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Jun 15
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Why Foresight and Forecasting Is Important For Your Business

By Business Coaching Leadership Strategy No Comments

Being an oracle or seer isn’t exactly on your priority list as a business owner. I get that. But using experience, perspective and the almost limitless supply of online information to predict, estimate and foresee the disruptions that end up shaping our world is absolutely essential to any successful entrepreneur.

Indeed, there aren’t any crystal balls or tarot cards that can predict the likes of Facebook, Google or Amazon rolling in and dominating their respective industries, but one thing is for certain: each of those successful companies had an element of foresight attached to them.

They were able to predict and understand that with the rapid growth in technology, there were new problems on the way. And that meant new solutions needed to be worked on before anybody else could realise the potential.

So why is business forecasting so effective and how do you start making it a part of your business?

Fortification Through Forecasting

 Being a business owner means that you have loads of responsibilities on your plate. The planning, effort and the hard work put in to maintain that business is already a struggle on its own, so finding new ways to keep it growing, improving and well-fortified will take up even more energy, time and dedication.

As a business coach and someone that’s all too familiar with the highs and lows of running a business, I know how difficult it can be to manage everything on that brimming plate of yours. But without seeking new avenues for growth and progressing your business to move ahead of your competition – you leave yourself susceptible to risk.

The less risk, the better. Right?

Although forecasting and prediction isn’t a cure-all for some of those risks, it certainly makes a huge difference if you’ve prepared yourself and your company to deal with the constant changes that are bound to come your way.

Ultimately, adapting to a mindsight of prediction will strengthen the fort that you create around your business. It forces you to plan ahead and formulate contingencies that will help strengthen your company – should some form of change occur.

This way, you’re always prepared for the inevitable and ensure that you are always moving towards the goal of finding new solutions before they’re needed.

3 Benefits That Come With Forecasting 

As you begin to consider an approach that makes effective use of forecasting, it would be wise to know some of the benefits that come with using it.

Firstly, it gives you the opportunity to formulate a more structured approach towards your business strategy. By using insights, trends and patterns to predict any new changes in the world (disasters, pandemics, new technologies/infrastructures, war), you can better prepare your business for any major changes and plan out how you’re going to deal with any problems that you might face.

Secondly, you’re able to estimate an increase or decrease in demand based on patterns and insights that you’ve gathered through historical data, or through predictive trends. This will allow you to plan ahead for an upcoming increase or decrease in sales; so you’re able to speed up or slow down production and employ or let go of staff to deal with changes in demand. The ability to be and remain dynamic is a powerful weapon.

And last, but certainly not least, with forecasting you’re able to allocate the necessary time and resources for emerging possibilities, rather than relying solely on guesswork and gambling. It allows for calculated risk-taking and prepares you to deal with the outcomes that could be either damaging or beneficial.

Research has also proven that businesses that prepare for the future outperform average ones by 200% higher growth and 33% higher profitability.

3 Ways To Approach Foresight 

Okay, so I can’t give you a crystal ball or a black mirror to use for scrying, but I can provide some tips that will help get you started with making effective and promising predictions.

Listed here are a few of the methods that can be used to get started with forecasting. Remember that not all forecasting is based on looking into the future for possible change, but gathering insights through any form of data that will ultimately come to affect the future of your business.

Use The News – the news acts as a great source of recurring trends and patterns that indicate changes in the environment, industrial landscape and technology.

By using the news to predict certain shifts in behaviour based on impending change, then you’re able to work on promising solutions or strategies when changes occur. Think about how companies like Apple saw the changes in technology with regard to music, bandwidth and connectivity, in turn creating the iPod, iPhone and MacBook; or Canon looking past analog film and exploring digital photography, giving us access to the amazing DSLR cameras of the day.

Look At Quantitative Data – with quantitative data, you look at existing data based on purchase statistics, historical shifts and current technology. You can use your company data to discover patterns and coincidences that help you mould new strategies, additions and solutions.

With this approach, you can look at trends and changes in population, culture, technology, the environment, etc. and make predictions to take action based on the data that you’ve collected over time.

Use Qualitative Data –  this type of data isn’t too focused on stats and figures, rather you gather opinions, knowledge and thoughts from your staff, leaders, customers and executives.

Using collected data from these sources could bring a lot of insight for your business; what changes could benefit the company, ideas for new services, suggestions to improve the customer experience, and even external predictions and thoughts into what might happen in the years to come. Listen carefully to outsiders and insiders to make better predictions.

Start Looking Ahead 

Being aware of the knowledge that history might hold, the information that the present keeps hidden and looking into where the future is heading will help you formulate new decisions to enhance and improve your business.

Historically, certain patterns and events end up repeating themselves; currently, there are new technologies creeping in and slowly changing the way that we do things; and while the future might be filled with ambiguity, the futurists, innovators and Elon Musks of our time all have a vision and idea about what the future might hold – so watch them carefully and prepare for the inevitable.

I don’t have a crystal ball, but if I did, it would show me that you and I are capable of doing great things together.

My foresight tells me that your business could make use of some new insights, changes and improvements that only a business coach like myself could offer.

So, take a glimpse into the future and see yourself working with me to make that business of yours remarkable, impactful and transformative.

Do it. Or Don’t. The choice is yours:

+2783 253 3339 + brent@spillly.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jun 09
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Culling And Stacking Staff – Your Vitality Curves.

By Business Coaching Consulting Hiring No Comments

Every single business needs a great level of attention paid to retaining the right staff and culling those that don’t fit the ideal avatar of a suitable employee.

It can certainly be a difficult or tough process to undergo, but in order for your business to be as successful and as progressive as possible, there needs to be a level of measurement applied that will determine which staff contribute the most and those that are the most destructive to your company.

And in coming to terms with those that don’t bring any value, that are a weak culture-fit and that simply can’t grow – you need to get that rifle locked and loaded and begin hunting.

Rifles Ready; It’s Time To Go Hunting 

As a business coach that comes into contact with so many different businesses and entrepreneurs, there’s always an apparent vitality curve that needs evaluation and consideration.

Within the vitality curve you always find a small percentage of employees, around 10%, that sit on the edge with no value to bring to the company; these employees tend to be a bad fit in both productivity and culture. While they work at a slow pace, with low-output and a distinct inability to get certain responsibilities done, these members of staff are to be considered problematic for the healthy operation of your business and need to be pushed out.

The greater portion of the curve, which is generally around 70-80%, will be the staff that perform at an average rate and do the job well-enough to have the business operate effectively. These employees generally make up the majority of your business and keep it functioning at a healthy level without hassles and the requirement to possibly terminate them. I recommend training, motivating and incentivising those that fit in this category.

And finally, you’ll find on the other end of the curve your company’s top performers, also around 10%, which drive your business in the right direction and bring better profits, efficiency and promise. These employees should be treated with a higher level of respect and should be compensated, accordingly. Give these staff members great incentives, prizes and/or motivation to keep doing an amazing job.

When it comes to dealing with the bottom 10%, your poor performers, then it’s recommended that you find ways to get rid of them, either by firing or working them out of the system.

As criticised and difficult as this method might be, you need to cull this group of non-performers, as they act as leeches to the company – constantly feeding off of your business and never bringing anything to the table.

The former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, is famous for doing exactly that; firing and getting rid of the bottom 10% of performers on a yearly basis, keeping his top 20% of performers incentivised and motivated, while coaching and training the other 70% in order for them to keep developing and progressing in the business.

Even with a strong defense and great interview approach, there will always be a few rotten eggs that end up in any business, so it’s helpful to divide, categorise and select those that need better incentives, more training or to be culled.

This method is quite popular in some of the biggest companies out there and is often referred to as “rank and yank”, where employees are ranked and yanked out according to how well or poorly they are performing. It ultimately makes way for a better performance culture and the overall efficiency of the business.

It’s Not Always Fun, But It Needs To Be Done

 Obviously it takes up loads of time and energy to proactively get rid of staff and ensure that you’re constantly evaluating which of them make a good fit every year, but you’ll come to see that it becomes a necessary evil.

While it can be highly criticised and seem like a harsh route to take, your business will reap the many benefits that come with a strong, determined and high-functioning environment of performers that have what it takes to keep you on a trajectory of growth.

Keep in mind that you’re not being vindictive or malicious, but rather keeping your company’s best interests at heart.

In the belief that everybody deserves a second chance, you are more than welcome to act on that and give every employee a chance to improve and deliver on expectations. Offer training, coaching and advice to help bring about a change in attitude and if it doesn’t work, then you know that your rifle is in arm’s reach and ready to fire.

Remember that you also might run into dishonest and malevolent employees that might not necessarily deserve second and third chances, but that should be fired and replaced by someone with more promise and that will appreciate the opportunity to work for you.

Also, be open to creating an environment that takes care of average employees by training them and giving them the opportunity to grow in the company. This keeps them hungry and motivated to reach the status of a top performer and will most certainly bring positive results.

Finding difficulty in taking aim of the staff that need culling is a common occurrence and you don’t need to worry, because I’m here to help you with that (and a whole lot more). My coaching services include rifles and ammunition, along with the tracking techniques to sniff out and determine those who are detrimental to your business. Let me in and I’ll show you how it’s done.

We can meet via Zoom call, face-to-face, at the shooting range, or even a traditional phone call will work wonders. Let me know how I can help you:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

Jun 03
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Bullwhipping The Sales Machine Out Of You!

By Business Coaching Entrepreneur Sales No Comments

Thinking back to some old-school (and brilliant) pop culture, Indiana Jones definitely comes to mind. Such a legendary character that brought true action and adventure into our hearts that satiated our imaginations with all the right choices. Ah, the nostalgia.

One of my favourite trilogies of all time (of course, they had to butcher it and turn it into a pentalogy, with a fifth being introduced in 2022), I was hooked like a salmon to a treble hook and was in total awe of his ability to use the bullwhip like a proper Spanish Vaquero.

Using that bullwhip effectively is no easy task and understanding how it works will add a bit of bulk to the analogy I’ll be providing for you today.

My Whip Is Longer Than Your Whip 

In those years, when cowboys mattered, the size of the bullwhip determined the strength and ability of those capable of wielding such a responsibility. The bigger the whip, the stronger you were; not to be mistaken with small-dick syndrome and the overcompensation that comes with having the most expensive, phallic-shaped car possible.

By using it as an analogy for sales and referrals, you need to be aware of what it does and how it works.

Being quite a difficult process to get started, there needs to be a lot of work and strength put into initiating the circular motion that will gradually expand in circumference to eventually send out the tip as far as possible. This is done in order to create a loud crack through a small sonic boom made by breaking the sound barrier.

So, how does this translate to sales and referrals?

Obviously, in order to get new clients, you need to get out there and do some heavy lifting of your own, pushing down on your sales team and using the right marketing tools, while setting aside your pride and asking for business.

Like the bullwhip, getting it going can be difficult to do, but once there’s momentum built-up – it becomes a lot easier to manifest your intended outcome. It takes a lot of strength and effort to go out and land your initial clients and deliver value and a quality solution to them; but once those clients are involved in the process of buying on a regular basis, they will start referring you to others with comfort and confidence.

Similar to the cone that a bullwhip forms, which gets wider and wider as you spin it; so do your clients continue to expand until they reach a tipping-point, where referrals start happening.

At that point, you don’t have to put as much effort into sales and marketing, but you just have to maintain the quality of work that you’ve been producing.

You need to be aware that in order to become a referral-based business, you must look at it as a long-term goal, because in the short-term phase of your growth – you need to be far more aggressive and proactive and go out there to do your marketing.

Pace Yourself And Crack The Speed Of Sound

 In sales, the pace in which your sales leads grow is directly related to the effort that you put in at the beginning of the process.

As soon as you start selling and landing new work, the sooner referrals will pour in from those clients and you’ll build a portfolio of work that will fetch positive PR that can be used as content for your marketing strategy.

In your business, you act as the wrist that will provide motion to the bullwhip; speaking to as many relevant people as possible, advocating your business and driving awareness to your service and USP.

The faster you whip those sales, the larger the sales will be and the easier it becomes to maintain those clients and the referrals that will come with them.

Now, before I whip you, get going and drive those numbers up.

Get those referrals flowing to you like a well-irrigated rice farm.

And be sure to include me in your ass-whipping journey; I’ll provide you with a bigger, stronger bullwhip, one that won’t just break the sound-barrier, but shatter it.

Get in touch for a lunch, a chat or to see who might even have the bigger whip:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

 

May 31
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Stop Playing In The Middle; Pick A Side, Dammit!

By Business Coaching Entrepreneur Strategy No Comments

A big part of building a concrete business strategy is in deciding the market that your company is going after, which can be difficult as every market is unique and all of them have certain dynamics that are to be considered when taking them on.

Every business also has a different approach as to what they are going after and within that playing field there’s always opposition to be considered. As a business owner, you want to find space where you’re not in direct competition with that opposition.

This is why I’ll often recommend to my clients that they should always consider and keep fully aware of the market that they are aiming for to adopt their product or service, as it’s not always a clear-cut path.

“Where Do You Play And How Do You Win?” 

As you’re going through the process of finding the right market to deliver to, your awareness shifts to dynamics such as size of market; the geography of that market; the LSM and earning potential that comes with those potential clients; and whether you’re targeting a large, mass audience or a very niche and particular audience.

Within every product or service, your market can often be divided into two categories that sit on either side of those dynamics mentioned. Bear in mind that there is always room for a middle-ground, but that’s the space that you want to avoid when picking a side.

I like to look at the two sides as the Rolls Royce and the Chappies sides of those industries; the Rolls Royce side refers to the most expensive, exclusive and niche markets, while the Chappies bubble-gum side refers to the cheaper, high-volume and open markets.

Essentially, your goal is to pick a side and work your product or service and customer relations into one of those sides, while keeping away from the middle.

It’s better to pick either the low-volume, high-margin route or to take the high-volume, low-margin route, as the markets tend to be split and function better in one of those two areas.

In South Africa, when you take a look at the retail and food industry, we have Woolworths that takes on the Rolls Royce model, with careful attention paid to high-quality import products that opt for a smaller target market that are willing to pay higher prices. They dominate that area of the market, with a greater experience to offer their customers and a more comfortable environment; which ends up being a bit more costly.

In comparison, you have the Shoprite brand that adopts the Chappies model, where there’s access to a much wider market, but with much lower pricing on their high-volume products which cater to people with lower incomes. The experience isn’t as great and less attention is paid to making the customer feel far more comfortable and at home, but the pricing is far cheaper and there are far more customers at the end of the day.

These two models work very well for the businesses in these spaces and when you find some companies that try to sit in the middle, like Pick ‘n Pay, there’s always a challenge to deal with as the bottom takes up most of the volume-based market, while the top takes the niche and exclusive market; while they struggle from the middle to cater to both ends, taking fire from both sides.

Pick A Side And Stick With It

 When picking and deciding on your target market, be very deliberate as to whether you want to find and attract Rolls Royce (high-touch, boutique, exclusive; better experience and enjoyment) customers or Chappies bubble-gum (lower priced, high-volume, wide audience) customers.

You will do your business the world of good if you choose to focus on a particular market and ensure that you deliver the best possible product or service that you can. Don’t fall into the trap of chasing shiny pennies that distract you from picking one side.

Try to avoid the middle and keep away from attempting to make both sides of the spectrum happy, as it doesn’t always work out for your business in the best way. You’ll be left under a load of strain as you compete with both the cheaper and expensive model, rather than dealing with one competitive force by choosing one of either side.

Take the time to consider the pros and cons that each of those markets present you with, weigh it out and determine which area suits your product or service best.

Being a fence-sitter has never really worked out too well for anybody, ask Humpty Dumpty.

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, picking a side and being firm in that decision will help your business blossom in the best way possible.

The same applies when choosing a business coach to assist you in taking ground-breaking leaps to achieving the best your business has to offer; it’s either you want me in your court, or you don’t – there’s no time for indecision from the middle.

So, let me know whether or not you’d like to have a meeting, a chat, a face-to-face or a much-needed wake-up slap:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

I’m kidding about the slap, but I mean, if that’s your thing… I know people…

May 26
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7 Great Reasons To Start A Business Today!

By Business Coaching Entrepreneur Lifestyle Motivation No Comments

Sure, starting a business is no easy task and it certainly comes with its struggles and challenges, but the bulging benefits of starting one are far too many to ignore.

From the freedom and autonomy that comes with becoming an entrepreneur, to the skills, experience and purpose that you’re able to develop along the way – starting a business will open up new, empowering horizons that you never thought possible.

Freedom And Autonomy

 In starting a business, you’ll find that you take away the pain of working for a boss or within a hierarchy that might have an uncomfortable culture to deal with or operate in.

You allow yourself to feel the independence and freedom to do as you please when creating the environment of your choice. Have you always wanted to be a better leader, have a better system for employees, or a peaceful and productive environment to work in?

If that’s the case, then by creating your own business, you take control of the steering wheel and make the decision to operate in a better way for everybody. This will give you a strong sense of control in your ability to create change and mould something incredible for people to respect and admire.

You’re free to be who you want to be and make the right changes, while enhancing the lives of those around you. You’re free to play golf all day or spend time with your family and go on extravagant vacations.

Achievement And Pride

By taking that level of control in building out a business, whether big or small, you’re left with a level of pride around the hard work that you’ve put in to achieve something memorable and impactful.

You can rest with a clear conscience around the fact that you’ve taken the risk, effort and time to create something from nothing. The improved self-esteem that will come with that drive and ambition will give your ego a facelift and have you feeling like a king or a queen.

It goes without saying that humility is always one of the best traits to keep in touch with, so avoid arrogance, but embrace the fact that you will certainly be dripping in confidence and come out looking and feeling sexier than ever. Just like building anything from scratch, you’ll be proud and feel great about what you’ve achieved and succeeded in doing.

A Healthy Bank Balance 

It pretty much goes without saying that running your own business will help you in achieving far more financial freedom than you would by working a normal job.

Obviously the responsibilities that come with paying employees on time, taxes, rental fees and other costs will take away from your earnings, but when going about it the right way – you have a world of potential profits to look forward to.

The money that comes with running a successful business can help you build even more businesses, retire early or live the lifestyle of your choice. It ties back to having a sturdy level of freedom and autonomy in your life, which gives you peace of mind when doing what you want to do.

Skills And Development 

As great as the freedom, money and pride that come with running your own business can be, you’re able to develop a wide range of skills and abilities that you simply can’t put a price on.

While building your business, you learn more and more about the different approaches, models, strategies and tactics used to take your business to the top. This allows you to view everything around you in a completely new way; seeing opportunity in places you wouldn’t have expected, spotting marketing strategies that you were unaware of before, developing your insight and mind’s eye to take on and navigate through uncertainty.

You grow in ways that you wouldn’t have expected and as you explore new avenues of interest, you begin mastering the many different facets that come with all of this dynamic and constantly progressing information.

Learning how to use technology and infrastructure to your advantage; understanding how the laws around particular industries and markets operate; and the knowledge of your own potential and limitations provides insight into the person that you are.

Meaning And Purpose

We live in an age with so much to offer, with plenty of paths to choose from and without any direction or purpose it can be disheartening and somewhat demotivating when we run into existential crises; left confused and battered by unfulfillment.

By starting a business where your passion can be the driving force or even in discovering new interests through this process, you find purpose in the world and see that it’s far easier to navigate through life knowing that you’ve left a positive impression and footprint for everyone to see and feel its impact.

This sense of meaning can bring about wonderful changes in confidence, self-esteem and balance in your life as you know that you’ve done something meaningful on this earth, while taking away loads of skills, insight and a developed character.

It’s difficult to find meaning and purpose, so starting a business can certainly be rewarding in that sense. You’re kept busy with growth and improvement, becoming more fulfilled by the day.

Causes & Charity

One of the more philanthropic and selfless reasons to start a business is the fact that you can make a significant contribution to the causes and charities of your choice, especially as a reputable business. You’re able to make more impact and a greater difference in people’s lives and contribute to the movements that you see fit.

Fighting for a particular ideal can give you plenty of joy and happiness in different areas of your life, again raising self-esteem and confidence in yourself.

Your business can also act as a sign of hope and relief to the different charities and organisations that seek to make a difference and better the lives of people. PR might not be on the top of your list when doing good for others, but you will naturally become recognised for the good that you do and it will be far more rewarding to yourself and others.

If you’re a person that wants to help make a difference in huge and meaningful ways, but find it difficult to do this on your own, then starting a business can push you to make better changes for those that you see fit.

New Experiences 

Working on your own business will bring about new experiences and viewpoints on reality and the world around you. Opening your doors to new situations allows for better personal growth and a deeper level of understanding around the way that life works.

With these new experiences, you’re always kept busy and constantly engaging with so many new perspectives, leaving you with knowledge and wisdom on a wide variety of subjects.

You will encounter numerous personalities that you need to work well with and understand, industries and markets that operate in certain ways and people from all walks of life that open more doors of opportunity to you.

This will force an evolution and a valuable change in your emotional intelligence as you begin to view people and situations differently than you had before, allowing more experiences and moments of magic to come into contact with.

Bonus Reason No.8 

There you have it, 7 great reasons to start a business.

But, there is an 8th that I’d like you to be aware of.

If you start a business, you’ll have the opportunity, nay, the advantage of the advice, knowledge, experience and insight of a brilliant balding bearded business coach.

Not all business coaches come with that alliterative function, so I’d definitely recommend checking him out.

He has what it takes to have your business blossom with all of the right strategies, tactics and research you could ever need; he is trustworthy, credible and driven; he is motivating, energetic and creative.

As I unmask and reveal to you, while no more referring to myself in the third person, that I, Spillly, am the best business coach for you, do yourself a favour:

Start a business and get into contact with me.

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

May 24
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Sacrifice Versus Stimulus

By Business Coaching Consulting Innovation Strategy No Comments

I’ve come to find that within a growing number of industries, more specifically in  tech-dominated spaces, that more and more entrepreneurs are becoming reliant on the idea of finding investors, or some form of financial backing before taking their solution to market and starting a business.

This notion that there needs to be funding or some form of stimulus before making the decision to create a business is somewhat ridiculous, in my opinion.

I don’t know if hard-work, sacrifice and the due diligence required to prove oneself in the market isn’t as important anymore; or if I’m just outdated.

Doing Sales Versus Hunting Down Investors

 I’m finding it quite interesting that more and more potential entrepreneurs are avoiding taking a route to success through the sacrifice of time, effort and resources in order to get their company started and off the ground – instead they opt for some sort of external funding.

This sort of logic shows that it would be wiser to spend precious productivity on chasing down investment and financial support in search of someone to fund your dream business – when all of that drive and ambition could be spent on developing the product and sales strategy to achieve that goal through one’s own volition.

There’s a lot of conversation around the idea that starting a company without funding is far too difficult or strenuous to be achieved in this day and age, and that spending time on a sales deck to lure in an investor would be the right way to go about making this happen.

But very few start-ups need this type of external investment and I find it a bit lazy to avoid the more traditional route of sacrificing your own resources and pushing your hardest to achieve success on your own terms, without the need for that sort of intervention.

I’m not saying that investors are a bad thing, either, but when too much emphasis is placed on financial support, it can be somewhat problematic and hinder your growth as an entrepreneur.

If the time is taken to develop the product or service and some sort of financial sacrifice is made to put your solution out there, then it’s far more applaudable and attractive to potential investors that could provide funding further down the line.

By putting more ambition and drive into your product or service and showing that you believe in what you’re bringing to the world, you’re likely to achieve far more results.

Other than the achievement that comes with that desire to make the necessary sacrifices to start a great business, you’re granted far more autonomy and freedom in the decision-making processes and feel much more empowered at the end of the day.

As someone that has invested and provided financial backing to people and their dream businesses, I always consider certain criteria and would never blindly give away money without weighing out the attitude and character of the entrepreneur, first.

That being said, one of the biggest motivators that will attract me towards investing in a potential business owner is their ambition and the momentum they’re able to create in pushing their solution through sales, sacrifice and determination. There’s a certain level of reluctance I feel toward giving my money to someone that doesn’t show me that they have these qualities and don’t have enough belief in their solution to brave the storm themselves.

I suggest to anybody that wants to start a business and conquer the mountains that come with being an entrepreneur, to have enough belief in their product or service to first engage in the sales, marketing and make the sacrifices needed to brave that inevitable storm.

If your ambition is to be an entrepreneur, a successful business owner and believe that you have what it takes to take your solution to the market on your own terms, but require a bit of guidance and advice: as a successful business coach, I can help you with that.

Perhaps you’ve been putting in the effort and have a solution that you know is of real value to particular markets and industries, but can’t get past a certain point and might need some financial intervention: I can also help you with that.

It’s quite easy to grab my attention, as my phone is always fully charged and I’m constantly reloading my emails page, waiting in anticipation for a client just like you – so, let’s make something happen, soon: [small investment required]

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

 

May 04
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Stop! Don’t Chase Those Sleek, Shiny Pennies.

By Business Coaching Strategy No Comments

In providing simple, effective and strategic frameworks for my clients, especially those that run small businesses, I always make sure to include the Five Ones.

“What’s that, 51s?”. No, my friend. Five (5) Ones (1s).

This strategy is easy to use and apply to any business that wants to grow and that doesn’t necessarily have a lot of products or services that they offer. These businesses generally do one thing, or one of several things and don’t offer too many solutions.

Places like agencies, content production companies, even an apple farmer – they all specialise in one thing.

But, Shiny Pennies Are So Shiny, Though.

 Making use of Clay Collins’ strategy of the 5 Ones, helps business owners give themselves, their business, their team and marketing a focused and clear path to take when putting out a product or service that they specialise in.

Most of the 1-15 man businesses don’t deal with a large variety of clients and don’t supply a huge selection of products, or services. So, it’s important to find ways to gather the energy and intent to identify and market the product or service that they offer, in order to squeeze the best out of it for their customer or client.

It sounds easy enough to start implementing, but I tend to find that numerous clients that I end up coaching will fall into a wicked trap – one that I like to call ‘the shiny penny’.

A shiny penny, simply put, is a distraction from the intended goal and purpose behind what the business provides its customer; put it this way, you have a direction, a destination that you’re heading towards and along the way you stumble upon a shiny penny. This shiny penny arrests your attention and takes it prisoner to the newness and potential that it offers.

You’re now distracted and your focus is on the penny, instead of the intended destination.

This tends to happen to business owners when they become enamoured by what seem like new, sexy and innovative ideas along the way, but that push them off-course the predetermined direction of their business.

Often justifying shiny pennies, business owners claim that “it’s complementary to my business and we can do it quite easily, just hire one more person,” without being aware of the fact that it’s a different service, or a different kind of business altogether and requires a different kind of client.

The 5 Ones is a framework to remain on the path, without being distracted by the silly need to chase all the shiny pennies that are out there.

So, What Are These 5 Ones?

They are simple enough to understand and digest, with enough room to re-evaluate and realign them when necessary. They follow each other and each one should be thought about and implemented one after the other, for better results.

  • Start with One Client Avatar or a perfect client that you want to be focusing your time and energy on that will embrace your solution, product or service; they are the ideal customer that you want to be focusing on for the next period of time. Answer the questions: which industry do they belong to and what are the problems in that industry that we can assist with?; what is their geographical location and what demographic are they a part of?; what product or service do they want from you and how much of it should we supply?; how much and how often would they spend money with you?; where could you advertise to gain maximum exposure and are they traditionally or digitally inclined?

 

Remember to apply the 1:9:90 rule and figure out where that perfect client sits in the bigger picture – who is the primary audience member? Are they just lurking in the 90% and are happy with finding new solutions without really looking too far?; or are they in the 9% that will spread your brand, products and services, because they understand its value and importance; and if they’re the 1% that can influence the masses, how do you make them happy and appreciate your offering enough to start a snowball effect?

 

  • The second One, is One Solution that’s considered unique and that you can deliver with ease. It should solve the perfect client’s problem through your primary product or signature service and should differentiate you from your competition and should be double-niched to make it as unique as possible. Your USP becomes extremely important in this phase, as you need to convince clients to buy from you and with immediate effect; outline what makes your offering important and the unique problem that you are solving for the client; create a list of why your offering is better than what the opposition offers and why the client will adopt it; make it clear how you’ll impress and intrigue clients and provide a promise to deliver.

 

You want one product to sell to this one target; you don’t want five products, you don’t want ten, you don’t want 15; you want ONE amazing and unforgettable product.

 

  • The third One, One Marketing Channel speaks to staying clear of the shiny pennies and too many responsibilities – pick one platform or channel that you can become an expert on and that you know your client spends time around. You need to make a decision and decide whether or not you’re a B2B or a B2C business and once you’ve decided who you’re selling to, you need to make the decision whether you want to go ‘direct’ or ‘indirect’. Direct is generally the simplest approach, because it allows the vendor to sell to the customer directly.

 

Some great examples of these marketing channels include: social media, public speaking, affiliate marketing, public relations and email marketing (to name a few).

 

  • The fourth One, One Conversion Method relates to the way that you take the interested party that sees you on the marketing channel to a sales funnel and provide the necessary conversation to convert and get them to spend money on you. You should start looking at how to take them off the marketing platform and turn them into a client or customer. Finding ways to transform them from interested to committed and to start buying from you. There’s a variety of conversion methods out there and some of them include: e-commerce, virtual or physical sales meetings, webinars and freemium models (offering free, but charged additional features, services and goods).

 

  • The fifth One, One Year is the period of time that you need to apply this strategy in order to start assessing and evaluating the level of success that this method is achieving. It’s recommended to take a firm direction for up to a year and make slight tweaks and changes in the strategy where it’s needed. Keep in mind the importance of the impact your strategy will face when coming into contact with the enemy and that adaptability is critical, when needed. Constantly revise and revisit the method to get the absolute best out of using it.

 

I will reiterate the fact that no strategy is completely bulletproof and will bring about the exact results you’re looking for; so in picking the 5 Ones, always measure and re-evaluate it. Make changes and realign it if it isn’t working for you in any particular way.

To further your understanding of this strategy and its implementation, I recommend:

One Person (Me);

One Coach (Me);

One Meeting (With Me);

One Amazing Business Owner (You);

One Contact Method (Phone, or Email – with, guess who? Me!).

You’ll find no better combo!

 

Phone: +2783 253 3339

Email: brent@spillly.com

And PLEASE, for the love of Coffee, don’t chase shiny pennies!

Apr 24
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I Wrote The Wrong Bloody Book!

By Business Coaching Freelance Strategy No Comments

As an entrepreneur, freelancer, consultant or a professional in any field, for that matter – try and stray away from dipping your fingers into too many flavours and always be aware of the shiny pennies that might arrest your attention on your journey.

Take it from me, I’ve had to learn the hard way.

While it has certainly been a great journey in self-discovery and personal growth, I’ve found myself quite deep-down certain rabbit holes and it goes without saying that I have my regrets. (Now my fingers are sticky and my pockets sag with those heavy pennies.)

Take Caution When Delving Into Rabbit Holes 

In the previous business that I owned, I became known by friends, family, staff and the food manufacturing industry as “The Atchar King”, where I was renowned for my excellent product and the great service that my business provided in that industry.

At the time it was certainly convenient for my identity, as that level of credibility can take you and your business to great levels and leave lasting impressions of you.

And I’d be lying if I told you that being dubbed a king at something wasn’t pretty damn cool.

However, that doesn’t quite carry through to my current occupation and the business coaching that I provide to my clients today. It would be great if it did, but it instead takes away from the image and identity that I’m cultivating at this moment in time.

When I started coaching in 2012, I began gaining traction in the media, communications and technology spaces, slowly becoming known as the guy that provides great entrepreneurial advice and insight to business owners in those industries. I had just started building a name for myself, when I made the mistake of chasing a shiny penny.

For those who are unaware of the concept, a shiny penny is any form of distraction from the original destination that you’ve chosen to move towards. When your business is heading to a particular destination, shiny pennies often pop up along the way and realign your focus onto other ideas, concepts or projects that you might believe are beneficial to your company at the time, but end up affecting the resources and effort that should be spent on moving towards your intended goal.

So I found myself a shiny, new penny: the freelance space.

I Got Distracted With Writing The Wrong Book

It had interested me for quite some time that the freelance space was one that businesses could utilise to cut back on the expenses of having permanent staff and that particular roles could be outsourced whenever it was required – and so I went down a deep rabbit hole.

As an interesting and insightful piece of content, I landed up interviewing 64 agency owners around their use of freelancers so that I could better understand how well the strategy worked for them, what their frustrations were, whether certain things didn’t work and all of the pros and cons that come with this approach to running a business.

With all of this great information that I had accumulated, I came up with a report and it ended up gaining plenty of traction and interest – to the extent that I wrote a book about the freelance space and how to successfully run a freelance business.

It was a 2-year long project that I undertook, with a lot of time, money and effort spent on the process of writing and self-publishing it.

It didn’t end up being such a bad thing, as it was transformed into an engaging set of course material, where it was lectured and taught at a few tertiary institutions and I had even done some talks around it in a few different environments – but it ultimately took away from the identity I’ve been aiming to achieve.

People started referring to me as “the freelance coach”, which isn’t what I do, or advocate.

The shiny penny that I had picked up and took with me on my journey was becoming a part of my identity and started to define the clients that I would attract. Truth be told, this works wonders if that is the particular niche, or double-niche, that you want people to recognise you for, but it’s not what I wanted.

I don’t want to be known as “the freelance guy”, or “the freelance coach”; it’s not what I offer and it takes away from the core of my business, who I am and what I do.

It takes time to change the narrative around the identity that you’re given surrounding a product or service that you’ve offered or sold and I’m still working towards changing people’s views on what I actually provide to them as a business coach.

Rubbing Salt In My Wounds 

As if writing and publishing that book wasn’t enough of a reason to distract people from the service that I actually provide and what I yearned to be recognised for, I decided to share my Business Bikes And Breakfast Radical Accountability Program (BBBRAP) with the world.

It was still in-line with the direction I wanted to take in coaching and included a great passion of mine, but people started to attach that niche that I created as a label around what I do.

Taking a slightly different approach, I published a lot of what I did in BBBRAP as visual content on the different platforms that I was on and soon became known as “the guy that does bike events”, or that I “coach bikers.”

This was, again, something that I didn’t want to be exclusively known for and I’ve had to learn the hard way to avoid making mistakes like this.

Stopping to admire and pick up the shiny pennies that constantly draw you in becomes problematic when developing an identity or image that you’re trying to make stick in people’s minds.

So I implore you to be careful of the distractions that come your way and always be aware of quick-sinking rabbit holes, as well as the glimmering shiny pennies that might detract from your core business identity and main source of income.

Try and keep away from these types of distractions if they aren’t going to enhance the image, label or personality that you’re attempting to cultivate around your business, product or service.

Like I mentioned earlier – I’ve had to learn the hard way and find it quite difficult to redirect the narrative people have of me and what I provide as a business coach.

For some real business coaching, without the labels of ‘freelance’ or ‘biker coach’, then feel free to get into contact with me for advice, strategic planning, understanding the market and growing a powerful and profound business.

I can assist you with all of that and plenty more.

Don’t be under the assumption that I’m just a badass biker freelance wizard coach – I have so much to offer you and your business.

It’s easy to find me, chat to me and set up the meeting that will change your life and business for the better:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

But, I mean, if you are interested in that book of mine or keen on biking and business – I’m still your guy!

Apr 20
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Take The Time To Make A T.I.L.T List

By Business Coaching Creative Motivation No Comments

Constantly striving to keep your mind active, dynamic and engaged in learning can be heaps of fun and by dedicating a portion of your day to educating yourself around new constructs and concepts you’re able to grow exponentially as a human, broaden your perspectives, enhance problem-solving skills and transform your life, as well as others.

Developing an insatiable hunger for information will elevate you, opening new avenues of thought and best of all: Have you appear as the smartest person in the room.As a business coach, I need to always be ahead of the game and have pertinent knowledge around as much as I possibly can in order to guide and advise my clients in the most effective way – so, over the years I’ve been working on my TILT list and recommend that you start yours today.

Things I Learnt Today – T.I.L.T 

Everytime, I have an interesting and new client (all of my clients are interesting, don’t get me wrong), they constantly motivate me to learn new things, pushing me to seek out as much information about the topics and concepts discussed in our meetings as possible.

All of my clients are either constantly reading new information, exposing themselves to different industries and always learning and experiencing new horizons – so there’s never a shortage of new knowledge to be confronted by and consumed.

They would often teach me things that I had never heard of and so I’ve developed a tendency to engage in extra reading or studying the different ideas and concepts that were brought up after each coaching session. To make things easier, I write down anything that I want to familiarise myself with on a list that I go through on a daily basis.

So I dubbed that list the TILT list – Or the list of Things I Learnt Today.

Even on days that I don’t want to learn something new, I realised that forcing yourself to make that effort is very important for personal growth and development.Plus, as a coach that engages with so many different clients, I have to constantly be ahead of the curve and more informed than them – I have to ensure that I know as much, if not more, than they do about the topics, concepts and constructs that are discussed in our sessions.

Engaging in deep learning is fundamental to the growth process of any human being and so I make sure that I do that at any given opportunity. When I’m presented (or confronted) with new information – be it a quote, a simplistic or complex business problem, or solution – I learn as much as I can about it and reflect on what I’ve learned before the day is done.

Doing this has become helpful in numerous ways; not only do I ensure an ever-expanding repository of knowledge within my brain, but I’m able to share advantageous knowledge, insight and guidance with everybody that I come into contact with.It’s a very simple idea to wrap your head around and to begin implementing into your daily regimen.

We’re engrossed in an age where information is readily available to us through the tap of a finger and it would be ridiculous not to take advantage of that immediate and quick access to data.

I take absolute pleasure in introducing the idea of creating a TILT list to my clients whenever I have the opportunity and if you haven’t already done something similar – I urge you to start one today.

There are certainly no negatives that come with delving into the endless supply of educational material that we intercept on a frequent basis and there’s plenty of literature out there to prove exactly why it will make you a better and more productive human being.

Don’t believe me? Ask Google. Witness the benefits as they begin to bombard you.

What’s that? You want some more for your list? Was that not enough for you?

I don’t know if you know this, but I have loads of knowledge and experience around making you and your business achieve miracles and make that memorable impact that you desire.

There’s literally so much information and practical insight that I’m even giving it away for free. Imagine what I can give to you through my exclusive coaching sessions. Imagine.

I’ll make it easy for you and bring you one step closer – these are my contact details:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

 

Apr 16
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Looking Through The Customer Window – What Do They Want?!

By Business Coaching Innovation Strategy No Comments

Imagine you could look at a magical window that would show you what to look for when dealing with your client’s satisfaction – one that would help you understand what your perfect client looks like and wants.

This mystical tool will help to ensure that you’re building your service around the needs and desires of your client and ensure that you remain competitive in the market.

In that case, you don’t have to keep imagining. I might just have the right trick up my sleeve for you. No sleight of hand, no smoke and mirrors – just a simple quadrant that will aid in the first stage of your strategy.

Introducing: The Customer Window

During the delightful process of building out your strategy (especially your product strategy) and in understanding what your perfect client looks like, one of the tools you can make use of is a very simple quadrant that I’ve come up with for business owners.

It’s a great tool that I make sure I provide my clients with for their business and should be used on a regular basis (at least once a year) to check on customer-satisfaction levels and to ensure that you’re building your service for the client and remaining as competitive as possible in the market.

This tool should be used during the first stage of your strategic planning, when you’re going through the research phase and trying to understand what your ideal customer, or client looks like.

Investigating your customer-satisfaction levels ends up becoming extremely important in developing a sound strategy and it can be done through the use of questionnaires, or even asking your team internally.

Not only will it help you in understanding the customer’s satisfaction/dissatisfaction towards your product solution, but will also help you measure the adequacy/inadequacy of that entire solution and provide a more complete picture of your business delivery.

1 Window, 4 Questions = One Happy Camper 

In providing a method of analysis that aids in strategic planning, it will also bring more insight into how you should innovate products accordingly.

Each quadrant has a specific question that needs answering:

 

  • What does your customer want and not get from you? Think long and hard about that question and then map out exactly what you can provide for them. It can be solutions or additions outside of the actual product, as well; it could be that he/she wants quicker turnaround time; he/she wants more, or less, detailed reporting; maybe more face-time; even better pricing options; or benefits with the current pricing. What does he/she want and not get?
  • What does the customer want and get? It doesn’t seem like a difficult question to answer and that’s because it isn’t. It is important however, to recognise what they want and that you’re giving them what they want; identifying whether or not they are happy with what you’re providing to keep providing it in the best possible way.
  • What does the customer not want, but gets anyway? As important as it is to provide extra benefits or services, it’s even more important to recognise whether or not they even care about the fact that it’s there or not; if the customer gets something that they don’t even care about, you’ll be far better off removing it and saving the time or resources that it takes to give them that offering.
  • What does the customer not want and not get? Seems stupid to even bother asking that question, but in seeking an answer to that question, you have more to gain. By compiling a list to ensure that you don’t start offering crap that they don’t want, you make sure that you don’t start offering it in future. Rather avoid chasing a shiny penny that the customer doesn’t want or care about. Save the trouble; save the time.

So there you have it – an easy way to get right into the first stage of your strategy by doing some simple customer research and evaluating what the customer is actually looking for.

You get an idea of your perfect customer or client; what they want or don’t want; and where you can save time, energy and resources doing unnecessary work.

What do I want, but not get from you? A call, an email, a meeting with you;

What do I want, but get from you? Your interest, engagement and attention;

What do I not want and get from you? Nothing. You’re simply perfect;

What do I not want and not get from you? I don’t want you to not see me as the best business coach you’ll ever have and I’m waiting on you to reach out and make me yours.

You know how to reach me, you know an amazing opportunity when you see one:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

Now don’t waste another second answering questions. Be like Nike and “Just Do It”.