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  • What I learnt about selling from Liberty's top retail sales staff

    Liberty of London Sales Staff

    The top 20 members of Liberty of London's shop floor retail sales team generate upwards of £10 million per annum between them. That's almost a million dollars per sales assistant per year at London's iconic department store. Here's what I learnt about selling whilst watching them in the Channel Four documentary on Liberty of London:

    Love to Sell

    The top sales people are all hungry for sales. For example, Will in menswear stays late, takes short lunch breaks and doesn’t bother with tea breaks because he loves being the top salesman in his department. Shukla, who has been with Liberty for forty years still says “Oh, I love to be the first one to sell.” Ruth in fragrances is always beating Stuart to the customers.

    Know thy product

    The product knowledge of the Liberty of London sales team was excellent. The team regularly meet and practiced selling new items to one another. They also focussed on the story behind the products which helps sell the items alongside their list of benefits.

    Tactile

    Studies have shown that waitresses that touch the arm of their customers increased tips. Watching the top sellers at Liberty of London they aren’t afraid to shake hands with their customers. Even Ed Burstell, the MD, found when he first visited Liberty that he wasn’t in the Shukla’s department for very long before she was gently leading him by the arm and helping him choose things to buy.

    Warm and friendly

    All of the top sellers are friendly and have a welcoming smile. Nobody likes to buy from a grump or a moaner.

    Read people

    When asked if he can tell if someone is going to spend money Will says, ““Of course. You can always look at what they are dressed in and I always say the one way to tell if someone’s got good shoes. Sometimes they can have awful clothing, but you look down and they’ve got a £550 pair of Marcels on.”

    Guide attentively

    When Shukla sells three cushions to a customer worth £400, she reads the customer by observing how her eyes light up when she sees the pink cushions. She then guides her to choose three cushions rather than two which was the right choice for how those cushions would work on her client’s sofa.

    Reassure

    When the cushion buyer hesitates at the till as she is paying and starts to feel guilty about her purchase, Shukla reassures her by saying,  “Don’t hesitate, if they don’t go properly, bring them and change them for something else.” As she hands her the bag and the receipt she smiles and says, “Enjoy the cushions.” Reassurance is key, especially after the sale.

    Meet client’s needs

    All of Liberty of London’s top sellers are looking to meet their customers instead of just selling them stuff. As Will in menswear says, “I treat every customer like my friend. We’re not trying to blag people into buying things, we’re trying to make people look decent. I’d rather people walk out of here with nothing than walk out of here with something and they look hideous in it.”

    Customers love being sold to

    Customers really appreciate having their needs met. As one of Will’s clients says of him, “I like to shop with Will because he knows me and knows what I like. He tells me what’s in as and when. It’s shopping made easy for me. He pushes me outside of my comfort zone.”

    Know your top customers

    Top sellers at Liberty of London know their top customers. They recognise their faces, they remember what they sold to them and often know their names. They call top customers to come to shop when new stock comes in. Bruce in carpets will even take rugs to his key accounts houses to try them out on site.

    Sell Naturally

    None of the top sellers at Liberty of London felt like they were forcing the sale or being pushy. It all felt very natural and easy and customer focussed. All of them had a natural approach to selling.

    Goal focussed

    Will’s goal is to be the first Liberty sales team member to bring in £1 million sales for the year. Shukla has a baseline target of £500,000 a year. All of the top sales people were focussed on their targets and watched the numbers.

    It's worth mentioning that all of the shop floor staff at Liberty are incentivised and the numbers are tracked daily and fed back to the staff. Training on product knowledge is regular and the top customers are sent hampers each year. All of this supports the sales teams efforts.

    Not all retailers will have a team of staff that can generate millions in sales for them each year. With an eye on these key attributes when hiring staff as well as a daily focus on selling, you too could build a retail team that are excellent at meeting your customers needs and boosting your stores profits.

    You might also like to read

    16 Retail Lessons I learned from Liberty of London

    18 Retailing Insights from the Secrets of Sales documentary

  • New Gorgeous Gifts shortlisted for Gift of the Year 2014

    Gorgeous Gifts short listed for Gift of the YearWe are very excited to announce that our new licensed giftware range Gorgeous, developed with Widdop Bingham, has been shortlisted for Gift of the Year 2014. Hopefully we will make the finals held at Spring Fair in a few weeks. Our Gorgeous range of greeting cards has also been first round short listed in the Cards for Design-Led Shops category.
    Products shortlisted for Gift of the Year 2014 will be judged by the following criteria:

    Design innovation and originality Quality of manufacture Sales potential and commercial viability Presentation and packaging Customer appeal and value Retail profit potential Marketing and merchandising support to the trade and the consumer X/WOW factor. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at Spring Fair on Sunday 2nd February and trophies will be presented to the winning companies.
     
    Finalist products will be displayed in the Gift of the Year 2014 show house at Spring Fair at the NEC Birmingham.

    The Gift of the Year 2014 judging panel is:

    Lindsey Adam - Bonkers, Richard Barker - Cilla & Camilla, Ronnie Barnard - Gifts for Gentlemen, Lyndsey Brooks – Lakeland, Tina Botterill - Cool! Cards and Gifts at Handpicked Hall, Peter Burridge - Montpellier Gallery, Hilary Davenport - Scotts and Co, Judith Harris – Notcutts, Jane Hudson - Presents for Men, Mark Jones - Occasions Direct, Coralie Keech - Daisy Chain, Kirsten Linton – Cornucopia, Dick Mawdsley – Utility, Nathaniel Mobbs - National Gallery, Jenny Spivey - Frosts Garden Centres, Simon Woolgrove – Achica, Natalie Yates - Gifts From Handpicked, Zoe York - Squashed Tomato

    Click here to read more about some of the Blue Eyed Sun licensed gift lines from Widdop Bingham.

    To enquire about further licensing opportunities with Blue Eyed Sun cards contact Jeremy at www.blueeyedsun.co.uk

    For more information of Gift of the Year 2014 visit www.giftoftheyear.co.uk

  • 5 great restaurants near Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London

    5 Great Restaurants Near Earls Court Exhibition CentreI have exhibited at various shows in Earls Court in London over the years and have tried all sorts of restaurants near Earls Court Exhibition Centre during that time. The list that follows is not exhaustive and they are not necessarily the best for culinary dining (although some are amazing). I enjoyed eating at all of these places though and hope you do too.

    222 Veggie Vegan

    1. 222 Veggie Vegan

    I love this little restaurant which is just a short walk from Earls Court Exhibition Centre at 222 North End Road. Run by internationally renown vegan chef, Ben Asamani, the food is delicious and a healthier meal closer to a trade show you could not hope to find. Even if you aren't a vegetarian or a vegan this restaurant is a must, with friendly staff and a cafe style vibe. Book a table at 222 Veggie Vegan by clicking here

    The Harwood Arms

    2. Harwood Arms

    This Michelin star gastro pub is a little jewel tucked away on the corner on Walham Grove (just near Seagrave Road car park on the Old Brompton side of Earls Court exhibition centre). Even though it's won loads of awards and is highly rated it manages to combine the excellent food with a down to earth atmosphere. If you enjoy meat you'll love the British produce on offer here. There are some nice fish options although there's not much available for veggies. Find out more about the Harwood Arms by clicking here

    AddiesThai

    3. Addies Thai

    This is a great Thai restaurant on Earls Court Road with friendly staff and is obviously a local favourite as I always seem to find it busy, even on weekdays. Set across two floors I have never had to wait long for a seat though. The food is so delicious and fresh that I try and visit it every time I exhibit at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. Service is swift and the prices are reasonable. Click here to visit Addie's Thai website

    The Hansom Cab on Earls Court Road

    4. The Hansom Cab

    This place is a little further up Earls Court Road and is a beautifully refurbished pub with the kitchen under the aegis of Marco Pierre White. On the menu are classic British pub favourites with some nice vegetarian options. The staff are friendly and the food is surprisingly affordable and very tasty, especially the puddings which are delicious. Click here for more information about The Hansom Cab

     

    The Troubadour near Earls Court

    5. The Troubador 

    This cafe style pub on Old Brompton Road isn't as "gastro" as the others on my list, it's classic fare from an iconic venue that still has live music most nights. They've played host to a great number of musicians since the fifties including Hendrix, Elvis Costello, Morcheeba, Adele and Bob Dylan (who inspired us to name our company Blue Eyed Sun). It's on this list because I have had many fun nights there with friends after exhibiting all day at the Earls Court exhibition centre. The staff were very welcoming, it's busy and the atmosphere is buzzing. The food is comforting and there are a mixture of vegeterian options on the menu. Click here to book a table at the Troubadour online

    See Blue Eyed Sun at Olympia for Top Drawer Spring on Stand T42 - 17-19 January 2016.

    Can't make the trade show? Click here to request access to all of our designs online.

    If you like this blog post, you might also like these:

    5 Great Restaurants Near Olympia Exhibition Centre

    5 Great Restaurants near the NEC

    5 Good restaurants near the Business Design Centre

  • Top Drawer Spring 2014 - See Blue Eyed Sun on Stand E12

    Top Drawer Spring 2014We are exhibiting at Top Drawer Spring 2014 this month with some gorgeous new designs. If you are visiting the show, please stop by and see us on Stand E12 to view all of our latest cards in person. Be the first to preview our new large format Allotment range at the show as well as new additions to our best selling Gorgeous and Vintage ranges. You can also order any last minute Valentines, Mothers or Fathers Day cards.

    For free tickets to Top Drawer Spring please click here.

    What is Top Drawer Spring 2014?

    Top Drawer Spring 2014 runs from Sunday 12th January until Tuesday 14th January from 09:30 - 18:00 and brings together an inspirational showcase of over 800 carefully selected British and International suppliers to Earl Court One in London. This trade show showcases all of the latest product launches, cutting edge designs and must have products for 2014 helping design-led gift shops stand out on the high street. It attracts over 13,000 visitors and the top buyers and suppliers in the industry so don't miss it! Click here to watch a video of the card section at Top Drawer Spring.

    Where to Eat

    Read our blog post on 5 Great Restaurants near Earls Court Exhibition Centre

    How to Get to There

    Travel to Top Drawer Spring 2014 is easy with two London tube stops close to the venue at West Brompton station (district line and overland train) and Earls Court Tube Station (Picadilly and District Lines). Click here for the TFL website.

    The post code for Earl Court is SW5 9TA, if you are driving. You can park at Seagrave Road Car Park and on site in the Red Car Park. Do book in advance as it is expensive on the day. Click here to book parking at Earls Court. More info can be found on alternative routes on the Transport for London link above. You can also click on the map below.

    To find out more about Top Drawer Spring 2014 click here.

    To order Blue Eyed Sun's new designs for your shop or request a brochure click here.

    Read our 12 Top Tips for Trade Show Visitors by clicking here.


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  • Blue Eyed Sun's new large format Allotment cards

    Blue Eyed Sun large Allotment cards Blue Eyed Sun are launching an exciting new range of large format cards called Allotment retailing at £4.99.

    Based on original hand stitched artworks, by artist Jo Corner, they are printed and embossed to give a beautiful look and a realistic feel. Hand finished with jewels the range includes 5 open birthday captions and 19 occasions cards including birthday milestones, wedding and relations.

    Sized 215mm square, the cards all come cello wrapped with a pearlescent envelope that is 220mm x 220mm square. Sold in threes Allotment cards are available for trade customers to order through our agents, by brochure, at shows or logging into our website. A new 2014 brochure including our new large format card range will be sent to customers at the end of January. The new designs are up on our website.

    You can see them all first in person at the events below:

    Top Drawer at Earls Court One 12-14 January 2014 - Stand E12

    Spring Fair International at the NEC in Birmingham 2 - 6 February 2014 - Hall 4 - Stand 4L66

    To stock these cards in your shop click here. If you'd like to see them in your local shop please tell them and point them in the direction of www.blueeyedsun.co.uk or recommend a shop to us by clicking here. You can also visit our stockists page to find a store near you that may be selling them. To see an overview of Blue Eyed Sun ranges click here.

  • Why customer complaints are good for business

    Why Customer Complaints ar Good for Business

    One of the best things that happened to me this year was a customer complaint from one of our major key accounts.

    It happened on our exhibition stand at Spring Fair and it was one of the worst business experiences I’ve had in a long time. I got roasted by the head buyer for our poor service on delivery. At the time I wanted a big hole to open up and swallow me up. I was horrified that our business, which we work so hard on, could have allowed this situation to occur.

    In our defence, there were a variety of factors at play including large spikes in demand for our products that year which had been difficult to predict. This was not really our retailer’s problem though. The bottom line was that the buck stopped with us and our customer was unhappy. The stores had suffered stock-outs, which was bad for business for both them and us. Something had to be done.

    What happened, as a result, is a good example of why I am always pleased to listen to customer complaints even when they are difficult to hear. This is especially true when things can be done that will lead to improvements throughout our business. One should try not to dismiss them readily and always track them. At Blue Eyed Sun we note down all of our ‘onions’ and ‘orchids’ and discuss them in our weekly team meetings. Complaints are onions and compliments are orchids (terms I borrowed from business expert Robert Craven). Both are key to marketing and growing your business.

    So what happened next? Well firstly, I assured the customer that the problem would be dealt with and then went about taking a series of actions that meant the problem did not happen again. I communicated the situation to everyone within our business straight away. I called our workshops and asked them to make sure that whatever orders were due for this customer were the number one priority that week so that the buyer didn’t return from the show to find the issues still reoccurring.

    At the show I discussed the situation with my assistant, who has a background in buying for a multiple retailer, and we identified the top causes of the problems that had led to the complaint. When we returned to the office after the show we set about tackling these one by one as quickly as possible.

    Now this all sounds obvious and one might be tempted to ask why we hadn’t fixed these issues in the first place. The reality is they were complex and involved a broker, one of our printing suppliers and our own internal systems of stock control and warehouse management. There were also tough decisions to be made that we had not got to grips with, like increasing our stock holdings, cutting out ranges that could not be reprinted easily in a cost effective way and external challenges like improving top level communication with the broker involved.

    In fact communication within our company, with our suppliers, with the brokers and with the retailer was one of the things that has improved dramatically and has meant that our fulfillment rate hit 97% within the following six months. Our rate of sale also leapt 25% and we are now the top handmade supplier at this particular multiple retailer.

    The complaint also lead to us reviewing our warehousing systems and we have completely changed the way we hold stock and how our shelving works. We are holding more stock in less space and orders are leaving our warehouse faster than ever which means our customers get even better service. Blue Eyed Sun were even listed 18th out of 800 for Best Customer Service to independent retailers at this year’s Henries Awards.

    The thing I am most aware of with this particular customer, and all customers who complain, is that we were lucky. Lucky they took the time to tell us. Many customers won’t and will just leave and not come back. By telling us, they gave us the chance to deal with the issue and turn their experience of us around. I am eternally grateful to them for doing this and the the process it has made our business better for them, for us and for others.

    So do remember to tell your suppliers when they do a good job and more importantly when they don’t.

    It could improve things for both of you.

    How To Complain And How To RespondFurther Recommended Reading:

    7 Habits of Highly Effective Retailers

    9 Tips for retailers to improve their greeting card sales

    10 Things to do in the next 10 days to grow your business

  • 16 Retail Lessons I learned from Liberty of London

    Liberty of London

    Britain’s great iconic retail emporium, Liberty of London, and it's staff were the stars of a fascinating documentary giving a unique insight into modern retail.

    Blue Eyed Sun’s designer and co-founder, Jo, had her very first job was at Liberty. At fifteen, she joined the Norwich branch as a Saturday girl on work experience and was later a sales & display assistant at Liberty in York. She advised customers in the dress fabric department and cultivated her love of fabrics and craft that influence her work to this day.

    Arthur Stuart Liberty opened the shop in 1875 and changed Britain’s shopping landscape forever pioneering cutting edge designs and textiles. Operating from a unique grade II listed Tudor Building on London’s Great Marlborough Street, Liberty of London has always been famous for its oriental rugs, eclectic antiques and liberty print fabrics.

    Over the years the store had shrunk back down from a chain and struggled to turn a profit from it’s London site, despite having 5 million customers coming through the doors each year out of 220 million annual visitors to the Oxford Circus shopping area. Managing Director, Ed Burstell, joined Liberty from New York’s luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman in 2008 tasked with turning around the historic store’s fortunes. Since he arrived, Liberty have experienced continued double digit growth and sales are now up to £60 million per year with £2 million in profit.

    Here are some lessons I learnt about retailing by watching Ed Burstell and his team in this documentary.

    1. Christmas is Major

    Christmas is a 365 day a year job for retailers and is the most important thing they do. Liberty take 20% of their annual sales in the six weeks leading up to Christmas and their Christmas shop attracts 250,000 people each year. They constantly monitor how things are selling, reorder best sellers and make sure the displays stay full so as to not lose any sales.

    2. Train Your Team Well

    The Liberty staff regularly meet to show products to each other and talk through what makes them special with a focus on the story of the gift items they sell. The team know what is expected of them and that they will be tested by mystery shoppers. Their focus is on being friendly, helpful and having good knowledge of the products they are selling.

    3. Retail Staff are Sales People

    Liberty track sales on a daily basis and involve their staff in hitting the targets. Everyone within the store that was customer facing had been taught how to sell. The company offers sales commission for shop floor staff and everyone is focussed on maximising sales. When it got busy at Christmas, the whole team got involved on the shop floor and at tills including the Head Buyer, Julie Hassan, and receptionist, Judy.

    4. Value your team

    Ed regularly asks his team what they think. I was interested to see how many negative responses he had for ideas he liked. Even the idea of a Liberty Bear (which Liberty actually sold 20 years ago - ‘like hot cakes’ according to Jo) was dismissed by Kate Bridley, Liberty’s marketing manager, as ‘a bit Harrods.’ What’s important is that staff feel involved and valued as team members. Ed personally writes Birthday cards to every member of staff and holds quarterly meetings to celebrate new and long standing members of Liberty’s team.

    5. Know your Numbers

    You have to know what’s selling well and what’s not so that you can maximise your sales and profits. As Ed notes, “You’re ruled by sales. There’s a report I get every Monday, that tells me, by department, how much business we are doing per square foot. What it does though, is make you think every single week, am I maximising every single foot that’s in this building.”

    6. Shop Windows are Key

    If customers are not in your store then you have to drive them in off your street. “Windows are a stores’ number one vehicle for advertising. So in terms of enticing people to come into the shop. It’s your biggest priority,” says Ed.

    7. Watch your Margins

    Don’t stock items just because they are nice, they must make margin. As Ed points out to his team, “The building’s finite. Pretty soon we’re going to be out of space. Other than just taking price points up and hoping that we keep on increasing footfall, I think we have to look at the margin line. We need to prioritise what’s going to give us the biggest return. If there’s something that would be nice to stock, it probably won’t happen unless it comes with the return on the investment attached to it.”

    8. Maximise Your Selling Space

    Liberty cannot grow their London site any larger than it is, although Ed has cleverly maximised the space available to him by expanding his selling area from 70,000 to 78,000 square feet. There’s no large swanky office for the MD as office space is taken for sales and even stock rooms and unused toilets have been remodelled into retail space.

    9. Be Selective with your Buying

    Liberty focus on presenting what is perfect within their space and have ditched a lot of the clutter that covered the real gems within the store. As Ed says, “We won’t launch something unless it’s right. Our customers love our edit (product selection) and they love our focus. It’s choosing the right stuff that is the entire trick to this business.”

    10. What makes you Unique?

    Although the Tudor building Liberty occupies is a disadvantage because of it’s size and shape, it’s also what makes it special and a unique place to visit. Ed has also focussed on making exclusive deals with designers like Manola Blahnik to set themselves apart from other stores and give consumers more reason to come to them.

    11. Maximise Other Revenue Streams

    Liberty art fabrics are still the company’s biggest money spinner, accounting for two thirds of their profits. Over two and a half million metres of Liberty fabric is sold in over thirty countries worldwide. The company still designs 40 new print designs per year from their small London studio and has over 40,000 hand painted originals on archive. This Intellectual Property is a valuable asset that can grow income without requiring further retail space to do so.

    12. Retail is an Experience

    If bricks and mortar retailers are to stand any chance against internet retail, they have to offer a unique experience for their customers. As Liberty’s General Manager Lee says, “It’s the service you get from the person who’s talking to you about it. ‘Does it look great? Do you feel great in it?’ Then when you’ve got the product, it’s how it’s wrapped. You can’t just throw it in a bag. You’ve got to wrap it to perfection. You walk out with pride. When you get it home you open it again. It’s all part of that experience.”

    13. Understand your customers

    Liberty has a range of customers, some who have shopped there for years. As Ed states, “You inherit the customer. You don’t want to alienate that customer. Give them something they want and maintain their needs. Then focus your efforts on the next one that is going to explode, like the younger more fashionable customer.”

    14. Look after your Biggest Customers

    Liberty’s top 50 VIP customers spend on average £40,000 a year each in the store. To thank them they are given a luxury hamper worth £700 and a gold loyalty card. They’re also all known by name by the team. The rug department will drive ranges of rugs to key clients’ houses to help them choose. Liberty staff even call their key clients to let them know when new stock arrives that they might like.

    15. Marketing Events Matter

    Liberty had several marketing events including a Christmas launch for journalists, a celebrity book signing and the reveal of their Christmas window. These were great for involving the press and inviting VIPs in to drive PR and sales for the business.

    16. Organisation is Vital

    Liberty’s team run their store like a military operation to ensure stocks don’t run out and they maximise sales. The buyers also plan their buying before they attend buying events. They know who they want to see, they are up to date on the key trends and have a plan for what they want to achieve whilst attending shows.

    Liberty of London is one of our favourite stores in the UK and Blue Eyed Sun have been lucky enough to supply them on various occasions over the years. It’s a real privilege to get an insight into what goes on behind the scenes of this iconic British brand and see it doing so well.

    What I learnt about selling from Liberty's top sales staff

    Watch the Liberty of London Documentaries online

    18 Retailing Insights from Cherry Kealey's Secrets of the Sales Documentary

  • Festive Friday 2013 at Blue Eyed Sun's workshop

    Festive Friday 2013 at Blue Eyed Sun

    Today is Festive Friday 2013, the day that kick starts the UK Christmas card sending season and we've been busy.

    The UK Greeting Card Association launched the Festive Friday campaign to encourage card publishers and retailers to send their Christmas cards early to spread the love and to remind everyone to remember to send theirs. There are around 100,000 people working directly and indirectly with the UK card industry. If each of us sends 10 Christmas cards in the first week of December it will have a fantastic ripple effect from those first million gestures.

    At Blue Eyed Sun we decided to get into the Christmas spirit ourselves and held a 'christmas card writing hour' for our team to write and send cards to their loved ones. We sponsored the cards, their time and the postage to support the GCA campaign. All our team had to do was to write as many cards as they wanted to in the hour. We managed 102 Christmas cards between us, which have been winging their way via Royal Mail this week to their lucky recipients.

    As you can see our team had a lot of fun on Festive Friday 2013 with some fantastic Christmas jumpers and Santa hats to get us in the Christmas mood. Even Rachel's new puppy, Bert, got into the spirit of things. It's so heart warming to think about all of the love going out into the world from this short amount of time dedicated to card sending rather than card making and we'd recommend it to all publishers and retailers who read this blog.

    Even if you are not in the card industry, it is a great time of year to connect with your customers, friends and loved ones. Send them a nice Christmas card with a warm message in it expressing your gratitude and wishing them all the best for 2014. Do it this week. Spread that festive cheer around the world.

    There are only a few days left to get cards in the post though, so do get started this week. I've listed the Royal Mail's last posting dates below. Want to print this info out for your customers?

    You can download the last UK posting dates in a PDF by clicking here.

    Find out more about Blue Eyed Sun's Christmas cards for 2013 here. Available at all good card retailers.

    Worried about the cost? Read the truth about

    How Royal Mail's price increases affect your card sending costs here.

    Royal Mail Christmas Sending Dates 2013

  • How to get things done when you don’t feel like it

    Get Things Done When You Don't Feel Like ItDo you ever know that you need to do something and have huge resistance to doing it? It’s probably something you don’t really like doing right? Even though it has to be done, you will put it off, doing all manner of other things to avoid the task in hand.

    Now I don’t know about you, but I am not a big fan of painting and decorating houses. Some people love it, but not me. I enjoy the job when it’s done and I love living in a house that is well looked after. The same is true of my house proud wife. This summer, whilst she was away for a few weeks, I decided to paint several rooms in our house. This is not DIY decorating post, but a DIY life hack you can use to get things done. To get my decorating done, when I didn’t feel like doing it, these are the steps I took:

    Decide How Important the Job is

    Does the job really need to be done? We can talk ourselves into believing something is more important than it actually is. Make sure you focus on the important things in your life.

    In my case, three of the rooms had damage that needed repairing and two were rooms that my wife or I didn’t like the colour of. Whilst we could live in the house without taking care of these things, I know my wife feels better when a job that’s on her list is sorted. If my wife is happy, I’m happy. We also both like to live in a nice environment that isn't stressful. So it was important. I also decided that if the job was left any longer, other rooms might also need decorating and the whole task would become much more daunting.

    Be Specific about the Task that needs doing and the Time needed

    As three rooms needed repair, I decided to focus on painting and decorating three rooms in the three weeks of evenings and weekends I had available to me outside of work and other commitments. I aimed to paint the walls in emulsion and then the windows, doors and skirting in satin white. My wife loves environmentally friendly Earthborn paints so I ordered what I needed to do the three rooms. The task and time frame were specific and, to my mind, achievable.

    Are You the One that Needs to Do this Job?

    This is a really important question when doing any job you have resistance to. In my case I could have hired decorators to do the painting. However, I had some time available to me to do the painting as my wife was away. I also came to the conclusion that doing something that my wife really wanted, even though I didn’t enjoy doing it, would mean something special to both myself and my wife. I imagined us living in the space I had taken care of and seeing my wife’s smile at the work being done. For me, this meaning was a major motivating factor in deciding to do the job myself and in getting the job finished.

    Find Ways of Making it Fun

    If you don’t like a task, find a way of making the task pleasurable. If you don’t like exercise and want to lose weight or get fit then choose a sport you really enjoy. I love music, so I rigged up my stereo to play some of my favourite tunes as I decorated. I also thought about my wife and how pleased she would be when she returned. It turned out to be a nice way of feeling closer to her whilst she was physically away from me.

    Break the Task down into Smaller Steps

    As well as painting and dancing to my favourite tunes, I broke each room down into smaller steps and made a game of trying to complete the steps in certain time limits. For example, one step was to sand and prep each room with filler, etc. Another step was to paint the emulsion ‘outlines’ above the skirtings, around the doors and windows and then another step was to ‘colour in’ the rest of the walls and ceilings with a roller. After this I’d paint the skirting, windows and doors in the satin. Each room needed two coats of paint. As I tracked myself in the game I gained a sense of how long each type of job would take me as I went through the rooms. I also focussed on completing rooms as I went, even if I had started prepping another room.

    Take the first Step

    I have run four marathons to date and covered hundreds of miles in preparation. The hardest part of 6am training runs is getting from your bed to the other side of the front door. The first step is the most important. Even if you can’t make the job fun and you are the one that has to do it, take the first step. Once you have taken it you are on your way, come what may. I reminded myself of why I was decorating, pictured the job done in my mind, then picked up the brush and started.

    Be Flexible and Adjust to the Lay of the Land

    Sometimes things get worse before they get better. As good as it is to have a set plan in mind, your plan is distinct from reality. When I prepped a wall in one room the plaster fell to pieces and I decided that repairing it was best suited to a builder. I also found that the task took longer than I expected and by starting it I’d made a complete mess of the house. As I was committed to completing the project, and my wife was back in three weeks, I had to press on.

    On the plus side, I found that I was enjoying making the house nicer for us all and getting quicker at the jobs. As it was a mess anyway I worked out that I might just be able to complete all five rooms. Usually this is a danger point and you have to be careful that you don’t bite off more than you can chew (at the start or half way through). Because I was getting more motivated and completing rooms as I went, I knew the worst that would happen would be one room might not be completely finished. I decided I was ok with that as four out of five rooms was better than having done none. Be realistic with yourself.

    Reward yourself

    My overall reward was seeing the job finished and the surprise on my wife’s face when she returned from her trip. I also set myself up with mini rewards as I went. At lunch I’d stop and call a friend for a chat or watch or read something to stimulate me in a way that I knew decorating wouldn’t. I also worked until I got too tired and made sure I rested well for the following day. If I over indulged or took too much time off I made up for it in the next session. This soon put me off distractions.

    The Outcome

    I managed to complete all five rooms before my wife returned, although it was very close and I had to juggle things to do so. It was worth it though. She was happy and says she feels lighter not having those jobs on her mind. We now have a lot less decorating to do on our house. I’m happy because she’s happy and I love living in a house we take care of.

    I have also got better at the thing I don’t like doing. This makes it less of a big deal if I need to do it again in the future. You might find the same if you have been putting a job off for a while. Go through these simple steps and see how how you get on.

    If you liked this blog post, you might also like these:

    Looking Back from Perfect - How to Achieve Your Goals

    15 Ways Marathon Training can Help your Business

  • Two simple steps to get yourself to the top of Google

    Google Homepage

    When we search for businesses these days we no longer use the yellow pages or the phonebook, instead we turn to the internet. In the UK we make 135 million searches a day and Google is our number one destination of choice for finding anything or anyone.

    Often we don’t just use the normal Google search. If I’m looking to buy a specific piece of furniture I’ll type it into the Google Image search to help me locate a photo of what I’m after. If I look for a local card shop I’ll open up Google Maps to my location and enter ‘greeting cards’. We don’t just search from our PC’s anymore either, now we use phones, tablets and other mobile devices.

    For years it has been incredibly costly and time consuming to set up and develop your website using SEO (search engine optimization) techniques so that you show at the top of Google on searches. These days there are two simple steps you can take to get people to find you easily and you don’t even need to have a website. What’s key is to take control of your personal and business digital identity online using Google and other social media tools.
     

    Step 1 - Google Places

    The first step you can take to get to the top of Google is to register your business with Google Places. You’ll need to set up a free account on their system if you have not already done so. They will post out a verification code to your shop to ensure that it is you. Once you’ve typed this in and registered with your shop’s key categories, your business will show up when someone searches on Google Maps in your high street for those category terms. Most importantly when someone searches for your shop name, your details will show up with opening hours, address, phone number, etc. When you control this info on Google (register for Google+ whilst you are at it) and other social media sites, you don’t even need a website.

    Step 2 - Register on LinkedIn

    Being found is so important in business these days. I know a paper supplier who recently had a graphic designer, that was starting a card publishing business, track her down through Google and LinkedIn. The supplier had moved to another company and they had lost touch. The opening order was over £5,000 and could easily have not come her way had she not been registered on LinkedIn. The lesson here is clear: You must ensure that you and your business are easy to find online.
     
    Which leads me on to the second step: Register your name and your business name on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a directory / social media platform that I recommend all retailers, sales agents and industry pros register their details on. Search any personal name on the Google and you are likely to have a LinkedIn profile show at the top of Google. If you control your LinkedIn account you control what they find and ensure that people find you and your business easily. If you want to know more about LinkedIn read How to Get Started on LinkedIn and 15 Tips for Using LinkedIn for Business.
     
    It’s not just being found that is important when taking these steps. Digital identity is becoming very important as logins and even payments in all sorts of places are starting being made via Facebook and other social media accounts instead of current methods. Your digital identity is your presence online as a person and as a business. You need to control it, even if only by owning your web address and social media account names. Using them is great, but make sure that, at the very least, you register your name and business name for them as you don’t want anyone else using them to their own benefit.
     
    Register your business on Google Places and on LinkedIn today. In two simple steps you will start rising to the top of Google when people look for you, your business and what your business does.
     
    Read more social media tips here:
     

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