Lion's Toolkit for Targeted Business Growth

SLEEPING LION
BUSINESS TOOLKIT

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”
Voltaire

SLEEPING LION
Don’t confuse movement with progress. It’s not about how busy you are, it’s about
effectiveness: avoiding the timewasting trivia and focusing on the important stuff.
A lion sleeps around 18 hours day, and yet is still the undisputed king of the beasts.
It is the master of minimal effort, maximum return.
Over the years I’ve tried to find ways to emulate this. Advising people on targeted
business development – through consultancy, workshops and facilitation.
I have picked up a range of interesting exercises and tools from a number of highly
intelligent peers and great business writers.
They cover:
Branding, Customers, Marketing, Sales, People, Productivity, Ideas and Ethics.
I can run bespoke training sessions in all of these areas, but my signature workshops are:
Smart Business Development
Sophisticated Sales
Intelligent Marketing.
For full details visit: sleepingliononline.com

“If you have a bad image and you are bad, then you don’t have an image problem.”
Evan Davis

WORKSHOP TECHNIQUES:
one: FORWARD THINKING BRANDING
How to get the basic elements right
two: DEVELOPING A STRONG BRAND
How to build a great brand
three: DEVELOPING MARKET MAPS
How to establish your current and future brand positioning
four: ESTABLISHING BRAND PRINCIPLES
How to work out what you are and what you are not
five: THE BRAND BOMB
How three simple questions can anchor your brand
six: CREATING A BUSINESS MODEL AROUND YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION
How to create products and services that people really want
BRANDING

BRANDING INTRODUCTION:
COMMON SENSE BRANDING
Branding exercises range from super simplistic to thoroughly comprehensive - the choice is down to you
and your style, and the stage your business is at. This section offers up some options - all of which I have used
successfully with different clients.
Branding can get a bit pretentious though, so I like this reminder from Jack Trout’s In Search of the Obvious
to not lose sight of common sense.
GET YOUR EGO OUT OF THE SITUATION
Good judgement is based on reality. The more you screen things through your ego, the farther you get from
reality.
AVOID WISHFUL THINKING
We all want things to go a certain way. But how things go is often out of our control. Good common sense
tends to be in tune with the way things are going.
BE BETTER AT LISTENING
Common sense by definition is based on what others think. It’s thinking that is common to many. People
who don’t have their ears to the ground lose access to important common sense.
BE A LITTLE CYNICAL
Things are sometimes the opposite of the way they really are. That’s often the case because someone is
pursuing his or her own agenda. Good comon sense is based on the experience of many, not the wishful
thinking of some.

one: FORWARD THINKING BRANDING
How to get the basic elements right
This is a quick and simple method from Marty Neumeier’s book Zag to sense check if you’ve got the key
elements of your brand right. When focus is paired with differentiation, supported by a trend, and
surrounded by compelling communication, you have the basic ingredients for a forward-thinking brand.
EXERCISE: Complete the four sections below and challenge weak areas.
COMMUNICATION
DIFFERENCE
TREND
FOCUS
D F
T
C
Do you have true conviction?
What makes you special?
What trend are you riding?
How well do you communicate?
BRANDING

two: DEVELOPING A STRONG BRAND
This is a great tool to thoroughly work out what your brand’s all about.
EXERCISE 1: In his excellent book Zag, Marty Neumeier outlines this comprehensive method to help develop
a strong brand. The full exercise follows, but this one pager will really help start your thinking.
1. WHO ARE YOU? 2. WHAT DO YOU DO? 3. WHAT’S YOUR
VISION?
4. WHAT WAVE ARE YOU
RIDING?
9. WHO’S THE
ENEMY?
10. HOW DO
YOU EXPLAIN YOURSELF?
11. HOW DO YOU SPREAD
THE WORD?
12. HOW DO PEOPLE
ENGAGE WITH YOU?

BRANDING
5. WHO SHARES THE
BRANDSCAPE?
(MARKET MAP)
6. WHAT MAKES YOU THE
‘ONLY’?
7. WHAT SHOULD
YOU ADD OR SUBTRACT?
8. WHO LOVES YOU?
13. WHAT DO THEY
EXPERIENCE?
14. HOW DO
YOU EARN THEIR LOYALTY?
15. HOW DO YOU EXTEND
YOUR SUCCESS?
16. HOW DO YOU PROTECT
YOUR PORTFOLIO?

two: DEVELOPING A STRONG BRAND - FULL VERSION
EXERCISE 2: This is the comprehensive brand building tool that takes you on the whole journey and helps you
find your ‘uniqueness’ (or ‘onliness’ as it’s referred to in the book).
1. WHO ARE YOU? 2. WHAT DO YOU DO? 3. WHAT’S YOUR
VISION?
4. WHAT WAVE ARE YOU
RIDING?
Where do you have the most
credibility?
Where do you have the most
experience?
Where does your passion lie?
What business are you in? What do you want to
accomplish in 5, 10 or 20
years?
How can you make this vision
exciting?
What trend is powering your
business?
How powerful is it?
Can you ride more than one
trend at a time?
Write a future
obituary for your brand
Decide what your purpose is,
beyond selling a product or
service
State your purpose in 12 words
or less
Paint a vivid picture of your
future
Test it on a real piece of
communication
Use it repeatedly to illustrate
the direction of your business
Make a list of the trends that
will power your success
9. WHO’S THE ENEMY? 10. HOW DO YOU
EXPLAIN YOURSELF?
11. HOW DO YOU
SPREAD THE WORD?
12. HOW DO PEOPLE
ENGAGE WITH YOU?
Which competitor can you
paint as the enemy?
What’s the one true
statement you can make
about your brand?
How can you enroll brand
advocates through
messaging?
How can you align all your
comms with your Zag?
What are you selling and how
are you selling it?
What are your touchpoints?
Tell your customers what
you’re not, in no uncertain
terms
Craft a trueline, that tells why
your brand is compelling
Avoid any commas or ‘ands’
Turn your trueline into a tag-
line to use with customers
Make sure your messaging is
as different as your brand
Only compete at the
touchpoints where you
can win
Map your value proposition
against those of your
competitors
See which competitive areas
you can avoid entirely
Discover customer touchpoints
where you’ll be unopposed

5. WHO SHARES THE
BRANDSCAPE?
6. WHAT MAKES YOU
THE ‘ONLY’?
7. WHAT SHOULD
YOU ADD OR
SUBTRACT?
8. WHO LOVES YOU?
Who else competes in this
category?
Who comes first, second, and
third in your customers’ mind?
What’s the one thing that
makes your brand both
different and compelling?
What existing brand
elements are undermining
your onliness?
What new brand elements
could stregthen this?
Who makes up your brand
community?
How can you manage the
‘gives & gets’ so everyone is
happy?
Find out how your brand ranks
with customers
Design a strategy to become
number one or two
Or, become the first mover in
a new category
Complete a simple onliness
statement
Add detail by
answering what, how, who,
where, when, and why
Make a list of all current and
planned offerings and brand
elements
Decide which offerings to
keep, sacrifice, or add
Be brutal - it’s better to err on
the side of sacrifice
Diagram your brand’s
ecosystem
Decide how each
participant will both
contribute and benefit
BRANDING
13. WHAT DO THEY
EXPERIENCE?
14. HOW DO YOU EARN
THEIR LOYALTY?
15. HOW DO YOU EXTEND
YOUR SUCCESS?
16. HOW DO YOU
PROTECT YOUR
PORTFOLIO?
How will customers learn
about you?
Where should you put your
marketing resources?
How can you help customers
build barriers to competition?
How can you avoid creating
a ‘disloyalty’ programme?
How do you keep growing
the brand year after year?
Map the customer journey
from non-awareness to full
enrollment
Start by being loyal to your
customers
Give loyal customers the tools
to introduce new customers
Add extensions that reinforce
the brand’s meaning
Avoid extensions that unfocus
the brand’s meaning
How can the whole be worth
more than the parts?
How can you stay focused
under short-term profit
pressure?
Avoid C-Sickness -
Contagion, Confusion,
Contradiction, and
Complexity
Understand the long-term
effects of brand extensions

three: DEVELOPING MARKET MAPS
How to establish your current and future brand positioning
The Market Mapping tool is a highly effective and very flexible way to establish clarity and strategic
authority when looking at any market.
EXERCISE 1: Start by selecting two important factors in your market. For example, for restaurants this might
be Price and Menu Complexity. Plot two overlapping axes and place your company plus your competitors
on the grid. Use the results to identify gaps in the market, or significant overlaps. Being out on your own
could be good, as it makes you distinctive in the market place. However, it could be what is known as
‘fool’s gold, white space’, meaning there’s no one else there because it’s not a good place to be!
VARIABLE X
HIGH
VARIABLE Y
HIGH
VARIABLE Y
LOW
VARIABLE X
LOW

BRANDING
EXERCISE 2: This is particularly effective if you are looking to shift your brand positioning, as per this diagram.
Plot where you are now and, more importantly, where you want to reposition your brand.
VARIABLE X
HIGH
VARIABLE Y
HIGH
VARIABLE X
LOW
VARIABLE Y
LOW
COMPETITOR B
COMPETITOR A
COMPETITOR C
COMPANY POSITION
NOW
DESIRED FUTURE
POSITION

four: ESTABLISHING BRAND PRINCIPLES
How to work out what you are and what you are not
EXERCISE: Brand principles help distill the essence of a brand. First decide what your brand is all about and
grade each of your brand principles to show a form of hierarchy. Then add what your brand anti-principles
are (what your brand should NEVER become) - it is not as important to grade these. Thanks to Saint Design
for first introducing me to this technique.
BRAND X IS …….
I.e. Customer focused (5) Friendly (5)
Straightforward (3)
Funny (1) Authentic (4)
BRAND X IS NOT …….
I.e. Selfish Arrogant Insipid Complicated

BRANDING
five: THE BRAND BOMB
How three simple questions can anchor your brand
The BOMB acronym stands for Brisk Objective Methodology for Branding. It is extremely effective in defining
in plain language what a company or brand stands for.
EXERCISE: These three simple questions can reveal ‘diamonds in the dust’: things that you already do well
but do not necessarily articulate or publicise. They are equally effective when asked of management, staff,
and customers.
WHAT WE ARE
Describe what the company or brand is in less than 10 seconds
e.g. We are:
WHAT WE DO
Describe what the company or brand does in less than 30 seconds
e.g. We do/provide:
WHAT WE ARE
Describe what the company or brand is like to do business with in less than 30 seconds
e.g. We describe ourselves as:

THE BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS
Key Activities are the most important activities an organization needs to perform well.
Key Resources are the most important assets required to offer and deliver the previously described
elements.
Customer Segments are the groups of people a company or organization aims to reach and create value
for with a dedicated value proposition.
Value Propositions are based on a bundle of products and services that create value for a customer
segment.
Customer Relationships describe the relationship with this customer segment - new (get), existing (keep) or
cross-selling opportuntiy (grow).
Channels describe how a value proposition is communicated and delivered to a customer segment
through communication, distribution, and sales channels.
Revenue Streams result from a value proposition successfully offered to a customer segment. It is how an
organization captures value with a price that customers are willing to pay.
Cost Structure describes all costs incurred to operate a business model.
six: CREATING A BUSINESS MODEL AND VALUE PROPOSITION
How to create products and services that people really want
EXERCISE: Try using the Business Model Canvas to illustrate how your business creates, delivers and captures
value (from Value Proposition Design - Oswalder & Pigneur).

Key Activities:
What do we do?
Value Proposition:
Which one of our
customer’s problems
(or needs) are we
helping to solve? What
are the main features
that match our
customers needs?
Customer Relationship:
How will we Get, Keep +
Grow customers?
Customer Segments:
Who are our customers?
Key Resources:
What resources or
suppliers do we need?
Channels:
Through which marketing
channels can we reach
our customers?
Cost Structure:
What are our biggest costs?
Revenue Streams:
What are people prepared to pay for ?
BRANDING

“We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.”
Anais Nin

CUSTOMERS
one: CREATING PRODUCTS THAT MEET CUSTOMER NEEDS
How to get the right product/customer fit
two: CREATING CUSTOMER PROFILES
How to understand your target customers better
three: DEFINING WHAT CUSTOMER LOYALTY MEANS TO YOUR BRAND
How to understand where your customers’ loyalty lies
four: GAINING CUSTOMER INSIGHTS
How to gain valuable customer insights
five: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION BASICS
How to get the basics right
six: VALUING YOUR INVISIBLE CUSTOMERS
How to identify real customer loyalty

CUSTOMERS INTRODUCTION:
CUSTOMER LOYALTY STATISTICS
How loyal are your customers? Probably not as much as you might like, which is the focus of this section.
Here are some interesting stats to set the scene.
• 80% of ‘satisfied’ customers will use a different supplier next time.
• It is over 6 times more expensive to win a new customer than it is to persuade an existing customer to
return.
• 96% of unhappy customers won’t tell the organization about it. They’ll tell their friends instead.
• News of bad customer experiences travels three times as fast as good news, and reaches 20 times as
many people.
• Prospective customers are over 3 times more likely to believe independent reviews as the company’s own
marketing.
Source: The Reputation Book, Arnold & Wood
• Customers view only 20% of the companies they deal with as unique.
• 60-80% of customers who defect were satisfied or very satisfied at the last survey.
• 45% of people with something positive to say about a company tell 3 other people. 48% with negative
things to say tell 10 people.
• 57% of callers try to solve the problem themselves on the web, and 34% are on the website when they call.
Source: The Effortless Experience, Dixon, Toman & Delisi

one: CREATING PRODUCTS THAT MEET CUSTOMER NEEDS
How to get the right product/customer fit
EXERCISE: This draws out two of the main segments from the Business Model Canvas (see Branding) and
allows you to drill down and ensure your products/services (your Value Propositions) are properly designed
to meet the needs of each of your customer segment profiles (i.e, product-customer fits).
What are your customers looking to improve
in their lives?
What are your customers needs, what
do they want?
What pains and annoys your customers that you
can help with?
PAIN
RELIEVERS
GAIN
CREATORS
PRODUCTS
+ SERVICES
GAINS
CUSTOMER
JOB(S)
PAINS
How do you improve your customers’ lives?
What do you offer? How do you relieve customers’ pain?
CUSTOMERS

two: CREATING CUSTOMER PROFILES
How to understand your target customers better
EXERCISE: First identify your different customer profiles (or target audiences), then use this tool to help you
get into the mindset of each target group – matching them with the right product, understanding how best
to reach them, and establishing what messaging will work best.
ATTRIBUTES MOTIVATION/
ATTITUDES
BRAND
ASSOCIATIONS
ATTITUDINAL
PHRASES
What am I like? What do I want/need? What do I read, wear,
watch, eat? What brands
do I associate with?
How do I express my
needs?

PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT
CUSTOMER
RELATIONSHIP
MARKETING
CHANNELS
KEY
DIFFERENTIATORS
What products/services
are we offering to meet
these needs?
What relationship do
we have with
this customer?
How can we best
reach/communicate
with them?
What makes us so
special?
CUSTOMERS

three: DEFINING WHAT CUSTOMER LOYALTY MEANS TO YOUR BRAND
How to understand where your customers’ loyalty lies
Customers can appear deceptively loyal but actually be uncommitted. It’s worth working out what else
your customers could be ‘committed to’ and how fragile your current relationship is with your customers.
EXERCISE: Use this tool to tick any boxes that might apply and make notes on how best to tackle this.
PEOPLE
I like (or know) a particular member of
staff and will follow them if they move on.
LOCATION
You happen to be the nearest, but if
someone opens up closer I would be
open to switching allegiance.
CONVENIENCE
You deliver and no-one else (currently)
does.
PRICE
I simply can’t afford the alternative (at
the moment).
HABIT
I’ve always bought it, but habits can be
broken.
THIRD PARTY
I’m actually not loyal to you, I’m loyal to
a third party selling your product.
LATEST TRENDS
It’s cool right now (but probably won’t
last).
CELEBRITY CONNECTION
If it’s good enough for Kim, .......
FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN
I’m scared to try something new.
OFFERS / PROMOTIONS
Where’s the free gift?
NOTES

four: GAINING CUSTOMER INSIGHTS
How to gain valuable customer insights
EXERCISE: Here are a range of methods to help understand your customers better, from Value Proposition
Design by Osterwalder & Pigneur.
THE IMPERSONATOR
‘Be your customer’ and use
your products and services.
Spend a day or more in your
customer’s shoes.
Difficulty level: **
THE CO-CREATOR
Integrate customers into the
process to learn from them. Work
with customers to explore and
develop new ideas.
Difficulty level: *****
THE SCIENTIST
Get customers to participate
(knowingly or unknowingly) in
an experiment. Learn from the
outcome.
Difficulty level: ****
THE DATA DETECTIVE
Build on existing work with (desk)
research. Look at data outside
your industry and study from a
different context.
Difficulty level: *
THE JOURNALIST
Talk to potential customers as an
easy way to gain insights.
Particularly when moving into a
new geographical area.
Difficulty level: **
THE ANTHROPOLOGIST
Observe customers and
potential customers in the real
world to get good insights into
how they behave.
Difficulty level: ***
CUSTOMERS

five: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION BASICS
How to get the basics right
A couple of great basics here from Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit by Inghilleri & Solomon.
EXERCISE 1: First a simple reminder of the four main elements of customer service (with an area to write your
own notes).
PERFECT PRODUCT CARING DELIVERY TIMELINESS EFFECTIVE PROBLEM
SOLVING
(SERVICE RECOVERY)
EXERCISE 2: Plus five simple steps to great service recovery.
APOLOGISE REVIEW THE
COMPLAINT WITH
THE CUSTOMER
FIX THE PROBLEM DOCUMENT IT
(TO STOP IT
HAPPENING
AGAIN)
FOLLOW UP
WITH THE
CUSTOMER

CUSTOMERS
six: VALUING YOUR INVISIBLE CUSTOMERS
How to identify real customer loyalty
Businesses tend to focus on ‘getting’ and ‘growing’ customers using a range of promotions and incentives
to attract new business or encourage existing customers to buy more or introduce friends. But remember the
‘invisible’ customer who simply continues to loyally buy a certain product or service – they need rewards too
if you want to keep them from becoming ex-customers.
EXERCISE: First take a look at your current CRM data and add in numbers on the right hand side of the chart.
Then write in the different incentives/rewards you are currently offering in each category. Are you offering
anything to your invisible customer?
PROSPECTS
ACTIVE CUSTOMERS
(REFERRALS /
CROSS-BUYERS)
INVISIBLE
CUSTOMERS
EX-CUSTOMERS
BUSINESS IN
BUSINESS OUT
INCENTIVES/REWARDS FOR PROSPECTS TO BUY:
INCENTIVES/REWARDS FOR ACTIVE CUSTOMERS:
INCENTIVES/REWARDS FOR NON-ACTIVE CUSTOMERS:
INCENTIVES/REWARDS FOR EX-CUSTOMERS TO RE-BUY:
NUMBERSSTRATEGIES

“Little minds are interested in the extraordinary; great minds in the commonplace.”
Elbert Hubbard

one: GETTING, KEEPING + GROWING YOUR CUSTOMER BASE
How to create separate strategies to get, keep and grow your customer base
two: STRATEGY VS TACTICS
How to separate tactics from initiatives
three: MARKETING THROUGH THE RIGHT CHANNELS
How to plan multi-channel marketing campaigns
four: CREATING A STRATEGY WITH TACTICS & DIFFERENT CHANNELS
How to build a monthly marketing plan
five: PAID, EARNED, SHARED & OWNED MARKETING ASSETS
How to use a smart mix of media
six: CREATIVE BRIEFING
How to write a creative brief
MARKETING

MARKETING INTRODUCTION:
BRINGING REALISM TO MARKETING INITIATIVES
In an ideal world, all marketing would be thoroughly well planned, well in advance (as many of the
following exercises will help with). However, in reality marketing initiatives are often a bit knee jerk or rushed.
The If Triangle is a great realism tool when planning. In an ideal world we all want projects delivered quickly,
cheaply, but still of the highest quality. This is, however, rarely realistic.
For example, if your budget is limited, realistically, you may have to compromise on quality. If you need
something created (or activated) super quick, you will inevitably need to pay more (or, again, compromise
on quality).
Working out what the priorities of each project are, and using this formula, will help on many levels – not
least in explaining internally why all projects can’t always be ‘perfect’.
COST
cheap
TIME
fast
QUALITY
high
IF

MARKETING
one: GETTING, KEEPING + GROWING YOUR CUSTOMER BASE
How to create separate strategies to get, keep and grow your customer base
EXERCISE: A successful business needs robust strategies not just to win new customers but to maintain their
loyalty and, ideally, grow their purchasing or influence. Use the boxes below to separate your marketing
strategies into GET, KEEP or GROW initiatives - ensuring you have a balanced approach to activities.
STRATEGIES TO
GET CUSTOMERS
Acquisition strategies
STRATEGIES TO
KEEP CUSTOMERS
Retention strategies
STRATEGIES TO
GROW CUSTOMERS
Cross-selling + referral strategies

two: STRATEGY VS TACTICS
How to separate tactics from strategy
One of the trickiest things businesses struggle with is the difference between strategy and tactics, and how
to plan their shape. This tool helps to clarify matters.
EXERCISE: The strategy is the overarching thought. This is the constant theme and direction that never varies,
and against which all other activities can be judged and measured.
The tactics are specific actions - examples or proof of the strategy - and their deployment must have a
clear beginning and end.
OVERARCHING THOUGHT (THE STRATEGY)
EXAMPLES / INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES (TACTICS)
TACTIC 1 TACTIC 2 TACTIC 3 TACTIC 4
GET,
KEEP OR
GROW?

MARKETING
three: MARKETING THROUGH THE RIGHT CHANNELS
How to plan multi-channel marketing campaigns
EXERCISE: Marketing is all about getting the word out consistently through the most effective channels.
Your strategy will have various tactical applications and these will fall within various marketing channels.
Successful marketing campaigns need a complex mix of execution.
DIRECT
SALES
SALES
PROMOTION
PRINT
ADVERTISING
SOCIAL
MEDIA
AFFILIATE
MARKETING
POINT
OF SALE
EMAIL
MARKETING
DIGITAL
ADVERTISING
REFERRAL
MARKETING
PR / BRAND
STUNTS
EVENTS SEO
DIRECT
MARKETING
INFLUENCER
MARKETING
GET,
KEEP OR
GROW?

four: CREATING A STRATEGY WITH TACTICS + DIFFERENT CHANNELS
How to build a monthly marketing plan
EXERCISE: For each of your main marketing strategies, start to build a month-by-month plan of
individual tactics.
MONTH:
CHANNEL:
INDIVIDUAL TACTICS CALL TO
ACTION
TARGET
OUTCOME
COSTS/
TOOLS
CHANNEL:
CHANNEL:
CHANNEL:
CHANNEL:
GET, KEEP
OR GROW?

five: PAID, EARNED, SHARED & OWNED MARKETING ASSETS
How to use a smart mix of media
A smart mix of media will not only strengthen your marketing but can also help when managing
tight marketing budgets.
EXERCISE: Think about your digital marketing campaigns and your split of Paid, Earned, Shared & Owned
media.
PAID
SHAREDEARNED
OWNED
Promoted
Posts
SEO,
SEM, PPC,
Google
Ad words
Likes, RTs,
Shares
Traditional
advertising
Social Media,
WOM, referrals
Website, Blog,
Content
Media relations,
blogger relations,
influencers
Comprehensive
mixed
marketing
strategy
OWNED PAID SHARED EARNED
SEO, SEM, PPC,
GOOGLE ADWORDS
PROMOTED POSTS LIKES, RETWEETS, SHARES
MARKETING

six: CREATIVE BRIEFING
How to write a creative brief
EXERCISE: Use this framework to write a brief for your next marketing campaign - either for internal use or to
help an external agency.
REQUIREMENT
What is needed?
OBJECTIVE
What is the communiction trying
to achieve?
TARGET AUDIENCE
Who do we need to reach?
COMPETITIVE CONTEXT
What trends or background info
are relevant?
PROPOSITION
What is the one thing we need to
communicate?

SUPPORT
Is there anything else that supports
this claim?
TONE OF VOICE
In what style do we wish to say it?
DESIRED RESPONSE
What do we want to happen?
HYGIENE FACTORS
Is there anything compulsory?
MARKETING

“There is nothing in a caterpillar to suggest a butterfly.”
Superhero Bucky, Marvel Comics

SALES
one: VALUE POSITION
How to present your value position succinctly
two: ACTIVE LISTENING
How to listen properly in order to sell effectively
three: THE SALES HAMMOCK
How to present clearly and effectively
four: ESTABLISHING NEEDS
How to correctly identify the needs of your clients
five: BARRIERS TO PURCHASE
How to overcome objections
six: SALES TYPES
How to find the best sales people

SALES INTRODUCTION:
SOPHISTICATED SALES
These days, sales often gets a bad rap. And sales people are seen as pushy and/or formulaic. But all
products need to be sold and, even in our digital age, customers need additional human pursuasion.
Often the more upmarket (or complex) the product, the greater the need is for a strong sales person to
represent it. This section focuses on how to sell with flair and sophistication.
You need to be part psychologist and be able to read your audience.
WIFM stands for What’s In It For Me?. All sales people should consider this question in relation to the
people to whom they are presenting. Know what motivates your potential customer, skip what doesn’t
matter, make a conclusive proposal/pitch, and know when to ask for the sale.
Character types and motivations vary. Adapt your style to suit the style of your potentail customer:
RESULTS: don’t bore me with the details. Make snappy points. Talk results.
EMOTIONS: show genuine interest in my feelings. Give me help and support.
ABRACADABRA: give it some magic. Make it interesting and sparky.
DATA: make research, facts and figures perfectly precise.
Research shows that the sales experience contributes more to customer loyalty (53%) than the brand
(19%), product and service delivery (19%), and value-to-price ratio (9%) put together, so it is really worth
getting it right. Source:The Challenger Sale, Dixon & Adamson.

one: VALUE POSITION
How to present your value position succinctly
This is based on content from the book Conversations That Win The Complex Sale by Peterson & Riesterer.
It’s a neat way to capture the three main components of an effective sales presentation.
EXERCISE: Simply work through: what the customer (prospect) is looking for, what you are offering that
matches this, and why it’s better than the competition.
PROSPECT YOUR
PRODUCT
COMPETITIONVALUE POSITION
IMPORTANT TO YOUR PROSPECT
UNIQUE TO YOU
DEFENSIBLE (AGAINST COMPETITION)
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO
YOUR PROSPECT?
WHAT ARE YOU OFFERING
THAT’S UNIQUE TO MATCH
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO THE
PROSPECT?
HOW DOES THIS DIFFER FROM
THE COMPETITION?
SALES

two: ACTIVE LISTENING
How to listen properly in order to sell effectively
According to The Salesperson’s Secret Code (Mills, Ridley, Laker & Chapman), the most successful
salespeople listen more than they speak, so that they fully understand what the client/customer is looking
for (what their pain points are / where they can add value). Note: the words LISTEN and SILENT share the
same letters.
EXERCISE: Start by answering the following questions and giving yourself a score from 1 to 5 (1 = strongly
disagree 2 = disagree 3 = neither agree nor disagree 4 = agree 5 = strongly agree). Then consider the 8
Ways to Become a Better Listener and write notes.
Scored less than 20: Good work.
Scored 20 - 30: You’re half paying attention, but could do a lot better - review the tips and make note of
areas of improvement.
Scored 30 - 40: You’re really not listening at all - review the tips and make note of areas of improvement.
DREAMING.
I am often thinking about something else while the client is talking
ANSWER PREPARING.
During conversations with clients, I am often waiting for a pause, so I can spit out an answer
that I’m already preparing
COMPULSIVE/IMPULSIVE.
I often say something without thinking first, or to fill a silence
AMBUSHING.
I often fake listen to the client just so I can get in my comments
JUDGING.
I practise selective listening. I hear the things I want to hear based upon my own prejudices
NOT FULLY PRESENT.
I’m often unaware of the message the person is sending through body language and/or vocal
intonation
NOISE INDUCED STRESS.
I often embark on a call or meeting when there is background noise in the environment to
hinder my ability to listen
COMPARING.
I listen through filters, based on a past experience with another client
8 MISTAKES THAT LIMIT OUR ABILITY TO LISTEN SCALE
1 - 5
TOTAL SCORE

Encourage silence to show you are actively
listening. Embrace pauses.
Never interrupt when the client is speaking.
Be present. Put down your electronic
equipment.
Make the client feel heard. with such com-
ments as. “What I’m hearing is…” or “Tell me
more.”
Become a solution-oriented listener. Listen for
the intended solution more than for problems.
Listen for what is not being said. Find the
meaning behind the words.
Resist the temptation to rebut. Don’t argue.
Listen for information you can use.
8 WAYS TO BECOME A BETTER LISTENER NOTES
SALES

three: THE SALES HAMMOCK
How to present clearly and effectively
The book Conversations That Win The Complex Sale by Peterson & Riesterer also outlines research that shows
that people remember 70% of the words at the beginning of a presention, 20% in the middle, and 100% at
the end.
This is illustrated in The Sales Hammock, reminding us to pitch accordingly. Put your best bits first and last, use
strong visuals, simplicity and proof, and make it personal. Most importantly, keep it short (especially the bit in
the middle).
EXERCISE: Use this hammock system to plan the content of your next sales presentation - focusing on the
beginning and end.
BEGINNING MIDDLE

20% RETENTION70% RETENTION 100% RETENTION
BED OF NAILS
END
SALES

four: ESTABLISHING NEEDS
How to correctly identify the needs of your clients/customers
It is essential to establish the need thoroughly and to educate the client to the best buying solution,
especially when selling expensive, added value solutions.
There are only two reasons for buying anything:
- to make a gain (opportunity +)
- to avoid a loss (implication -)
EXERCISE: Use this to work through what you’ve picked up regarding the customer’s needs and then
summarise as a TRUE NEED.
STATED NEED
The customer’s perception
of their own requirements,
often expressed as a
commodity to be provided
by the cheapest vendor
HIDDEN NEED
Unmentioned by the client but
quickly evident to the seller
IMPLIED NEED
Vague and underdeveloped
ideas often mentioned in
conversation, not always
thought through
TRUE NEED
The sum of all the others

five: BARRIERS TO PURCHASE
How to overcome objections
Understanding potential objections or barriers to purchase is an important part of sales preparation.
Anticipating these and proactively planning a response will help eliminate them in a live sales environment.
EXERCISE: Use the Barriers to Purchase Axis to prepare for potentials objections. Put yourself in the shoes of
the customer or colleague you wish to persuade, and map out all their likely objections. This provides the
basis for your sales pitch and shows the evidence you may need to provide to effectively make your case.
NOT
INTERESTED
VERY
INTERESTED
1 5432
BARRIER 1: BARRIER 2: BARRIER 3: BARRIER 4: BARRIER 5:
SALES

six: SALES TYPES
How to find the best sales people
We normally associate sales people with being Extraverts, but research acquired by Daniel Pink and
published in his book To Sell Is Human, tells another story. It shows that the best sales people are neither
Introverts or Extraverts, they are Ambiverts - a bit of each.
EXERCISE 1: Where would you plot yourself (or your team) on this chart? Depending on where you sit,
consider some behavourial change for better results (see boxes below).
REVENUE
EXTRAVERSION
Source: Adam Grant, University of Pennsylvania
LOW
HIGH
HIGH
“AMBIVERTS”
TOO INTROVERT?
CONSIDER WAYS TO TURN IT UP
TOO EXTRAVERT?
CONSIDER WAYS TO TONE IT DOWN

According to The Challenger Sale by Dixon & Adamson, the best sales people don’t just build relationships
with customers, they challenge them. They tailor their message to each customer, they are assertive (not
aggressive), and they push back where necessary to take control of the sale. They are particularly
effective in complex sales scenarios.
In fact, the more complex the sale, the more successful challangers are (see histogram below).
EXERCISE 2: Where do you (or your team) currently sit? Should you be looking at adopting more assertive
techniques or employing more challengers?
RB: 4%
PS: 7%
HW: 10%
LW: 25%
C: 54%
RB: 11%
PS: 18%
HW: 26%
LW: 25%
C: 20%
LOW HIGH
SUCCESS IN
LOW VS HIGH
COMPLEXITY
SELLING
THE
LONE WOLF
Follows own
instincts
Self-assured
Difficult to control
THE
PROBLEM SOLVER
Reliably responds to
internal
and external
stakeholders
Ensures that all
problems
are solved
Detail-orientated
THE CHALLENGER
Always has a different view of the world
Understands the customer’s business
Loves to debate
Pushes the customer
THE
HARD WORKER
Always willing to go
the extra mile
Doesn’t give up
easily
Self-motivated
Interested in
feedback
and development
THE
RELATIONSHIP
BUILDER
Builds strong
advocates in cus-
tomer organisation
Generous in giving
time to help others
Gets along with
everyone
SALES

“Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.”
Arthur Schopenhauer

PEOPLE
one: CREATING A GREAT COMPANY CULTURE
How to improve your company culture
two: IMPROVING DYSFUNCTIONAL TEAMS
How to recognise elements of good and bad teams
three: THE IDEAL TEAM PLAYER
How to recognise the qualities of an ideal team player
four: PERSONAL MOTIVATION
How to understand your people better
five: MOTIVATING MAVERICKS
How to get the best out of your exceptionally bright stars
six: ESTABLISHING HOW STRONG YOUR COMPANY CULTURE IS
How to design a great staff survey

PEOPLE INTRODUCTION:
MULTICULTURAL TEAMS
This section focuses on building great teams and good company cultures. Being culturally aware is
particularly interesting in multinational organisations and indeed for anyone dealing with other nationalities.
Richard Lewis’s book, When Cultures Collide, features a model of cultural variations.
LINEAR-ACTIVE = cool, factual, decisive planner
MULTI-ACTIVE = warm, emotional, impulsive
REACTIVE = courteous, amiable, accomodating, compromiser
MULTI-
ACTIVE
REACTIVE
LINEAR-
ACTIVE
Brazil, Chile
Sub-Saharan Africa
Saudi Arabia, Arab countries
Iran, Turkey
India
Indonesia, Malaysia
Korea, Thailand
China
Vietnam
Argentina, Mexico
Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece
Russia, Slovakia
France, Poland
Belgium
Australia, Denmark, Ireland
Austria, Netherlands, Norway
USA
Germany, Switzerland
UK
Sweden
Finland
Canada
SingaporeHongKong
Taiwan
Japan

one: CREATING A GREAT COMPANY CULTURE
How to improve your company culture
Here are some great reminders of what makes a good company culture, from Why Should Anyone Work
Here? by Goffee & Jones (a full staff survey example is also included in section six).
EXERCISE: Work through these six areas and make notes on your own company’s strengths and weaknesses.
DIFFERENCE:
Does the company let
people be themselves?
RADICAL HONESTY:
Does the company let people
know what’s really going on?
EXTRA VALUE:
Does the company magnify
peoples’ strengths?
AUTHENTICITY:
Does the company stand
for something more than just
shareholder value?
MEANING:
Does the company make the
work make sense?
SIMPLE RULES:
Does the company make the
rules clear and apply them
equally to everyone?
PEOPLE
Yes / No
Yes / NoYes / NoYes / No
Yes / NoYes / No

two: IMPROVING DYSFUNCTIONAL TEAMS
How to recognise elements of good and bad teams
There are five dysfunctions that can ruin the effectiveness and cohesion of any team (as outlined in The Five
Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni).
Each builds on the previous, making it even more difficult to isolate just one issue in a team.
1. Absence of trust. Teams that are not open about mistakes and weaknesses make it impossible to
build trust.
2. Fear of conflict. Teams that lack trust are incapable of engaging in unfiltered debate. Instead they resort
to veiled discussions and guarded comments.
3. Lack of commitment. Without having aired their opinions in open debate, team members rarely, if ever,
buy in or commit to decisions.
4. Avoidance of accountability. Without committing to a clear plan of action, even the most focused
people fail to call their peers to account.
5. Inattention to results. Failure to hold one another accountable creates an environment where team
members put their individual needs above the team.
• Trust comes from overcoming invulnerability and admitting to weaknesses.
• Constructive conflict needs to replace artificial harmony.
• Creating commitment means removing ambiguity.
• Accountability involves raising low standards.
• Inattention to results can be addressed by removing status and ego issues.

= Status and Ego
Absence of Trust
Fear of Conflict
Lack of Commitment
Avoidance of
Accountability
Inattention
to Results
= Low Standards
= Ambiguity
= Artificial Harmony
= Invulnerability
SCORE:
SCORE:
SCORE:
SCORE:
SCORE:
EXERCISE: Starting at the bottom of the pyramid (Absense of Trust) first rate your team (out of ten) in each of
the five areas. Then discuss with the team a plan to address specific issues.
NOTES:
PEOPLE

three: THE IDEAL TEAM PLAYER
How to recognise the qualities of an ideal team player
As outlined by Patrick Lencioni, there are three essential virtues that make someone The Ideal Team Player:
being humble, hungry and smart.
- Humble: humility is the single greatest and most indispensable attribute.
- Hungry: these people are self-motivated and diligent.
- Smart: these people demonstrate common sense when dealing with others - social rather than academic
intelligence.
Things start getting interesting when you look at people with only one or two of the attributes.
Those with just one are fairly easy to spot:
- Humble only: the pawn, who often gets left out.
- Hungry only: the bulldozer, who often annoys everyone else.
- Smart only: the charmer, with great social skills but low contribution.
Those with 2 out of 3 are much harder to spot:
- Humble and hungry: the accidental mess-maker, unaware of their effect on other people.
- Humble and smart: the lovable slacker, only does as much as asked.
- Hungry and smart: the skilful politician, out for their own benefit.

EXERCISE: Consider the attributes of your team members and place them in the appropriate category.
Review the mix and consider action. Anyone with all three qualities is ideal. Those with fewer can also be
valuable so long as the overall blend in the team covers all three qualities comprehensively.
THE IDEAL
TEAM
PLAYER
The BulldozerThe Pawn
The Charmer
The Accidental
Mess-maker
SMART
HUMBLE HUNGRY
The Skillful
Politician
The Loveable
Slacker
NOTES:
PEOPLE

four: PERSONAL MOTIVATION
How to understand your people better
Nothing gets done if no one can be bothered. And that means that motivation has to be effective, with
everybody working at a consistently high level. That’s easier said than done. In his book Drive, Daniel Pink
boiled the essence of motivation down to three crucial elements.
Autonomy is the desire to direct our own lives.
Mastery is the urge to get better and better at something that matters.
Purpose is the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.
The people involved in enacting an idea need ample quantities of these characteristics if there is to be a
reasonable chance of it happening.
EXERCISE: Use this motivational tool to work out if your team has the desire, the skill, and the sense of
purpose to make it happen.
PURPOSE
AUTONOMY
MASTERY
= MOTIVATION
PURPOSE
MASTERY
AUTONOMY

five: MOTIVATING MAVERICKS
How to get the best out of your exceptionally bright stars
You need a particularly astute approach to leading smart, creative people. Research shows that a
handful of star performers create disproportionate amounts of value for their organisations, as described in
Goffee & Jones’s book Clever.
These invaluable individuals are called ‘clevers’, and although they can be brilliant, they can also be
difficult. Their cleverness is central to their identity; their skills are not easily replicated; they know their worth;
they ask difficult questions; they are organisationally savvy; they are not impressed by hierarchy; they
expect instant success; they want to be connected to other clever people; and they won’t thank you.
Even worse, they take pleasure in breaking the rules, trivialising the importance of non-technical people,
they are oversensitive about their projects, and are never happy about the review process. So traditional
leadership approaches won’t be effective. Instead, bosses need to tell them what to do (not how to do it),
earn their respect with expertise (not pull rank with a job title), and provide ‘organised space’ for their
creativity.
EXERCISE: Do you have mavericks in your team? Are your actions motivating?
earn their respect with
expertise, not a job title
DO ...... DO NOT ......
use hierarchy
tell them what you
want done
tell them how to do it
provide boundaries -
organised space for
creativity
create bureaucracy
give them time interfere
give them recognition
(amplify their
achievements)
give frequent
feedback
encourage failure
and maximise learning
train by rote
(they are already
highly skilled)
talk straight use bull or intentionally
deceive
NOTES NOTES
PEOPLE

six: ESTABLISHING HOW STRONG YOUR COMPANY CULTURE IS
How to design a great staff survey
EXERCISE: A great template for surveying staff from Havard Business Review.
Where are you strongest?
Where do you need to improve?
Where is the best place to start?
Where will you need to make a trade-off?
I am the same person at home as I am at work
I am comfortable being myself
We are all encouraged to express our differences
People who think differently from most do well here
Passion is encouraged, even when it leads to conflict
More than one type of person fits here
We are told the real story
Information is not manipulated
It is not disloyal to say something negative
My manager wants to hear bad news
Many channels of communication are available to us
IfeelcomfortablesigningmynametocommentsImake
1 = strongly disagree 2 = disagree 3 = neither agree nor disagree 4 = agree 5 = strongly agree
DIFFERENCE: I can be myself here
RADICAL HONESTY: I am told what is really going on
AREA TOTAL
AREA TOTAL

I know what we stand for
I value what we stand for
I want to exceed my current duties
Profit is not our overriding goal
I am accomplishing something worthwhile
I like to tell people where I work
I am given a chance to develop
Every employee is given the chance to develop
The best people want to perform here
The weakest performers can see a path to improvement
Compensationisfairlydistributedthroughouttheorganisation
Wegeneratevalueforourselvesbyaddingvaluetoothers
AUTHENTICITY: I am proud of where we’re coming from and what we stand for
EXTRA VALUE: My strengths are magnified
My job is meaningful to me
My duties makes sense to me
My work gives me energy and pleasure
I understand how my job fits with everyone else’s
Everyone’s job is necessary
At work we share a common cause
We keep things simple
The rules are clear and apply equally to everyone
I know what the rules are for
Everyone knows what the rules are for
We, as an organisation, resist unnecessary rules + paperwork
Authority is respected
MEANING: The work makes sense
SIMPLE RULES: I believe in the rules
ANY ITEM SCORING 1 OR 2 IS WORTH ATTENTION.
ANY AREA WITH AN OVERALL SCORE BELOW 18 SUGGESTS THIS AREA REQUIRES IMPROVEMENT.
PEOPLE
AREA TOTAL
AREA TOTAL
AREA TOTAL
AREA TOTAL

“Time is a created thing. To say, “I don’t have time,” is to say “I don’t want to.”
Lao Tzu

PRODUCTIVITY
one: CIRCLE OF CONCERN
How to focus on the stuff you can control
two: ESSENTIALISM
How to channel your energy
three: THE PRIORITY MATRIX
How to better manage your time
four: THE POWER OF LESS
How to get into the habit of doing less
five: BAR CODE DAY
six: GETTING THINGS DONE
How to manage your workflow

PRODUCTIVITY INTRODUCTION:
SMALL HABITS - BIG CHANGES
There are many books on improving your productivity. This section features just a few of my favourite
exercises. But first, here are a couple of little gems that can make a big initial difference.
THE 20 MILE MARCH
Polar explorer Roald Amundsen beat Captain Scott to the South Pole by consistently marching 20 miles
a day. He had worked out in advance that 20 miles was the optimum amount for a team with their
equipment. In bad weather the team did it anyway, and in good weather they stopped at 20 to save
energy for the next day.
Scott’s team either either stayed in their tents on bad days or overshot on good ones and wore
themselves out.
The moral is that companies, teams and individuals should aim for similar consistency in order to be truly
productive.
PING PONG RING
Making decent decisions is really hard if you can’t concentrate properly. You need to remove yourself from
distractions to work out what to do. These days, most of these distractions come from technology - often too
many emails.
In his book Too Fast To Think, Chris Lewis references Vanessa Brady, a multi-award winning interior designer.
If two emails have failed to solve a problem, her approach is: ‘PING PONG RING’. The moral is that when
an email conversation is getting long and out of control, break the deadlock with a call (and avoid further
distraction).
BIG ROCKS
A Stephen Covey classic. This is featured in his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (more exercises from this
to follow). Imagine your time like a glass or vase. If you put sand and small pebbles in first, you will never fit in
the big rocks. But if you put the big rocks in first, then there will still be room for the small pebbles and sand to
fit in around. The moral is to get the big stuff done first.

one: CIRCLE OF CONCERN
How to focus on the stuff you can control
We so often waste our time and energy on things we cannot control (external factors). This exercise, from
Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, helps us focus on the important items that are within
our sphere of influence.
EXERCISE: Write a list of things that are on your mind and place them in the relevant areas of the circle. If
they fall in the outer ring, you need to accept that you cannot control them and therefore you are better
off moving on and saving your energy for items in the middle circle.
CIRCLE OF CONCERN
Things you CANNOT control or influence
CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE
Things you CAN control or influence
CONCERN
INFLUENCE
PRODUCTIVITY

two: ESSENTIALISM
How to channel your energy
In his book Essentialism, Greg McKeown brilliantly identifies the differences
between essentialists and non-essentialists.
The non-essentialist is all things to all people and pursues everything in an
undisciplined way. The non-essentialist thinks that almost everything is essential.
The essentialist, however, does less but better.
When it comes to energy, instead of doing many things half-heartedly, do one or
two things properly. In both cases, the same amount of energy is exerted. It’s the
difference between a millimetre of progress in a million directions and significant
progress in what matters most.
NON-ESSENTIALIST ESSENTIALIST
ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE
“I have to”
“It’s all important”
“How can I fit it all in?”
THE UNDISCIPLINED PURSUIT OF MORE
Reacts to what’s most pressing
Says “yes” to people without really thinking
Tries to force execution at the last moment
LIVES A LIFE THAT DOES NOT SATISFY
Takes on too much, and work suffers
Feels out of control
Is unsure of whether the right things get done
Feels overwhelmed and exhausted
LESS BUT BETTER
“I choose to”
“Only a few things really matter”
“What are the trade-offs?”
THE DISCIPLINED PURSUIT OF LESS
Pauses to discern what really matters
Says “no” to everything except the essential
Removes obstacles to make execution easy
LIVES A LIFE THAT REALLY MATTERS
Chooses carefully in order to do great work
Feels in control
Gets the right things done
Experiences joy in the journey
THINKS
DOES
GETS

TO DO LIST ESSENTIAL
(do now)
NON-ESSENTIAL
(ditch or delay)
PRODUCTIVITY
EXERCISE: Review your to do list. Identify one or two items to prioritise, and delay or ditch the others.

three: THE PRIORITY MATRIX
EXERCISE: Another technique from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This matrix is great
for prioritising your to do list.
URGENT NOT URGENT
IMPORTANTNOTIMPORTANT
THINK + PLANPRIORITIES
IGNORE OR CANCELDELEGATE OR DO FIRST (QUICKLY)

PRODUCTIVITY
four: THE POWER OF LESS
How to get into the habit of doing less
In his book The Power of Less, Leo Babauta outlines his six essential productivity principles that ‘will change
your life’.
1. Set limitations. 2. Choose the essential. 3. Simplify. 4. Focus. 5. Create habits. 6. Start small. Here’s a
checklist of his recommended habits.
EXERCISE: How many of the following are you currently doing?
Set your 3 MITs (Most Important Tasks)
each morning.
Single-task. When you work on a task,
don’t switch to other tasks.
Process your inbox to empty.
Check email just twice a day.
Work while disconnected, with no
distractions.
Follow a morning routine.
Eat more fruits and veggies every day.
Keep your desk decluttered.
Say no to commitments and requests
that aren’t on your short list.
Declutter your house for 15 minutes
a day.
Exercise five to ten minutes a day.
Stick to a five-sentence limit for emails.

five: BAR CODE DAY
The bar code provides a visual depiction of a day filled with hundreds of short, bitty tasks. This is not always
the choice of the person doing the work, it’s because they keep being interrupted.
When that happens it takes the average person 12 to 15 minutes to get back to doing what they were
doing. So if they are disturbed more than four times an hour, they have lost their whole career.
Studies show that multitasking doesn’t work. If you want to produce proper high quality work, you need to
allocate a decent run of time for each task or project, without interruption.
EXERCISE: Use the chart to properly plan your day (and turn off easy distractions like email alerts and your
mobile phone).
9am ------ 1pm ------ 6pm 9am ------ 1pm ------ 6pm
9am ------------------------------------------- 1pm ------------------------------------------ 6pm
PROJECT : PROJECT : PROJECT : PROJECT :
MORNINGPLANNING
EMAILCHECK/CALLS
LUNCH
EMAILCHECK/CALLS
REVIEW/WRAPUP

PRODUCTIVITY
six: GETTING THINGS DONE
How to manage your workflow
Here’s a useful workflow chart based on David Allen’s Getting Things Done - how to achieve
stress-free productivity.
EXERCISE: Take your current to do list and work through the process.
To Do Do it
NOW
Delegate Defer
(by date)
File it Ditch it
TO DO LIST
Is it actionable?
YES
Will it take less than 2 minutes?
Yes No
Do it NOW Delegate it Defer it
NO
Schedule it
(to do by a specific time)
Ditch it
File it for reference

“It’s better to fail in originality, than succeed in imitation.”
Herman Melville

IDEAS
one: THREE GOOD / THREE BAD
How to deal with negativity
two: CHANGING THE GAME
How to effectively classify your brainstorming ideas
three: CATEGORY STEALING
How to get inspiration from a wider field
four: CENTRAL IDEA SATELLITE SYSTEM
How to build on a good idea
five: EYES OF EXPERTS
How to harness the power of experts
six: THE FOUR CORNER WALKABOUT
How to build on good ideas

IDEAS INTRODUCTION:
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT + THE RIGHT STIMULUS
This section is all about brainstorming and generating interesting and innovative ideas for your business.
Before we dive into the exercises, here are some tips on how to facilitate a succesful session. It is important
to get the attitude of attendees right, and that means setting the right tone.
It’s a good idea to create Rules of Engagement that reflect your company culture.
Freewheeling, impractical ideas are as useless as the immediate killing off of every new suggestion. The onus
is on the person running the session to break it down into the smallest possible chunks and ensure that the
Right Stimulus is introduced at the right time.
Exercises, practical application of what has been discussed, and group work can all lead to faster ideas, so
long as they are not trivial or allowed to spiral out of control (either off brief, or for too long).
BREAK WITH THE PAST
PRODUCTIVE LISTENING
BREVITY = INTELLIGENCE
TAKE ISSUES SERIOUSLY,
BUT NOT YOURSELF
NO SHOW, NO SAY
NO JARGON
NO SHOWBOATING
NO CYNICS
VARIETY
VISUALS
PREPARATIONEXERCISES
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
THE RIGHT STIMULUS
BREAKS

one: THREE GOOD / THREE BAD
How to deal with negativity
Many idea sessions are derailed by negative material and attitude. It only takes one moaner and the whole
thing can veer off in an unwanted direction.
If you believe this is a possibility, then the Three Good, Three Bad tool is excellent for combatting it.
Instead of allowing negative comment to creep in to proceedings, the technique deliberately seeks out
the bad stuff, deals with it early, and offsets it with good stuff. This is sometimes called the car park – a place
where all the negativity is parked.
EXERCISE: All attendees are asked to write down three bad things about the product/project/initiative, and
then three good. This draws the sting out of all negative comment.
The results are reviewed and summarised by the facilitator. Usually there is a significant overlap, and there is
much to be learned about the degree of consensus, or an absolute focus on just one deficiency.
If the number of good points outweigh the bad, concentrate on those. If the bad points outweigh the
good, make the objective of the project to improve or rectify them.
The exercise should always be done first, and should never last more than an hour, or 20% of the
meeting time.
All the good features are then used as inspiration to go on to provide an excellent solution.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
GOOD BAD
IDEAS

two: CHANGING THE GAME
How to effectively classify your brainstorming ideas
The Three Buckets exercise was introduced by Adam Morgan in his book The Pirate Inside. It is an extremely
helpful way to categorise ideas or projects and work out how effective they are likely to be. Each idea must
be placed in one of the three buckets.
On the left is Brilliant Basics. These represent ‘excellence as standard’. You or your company should be doing
these well as a matter of course, just like your competitors.
In the middle is Compelling Difference. These should be ‘significantly better than normal’. These are
demonstrably better than your competitors, but not geninely remarkable.
On the right is Changing the Game. These are ‘truly extraordinary’. They are utterly distinctive in the market,
and genuinely remarkable.
EXERCISE: This exercise will reveal whether a sufficient proportion of your initiatives are going to make a
genuine difference to your business. Vote collectively or place each idea or project into one of the three
buckets. If everything, or too many, are in Brilliant Basics, think harder to generate more exciting ones.
BRILLIANT
BASICS
COMPELLING
DIFFERENCE
CHANGING
THE GAME

three: CATEGORY STEALING
How to get inspiration from a wider field
The principle of Category Stealing is simple: choose a category different to your own and ask how they
would approach your issue.
Everyone operates in one category or another, and many of the traditions, rituals and formats in them
operate in quite fixed ways. This can lead to sameness in one sector, but could provide inspiration in
another.
EXERCISE: Start by listing a number of other categories like Automotive, Banking, Technology,
Pharmaceuticals. If you need reminding, scan the share prices in a newspaper, search online, or watch
the TV for an evening.
Identify the characteristics of well-defined ones, such as their usual approach to finance, branding,
distribution, price, product features, and so on.
Then work out what you can steal to apply to your brand.
If a whole category doesn’t have clearly defined traits, then take one brand instead that does.
For example, how would Apple or Coke do this?
IDEAS TO STEAL:
CATEGORY: GATEGORY:
CATEGORY: CATEGORY:
IDEAS TO STEAL:
IDEAS TO STEAL:
IDEAS TO STEAL:
IDEAS

four: CENTRAL IDEA SATELLITE SYSTEM
How to build on a good idea
This system is very effective at demonstrating whether an idea or initiative has significant scope or not.
EXERCISE: The central idea should be placed in the centre circle. This should ideally be one word, or a short
statement. Then you need to draw up a list of related sub-themes or ideas that support the central initiative.
They can be variations on the theme, or different media through which it can be expressed, or different
audiences receiving the message, and so on - so long as all the orbiting thoughts are cousins in some way.
This diagram looks simple enough, but it is not as easy as it looks to fill in. The satellites must be properly
anchored themes that truly dramatise the fertility of the central idea. If they do not, then either choose
ones that do or, in extreme cases, throw out the central idea in favour of one with greater scope.
CENTRAL IDEA
..................................
SUB IDEA 1
SUB IDEA 2
SUB IDEA 3
SUB IDEA 4
SUB IDEA 5
SUB IDEA 6
SUB IDEA 7
SUB IDEA 8

five: EYES OF EXPERTS
How to harness the power of experts
This is a charming and fun technique that really works, regardless of the topic. The idea is to view the
challenge through the eyes of a known person who is very successful at something i.e. successful
businessman (Richard Branson), a sportsman (David Beckham), and a universally known political figure
(Nelson Mandela).
It is not essential that they are technically expert, but it is important that they have a reputation for
approaching their task in a distinctive way.
EXERCISE: The list of experts can be decided before the session, or generated spontaneously by the group.
Examine a challenge using the style and viewpoint of each expert. This can either be done collectively (all
attendees imagining one expert at the same time), or separately (sending pairs or mini-groups off to work
through the eyes of several different ones).
EXPERT:
APPROACH:
EXPERT: EXPERT:
APPROACH: APPROACH:
IDEAS

six: THE FOUR CORNER WALKABOUT
How to build on good ideas
This technique is easy and almost always surprising.
EXERCISE: First, you need a room large enough to allow your participants to walk around. Then take four
large sheets of flip chart paper. Choose four strategic areas that are relevant to the challenge and write
one only on each sheet. Place each sheet in a different corner of the room.
Give your first attendee a marker pen, send them to a corner, and ask them to write the first thought they
come up with next to the original idea.
They then move on to the next corner, and another attendee is sent to add to their thought.
Keep sending everyone round, each building on what has gone before until each sheet is full.
This technique achieves three things:
• Lateral departures that are intrinsically linked to the original idea/s.
• Surprise and stimulation for the attendees when they see the ways in which
their ideas can be built upon by others to generate something more powerful.
• People have better ideas when they are on the move.

IDEAS
STRATEGIC AREA 1: STRATEGIC AREA 2:
STRATEGIC AREA 4: STRATEGIC AREA 3:

“My idea of man’s chief end was to enrich the world with things of beauty and have
a fairly good time myself while doing so.”
Robert Louis Stevenson

ETHICS
one: WORKING OUT WHY YOUR BUSINESS EXISTS
How to use the Golden Circle principle to start getting your priorities right
two: DEFINING YOUR COMPANY’S ESSENTIAL INTENT
How to distinguish between a bland set of values and an inspirational and concrete objective
three: WHAT DOES ‘GREEN’ MEAN?
How to start creating a green business
four: THE 12 PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICE
How to form the basis of business ethics
five: THE GREEN MARKETING CHECKLIST
How to ensure credibility for your green marketing claims
six: CREATING ETHICAL MARKETING PRINCIPLES
How to understand the principles of ethical marketing

ETHICS INTRODUCTION:
CORPORATE ETHICAL COMMITMENT
Modern companies should embrace the powerful ethical dimension of corporate leadership, as
outlined in Pringle & Gordon’s book Brand Manners. Customers, employees, government, pressure groups,
journalists and opinion formers, suppliers, alliance partners, consumers - all of the stakeholders in a company
are increasingly concerned with its position in the community. They question the contribution it is making to
society, not just in the usual terms of profit and loss, but in the much wider sense of what it is putting back (in
relation to what it is taking out). Hence the rise in importance of social and community programmes,
company-sponsored volunteering schemes and cause-related or social marketing campaigns.
But truly ethical companies understand that this integrity needs to run through the entire organisation.
Without effective internal communication, principles can easily weaken in the face of day to day reality, as
this diagram from the book nicely illustrates.
Board
Middle Managers
First-line Supervisors
Work Teams
Senior Managers
CORPORATE ETHICAL
COMMITMENT
AGREE
COMPROMISE
IGNORE
ACCEPT
RECEIVE
COMMIT (enthusiasts) COMPLY COMDEMN (cynics)

one: WORKING OUT WHY YOUR BUSINESS EXISTS
How to use the Golden Circle principle to start getting your priorities right
This comes from Simon Sinek’s highly successful book, Start With Why. Most companies start by working out
what they do, then work out how. They often don’t get onto the ‘why’. It’s more effective to start with why,
then move onto the how and what.
WHAT
Every organisation on the planet knows WHAT they do. These are products they sell or the services they offer.
HOW
Some organisations know HOW they do it. These are the things that make them special or set them apart
from their competition.
WHY
Very few organisations know WHY they do what they do. WHY is not about making money. That’s a result.
It’s a purpose, cause or belief. It’s the very reason your organisation exists.
EXERCISE: First write down WHAT your company does in the outer circle. Then write in HOW you are special in
the middle circle. Finally, consider WHY you exist and what your essential purpose is.
WHAT
HOW
WHY
ETHICS

two: DEFINING YOUR COMPANY’S ESSENTIAL INTENT
How to distinguish between a bland set of values and an inspirational and concrete objective
The idea of developing a company’s essential intent comes from Greg McKeown’s Essentialism. In the top
left quadrant, there are vision and mission statements that sound inspirational but are so general that they
are almost always ignored. In the bottom left is a set of vague general values that are usually too bland or
generic to inspire any passion. Bottom right are shorter-term quarterly objectives - certainly clear and
concrete but not very inspiring.
The essential intent (top right) must be both inspirational and concrete - one decision that eliminates a
thousand later ones.
EXERCISE: Write your Essential Intent Statement. The test for ensuring that it is concrete as well as inspirational
is to answer the question: How will we know when we’re done?
BLANDINSPIRATIONAL
GENERAL CONCRETE
Vision / Mission
ESSENTIAL INTENT
Makes one decision that eliminates
1000 later decisions
Values Quarterly Objectives
COMPANY ESSENTIAL INTENT STATEMENT

three: WHAT DOES ‘GREEN’ MEAN?
How to start creating a green business
If you are just starting out on a road to a greener business, this can help understand the many areas you will
need to consider (from Ottman’s The New Rules of Green Marketing).
EXERCISE: Write down examples of applicable green behaviour in your business now and where you can
improve.
RAW MATERIALS
Sustainably harvested,
Biobased, Fair trade
PACKAGING
Recycled, Non-aerosol
Minimal
DISTRIBUTION
Fuel-efficient, Local
Reusable packaging
MARKETING
Ethical, Cause-related
Transparent
IN-USE
Low-fume,
Resource-efficient
Durable
AFTER-USE
Recyclable, Refillable
Reusable
DISPOSAL
Landfill-safe,
Compostable
Biodegradable
MANUFACTURING/
PRODUCTION
Socially responsible,
Low carbon footprint,
Pesticide-free,
Unbleached
NOWFUTURENOWFUTURE
ETHICS

four: 12 PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICE
How to form the basis of good business ethics
EXERCISE: Can you provide evidence of good ethical practice in your business for each of these areas?
HONESTY
OBEYING
THE LAW
RESPECT
CARINGFAIRNESSLOYALTYKEEPING
PROMISES
INTEGRITY
EXCELLENCE LEADERSHIP MORALE
BUILDING
ACCOUNTABILITY

five: THE GREEN MARKETING CHECKLIST
How to ensure credibility for your green marketing claims
Green or ethical practices must be supported from the top down to be genuine and become a true part of
a company’s culture. It is not just about a few ‘green’ marketing claims.
EXERCISE: Answer the following questions on a Scale of 1 - 5 (1 = low + 5 = high).
What improvements can you make?
Do we have a genuine company-wide green culture?
Are our green marketing claims consistent with our corporate actions?
Are our brand-related sustainability claims meaningful, specific, com-
plete, and without exaggeration?
Are we being transparent about the pollution our products represent
as well as their environmental benefits?
Are we being environmentally efficient with our marketing materials?
SCALE
1-5
SUGGESTED
IMPROVEMENTS
Have we identified where online or digital media could work to
reduce our use of paper?
Are we using recycled and/or sustainably harvested paper and
vegetable-based inks for our marketing communications?
Have we tested their believability among customers?
Does our CEO openly support sustainability? Do our stakeholders
know it?
ETHICS

six: CREATING ETHICAL MARKETING PRINCIPLES
How to understand the new principles of ethical marketing
To adopt a new ethical approach to marketing you will need to challenge some of your existing habits and
behaviours (from Ottman’s The New Rules of Green Marketing).
EXERCISE: How are you challenging conventional marketing in your business?
CONSUMERS
PRODUCTS
MARKETING +
COMMS
CORPORATE
Consumers with lifestyles
Cradle to grave
Products
Globally sourced
One size fits all
Product end-benefits
Selling
One-way communication
Paid advertising
Secretive
Reactive
Independent + autonomous
Competitive
Departmentalised
Short term-orientated/
profit-maximising
People with lives
Cradle to cradle
Services
Locally sourced
Regionally tailored
Values
Educating + empowering
Creating community
Word of mouth
Transparent
Proactive
Interdependent/allied with
stakeholders
Cooperative
Holistic
Long term-orientated
CONVENTIONAL
MARKETING
GREEN MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS

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