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

The Angel Hotel

1. Failing to Plan and Prepare It’s great to have goals or resolutions but most people fail right there, they fail to write down a workable plan on how they are going to achieve each one of their goals.   For example was one of your resolutions to lose weight and get in shape this year?    Staying fit and healthy is the best thing you can do for yourself, but unless you have written it down and broke it down into more manageable sub goals its just a wish.   If you are serious about achieving your resolutions in 2010 you need to write out what’s in your head and put a plan together on how you intend to achieve it?     “Failing to plan is planning to fail”

2. Lack of action Following on from reason number 1 lack of action comes in at a close number 2.    With out a plan it’s unlikely you are going to take any action but even if you do write out a strategic plan on how you intend to reach your goal you must take daily action to move forward towards your goal.      Here’s tip to get you talking action, develop your plan using a step by step approach so you don’t get overwhelmed by the whole new years resolution thing . Break your main goal down into sub goals which can be achieved in a shorter period of time like a week, this way you can measure your progress and reward yourself weekly which is a huge component of mastering how to achieve your goals

For example if you need to lose 30lbs of weight, don’t focus on the  whole lot, just aim to drop 1-2 lbs every week and if you reach your goal reward yourself with something.

3. Not Rewarding Yourself when you reach a sub goal

This is basic human psychology, if you reward yourself when you reach your sub goal you are programming you mind to succeed, its a positive reinforcement.    Research shows that people who plan a series of smaller goals and reward themselves every time they reached it had 50% more chance of success

4. Not being emotionally attached with you goal

Most people want to be millionaire’s and have a great body but the people who get what they want have to earn it (well most of us, there are a lucky few of course).    So what is the difference between the people who achieve there goals and the people who are just dreamers.

As Napoleon Hill puts it in his book “Think & Grow Rich” They have a burning desire to get what they want.  A desire which is so strong that almost nothing will get tin their way, they have a strong emotional attachment to why they want what they set out to get.

Does that sound like you?

Do you want to achieve your resolution so bad that you will be willing to overcome any obstacle that gets in your way?

To be emotionally attached to your goal you must have a strong WHY, why do you want to achieve you goal?  You must know the PRICE, how much effort, time, money its going to cost and you must be willing to PAY THE PRICE.

People fail because they are not willing to do what it takes ?    What about you are you willing to do what it takes?

5.  Not Reviewing Your Goals & Not having Someone Hold You Accountable

Relying on will power alone is not enough; you must follow a systematic process and review your progress through some type of measurement system and have someone to hold you accountable for getting things done.    For example you can use a weekly body fat test to measure if your fitness program is working   From my experience you have a greater chance of success if you have some one or a group to hold you accountable.  Working with a professional fitness coach is a great way to be held accountable and get the support you need to reach your goals or if that is not a option for you surround yourself with like minded people.

In summery      Don’t let 2010 be another year where you fail what you set out to do.

1. Plan how you intend to achieve your goals

2. Take daily action

3. Reward yourself every time you reach a sub goal

4. Make sure you have a burning desire to reach your goal

5. Review and measure you goal and get yourself a fitness coach or someone to hold you accountable

Southampton Seminar

Thanks to everybody who came to my marketing seminars in Southampton this morning as part of the Venue Master annual event held in Southampton over a 3 day period.  Hope you found the marketing ideas useful and will take back a few ideas to help attract more new business leads.  Hope the rest of the event goes well and that you enjoy the keynote speech on Friday from Ruth Badger in the morning.   It was a lovely venue and it’s always a pleasure to speak to such a lovely audiance.

People would find the smallest thing to complain about, which is why I’m always interested in the most complained about advertising.  The BBC has a summary page has for just such ads from the past 12 months – the most controversial and complained about adverts.

What I always find interesting about these lists is how some things which seem harmless to me WILL cause offence in others.  Also how some very uncontroversial products of service will rely on sex or violence to sell. Judge for yourself at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8020881.stm

Marketing Seminars Leicestershire

Thank you to Claire from Creative Leicestershire for organising last night’s marketing seminar at Stephenson College. Around 20 companies attended for a talk I did on low cost marketing ideas for smaller business owners. A number of them spoke to me afterwards and I’m pleased to say that all of them appear to have qualified for the Train to Gain grant which will give them a free place on the Marketing Mentor programme. I look forward to seeing them again in a month or so at one of the seminars at Hothorpe Hall.

Find out if you qualify for thr marketing Mentor programme by e-mailing charlie@themarketingmentor.co.uk

Which do you find easier to read – Chaucer or The Sun editorial?  My guess is that whilst we hate to admit it, The Sun will win out every time.  I’m not suggesting that you copy their writing style, but elements of it are admirable. It’s clear what they are about.  They use short, punchy sentences.  There is little ambiguity over what is meant and you don’t need to re-read any of it because it was clear the first time.  At school we are taught to expand our vocabulary and write to impress.  With direct mail copy almost the opposite is true. You want to use words that everybody will understand and that people won’t stumble over.

One good way to discover any pitfalls is to read out loud what you have written and see if any bit makes you stumble.  If they do, re-write it until the whole letter flows smoothly.  Another important aspect is to use sub-headings to break up the text and use a PS at the end of your letter.  When it’s all written, look at it without reading the words.  Does it look like hard work to read? If it does, see if you can break it up with spaces and breaks.  

This material comes from one one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Seminars.

You cannot sell to people if you haven’t got their attention. The headline is there solely to catch people’s attention.  Newspapers use headlines to communicate what they stand for and the type of stories that you will find inside.  The headlines actually sell the papers: once you have bought the paper, each story headline sells each individual story.

If you don’t have a clear benefit driven headline at the start of your letter you can wave goodbye to about half of your readers, so spend time getting it right. It has to appeal to your perfect customer so think up a series of headlines that sum up what the letter is about.  Create at least 10, but you may write as many as 100 before you find one that perfectly sums up what you want to say.

This material comes from one one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Seminars.

What do you want to say? Why are you contacting these people in the first place?  You should always have a reason for writing to people.  Is it something new that they can have?  Is it a special offer or a reduced price, a new item in stock for a limited time?  Whatever it is, the offer is probably the most important area.  If you get the offer right then you are off to the best start.

Make your offer as eye catching and imaginative possible.  Make it time sensitive and difficult to say no to. Make it believable and above all make it easy to understand. To assess this, show your letter to a stranger: they should be able to say what you are telling them about in about 5 records if you are to have a chance of winning over people with your direct mail letter. 

This material comes from one one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Seminars.

What do you want to say? Why are you contacting these people in the first place?  You should always have a reason for writing to people.  Is it something new that they can have?  Is it a special offer or a reduced price, a new item in stock for a limited time?  Whatever it is, the offer is probably the most important area.  If you get the offer right then you are off to the best start.

Make your offer as eye catching and imaginative possible.  Make it time sensitive and difficult to say no to. Make it believable and above all make it easy to understand. To assess this, show your letter to a stranger: they should be able to say what you are telling them about in about 5 records if you are to have a chance of winning over people with your direct mail letter. 

This material comes from one one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Seminars.

There are various things that you can write in your letter that will make it more widely read, but bear in mind that about 50% of people will never even open your letter – it will go straight in the bin or will be partially looked at and then thrown away. The more you can make your letter look like a personal communication from one person to another, the better.

Having said that, there are certain ideas, tips and techniques that you can use to improve readership and response rates.

This material comes from one one of the Marketing Mentor Marketing Seminars.