Size 10½ Boots

Don’t want to sound like Nicholas Winterton but…

Tory MP Nicholas Winterton didn’t do himself any favours today when interviewed on the radio. He was challenged about why MP’s think that they should travel first class. It reminded me of a tip I picked up recently from an entrepreneur. He shared with me his secret of strategically placing a provocatively titled book on the table in front of him when travelling first class. The bait attracts interest from curious business folk and can lead to new relationships. I am going to test it. Mind, nothing too provocative!

Client Scare

Had to laugh this week when I visited a legal practice that shall remain nameless. I had been invited to pitch for an Independent Client Service Review programme. The firm I was told were keen to raise the bar of client care. Interesting then that on my arrival to the car park I was nearly scared away by a very officious receptionist. I was told in no uncertain terms that the space I had parked in was reserved for a partner. There was no signage and no alternative was initially offered. The angry receptionist could not have made me more unwelcome. After 2 hours on the M1 and a 6am start I was hoping to arrive for a warm bacon sandwich. Instead all I got was a flea in my ear. Client care? More like, Client Scare!

Get a dog

When the children ganged up and demanded a dog I took some convincing. A month on as a virgin dog owner I am seeing the world differently. Its amazing how you change your paradigm of your locality immediately and discover places and people that never existed previously. Its got me thinking about business paradigms and made me realise that we are all guilty of approaching issues from often a narrow perspective. My question to you is how might you grow your business by doing something different. Perhaps you could give a dog a home in the process!

Confidence

Having got caught in the snow I was rescued by road side assistance. During an exciting couple of hours in a transporter trying to retrieve my vehicle I got to know the driver, Ashley. He asked what I did for a living and I explained that I had crossed the A1 on foot that morning to beat the snow and deliver a workshop on Effective Networking. Ashley then talked about his past and personal exploits in the Falklands War and Belfast. The message that he got across loud and clear, was that success in such challenging environments is all about confidence and personal mind set, not technical ability. Interesting, I thought, as I had spent that morning saying very much the same thing to men in suits about ‘working a room’. Very different environments, but perhaps an important parallel. Are you addressing ‘confidence’ in your plans for 2010?

Mary “Queen of the shops” Portas

Key message delivered at an ‘effective networking’ training workshop I ran earlier this week was on taking action and overcoming the fear of rejection. Later that afternoon I had the chance to practice what I had been preaching. Sat a few rows behind me on the London bound train at Leeds was Mary “Queen of the shops” Portas. Time to find out Mary’s shoe size and sieze the moment. The timing was perfect - Size 10 1/2 Boots is helping a national law firm with its retail sector strategy. Mary was charming and we had a very convivial conversation all the way to Kings Cross. So convivial, Mary forgot to take her bags with her when we pulled in. I have followed up, as you just knew I would, and now have a valuable connection to boot. Who might you connect with if you have the confidence to try?

Dont judge a skinhead by his boots

Going to see The Specials at the weekend highlighted the danger of jumping to conclusions. True, the sight of scores of skinheads with Dr Marten boots might at first appear intimidating. Surely they must be racist thugs, mustn’t they? No….genuine music loving skinheads have a passion for ska and rocksteady originating from Jamaica . I talked to a group of skinheads before the gig in a pub and what impressed me was their knowledge and respect for black culture that inspired bands like The Specials. They despise the right wing element that were attracted to the British 2 tone movement in the late 1970s. The Specials is for everyone black and white, dreadlocks and boneheads.

What conclusions are you jumping to in your marketing? Are you really putting yourself in your clients Dr Marten boots?

Just Do It

Do you get frustrated like me by peoples difficulty to move from planning to implementation? It seems that despite the industries created by time management and project management philosophies work is still not being delivered. Quite simply, people are not delivering on promises. What is the answer?

Where’s the milk?

Visited a very posh tea shop today (I am not going to name it to avoid embarassment). The owners had clearly invested significant money in creating a fantastic ambience to position the venue as an upmarket tea shop for a genuine dining experience. Now granted the cakes were fantastic and the tea top drawer. However, they forgot some important basics. The tea arrived (leaves and tea strainer to boot), but no milk. The cakes arrived with posh forks, but no plates. And, there was no clotted cream for the cream tea! There is an important lesson here….don’t forget the basics. A lot of good work was undone by failure to get the simple things right. Are you getting the basics right in your marketing and business development activity? Are you focussed on the right stuff?

Focus on ROI not your Marketing Budget

Is it just me or do you share my angst about people focussing on marketing budgets when they should be thinking about ROI?

Size 10 1/2 Boots is like any other business in looking closer at expenditure as the recession bites. However, we are continuing to invest in marketing activity where we can see a payback on investment. Now more than any other time businesses need to be highly visible and work harder to get cut-through amongst the noise in the market place. Better surely to evaluate potential marketing activity vs return on investment (ROI) than respond with a knee-jerk, “we dont have the budget”, isnt it?

Girl Power

Despite the economic fog there is some uplifting news in the legal sector. Twenty-three lawyers and support staff from Allen & Overy’s private client practice, are setting up their own firm, Maurice Turnor Gardner. Interestingly it will be staffed and run mostly by women, so perhaps they are better positioned to deal with the multi-tasking required in a new business start-up. ‘Good luck’ to them we say. What do you think?