Dragon’s Den without the embarrassment

Executive A&E is happening is less than 3 weeks time.  Will you be there?

http://www.zee2a.com/Seminars/ExecAE.html

 

You get an entire morning of coaching and mentoring by four respective experts in their fields:

A sales and marketing guru

A financial wizard

The ‘head honcho’ of a top virtual assistant agency

And one of the UK’s most sought after image consultants

 

Plus ample networking opportunities with a room full of local business people; and a delicious hotel buffet lunch….. and you only pay for the lunch! (how cool is that?!)

 

There aren’t many seats left so please avoid disappointment by booking your place today http://www.zee2a.com/Seminars/ExecAE.html#Booking

 

Plus, look at some of the freebies that have been thrown in:

                                 

 

                            

How ‘Scam Savvy’ Are You?

Almost everyone uses email these days.

That means that most of us have at some time or another received some very convincing sounding (and looking!) emails pretending to have come from sources that we know and trust, but are actually fraudulently sent by con artists who are out to steal our financial information or even our identity.

 

Sometimes even the most ‘suspicious’ of us have been caught out! So how can you tell the difference between a legitimate email from a trusted source and a phishing email from a scammer?

 

I stumbled across a nifty little “Phishing IQ Test” that is both fun and educational.  I highly recommend you take five minutes out and do the test at http://www.sonicwall.com/phishing/

 

Then, if you’d like a free copy of my e-book Identity Theft: How it Happens and How to Protect Yourself please sign up at www.zee2a.com – it is available as a free download to all subscribers of my twice monthly newsletter The Marketing Edge.

Feel free to browse the other available free downloads at: http://www.zee2a.com/freestuff.html

Give Great Referrals!

A number of my mentoring clients belong to networking groups that rely on members making referrals to each other.  Many of those referrals consist of little more than a name and telephone number on a piece of paper, making follow up quite daunting.  I frequently hear reports like ‘it was no better than a cold-call’ or ‘they weren’t expecting my call’.

 

So the question arises – how do I make sure that when I give a referral it is a warm one, with value?

 

Here’s one tactic I use and suggest you give it a try:

 

I like to send an email, copying both parties that are being introduced to each other, in to the message. The wording would be something along the lines of:

 

“Dear Jill (and Anne)

 

Anne is currently redecorating her office and I told her about the brilliant work you did at Becky’s office.  I gave her your number so no doubt she’ll be ringing you in a day or two.

 Anne: just to confirm, here is Jill’s number *****

Jill: Here is Anne’s number to follow up ****

 

All the best

Vanessa”

 

Or you could try something like:

 

“Hi Richard and Ben

 

It struck me that the two of you may not have crossed paths yet, but it may be worth having a chat to explore possible synergies.

 

Richard: Ben is a *** who works with **** and helps them to ****

Ben: Richard does **** with **** and helps them to ****

 

Here is Richard’s telephone number and email address ******

And here is the same info for Ben *****

 

There may not be any immediate business in it for either of you, but it’s always a good idea to expand our professional networks, isn’t it?

 

Regards

Vanessa”

 

This type of introduction works particularly well because it hangs on the fact that you have a relationship with both parties, so there is an element of referred credibility all around. Richard and Ben both trust me, so they are more likely to trust each other and start off their relationship on the right footing.

 

Go on, give this method a try with the next batch of referrals you do, and see for yourselves the much better level of response.  Then please come back here and leave me some feedback!

It’s less than a month away!!

We are so excited about our upcoming Executive A&E event (that we’ve been telling our readers, subscribers, and clients about) because it is going to be so much fun!  Have you booked a seat there yet?  It’s less than a month away now!

 

As you know, we’ve invited a panel of experts to participate in this “Dragon’s Den” style event where we will be helping attendees to completely overhaul their Marketing and Sales; Administration; Finances; and Professional Image. 

 

If you love watching Dragon’s Den on TV then you will get such a thrill from being at a similar event live and in person….. But here’s a little nudge:  This event is proving to be incredibly popular and seats are selling F*A*S*T so if you haven’t booked one yet, please don’t delay any further. We really don’t want you to be disappointed that you missed out!  (And we promise that if you do miss it – you will be disappointed!)

 

The price has also been so heavily subsidised by sponsors, (booking an hour personal consultation with only one of the experts would cost as much as £200) but all it will cost you is the price of lunch. Can you afford not to come?

Get all the juicy details, and book your place at:

 

http://www.zee2a.com/Seminars/ExecAE.html

 

 

 

 

 

How To Raise Finance Without Borrowing

While the banks are receiving huge handouts from the government most small businesses like ours are wondering how we can raise funds. If you find that you have lots of month left at the end of the money you will appreciate the suggestions in this week’s Marketing Edge feature article guest authored by Judith Astles.

Judith is a valued mentoring client of ours, a Marketing Edge subscriber, and a chartered accountant with an impressive list of achievements. Her article uncovers a number of ways to raise funds without turning to the banks.

To receive your personal copy of The Marketing Edge please sign up at www.zee2a.com

You may read our Privacy Policy and Previous Issues online.

This week’s issue is due out first thing Wednesday morning, 22nd October. So please sign up and verify your request before midnight tonight!

When One Door Closes Another One Opens

Boy, isn’t the World’s economy going for a loop?

While we absolutely have to maintain a positive outlook we simply cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand and hope for the best. We have to take action.

Big banks are receiving billion dollar bailouts to help them through the economic downturn, but that doesn’t help the small business or independent professional. So what are we to do?

I was speaking to a friend who was just made redundant last month due to down-sizing at work. You’d think she’d be depressed and angst-filled. Nope – she has taken it as a golden opportunity to start up her own bookkeeping business and she has already secured enough business (beginning in November) to match what she was earning in formal employment. You go girl!

The secret?

While others are running around in a tailspin, focussing on the negatives and the ‘what if’s’, cutting out the wrong things (like investment in marketing, self-development, strategic planning) and viewing cost-cutting as a primary focus to get them through – she has taken her redundancy payout and invested in setting up a home office and looking for business.

The lessons for all of us?

Reducing costs as a primary focus is NOT what will get you through this downturn. Yes, reduce your unnecessary expenditure on luxuries but don’t make the fatal mistake of cutting back on your marketing and sales budgets, your own training and personal development, or strategic planning initiatives. In fact you may have to increase what you spend in these areas.

This is a matter of life or death for your business!

The Lighter Side of The ‘Credit Crunch’

Laugher is regarded by many as “the best medicine” so what better prescription to help us deal with all the negative news about the economy… 

Last Friday the BBC published a string of reader contributions, taking a look at the lighter side of the credit crunch.  Here’s a taster:

‘Following the problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the run on Northern Rock in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan. In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived. While Samurai Bank are soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank are reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.’

Enjoy reading the full ’story’ on the BBC News link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7663475.stm and feel free to add your own comments here too if you like

Does Your Business Need a Visit to The A&E?

Do you ever find yourself struggling with:

• Attracting and retaining profitable clients?
• Juggling too many balls and fighting too many fires?
• Conflicting advice about pricing, cost-cutting, and strategy prioritisation?
• Being taken seriously by your peers and prospects?

How would you feel if:

• You were crystal clear on the most powerful strategies to maximise profit and ensure business growth?
• You had the time to focus on what is most important for you as the business leader, secure in the knowledge that the ‘details’ are being taken care of with the utmost professionalism?
• You oozed confidence and professionalism right from the very first impression?
• Your prospects respected your ability to deliver, and were willing to do business with you at premium prices?

We are delighted to invite you to a very special, one-time only event at which a small group of business professionals will be helped to resolve those very challenges mentioned above.

We have joined forces with a carefully selected panel of experts - to offer our combined expertise in an intensive, concentrated dose for one morning only on the 18th of November.

There are only 40 places available at this event (and 20% have already been sold!), all for just the cost of your lunch! Will you come?

To find out more and register to attend, please go to Executive A&E.

We sincerely hope that you will join us there!