Louise Pengilley

Business development consultant

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12 customer retention strategies that really work

27 April 2023 by Louise Pengilley

Did you know that it used to take 8 – 10 touchpoints to engage with a new client?  However, in today’s online era it can take upwards of 15 touches. It amazes me that so many people focus on winning new clients when there is an easier and more cost-effective alternative – optimising your client retention. 

Customer retention makes good business sense. A Hubspot study found that a customer retention increase of just 5% can increase revenue by 25-95%. 

Here are twelve ways to increase your customer retention and grow your business.

The Nfinite best practice growth sales cycle vs client base quadrant

1. Establish your ideal client profile

Establishing your ideal client is critical to customer retention, I recommend doing this through market research.

Another key element is to communicate your values to your clients – as this will help you attract the right clients and naturally repel those you don’t want to work with.

💡Clients who are a poor fit can be a huge distraction. This can snowball into you providing a poor customer service for your core clients and affect your broader customer retention.

2. Understand the impact of personality profiling

With the knowledge of personality profiling, you can recognise how you might be perceived by other people and appreciate how your team works together. Doing this will also help you understand how to identify your prospects’ and clients’ traits so you can tweak your style in a way that best suits them. This can make a huge difference to the quality of your client relationships.

💡Use a recognised profiling tool to understand your and your team’s personality types. Then, understand other people’s personality traits so you can communicate more effectively to your team, clients and suppliers.

3. Train your team in customer service

To ensure your team deliver exceptional customer service, you MUST invest in support from your team. Be clear about your expectations, train your team, and you’ll see client satisfaction levels grow.

💡Make sure the correct staff deal with unhappy clients. Speaking to someone with the authority and experience to put things right pays dividends in customer retention.

4. Be clear on client expectations

Boundaries are essential in business. They protect you as a business and help your clients, suppliers and partners understand their obligations, rights, roles and responsibilities.

💡Without clear T&Cs, you put yourself and your company at risk of uncertainty and misunderstandings.

5. Always under promise & overdeliver

Delight your clients and make them feel like they’re getting superior customer service. This works with almost anything, from report deadlines to service delivery dates.

💡Good time management and scheduling are essential to achieve deadlines ahead of time.

6. Don’t be frightened to apologise

I have heard people say that apologising shows weakness. I disagree! If you’ve made a mistake, it’s important to say sorry because it shows you respect your client.

💡In many cases, the mistake you make matters less than the way you fix the resulting problem.

7. Build relationships at a deeper level

Get to know your clients and you’ll reap the rewards. Start understanding what matters to your clients outside of work. This helps create a deeper personal bond to cement a longer lasting relationship.

💡Book in a quick catch-up call with clients to see how things are going. Not only is it a great way to get impromptu feedback and make sure projects are running to time, but it’s a powerful way to connect with them.

Customer Retention, Louise chatting to client

8. Ask for feedback to support customer retention

The only way you can truly understand your clients is to ask them questions. This tells you what they think about your service, both good and bad! You will also learn where to focus your marketing to find other like-minded clients.

💡Don’t assume you know what your clients want, what you are doing well and what you could do better. Make sure you are checking in with them, take their comments onboard and make changes where required – this shows you have listened.

9. Market to your existing clients

Marketing isn’t just for attracting new clients. Build activity into your marketing plan that reminds clients you’re still there. This highlights your points of difference and increases your credibility

💡Use various methods to stay in touch with clients, suppliers and introducers. Don’t stop at social media! Consider options such as email newsletters, check-in calls, and even Christmas and / or birthday cards (where appropriate).

10. Communicate your services

You might think your clients know everything that you do, but many of them won’t. The reason? You haven’t told them. Ensure you do this in multiple ways. 

💡As humans, it’s not possible to remember every minute detail from all communications. Get round this by ensuring your clients are aware of your offerings when you speak to them. For example, you may have a new service that you have announced in your newsletter – why not make a point of reiterating it in your next meeting?

11. Incentivise loyalty

Have you thought about incentivising clients who commit to you over a longer period or who have a retainer with you? Or could you reward those who leave you testimonials or who refer like-minded clients to you?

💡Incentives and rewards don’t need to be complex. A complimentary session or even the guarantee of a rapid turnaround are both possibilities.

12. Sometimes the ‘end’ is actually the beginning

Take an opportunistic approach and you can turn things around! Whether that’s dealing with complaints or coming to the end of a project, there’s always an opportunity to engage a client with a longer-term relationship.

💡Avoid preconceived ideas. If you go into a situation with an open mind, you’ll identify potential opportunities more easily. Consider closing a project with a ‘wrap-up call’. It gives your client a chance to provide feedback that will help you develop your service and allows you to explain the other ways that you could help them.

Let me help you with your customer retention!

Want to better understand and improve your customer retention? Let me help you with a practical, hands-on approach.

Book your free 30-minute call today!

Found this blog useful? You might also enjoy 5 simple ways to convert marketing leads into sales and improve sales conversion. You can sign up to my newsletter here.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

How differentiation can provide a competitive advantage

28 March 2023 by Louise Pengilley

As you’ve decided to read this blog about differentiation, I’m going to guess you work in a highly competitive profession where there are a lot of other businesses offering something similar to you and competitive advantage is key.

Knowing and exploiting your points of difference can form the basis of your competitive advantage. However, you won’t be able to establish this if you don’t evaluate your competitors in the first place.

I am not talking about comparisonitis – the compulsion to compare yourself to others. This can quickly become negative and affect your mindset. Instead, I am referring to a logical approach where you better understand your competition. You can then start setting yourself apart from the crowd.

What is competitive advantage?

Competitive advantage is often associated with high-volume, consumable products. Phones and household appliances are great examples. However, regardless of whether you sell a product or an online service, differentiation is key.  

Why is a competitive advantage important?

A competitive advantage is important because of the way it helps us define our prices, and where we want to play in our market in terms of value versus cost. As the diagram below illustrates, when we think of cost, speed and quality nobody can offer all three! Differentiation is also key to the way you talk about your business, how you market it and where you present yourself to find your ideal clients.

Competitive Advantage, cost speed and quality model.

 

How to start identifying your competitive advantage

With this knowledge in hand, how should you differentiate yourself to create a strong competitive advantage? 

You may have a ground-breaking product or technology which you’ve been able to trademark thanks to its uniqueness. As a result, no one else can offer what your business does – a clear competitive advantage! However, very few businesses can relate to this, particularly service-based businesses with an abundance of competition.

Here are my top three suggestions to help you identify your points of difference:

  1. Draw up a list of 5-10 of your competitors and evaluate their offering, pricing, messaging, positioning, where they present themselves, and who their audience is, in comparison to you and your business.
  2. Conduct market research into your prospects via online forms. I’d recommend you target a minimum of 100 responses for robust statistical analysis.  Carry out in-person or Zoom meetings with your existing & former clients.
  3. Carry out a full SWOT analysis (example below) to establish how you are different. What are your strengths and which of these are unique, special, or different? What are your weaknesses, opportunities, and threats? Don’t keep things one-dimensional – your analysis should run across many disciplines such as customer service, quality, convenience, technology, and pricing.

 

Situational analysis SWOT

competitive advantage, SWOT table

With this in place, you’ll be able to identify what makes you different. You can then lead with this competitive advantage in your sales and marketing activity, making it clear to your prospects why they should work with you instead of with your competitors!

Wonderfully different!

Don’t just listen to me, find out what my clients say about working with me and what makes me different.

I’m here to help you grow your business with confidence. Armed with nearly 30 years of experience, I give my clients practical, hands-on advice and flexible tools while also holding them accountable. It’s the best way to get results!

Curious about how you could differentiate yourself further? Book a free discovery call. We can chat through your challenges together, and I’ll be happy to give you some ideas of how you can start making changes straightaway!

Competitive Advantage, customer quote from Alison Sanderson

Filed Under: Uncategorised

What makes me different to other online business coaches?

28 February 2023 by Louise Pengilley

I’m under no illusion, there are an abundance of online business coaches out there and I am just one of them.

However, we are all human and have our own personalities, style and way of working. When you’re looking for a new online business coach, it is key to find someone you can ‘gel’ with. It’s also important to find a coach who shares similar values to you. 

Let’s be honest, you could have 10 online business coaches, consultants, mentors or trainers lined up and they’d each be slightly different. I wanted to share what makes me truly different.

Here are my main differentiators:

1. More than 25 years’ experience

🚀 I’ll use my 25+ years’ experience and expertise to increase your conversion rate and bring in more sales, while you use the time you’ve saved to focus on other parts of your business.

🚀 I’ll help you understand the effect your sales and marketing have on your business so that you can invest your time and effort on the things that really work.

I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to be an online business coach. Nor have I been on a fast-track course to learn how to help my clients. Instead, I come with more than 25 years of experience in the corporate world in sales, marketing and business development roles. 

When I first became self-employed, I had lots of experience but no contacts with the clients I wished to serve. So, I used my corporate experience and the process of setting up my own business to create my own methodology – my Simplified Sales System – to attract and convert my ideal clients.

It is this method that I teach to my clients.

As an online business coach, I use this system to identify things you can do now to drive immediate success, such as cost savings with your suppliers and agencies or identifying some short-term revenue gains. I also help you build a sustainable long-term plan to grow your business and your sales.

Online Business Coach, Testimonial from Laura Sands

2. Not just theory, but practical and easy to follow tools too

🚀 Increase your effectiveness and save time using my templates – be confident you’re doing the right thing at the right time.

🚀 I give you practical and achievable advice you can apply to make a positive difference to your business.

When I’ve needed help in the past, many people could tell me the theory, or the “what to do”. But what I really needed to know was “how to do it”! 

I didn’t want to spend endless hours online receiving contradictory advice about how to set things up. I wanted to work with experts who could teach me what to do and guide me as I implemented this against my strategy. This is my learning style and one which I follow with my clients. 

That’s why as an online business coach I’m so focused on working with facts ahead of feelings. It’s the best way to get results! I give you logical, workable methods and easy-to-follow tools that you can tailor to your business, personality, and to a style that feels comfortable for you and your team. I can also help you implement your plans and ideas with execution-focused sessions.

Online Business Coach, Testimonial from Rachel Hampshire.

3. I actively support commitment & accountability

🚀 I’ll support you as you learn how to develop your business effectively. Increase your confidence and be proud of what you’ve achieved.

🚀 I’ll help you achieve your business goals by aligning our sessions with your objectives.

I love working with like-minded individuals who are ready to commit to growing themselves and their businesses with someone to hold them accountable. After all, increasing our comfort zone does not happen overnight or by itself. It takes focus, discipline and determination.

This is why my online business coaching provides clients with accountability through detailed follow-up emails after each session. These share a summary of the session along with the actions the client needs to work on before the next session to stay on track.

The following session uses a structure where we review what has happened since our last session and where the client is with the actions we agreed on. Alternatively, we review where they are at with their actions against their plan and then agree how to use the session to move their business forward.

Together, we review whether the volume of accountability is too low or too high and adjust accordingly.

Online Business Coach, Testimonial from Alison Sanderson

 The proof is in the pudding!

Don’t just listen to me – read what my clients have to say about their experience of working with me.

Ultimately, I’m here to remove the stress of not knowing how to grow your business. My Simplified Sales System arms you with credible sales techniques that will confidently guide you through the complete sales cycle, from first touch with your prospect, to becoming a client, and beyond.

If you would like to know more about working with me, book a free discovery call. You can use this time to share your business aspirations and challenges, and leave with some recommendations of things you can implement today.

Not sure you’re ready to chat yet? You can get more insight into the way I work by reading my other blog posts. This one focuses on customer retention and is a great place to start.


Filed Under: Uncategorised

5 simple ways to convert marketing leads into sales in 2023 and improve sales conversion

7 December 2022 by Laura Sands

Sales conversion is a tricky topic and I’m often asked how to convert marketing leads into sales, as well as how to establish see if enquiries are serious. It’s this that has spurred me on to write this blog.

Establishing marketing ROI (return on investment) can feel a bit like a minefield. Without hard facts, how can a business owner truly say that their marketing spend resulted in clients? There are so many options available, and it can be increasingly difficult to link your marketing spend to sales (unless you are looking at paid adverts which link straight to your sales page). As a sales-focused business coach, mentor and sales trainer, I know many larger  businesses deprioritise marketing activity in favour of sales investment, simply because it’s easier to quantify. Yet for the longer-term success of your business, a well-executed marketing strategy is essential. The key is sales conversion – establishing how to turn your marketing leads into clients.

What is the difference between sales and marketing?

The Cambridge Dictionary puts the definitions of sales and marketing in simple terms:

Sale
Marketing

With these two definitions in place, it’s already easier to see how they work together. Marketing entices your prospect, whereas the sales function converts them into a client.

And here’s the crucial detail, your marketing must be integrated with your sales strategy for it to be successful. Most marketing gently warms up your prospects from cold and drives them to a click, like, comment or other expression of interest.

Sales is the second part of story – it’s the act of progressing these prospects into opportunities. This includes nurturing them and ascertaining what they need. You can then see if there is a match for the products or services that you offer.   

There is an exception; paid advertising with a ‘buy now’ call to action or similar. This takes your prospect straight to purchase, but is a topic for another day. 


Be realistic. What can marketing actually do for you?

They used to say it took seven touches of marketing to create a sale. But realistically, it can be anything upwards of this number. If you’re using telemarketing or social media, you should allow for seven touches at the bare minimum.  

Marketing should feature in your strategy, but you can’t rely on it as a single source of new clients. 

From my experience, marketing falls into four broad categories, each including a range of marketing tactics:

  • Awareness driving – this includes activities such as PR, social media and advertising. These methods are notoriously difficult to evaluate with a direct ROI, unless you’re incorporating some form of paid advertising.
  • Engagement – this can relate to employees, clients or suppliers. Ultimately, the closer you are to your target recipient then the better and longer lasting that relationship will be.
  • Channel marketing – this model is primarily used for industries who sell through the channel via partners such as IT and manufacturing. Other examples include network marketing.
  • Lead Generation – here, you perform an activity purely to generate leads. The best way to do this is to integrate your offline and online efforts so everything leads to a direct touch point. This is a common approach in corporate marketing. The majority of my corporate roles came with a sales pipeline and converted revenue target – yes even from marketing spend!

But, I hear you ask – how do I turn my marketing investment into sales? My answer as a sales-focused business coach is almost predictable – by having a focus, processes and discipline in your business!


Five ways to improve sales conversion

1. Identify your most profitable clients

If you’ve run your business for a while, you will have a bank of clients you’ve worked with. This will be the case whether you are a solo business owner or have a team that works for you.

Spend some time analysing your data and you’ll be able to establish the trends to identify your ideal and most profitable clients . You will also be able to identify those who are not ideal clients. Criteria might include their industry, the work you do for them, their company size and even the age of your primary contact and personality traits. 

With this work in mind, you will be able to find ways to replicate these ideal client types and focus your marketing activities towards them.


Think about this…

What is it that makes a client ideal for you? Work out a way to measure this based on face and not feeling.

2. Use sales best practice for fastest growth

Business owners often come to me because they want to increase their revenues and the first thing they think of is sourcing new clients. However, the best way to benefit from shorter sales cycles with the highest chance of a successful sales conversion is to approach people who already know like and trust you. That means focusing on your existing clients with your existing products.  

The longest sales cycles with the highest risk on winning clients (or to look at it another way, the hardest approach) is to try to sell your services to people that have never heard of your company. 

But guess what? There is a lot of opportunity that sits in the middle of this. Non-competing businesses that target the same clients as you, your former clients, not to mention your personal and private networks.

This is not to say you shouldn’t do any marketing to attract new clients but instead ensure you are aware of this model, so you can maximise it within your business.

Think about this…

How many of your existing clients use just one of your services? Could you provide other services to them as well?

Sales Conversion and how to convert marketing leads into sales, best practice diagram

3. Do your clients know everything you do?  

Nothing like preconceived ideas, hey?

Do you really know what your clients buy from you?  More importantly how do they know what all your services are? We assume our clients know everything we sell but I can assure you that the more you offer, the higher the chance that your clients don’t know your full offering.

A little reminder! Although it might be easier for you to email your clients, this is rarely the best approach in this instance. Spam filters may block your email, busy inboxes mean your email may be lost and your client might not be an “email person”. Just because email is your preferred method, the chances are it may not be theirs.

Think about this…

How could you contact your clients to see what they think you offer?

4. Think about the bigger picture, however small your business is

Many business owners feel pressure to invest time in marketing, specifically social media, without thinking about the bigger picture.

That’s why I encourage my clients to carry out both quantitative (facts and figures) and qualitative (feelings and opinions) research. My work as a sales mentor and trainer has shown me that so many businesses don’t really know where their audience presents themselves. However, once you know this detail, you can turn up where they are and let your marketing and sales tactics work their magic. You’ll know you are presenting your business on the right platform, and in the right place based on fact – not feeling. Remember that planning your marketing is  not that different from a business plan; as Simon Sinek would say, start with the end in mind. Then you can work out what you want to achieve, define realistic measurements and finally, decide what activities would be best suited.  

Think about this…

Set goals and then plan your sales and marketing activity to deliver against these. 

5. Ensure you set up qualification measures

Whether you are following up a website enquiry from people who entered their details on your website or from people who visited your stand at an exhibition, qualification is key when it comes to sales conversion.   

A marketing lead, otherwise known as an MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead), is generally an open expression of interest.  In comparison, an SQL (Sales Qualified lead) is defined at the stage of qualification. 

I believe businesses struggle with sales conversion because they don’t set up qualification measures. Without qualification measures, you or your sales team could be wasting time following up with people who are not real prospects.  

To turn your marketing leads into sales leads, you need to establish some basic facts – by using qualification measures. 

These include

  • Defining their budget – what have they decided they can invest in your goods or services?
  • That you are speaking to the decision maker – are they authorised to purchase or sign off a purchase or do they have influence in the process? 
  • Understanding their requirements – then you can ascertain if they are a good match for what you offer
  • Understanding when they are likely to purchase – can you serve them on a mutually agreeable timeframe?

With this detail in place (qualification part 1), you will now know whether your lead has moved to a genuine potential client. Without this information, creating a proposal will be a waste of your and your team’s time.

Think about this…

Create a template that lists out your basic qualification measures. This will help you and your team consistently qualify marketing leads before investing further time in them.

Want to improve your sales conversion? Sales and marketing must work together

Sales and marketing will work their hardest for your business when they are aligned and there are clear expectations of what each must deliver. It’s not an easy balancing act and there’s no silver bullet for driving exponential growth.

Find out how I helped one client convert her enquiries into clients without offering rock bottom prices. Do you need some help aligning your sales and marketing or establishing qualification measures? After all, you probably didn’t start your company to be a sales or marketing person. Book in a free discovery call to see how I can increase your sales conversion figures and grow your business.


Filed Under: Uncategorised

7 ways to make sales sparkle in your business

1 November 2022 by Louise Pengilley

Do you have fear of selling?


Some people are afraid of appearing pushy. Maybe you’re not completely confident about what you are promoting or the price you are selling it at.


You might have had a dreadful experience with a pushy salesperson as a customer and it’s stayed with you ever since. Or perhaps you had your confidence knocked when selling in the past – rejection activates the same part of our brain as physical pain. No wonder it sticks with us.


I often find the fear of coming across as pushy can be deeply rooted in my clients and can even go back to an experience they had as a child being ridiculously told off for asking for something, as an example.

Here are some of the ways I help people deal with a fear of selling.

7 ways to make your sales sparkle

1. Work on your mindset

Start by making a list of all the reasons you don’t like sales. You’ll probably find this list contains things you can change and factors outside your control. This will highlight where you can learn new skills and change your mindset.


Above all, remember that selling is a skill that anyone can learn with the right mindset.

2. Believe in what you do

As a business owner or professional, you need to let your inner fire shine when selling. Let your enthusiasm come across and potential clients will feel this. Another way to boost your self-belief is to list out the positive feedback past clients have given you. Keep this at hand and refer to it if you have a bit of a wobble.

3. Pretend you’re a doctor

Think about the last time you went for a medical appointment. Your medical professional would have started by asking you a series of health-related questions before deciding on a course of action. We call this ‘the fact find’. Sales is the same – you need to understand the challenges your prospect is experiencing, what they are looking for, when they would like to proceed, and what investment they have for your service. With this in hand, you can establish if what they are looking for matches the services/product you offer. If it does, you’re on your way to a sale!

4. Be yourself

‘You attract what you radiate’ is a favourite phrase of mine. And it’s so true! Be enthusiastic, open, and true to who you are when communicating with prospective clients. This will make you more approachable – one key element of selling. After all, no-one wants to deal with someone who dampens your mood.

5. Think of sales as customer services

Intimidating sales techniques belong in the past. A more modern and ethical approach to sales is to think of it as customer services. Here are some examples of what I mean:

• Provide clear communication and the next steps
• Under-promise and over-deliver on expectations
• Follow up on the things you said you would and do so in a timely fashion

And if you feel uncomfortable chasing potential clients for feedback on your proposals, here’s a less awkward alternative. Ask them upfront to tell you a good time to discuss the proposal you will create for them. This means they are telling you when they are free and ready to move onto the next step.

By doing these things, you build a trusting and respectful relationship, making potential clients more likely to buy from you.

6. Track your success

Find a way to track your new client successes. This will show you where you are excelling and highlight areas where you are not succeeding. For example, you could be spending a lot of time on clients who don’t have the investment for your type of services.

7. Know your audience

You can banish the potential for rejection by building a better understanding of your audience. Focus your time and energy on where your ideal audience ‘hangs out’ and you’ll reduce the chances of rejection / targeting the wrong people.

A final word

If you do not ask your prospective client if they are interested in proceeding, then someone else will. And remember, if a client says ‘no’, they’re telling you not today, not never.

If you or someone in your team has a fear of selling why not get in touch by booking a free 30-minute discovery call.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

It’s nearly Halloween… so let me tell you about the thing that scares me

27 October 2022 by Louise Pengilley

My fear is going to the dentist.  But more about that in a moment.

There I was, sitting in the dentist’s chair this week when I started thinking that maybe, is this how some people feel about sales. I say this because many women I talk to say that sales makes them feel anxious, awkward and extremely uncomfortable. And that’s even though there’s no drilling involved!

I have always said that a fear of sales can be down to your general perception but may also be due to a past experience. A really good example of this is a client of mine who didn’t feel comfortable following up on proposals. It turned out that this was due to a stern telling off and hard smack at a young age when she ‘had the cheek’ to ask for something.

So more about my story.

Sadly, the fillings I had in my twenties are starting to wear out. My nocturnal tooth grinding habit isn’t helping much either. Many of these old fillings need to be replaced at a similar time, resulting in too many dental appointments for my liking.

I know I’m not alone in my fear of the dentist. Some people are so scared that they don’t even go!

When I was younger, I passed out at the dentist. You’ll laugh, as that was just from the injection – I still had to go through the drilling! 

You might relate to the way I often leave the dentist feeling emotionally exhausted. Getting through my appointments has become a case of mind over matter – I focus on getting myself ‘in the zone’ and repeat positive affirmations in my head.  

I recently had a fantastic hypnotherapy session with Sharon Stiles. So this time round, I listened to hypnotherapy in the run-up to my appointment to mentally prepare myself for the experience!

And OK, I wasn’t about to fall asleep, but it was certainly the most relaxed I’ve ever felt while in the dentist’s chair.

The moral of the story is this. Even when you are scared, the first step is being aware of your fear. If you have a fear that is stopping you being healthy, or successful in your business, you need a course of action.

Do you feel scared at the thought of sales and think it could be limiting your success? Get in touch with me for a free a 30-minute call to discuss how I could help you could overcome your fear of sales.

After all, what is the worst that is going to happen?


Filed Under: Uncategorised

5 simple time management tools you can start using today

12 September 2022 by Louise Pengilley

How can it be the middle of September already? Summer is well and truly behind us and after a pretty insane start to the month with a new Prime Minister and new King, things are just starting to return to ‘normal’. Queen Elizabeth served us well for so long and it feels like a bit of a shock to lose her constant presence. No wonder some of us have been struggling to get back into a routine! It’s almost as if our time management muscle has lost its tone, making it a struggle to get our structure and focus back.

That said, this isn’t the only time people need help with their time management.

Curious to find out just how much of a problem time management is for business owners, I recently ran a LinkedIn poll. The results showed that 48% of people said time management was the biggest thing holding them back! What’s more, a survey I ran part-way through last year revealed that time management and focus was an ongoing problem for many respondents with nearly 35% of respondents saying they need help with both topics.

A chart showing what people need help with in relation to selling
Responses to the question ‘What topics do you MOST want to learn about?’ Base: 122 respondents

Sadly, none of us are born with time management skills. If only we were! You might be one of the lucky few who had time management training with a previous employer. Or maybe you’ve read up on time management in one of the many self-help books written on the subject.

However, if you’ve not had training or the opportunity to read up on time management, you’ve probably just had to find your way and learn from experience. Just think of those students pulling all-nighters in the days before their dissertations are due. Perhaps you were one of them!?

Time management tools for everyone

Because time management is such an evergreen topic, I have lots of tools and tips that I use with my clients and their teams time and time again. Here are my favourites. Use them and I PROMISE you’ll find it easier to manage your time and find a better work life balance.

1. Start productivity tracking to identify when you are at your most effective

When it comes to effective time management you need to start with the foundations, just as you would if building a house. By this, I mean that understanding when you’re at your most productive can help you plan your workload more effectively. It will also help you avoid falling foul of energy and motivation slumps. Here’s how you do it…

At the end of each day, make a note of your motivation levels, what you have achieved and how effective you have been together with any comments about things that may have influenced your productivity. For example, did you have a broken night’s sleep or a couple of G&Ts the night before celebrating your friend’s birthday? Or maybe you fitted in some exercise before starting work? What did you eat or drink in the day? If you have a team, it can be a really useful exercise to do together.

Do this and you will start to see trends that show when you are at your most and least productive. Perhaps you’ll confirm a lifelong belief that you are a morning person and do your best work before lunch. Or maybe you’ll discover that by Thursday afternoon your productivity takes a nosedive.

With this knowledge, you can start to plan your time and work when you are your most effective for each task. For example, use your most efficient and creative time to tackle the tasks that need a lot of focus. In contrast, use the times where you are easily distracted to book in client calls or attend networking sessions. And of course, recognise where you need a break to chill out or exercise. Life is about balance, after all!

2. Use your calendar (for everything!)

A calendar can be your business’s secret time management weapon if you change the way you use it. No doubt you and your team use your online calendar for meetings, phone calls and the odd personal appointment. The old-school among us may keep things separate with a paper diary for personal items and an online diary for work. But I’d like to encourage you to keep everything in one place!

With your new-found understanding of your productivity (see point 1), use your calendar to schedule everything that happens during your working day, whether it’s work related or not. Try block booking your diary to include:

  • admin time
  • client work
  • time to work on projects for your own business
  • client and supplier calls
  • your lunch break
  • personal appointments
  • time for exercise
  • domestic chores and errands
  • time with family and friends

By doing this, you can start to plan your time more effectively. You’ll also quickly understand if you’re allowing yourself enough time or overcommitting yourself. For instance, is one hour a week enough for your work admin or should you allocate more time? Are your client calls really taking one hour, or do they drift into one and a half hours?

Louise Pengilley, time management expert and sales consultant, in her garden, smiling
Make time for the things you enjoy by scheduling them in your calendar

3. Keep focused

Using your calendar as a time management tool has another pleasing side effect. It helps reduce the chances of procrastination and cuts the risk of distraction. Seeing your working day planned out in plain sight makes it easier to assess whether distractions such as wandering into your garden for a bit of weeding or popping to get a coffee with the team are really appropriate. It also helps you identify whether or not you have capacity for new projects or clients that you’d otherwise feel pressured into accepting.

4. Start the night before

This tip might sound counterintuitive at first. How does focusing on something a day ahead of time improve time management?

The answer? It’s all about helping your brain focus.

At the end of each working day, write down three important things to complete first thing in the morning. It’s a good idea to include tasks you typically procrastinate on, normally the ones that you don’t enjoy. Naturally, you’ll need to create a block of time in your calendar for these tasks.

You’ll find that writing down this list takes the weight off your subconscious. This helps your brain relax a little more during the evening so you’re in a better place the next day. It also makes things easier when you start work. Instead of going into autopilot, or wasting time wondering what to do first, you’ve already decided to focus on a set priority. And that leads me nicely onto the next point…

5. Eat frogs for breakfast (figuratively, of course!)

What’s the first thing you do when you start work in the morning?

I find many people open their laptop and then start working through their emails. All well and good you might say, but the problem with this is that it can quickly drain your time (and energy), especially if you’re responding to them as and when they come through. So, how about doing things differently?

Brian Tracy is a self-development expert who popularised the idea of ‘eating your frog’. He was inspired by Mark Twain, who famously said ‘If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.’

With this in mind, instead of going straight to your emails, schedule two blocks of time each day for this purpose (as per point 2). You can then start your day by eating those frogs, which ideally you will have identified and written down at the end of the previous day (see point 4).

Remember, your frogs will be your worst tasks and should always be done first thing in the morning.

This works in two ways:

  1. It helps focus your mind in the morning so you’re immediately productive.
  2. Because you’re doing the toughest (mentally), most important thing first, the rest of the day feels easy in comparison.

This time management technique works for most things. One of the examples I often share is that of mopping my kitchen floor. It’s the job I hate almost more than anything. So, I now do it every other Monday morning at 7.30am. This means it’s out of the way allowing me to concentrate on everything else I need to do. Even better, by the time the caffeine from my morning tea has kicked in, the job is finished!

Will improving your time management skills make you more effective?

Have a go at these time management techniques and I can almost guarantee you’ll start achieving more. With the right support you can find enough time in the day to do almost anything. As Miles Davis once said, ‘Time isn’t the main thing. It’s the only thing.’

Could you and your team do with improving time management and focus? Then get in touch with me to book a free 30-minute call. I can help you increase your productivity with 121 coaching and individual or group training that’s tailored to your specific requirements.

 

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Is your comfort zone scaring your sales away?

5 May 2022 by Louise Pengilley

Have a think… What three things would you really like to achieve but feel are out of reach?

If thinking about something in your business is challenging, how about your personal life? Perhaps you want to get fitter and be able to easily run 5k or get down to your ideal weight. It could be that you want to be able to present your business without a gut-wrenching fear of public speaking or maybe you want to scale your business to earn the income you desire.

Now, ask yourself why these things are out of reach? Is it a lack of time, knowledge, motivation?

You’re not alone.

Although these things do affect our ability to increase sales, it’s normally the fear of leaving our comfort zone that stops us moving forward.

Perhaps you feel awkward and anxious. Maybe you make excuses and get affected by other people’s opinions. Or do you procrastinate to avoid feeling uncomfortable?

Now stop to think why you feel this way. Is it because of what someone has told you? Probably not! It’s more likely to be that self-doubting mental chatter in your head.

And that’s the comfort zone kicking in! 

What’s stopping you?

As much as humans love to learn and want to succeed, we often feel afraid of taking action. Think about the dieticians, physiotherapists and coaches who try to get their patients and clients to do things that would be good for them!

A quote by Jim Rohn which states 'If you really want to do something you will find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse'

What is the comfort zone?

Judith Bardwick defines the comfort zone as “a behavioral state where a person operates in an anxiety-neutral position, using a limited set of behaviours to deliver a steady level of performance.”.

However, as nice as it may feel, the comfort zone can be a scary place for anyone who wants to succeed. Although there are low levels of anxiety and stress, you will only ever achieve a steady level of performance. The comfort zone stops you from living life to the full and reaching your potential. 

I often relate to this state when someone can carry out their job with their eyes shut (not literally, but you get my drift). In fact, they may find it so easy that they get bored and lose motivation.  Hence the importance of businesses developing their teams to ensure they are motivated and working as efficiently and happily as they can.

In order for us to learn and grow as individuals we need to take on and acquire new tasks.  However, when we do this, it spurs the fight and flight reaction.  A mild state of stress is fine but for some people this is so overwhelming that they will revert back to their comfort zone to avoid feeling discomfort.

This brings me onto the Yerkes-Dodson Law, first described back in 1908. This law suggests that there is a relationship between our motivation levels and what they term ‘arousal’ (we would call it stress). Yerkes and Dodson found that mild electrical shocks could be used to motivate rats to complete a maze. However, when the electrical shocks became too strong, the rats would scurry around in random directions to escape.

It’s easy to relate this to our own lives. For example, how often have you heard people say that the nerves you feel before speaking in public are a ‘good thing’?

Understanding the Comfort Zone in more detail

We now understand that the comfort zone is a psychological state where things feel familiar and safe. So, how do we get out of it?

There are 4 stages to leaving the comfort zone. The comfort zone itself, the fear zone, learning zone and growth zone.

A diagram illustrating the stages involved in leaving the comfort zone. They are Comfort zone, fear zone, learning zone and growth zone.

What is the fear zone?

We all know the fear zone. It’s where we feel anxious and overwhelmed because we’re wary of the unknown. This fear triggers a flight or fight response – we subconsciously try to stay safe by finding excuses to avoid the thing that’s triggering that fear.

But feeling fear is normal. If we accept this and learn to expect a feeling of fear, we can master it. In fact, we – and our businesses – will only grow when we are willing to try something new and feel uncomfortable.

Introducing the learning zone

The learning zone is where the magic starts to happen. It’s where we develop new skills, expand our mind and overcome challenges.

We enter the learning zone when we carry out a task that we were fearful of, such as public speaking. Being in the learning zone can feel stressful, however it should also be satisfying and stimulating.

Arriving in the growth zone

The growth zone is the holy grail of personal development. Here, we have overcome our fear, learnt new skills and are now achieving the goals we set out to achieve.

But just because someone is in the growth zone in one aspect of their life or business, doesn’t mean they have nothing left to work on. And remember there’s a chance that the things that once scared us become so commonplace that they get absorbed into our comfort zone.

I hate to say this, but the fear will not go away until we carry out what we are scared of.  If we want to continue to grow, fear will be a permanent feature of our lives.

We will just have that feeling towards different tasks.

Trust the process and know that if you deal with your fear head-on, your life will be more fulfilling, and you will achieve more than you ever thought possible.  

How to move out of your comfort zone

Ready to move out of that ever-so-safe yet restrictive comfort zone? Here’s what you need to do…

Start by identifying the things in your business that you see as ‘comfortable’ and those that feel out of reach – your areas of development.

A pink hexagon with the words 'in life we have choices'

Now, draw your own comfort zone / growth zone and then plot out the thing you’d like to achieve on it. Then, identify one thing from your list that you want to change. By starting with a single step, you’re more likely to succeed.

Comfort Zone vs Growth zone

Now it’s time to:

1 – Make a list of the best and worst things that could happen if you take action. Be honest, is the worst outcome simply that your business ends up in the same situation as today?

Think about it in a sales context. If you follow up on that proposal, what is the worst that can happen? 

I always liken sales to customer services and would expect someone to call me back. If someone does not show good customer service skills and efficiency from the start, you have to wonder what they will be like when you are working with them!

2 – Commit to take on a small task.

Making a commitment is a huge step out of your comfort zone – and will give you a mental boost when you’ve done it.

3 – Act and then reward yourself.

Giving yourself a reward after carrying out a new task will create a psychological reminder of why you are doing it and encourage you to keep going.

Think about this…
  • Awareness of your fears is the first step.
  • We will always feel fear if we want to continue to grow.
  • If we have a certain fear, such as public speaking, the fear will not go until we have carried out the very thing that is scaring us.
  • The greater your skills, the more fulfilled you will feel.

Keep on moving

Making these changes may feel scary. However, as you challenge yourself you will start feeling at ease with the new tasks and will grow your comfort zone.  You’ll start living life to the full and reach your professional and personal potential.

The fear that stops us moving forward can often be related to the emotion we hold against the fear, which is a subject for another day…

So, for now I will also leave with the fact that 85-92% of what we worry about never happens!

If you feel stuck in your comfort zone and want support and accountability to expand your horizons, get in touch by booking a free 30-minute discovery call.

If you enjoyed this blog, you might like to read my blog about improving your resilience in the workplace.

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5 ways to improve your resilience in the workplace

4 April 2022 by Louise Pengilley

Just as we thought we had got over the worst of the pandemic, we’re faced with the horror of the conflict in Ukraine. My heart goes out to all of those affected, in whatever way. These are difficult times indeed.

As a sales focused coach and consultant I am always amazed at how differently people react to uncertainty, and the overwhelm of Covid is a great example. What’s especially interesting is how their individual resilience affects their whole demeanour.

From my experience, it pays to build our personal resilience in and out of work. If you can overcome challenges in your personal life, it will help you at work. The opposite is also true.

My recent experience

My husband James, age 44, was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer last September after only being unwell for a couple of months.

To say I felt like I had been hit by a bus is an understatement, especially as James is regularly screened due to a genetic condition – Lynch Syndrome.

His treatment has been the less-than-delicious chemo sandwich. That comprises of three months of chemo, major surgery (with no visitors allowed – thanks Covid!) followed by a further cycle of chemo.

Louise Pengilley, sales-focused coach, working at the Chelsea Flower Show with Carrie Ann Funnell
Working with Carrie Anne Funnell at Cheslea

To say my resilience was tested during this time would be an understatement. The initial shock of the diagnosis meant my mind was racing (the first time I have ever experienced this). The following week I had 3 days booked to work on an exhibition stand at the Chelsea Flower show for Carrie Anne Funnell. Given my circumstances, I could easily have cancelled it. However, this booking was exactly what I needed; it gave me a distraction, a focus and I loved every minute of it.

With this in mind, I thought I would share what it was that got me through this time by building on my resilience in my own workplace.

What is resilience?

According to the American Psychology Association, resilience is ‘the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress’. A simpler way of looking at it is to say that resilience is about bending like a bamboo when under stress – not snapping like a twig.

I’d take it one step further and say also it’s about being able to pull on the resources you have when you need to – a bit like a complex corporate sale if you know what I mean!

There are five pillars behind resilience. These are self-care, self-awareness, mindfulness, purpose and positive relationships. With this in mind, here are some of the things I learnt about supporting and building both personal resilience, and resilience in the workplace.

1. Self-care – look after your physical health

Self-care is about knowing what you need to function effectively while meeting the demands you are facing. Importantly, our self-care is up to us – don’t deprioritise your health!

Get in the habit of treating yourself like a prized racehorse and prioritise your physical health – practice good self-care! That means drinking 2 litres of water a day, getting enough sleep, eating well and prioritising exercise. It also means learning to relax and making time to do so.

In my instance, I religiously carried on exercising 3 times a week as from my experience exercise is an excellent coping mechanism for me in times of stress. I also booked a lovely relaxing Reiki treatment with Caroline Snowdon which definitely helped calm my mind.

Think about this…

What does self-care mean to you? Whether it’s a vigorous workout or making sure you meditate every morning, prioritise your self-care and you’ll reap the benefits in your personal and professional life.

I find running helps my resilience in the workplace
Exercise is a really important way for me to support my resilience

2. Self-awareness – be realistic with yourself

Self-awareness is about having a clear image of who you are – your strengths, weaknesses, beliefs and motivations. It’s also about knowing what you’re capable of. So don’t create unrealistic expectations. Break goals and tasks into achievable chunks and decide what you can realistically achieve without jeopardising your health. Caution! This means getting really, really hot on prioritisation and making tough decisions!

In my case, I decided to put my Simplified Sales Course on hold. It was due to launch in October, but I felt that it may have been too much given the amount of time I needed to take out to support James. Once I’d made this decision, I was able to relax a little, knowing I could handle everything else.

Think about this…

Taking the pressure off isn’t about giving up. It’s about ensuring you can continue to deliver good work and please your clients. Good self-awareness is an essential element of building resilience in the workplace.

3. Mindfulness – take things day by day

Mindfulness focuses on living in the moment. Don’t let time pass you by, worrying about what might happen. After all, various research proves 85-92% of the things we worry about never happen! If times are tough, you need to save your energy for the things that count. So, focus your energy on what you can control.

Those of you that have supported someone through chemo will know that one minute, things are fine and the next you could be on the way to A&E because the patient has a temperature. Therefore, I really learnt to take one step at a time.

Think about this…

It feels challenging, but during the most difficult times, you have to trust the system and put your faith in the experts.

4. Purpose – identify what makes you tick (and embrace it)

Our purpose is the recognition that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We need to identify our purpose in order to maintain a strong sense of resilience in the workplace and in our everyday lives. For me, part of my purpose was (and still is) helping my clients grow their businesses. So, to make sure I could still show up with confidence, I kept to my morning routine of showering first thing, putting make up on and wearing bright clothes. As I’m fond of saying, you attract what you radiate!

Think about this…

Your purpose doesn’t need to relate solely to your business. Your family, hobbies and even networks that you belong to will be a strong part of your purpose.

5. Positive relationships – reach out and stay connected

The importance of positive relationships in building resilience is to ensure we feel supported and connected. This is something that’s especially important in times of trouble.

Make people aware of your situation and they will show you very quickly if they genuinely understand.  Don’t think this is limited to your friends and family; building resilience in the workplace means confiding in your clients, suppliers and immediate team too. They are human after all and will do what they can to support you. I have been overwhelmed by people’s generosity and the surprise gifts and friendly messages helped buoy me along when times felt difficult.

Think about this…

Who are the people in your life that lift you up? Stay connected with these people and give them as much as they give you. A supportive and genuine network is crucial throughout our lives.

Stay positive and grow your resilience outside of and in the workplace!

James is approaching the final part of his treatment – a huge reason to feel positive while acknowledging the rollercoaster we’ve been on over the past few months. I know that without a conscious focus on protecting myself, things would have felt far more challenging.

I will also be exhibiting once more at Chelsea Flower Show in May. If you are attending, please do pop over to see Carrie Ann Funnell’s work and to say “hi!”.  By then, we’ll be on the other side of all of this, and very pleased about it too.

So, I leave you with this – look after yourself and those you love. You only get one life – make sure you live it well!

Want to learn more?

If you want to learn more about resilience and the power of our emotions, I’d really recommend you listen to this Steven Bartlett podcast about Sir David Brailsford. It’s incredibly enlightening.

If you enjoyed this blog, you might like to read my blog about how to move out of your comfort zone. If you have any questions or would like to book a free discovery call, I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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5 big things I learnt in 2021 that you can implement too

13 December 2021 by Louise Pengilley

Blimey, what a year! This time 12 months ago we all hoped to be waving goodbye to Covid – sadly not! Needless to say, this year has provided businesses up and down the country with opportunities and challenges and we’ve all had to evolve. Working as a sales coach and business development consultant has been just the same.

If you know me, you’ll know I’m direct, I wear my heart on my sleeve and don’t shy away from sharing my learnings or mistakes. We’re all human after all! So, what better way to sum up 2021 than with a blog about the things I’ve learnt.

It has to be said that I couldn’t do what I do without the support of a lot of people. That’s why I’ve included a few mentions and notes of thanks at the end of this blog.

Five things I’ve learnt as a sales coach and business development consultant in 2021

Louise Pengilley, sales coach and business development consultant,looking thoughtful.
Even as sales coach and business development consultant, I’ve learnt a lot this year!

1. Work out how you want your business to evolve each year

If your year was anything like mine, you’d be looking at broadening your offerings. That’s why, after customer research, I’m extending what I call my ‘Free to VIP’. This involves offering a range of services from free resources to my 121 bespoke sales focused business coaching and business development consultancy.

Have you ever asked your clients what they would really like from you? After all the best people to tell you what they need are your clients and prospects themselves.

This is one of the key elements many people miss in their sales and marketing strategy, as we make assumptions and spend time marketing in places where we believe our clients are and on what we think our clients need.

My latest research proved that service-based coaches, consultants and business owners just like you, are looking for insight to improve their working practices in online workshops and courses as well as 121 coaching.

Taking this approach will also help me reach more people and give more people access to my services at a range of budgets.

Think about this…

• Try to avoid preconceived ideas! It’s one of the key sales rules my clients take onboard when working with me.
• Carry out market research with your ideal audience before you decide where and what marketing you will do.

2. Stepping outside your comfort zone is the best way to grow

Admit it, staying in your comfort zone is nice isn’t it? In fact, more than half of us will never even leave our comfort zone because the fear and discomfort of doing so is just too much. But being comfortable doesn’t lead to success! There have been many times this year that I’ve really had to embrace the fear factor.

One such time came after analysing the feedback from my research. It was clear that creating a sales course was the right thing to do so I signed up to Susanna Reay’s Signature Offer System to create a 12-week course.

However, before making the payment, I felt physically sick. It was the largest single commitment I’ve made since being self-employed – both financially and in terms of time. Fortunately, I recognised that this feeling of fear was normal as I had uncomfortably left my familiar comfort zone and entered my ‘fear zone’.

A comfort zone diagram showing that Louise Pengilley sales coach and business development consultant was in the fear zone

Another example is that since becoming a self-employed sales coach and business development consultant, I developed a bit of a mindset gremlin and lost a lot of my confidence in doing presentations. Presenting is such an important way of engaging with new audiences and I wanted to do something about it!

I started working with Dawn Gregory who is a confidence coach. She helped me realise I was being far too hard on myself; I needed to sign up for more speaking opportunities and put myself out there! 

Having done this, I can really see the benefit. So much so that I’m already booked for seven talks next year!

Think about this…
  • Set goals and establish what you need to do to scale and grow your business. If it scares you, you’re heading in the right direction!
  • If we know feeling fear is normal, we can recognise the need to push on through to grow.

3. Constantly improve your business foundations

Many people had been trying to get me to buy into the CRM platforms they use. However, I resisted, to ensure that the platform I chose would integrate with the other systems I was planning. This would avoid me duplicating my efforts.

My contacts are now neatly housed within my chosen CRM system instead of Outlook. This means email sequencing and tagging can be set up based on people’s behaviour. This important aspect of my business’s foundations will make my future email marketing as a sales coach and small business consultant far more effective. The good work of Alison Pollecut has really helped me with the technical side of things here.

Creating thorough Terms and Conditions is another example of improving your business’s foundations. With proper T&Cs, we set boundaries for our clients – essential for healthy business relationships. I called on Anne Phillips of Barkley Legal to help me with creating mine; she was incredibly knowledgeable and great to work with.

Think about this…

• Ensure you keep your wider goals in mind to avoid getting distracted and losing focus.
• Keep an eye on the ‘foundations’ of your business. Small things such as T&Cs can cause big problems if you don’t pay them enough attention.

4. Be visible in the RIGHT places

My previous marketing roles focused on client acquisition. Every pound invested had to show a demonstrable return on investment (ROI) or a valid reason why it didn’t.

You would probably have heard me say something like ‘that looks amazing but… What are you looking to achieve? How are you measuring success? And how is that performing?’ A very different way of thinking.

Working as a self-employed sales coach and business development consultant meant learning new tricks!

In my early days of self-employment, I felt peer pressure to be on all social media platforms. However, I deliberately held off. I wanted to be sure I was focusing my efforts in the places my ideal clients ‘hang out’.

After all, until you have set the foundations and carried out your market research, how do you really know where your clients present themselves? Think about building a house; you start by ensuring the foundations are firmly set before laying any bricks. Running a business is no different.

Working with Lisa Vassallo from Onetothree has transformed this part of my business.

Think about this…

• Identify where you are stuck and call in the experts.

5. Personal or business; break challenges down into bite size chunks

In September I learnt some devasting news regarding a family member. After the initial shock, I decided to put my course on hold to give me time to absorb the implications of this news.

There were 2 options: to feel sorry for myself and get swallowed up by the depths of sadness and negativity, or to be positive and take each day as it comes. I opted for the latter.

Being a positive person, I have religiously gone out for my daily walk, kept my 3 times a week exercise regime at the gym, continued to drink a minimum of 1.5 litres of water a day and have got back into yoga. I also thoroughly enjoyed a Reiki treatment thanks to Caroline Snowdon.

During this especially difficult time, an analogy that Irina Nailer once shared with me has really helped. As small business owners, we should prize our health and wellbeing in the same way as we would with a racehorse which provided us with our sole source of income. If we cannot work, we’re unable to earn. And if we’re feeling under the weather, our productivity and creativity suffers. Stay healthy and we’re on our way to success!

Think about this…

• Our personal lives are no different to our businesses in the sense that when we have something big to get through, it’s always more manageable if we break that ‘thing’ down into sizeable chunks.
• We need to make a conscious decision to care for ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually (if this is your thing). As small or solo business owners, we are the racehorse.
• By taking care of ourselves, we’re in a better place to support the people who need us.

And finally…

Here’s a little bonus for you and it’s more of a reminder than a learning. I remember meeting Amanda Jones at a networking event who has experienced a situation similar to mine.

With this in mind I reached out to her. She not only understands what I’m going through, but has been able to shed light on the right questions to ask the medical teams specifically around new and advanced treatments that are not widely available.

Without getting in touch, I wouldn’t have had the deep insight from the start which has been a massive support. I’m extremely grateful to Amanda and pleased to have someone to reach out to.

Think about this…

Don’t be afraid to ask for help personally or professionally – no man (or woman) is an island! Keep in mind that one day you will be able to return the favour and help someone else – karma works in wonderful ways.

2021, what a year!

2021 has been quite the year with plenty of ups and many downs. So, I will leave you with one of my sayings – you attract what you radiate. For me wearing bright colours and giving out positive vibes is the way I roll. So that pink bit at the front of my hair is there to stay for as long as I think I can get away with it!

I think that’s nearly it. Except to say that I wish you and your families a fantastic Christmas and happy, healthy and wealthy 2022!

If you’re ready to step outside your comfort zone and grow your business, then let’s book in a discovery call! I’d love to hear about what you do and explore how we could grow your business together.

I have some big thank yous for the past year. They go out to…

All my clients! Without you, I would have no business, and I’m grateful for your continued support.

Amanda Jones VA/PA – For your recent emotional support and medical insight.

Andrea Haas – Inner Strength – Your hypnosis and EFT has worked wonders on areas of my business.

Alex Grist – ExceptionalCX – For your help in creating my PowerPoint, Excel and Word templates to show a consistent brand. They look amazing and I’ve had so many compliments from them.

Alison Pollecutt – Let Me Wear Your Hat – for your key support in the tech side of my course, my CRM. The more you help me in my Excel the more I see how you can help me elsewhere.

Anne Phillips – Barkley Legal – For providing me with GDPR guidance, writing my Privacy Notice and creating my more formal Terms and Conditions.

Ben Fielding & Stuart Elsdon – Blucando – I cannot live without my IT support. Blucando migrated me onto Microsoft 365 in my early days of self-employment and advised on best practice for security and password management. I cannot recommend them enough.

Caroline Snowdon – for the very relaxing Reiki treatment, I am already looking forward to my next one in the new year.

Dawn Gregory – Confidence Coach – for making me listen to you and making me do things that I needed to do but didn’t really want to do. Our sessions have been transformational for me – thank you so much.

Irina Nailer – Health Coach – for your inspiring Racehorse analogy and for the time when you have come up with supplements to enhance my health.

Jason Lawes – Redsentence – Jason and his team are the people responsible for my branding and website which I am absolutely thrilled with. I receive so many compliments on it and am often told how it really reflects my personality. I’m so looking forward to them helping me with the next phase of my website but keeping the same look and feel.

Jo Cooke – Jo Cooke VA – for your support in helping me structure some of my systems. I will definitely be coming back to you.

Laura Sands Copywriting – for your editing, web copy and giving me the inspiration for my content. Not to mention how you have helped me become more confident in my writing in terms of its content and structure.

Linda Sujeewon – House of Colour – who has shed light on why I struggle to find clothes to suit my personality in the summer. Our session was truly enlightening.

Lisa Vassallo – OnetoThree – for all your training and support in my social media content strategy and getting me up to speed where knowledge was missing. I am thrilled with how much you have taught me!

Nicole Martin – Pinpoint Marketing – for your bird’s eye view of my business from a marketing standpoint.

Susanna Reay –You’ve given me direction to build my Selective Sales System online course for service-based coaches, consultants and small business owners. For anyone looking to build your online course – this is your lady. I’m excited to see how you help me integrate the technology with my course platform. This will be the big moment!

Tina Cleary – for how you have captured the true me in my two photo shoots, they are amazing!

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    • Home
    • About
    • Services
      • Working With Me
      • 121 Sessions For Solo Business Owners
      • 121 Sessions For Small Business Owners
      • Simplified Sales System course
      • Group Team Training
      • Business Growth Workshops
    • Case Studies & Testimonials
    • Resources
    • FAQs
    • Contact