Do you ever ask clients what life was like before you came along? Not only in relation to your specific service or product, but their business life generally: What is driving them to do what they do? Where do they want to take their company longer term? What is getting in the way of their… Read more
Stories that do your business a big favour.
Let me tell you a story. When Mark (pictured above, juggling pineapples) was 21 he went on a big adventure. He travelled the world for two years, getting lost in the rich colours, sounds and smells of Asia, Australasia and the Caribbean. He returned with vivid memories of remote villages, expansive beaches and magical moments… Read more
Delegate your story to people who tell it better
One of the best ways to explain why your business is valuable is to get someone else to do it for you. Someone who can do it better than you. They’re not necessarily a better communicator than you, but they will have the edge over you because of who they are. That someone is your… Read more
How does a city’s brand affect your business? The 2017 Great Debate.
Wherever you base your business – town or country – its reputation will rub off on you in some way. At the University of Brighton’s Great Debate, more than 200 businesses discussed whether the city’s brand of fun helps or hinders its economy. For better or worse, it’s down to the sea. I’m going to… Read more
Call the doctor. Your business IS special – but you need a second opinion.
So, tell me again. How is your business better than all the rest? Why should I, as a picky client, choose you over anyone else? You’ve spent hours building your business. You probably think you’re the best person to work out, and explain, why it’s special. You’re well qualified to have an opinion on it…. Read more
When you stop speaking, how much will your audience remember?
Even in the age of cyber marketing, doing the occasional event – a presentation, speech, workshop – in front of an audience of real human beings, is a good way to promote you and your work. But it has to be worth all the effort – the thinking time, the rehearsal and the nerves. You… Read more
Be a knock-out success with your audience. (When being weak is a strength.)
Does anyone have a question? It’s a question speakers routinely ask at the end of any session. In my experience, it kills the conversation. An irony, because it’s designed to do the opposite. And I understand that. When I go to conferences, I never want to speak up first. It takes me back to the… Read more
How do you measure business success? It’s the emotion, stupid.
(With apologies to James Carville, Clinton’s campaign strategist.) I remember when I first started my business, I’d put on my best ‘brochure’ face when I went to networking events. When asked how my fledgling enterprise was doing, I’d give a stock answer, “Fine, thank you”. Normally my questioner would respond in kind, “Me too”. This… Read more
A festive personality test for your website: is it a pickpocket, pianist or panto baddie?
I have spookily long fingers. A villain? They are so long, that the eight year-old daughter of a colleague once asked her mother, in hushed tones, whether I was a witch. A proper witch like the ones in Roald Dahl’s The Witches – with wigs, clawed hands, large nostrils and no toes. For the record,… Read more
