benefit. I am a partner in a training company which is ramping up it's UK operations. Due to this increase in activity I am looking to take on sales people and freelance trainers.
Bob's selling skills are exactly what I need. And whilst I'm not in a position to throw huge sums of money at him, I can afford to be very generous in a profit-share. The best bit of all? Bob can work for me a few hours per week without impacting his existing job, thereby maintaining the security of a handsome base salary and corporate perks, whilst having the ability to earn a significant income from other sources.
Bob has seen the literature and collateral and read the case studies. He understands the differentiators and USP's in a crowded market. He sees the value. He knows that this would be a clear case of win/win.
And guess what?
Bob's given me a variety of reasons why he might not be able to do it, whilst continuing to whine about his current situation. This is just one in a long line of examples but the same thing comes up again and again.
If you are locked in a repeating cycle you must CHANGE SOMETHING to get a better outcome!
In Bob's case, the issue is now one of confidence, which is lacking having strived and failed to gain results over an extended period of time. I'm working with Bob to overcome this issue.
What's your reason? What's your excuse?
PS - I am not immune to these things. None of us are. But once we understand that something needs to change in order to improve a situation, we can analyse what needs to be done and plan accordingly. I'm not advocating knee-jerk responses as I'm not a fan of frying pan to fire experiences either :)
Wednesday 16 June 2010
Somebody else's rules...
In the last post I wrote about the importance of our core values being in sync with our goals and ambitions. By coincidence, by good friend Michael Christon wrote a piece on his blog this week along similar lines. He talks about a variety of things that go wrong or are more difficult than they need be.
And the problem?
Working to somebody else's rules...
You can find it at http://www.michaelchriston.com/small-business-marketing-strategy/whos-rules-are-they-anyway/
Check it out and let me know what you think.
And the problem?
Working to somebody else's rules...
You can find it at http://www.michaelchriston.com/small-business-marketing-strategy/whos-rules-are-they-anyway/
Check it out and let me know what you think.
Tuesday 15 June 2010
Not Life or Death. It's More Important than that....!
Whilst watching the BBC football pundits review a World Cup match last night I was struck by the intensity of the debate and it reminded me of the famous Bill Shankly quote:
"Football is not just a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that."
And there was me thinking it's only football....!
Fortunately, very few of us have lives depending on our daily business decisions but wouldn't it be great to be as passionate as the pundits? There's a school of thought that says that to be truly passionate about our business endeavours, our business goals must be in line with not only our personal aims and ambitions but also our core values.
Are we in a position to have a business life that maps on to our personal goals? And our values? Do we know what our goals and values are?
When these things are out of kilter it helps to explain some of the ups and downs and time spent in the doldrums which affect us so often. The bursts of unsustained enthusiasm, the easy distraction from our paths. All could be explained by the lack of cohesion between goals and values.
More than a little food for thought. I could go on about coaching stuff at this point, but I won't. I'm going to think on it a while. Why not do the same?
"Football is not just a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that."
And there was me thinking it's only football....!
Fortunately, very few of us have lives depending on our daily business decisions but wouldn't it be great to be as passionate as the pundits? There's a school of thought that says that to be truly passionate about our business endeavours, our business goals must be in line with not only our personal aims and ambitions but also our core values.
Are we in a position to have a business life that maps on to our personal goals? And our values? Do we know what our goals and values are?
When these things are out of kilter it helps to explain some of the ups and downs and time spent in the doldrums which affect us so often. The bursts of unsustained enthusiasm, the easy distraction from our paths. All could be explained by the lack of cohesion between goals and values.
More than a little food for thought. I could go on about coaching stuff at this point, but I won't. I'm going to think on it a while. Why not do the same?
Monday 14 June 2010
Short Video Update on Training Progress
I recorded a short video by way of update report on training for the upcoming events. Here it is....
Things go wrong. It's how you react that counts....
For those of following the 2010 FIFA World Cup, you may be in the same position as me. Which is disappointed. After lots of build up the first match took place and it didn't turn out as expected. In my case it was England Vs USA, a game that England were expected to win. The final result was 1-1. There were two big cases of things going wrong in that game and reaction to them will be key.
The first point is the result itself. For England to progress to the knock-out stages it's likely that they now must achieve a victory in Friday's game Vs Algeria. With that requirement comes added pressure for all involved.
The second point is that the England goalkeeper, Rob Green, made a howler of a mistake that could haunt him forever if he allows it to. A mundane shot requiring the sort of save he would normally make with his eyes close ended up in the net after he failed to simply get his hands behind the ball. An error a schoolboy would be disapppointed with. To make matters worse, his error was watching by millions of people across the globe.
I hope that Rob Green gets the support of his team mates and family at this difficult time but the fact is, none of us can change what has gone before. We can learn from it, react to it, try to ensure that the negatives don't repeat and that the positives very much do.
What is done is done. We are where we are. How we choose to go forward is what counts.
Once again, it's how we execute which is so vitally important. Review yesterday, plan for tomorrow, make it happen today.
The first point is the result itself. For England to progress to the knock-out stages it's likely that they now must achieve a victory in Friday's game Vs Algeria. With that requirement comes added pressure for all involved.
The second point is that the England goalkeeper, Rob Green, made a howler of a mistake that could haunt him forever if he allows it to. A mundane shot requiring the sort of save he would normally make with his eyes close ended up in the net after he failed to simply get his hands behind the ball. An error a schoolboy would be disapppointed with. To make matters worse, his error was watching by millions of people across the globe.
I hope that Rob Green gets the support of his team mates and family at this difficult time but the fact is, none of us can change what has gone before. We can learn from it, react to it, try to ensure that the negatives don't repeat and that the positives very much do.
What is done is done. We are where we are. How we choose to go forward is what counts.
Once again, it's how we execute which is so vitally important. Review yesterday, plan for tomorrow, make it happen today.
Saturday 12 June 2010
Here we go.....
So after a build up that seemed to go on forever, the 2010 football World Cup is now underway. South Africa got things underway amid much excitement and managed a draw against Mexico.
Tonight sees England Vs USA in Rustenburg. Four years of build up and expectation comes to a head now. The strategy and tactics are set. The squad is prepared and the fans are at fever pitch. As of tonight it's all about execution on the biggest stage for football and the highlight of many players' careers.
That's what it boils down to isn't it? The talking is done (unless you're a football pundit. I'm watching the match on ITV1 HD. Great picture and coverage). The training is over. The players have 90 minutes to make or break their World Cup campaign. Several sets of 90 minutes to win or go home in shame.
England expects.
We'll save the business chatter and analogies for another day.
For now, Come On England!
Tonight sees England Vs USA in Rustenburg. Four years of build up and expectation comes to a head now. The strategy and tactics are set. The squad is prepared and the fans are at fever pitch. As of tonight it's all about execution on the biggest stage for football and the highlight of many players' careers.
That's what it boils down to isn't it? The talking is done (unless you're a football pundit. I'm watching the match on ITV1 HD. Great picture and coverage). The training is over. The players have 90 minutes to make or break their World Cup campaign. Several sets of 90 minutes to win or go home in shame.
England expects.
We'll save the business chatter and analogies for another day.
For now, Come On England!
Tuesday 8 June 2010
Plan B?
If like me you've watched the BP oil spill drama unfold recently, you may have been left wondering something? What on earth happened to Plan B? Who would have thought that despite the (now evident) risks of operations at an amazing depth of 5000ft, there didn't seem to be a plan for what happened when things went wrong?
For BP, this must be a worst case scenario. As I write, its share price continues to tumble and the company is being vilified across the globe. On the late news this evening, Barack Obama was calling for the head of the BP CEO Tony Hayward.
Worse, much worse, an unprecedented ecological disaster is developing that is wreaking havoc on the US coast. Natural habitats are being destroyed, as are the livelihoods of many thousands of people.
Back to BP for a moment, it's worth bearing in mind that this could be any oil company who has fallen victim to these events. Rented equipment and I'm not sure that BP was even operating the rig when things went wrong. There must be a number of CEO's giving quiet thanks that it's not them in the firing line.
I don't have the answer to these particular issues of course, but there's a lesson to be learned for all of us from this sorry mess. Have a Plan B. Contingency planning is something we all need to do. Things go wrong. Despite best laid plans events often take an unexpected turn for the worse.
Let's give some thought to what the risks are, how likely to happen and how serious the outcomes might be. And then plan accordingly should the events ever happen in full or in part. Something is better than nothing.
Feel free to get in touch to discuss.
For BP, this must be a worst case scenario. As I write, its share price continues to tumble and the company is being vilified across the globe. On the late news this evening, Barack Obama was calling for the head of the BP CEO Tony Hayward.
Worse, much worse, an unprecedented ecological disaster is developing that is wreaking havoc on the US coast. Natural habitats are being destroyed, as are the livelihoods of many thousands of people.
Back to BP for a moment, it's worth bearing in mind that this could be any oil company who has fallen victim to these events. Rented equipment and I'm not sure that BP was even operating the rig when things went wrong. There must be a number of CEO's giving quiet thanks that it's not them in the firing line.
I don't have the answer to these particular issues of course, but there's a lesson to be learned for all of us from this sorry mess. Have a Plan B. Contingency planning is something we all need to do. Things go wrong. Despite best laid plans events often take an unexpected turn for the worse.
Let's give some thought to what the risks are, how likely to happen and how serious the outcomes might be. And then plan accordingly should the events ever happen in full or in part. Something is better than nothing.
Feel free to get in touch to discuss.
Tuesday 1 June 2010
A Path Less Traveled
Sometimes it can be good for the soul to take a path less traveled. This is a picture taken whilst out with Ted Labradoodle recently.
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