Actions speak louder than words

It’s one thing running a series of Dramatic Business Growth seminars and another to make time to actually action some of the fabulous tips, tasks and techniques presented there each month.

As ER Haas says on the subject of SUCCESS – “You CAN succeed at whatever you do, as long as you simply take the right ACTIONS”.  You may remember this as a recent Daily Tickler from intime PROFIT.

Haas has founded 12 different businesses since leaving graduate school in 1968... some wildly successful... some flops. ("You'll never know success until you've experienced the cold edge of failure" is one of Haas' favorite quotes!).

The intime PROFIT Seminars are intended to equip business owners and managers with deliverable techniques to grow their business, increase sales and deliver sustainably greater profits – ideally without the ‘flops’ but definitely through ‘action’.

Invaluable information builds each month, which delegates take away with them to consider and apply within the context of their own businesses. The trouble is though, once they leave the thought-fuelled atmosphere of the 18^th century coach house on Duncan Lawrie’s estate in Wrotham, Kent … work once more takes its growth-preventing grip.

Last month, the seminar asked each delegate to write down just three of the tips they were going to turn into tasks to apply before convening again next time. OK, we did have Christmas and New Year between the two, but even so … how many tasks were actually actioned?

As co-hosts, we are not exempt from learning (it’s impossible not to) and therefore not exempt from actioning the plans and applying the good practice.

The two things we have actioned this month are; firstly to action the re-writing of our website to bring it in to line with current thought and future services; and secondly to refine and apply our elevator pitch.

Each delegate has been learning and refining their sixty second corporate intro or elevator pitch. You learn much from the techniques being suggested. You learn even more by refining its application. The ultimate lesson though is surely to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT – action it.

Here’s ours:

We think it’s rather good – and now, in the days of a ‘Ronseal Government’ - we too do exactly what we say in the elevator.

If you want to go up in the business world, here’s a tip or four for free:

1.       Take time out and start working ON your business rather than just IN it.

2.       Sign up to the intime PROFIT seminars – your first is FREE.

3.       Learn and share some of the thought provoking ideas and techniques.

4.       But most of all – TAKE ACTION.

 

To find out more about intime PROFIT:

our One-to-One,

our Seminars and

our Marketing support services –

write to intime@intimeprofit.com or

call us on 08456 437 497.

Tax and Death – guaranteed!

You may try to avoid one but you’ll not escape the reaper – tough but true.

So, why is it still so hard to make a sustainably profitable business by helping people to write a will? This was the problem facing Mark Underwood of Integrity Legal Services when he sought advice from intime PROFIT.

The first of what was to become a series of One-to-One business development meetings was free. Despite this Mark, like many, found it difficult to pick up the phone, dial 08456 437 497 and admit he’d appreciate a little help. It wasn’t as though business was bad, but Mark felt there could be so much more to make of it and to take from it.

On the premise that ‘two heads are better than one’, Integrity opened its doors to intime PROFIT.

A recent Daily Tickler from intime offered two words attributed to an African Proverb: GO FAR, and went on – “if you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together.” Mark Underwood certainly wanted to take his business further than he was able to on his own.

When you sit across the table on your first One-to-One meeting, it’s your chance to unload some of the burden of running a business alone by sharing, discussing and solving some of the problems associated with business leadership.

It’s not a psychiatrist’s chair type babbling download of lonely fears and heartache though – intime PROFIT offer a structured series of analytical stages to help formulate the way forward. You are introduced to the intime 3 STEP PROCESS – Review, Plan, Action. It is this structure that then shapes an accountable plan tailored to each business we meet.

Working together rather than alone is often the first reality check. Mark himself admitted that: “…whilst I love being my own boss, making yourself accountable to someone else is a powerful tool.”

The process identifies business as well as personal strengths and weaknesses. It sets goals and a time line across which these goals might pragmatically be met. And it details the actions needed to achieve the goals.

Each time you then meet your intime PARTNER, you begin the session by reviewing the targets set previously and discussing the effectiveness of the actions taken. “Procrastination has always held me back from achieving my full potential,” said Mark (and put your hands up if you can honestly say you’re not the same). “Working with intime has given me the clarity and structure that will help me exceed my expectations.”

Obviously, the details of intime PROFIT’s relationship with Integrity are and remain confidential but the process undertaken follows similar principles whatever the business. When you are working hard within your business, it is difficult to make time to stand back to take a constructive look at the business.

Use your One-to-One to STOP the tumbling doms !

For two hours, once a fortnight over three or four months (whatever suits best), Mark borrowed an extra pair of experienced eyes, sat on the other side of the proverbial desk and looked hard at both the problem areas and the successes too.

Problems such as commercial errors or marketing weaknesses are quickly identified and their domino effect can be stopped. These are usually common mistakes that affect cost or devalue ROI by employing an inappropriate ‘I’.

Reducing costs without undermining service has an immediate impact on profit.

With more commercial control, attention can confidently be given to the flip side of the profit dynamics – sales.

intime PROFIT have two proactive tools to help drive sales. One is the 7 Step Marketing Plan and the other (another 7) the 7 Step Profit Multiplier. The One-to-One meetings concentrate initially on the Marketing Plan, structuring a series of tools to help increase leads, conversions and net order value.

“Marketing my business often slips to the bottom of my to-do list,” said Mark Underwood – “Intime have come up with some innovative approaches that will bring this activity into my top two 'must-dos'.”

The methods are proven and pragmatic – there’s no point introducing unachievable goals and unmanageable techniques. We don’t teach Rocket Science … because it’s not.

For your FREE first One-to-One meeting with an intime PROFIT Partner, don’t prevaricate, pick up your phone and dial  08456 437 497 – now.

To reserve your FREE One-to-One, please

e-mail intime@intimeprofit.com 

or call 08456 437 497

very soon.

Too busy working to make money?

If you are too busy working to make money then don’t worry, you are not exactly alone. 95% of SME owners and managers are making the same mistakes. Much of the problem is because they are too busy working IN their business and don’t make time to work ON it.

So, we have the time and the place to get you out of your office and around a boardroom table with a dozen similarly minded people who want to grow the businesses they manage.

They want to grow their businesses, increase sales, reduce costs perhaps – the bottom line is that they want to learn how to unlock the profitable potential that the routines of daily management leave tied up beyond practical reach.

Join us on Thursday 13^th December at the Wrotham offices of Duncan Lawrie.

Why here?

Well, as well as being a practical corner of rural Kent, the mental energies pervading the Grade II listed late sixteenth century brickwork of Duncan Lawrie Private Banking proffer a productive atmosphere of ‘intelligent relaxation’.

We first encountered Wrotham Place (pictured above) when Duncan Lawrie hosted a regional meeting of the IoD and have since become ‘mutual’ friends and clients. Now, we are delighted that they are hosting our next Dramatic Business Growth Seminar.

If you are coming to this as the second or third of our intime SEMINARS, we look forward to seeing you again.

If you are joining us as your first FREE Seminar then you’ll get a warm welcome, enjoy the day and leave with a head full of practical ideas and exercises that will start improving business techniques with immediate effect.

The buzz alone makes a difference to attitude and intent.

David Mack, who leads the Seminars, is looking forward to meeting up with you all again - so much so that in fact he can’t wait for you to see him. David has prepared a webinar to take you through the 7 Profit Multipliers, a preview of which has been uploaded below:

 …and the full version can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEfafrzgAUU.

Enjoy it as a catch up or a refresher and join us for ‘the real thing’ on 13^th.

For more details please call 08456 437 497

Growing your business? Essential dates for your diary

After two successful seminars – one in Chatham and the other in Maidstone, we are pleased to confirm the dates of the next five sessions and to announce a couple of exciting format changes … who says feedback forms don’t work.

We listened with interest to your comments and constructive observations.

As well as the obvious successes…:

“Hi Peter,

Put me down as the paying month to month option please.

I see the value and want more!

Best regards,"

Andy Harris

A1 WebStats 

…we we did receive some critical comments, which were very useful (thank you) and have led to the following changes:

Lunch –

“…it’s a pity lunch, even sandwiches, wasn’t included as it would have been good to interact with fellow delegates.”

Lunch is now included and the important networking opportunity is readily available.

Sequentiality –

“…I love what I have learned but am not sure I can be available for all six so might miss something in the sequence.”

We have now re-written the sessions such that each Seminar now stands alone. All six build into a Business Growth Masterplan whilst having an independent and exclusive value on their own. It may be that you don’t benefit from all 7 Profit Multipliers perhaps and you may miss the odd useful snippet and delegate interaction, but you will still gain essential value to help grow your business. If you have to miss November for instance, or find December is sold out, it doesn’t matter as we have removed the sequential nature of the learning.

FREE First Session –

“…I’d like to bring a colleague or recommend the Seminars, but it was only the first session that was free.”

You can bring a colleague if you wish and their first session will be FREE of charge. In fact, because we have now removed the Sequentiality of the seminars, each future session is, in effect, the first of a rolling six month cycle, so every month can be a FREE First Seminar for someone.

Of course, this is all subject to availability.

Dates –

It’s true and a little disappointing that we had still not finalised the dates for the next and subsequent Seminars, but here they are:

15^th November (3 places remaining)

Venue: Reeves, Chatham (left).

13^th December (5 places remaining)

Venue: Duncan Lawrie, Wrotham (left).

Then:

17^th January 2013; 14^th February; 14^th March

– venues tbc.

To reserve your place(s) please

e-mail intime@intimeprofit.com 

or call 08456 437 497

very soon.

Who’s boss – you or the business?

One of the greatest and most common barriers to business growth is the owner / manager’s relationship with the business itself.

Who is the boss?

Who is driving who?

Are you really in control of the business you head or do day to day responsibilities hold you in their tight unshakable grip?

This is one of the first things we look at on the Dramatic Business Growth Programme whose aim is to give SME owners and managers the ‘tools and rules’ to start making the business work harder FOR YOU.

In the first of the six full day seminars, held one a month over the next six months, we start by looking at the very foundations of successful business growth. We’ll explore what that actually means and how to do it.

The programme combines science with intuition and experience to identify and action 7 growth keys, also known as The 7 Profit Multipliers. Henry Ford said “the secret to achieving a complex task is to break it down into manageable component parts” – and that’s exactly what these seven keys do.

It’s a fact that often we let the business take over, being only too happy to let the day to day prevent our planning for tomorrow. But, with new tools, goals, and revitalised energies, this course literally fuels delegates with the adrenalin to go back and take positive action … and that’s just after day one.

Each session builds on the last, further developing the skills and visions needed to formulate a pragmatic plan and action it. You won’t be alone. We combine the real experiences of your fellow delegates with the professional guidance of the seminar leader and keynote speakers to support you and your way forward to sustainable growth.

This is a programme that will make you hungry for success and equip you with the means to step back, grip the business and deliver it. It only costs £195 (+VAT) per session, with a guaranteed refund if you are not absolutely convinced by what you learn (ask for details and our special discount offer).

Join us and this is the very least you’ll take away:

·         USE  all 7 Profit Multipliers

·         WIN  more business

·         BEAT  the economy

·         THRIVE  not survive

·         COMPETE  within your industry

·         MULTIPLY  your profits – dramatically.

PLEASE NOTE:

If you have received one of these...:

...there are currently only 5 places out of the 15 now available – to reserve your place please act quickly:

For more information call

08456 437 497;

e-mail intime@intimeprofit.com

 

New tricks for ‘weary’ dogs – it’s never too late, just … intime.

Many people who read this blog are still confused about the nature of the intime PROFIT service – the confusion stops when they meet one of our Partners / Advisors. Then, they realise that we are not business or personal coaches, but experts in opening the door to increased profits.

One of the inspirational platforms at which SME owners and managers learn or simply keep abreast of new management, marketing and sales techniques is the business growth seminar. These are often set in large arenas with American jargonese being unleashed in parables cast amongst the business sponges at the front, whilst others remain anonymous (and leave less informed) at the back.

That’s why, if you are fortunate enough to receive one of these…:

...it may well be worth your while taking one of the 15 places available (in total) in the Boardroom of Whitehead Monckton in Maidstone or Reeves in Chatham.

Through a series of one day seminars (one a month over the next six months) we aim to equip SME owners and managers with the latest, most significant thoughts and practices on legal, financial, marketing, sales, profit release and business leadership.

You will be anything but anonymous and will not drown in jargon and irrelevance. This programme builds around YOU.

Your fourteen colleagues will be drawn from a range of Kent-based industries and services. Profitability will be the common theme and dramatic growth the common aim. You’ll have experiences to share and your programme leader, David Mack, will ensure relevance and dynamics, building and developing proven strategies for growth across the six one-day sessions.

David Mack served 16 years in the RAF as a Communications Engineer and 7 years as a Senior Commercial Manager at Heathrow Airport. In a complete change he spent 2 years working for the charity, NAYC, as Head of Centre at the Pioneer Centre activity and conference centre.

In 2004 David set up his own company, Trinity CPD Training, and has focused on helping large corporations and SME’s through business growth advice.

David’s Mantra is…“Businesses need to get up to speed quickly and maximise the benefits of the internet; I’m here to help.”

One of David’s delegates at a recent Business development Programme said: “What a treat. Clear objectives stated and delivery to match … all the tips were spot on. Even if you think you know it all through experience, you may think twice; a new light on the MO will prove very beneficial.”

David Mack will be joined by two Keynote Speakers throughout the programme.

Janet Goode is a Partner with Whitehead Monckton and head of their Commercial Department. Her vast experience will be extended to delegates through a series of fascinating and practical solutions for business ownership.

Janet’s specialties include - all aspects of corporate and business law, from corporate reorganisations and financing to shareholders’ agreements and partnership law. Also pensions law, dealing with drafting scheme constitutions and rules and advising on trustee responsibilities.

Tim Levey, Partner at Reeves (business, tax and wealth specialists) offers business strategies for commercial growth from the financial point of view.

Tim leads the firm’s Business Services Consulting team. He has been treasurer for the Kent branch of the IoD and was a trustee of the national Charity, L’Arche, from 1997 to 2007.

His premise is that: “…growth can only be sustained with sound financial footings to help leaders manage positive change.”

These three talented associates of intime PROFIT and this dedicated programme for DRAMATIC Business Growth have so much to offer. You’d need a heck of a budget to buy their time on a one to one – but you can take it all back to the office with you for just £195 per Seminar (+VAT).

Join us and this is the very least you’ll take away:

·         USE  all 7 Profit Multipliers

·         WIN  more business

·         BEAT  the economy

·         THRIVE,  not survive

·         COMPETE  within your industry

·         MULTIPLY  your profits – dramatically.

Remember though, there are just 15 places at this boardroom table.

This is the boardroom you surely can’t afford to miss.

… and whatever happens,

at this table it’s YOU that’s in control.

For more information call 08456 437 497;

e-mail intime@intimeprofit.com.

Daily Ticklers – what do you do with yours…

Angela Middleton (MD Middleton Murray) re-mails them as a daily message to help motivate her staff; Dawn Russell (DRC Ltd) occasionally shares those that particularly tickle her with her followers on Facebook; Chris Baggaley (intime PROFIT) re-tweets his to associates; and Rodney Bashford (ASPIRUS) practically sets his alarm by them.

Let’s consider two recent Daily Ticklers that we feel are particularly relevant to summarise some of the ‘good news’ clients get from their intime PROFIT relationship.

The first is from the great, late, Jimi Hendrix.

This was not as you may have expected, a quote based upon S, D and R&R, but on WISDOM. Hendrix says –

 knowledge speaks but wisdom listens.

It is the combination of both Wisdom and Knowledge that intime shares, spending a good deal of time listening to and getting to grips with client activities, observations and needs.

We learn from their knowledge of the businesses they run to best offer appropriate guidance and technique to help achieve the goals they feel are currently beyond their reach.

Secondly, we drew on the global business skills of the great Kenichi Ohmae. He created the 3C’s model: 1. The Corporation; 2. The Customer; 3. The Competitors. The idea there being that only by integrating these three core elements in a strategic triangle can a sustained competitive advantage be created. But that wasn’t the tickler.

No, the Kenichi Ohmae tickler was DIRECTION:

Rowing harder does not help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction.

This appears to speak for itself, but all too often we find clients are chasing goals that are inappropriate to their skills and strengths. Not just rowing in the wrong direction, but upstream and with an inferior paddle. Wrong goal, wrong tools. One vital lesson is to play to one’s strengths. Identify what you are really good at and employ appropriate resources to drive that to its n’th degree.

Now, what you feel you may be good at is not always why your clients buy from you.

This is the first bit of wisdom we need to seek to establish the direction in which we are to steer our efforts. And like Mr Ohmae, we too feel that triangles form a good business management structure … hence, the intime PROFIT Pyramid:

Here’s how it starts:

By establishing the power of WHY (a technique we attribute to Simon Sinek – see 29^th April blog and Simon’s video) we clearly set out and agree WHAT you do, HOW you do it and most importantly we learn more about your WHY.

This is the heart of your corporate being and usually the reason your customers want to do business with you as opposed to your competition.

Only by learning who you are and where you are corporately now, can we agree a place you would like to be and a route to get you there.

Then and only then can we apply some of the intime PROFIT techniques that equip you to get there = WISDOM and DIRECTION.

We support this basic development frame with intime PROFIT’s proven 3 Step Process of Review, Plan and Action.

Once we know the WHAT and the WHY and integrate the 3 Step Process to embark on a sales and marketing plan, there is often a question over the many elements that make up the HOW. These vary from business to business, industry to industry and objective to objective.

Through intime PROFIT, you have access to a network of specialised skills and experiences which can be introduced to review and develop any organisational component …. but more on this another time.

The pyramids of ancient Egypt are a mystical symbol of wealth and power created by extraordinary skill and unlimited manpower.

Our intime pyramid is a far simpler coalition of humble experience and ability, providing realistic support to reach attainable goals. From a series of Daily ticklers, you could soon embrace a new lease of corporate success.

Contact us soon to find out how:

intime PROFIT:

http://intimeprofit.com/