A champion is basically a driven and impatient member. These are the members who are not happy to wait to be invited to a Converge Network, they go and start their own.
We encourage these driven, impatient and successful people to give us a call. We provide full training and weekly support for Champions and your time requirements are not as big as you might think. Champions drive the recruitment of members as well as chair / lead the meeting.
If this is you, call or email us today and let’s get started.
Posted by Converge on Jun 5, 2013 in Competitive Advantage, Converge Business, Value | 0 comments
Watching the Voice the other night (wife’s request) I was reminded of the value of positioning and branding. Miss Murphy, a very impressive singer goes through to the next (of what seems like endless) levels. Her real name is Karen Andrews but on this show and in her normal performances when is know as Miss Murphy.
She is the only contestant who is using a persona. Not only is she using it but the judges and show itself is accepting it.
Now I am not suggesting that her persona is what has got her through this far, although I do think it makes a significant difference from just being Karen Andrews.
Branding and brand value is crucial to business success, as it is for Miss Murphy. She has set herself aside from the other contestants through clever marketing and positioning. It is a great example of how this can be done.
So is your business a Karen Andrews that might benefit from being turned into a Miss Murphy?
Posted by Converge on Jun 3, 2013 in Communication, Converge Business, Value | 0 comments
Sometimes when business owners struggle to explain exactly what they do, I asking how they charge for whatever it is that they are trying to explain they do…
This comes from an article titled “Welcome to the Experience Economy”. Here is how they explain it;
You really are what you charge for – if you charge for stuff then you are in the commodity business. If you charge for tangible things then you are in the goods business. If you charge for the activities that you execute then you are in the service business. If you charge for the time the customer spends with you then you are in the experience business. If you charge for the demonstrated outcome the customer achieves, then and only then are you in the transformation business.
So what business are you in? Are you in more than one? What business would you like to be in? What business do your customers think you are in? Finally are you charging correctly for the business you are actually in?
I would argue that many businesses are in the transformation business – but – they don’t charge for it. Instead they charge like a service or experience business.
Take personal trainers. They are really in the transformation business but how many charge for achieved fitness goal (i.e. for every kilo you lose or every minute you gain in your race). None that I know of. Instead they charge per hour (as do most business coaches) which means that they are telling the client that they are only valuable while they are there, that the end result is not what the client is really paying for.
Some businesses will always be goods or services businesses however it is worth looking at what your clients really think they are paying for in terms of what you deliver.
A great way to do this is to ask your clients what they are buying. If you are a personal trainer ask your clients if they are paying for the time with you or just for the help you give then to exercise. Maybe they think they are actually paying for the transformation only you can provide them.
(The asking your clients is becoming a theme isn’t it)
Posted by Converge on May 29, 2013 in Converge Business, Customers, Value | 0 comments
Last week we talked about who your business shouts at – remember the megaphone analogy.
This week, assuming that we have turned our megaphone towards our ideal clients, now we need to look at what message your business is shouting.
There are thousands of books and articles on getting your marketing message right and the good ones always start with identifying the right client. I encourage you to read some of them.
Not being a marketer I won’t profess expertise. My message is very simple. In my opinion I think the best way to find this out is to ask your clients – over and over and over again. All of them. Regardless of how good you are at what you do, regardless of how passionate you are about what you do or your clients, you can still get ahead of yourself or off track from what they actually think or feel.
In fact the better you get the greater the chance that you will stray from the path.
Constantly refine your message and do that by constantly checking in with the people who pay you.
Posted by Converge on May 28, 2013 in Converge Business, Gordon | 0 comments
From Andrew De Souza – Champion of Converge Gordon
Just a quick note on proceedings today .
It certainly appears my members are thinking about the resource papers that we cover and to some extent , adopting them into their workplaces .
Warren( Chinese medical practitioner)- Mind Maps - he has implemented it into his business by providing Mind maps to his clients in relation to their health issues and also to add awareness on topics like Hydration/Relaxation/ Exercise – providing clients more of an education on general well being .Benefits of it being in a ‘Visual’ format help and clients certainly like to engage about the whole process/journey. Warren has also just taken on another room ( expanding his business) and uses MMaps for Documenting procedures in the business and Project Management of the expansion – really integrating it as part of his work.
Alan – (Family Law ) - Thank You but No - his law firm undergoing good growth but his resources (personnel, physical space) are stretched and has used the resource to guide him what business to turn down. Due to high demand in the business he is working longer hours (and loves it) but wants more work/life balance and does not want to have a drop off in service as a consequence of the growth . In the past he felt he had to take on the workload but the resource has aided him in determining what to take on and what to pass up on (and refer to others in his network). It appears the solution he came up with after today’s discussion was he needs to add another personnel to share the workload .
Madeleine (MD – EISAU- Educational Infrastructure Services Australia) - Retain and Delight Clients - believes in listening to and exceeding expectations with clients, offering discounts on services and products via promotions. Benefits have been gratitude from the client base and recommendations which is ultimately her aim / goal – customer satisfaction.
So all up great to see the members integrate these tools into their business and 2/3 members actually experiencing GROWTH issues – fantastic in this demanding economic environment .
Really pleased for Warren as mentioned when I first went to see if he wanted to join this group – he replied’ I am happy where I am ‘ – only to now embrace a growth phase which would not be possible without Converge – that’s a good story for us all!!
Really proud of the group.
Cheers,
Andy
Posted by Converge on May 23, 2013 in Lane Cove, Meetings | 0 comments
Welcome to the Experience Economy at Converge North Sydney.
The topic today was the HBR article on the experience economy – the key message is that you are what you charge for…
“You really are what you charge for – if you charge for stuff then you are in the commodity business. If you charge for tangible things then you are in the goods business. If you charge for the activities that you execute then you are in the service business. If you charge for the time the customer spends with you then you are in the experience business. If you charge for the demonstrated outcome the customer achieves, then and only then are you in the transformation business”.
Where does your business fit?
Posted by Converge on May 17, 2013 in Communication, Converge Business | 0 comments
In business your clients are bombard with hundreds of messages everyday – yours is just one of the many. If you try to talk to too many people nobody will hear you properly.
Imagine that you are standing on the proverbial milk crate in the local business square. You have a loan hailer or megaphone and you are surrounded by people, 360 degrees around you.
Got it?
Now the people standing right in front of you are hearing you loud and clear. The ones to the either side are hearing you ok. The ones on your rear left and right are getting every third word and the ones directly behind you can’t hear a thing.
Where are your ideal clients? Hopefully they are right smack in front of you. if not you are shouting at the wrong people. If they are directly behind you – then you are really in trouble. In many businesses I work with they are usually to the left and the right a little. They are there because they are not as noisy as the ‘close but not quite’ clients. You know these guys, they look like they will be great but often want changes or extras that eventually mean that they are less or unprofitable. They are also the most vocal about what they want and what you are not delivering. Remember the 80/20 rule – 80% of your work will come from 20% of your customers but also 80% of your headaches will come from 20% of your wrong customers.
So who is your business shouting loudest at? Remember based on this analogy (and in real life as my kids often say) you can’t talk equally to all people so make sure that you are talking the loudest and clearest to the right ones.
This is what I mean when I say ‘orientate your business towards your ideal clients’. Will you get the wrong ones – absolutely but make sure that you don’t make changes or add things based on the wrong clients or you will have turned your loud hailer away from your ideal to that other less desirable group.
Posted by Converge on May 14, 2013 in Converge Business | 0 comments
In business, especially small business you need to the best. True?
I believe that you have to be the best – option for your clients!
If you are not then they won’t buy from you. This clearly does not mean you have to be the biggest or the price leader. What it means is that for your clients, the people who get your value proposition(s) and fit your target, you must be their best option in all aspects including value.
I talk with business owners often about orientating their business towards their ideal clients and not towards their last client. This is the case here, the way you design and develop your products or services needs to be aimed squarely at the ideal client. They will love it, i.e you will be their best option and the other clients who are not as ideal will still like it hopefully enough to buy it.
So when you think about being the best at things in your business make sure you are looking at your ideal clients and not solely at your competitors and what they are doing because they hopefully are chasing a different client.
Posted by Converge on Mar 15, 2013 in Converge Business | 0 comments
Last week Converge had a very special guest – John Warrillow author of “Built to Sell”.
Built to Sell was one of the top selling business books in the US in 2011 and the Converge Members got a private 3 hour session with John last Friday. Across the groups we have discussed John’s book and ideas extensively and many members have made significant positive changes to their businesses as a result. So it was great to get an opportunity to meet with John in the flesh and discuss his experiences. For more photos check out the Photo Gallery on our site.
If you haven’t already read it – then make sure you get a copy of Built to Sell
John is also the creator of the Sellability Score which you can complete at no charge on our website
Posted by Converge on Mar 15, 2013 in Meetings, Mosman | 0 comments
A fabulous sunny morning at Beautiful Balmoral Beach. Our topic today was Mindfulness, what does it mean, and how can it enhance our work/business. Andrew Hurrell surprised us with a box of Lindt chocolates, and proceeded to guide us through an exercise in Mindful Eating – feel the chocolate in your hand, smell it, take a bite, let it melt on your tougue, feel the texture, the taste……….you get the picture?? Quite a way to start your morning, let me tell you. Our discussion, while being aimed at our businesses, covered Pat Rafter, NBL, baseball, the Waratahs, Shane Watson, the Australian swimming team….oh and yes, a bit about our businesses.
Try it, I think you’ll enjoy it.
Posted by Converge on Mar 12, 2013 in Fitzroy, Meetings | 0 comments
First photo of Converge Fitzroy. Off to a great start
Page 1 of 1912345...10...»Last »
