Free Seminar
"What Do Your Clients Think of You" - Thurs 26 November,
8.30-9.15am, London
Open Courses
"Fast Track Sales"
Thurs 5 and Fri 13 November, Maidenhead
"Presentation Power"
Weds 2 and Thurs 3 December, Reading (see below)
Two day courses £850 + VAT
per person
Focus - Presentation Power
Really good presenters feel confident in their own performance. They build rapport with their audience and communicate in an influential manner.
Traditional presentation courses tend to teach techniques specifically to improve presentation performance which work like a veneer, applied from the outside to create a good impression.
This course works from the inside out. We help you to develop your self-belief and identify your own Perfect Presenter Profile so that you present ins your 'style' rather than conform to be a 'text book' presenter.
Here's a quote from a delegate:
"I've done many presentation courses in the past but Presentation Power is the only one I would recommend to everyone. The key, and invaluable, difference with this course is that you discover your own Personal Presenter Profile rather than having to adapt to a generic set of 'presentation rules'."
- UK Sales Director
If you've got a question or some feedback I'd love to hear from you.
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In this edition we’ll be taking a look at 'apparent' weaknesses. Maybe with a different perspective they could be a clue to what motivates you and gets you into action.
Enjoyable reading.
Jim Wigg
Facilitator and Sales Coach
The Vanishing Table
In July, we (home, office, Sandra (wife of 20 years) and pets – I call them mountain bike and racing bike) upped sticks from the north west and moved diagonally to Fleet in Hampshire where we are now delighted to be sharing an office with an old friend Andy, owner of the Fleet Bargain Bookshop. It's comfortable enough but the other week we were offered two new desks and posh chairs which felt like luxury compared to our temporary 'retro' furniture (anyone remember those sapele desks of the 80s?). We jumped at the chance. Although, it would mean a major logistical exercise and a fairly major rearrangement of the office.
It was a hot day and our DIY collection, removal, installation and assembly task was almost complete when we realised there was no longer room for one of the old original tables. (Table description: rectangular, large, wooden top, metal legs fixed at each corner – this will be important information later). Having tried to move said table out of the office once before I said to Andy: "...that’s a bugger because we can't get that table out now that the bookcase right by the doorway has been fixed to the wall. Shall we just take the bull by the horns, clear off all the books and remove the bookcase now so that we get the job finished?" (I'm an Engineer at heart, and an Engineer likes to complete a project).
Andy's response was "No, I think we've done enough for today let's leave it for another time". Now, I knew that Andy wasn't going to be in the day after, and then I'd be away for a few days so the likelihood was it wouldn't get done for a while. A daunting prospect for my intrinsic Engineer itching to get the job done. But, it's Andy's office so I decided to go with it rather than trying to persuade him. There's another reason why I didn't try to persuade Andy. Because, by his own admission, he can be somewhat stubborn and the more you try to push him to do something the more he'll resist.
On arriving back the following Monday night I went into the office and thought "ooh it looks lovely, spacious and tidy in here", then realised the table had vanished. I inquisitively looked at the bookcase and thought "nothing's moved there, all looks exactly as it did when I went away". How on earth did that happen?
The next morning when Andy came in I said "I see the table's gone, did you saw the legs off?". "No", he replied, "when you said it wouldn't go through the door without moving the bookcase I thought I bet I can get it out of there, and once I've decided I can do something I always find a way". Then he demonstrated how he'd, lifted it up to shoulder height, slipped one table leg between the gaps in the books on the bookshelf and manoeuvred it round the doorway. Brilliant.
Earlier I mentioned that Andy was stubborn. Words like this tend to have strong negative connotations and are thought of as weaknesses. But let's just look at some of the other qualities that got the table through the door: determination – persistence – creativity – strength – agility – patience. So when used productively 'stubbornness', can be a real motivator for action.
All of us have certain traits. Some we view positively (strengths) and others negatively (weaknesses). In my experience as a coach people often want to 'fix' their weaknesses. In reality these are very difficult to change and what people miss is that they have a choice to use this apparent weakness to their advantage.
...and now for something completely different
For the cheapest and best flavoured steak you'll ever have, try using beef skirt. It's the preferred choice of the French. Brush a frying pan with olive oil (not extra virgin) and heat as high as you can get it. Fry the steak for two minutes either side. Leave to rest for 4 minutes. Slice across the grain with a very sharp knife in quarter inch strips. Eat.
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