The blind dancer and his guide dog
Over 20 years ago in Switzerland, Barbara had, in her words, one of the best dance partners ever. Hans was legally blind, but that didn’t stop him participating in life. Hans went [...]
Would you tell your customers NOT to buy?
Companies are losing control. What happens on Wall Street no longer stays on Wall Street. What happens in Vegas ends up on YouTube. This short TED talk by Tim Leberecht on “3 [...]
When innovation could cripple your business
Innovate or die is a common catchcry in business. But like any generalisation, it’s not always entirely the whole truth. Every business has a core audience. Those who make up 80-90 percent [...]
The case for “patient capitalism” – TED
Last week’s TED talk examined the dichotomy between business and charity. How we expect business to make a profit, while charities have to scrape by. And why we should change our thinking [...]
Penny wise & Pound Foolish
Most people thinking of “geniuses” think of people with extraordinarily high IQs. Organisations will often inflict IQ tests before hiring to “measure intelligence”. But very few measure EQ or Emotional Intelligence. A [...]
How to gain control of your time
Ever feel stressed out by the “lack of available time”? You’re frustrated, feel pulled from pillar to post, always on the go. We all have 168 hours in a week. Between work, [...]
Why 80/20 no longer applies to you
I’m sure you’re familiar with the 80/20 principle. What you may not be familiar with is that in the internet age, 80/20 has moved towards a 95/5. Where the top 5% get [...]
Why the way we think about charity is dead wrong
This talk on how we relate to charities really struck a nerve. I was unpleasantly surprised that I held every one of the misconceptions Dan Pallotta calls us out on. Honestly, watching [...]
Are these two major mistakes costing you business?
Would you keep using a leaky bucket? Of course not. You’d either fix it or buy a new one. The equivalent in businesses is throwing more money at lead generation and not [...]
Will automation take away all our jobs?
We constantly hear about how technology is going to displace workers and take our jobs. And while to some extent this is true, here's a paradox you don't hear much about: Despite [...]
Stop alienating your prospects
There is a breed of salesperson I can’t stand. They’re pushy, arrogant and simply won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. More often than not, they’re employed by share trading or make money [...]
What Drag Queens & Astronauts have in common
Leonard Bernstein said two things are necessary for great achievement: a plan and not quite enough time. But first you have to dream big. Dan Pallotta speaks of the dichotomy of big [...]
How to stop your prospects treating you like a commodity
We’re working with a number of clients who operate in highly competitive markets. When doing competitive research the first thing we notice is the emphasis on price. There are quote calculators, and [...]
Meet the inventor of the electronic spreadsheet
Did you know Apple owes its success to VisiCalc, the first computer spreadsheet system? Conceived and designed by Dan Bricklin in 1979, spreadsheets have revolutionised business computing. In this TED Talk, Dan [...]
Chasing new business? Do this first…
Do you constantly chase new business? Pay through the nose for advertising, pound the pavements from networking meeting to networking meeting? Stress out about not having the phone ringing? But in the [...]
Are you a giver, taker or matcher?
In life, there are three basic kinds of people: givers, takers and matchers. Givers tend to give of themselves without expecting anything in return. Takers, well, take with no quid pro quo. [...]
All your eggs in one basket?
One of our early mentors drummed into us that the number 1 is the most dangerous one in business. One customer, one product, one method of lead generation. But unfortunately, many businesses [...]
Dare to disagree
We naturally gravitate to people just like us. Same background, thinking style, even religion. But that just leads to closed thinking. All great breakthroughs come from the conflict of ideas. People being [...]
When your prospects procrastinate…
Do some of your prospects procrastinate? They say they want to sign up, but something always seems to come in the way? If so, this is likely to be happening. They’re not [...]
Reduce Choice – Make better decisions – Increase Sales
It may sound counterintuitive, but reducing available choices actually helps us make better decisions, faster. Based on solid research, Sheena Lyengar has some fascinating observations showing the three main negative consequences to [...]
Why giving free advice is a bad idea
Imagine two consultants. Both extremely knowledgeable about their topic. One charges $10,000 a day and is fully booked, the other gives away information just for the asking. Which one would you want [...]
How to make hard choices
We make choices every day. Simple ones like what to wear or have for lunch. But what about hard choices? Changing jobs, moving house, forming or breaking up a relationship… How do [...]
The danger of a single story
We are all influenced by the stories we’re told. Be it growing up or as adults. And those stories define how we relate and respond to different cultures, individuals and situations we [...]
Why we all need to practice emotional first aid
We wouldn’t think twice about medical treatment for physical issues. So why is it different when it comes to mental health? Psychologist, Dr Guy Winch points out we sustain psychological injuries even [...]
What really matters at the end…
Death. It’s something we’ll all face. Both ourselves and with loved ones. But it’s not a topic most are comfortable discussing. BJ Miller is a palliative care physician who thinks deeply about [...]
(Re)touching lives through photos
We take photos constantly. A photo is a reminder of someone or something, a place, a relationship, a loved one. They’re our memory-keepers and our histories, the last thing we would grab [...]
A fundamental marketing misconception
This year marks 18 years we’ve been helping businesses grow. Having helped organisations in over 40 industries grow in profit, we’ve noticed three fundamental marketing and selling rules many break. The result? [...]
What I learned from 100 days of rejection
Would you let a 6 year old run your life? Jia Jiang did. He felt stuck. His career was stagnant. All because of profound rejection he’d suffered as a child. His was [...]
Filling your sales pipeline in 2017
It’s already midway through January. New Year’s Eve seems like a distant past. How are your “resolutions” coming along? On a more serious note, it’s the start of a brand new year. [...]
4 keys to generating better leads
Have a great product or service but simply can’t get traction in the market? You’ve tried advertising, going to networking functions, cold calling, sending out emails or even physical mail. But nothing [...]
The clues to a great story
Humans have been sitting around campfires telling stories since the dawn of time. But what makes a great story? What structures do they follow to keep audiences engaged? Andrew Stanton wrote the [...]
Forge meaning. Build identity. How the worst moments in our lives make us who we are.
Why do some people when struck by adversity and major challenges seem to draw strength from them? Do they find meaning or forge it? If you watch no other TED talk this [...]
This is key to your business growth…
It’s the first week of 2017. Many of you will have set new year’s resolutions. All the things you’re going to do differently. But I’m willing to make a bet. Most of [...]
Passion, courage and becoming your best.
Life is fickle. You never know what it’s going to throw at you. But it’s how you respond to those challenges and grow that will ultimately define you. On January 8, 2011 [...]
Lessons from death row inmates
I’ll admit this one’s a bit different. Many of you may find the subject matter difficult. I’ve thought long and hard about including this as it isn’t directly about building business or [...]
Are you cheating yourself?
Woody Allen once quipped, “80% of success comes from just showing up”. And one of my favourite sayings is, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water”. Put [...]
When to take a stand and when to let it go
George W. famously said, “You’re either with us or against us”. Everything is black and white. There are no shades of grey. A pretty limited, unsubtle view of the world where you [...]
Doing what matters – The big rock principle
Are you familiar with Steven Covey’s principle of putting big rocks first? i.e. Filling a large jar with rocks and sand? How you need to put in the big rocks first, then [...]
The rise of women
What should come as no surprise is the rise in economic power women world-wide have when it comes to buying decisions. Everything from traditional household stuff to major housing purchases. More women [...]
What could happen if you really went for it…
2016 is coming down to the wire. It’s only a few days till Christmas. Time just seems to rush by. So what have you achieved this year? Done everything you set out [...]