As well as being a PR and marketing seminar it also covers a host of other ideas around business growth such as goal setting, planning and how it inspire staff and appreciate customers.

Researchers have found that there is not just a correlation between low self-esteem and materialism, but also a causal relationship where low self-esteem INCREASES materialism and materialism can CREATE low self-esteem. They also found that as an individual’s self-esteem increases, their interest in materialism decreases.
In a study primarily focused on how this relationship effects children and adolescents, Lan Nguyen Chaplin (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and Deborah Roedder John (University of Minnesota) found that even a simple gesture to raise self-esteem dramatically decreased materialism.

“By the time children reach early adolescence and experience a decline in self-esteem, the stage is set for the use of material possessions as a coping strategy for feelings of low self-worth”. The paradox that findings such as these bring up, is that consumerism is good for the economy in the short run, but bad for the individual in the long run, especially for young people.

Most of us want more income so we can consume more stuff. However, several separate studies show that as societies become richer, they do not become happier. Statistically people have more material possessions and money than they did fifty years ago, but they are actually less happy. In fact, the wealthiest countries have more depression, alcoholism and more crime than they did fifty years ago and yet we have more material goods to purchase than ever before. This paradox is true of Britain, the United States, Australia, continental Europe and Japan.

The real reason people want whatever is currently “hot” or “in style” is because they believe it will contribute towards their satisfaction and happiness in life. The word “believe” is the key here. People believe that buying more and more things, especially name brand clothes and cars, will make them happy, when in fact research has shown time and time again that this simply isn’t the case.

The point here is if you believe that when you get enough “stuff” you will be happy, you are setting yourself up to be very disappointed. So instead why not be happy NOW?  That’s right!  Cut out the middleman (all that stuff you think will make you happy when you get it) and just be happy NOW. A radical idea, wouldn’t you say?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.