Personal Best | Management & Marketing Consulting http://www.personalbest.co.uk People & Business Development that just works | Management & Marketing Consulting Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:49:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 How to be brilliant at pretty much anything. http://www.personalbest.co.uk/how-to-be-brilliant-at-pretty-much-anything/ http://www.personalbest.co.uk/how-to-be-brilliant-at-pretty-much-anything/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:43:13 +0000 admin http://www.personalbest.co.uk/?p=166 Most of us, at some level, buy into the myth that some people are born with natural ability or talent and that these genetic gifts are the source of achievement. During the research done by Personal Best in general consultancy and as part of the work done when writing Personal Best the book, it becomes entirely obvious that this is not the case.

There is now a mass of scientific research which debunks this belief and during two hundred interviews we found that there was a formula — a cookie cutter approach used by almost all achievers, which far outweighed any natural ability they may or may not have had. Regardless of the background and no matter what area they were involved in, be it business, sports, science, politics or leadership, every one of them had a methodology which delivered powerful results.

This was true in both individuals and organisations, we found that it’s possible to build any given skill or ability using a disciplined, systematic approach. Although our research covered many methods and strategies the key areas we discovered in excelling in any area were as follows;

Ongoing Improvement – A commitment to never ending learning and improvement.

In every interview and discussion this came up constantly. When you commit to ongoing improvement it can be the cornerstone to achievement. When you set a goal and move towards it by taking daily actions, constantly improving yourself, constantly asking more of yourself – you have a defining strategy in your life to attain anything that you want to

Specialised Focus - A focus on the fundamentals.

This is tied closely to ongoing improvement.  People who achieve more are experts in their chosen field. By constantly questioning and stretching themselves they develop new insights and innovations, becoming leaders in their field.

Strategy – Clear goals and massive action

People and companies that develop faster are not necessarily any smarter – they just have a different strategy. They are invariably clear on their outcomes and take massive action towards achieving them. Strategy is when knowledge and planning come together with action. When you develop clear purposeful goals and take daily unrelenting action towards them you are taking the same steps that every successful person, company and organisation has done in the past  and continues to do today.

Like everyone who studies performance, I’m indebted to the individuals who have taken the time out to explain the fundamental steps that they take every day. It brings it home that if the best people continue to work, practice and make the effort to make new distinctions, then all of us have to.  This stuff is empowering, it means we have the capacity create and define our own outcomes. If one person can do something, then by taking the same steps anyone can achieve a similar result or at the very least enjoy a massive improvement in their personal performance.

]]> http://www.personalbest.co.uk/how-to-be-brilliant-at-pretty-much-anything/feed/ 0 Personal Best – Help us find the Technology Company of the Year http://www.personalbest.co.uk/pesronal-best-technology-company-of-the-year/ http://www.personalbest.co.uk/pesronal-best-technology-company-of-the-year/#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:42:43 +0000 admin http://www.personalbest.co.uk/?p=126 Personal Best is looking to identify the most progressive technology company in the UK.

We now have a shortlist of twelve of the fastest growing, sustainable and customer friendly organisations in the technology market.

Baseline criteria is that companies must be privately owned with under 300 employees and be consistently profitable.

Winner will be announced in June.

Shortlist

Peach Telecom –            Telecoms services provider

Smart Traffic    -             Digital marketing agency

Skyscanner Ltd  -            Flight information

CV-Library       -             Internet jobs service

Capito                         –               IT consultancy

Mimecast       –                Email management services provider

Concentra Consulting  –  Software developer and consultancy

Commsworld –               Telecom & IT solutions

Toluna  -                         Online market research provider

Citihub  –                         IT consultancy

Media Ingenuity  –          Online lead generator

Stickyeyes        –              Search marketing agency

 

 

 

 

]]> http://www.personalbest.co.uk/pesronal-best-technology-company-of-the-year/feed/ 0 Best business books 2012 http://www.personalbest.co.uk/best-business-books-2012/ http://www.personalbest.co.uk/best-business-books-2012/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:54:40 +0000 admin http://www.personalbest.co.uk/?p=115 Personal Best has put together a list of the very best business books.

Our own book  is out in 2012.

 

Current rankings Amazon UK

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      91 days in the top 100

 

 

Books on personal empowerment

Getting Things Done by David Allen The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (also available in audio) How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie Awaken the Giant within, Anthony Robbins

 

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Books on leadership

The  Leadership of Muhammad 2010 Effective Leadership Masterclass (revised edition) 2010Effective Strategic Leadership (revised edition) 2010 All by John Adair On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis Leading Change by John P. Kotter (also available in CD and audio) Questions of Character by Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr. The Story Factor by Annette Simmons

 

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Strategy and creativity

 

Amabile, Teresa M., and Steve J. Kramer. The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work. Harvard Business Press, 2011.  Amabile, T. M. Creativity in Context. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1996.

In Search of Excellence by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr. Good to Great by Jim Collins Competing for the Future by Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad. The Balanced Scorecard by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton

 

 

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Sales and Marketing Approaches and pitfalls in the ongoing process of creating customers.

Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar (also available in CD and audio) How to Become a Rainmaker by Jeffrey J. Fox (also available in CD and audio) Why We Buy by Paco Underhill (also available in audio) Purple Cow by Seth Godin

 

 

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Management Guiding and directing the people around you.

The Essential Drucker by Peter Drucker Out of the Crisis by W. Edwards Deming Toyota Production System by Taiichi Ohno (also available in CD) Reengineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox (also available in CD and audio) First, Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman Six Thinking Hatsby Edward De Bono

 

 

 

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Entrepreneurship Seven guides to the passion and practicality necessary for any new venture.

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki (also available in CD and audio) The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber (also available in CD and

Make it BIG! 49 Secrets For Building a Life of Extreme Success Frank McKinney

 

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]]> http://www.personalbest.co.uk/best-business-books-2012/feed/ 0 Management consulting for fishermen http://www.personalbest.co.uk/management-consulting-for-fishing-industry-got-to-know-information/ http://www.personalbest.co.uk/management-consulting-for-fishing-industry-got-to-know-information/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:43:05 +0000 Barry http://www.personalbest.co.uk/?p=106 I like performance models, whether in my marketing business or when acting as a consultant. Paying based on the value received always gives clients comfort. This explains why !!

Our hero the management consultant wa on holiday in a small fishing village, he watched one afternoon as a small fishing boat docked at the quayside. Seeing the high quality of the fish, the consultant asked the fisherman how long he had spent out at sea that day.

“A few hours.” answered the fisherman.

“Then, why didn’t you stay out all day and catch more?” asked the consultant.

The fisherman told him that his small catch was enough to feed him and his family.

The business guru asked, “So what do you do the rest of the time?”

“I sleep late, make love to my wife, play with my kids and have an afternoon’s rest in my garden hammock. In the evenings, I go into the social club to see my friends, have a couple of beers , shoot some pool, and sing a few songs….. I have a full and happy life.” replied the fisherman.

The consultant ventured, “I have an MBA and work for a top management consultancy – I think, in facy I know I can help you…… You should start by fishing much longer every day and recruit some help. You can then sell the additional fish you catch and with the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. A larger boat will allow you to catch more and expand your business to two or three boats until you have the largest fleet on the island. Instead of selling your fish at harbour, you can negotiate directly with the major fish distributors and perhaps open your own plant. You can then leave this village and move your entire operation to the mainland and build a huge company.

“How long would that take?” asked the fisherman.

“Done right, no more than ten years.” replied the consultant.

“And then what?” asked the fisherman.

“After that? You could acquire other companies, grow a massive organisation and finally float or sell your company and make millions!”

“Millions? Wow? And after that?” queried the fisherman.

“After that you’ll be able to retire, move to the islands, sleep late, make love to your wife, play with your grandkids and have an afternoon’s rest . In the evenings, you could shoot the breeze with friends and have a full and happy life”

The consultant looked at the fisherman, the fisherman stared back.

The consultant now works as a fisherman.

]]> http://www.personalbest.co.uk/management-consulting-for-fishing-industry-got-to-know-information/feed/ 0 High growth business 2 – stories of hypergrowth http://www.personalbest.co.uk/fast-growth-business/ http://www.personalbest.co.uk/fast-growth-business/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 06:05:55 +0000 admin http://dev.littleoverwebsolutions.com/?p=13 Following on from post on high growth business. I was looking through some more research that I had done last yer on fast growth businesses. As before the key traits of having a great offer, creating strong alliances and maintaining a marketing growth strategy enables companies to leap over their peers – enjoy the following examples – appreciate your feedback

Richmond Group

The Richmond Group was formed in 1999 to service the credit and finance needs of ordinary people who had been refused credit by the large banks. James Benamor set up his loan brokerage company from his kitchen table at the age of 21 after being struck by how many people were being refused finance by mainstream lenders and banks because they failed to meet a standard assessment. Sales grew 102% a year from £870,000 in 2003 to £7.1m in 2006 and since 2003, the company has grown by a minimum of 50% every year. Now comprising 8 separate brand identities, it employs over 400 people and deals with over 8,000 finance applications per week.

The Richmond Group offers its own unsecured loans through its FLM Loans and Payday loans through FLM Quick Loans. The Loanfinder UK brand sells other companies’ loans while CGS, the first Richmond Group Company, specialises in helping customers with CCJs, defaults or a low credit score to be accepted for Visa or MasterCard credit cards regardless of their credit history. Payment Guard provides accident, sickness and unemployment insurance while Debt Line offers debt-management services. Post Plus was started as an in-house mail fulfilment and data marketing operation by the Richmond Group in 2003.

Great Offer: Richmond Group matches borrowers with lenders, arranging loans of between £500 and £5,000. The catch here is that the Richmond Group works with people who have a bad credit history or are unable to get loans through standard procedures. The firm’s USP is credibility, since it does not charge loan or credit card companies for referring customers but instead charges applicants a flat fee. So the customer knows that the company is giving an unbiased independent opinion, one that is best for him or her, and not for the lending companies.

Alliances: The Richmond Group has treated their staff as their foremost asset and alliance. The Founder, James Demeanor says, “From the beginning I have had two rules, the company has to grow by at least 50% every year, and work has to be fun for everyone.” Almost all managers started as call centre operators with the group and some have even reached director levels. Demeanor meets with every operator in the group at least once every 6 weeks and the firm provides its staff with free breakfasts and subsidised food.

Marketing: In the early days Demeanor didn’t have the money to invest in advertising so instead he had leaflets printed and delivered them on foot himself. During his first full time month James delivered 30,000 leaflets, walking approximately 300 Km in the process. Today, the group has received a lot of publicity through its rankings in the Profit Track 100, Fast Track 100, Sunday Times Best 100 companies and the Best Companies Guide. The firm also advertises online aggressively.

Realty ONE

Realty ONE was set up by Kuba Jewgieniew, a former stockbroker and computer programmer who turned an interest in real estate investing into starting his own brokerage. After being a realtor for an year in Las Vegas, Jewgieniew put in his profits to form the Realty ONE Group, a firm for brokering real estate and managing property in Nevada and Arizona in 2005.

The group garnered an agent network of 300 agents by the end of the first year. Beginning in 2005 with sales of just over $100 million, Realty ONE has since exploded with sales reaching $1.6 billion in 2009, despite the difficult real estate market that has shuttered several of its competitors. In a short span of 4 years, the firm has gone on to become the largest real estate brokerage in Nevada and the fastest growing real estate company in Arizona with a total of over 2,200 agents.

Realty ONE Group’s astronomic success and growth has been recognized by many, most notably by Inc. magazine in their widely followed rankings, capturing the 192nd spot on Inc’s coveted Inc.500 list for fastest growing companies in America.

According to Jewgieniew, his business model succeeded because of two things. The first is the flat fee system, which is highly attractive for agents, and the second is the firm’s embracing of technology, both of which set it apart from traditional real estate brokerages.

Great Offer: Realty ONE charges agents a $200 flat fee and another fee of $175 (for a total of $375 per transaction). Since most agent commissions range upwards of $2000, the agent gets to keep the lion’s share of his commission instead of sharing half with the brokerage, which has been the norm in the real estate brokerage industry till date. While experienced brokers get to earn a lot this way, inexperienced ones get a mentor and share commission 70-30, with only 30% going to the brokerage. As a result of this strategy, Realty ONE attracted 100 agents in the first two months of operation and had 300 agents by the end of the first year.

Alliances: Realty ONE partners with mortgage company Southern Fidelity Mortgage, title companies Nevada Title Company, North American Title Company, Chicago Title, home warranty firms Old Republic Home Protection and HAS and WIN and AmeriSpec Home Inspection services in order to provide customers with a network that meets all their home buying and selling needs. It has also partnered with other home security, remodeling and refurbishing companies.

Marketing: The company believes in making its agents its brand. Rather than just a brand name, agents are encouraged to be courteous and polite apart from being highly professional. The firm markets itself and its listings all over the internet on well known real estate sites and on websites owned by the Realty ONE group like realtyonegroupsells.com , realtyonegroupma.com and kimthomasrealty.com etcetera. The Realty ONE one site features voicemail, email, virtual tours and a multiple listing integrated IDX feature. Print ads are also circulated in publications like the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and Real Estate Book among others.

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