Ideal Marketing Company Blog

The Angel Hotel

FREE BUSINESS SEMINAR – THE 7 STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL GOAL SETTING

Vanilla Recruitment is delighted to present a free goal setting seminar in conjunction with Alastair Campbell of The Ideal Marketing Company at the Angel Hotel, Market Harborough

When we run our own business or department, it is very easy to become absorbed in day-to-day tasks without taking the time to look at the ’bigger picture’.  This interactive seminar covers a simple process we can all learn to make sure that life doesn’t pass us by and how we can achieve the things that are important to us. You’ll learn how to focus on the priority areas at work - as well as having more time with friends and family.  And finally you’ll discover why the great philosopher Bruce Forsyth was trying to tell us the key to a successful life – we just weren’t paying attention.

What is the cost? The seminar is sponsored by Vanilla Recruitment and The Ideal Marketing Company and is free to attend.

When is it? January 27th from 10.00am till 12.30pm. The seminar itself starts at 10.00am with the opportunity to register and network from 9.30am and also afterwards.

Where is it? The Angel Hotel, High Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire

Tea, coffee and soft drinks will be served upon arrival.

Vanilla Recruitment is hosting this event and would welcome you to attend for no charge and bring up to 2 guests. The event is likely to be fully booked so it is important to register your place in advance to avoid disappointment.

To reserve you place see www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk or call 01858 898 058

Marketing seminar - goal setting

Marketing seminars - When I run one of my marketing seminars I often start with some thoughts of goal setting.  Here are a few through from a seminar I held earlier this year you might find of interest.

Don’t be a clown this Summer

Who wants to act like or be thought of as a clown in their business or personal lives? Yet if you are not clear on what you decide to do with your life, it is all too easy to slip up, look ridiculous or end up having others laugh at your best endeavours.

Clowns date back many centuries and have a noble and important role in society – but you don’t want to be thought of as a clown. We all want our projects to be taken seriously and our efforts to be respected. If we go on a journey, we want to travel at speed and arrive in style – not blunder around with our vehicle falling apart. The purpose of a clown is to make people laugh and engender sympathy – and these are two feelings that you certainly don’t want to provoke in others.

Goal setting is the fastest way to achieve what you want in life, and for many people it has enabled them to become successful beyond what they ever thought possible. From Olympic medallists and successful business owners, to teachers and university graduates, goal setting allows us to work steadily towards what we want in life - once we are sure what it is that we want. By working on areas such as health, wealth and wisdom, goal setting allows us to achieve more than by any other method. Hundreds of books have been written on the subject, but the term CLOWN can help us all in both setting and achieving the goals that we want in life.

Here is a simple five point guide to setting goals for yourself and to stop clowning around with your life.

C is for Clear. There is no point in setting fuzzy, unclear goals which are hard to follow. Any goal you set for yourself should be very easy to follow and you should be clear in your own mind exactly what it is you want to do. Lack of clarity is one of the number one reasons why goals fail, so make your goals simple to follow. For example:

‘I will work harder in my job’ is far too vague. Better to set the goal ‘I will work an extra hour each day and make at least 10 appointments every week’. It is much easier to measure a goal if you are clear about what it actually is.

L is for Long Term. Whilst you might set yourself goals for today or this month, it is far better if these goals are part of a long term picture. Losing 2 lbs in weight this week is fine, but if your longer term, big picture goal is to lose 2 stone before your holiday in July, it is easier to motivate yourself. By all means, set goals to have £2,000 in your savings account, but a goal to have enough money to retire by the time you are 50 - and then work backwards - is far more motivating.

O is for Own. Your goals must be your own. If you are trying to achieve a goal for somebody else, it is actually their goal that you are working on. Goals should always be things that you decide and that you believe in. Let other people set goals for themselves, you need to believe and conceive your goals if you want to achieve them.

W is for Written Down. There is an expression that the cheapest pencil can survive the greatest mind. In order for you to remember and be inspired by your goals, it makes sense to always, always write them down so that you can revive them on a regular basis. There is no point in having great ideas if you can’t remember what they are, so always write down your goals and refer to them every day.

N is for Noteworthy. Your goals should inspire you to do greater things to challenge and excite you. If there is nothing exceptional or exciting about your goals, then the chances are that you won’t achieve them because you won’t be moved and inspired by them. Create big goals that will get you out of bed in the morning and make you want to put in the effort to make them happen.

Follow the CLOWN way to set goals that are:

Clear – clarity is always vital to successful goals

Long term – think big dreams to get yourself inspired

Own – if they are not your ideas you are actually working on somebody else’s goals

Written – if it’s not written down you can (and will) forget it

Noteworthy – make your goals exciting and inspiring to get you motivated.

Getting your goals right is no laughing matter. Use these simple ideas and you will generate the success you want in your life – not the laughter of the crowd.

Finally, I recently looked back at some of the goals I had when I set up The Ideal Marketing Company.  What seemed like an ambitious dream a few years ago is now part of my day to day reality. 

 

If you do this, you will look back on 2008 as the year that you accomplished a whole series of things that in 2009 seemed difficult – if not impossible. This process, or similar ones have worked for the most successful men and women in history, from Henry Ford to John F. Kennedy from Mother Teresa to Richard Branson.  It’s used by great athletes and scientists, business owners and authors. Most people who achieve extraordinary things are not extraordinary people.  They are just ordinary people with goals that give them extraordinary enthusiasm and drive.  Now their secret is yours to use for the rest of 2007.

 

Goal setting is just one of the many areas that I cover in my marketing seminars - call or e-mail to find out more.

 

So, to get you going, here are a few questions you might want to think about when you are planning what to do in 2009.  What would you like to achieve? What would you like to earn? Where would you like to visit? Who would you like to meet? What would you like to read?  What is your favourite thing? What car would you like to drive? What would you like to learn? What would you like to weigh? How far would you like to run? What could you do better? What would you like to do differently? What is holding you back? What would you like to do less of?  What would you like to remember as your high spot? What friends would you like to spend time with? Who would you like to visit? How would you like to be remembered?

 

Spend a quiet hour or two and think through what goals you would like to set for yourself.  Start with the 7 categories first (or as many categories as you feel fit your life) and then start asking yourself questions.  The ones that I have listed are just the start.

 

Write them all down on a sheet of paper. Write down anything that comes into your head.  Some of it may be fanciful, some of it ridiculous. At this stage it doesn’t matter, just write all your goals down. Now make a selection of all the things you have written down, I’d suggest a maximum of about 10, but it’s really up to you.

 

When you have written them all down, see if there are any obvious conflicts (it would be difficult to become the world’s pork pie eating champion and lose 3 stones in weight).

 

If two goals do conflict, decide which one is most important to you.  This is also a good time to see if your goals are well balanced.  If your goals are all to do with money and you have none connected to your family or your health, then in a few years time the chances are you will end up rich, divorced and ill.

 

Once you’re happy with your goals and their balance, put an ETA (Estimated Time of Achievement) on them.  Some you will be able to achieve by the end of February, some may take months or years.  Put an estimated date on each so that you have something specific to aim for.

 

Then write down each one and phrase it in a way similar to this:  ‘by February 28^th I will have visited the gym 25 times.’  

 

Say what the specific action is and identify when you are going to do it by.  Most important of all, write it down, keep it with you and look at it every day.  The best time is first thing in the morning and last thing before you go to bed – the list will help to keep you on track. Once you have accomplished one of your goals, put a tick beside it and have a celebration.  The bigger the goal reached, the bigger the celebration. Then decide on a new goal in its place and repeat the process. 

 

Goal setting is just one of the many areas that I cover in my marketing seminars - call or e-mail to find out more.

 

Out of 10, how would you rate yourself in 2008 for each activity? Nobody would be expected to have a 10 in each area, but could you do with a higher score in one or more areas?  Have you been so busy achieving a 10 in one area that you have neglected the other 6?  Perhaps all 7 could do with a general improvement?

 

You may have your own categories and if so that’s great.  But we should all be able to measure what we’re proud of and what we could do with more help in.  Now that you’ve looked back and have decided that, let’s say, your earnings are not what you would like them to be, it’s up to you to decide what you would like them to rise to by the end of the year.  First of all, realise that this is possible and secondly, understand that if you want to increase by more than the norm, then you will have to put extra effort and energy into this area.  So if you want to double your earnings, then you will have to be prepared to double your effort.  You will have to be worth more to your employer, or if you work for yourself, you will have to be worth more to your customers or increase the number of people you serve.  If you are willing to take the time and effort to do this, then there is little that will stop you. 

 

In short, you need to have a goal for what you want to achieve, a plan for how to get to that destination and then do something to get you there every day.

 

If you are still struggling with what you actually want to do differently in the New Year, here is a thought for you.  The best way to find the answer is to ask the question.  By asking ourselves questions we can usually find the truth.  Some people can go their whole life without ever considering what they really want out of life, and then wonder why things don’t work out the way that they wanted.  It’s like climbing a ladder only to find out that it was leaning against the wrong building.

 

 

Goal setting is just one of the many areas that I cover in my marketing seminars - call or e-mail to find out more.

How 2008 went for you will probably determine how much of a change you want to make for 2009.  If it went well, you might want to make sure it stays on track in 2009.  If it went badly, perhaps some serious reflection and re-evaluation is in order.

 

The best way to think about your resolutions or goals is to imagine boat.  A boat goes from harbour to harbour all its life.  When the boat’s captain sets out on a journey, he or she knows exactly where the boat is heading and, unless there is a terrible disaster, it will arrive at its planned destination.  The boat may not travel in a straight line; it will have to adjust its course many times during the journey, but after a few hours, days or weeks, it will arrive at its destination.

 

Imagine what would happen to the boat if the captain didn’t decide where he was going and just set off to see if he could stumble across a suitable place to dock.  For every warm, secure harbour to aim for there are a hundred miles of rugged coastline or sandy beach.  And what would happen if the captain decided to play it safe and just stay where he was?  A ship that’s left in harbour will turn to rot and rust.

 

What would you describe as the main areas of your life?  You may wish to consider these 7 categories:

 

Health, Family, Career, Education, Wealth (savings and investments), Home

and Fun.

 

Goal setting is just one of the many areas that I cover in my marketing seminars - call or e-mail to find out more.

Make the most of opportunities in 2009

 

With the memory of Christmas starting to fade and New Year’s muted celebrations well and truly behind us – how are you doing with your new Years resolutions?

 

According to a survey for Franklin-Covey, the top NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2008 were:

 

   1. Get out of debt or save money

 

   2. Lose weight

 

   3. Develop a healthy habit (e.g., exercise or healthy eating)

 

   4. Get organised

 

   5. Develop a new skill or talent (such as playing a musical instrument)

 

   6. Spend more time with family and friends

 

   7. Other

 

   8. Work less, play more

 

   9. Break an unhealthy habit (e.g., smoking, alcohol, overeating)

 

   10. Change employment

 

The survey also found that 35 percent of respondents break their New Year’s resolutions by the end of January and only 23 percent of those surveyed don’t ever break them. Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed attribute breaking their resolutions to having too many other things to do, while 33 percent say they are not committed to the resolutions they set.

 

In fact, in my opinion, for many people, just a few days into the New Year will find that their resolutions will have already start to run out of steam. 

Goal setting is just one of the may areas that I cover in my marketing seminars - call or e-mail to find out more.

When to use direct mail

Direct mail is great for launching something new to targeted groups of people. If you are launching a new finance product aimed at small companies which you have identified as having cash flow problems, then direct mail is perfect. It allows you to write to the appropriate person within an organisation, at the right time and be very specific with the information that you tell them.

For e-mail, it is best used as an opt in service. That means you give people who visit your site the opportunity to ‘opt in’ to receive updates and information about what you have to offer. Cold e-mail campaigns are far less effective that these warmer ‘opted in’ prospects.

Olympic Champions – a case of mind over matter?

This entry was written by a client of The Ideal Marketing Company - Trevor Silvster who is MD of The Quest Institute www.questinstitute.co.uk  

 

The body is a marvellous thing and the lengths to which it can be pushed never fail to amaze me. The sportsmen and women who will be competing in Bejing next month have spent years of their lives in prepation for an event which lasts only sixteen days. These elite athelets may only have a few moments to achieve their ultimate goal of Olympic victory – and in these tense seconds it is the power of the mind that will really make the difference.

So what are the ingredients that combine to make an Olympic champion? Undoubtedly the hours they spend practising and honing their skills. Obviously genetics, dedication and physical prowess also play a vital part. But ask any champion and they will tell you that it is the proper mental preparation that separates bronze from gold.

As a cognitive hypnotherapist, I deal in the realities our brains create in response to a range of situations. In simple terms, I work out why one person acts a particular way in a specific situation, whilst another responds in a completely different way. So what enables Justin Gatlin (2004 Olympic 100 metre sprint champion) to storm away from the blocks whilst others are slow off the mark? It is only by uncovering the pattern behind the behaviour that it is possible to help effect real change.

As a cognitive hypnotherapist, I deal in the realities our brains create in response to situations that occur around us. In simple terms, I work out why one person runs away from a dog someone else is happily stroking, why someone can speak up confidently in some situations and feel a complete fool in others, and why one person can kick accurately anywhere, anytime, and another can’t. By uncovering the pattern behind the behaviour I use the most effective method to assist them in changing.

 

 

Sport is full of examples of highly skilled people who are let down by their mental processes. One most recent example is that of John Terry who missed a crucial penalty in the European Cup Final. It seems inconceivable that someone earning what he does for being able to kick a ball should miss something that most 12 years olds could score from. So, what went wrong? I suggest it was his mind, not his eyes or his feet, that let him down. And we’ve seen it many times before, with the likes of Tim Henman, Jana Novotna (unkindly dubbed the lady from Chokeoslovakia), Greg Norman and any England football player called to take a penalty. So what goes on? What turns a superb athlete into a choker? And what can be done about it?

In any situation your brain (in simplistic terms, your unconscious thought) is working out the likely consequences of the actions you could take, it then selects the one most likely to bring you the result it believes is most beneficial to you. This is your brain. Your unconscious works using a simple, reflexive form of thinking; its fast but can sometimes be wildly inaccurate. If the calculation the brain makes of your future is negative it will release chemicals into your body that were originally intended to protect you from sabre-toothed tigers. They increase your heart rate, your respiration, stop digestion and, if strong enough, shut down those parts of our brain responsible for logical, considered thinking.

This puts you into a state best described as a trance. Not one that will get you to dance like a chicken, but one that will cause you to sky the ball over the cross bar, or forget your name in an interview. Anyone who’s ever felt ‘hijacked’ at such moments will know what I’m describing, a loss of feeling in control – truly, strong emotions make us stupid. It’s this fight or flight response that causes someone to run from a friendly dog, shake in front of an interview panel, or fluff a shot at match point, all because our brain looks at the present situation and calculates the likely consequence. As you stand ready to make your serve, do you foresee an ace, or the laughter of your friends as you hit yourself on the head? As you stand to make a sales pitch do you foresee an enthusiastic reception, or a mass of shaking heads?

Context is highly significant: you could be cool as a cucumber serving for the championship at Wimbledon, but a nervous wreck afterwards at the prospect of speaking at the press conference. This is because the meaning of the present situation you’re in (whether it’s good or bad), and its anticipated outcome is based on calculations the brain makes based on your past.

For example, if a young child trips over at the school play they will feel disoriented by the surprise and will look around her for what it should mean. If she spots her parents looking supportive and encouraging she might interpret the crowd’s laughter as something positive, shake herself down, and carry on happily. If they look disapproving or embarrassed then she’s likely to interpret the laughter as being humiliating and perhaps run off the stage in tears. A dozen different children experiencing that same moment could end up with different interpretations, mainly based on a split-second interpretation by the brain.

This moment may become what is called a hub memory, one that is used by the brain to calculate the meaning of present or upcoming events. So, the next time she is in a similar situation - the brain foresees the possibility of future humiliation and begins to trigger the flight or fight response hormones to help her get ready to run away from it. This is likely to be experienced as nervousness, something that grows stronger the nearer she gets to the event.

By the time this new event arrives the nerves are so strong that it’s likely to cause the predicted outcome to come true – the idea of self-fulfilling prophecies has a strong element of scientific validation. She’s so nervous she feels a fool all over again and is unable to perform well.

Now imagine a string of such calculations stretching up to adulthood. Each subsequent event would mould the context so the same event could be the cause of interview nerves in one person, or sports performance anxiety in another, or both in someone else; the permutations are endless, which is what makes my work as a cognitive hypnotherapist so fascinating – every day is a detective story.

So if the brain creates a version of reality that causes people to underperform, what you can do about it. Most people do is to try to wrest control back from the brain and ‘deliberately’ serve, or kick, or run. In other words we try to consciously perform an action that is so practised it’s almost completely unconscious and make a hash of it. We need something to keep us out of our own way and leave our unconscious to perform the actions we’ve practised.

 

 

 

Method One: Anchoring

Has a record ever come on the radio that reminded you of a past event and left you feeling a particular emotion? These are called anchors and work on the stimulus-response mechanism first identified by Pavlov. Basically the principle is that if, at the moment you’re experiencing a strong emotion, a stimulus is paired with it (a song playing, a group of people watching you, a dog running at you), then the two become wired together in your neurology and one will trigger the other off in you. Those examples were negative, but they can also be used beneficially by pairing a stimulus or trigger with an emotion relevant to your performance. A powerful trigger is a smell because the response to it can’t be controlled – even if you know something is going to smell bad you’ll still recoil from it.

British athletes have used this for a while. During training, whenever they get into a good performance state – run a personal best, feel full of energy or confidence – they’ll focus on their feeling and inhale a smell that’s impregnated on a wrist band. The smell itself is usually just something they like, although some natural products have been shown to have particular effects (peppermint improves short-term recall). They’ll continue to ‘stack’ these states over a period of time so the smell becomes strongly evocative of the emotional state that accompanies a good performance. On the big day, before serving, or settling into the blocks, or….taking a penalty…they take a deep breath and reaccess the positive state. Try it. Songs are another good trigger, and physical pressure like squeezing a finger and thumb also work well. All of a sudden the mannerisms of top athletes might take on a different significance – ever notice Tiger Woods twirling his club?

Method Two.

If I tell you not to think of a blue tree what happens? If I tell you not to think of…missing that penalty…the problem is that the brain has to process a negative; it has to think of the blue tree to not think of a blue tree. A key maxim in any situation where you want to perform is to think it how you want it. Before a game rehearse how you want it to go, see yourself performing well – make it a picture where you see yourself in it, rather then through your own eyes, because research shows that makes it more compelling. Fall asleep thinking of a positive aspect of your performance because it will prime you to notice your qualities and not your faults. If you play a sport where you have a moment to prepare, like tennis, golf or set pieces in football or rugby, then ‘play forward’ the next thing you’re going to do in your mind – while firing your performance anchor – precisely the way you want it. So, as John Terry approaches the penalty spot he pauses, takes a deep breath of his wrist band, and sees himself running up and placing the ball in a precise part of the goal. It will probably help if he closes his eyes so the goalie doesn’t get a clue from where he’s looking. For Arsenal footballers that line will magically disappear and you won’t remember reading it. Repeat that rehearsal until the effect of the anchor feels strong and then take shot, get in the blocks etc.

Method Three.

Imagination is one of your most powerful tools. I work with the mind/body connection everyday and know of its power, but you don’t have to take my word for it; researchers have found that old people given the task of spending time each day imagining bench pressing actually got stronger – and put on muscle! Imagine that, changing your body shape just by thinking. Also, an experiment was done where basketball players of equal ability were separated into three groups. One practised shooting hoops, one imagined shooting hoops, and one sat around reading magazines. After the allotted time they were put back on the court and their ability re-accessed. Who do you think had improved the most? Those who imagined, because they sat and rehearsed shooting perfect baskets and their mirror neurons – neurons which imitate the actions of others (and in our imagination we trick the brain into treating ourselves as an ‘other’) stored this ‘map’ of shooting a hoop and used it when it was next performed physically. Those who’d physically practised failed on some of their efforts so the map was more flawed. So, practise doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent, so make sure that what is being made permanent in your muscle memory is the best possible representation of your skill. Set aside 10 minutes a day to mentally rehearse key aspects of your game. As before, see yourself doing it – you have to represent yourself to your brain as an ‘other’ – and really focus. That’s why I suggest doing it for no more than 10 minutes, any longer and your concentration tends to drift.

There are many other things that modern psychology can teach us in order to improve our performance, and often they come from unrelated fields of study. One thing is for sure, in any contest between evenly matched opponents it’s going to be the mind factor that makes a difference – and sometimes it will against someone who is physically superior to you – remember Buster Douglas against Mike Tyson? So if you want to make headway, do head work.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to everybody who was able to attend the Marketing Seminar at Hothorpe Hall in Thursday night.  I got a great deal of positive feedback from the evening and more questions that normal about enroling on the Marketing Mentor programme.

Hope that everybody left with lots of positive ideas.

Â