Welcome back!

A dragon astride the world - Penang Feb 07

 

Last minute Stories: Enrol in the Story telling workshop in North Sydney this Sunday March 11, 1 - 5pm.

Give yourself a treat, and discover how to use stories (your own and others') to sell, to bond and build rapport with your clients, to explain things beyond explanation... Enrol now

 

 

February was a busy month for me. After my plans to take some "long service" leave from at least the non-direct client activities, I found that wasn't indeed much time off!

Spent a week in Penang running a conference for 110 people from 5 Asian countries (no Australians). I had a hoot! I'm becoming increasingly convinced, however, that the busier and more senior we get the more coaching is the answer to training needs. My coaching isn't always training, nor is it always just personal change, but more of my corporate clients are filling their knowledge gaps with short focused coaching sessions with me rather than training for a whole day in the hopes of finding the one gem they need to solve their particular conundrum.

Training in groups will always happen, and I love participating in it and running it. Consider the Ludic Creative Story telling workshop this Sunday Mar 11 2007 in North Sydney, or Life is not a rehearsal - start improvising! on Sat April 14th 07, also at North Sydney. Both are run by me and my business partner in Ludic Creative, Richard Bennett.

Story telling is about using stories to get people involved and engaged in your cause (whatever it may be). Been reading All Marketers are Liars - The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a low-trust world this week (written by Fast Company's Seth Godin). It's a fun read (Seth Godin tends to write sound bites rather than narratives, but he says some cool things: e.g. First impressions aren't always the first time you meet someone - it's the first time they take notice. Hence the need for us as consultants and managers to BE our brands and our stories (faking it won't work). Anyway, that's part of what our story day will cover.

And here's a special ezine special offer for the Ludic Creative workshops for you: These 2 workshops are usually $150 each. Enrol yourself at the normal rate, and you can bring a friend for free (i.e. 2 people for $150).

Even better, enroll in both seminars and you'll get both seminars for $200 (that’s a reduction of $400, or about 60%). To take advantage of this offer, just enrol here, and put "ezine" in the discount code section, and your friend's name in the "special instructions".

Cindy

In this month's ezine we have:

• Improving your consultancy: 5 common mistakes with marketing plans; recognising a true buyer
• Managing better: breaking bad workplace habits
• Fascinating: America's favourite architecture, how healthy are we? and understanding Generation Next
• Fun: Adult icecream vans, the history of daylight savings, and impro in Sydney

Your Consulting
business

Chairs by the beach at Ferringhi Batu, Penang Feb 07

 

Marketing plans - five common issues

So it being early in the year, chances are you're thinking about your marketing plans for 07. Perhaps you downloaded the copy of my book Ten more ways to promote your consulting business which I offered you in last month's ezine. Or have read and acted on Section 2 of my Australian Consultant's Guide (section 2 is 13 ways to promote your business without cold calling).

Now you have a comprehensive strategy, or you're thinking about putting one together, check out the common issues with marketing plans. The 5 listed in this article are not choosing a target market, relying on advertising, broadcasting a fuzzy marketing message, lack of follow up, and expecting short-results from long-term methods.

Distinguishing a buyer

And once the marketing plan is happening, you'll be out there with prospects, so you'll need to be able to distinguish a buyer from anyone else (gatekeeper, browser, tyre kicker, inspiration thief). This is an Alan Weiss article - he is an opinionated and I love his work. He does have a thing for lists though, so be warned!

Managing better

Bike in the street, Penang Feb 07

Breaking bad workplace habits

Haven't yet got it, but Marshall Goldsmith's new book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: 20 workplace habits you need to break sounds like a must for executive coaches (and executives). The bad habits include:

1. The need to win each time
2. The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion
3. The need to pass judgment on others
4. Needless sarcasm and cutting comments
5. Starting with “no”, “But”, “However”
6. Need to show how smart we are
7. Speaking when angry
8. Negativity: the need to share negative thoughts even when not asked
9. Withholding Information
10. Failing to Give Proper recognition
11. Claiming credit we don’t deserve
12. Making excuses
13. Clinging to the past
14. Playing favorites
15. Refusing to express regret
16. Not listening
17. Failing to express gratitude
18. Punishing the messenger
19. Passing the buck
20. An excessive need to be “me”: exalting our faults as virtues simply because they’re who we are

How many do you score on this list (I think, if i'm generous (rather than honest) with myself I'd score a minimum of 12. May just add it to my to-read list!

Fascinating

Birds on a wire, Penang Feb 07

 

Carrying a bell in style - Penang Feb 07

America's favourite architecture

it was interesting to compare my own list of famous American buildings (mostly seen on TV or in film) with what America voted as their most famous architecture .

Being of short attention span, i only looked at the top 20, but recognised most of the top 5 from West Wing episodes (ah, our obsessions do come out somehow!). Discover how many of the buildings you know.

How healthy are we?

Last month I mentioned the global rich list (where you sit in relation to the world's wealth). This month, check out the World Health Organisation's Core Health Indicators.

You can check out morbidity, mortality and other indicators. You can even check out, under "communications and information" the cost of a 3 minute phone call from a land line or a mobile phone line, and compare it across countries or across different years.

According to the data a 3 minute mobile phone call costs $1.58USD in Australia, but 31c in Bangladesh. Of course in Australia it's much more likely that you'll find a mobile to call from since there are 64 mobile phones per 100 inhabitants, compared to 1 in Bangladesh!

Play with it yourself, and let me know what you find out!

Generation Next

Perhaps you're interested in Generation Next (18 - 25 now)... if so, check out this report from the Pew Research Center and this documentary from PBS. Pew's info says 18 - 25 year olds mostly think that "getting rich" is the main goal of most people in their age group, and many believe that casual sex, binge drinking, illegal drug use and violence are more prevalent among young people today than was the case 20 years ago. They are the most tolerant of any generation on social issues such as immigration, race and homosexuality. Go read it yourself.

And Fun, fun, fun

Reclining Buddha's toes Penang Feb 07

Ice cream vans for adults

The melting Mr Whippy van at Sydney's Sculpture by the Sea was incredibly popular. Ice cream vans are full of childhood whimsy and delight. And clearly this is not just an Australian phenomenon - an English advertising exec has set up Ice cream vans for adults - painted with blackboard paint (so you can write on the van with chalk!), and hot pink wheels, it's a cool new idea I found on springwise.

Daylight savings, a history

For the trivia buffs, find out what Benjamin Franklin had to do with Daylight Savings, and how it assisted in the WW1 efforts to save power...

And impro, of course

Scared Scriptless' Theatresports® is back for 2007 at the Clarence Hotel, Petersham (in Sydney) every Friday till the end of December. Doors open 7:30, show starts at 8. Drinks at pub prices, food available. I'm often in the show! Love to see you there.

I would be interested to hear from you if any of these ideas spark something good for you and yours!

C

Cindy Tonkin The Consultants’ Consultant
Certified Management Consultant

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This month's images are original photographs ©2007 Cindy Tonkin. See more here.

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