Promoting yourself confidently without showing off
The other day, I was on Twitter reading the bios of some new people I’m following. One woman’s first words were “Phenomenal xxx talent” which stopped me in my tracks. Ouch! I thought her unfortunate choice of words made her sound insincere as well as desperate to stand out. A ‘look at me’ message can be […]
Starting the New Year without ‘feast and famine’
“It is within each of us to achieve anything we want in life,” were the encouraging words spoken by Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter at his funeral. I’ve just finished a buzzing Skype call with two of my clients. We had a productive brainstorming session about what ‘anything’ might mean for their business at this particular point in […]
6 tips to keep new customers happy – Part 2
As I was writing part one of this article series with my reasons for not spoiling your customers, I discovered that my personal observations on the subject seem to have been confirmed by behavioural scientists in California and a business professor from the University of Chicago. Here is proof that there is no need to […]
Can spoiling your new customers actually damage your business? Part 1
When we checked in to our expensive hotel in Cornwall last winter, we were delighted to receive a complimentary upgrade to a superb room with by far the best sea view in the building. It reminded me of a time on a cross-Atlantic flight, when I was upgraded to first class — my first experience […]
Our Top 10 Networking Tips
Are you new to networking? Or have you been networking for some time but are not enjoying it or getting any results from it? Here are our top tips … the short and sweet version:
Follow the easyJet founder’s lead if you want the best business advice
Richard Branson wrote a great article recently about ‘The art of asking for advice’. In it he mentions a talk he once gave in Greece during which a man in the audience asked at least half the questions that came up that day, really taking on board the answers. It turned out that this man […]
Is your relationship with money sabotaging your success?
I recently had an article about passion and the importance of having a strong purpose in business published on Prowess 2.0. It’s a subject which resonates with many women I know. What drives you… passion or profit? Women in business often fall into one of two camps, either believing that business is not about passion but […]
Why having a niche will help you to attract business
One of the most important business lessons I have learnt over the years and have subsequently tried to impart to my clients and Inner Circle club members, is to have total clarity of your target market and what you have to offer. I have very bad memories of fumbling in the dark in the early […]
Is there ever a wrong time to focus on selling?
Do you know when to focus your time and energy on selling? Not all of us have a service or product that sells all year round although some micro business owners will desparately try to sell as hard as they can … all the time. Others avoid selling altogether – at any time – because […]
Clear objectives lead to happy customers
I recently returned from a lovely camping break in the West Country. One day my husband and I were faced with a bewildering choice of campsites in the same area. Each seemed to feature something different: state-of-the-art washrooms, generously-sized pitches, an outstanding view or a peaceful setting. I learnt how being unclear about your own objectives as a customer can turn your experience into an unsatisfactory one, and how important it is for suppliers to have clear objectives too!