Revenue solves all problems

c/o depositphotos

c/o depositphotos

We have some unwritten laws of behaviour in society, for example, the body language of how to tell whether someone is interested in our culture. This is because people tend not to tell 100% the truth, not because they are lying, it’s just because no one ever gets rewarded for delivering bad news. There are also laws in sales, the problem is no one ever tells you about them. As sales persons we are used to establishing best practices, our own rules or other peoples that fits into what you are selling and the way you sell. There are principles and habits which are simple ways to confine the game we are playing.

When you buy a new board game - one you have never played before - the first thing you do is read the instructions and learn the rules. What are the laws of how to move? Who goes when? Who gets skipped? What are the definition of winning? etc., etc. And in sales these are all critical elements. For some reason in sales, no one really talks about them or shares them because they are no incentives to do so. Most sales persons are lone wolfs and see everybody as a competitor instead of a collaborator.

We learn the traffic rules whilst learning to drive, but in reality, we learn the rules once we have passed our driving test. The speed limits, the rules of when to stop, when to slow down, when to pull over, which lane to drive in, etc., etc. Some of them are written down and others are not. Similarly, in sales the rules and laws also needs to be learned because this is the way the game is played. I think it will save us so much time if we document our sales rules and occasionally review them, as we cannot remember all of them. We have to have a general rule of behaviour, patterns and habits to become successful. Contact me via e-mail for an evaluation of your procedures or sales training opportunities.


Science vs. spirituality

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In theory, science is intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. Spirituality embraces the idea of an ultimate inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of our being. And spirituality is centred on the deepest values and meanings by which people live.


I think that science answers the questions about how the world works, spirituality answers the questions about why the world works. Science is dependent on observations of a phenomena and it the best theory to explain it. Spirituality is dependent on faith and belief systems which are usually not reliable when positioned next to the empirical evidence that scientific data provides. In general science and spirituality are the tools we use to better understand ourselves.


Accelerating the process

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This morning I read an article about unlocking human potential. This led me to think about how few organisations understand the value of installing a sense of meaning for their employees, leaders and customers. We all know that sales is the critical interface between supplier and customer, we also know that the role of the sales person is to gain trust and progress guide the customer towards your solution.


I think that if the senior management were to install a deep sense of meaning into the work that they are doing, then the organisation would be significantly more productive, effective and innovative, and more likely to win the customer’s mind. Both employees and leaders would feel a higher degree of engagement and life quality. Would you like to take your organisation to the next level of performance by increasing the sense of purpose and belonging? Contact me via e-mail for workshops, mentorship and coaching.


The power of reframing things

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Reframing is a technique used to help create a different way of looking at a situation, person or relationship, by changing its meaning. Reframing requires seeing something in a new way, in a context that allows us to recognize and appreciate positive aspects of our situation. Reframing helps us to use whatever life hands us as opportunities to be taken advantage of, rather than problems to be avoided. I think that reality is not a particularly good guide to human happiness as we often forget:
1) Things are not what they are, they are are what we think they are.
2) Things are what we compare them to.

Another way to understand the concept of reframing is to imagine looking through the frame of a camera lens. The picture seen through the lens can be changed to a view that is closer or further away. By slightly changing what is seen in the camera, the picture is both viewed and experienced differently. Contact me via e-mail for guidance, mentorship or coaching.


Where do I position myself in my own story?

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I think that it’s a universal human desire to be heard, to have one’s unique identity recognised and seen as worthy. Therefore, I have always made a point of showing an interest in the history, culture, and people of the the places I have visited. Believe it or not, I really do not like speaking about myself.

Last night I was asked the question, “What do you really do?
I replied, my mission is to inspire organisations by showing them how to simultaneously deliver happiness to their customers, employees and community in a long-term sustainable way. As I think the smartest selling tools add value to existing systems and processes, I do this by using the 4 D’s (discover, define, develop and deliver).


Do you actually stand for something?

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I think that all organisations today should have a manifesto which contains a manual for how they connect to their customers in a deep and meaningful way. Not just how to sell their customers more “stuff”. What I have found is that the successful organisations are those who are connecting their customers to each other, for example, Apple and Microsoft. Both Apple and Microsoft have proved beyond reasonable doubt that you can make money from this if you are enriching your customers lives and connecting them to each other.


If you are going to build a tribe then you have to ask yourselves whether to make it easy to join, trivial or exclusive. It’s really not a hard decision, the most important factor is the tribe should not be trivial as nobody wants to join a tribe that is average. People will only join tribes that they identify with and/ or believe in. Building a tribe means creating a following of people respect you, believe in you, support you, know what you are talking about and want you to succeed. Historically, there were only 3 tribes: work, community and the church.

When we join a tribe we are making a statement about ourselves. Are you interested in knowing how to inspire loyalty and a feeling of belonging? Please send me an e-mail when you ready to build or grow your tribe.


Willingness to listen

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““Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.” - Barbara De Angelis”

Finding the North Star

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The definition of digital marketing has not fundamentally changed, what has changed is the relevance and the essential role of digital. Especially the relationship between the consumer and brand, and vice versa. Building a bridge between where the companies were to where they are today - in mindset, in understanding of the power of digital and in understanding how the platform is being transformed.



I think the key ingredient is that brands must ensure they keep their core values and positioning intact. The digital transformation story for your brand begins with a real need to understand your digital engagement. We can look at what is digital, from both the platform and a social standpoint. I can guide your brand through the process of moving forward from simply understanding what they need to do, to actually implementing those changes throughout you organisation. Contact me via e-mail (confidentiality is assured).


Without action your dreams will remain dreams

You may have heard the below quotation before, have you ever thought about what Thoreau was trying to tell us? I think that the modern implications of Thoreau's quote is rooted in the idea that individuals must listen to their own sense of voice.  

““If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” - Henry David Thoreau ”

Thoreau is passionate about the idea that individuals break free from conformist notions of the good. I think that if you have evaluated your career choices from the perspective of “meaning” and have identified something worth pursuing, then evaluated the potential risk and reward which led you to seriously consider pursuing your dreams, and then developed sufficient belief in yourself to take serious action, then all that is left is for you to set goals for yourself and take consistent action toward achieving your dreams.

Illustration c/o iStock

Illustration c/o iStock

If you are not happy with you current career situation send me an e-mail (confidentiality is assured).


Quote of the day

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““We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” - Benjamin Franklin”

On a journey

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Earlier this week I finished reading Barak Obama’s book, “A Promised Land”. Whenever I read, I am always thinking about what kind of world view would make this language effective. All marketing creates change and if you are not creating change then, you are not in marketing. I think the only chance of succeeding is to be specific in the discovery phase, asking the client about the who are the people they are trying to reach and change.


- What change are you seeking to make and who are you trying to change?
- Are you trying to change lonely people into connected people?
- Are you trying to change powerful people into kinder people?
- Are you trying to change people with one status into people with another status?
Send me an e-mail if you would like to have a fresh approach whilst figuring out your path to action.


The hard part is getting it done

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The difference between getting noticed and being ignored lies in providing the right content and context for the right audience, the hard part is getting it done! Too often marketing comes at the end of the cycle in creating something, I think marketing is an intentional act and therefore should be integral in the creative process. We should say at the beginning - for people who believe this and want that - I am bringing you something that matches what you believe and helps you get what you want.

Send me an e-mail if you are interested in figuring out how to be honest in the following way:
If I was one of these people who believed in what I say and I knew what I know about this thing, would I buy it? And if one of the people you are speaking about does buy it, would they tell their friends?


It's you, uniquely you

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Nowadays, small brands cannot afford to participate in traditional media buys, so social media is the only place where they talk about their brand. This morning, I realised that it’s been almost 2 months since I activated my Clubhouse account, and I still haven’t joined a conversation room. For those of you who are not aware, Clubhouse is an invitation-only social audio app. Apparently, Clubhouse is the home for people who are disillusioned with social media censorship and unequivocally condemn all other forms of racism and hate speech.

This new storytelling approach which is not visual will take a little while to catch on. As the Clubhouse rooms disappear after they are over, and as recording a room is against the rules - “going viral,” in the traditional sense, isn’t really possible. I think the Clubhouse app could help brands to attract new clients, as it’s an ideal platform to consistently define, express and communicate who you are, who you serve and why you are currently dedicating your life to serving your target market.

Room for improvement

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One of my good friends thinks that we become stressed when there is a gap between expectations and reality. I think that it’s very important to have a mentor to guide us on our journey. As a mentor, I can support you:
1. By clarifying the destination.
2. By sharing the best and most effective path for the journey.
3. By pointing out the obstacles that you may face on the journey.
4. By helping you overcome the doubts you may have about the journey.
5. By helping you overcome doubts you may have about yourself.


Contact me via e-mail if you are in having me as your mentor on your journey. Encouraging you with positive feedback, especially when you are overwhelmed by criticism or discouraged by pushback, I can guide you onto the “right” path by looking into the following:
a) Absorption
b) Beliefs
c) Cooperation
d) Determination
e) Enthusiasm
f) Flexibility


Culture eats bureaucracy for lunch

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The legendary management consultant and writer Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”. If our well being is directly related to our environment and the work quality we produce, then we really should put more effort into thinking about how to optimise it. 


In his book, “Good to Great”, Jim Collins said, “If you get the right people on the buses everything else will sort itself out.” Perhaps it’s time to look at the coaching style of working together and focus on what empowers. This is an approach which will guide individuals to find their place, their role and their hidden talents, rather than putting restrictions on people and telling them what to do. Is your organisation prepared for feedback that is frank, open and honest?


I think that if you built your organisation around these principles - create the environment, employ the right people and develop the culture - your organisation will thrive. Are you interested in taking a deeper dive into your organisations communication and culture? Contact me via e-mail for coaching, mentoring or workshops.


Creative by nature

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The more choices you have, the more chance that you can do something interesting and remarkable. The artist in me realised that the more I give away, the more I change people, the better I do. The price of originality is criticism and the value of originality is priceless.


The posture of change and the posture of generosity are hard because it’s scary. Our “Lizard Brain” is in charge of fight, flight, fear and freezing up. It’s the first part of the brain that develops in the foetus and the other parts develop on top of it. We all have a brain that wants to make music, wants to have a conversation and we also have a brain that wants to run away, that wants to fit in, that doesn’t want to be laughed at and a brain that wants revenge, and a brain that wants to have children.


Anytime that brain wants to speak up the lizard brain is what wins. As that is why we have survived as a species, and the bad news is the thing that protected us from sabre tooth tigers is the same thing that is recking our lives. It’s sabotaging our ability to do the thing which is actually going to work. 


An extraordinary gift

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““What is now proved was once only imagined.” - William Blake”

Love, empathy and kindness

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Taking care of our mental health during a pandemic has not been easy. In times like these we deserve better for ourselves than fear, paranoia and conspiracy theories. Be grateful if this virus hasn't touched you, your family, friends or colleagues. Let's all simply make choices which accommodate the needs of society.


Professor Steven Reiss (psychologist) has found that 16 basic desires guide nearly all meaningful behaviour. These desires are what drive our everyday actions and make us who we are. Reiss said, "What makes individuals unique is the combination and ranking of these desires."

The 16 desires are:
- Power
- Independence
- Curiosity
- Acceptance
- Order
- Saving
- Honour
- Idealism
- Social contact
- Family
- Status
- Vengeance
- Romance
- Eating
- Physical exercise
- Tranquility


Many researchers who have tried to reduce all human behaviour to just one or two basic desires, for example, pleasure, pain or survival. I think people know that other people have different values and pursuits, but they cannot understand how this can be. Self righteous people waste an enormous amount of effort trying to change people who do not want to be changed. As I believe that every person has a unique desire profile, hopefully, this pandemic has taught us that we are all connected.


We have the power to do it

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I think that all marketing creates change, therefore, if you are not creating change then, you are not marketing. What change are you seeking to make and who are you trying to change?

  • Are you trying to change lonely people into connected people?

  • Are you trying to change powerful people into kinder people?

  • Are you trying to change people with one status into people with another status?



Be specific about the who are the people you are trying to reach and change otherwise you have no chance of succeeding. The challenge is to find the smallest viable audience of people who can support you, only serve them and only attempt to change them - “If you are like this and you want to get to to that, then I can help you get there.”