Jupiter Dawn - Making your business brilliant

Jon Cooper: When opposites attract success

2009-10-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

Supercharge your business with the right partner!

I met two halves of a brilliant partnership over breakfast the other day; they’ve built a fantastic business in recycling and waste management, and they have at least three unique products which make their competition look simply, well, rubbish (sorry…).

What fascinated me were the striking differences between the pair of them. One, a natural born leader, with a massive handshake and projecting serious gravitas. He seemed to be holding a crowd effortlessly, and was entertaining them with an amusing anecdote.

His partner was less conspicuous, and spoke quietly yet effectively about what they had achieved, and what they had yet to achieve. He also held the purse strings!

When I got to talk to Mr Big, he made a surprising admission: before he teamed up with his unassuming “other half”, he had been nearly bankrupt, having risked the crown jewels on some brave yet misguided venture.

I realised that here was a classic double act; comparable to the great comedic talents of Laurel and Hardy, Morecombe and Wise or Cannon and Ball (ok, that’s enough), this was a pair who truly sparked off each other, and whose whole was infinitely greater than their two halves.

I suggested that he had found his perfect foil; someone who could distil his crackpot ideas and turn them into a business, and who could temper his wild imaginings for the sake of long-term growth.

He agreed, and added “He doesn’t distil all my ideas; some of them are just too crazy or risky to use, so I think he just kind of ignores them. But when he likes the sound of a plan, he’ll move heaven and earth to make it happen. I guess I’m not so good on the details, and he loves working the small stuff!”

Many entrepreneurs have significant skill gaps when it comes to service delivery, project execution, time management and cash control. It’s just not what they DO!

If that sounds like you, don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re the Bill Gates of your enterprise; the Richard Branson.

When your peculiar talents are forged in white-hot creativity, blue-sky thinking and ultra-positivity, it’s no surprise there isn’t room in your head for the daily logistics.

But like our Mr Big, you’d better find your calming nemesis before you drive your ideas-train right off the rails!

Jon Cooper is the founder of www.JupiterDawn.com. Marketing for your business.

Jon Cooper: Let’s try the most useless opening line EVER!

2009-10-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

Don't blow a good campaign with a lousy follow-up!

A friend of mine has a small business selling blinds to homes and workplaces. He said a few weeks ago that he’d had a new colour brochure done and was going to post it out to around 200 of his past customers.

I told him he would multiply his hit-rate maybe 10-fold if he followed up with chaser phone calls, and he set about his campaign.

I met him again over the weekend and asked him how things were going.

“Waste of time!” he blurted. “Something wrong with the post!” he continued. “Hardly anybody got their brochures!”

He’d sent them out as planned, and then starting calling around, using the opening line – “It’s Craig here from Acme Blinds” (names changed to protect the dumb) “Just wondered if you got the brochure we sent out last week”

Hmmm…Craig, you just used the most useless opening line in the history of useless opening lines! Here’s why, mate -

1- The only people who need to know whether a piece of post has arrived or not are customer service researchers at the Royal Mail.

2 – If the customer answers no (he hasn’t received it) he’s either lying to stall any further conversation (most likely), or you have his address wrong. Either way, it leaves you with next-to-no chance of recovering to a selling situation.

3 – If the customer answers yes, where does that leave you? You’ve then got to hit him with another question to move the call forward; usually “so…was it of interest then?” He’s probably already rehearsed the answer to that one, and it doesn’t help.

4 – Asking a “yes-or-no” question as an opening line is, always has been and always will be a pretty lame idea.

“Craig” could have supercharged his chances of success with this kind of pitch –

“…as you’ve been a customer of ours before, I wanted to let you know about a great deal we’ve got on at the moment: [Insert short, sharp, sexy info-hook] I can pop over Tuesday morning or Thursday afternoon to work out some prices for you…which would be better?”

And about that brochure – they definitely received it; it had either warmed them up nicely or they’d already thrown it away!

Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper – Leverage your assets for success!

2009-10-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

Every successful person knows that they need to make the most of what they have.

Leverage means extracting the true value from all your talents, abilities and relationships to create something of lasting, and growing worth.

Here are some examples of how leverage can help you achieve your goals –

1. Leverage your natural talents. Most people end up doing something it takes them years to learn. Why not identify what you do well naturally, and build a career or business round that instead? If you can draw, play an instrument, or can instinctively counsel and mentor others, look to use that God-given ability before setting out on other, less rewarding endeavours.

2. Leverage human resource by effective delegation. Do you really need to do every aspect of your work personally, or can someone else sweat the small stuff while you focus on the bigger picture?

3. Leverage personal relationships to effect introductions to customers and others needed in your business. Your accountant or lawyer will usually have clients who need your products or services, so ask them for some names and referrals next time you meet.

4. Financial leverage, or gearing, can provide funds for you to invest in the future of your business. Don’t be afraid to borrow against property and other assets if you have a product or service you truly believe in.

5. Enhance your value by leveraging your appeal and your reach. A teacher earns £30,000pa because she only teaches 25 children at a time, whereas a sports star can earn millions by attracting fans from around the world. Think what element of your skills and services would excite the most people, and focus on developing and promoting that aspect of your business.

6. Leverage your marketing power by mastering the internet. You can post your products and services online for next to nothing, but the results can be seen by millions. To ensure global success, engage with the “new media” and make sure you understand how the search engines work.

7. Use your existing customers to spread good news for you. Identify your addicts and leverage their loyalty by communicating regularly with them through email or telephone. As author Robert Allen says, ‘Addicts make the best customers. Addicts buy quickly and more often. Addicts talk to other addicts.’

The key to understanding the importance of leverage is admitting that you can’t do everything yourself. No man, or woman, is an island, although you might get to own one if you apply a little leverage!

Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper – Stay close to your best customers

2009-09-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Look to existing customers for easy sales

Every business wants to attract new customers, and most have a variety of strategies for doing this. Strangely, I find many of my clients are less good at retaining existing customers, a task infinitely cheaper and more rewarding.

In fact, in times where new business is hard to come by, reselling to those you have already sold to might be a genuine survival opportunity.

Here are some ideas for retaining, nurturing and profiting from existing business relationships –

1. Talk to your customers every day. Ask how you can help. Find out what they need.

2. Develop personal friendships with key members of their organisation by finding out what you have in common. You should be familiar with their family situations, their hobbies, interests and life goals if you are to truly connect with them. People buy from people, as the old cliché goes!

3. Offer advice and support in areas where their business is suffering.

4. Think about how you can introduce customers to them. If they prosper, so will your relationship with them.

5. Keep investing in them, via product and service improvements which will benefit them directly.

6. Visit them regularly even if there is no immediate business in prospect.

7. Be willing to introduce your customers to your network of fellow professionals, particularly if they can add strength and stability to your relationship.

8. Use email for monthly newsletters to inform, educate and support their commercial goals. Include one key offer to entice them to do further business with you now.

9. Where appropriate, invite them to join clubs, societies or networking groups of which you are a member. This can be a great way to keep close to your customers and meet them in a relaxed and social atmosphere.

10. Don’t be afraid to ask for their help with your business. “What would you do in my situation…?” will show that you don’t have all the answers, and they will feel flattered you approached them.

Finally, once you are confident that they trust and value the relationship, ask them for referrals and recommendations to other potential customers. If you do all the above well enough, you may never need to look for new customers again!

Jon Cooper is the founder of Jupiter Dawn Consulting. Add any comments or questions to this column online, or by e-mail to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper – When your customers return, will you recognise them?

2009-09-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

Post-recession, everything's changed!

I was in the States last week, working on a deal I’ve been trying to land for years. More of that another time, but I also spent some flying hours reading the ever-brilliant Jeffrey Gitomer, an inspirational writer and guru of sales, marketing and networking.

I’ve always found his books and articles hugely entertaining and readable, but his latest newsletter really grabbed my attention.

I’ll paraphrase without plagiarising – for the real thing, visit www.gitomer.com

It’s all about how your customer has changed during, and maybe because of, the recession -

1 – He’s angry that his home and investments went down in value
2 – He won’t be banking, or buying homes, cars or insurance like he did before, and has lost all his respect for previously revered institutions
3 – He’s online, and blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, Linkedining and YouTubing about his buying experiences. If your service sucks, all your other customers will soon know
4 – He’s Googling, not Yellow-Paging, and can do this anywhere, anytime on his mobile device
5 – He’ll buy immediately if you take credit cards online, including after midnight 365 days of the year
6 – By the time he buys, he will have checked your price and facts online in seconds, and read what customers, as well as you, have to say about your company
7 – Because of this, he knows as much about your products as you do, and more about your competitors’ products than you do
8 – He wants you to answer the phone, and is sick of your hold music, your automated options, your offshore so-called “help-desks” and you telling him how important he is while he pays 10p a minute holding on your 0870 customer “service” line
9 – He’s looking for ideas, answers, help and advice, not crummy, transparent special offers
10 – He expects you to be as computer-literate as he is, and will be utterly turned off if you reply to his online query from a Hotmail, msn, AOL, gmail or other proprietary address. Get your own domain name for £7.99pa to meet your customer’s minimum expectations!

As Gitomer wisely adds, we are not going to “recover” from this recession; we are going to “revive and revise”.

Is your business ready?

Jon Cooper is the founder of Jupiter Dawn Consulting. Add any comments or questions to this column online, or by e-mail to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper: Creative thinking wins every time

2009-09-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Build power into your message!

Anyone successful in sales understands the difference between features and benefits, and that customers buy the latter, not the former. Twin turbos (feature) mean you get to work faster (benefit), and 2GB of RAM (feature) means you finish your work sooner (benefit) when you get there! There is also a way of negative selling, highlighting drawbacks instead of benefits. 512MB of RAM probably means you’ll be there all day!

All we really need to be told is how a particular product or service is going to affect our lives.

I heard a lovely little parable the other day which graphically illustrates the power of this approach.

It tells of a young boy, sitting on the steps of Grand Central Station in New York. He has a board next to him with the words “I am blind, please give generously” written on it.

There is a hat in front of him, and a man stops and drops a few coins in it. He then takes the board, turns it round and writes some words on it before replacing it.

The man returns later in the day, to see the boy smiling, his hat overflowing with coins and banknotes.

Hearing the man’s footsteps, the boy asks if it was he who changed his sign earlier. “What did you write?” he asks in amazement.

“I wrote, “today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it”” the man replies.

That simple phrase made people think about the reality of the boy’s condition, and was 100 times more powerful than the statement of his blindness by itself.

It reminded onlookers of the good fortune they enjoyed by being able to appreciate the beauty of the day, and shows that a dry statement of fact will never carry as much impact as a few vivid words which immerse the reader in the world of the writer.

I think there are at least two other messages we can take from that story.

Firstly; there are always people less fortunate than yourself. Take the time to help where you can, and be thankful for what you have.

Secondly; it shows the power of creative thinking. There is always a better way, so be innovative, different, and build power into all your messages.

Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper: Negotiating with difficult people

2009-09-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Learn to make a deal!

“That’s my final offer – it’s not negotiable” might seem like a statement designed to close the door on any further discussion, but in reality it can be just an invitation to do business.

I found myself on the receiving end of a far more difficult and adversarial stance, taken by a landowner I was hoping to deal with earlier this year. He opened the bidding with a simple denial that he could be even slightly interested in selling to us, “at any price”!

In all these situations, it’s important to separate the deal from the emotion, and to be able to interpret what the other person really means.

Successful negotiation skills can be learned, so here are some tips to take with you next time you’re across the table from the intransigents from hell!

1: Connect with their side. What makes them tick, on a business and personal level? Find common ground to build trust and friendship

2: Research recent comparables for this kind of deal, to establish what would be a fair and reasonable outcome

3: Focus on the 20% you agree on, not the 80% you don’t

4: Say “Yes, and…” not “Yes, but…” to make your views an addition to, rather than a contradiction of theirs

5: Ask for their advice; what would they do in your situation?

6: Ask “what makes that fair?” of an unreasonable proposal. Then bring up your standards of fairness, where different

7: Ask “why not…?” before a counter-proposal of yours

8: Discover their bottom-line. Everyone has a minimum they must take away from the table, and you will have a maximum you can give up. You need to know both, and then work within the uncertainty zone in the middle

9: If your offer has been refused, involve them in redrafting the agreement to avoid giving the impression you are simply giving up all your ground

10: Create a side-by-side problem-solving opportunity by using “we” instead of “you” or “I”. Round tables are better than square for the same reasons.

It’s been said that the best deals involve both sides hurting just a little. In reality, a perfect deal happens when everyone is totally happy. Aim for mutual satisfaction, not victory!

Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper: Professional firms should forget about hourly rates

2009-09-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

A fair price for a fair job!

I was personally reminded today of the perils of time-costing so beloved of solicitors, accountants and many consultants. I received an unfathomably large bill from a lawyer who did some property work about 3 months ago. I was aghast, but immediately grasped the problem.

He had billed me for what the job was worth to him – the supplier, not what it was worth to me – the customer!

I have approached his firm with a proposal to help him move from hourly billing to value pricing. The proposition that “time is money” is over 250 years old, and attributed to Benjamin Franklin. However, clocks don’t write cheques, and you don’t attract and retain clients by selling hours.

You sell solutions, service and value.

For the benefit of anyone currently charging clients by the hour, here’s why switching to value pricing could transform your business:

1: Pricing a job at outset gets any objections from clients on the table before you start; far better than arguing over the bill at the end!

2: Clients feel special, as you are calculating a bespoke value for their work. Hourly rates, by contrast, are applied at the same level for everyone, irrespective of the value you are adding to their business.

3: Sharing risk by quoting fixed prices projects experience and confidence in your delivery and performance. Clients will feel that you must know you can do the job, otherwise you wouldn’t have committed to it.

4: Clients will appreciate that you are not about to rip them off. Can you imagine how you would feel if an airline charged by the mile for your ticket? Maybe the pilot would deliberately take the long route to rack up the costs!

5: Value pricing forces internal efficiency. Fixing revenue ensures you will delegate and review work flows so you can offer service whilst ensuring you meet your own profitability aspirations.

6: Annual price increases are easier to factor in, as each job is costed individually. No firm likes sending out notices of hourly rate hikes, and no client likes receiving them.

In summary: value pricing encourages trust and nurtures long-term relationships with satisfied clients, leading to mutual profitability and success.

It’s time to ditch the clock and focus on value!

Jon Cooper is the founder of Jupiter Dawn Consulting. Add any comments or questions to this column online, or by e-mail to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper: Is it important…or just urgent?

2009-09-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Proritise for success...

Ever get the feeling you’re overworked, always busy, stressed and yet often seem to accomplish very little?

Do you frequently leave work with a pile of stuff you really should have finished today, still to do tomorrow?

If so, you probably need to examine one of the fundamentals of time management, namely the difference between urgent and important tasks.

Urgent tasks are those which need doing now, whereas important tasks are those on which you need to spend most time.

Here’s a simple 4-box method of analysing your workload and deciding what to do first…and last!

Box 1: Urgent and important: Bills to be paid now, health or family problems, customer complaints; try to look at the root causes of why you are getting dragged into these situations. This will often feel like crisis management and should be pretty rare with proper planning. Finding space in your diary well in advance of deadlines will eliminate the stress from many of these tasks, and move them into Box 3.

Box 2: Urgent but not important: Plan to give these as little time as possible. For instance, answer priority emails and phone calls as briefly as possible, and delegate tasks to others whenever you can. This is the box where most work tends to be concentrated; probably because focussing on a series of trivial actions can seem like you are accomplishing great things.

Box 3: Important but not urgent: These are jobs which must be done, but not necessarily today. Replying to most emails falls into this category, and you should avoid the knee-jerk tendency to answer all your messages right now. Most of your work should be concentrated here in Box 3, meaning you get through lots of essential tasks, without the pressure of a deadline.

Box 4: Neither important nor urgent. These are jobs which you really should be delegating, or simply leaving undone. You might find that if you leave things to simmer here for a while, they will either slip into Box 2, or become irrelevant. Surfing the internet for nothing in particular is a classic time-hungry example of a Box 4 task.

Thinking about what you REALLY need to be doing, and when, truly can make a difference in your personal effectiveness, wealth and happiness.

Jon Cooper is the founder of Jupiter Dawn Consulting. Add any comments or questions to this column online, or by e-mail to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper: Getting past the gatekeeper

2009-09-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Don't fall at the first fence!

So, you’ve got a brilliant product or service which blows all your competitors out of the water. Not only that, but you’ve priced it so well that your customers are never going to say no! If only you could get to them to tell them about it…

I’ve recently been working with a large organisation which sells vending machines to businesses throughout the UK. They were concerned that their telesales team had recently been connecting to decision makers less and less frequently.

As anyone who’s ever tried to sell by phone will know, many of your potential customers are surrounded by a human firewall, a virtual moat manned by PAs and receptionists charged with one simple task – to protect their executives from the white noise of uninvited sales calls.

Here’s a plan we put together, designed to overcome this perennial dilemma.

1: Call the company, and ask for the sales department, rather than the named decision maker. You will always be put through. Aim: Avoid immediate rebuttal from gatekeeper.

2: Explain to the salesperson that you’re in sales, just like they are, and you’d appreciate a little help. Aim: Get them to identify with you and open up.

3: Ask them who they currently use for supply of your product or service, and how they feel about that current supplier. Aim: Research the company’s need for change.

4: Ask who the decision maker would be where your product or service is concerned. Always ask for their direct extension number, so you “don’t have to bother them again” Aim: Enable contact with your buyer without risk of being blocked at the switchboard.

5: Contact the decision maker directly at their desk and mention your previous conversation with sales, where they suggested a need for your product or service. Aim: Create a perceived referral from someone else in the company.

We found that this approach increased direct conversations with decision makers by over 40%, and produced a call-to-appointment ratio 32% higher over the next quarter.

Of course, any aspirations to those kinds of improvements assume that your telesales personnel already display the essential attributes of honesty, integrity, credibility and humour, through a gentle yet persuasive phone manner.

Jon Cooper is the founder of Jupiter Dawn Consulting. Add any comments or questions online, or by e-mail to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Masterminding for success

2009-07-28T01:13:00.000-07:00

Jon Cooper - Mastermind Groups ensure you are not alone.

Life in business is necessarily tough; if it wasn’t, everyone would be doing it!

And yet one of the biggest challenges to success often comes from your own isolation as the boss. Quite simply, you have no-one to discuss ideas and voice concerns with. In that environment, judgement and motivation can desert you just when you need it most.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could meet regularly with a group of like-minded individuals, who could share experiences, skills and support?

This is the basis of Mastermind Groups, a concept first penned by the legendary Napoleon Hill in 1937.

He said that "No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind [the master mind]."

There are such groups now across the globe, spanning every sector of commerce and human interests.

One of my clients runs a successful Financial Advice firm, and has put together his own Mastermind Group to develop and promote industry best practice for its five members. This is what he does to make it work –

1: Meets regularly, every week or month.
2: Selects members with similar success and experience levels.
3: Ensures members are not direct competitors who may not be comfortable opening up to the Group.
4: Insists on commitment to meeting schedules and effective participation.
5: Develops a spirit of harmony, trust and respect. Eliminates argument; instead fosters constructive discussion.
6: Agrees a Group objective that this year is going to be the best ever for all members.
7: Accepts and gives honest feedback on himself and others.
8: Encourages each member to make his or her own plan, with defined goals for which the Group then holds them accountable.
9: Brings in guest speakers to inspire and educate.
10: Provides an immediate and perpetual support network.

The way to set up your own Mastermind Group is simple; pick up the phone to half-a-dozen or so of your peers and invite them to join with you.

Incidentally, the concept works equally well if you are work colleagues employed by an organisation, or if you want to form a group of participants in your sport, leisure or recreational activity.

Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper: Jungle frolics to teach us about business

2009-07-14T00:11:00.000-07:00

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin...

Here is a fabulous little story, both in the sense that it’s a kind of fable, and that it’s
quite excellent!
A tiger was stalking through the jungle looking for dinner. He spotted a lone coyote in a
clearing and set his sights on it.
As the tiger roared and stomped his way towards his unsuspecting prey, the coyote
sensed imminent danger from his feline nemesis and froze for a moment.
Recovering his guile and composure quickly, he trotted over to a nearby pile of bones
and exclaimed, “Mmm, what a delicious tiger that was!”
The tiger, shaken by this unexpected revelation, skulked away and vowed to avoid
coyote-hunting for evermore.
Meanwhile, a monkey had witnessed the remarkable scene from a tree and skipped off
to find the tiger, and offer him a deal.
“Mr Tiger,” he pronounced, “I have some very interesting and valuable information,
which I’ll give you in return for a little protection.”
The tiger agreed to watch out for the monkey’s welfare, and was told the whole truth
about the coyote and the bones.
Shortly afterwards, the tiger appeared in the clearing with the monkey on his back.
(Now there’s a metaphor waiting to happen…)
Mr Coyote, snoozing smugly by the life-saving bones, opened one eye and spotted the
peculiar couple, intent as they were on spoiling his afternoon nap. He looked away and
declared loudly “I’m starving; why does that lazy monkey take so long to get me
another tiger…?”
So what’s the moral in this tale of animal cunning (and, doubtless, monkey-eating
tigers)?
Well, there are several. Firstly, that you can overcome pretty much any obstacle with
the right effort. Secondly; in the story, the coyote had to overcome the same challenge
not once, but twice. So; never give up, even when a problem refuses to be solved first
time around. He also didn’t exactly work hard to escape a grizzly and macabre death.
“Working hard” would have meant running away, and dying exhausted a minute later as
the big cat inevitably caught him.
Credit to Mr Coyote; he chose working smart over working hard.
Works every time!
Jon Cooper is the founder of Jupiter Dawn Consulting. Send a business query by
either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper: Top ten biggest sales mistakes.

2009-07-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

Easy ways to ruin a sale.

As you read this, salespeople around world are doubtless hard at work inventing
new methods of screwing up their chances of success. To give them a helping
hand, here are my top ten ways to lose a sale!
1: Talk about yourself. No prospect wants you to listen to his story, and in any
case, you are far more interesting than he is.
2: Talk technical. Make sure you baffle them with enough confusing jargon, so
they have to buy just to find out what you were on about.
3: Let the customer take control. You need them to call the shots. Anyway, it’s
only polite, as they’re the ones paying your wages.
4: Make sure you recite your canned pitch. Everyone loves being assaulted with
a heavy sales spiel.
5: Insist they hear all the features of your product. Don’t bother talking benefits;
how should you know how they’re going to use your stuff anyway? They’ll have
plenty of time to work that out for themselves once they’re bought it.
6: Don’t worry about asking for the sale; after all, nobody ever makes decisions
on the day, so just assume they’re going to get at least three more quotes and
then want to think about it, like all the others.
7: Don’t waste time chasing prospects. They’ll always come back to you if you’ve
done your job, right? If they don’t, it just means they were wasting your time all
along.
8: Aim your pitch at the lowest-ranking employee. Get him excited and he’ll tell
his boss, who’ll tell his boss, and so on, until your sparkling message reaches
the actual decision-maker.
9: Don’t bother checking early on if they need or want your product. Just hit
them with your standard pitch, and they’ll sure as heck want it by the time
you’ve finished.
10: Love ‘em and leave ‘em. Your job is to make the sale, not deliver the goods.
The only reason they want to speak to you later is to complain about something,
so leave all that to Customer Service. Wouldn’t be so bad if they rang you with a
recommendation or referral every now and again, but of course; they never do.
Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either
adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Sleep your way to the top!

2009-07-14T00:03:00.000-07:00

Jon Cooper - More sleep the secret to success?
One of my colleagues regularly mentions the fact that he gets by on 5 hours sleep a night.
In fact, his tone often suggests that the rest of us are quite lazy and unproductive,
spending 50% more of our lives lying down with our eyes shut.
However, as he’s recently been known to “drop the ball” at business meetings, and is also
suffering a divorce and health problems, I thought I’d take a look at the whole issue of
optimum sleep –
1: Canadian research suggests that seventeen hours awake can lead to a decrease in
performance equivalent to a blood alcohol-level of 0.05%, which is higher than the drinkdrive
limit in some countries.
2: Make sure your bedroom is the coolest room in the house (unless you have a walk-in
freezer). Hot summer nights can cause restless sleep, indicating your body’s need to cool
down before nodding off.
3: If you fall asleep “as soon as your head hits the pillow”, you’re probably over-tired. 10
to 15 minutes is nearer the natural pace for your body to cycle between awake and asleep.
4: Avoid alcohol just before bed. You may feel like it helps you sleep, but it will not be very
deep or restful slumber.
5: Jump out of bed quickly as soon as you awake, for maximum and enduring alertness
throughout the day.
6: Enhance your energy levels whilst awake by starting the day with a high-protein
breakfast, such as eggs and bacon, or specialist protein shakes. Minimise carbs, which can
leave you feeling drowsy through the morning.
7: If you don’t sleep enough at night, a “power-nap” really can work. Lock your office door,
close the blinds and turn off the lights. Focus on any problems at hand; then take a short
nap on a couch. When you awake, you will usually have all the answers you need.
8: 8 hours sleep is considered ideal by most experts, although this can drop to 6 hours for
those over 65.
One of the reasons more of us are sleeping less than ever before is the 24-hour
accessibility of the internet, so if you’re reading this online after midnight; get to bed now!
Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either
adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper - Avoid Result-Free Meetings

2009-06-21T02:24:00.000-07:00

Supercharge your business gatherings

Have you ever been in a meeting and wondered “what am I doing here?”, or worse still, “what is this for…why is anyone here?”?

If you have, chances are you will have been a participant in one of those all-too-common business gatherings which produce no useful outcome: the Result-Free Meeting.

Here are some tips to add power to your powwows and get-up-and-go to your get-togethers!

1: Clarify the purpose of the meeting to all attendees. Make it clear what needs to be achieved and why.

2: Produce an agenda of no more than 5 items, and circulate to all invitees at least 48 hours in advance. This should allocate time to each item, and should not include an “Any other business” line. AOB encourages waffle, and distracts from any clear outcome you are trying to achieve.

3: Set personal objectives for the meeting beforehand. These need not be openly shared, but knowing what you need to achieve from the event will help to focus your input.

4: Don’t invite more than 5 people, plus you. Research shows that meeting effectiveness declines exponentially in inverse proportion to the number of attendees over six.

5: Encourage commitment by setting preparation tasks for your colleagues. They will be much more likely to support your objectives if they have already spent time working towards them beforehand.

6: Take minutes; preferably on a template, by hand or electronically. Arguing later over who said what, and over what was decided, is almost worse than not having a meeting at all.

7: Agree action points for every delegate to achieve following the meeting, and circulate to all within 48 hours.

8: Set a date for the next meeting, if any.

9: Critique effectiveness as a group before disbanding. Discuss what went well, and what could be improved next time you need to meet.

10: Don’t meet if a conference call, email, memo or intranet posting will do the job just as well. Your group will respond best when you impose on the smallest amount of their time, plus they will respect meetings more when they know you only call them when really necessary.

Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Is your address book keeping you broke?

2009-06-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

Choose your friends carefully!

Last week I decided to “cancel” a friendship I had with a guy (let’s call him Gordon,
for no particular reason) who, over the 12 years I’d known him, had always seemed
to be in a parlous financial state, despite having a succession of reasonably paid sales
jobs.
Worse, he perpetually blamed the Government, the tax-man, his divorce and recently
the economic meltdown for his feeble position and lack of tangible success.
Sometimes, if my day hadn’t quite gone according to plan, I’d found it comforting, in
a strange kind of way, to hang out with someone else whose day, year or entire life
was going even worse.
Problem was, allowing him to sympathise over my occasional disappointments had
saved me the trouble of doing anything constructive to stop the same things
happening again. Even worse, after a half-hour of his desolate diatribes, I would even
find myself starting to buy into his thinking!
Believing as I do that our success is based almost entirely on the attitudes and
behaviours of the people around us, Gordon just had to go.
Inspired by that experience, I’m now spring-cleaning and de-cluttering my whole
address book, exterminating any other Gordons who may be lurking in there
masquerading as worthwhile associates. Try it for yourself, using these 3 simple
criteria –
1: How are they fixed financially? It’s a spooky mathematical reality that if you take
the five people closest to you, add up their salary and divide by five, you’ll have your
annual earnings potential. Don’t tolerate anyone who drags down your average.
2: How much value can they bring to your life? Fruitful and rewarding associations
are about a fair exchange of value, with each party adding to the other’s success. If
it’s all their way, bin them!
3: Do they move in circles you’d like to penetrate? If they operate at a lower level
than you do and never venture out of their discomfort zones, they’re unlikely to be
capable of improving your life.
After you’ve ruthlessly culled your contact list, get to work on those you decided to
keep, and resolve to spend a lot more time with them. That shouldn’t be difficult if
you’ve done it properly; because there won’t be too many names left…
Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either adding a
comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Lessons from a 'Nam Vet'

2009-06-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

The Stockdale paradox is a recipe for long-term survival

I’ve been reading an inspirational biography by Admiral Jim Stockdale, who was the
highest ranking United States military officer in the “Hanoi Hilton” prisoner-of-war
camp during the height of the Vietnam War.
He was tortured repeatedly during his 8-year incarceration, yet maintained the
respect of the military prisoners still under his command, whilst trying to ensure
that the highest number of them survived their unthinkable ordeal.
Stockdale established rules allowing his men to reveal certain information after a
given level of torture, understanding that no-one can withstand pain indefinitely.
He inflicted self-injury with stools and razors, so that his captors couldn’t film him
on video to demonstrate their responsible custody to the outside world.
Reading the book, I was overwhelmed with the sense of desperation and isolation
which he and his soldiers must have felt, and astonished that he was able to keep
his spirits high, and to refuse to be broken.
Interviewed recently, he was asked how he dealt with such incredible hardship, and
more poignantly with not knowing how, when or even if it would all end.
He replied that he never lost faith in the end of the story. He believed that,
eventually, he would be released and be reunited with his family.
He was then asked who didn’t make it. “The optimists”, he replied, coining at once
the concept now known as the Stockdale Paradox.
What he meant was that “those who told themselves, ‘We’ll be home by Christmas’,
were disappointed when Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then
they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter
would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they
died of a broken heart.”
Stockdale finished his interview with a stunningly concise summary of his survival
strategy, and one which I’m sure would be a useful edict with which to get through
the albeit less life-threatening corporate torture wrought by these troubled
economic times.
“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never
afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current
reality, whatever they might be.”
Respect to you, Admiral.
Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by
either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Jon Cooper: Give to receive...

2009-06-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a freebie!

I just came back from a few days in the States, where I met a group of enlightened
entrepreneurs who are refusing to lie down and suffer the consequences of the economic
downturn. One of their crunch-busting techniques is as old as the hills, but they’ve
recently refined it to an art form. It’s called giving stuff away!
You know the lovely warm feeling when you pull on a pair of jeans you haven’t worn for
ages and find a ten pound note in the pocket? And don’t those free deli samples in
Sainsbury’s taste so much better than the stuff you actually buy?
Well, that's how your customers feel when they get more than they are expecting from
you.
And, imagine how your prospects will respond to your marketing when they receive a free
gift - without even making a purchase!
Giving "more" is a simple, inexpensive way to instantly improve your relationship with
both customers and prospects.
Ideas for gifts... that cost you nothing!
1: Free reports, info packs, fact sheets and market analysis: these can all be made
available online or by email to really slash the costs of delivery.
2: Newsletters: regular info and offer-packed communiqués to your database of prospects
and customers.
3: Industry specific freebies: appeal to who you’re trying to sell to: recipes, sports tips,
discount coupons, travel guides
4: Trial offers: get them using your products for free and they’ll often need or want to
continue and pay.
5: Buy one, get one free: this really does cost you nothing, providing your gross margin is
more than 50%!
Ideas for gifts... that cost you a small amount
1: Company-branded items: hats, water bottles, mouse pads, pens etc
2: Non-related materials: stuffed animals, chocolates, alcohol, sports tickets
3: One of your products or services at no cost to them
4: Rewards for referrals or recommendations
5: Calendars and diaries: clichéd, corny, but nothing lasts a whole year like something
with 12 months of dates on it!
The return on your "gift" investment could be worth thousands of pounds in sales. Make
that extra effort and give your customers more than they are expecting.
Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Boycott the Recession!

2009-06-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

Fight back for success in troubled times!

There is a growing movement in the States, where a number of prominent business
leaders and motivationalists are encouraging fellow entrepreneurs, managers and
employees to actively stand and fight off the effects of the current economic
downturn. In short, to Boycott the Recession!
I was contacted by one of their pioneers earlier this week, and was captivated by
their simple yet powerful mantra.
This enlightened group is facing the financial climate head-on, and they claim that the
way to Boycott the Recession is through creating sales, good business practice, doing
more with less, and living by a Code of Honour.
It all starts between your ears with your attitude. All members of the BtR movement
have decided to change their attitude and actions, and have started spreading change
around them.
Here’s my version of a Code of Honour for a UK movement dedicated to Boycotting
the Recession!
1. I will not wait for or depend on the Government, the stock market, nor the banking
system to solve my challenges….nor will I blame them or others for those challenges.
2. I will constantly work to serve, trade with and expand my network of like-minded
people who also want to Boycott the Recession.
3. I will advantage the greatest number of people that I can with the highest value
and at the least cost to them.
4. I will take personal responsibility for all the results in my life without blame,
justification or denial, and will refuse to be a victim.
5. I will do whatever it takes as long as it is legal, ethical and moral in order to
succeed.
6. I will always finish whatever I start.
7. I will celebrate every success, no matter how small.
8. I will increase the positive mood level and enthusiasm in everyone I encounter.
9. I will do my best to operate with complete integrity at all times.
10. I will never abandon a colleague or associate in need.
I’d be keen to hear of your experiences putting this into practice, and particularly of
positive results achieved.
Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

How to win that great new job

2009-06-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

Supercharge your CV!

A young lawyer asked me the other day if I had any ideas to help her get another
job. Following redundancy 3 months ago she’d not been invited to one interview.
She showed me her 4-page CV, which surprised me with its blandness and
complexity. Then when she told me she was with all the major recruitment
agencies, I began to understand the situation she had created.
I sent her a simple plan for how to go about attracting the attention of the bosses
she really needed to impress, at a time when every firm is getting more
applications than they could possibly have vacancies. First, the CV:
1: Open with the heading “OBJECTIVE”. Then state what you are looking for in a
job, in one line.
2: Add a head and shoulders image of you for a real personal impact.
3: The purpose of your CV is not to get you a job, only an interview; give them
just enough so that they ask you in to learn more about you.
4: Try using a less common font than the default Ariel. I like Verdana and Tahoma
for more authority, but there are dozens more.
5: Use colour, bold and varying font sizes to emphasize highlights.
6: Keep the CV to 2 pages max. As an exercise, edit to one page and see what
you’re left with.
Secondly, having produced the perfect resume, you need to execute the perfect
campaign:
1: Forget agencies; try taking your career into your own hands!
2: Research the key partners/directors/chief execs of companies you would really
like to work for, and write to them directly by name, marking the envelope P&C.
3: Write a really concise, punchy covering letter which says why they should read
your CV. Start with something like, “I’m writing to you personally as I admire your
management style and would love to work with you and add value to your
business…”
4: Follow up with a phone call within 48 hours to ask if they received it.
5: Use the same approach with 3-5 handpicked companies, then review and tweak
as necessary.
Getting a great job is like any other marketing campaign, only with YOU as the
product!
Have a question you'd like Jon to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this
post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Are you working ON your business, or IN it?

2009-06-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

Let your enterprise work for you, not you for it!
I meet many people engaged in their own enterprises, and it’s striking how there
is a clear divide between those whose lives are controlled by their business, and
those who have learned to control it to their advantage.
The first group are often no more than employees who happen to be their own
boss, whereas the latter enjoy the freedom and wealth which flows from being in
charge of a successful venture.
Here’s a 6-point self-test to decide which group you fall into –
1: Are you working more hours with fewer holidays than any of your staff? If yes,
the business is running you, and you are merely working IN it. Get to work ON it,
and you will find ways to accomplish your goals and still have time for a normal
social and family life.
2: Does everything go wrong when you’re not there? If yes, you need to create
systems and processes which function entirely without your input, and then
delegate their operation to others. Success in this area is a sure sign you’re
getting to work ON your business.
3: Are you constantly juggling cashflow to pay unexpected bills or last-minute
demands? If so, you have probably been focussing on small urgent tasks instead
of sitting back and planning the big important things, and are too busy earning a
living to make any money!
4: Do you have customers who will only deal directly with you? Worse, do you
believe they will only ever deal with you? If that’s you, you need to be working
ON your business, and educate your customers to buy from others in the
company, leaving you free to focus on strategic planning and growth.
5: Is your office door “always open”? Does all your staff come to you for advice
and clearance on everything? If so, you need to break the dependency culture and
empower them to think for themselves. You’ll get far more out of your people, and
free up your time to plan for the future.
6: Do you work to a business plan, with clear, measurable goals? Do you review
and amend it regularly based on actual results? If you’re not planning where your
company is going for at least the next 3 years, that’s a clear marker that you are
only working IN it, not ON it!
Thanks to Khawar Hussain from Business Link for the inspiration on this topic.
Have a question you'd like to Jon to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Creating a powerful business plan

2009-03-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

The money’s still there with the right approach!

It’s a rare business which can reach its full potential without raising external funds; and the ability to attract investors or debt finance should be in every entrepreneur’s tool-box.

Coaxing financial support requires a well-researched business plan, so here are my tips for creating a winning approach to funders –

1: Grab their attention. Banks and private investors alike get loads of similar requests, so stand out with an opening summary of no more than 3 sentences outlining your proposition.

2: Flaunt your strengths. They need to know how and why you are likely to produce a return on their investment. They’ll only back your ideas if you can demonstrate your relevant experience and skills.

3: Make sense of your numbers. You’ll need to explain each element, not just turnover and profit levels. Your break-even point, burn rate, when you will run out of money and their exit strategy are also of vital interest to your investors.

4: Demonstrate your market. How big is the opportunity? Could you become a market leader? Are you offering something which your competitors aren’t? Is the market shrinking or growing?

5: Describe barriers to competition. Are you the first to market? Do you have patented or copyrighted products and processes? Have you captured the best people to work for you?

6: Forge strong alliances. Relationships with major suppliers and other partners add credibility which will comfort your investors. A well-established and loyal customer base also speaks volumes in validating your business model.

7: Set milestones. You may not need all the funds you have asked for in one tranche; and investors are unlikely to release money until you do. Make sure you set achievable goals to trigger stage payments, as breaking promises is sure to drive them away!

8: Show your commitment. Investors love to see owner-managers with personal financial stakes in the project. This demonstrates your belief in your plans better than words ever will.

9: Attend to the details. Amongst other things, your plan needs to be concise, accurate, easy to read, well laid out and attractive.

10: Be passionate. Many investments are made from the heart as much as the head, so using exciting words and images will show your flair and motivation.

Have a question you'd like Jon to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Don't waste this crisis!

2009-03-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Positive thoughts and actions pay off in tough times.

One of my clients asked me today how it is that I’m always “up” and positive about things when so many businesses seem to be running out of steam, laying people off and reporting more pain yet to come.

I replied that there are some unique opportunities in amongst all the chaos. I am too busy working to identify them and using them to improve my life and the lives of others to ever feel down!

I could see he was unconvinced, and he challenged me to come up with 10 reasons why the crunch/recession/downturn isn’t all bad…

1: In a slowdown, it’s easier to see which of your goods and services are relatively unprofitable, and to focus on your core strengths or in developing your next core strength.

2: Many companies have reduced customer service and support staff. If you’re a competitor of theirs, they’ve made it relatively easier for you to impress in your own marketplace.

3: Advertising is cheaper and more accessible. I heard of a radio station offering 5 times the airtime per pound than 12 months ago, and some local free newspapers are desperate for your business at any price!

4: PR exposure is easier to achieve. Most of the media are eager to promote good news about the economy. Make a big noise if you’ve won a new order, opened a new site or similar.

5: Business supplies are really cheap. Now’s the time to replace the photocopier, stock up on stationery or give the office a makeover.

6: Vehicle leasing and purchase deals are incredibly sharp. That new van or company car has never made more sense.

7: Commercial property values are on the floor. Grab a bargain by purchasing or renting smart new premises you couldn’t have afforded a year ago.

8: It’s a great time to learn how to cut costs intelligently. When the economy upturns, you’ll be more profitable than before.

9: Government assistance is genuinely more available than ever. Check out the Solutions for Business portfolio via Business Link.

10: Recruitment is an employer’s market. Why not strengthen your sales or marketing departments, from a wide choice of potential staff at relatively low cost?

Have a question you'd like Jon, founder of JupiterDawn Consulting, to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com

Sharp lessons from a wily creature

2009-03-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

Are you a hedgehog or a fox? And which provides a better model for leadership and success?

According to business guru Jim Collins, and contrary to what you might imagine, it’s the prickly one we should be emulating!

The reason is all about focus; developing a single idea and doing it superbly well, rather than creating endless new strategies, divisions and projects in an attempt to stay ahead of the competition.

Embedding the “Hedgehog Concept” into your enterprise requires you to understand your answers to the following three fundamental questions -

1: What can you truly be the best in the world at? This won’t necessarily point you to your current endeavours, qualifications or experience. In fact, if you’re engaged in something which you’re not particularly good at, you need to look further to discover your true calling. Do you go to work feeling that you were born to do this, and that you have found your niche? If not, why not?

2: What drives your financial success? All the great achievers and organisations understand where their cashflow and profit comes from. Both are essential to business survival, so you shouldn’t waste time on anything which rewards you with only one or neither. Furthermore, eliminating those parts of your activity which are holding you back financially gives you more time to concentrate on the worthwhile stuff.

3: What are you passionate about? Here’s a test. Today, you win the lottery. Do you enjoy your work so much that you would carry on doing it tomorrow? If you would, you’ve already found your true calling. Furthermore, in your business, is there a universal culture where everyone feels motivated, excited and valued in everything they do?

“Hedgehog” thinking operates in the space where the answers to all three of those questions overlap.

In case you’re wondering about the analogy with forest wildlife, remember that whether the fox creeps towards him slowly, lunges at him from behind a log, or leaps from the bow of a tree in an attempt to surprise him, Spiny Norman only ever has to execute his one single, perfect move.

He curls into a ball and leaves his “cunning” attacker reeling in defeat, usually with a bloody nose!

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com business consulting.
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries.

Elevator pitch to take you up in the world

2009-02-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Get new business every day with your own 30 second commercial

As a newcomer to a breakfast networking group last week, I was reminded how important it is to be able answer the question “so what do you do…?” concisely and in a way that both grabs attention and leaves a lasting impression.

Most of the attendees were lucid and confident, but there remained others I spoke with who were only ever going to make a dreary and easily forgettable impact on their peers.

If your career in business means you regularly meet new people – and who’s doesn’t? – then it’s critical to be able to create and present a personal 30-second commercial, often called an “elevator pitch” in the States.

It’s the basis of personal networking, self-promotion, and pretty much everything else you need to stand out from the crowd in an over-crowded world.

Here are my top 10 tips for making that first impression –

1: Talk benefits, not just features. “I’m a lawyer who makes sure people don’t get ripped off in property deals” rather than just saying you’re a property lawyer.

2: Be conversational and confident. Don’t hesitate, fidget or blather, and always present with a smile and a twinkle in your eye.

3: Don’t use jargon and particularly not industry-specific acronyms (OMG!)

4: Boast a little. It’s ok to start a sentence with “My key strengths are…”

5: Fulfil a need. Reminding the listener that you’re a qualified Zeppelin commander marks you as quirky and interesting, but a little redundant.

6: Tailor to your audience. Investors want to hear how they can get returns, customers how you can solve their problems, and potential partners why you’re going to be a success together.

7: Use power adjectives such as “astounding” and “spectacular” over mundane words like “ok” and “good”.

8: Be prepared for follow-ups. If you’ve been convincing and engaging up to now, you’ll get questions. Rehearse the answers to any likely comebacks.

9: Review and revise regularly based on feedback. Conversely, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

10: Test your commercial on a 7-year old. If they don’t understand every word of it, you’ll lose half your target audience before you get a chance to finish!

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com business consulting.
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries.

Free sales for small effort

2009-02-17T04:25:00.000-08:00

Totally Free Sales! (Well almost)

If I told you that there is a way to increase your sales by 18% without paying for advertising, making any calls, or even making much effort at all, you’d probably think I’d finally lost my marbles.

In fact, you can achieve all that by the circulation of a regular e-newsletter to your existing clients. The caveats are that it does take a small amount of effort, and that 18% is the average extra new business I’ve experienced across 8 clients who’ve been running an e-newsletter I helped them design monthly for at least 6 months.

Here’s my 10-point action plan for creating easy, low-cost incremental sales –

1 – Collect email addresses for all your clients and prospects, if you haven’t got them already, and collate them into a database. Make sure to regularly update with new clients and prospects.

2 – Promote no more than three offers in each newsletter. Clients don’t want to just read about your products, and you can always lead them to more detailed stuff via links to your website. Then add handy free tips which could help your clients in their business.

3 – Make it unique. These days, most people get loads of newsletters. Fill yours with passion, fun and useful information to make it stand out from the herd.

4 – Make it look great. Use headlines, bullets, graphics and HTML so your customers’ eyes are drawn to it.

5 – Make it IT friendly: no more than about 800kb for easy download, and have it scaled to fit most screen sizes. Your web-team can help you design the first one, or they can do them all for a modest agreed monthly payment.

6 – Ask for feedback. You don’t want to be publishing stuff nobody likes for more than one issue.

7 – Make contact easy. Bold phone numbers and clickable email links are simple and essential components.

8 – Add an unsubscribe link. It might sound negative, but it’s better than repeatedly winding up a good customer if they simply don’t want your regular updates.

9 – Post each newsletter on your website. If you have been including useful tips as well as just product offers, they can form a valuable online resource for some time to come.

10 – Continue all the above monthly for maximum effect!

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com business consulting.
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries

Gain market share in bad times

2009-02-16T01:24:00.000-08:00

Survive and thrive – it’s all in the maths.

We’re in an economic downturn, right? Everyone feels financially vulnerable, with markets and property values falling faster than Robbie Williams off the end of the charts.

Every day your customers are telling you they’ve got no money, that their expansion plans are on indefinite hold, and that they may even have to lay people off so they can ride out the storm.

Aside from the fact that much of the doom and gloom is self-perpetuating and self-fulfilling (you think it’s bad, therefore it becomes so), what can ambitious business owners do next?

The first thing to do is look at some maths. How much of the total market for your products or services did you enjoy back in the “good times”? Unless you have a unique offering, chances are you would never have met much more than 10% (at best) of the available demand in your sector.

One of my clients is in car leasing. Last year they financed 200 cars, which represented about 1% of all cars leased in their area.

This year, they’re on track for only 100 cars, which still equates to around 1% of the now depressed market.

The market doesn’t need to bounce back – you simply need a bigger share of it!

Instead of resigning themselves to similar results next year, they want to get back to 200 cars in 2009. I’ve shown them that although the market has contracted, there’s nothing to stop them getting a bigger share of it. In fact to recover their position, the market doesn’t even have to bounce back; they simply have to double their market share to 2% of the available business!

Whilst their competitors are battening down those hatches and tightening their belts, a process which inspires neither customer confidence nor loyalty, they need to pick up just a tiny proportion of disillusioned clients from each of them to get their business back on track.

There’ll never be a better time to gain new customers, and if you can impress them now when they really need you, they’ll probably stay with you for ever.

I’ll leave you with this thought – If my clients double their market share now to 2%, when the economy bounces back to normal they’ll be doing 400 cars a year; or twice as many as they ever did before!

Like I said, it’s all in the maths.

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com - business consulting that works!
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries.

CRM for success

2009-02-16T01:21:00.000-08:00

Get the sales cream with CRM

Most businesses know their products, their message and their market well enough to produce a sales strategy that works pretty well. But they forget how important TIMING is in the whole mix.People will buy when THEY'RE ready, not when YOU’RE ready to make a sale.

We all know sales calling can be a tedious, stressful time-consuming process, which is sometimes easier to ignore. After all, if the customer doesn’t buy now, he’ll come back to us when he’s ready – right?

Wrong! Your “customer” will buy from the last person he talks to before he’s ready to make the decision. If that’s not you, it will be one of your competitors.

So, you have to be in front of your customers when they're ready to buy. In other words, you have to follow-up constantly to stop someone else catching their attention!

And in today’s contracted market, the last thing you want to do is to leave business, and money, on the table for someone else to grab.

Fortunately, there is a simple and easy way to ensure that you leave no stone unturned, and no opportunity open to your competition.

It’s called a Customer Relationship Management system, or CRM for short.

This is basically a log, detailing the last contact you had with your customer, and containing a date and time for the next agreed contact with them.

In the old days, this could have been no more than a note in your diary, or some kind of card index. I know people who still use a 1-31 filing drawer-based system for their personal follow-ups.

In 2009, however, there’s no excuse for not running a fully automated system, often linked in with your email software. If you’re not yet using MS Outlook for email, diary and task management, try it out right now, as it’s an accessible and cost-effective way to keep on top of things.
In fact, one of the main reasons my clients log on to their PCs in the morning is to open their CRM systems and check for that day’s follow-up calls.

I read an industry survey recently which estimated that a staggering 99% of SMEs don’t effectively follow up on sales enquiries. I want you to be part of the enlightened 1% this year, so get that CRM system in place, and use it religiously!

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com business consulting.
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries.

Reading and meeting for a Tremendous Life

2009-02-16T01:19:00.000-08:00

Reading and meeting are the keys to a Tremendous life

Like many in business, and with an interest in the success habits of others, I’m an avid reader.

I was reminded again of the power of a well written phrase when I picked up an article celebrating the life of Charles “Tremendous” Jones, an inspirational American speaker, author and life coach who died in 2008.

For six decades he toured the world imparting his wisdom and touching the lives of millions of people, but the one thing he’ll be remembered for above all else is a simple 26-word mantra –

“You are the same today as you will be next year except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read.”

It’s a beautifully simplistic view of course, but how true! If you read nothing and meet no-one for 12 months, it’s highly unlikely you’ll be particularly successful.

It’s also a given in that statement that it matters what you read and who you meet. If you read the Beano and meet only the postman every day, you’ll get what you get.

In a life devoted to advancing the understanding of business fundamentals, Jones published nine books, all of which have become reference works of their kind.

I’m about to re-read my copy of his 2 million selling “Life is Tremendous”, still available online and in bookshops.

Peppered with memorable quotes such as “To know what to do is wisdom. To know how to do it is skill”, his output consistently redefined how we should think about generating lasting wealth and happiness.

Like many business icons, he was a passionate philanthropist, and firmly believed not only that to receive anything you first have to give something, but also that giving is simply returning what you owe anyway. “Everything I have was a gift from someone”, he said recently.

Charlie also said that the secret to success is two words – “I will”, as against “I’ll think about it” or “I might”, or (God forbid) “I can’t”.

This year I’m going to follow Charlie’s “Tremendous” guidance. I WILL meet some more exceptional people, and I WILL read some more amazing books. I hope you do too.

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com business consulting.
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries.

No whine in 2009

2009-02-16T01:16:00.000-08:00

No Whine in 2009!

I’ve been isolating myself from pessimists for as long as I can remember. As soon as I feel a negative “vibe” from someone, I always make a mental note to be in a different room next time they’re around.

That particular skill is one I’m calling on more and more these days, as finding people without the doom-bug can be quite tough.

One thing which hasn’t changed with the economic climate is pretty much a fundamental law of the universe. Whether or not you believe some of the more spiritual stuff preached by Dale Carnegie, or in recent publications such as “The Secret”, it will always be an irrefutable fact that you get back what you put out.

If you think negatively, you will get negative results.

Even more obviously, if you say and do negative things at work, those around you will mirror those words and actions, producing a spiral of bad outcomes for your business.

The fact is, thriving in 2009 is far from impossible; here’s my 3-point plan to ensure that you keep your ventures on track when others are falling off the rails.

1. Review which of your goods or services are selling best, and focus on making those even more attractive. Pricing, features and delivery can usually be tweaked if you look closely enough. Conversely, consider dropping whatever isn’t selling well or making you a profit.

2. Use PR to get your message to the market cheaply, and ahead of the competition. Standing out from the crowd as a fashionable, desirable business can cost less than you imagine. Newspapers, TV and BBC Radio offer great opportunities for entrepreneurs to broadcast interesting, recession-busting stories.

3. Banish negativity from your business. If suppliers are talking doom and gloom, agree with them and get better prices and longer payment terms. If customers are whining, find out what it would take to make them happy again. If staff or colleagues are getting you down, re-arrange your office so you don’t have to listen!

In summary, identify the key success factors which made your business great in the past, promote them and focus on them, whilst eliminating waste and negativity.

I know 2009 is going to present some brilliant opportunities; make sure you are set up to grab them with both hands! Merry Christmas.

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com - business consulting that works!
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries.

Surviving redundancy

2009-02-16T01:11:00.000-08:00

Make redundancy the start of a new life

I was with a friend of mine last weekend, who shared with me the seemingly bad news that, after 12 years grafting as man and boy for a major energy company, he had been just made redundant.

His severance package of almost a year’s pay gave him, I observed, the luxury of being able to consider his next move without worrying about next month’s bills.

I understood his natural desire to find another job as soon as possible, but, I asked him, why not take the opportunity to become self-employed?

Without straying too much from his field of expertise, there will be many companies to whom he could offer his services as a consultant.

He would be spreading his income risk across more than one source; paying less tax, taking control over where he works and when, and would be able to employ others, thereby multiplying his earnings.

His clients (including maybe his former employers) would benefit from transferring the financial burden of using his services from that of a fixed cost employee to that of a variable cost consultant, paid by the hour/day/project.

Here’s my 5-point action plan for anyone facing redundancy –

Offer your employer the prospect of retaining you as a consultant, particularly if your role or your particular skills were unique.
If the company already engages consultancy firms, go and talk to THEM about becoming a consultant in your field.
Consider teaming up with other colleagues in a similar position to form your own consultancy business. Your accumulated experience, offered on a variable cost basis, could be hard for an employer to resist.
Don’t panic and take the first, or any, job you are offered. Your new boss could sideline you again at any time in the future, and you will be back to square one again.
Talk to others who are already consultants in your industry. They are likely to be suffering far less than their employed counterparts in today’s climate, and should be happy to give you some pointers.

Most consultancy businesses were started by people who were previously employed in similar roles, and some grow to be massive global ventures.

For many though, the simple knowledge that never again will they have to hear the words “We’re going to have to let you go”, will be incentive enough for them to join the ranks of the self-employed.

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com business consulting.
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries.

Let them moan!

2009-02-16T01:09:00.000-08:00

Let them moan!

Regular readers will know I have a magnetic repulsion to negativity; in particular to anyone who tries to drag me down into their whine cellar with them.

Something happened this week though, which made me think we should be grateful for those people who constantly find things to moan about.

Maggie, one of my clients in the contract catering industry was waiting for a call from a big potential customer after she’d put in a rather large tender. Sure enough, the phone rang and her contact at this firm asked her how she was. Maggie replied in her usual cheery way that she was fantastic and that business was great, thanks! He seemed taken aback by her upbeat mood and when she told him that she had loads of work lined up, so she was now focussing on delivery rather than sales, she heard him take a big deep breath.

“Well”, he said awkwardly, “I was calling to tell you that we had unfortunately decided to go with your competitor on this job”. Maggie hid her disappointment professionally, until the customer continued, “But, you know what? I’ve been dealing with this guy over there who always goes on about how bad things are. In fact he said his firm would give me a discount because of the recession, and to be honest, he always sounded desperate to get the work. Give me ten minutes and I’ll call you back!”

When she picked up the phone a short while later, she was greeted by the same customer confirming that he’d talked to his MD, who’d agreed to give Maggie the whole contract, worth over £120,000 in the next 12 months. He added that the other quote was for around £20,000 less, but they just couldn’t face the prospect of dealing with this miserable guy for another year!

What’s the lesson here? Well, apart from the obvious “People buy from people”, there’s another more subtle message.

If you emit positive thoughts, words and deeds in everything you say and do, you will actively attract success.

In fact, these days, the moaners’ predictions of doom and gloom are far more likely to be self-fulfilling prophecies, and you will, like Maggie, find it even easier to steal their business with a smile on your face.

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com business consulting.
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries

Focussed Upstream Networking for success

2009-02-16T01:07:00.000-08:00

FUN takes practice!

One of the hardest things to do in business, as in life, is to make connections with those people who can truly enhance your prospects for success.

Most of us are reasonably good at networking, but often only in a close comfort-zone, interacting with those in a similar position to us. Doing that can be great for shooting the breeze and comparing tales of woe, but isn’t always a recipe for creating any radical change.

I have a friend and client with a plot of land which he wanted to develop, but wasn’t sure what to build or how. He asked me who I knew who might be able to help him. I suggested he picked the phone up to the wealthiest and most successful property developer in the City over recent times. I’d met him recently, and felt sure he would listen to my friend’s dilemma and try and help.

Sure enough, when asked “can I have the benefit of your opinion on a project I am considering?”, Mr Big invited my friend to come along to his office, and not only offered advice, but is now working with him to create a fantastic new site which will reap far more than either of us had imagined.

The technique we used there is what I call FUN, or Focussed Upstream Networking. It’s a massively powerful way to move your business forward, and easier than you think.

Start by making a list of the ten most successful/wealthy (often one and the same) people you know. Even if you only know someone else who knows them, put them on the list if you can get their contact details.

Then, email or call each of them with a (very) brief intro and a request such as “I’d like to get the benefit of your experience on…” or “as I know you’ve been very successful at…can you spare half an hour to look at my situation?”

You’ll find most people are flattered and more than happy to open up to you, and you will create at least 2 or 3 worthwhile lasting relationships.

Remember the key is to choose your network carefully, and always be looking to expand it outside of your current reach.

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com business consulting.
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries.

Do something mad today!

2009-02-16T01:01:00.000-08:00

Do something mad today!

The businesses which are surviving and thriving in these challenging times are often those with an innovative approach to selling fairly ordinary products or services.

Here’s some of the striking and effective things my clients are doing to get themselves noticed –

Turbocharge your voicemail – Everyone one hates leaving messages, and yet most of us record the same dreary “I’m either out of the office or in a meeting…blah-blah-blah” for our callers to listen to. If you call a certain Birmingham IFA you will hear “This is Dave’s son Luke. Dad’s out earning money to pay my school fees. I really like my school, so leave a message and I’ll make sure he calls you back” The kid’s 8, and Dave gets everyone leaving messages, mostly good humoured too. He reckons it’s improved his business.

Call your bank and ask for marketing ideas – A client in the property business did just that, last month. The bank suggested he set up a programme of seminars for the New Year, using advice from their resident expert in that field, and with an extended overdraft to fund the project. Although they won’t always make it obvious, your bank has a vested interest in making your business successful.

Ask your customers for advice – Next time you meet, or call a client, ask him “What could I do to make my products/services even more appealing to you?” or “Who else do you know who could benefit from my products/services?”, or “If you were running my business, what markets/products/opportunities would you be looking at for the future?” Everyone is flattered when you ask for their advice, and you’ll get some surprisingly useful answers.

Develop a 30 second personal ad – This is a concise, comprehensive and entertaining description of what you do, given verbally every time you hand out a business card. Designed to express precisely why your customers do business with you, it needs to be learned by heart and used consistently without variation. A client of mine in the IT industry reports a 100% increase in actual business connections from handing over a card since he started doing this.

If you try any of the above, I’d be keen to hear from you with your experiences!

Jon Cooper is the founder of JupiterDawn.com - business consulting that works!
Email jon@jupiterdawn.com with feedback and business strategy queries.