Feel the Force - Become a Business Jedi

 I was listening to a podcast while relaxing in the bath (probably a sight you don’t want to imagine) the other day. Phil M Jones was the speaker - he has a great book called Exactly What To Say. I recommend it for your reading list.  The podcast covered lots of thing but 1 thing resonated with me HUGELY.  I n our training we talk about the only way to succeed is to fail. (Fall down might be a better thing to say). Failing is a key attribute to success. The problem is that many people don’t want to go through the pain of failure to discover success. Or they try something once and give up too early. This was emphasised on the podcast but he added another element… mistakes!!   Phil Jones made the point that there is a difference between failure and mistakes.   His interpretation was that..   a mistake is knowing how to do something and simply not doing it properly or consistently. while,   a failure is trying something new and not getti...

 I attended an online conference today to extend and enhance my skills and knowledge. It was all about Sales and one of the first things that was mentioned was First Impressions. Here at the Forces Group we talk about the fact that 1st Impressions Count and last....  ---> and never forget you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression!! But there was one statistic mentioned today that really stood out to me.... First Impressions are made in the first 4 seconds.... just 4 seconds.... really? I was so intrigued that I looked into this further and there is another statistic that says it is 7 seconds and another study that says it is actually fractions of a second. There is a lot of psychology involved here and I don't intend to spend hours researching BUT I am taking the premise very seriously and I would suggest that you do too.... Why...? Because if it is true then it could change your business, and there is no way it will hurt your business. So here is someth...

 Has the penny dropped…?  “Send me your invoice and I’ll transfer the money!”…. Says the lovely customer. You wait and wait and no payment arrives. Just one non-payment is the thin edge of the wedge but Non or late payment for work can spread like virus and have a huge impact on you and your business.  If you are walking away from new customers without collecting payment then guess what…? …. you are no longer in control of your business!!  You have just handed your customer complete control and while you may think that may sound a bit extreme, I am seeing it play havoc on many business owners.  I can see it causing anxiety, frustration and anger to the extent that it is impacting you personally and as a result it impacts other parts of your business.   Eg. You have to start spending your precious time and your money to collect that money that should already be in your bank. This leads to resentment that starts to impact on how you feel and how ...

To grow a financially strong business having income that is "guaranteed" each year is a wonderful thing.  So when you receive a call from a customer asking for you to quote for a "contract" it is understandable that you might get excited.  I know I get excited when asked to quote for some work, particularly if it looks quite a big opportunity. However, I have also learned that it is important to stay grounded and be curious. Most other sales people will be rushing to their vehicles to get down and see the potential opportunity and they will do everything they can to secure the deal. I strongly advise the "be curious" approach..... The main reason is that I want to understand more about the opportunity before I started getting excited and more importantly, investing my time to help the customer and secure the work. I want to qualify the opportunity (and the customer) IN or OUT.  Qualified IN means that I will spend more time and Qualified OUT means that I w...

Back in April 2017 we discussed the value of online Customer reviews at the first Group Conference at the Birmingham Motor Cycle museum. In those days we might have had 30-40 attending. One of the talks was on Reviews and what Review platform everyone preferred..? There was lots of differing opinions but with the help of Trustist it meant we could accommodate everyone. In 2017 the Group has amassed not much more than 1,000 reviews in over 10 years but following that meeting the Group hasn't looked back. There were some cynical views from around the network but they have been silenced through the results achieved since. We have a very specific process for collecting reviews and that is why we rhythmically collect hundreds a week. If you are a top operator you will know when to ask for a review and how to ask for a review. And if you are one of the best you will even follow up (nicely) to remind a customer of the importance of a review - good or bad.  The best performers get over 30%...

 This article is for anyone who is keen to start THINKING more about how to position themselves and their business better in 2023.   Best grab a few quiet minutes and a tea / coffee and either listen to the video and / or read the text. They are largely the same thing. During the Lockforce part of the conference in 2022 we discussed the difference between 3 types of service providers in the sector.  The Rogues The Amateurs The Professionals   As you can imagine we discussed this as a group and unequivocally agreed we fit into the Professional category. And then we listed out all the reasons why… Our know how, our uniform, our tools, our ID badges, our liveried vans, insurance, DBS, communication, punctuality etc…..   There is no doubt that we are a professional outfit and everyone who pulls on a Forces Group uniform should strives for the best and to do their best. If you are not tuned into all the things list above then you h...

I was chatting to Tom (Taylor) in the car this afternoon and he told me about the latest Review of the Day from Tom Field (Pestforce). We get loads of fantastic reviews and only 1 can get nominated as ROTD. However, this review from Tom Field is BRILLIANT in that it simply encapsulates the key things that makes a great service business…………… and virtually none of the review talks about the actual technical stuff.  Speed of response (I say response. Ie. Response to talk (reply) to the customer not necessarily when the work is done.) Arrived promptly Engaging Took payment by card Received Treatment and Invoice Giving post service advice  It clearly demonstrates what was important to this customer and there are many others that highlight the same. And guess what, this attracts more customers who value the same……………… do you want to attract customers who value HOW you do things, and not just what you do…..?? I send this out to reinforce wh...