Congratulations, 2019 NaNoWriMo Winner!

Very proud of myself - 55,000 word novel written in November during National Novel Writing Month, all very late at night and at weekends.

 

5 Ways to Get 1,000 New Fans with Your New Book

Now that you’ve got your book written, you might be wondering what comes next. Now is the time to start shouting from the rooftops about your new baby because if you don’t tell folk about it, they simply won’t know it exists. And contrary to popular belief, just because your book is available on Amazon doesn’t mean it will show up in gazillions of Amazon searches.

Part of becoming an author nowadays also means becoming a marketing expert. Most authors think that all they have to do is write a book and gold bullion will fly out of their laptops! WRONG! You need to market for as long and as hard as you wrote the blooming thing! Hiring a public relations Company is certainly one option, but for many authors – especially first time authors – PR firms are just not affordable. The key is to gain recognition and get your name seen by as many people as possible, which means writing pitches to those influencers who have access to your ideal audience.

 1. Schedule a real or "virtual" book tour. This "take a deep breath" campaign requires lots of footwork and research combined with some travel expertise to be successful. Target big bookstores as well as independent bookstores in areas where your ideal readers are located. Bookstores are interested in how your book will bring people in to their shops so include a synopsis of your book in your pitch. Also outline your social media plans and how they will align with their current social media campaigns. Bear this in mind: Scheduling tours in big cities is best done well in advance because big name authors do a lot of these. "Virtual" book tours are webinars or Facebook lives held every week for a set number of weeks and the whole thing is done online. No travel, no seedy hotels and no sore feet.

 2. Schedule television and radio interviews. While planning your book tour, make the effort to reach out to local television and radio stations to land interviews; of course, finding the best contact is paramount so you’re not wasting time. Decide which type of segment or topic you’re best suited for and do your research on specific programmes, hosts, and producers. Most of this will be available online, or start listening to local channels in the car more! Make yourself stand out from the rest of the pitches by including any relevant fun facts or ties to that local area. And don’t think any show is too big for you to land; I know a virtual assistant who landed a an interview spot on a major radio show simply because she took a punt and answered an open call specific to her niche

 3. Arrange blog tours and podcast tours. This is another version of the "virtual" tour - Don’t discount blogs or podcasts as part of your promotional campaign. A blog tour is simply a written interview which is published on a blog but they usually include contact links to your website. Podcasts are audio recordings, similar to traditional radio talk shows, available for free from platforms such as iTunes and Anchor. Research who the influencers are in your industry and check out their numbers of readers and listeners. Many blogs or podcasts have national reach so those are the ones to target with your pitch.

 4. Create social media events around your book launch. You already have a following so don’t forget about inviting them to watch parties or other local live events. Tell them about your new book; go live and read a chapter aloud to build interest; create custom hashtags and ask you followers to share about your book and live events; create an online panel discussion with other authors or colleagues to discuss your book’s topic. Being consistent and present on social media when your book launches is vitally important to build up your momentum. All of your fans want to know more about you so don’t disappear.

 5. Embrace new social media platforms and/or advertising avenues. Utilising as many social media platforms as possible will greatly increase your chances of gaining new fans but only if your target audience uses those platforms. The first rule of fishing is to find a river with fish in it. Perform some market research first before learning another platform. If you’re happy with your current social media accounts, focus instead on their advertising features. Facebook, for example, offers ads along with Sponsored Posts. Knowing the difference and how best to use them to target your audience will find you many more fans. You have an awesome book, now it’s time to show the world how much you know on the subject and how much you can help your audience with this information. Planning any kind of national publicity is time consuming but a worthwhile effort when you think about how many people you’ll attract to your brand.

 And yes we can help you do all of this as part of our Guru Factory programme. Take a look and let's chat http://www.instantedge.co.uk/

Glasgow business coaching

Have more people like you more

     Rapport is that state where you connect, know, and trust somebody.  You’ve probably had times when you’ve clicked with people, you’ve instantly hit it off and you get on, yes?  You’ve probably also had times where you’ve talked to somebody and it’s just not happening – you think "who is this Martian?"  And you just can’t relate to this person at all, right?

     Rapport is a skill, and it’s the ability to create that connection with a complete stranger anytime you want to.  And the nice thing about it is, it’s not some kind of fluffy philosophy or technique or willy-nilly idea, it actually genuinely is a series of things that you can do, and you can tell when it’s working cos you get direct signals – you get signs that come back that are quantifiable and instantly visible and feel-able, from the person you’re getting rapport with, or the people you’re getting rapport with.  It works just as well in groups as it does face to face with one individual.

     Which tells you whether or not you’re getting on, which means you can tell if it’s working.  Now there’s an old quote that says everything in life you want is either owned by someone else or you’re going to need someone’s help to get it, so you’d better be good at building rapport.  It’s a fundamental skill.  Especially if you’re going to be doing therapy, coaching or consulting, because they’re only going to tell you their deepest, darkest fears if they know you, like you and trust you. 

     If you’re going to be using NLP & HGE™ for marketing and sales, then people will only do business with you cos they know you, like you and trust you.  If you’re going to be teaching or presenting, then you want your audience to know you, like you and trust you.  And quite frankly, as a teacher or trainer or educator, it’s much nicer to be standing in front of an audience who like you rather than an audience who don’t.  And you may know how that feels.

     In essence, Rapport skills are one of the fundamental skills that we teach on a training course because we firmly believe that if you have rapport, it makes your life a hell of a lot more pleasant and easier.  Which is the bottom line with all this stuff – the bottom line with NLP & HGE™ is that it lets you get more of the results you want in life more often, in more easier ways…

     OH and by the way, this is NOTHING to do with "make more eye contact" or "smile more".  Please!

    

     As a trainer or speaker, if you're going to stand in front of a group of people, you better have rapport with them or they will tear you to shreds.  At the least it will be uncomfortable for everyone.  Awkward silences,  no engagement, jokes fall flat and the students can't wait for it to be over.  And trust me if you're in front of a group like that and you're not hitting it off, it feels horrible.  Trust me, I've been there!

     As a Financial Adviser I used to have to do a fact-find, then go away and prepare a proposal, then come back and try and get the sale.  After I learned about Rapport, my appointments halved and my sales doubled.  When my manager asked me what I was doing, it led to my first proper paid training gig.

     As a Master Hypnotherapist I had to be able to create a "sacred space" where my new client would feel safe and trusting enough to tell me their deepest, darkest fears and concerns. That's ESSENTIAL  in helping professional context.  Some people are just people people who click with anyone.  I had to learn how to do that.

     When I did my Coaching training over 3 years back in 2001, they didn't cover Rapport anywhere!  If you're going to be that client's secret weapon and confidant, cajoling them, questioning them, holding them accoubnatble and walking with them as they reach their goals, YOU MUST HAVE RAPPORT.  many a coaching client is lost on the initial phone call or the first meeting because there's no rapport.

     

     OK so have I hammered this point home yet?  No rapport, no coaching.  No rapport, no checky :-)

     If you'd like to learn how do do this stuff, come and join me on Nov 10/11th - click here for details

For people who are serious about their personal growth...

  Maybe you’ve tried all the goal setting, the achiever, “if it’s to be it’s up to me” syndrome.  You’ve had the house, the car, the money in the bank, the social circle, the good job……and yet there’s still something missing?  

You see, goals without a higher purpose lack passion or deep meaning.  At some point you’ll ask yourself “Who I am?  Why am I here? What should I be doing with my life?”  Perhaps you have an inkling…..a hunch…that something more spiritual is the place to go next.  

Maybe you, like me, have a “calling” – that something calls to you for some inexplicable reason.  There’s a great quote that once said “Religion is what people do to avoid going to hell.  Spirituality is what people do once they’ve been there!”

  Now I’m not a psychiatrist or psychologist – but I have spent 25 years in personal development helping people transform their lives – I’ve learned and taught advanced techniques like NLP and Hypnosis.  But after a while I got frustrated with the lack of depth, there was something missing.  There had to be more….do you know what I mean?

  For me it was always about making changes.  If you’re not happy with the results you’re creating, then change what you’re doing.  Whining and complaining won’t make it any better, and nobody’s going to come and rescue you.  The sooner you realise it’s you, the better.  It’s what you do that counts.  So initially I did private therapy, and then started doing workshops to try and share this mindset with as many people as possible.

  Then in the late '90's I came across the blossoming field of Life Coaching, and saw a natural extension to what I was already doing.  NLP helped me to help my clients clear up the mental clutter and limitations that hold us all back.  Life Coaching looks at the external factors that make you who you are – your health and eating habits, your family relationships, your intimate relationships, your management of money, your environment, and your career.  Now I had ways of dramatically improving my own life, and the lives of others, on both the inside and the outside.

However, in a completely unregulated industry, people could simply read a book and call themselves a Life Coach.  Oh dear.

  Then you start to hit your late thirties, and true to the model you’re about to learn, the idea of spirituality starts calling to you.  Now it takes different forms for different people, and for me it was in a concealed body of knowledge and wisdom that had been banned until 1989, until laws were passed that allowed the Hawaiians to teach their original ways again.  Something about Huna attracted me, and for the first time in my life I could relate to what people often term “a calling”.  

  Huna balances you out, and gets you down out of your head and into your body again, grounding you.  Instead of being “the NLP guy”, I started to teach other concepts and principles that I’d picked up that seemed to make sense, and more importantly, consistently worked with everyone I shared them with. 

  That was always my core drive, and still is.  To help people.  Now I’m not a complete altruist, because it’s my business and I expect to be paid.  But that was my passion – Maybe you’ve seen “Star Wars”, when Obi Wan Kenobi told the Imperial Storm troopers “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for” and they let them pass, instantly changing their minds.  “Wouldn’t it be really cool to be able to do that!” I thought.  Imagine someone comes to you with a problem like “I’m depressed”, and with a wave of your hand you tell them “No you’re not” and they wouldn’t be.  That would be magic!  Real magic.

  And if you study every philosophy, every theology on the planet, certain key concepts keep coming up.  Rituals.  Physical exercise.  Energy.  Numbers.  The Five elements.  Taking responsibility.  Being at one with yourself.  Life being a mirror of you.  There has to be something to that if they keep showing up, throughout history, throughout the planet.  Mark Twain once said “The ancients steal all our best ideas”.

  My friend and teacher Tad James had once suggested to Richard Bandler, the co-creator of NLP:

“What if all NLP is, is tying up the conscious mind with a technique, while you give suggestions to the unconscious mind?”

 In Huna, the Kahuna would often create a ritual or task for the patient to undertake, and in so doing they gave their unconscious mind permission to make the change.  It’s almost like the conscious mind needs to be convinced by doing something tangible, while the unconscious mind does what it already knows it can do, but needs the conscious mind’s permission.  Think of the placebo effect in medicine.  Or being dunked in water to feel cleansed, or anointed.  The ritual works better if you use real water…

  Milton Erickson, the world’s leading Hypnotherapist, often gave clients tasks or ordeals to do, and by doing then, they “fixed” themselves.  Hmmmm…..

  I knew I was on to something.  It was also painful to watch people study, and teach, NLP as a bunch of techniques that claimed to be able to cure everything from nail biting to HIV, but then get disappointed when it didn’t work.  Or worse, blame the NLP practitioner when it didn’t.  There’s more to it than that.  You can’t expect someone to come along and “fix you”. You have to be the source of your own change.  Because then you get all the pride and achievement of having taken charge of you mind and your behaviours too!

  It was a shame to watch people spend four days with (in my opinion) the world’s greatest presenter and teacher, Tony Robbins, get all psyched up to change the world, and then crash down to earth a week later.  Not only were they disappointed, they’d had a taste of how good they could feel and they couldn’t recreate it themselves.    They’d have to spend even more money becoming seminar junkies, just to recapture the high.  As one client of mine once said,

“How much more money do you have to spend before the penny drops?”

  To make matters worse, the world of NLP was renowned for its competing developers who spent more time arguing about who the genuine leaders of the field were, than in advancing and improving the technology for the betterment of its enthusiasts.  Too much emphasis was placed on legal actions, copyrighting, jargon, cyber squatting and whose signature was on your certificate, which is ironic when one of the basic beliefs promoted by NLP is to “respect everyone’s model of the world.”  It was a world of politics, cliques and possessiveness where the self-styled governing bodies had practically no regulatory authority, and no way of enforcing their code of conduct.  Basically anyone could buy their way up the ladder and call themselves a Trainer, regardless of ability, flair, depth of knowledge or integrity.

   Intriguingly, all of the most successful leaders in the field of NLP got into esoteric studies and spirituality.  Richard Bandler lived in Hawaii for years.  John Grinder used animal forms during training courses.  Tad James is my Huna teacher.  Tony Robbins calls himself a “force for God”.  The “heart” that was missing from the NLP model could be found in the ancient teachings of the earth.

  And yet, having done thousands of hours on one to one therapy, working with hundreds of clients on the phone, by email, in person or in groups, over 25 years of personal experience in dealing with human beings and their fears, hang ups, hopes and desires, I’ve realised that the main and final reason these hard working, well-meaning individuals suffer set backs, self doubt and turmoil, is because they did not know what I know about how to tap into their “inner life manager” and finally realise that the answer is never “out there” – it’s not going to be handed to you in the next book, on the next tape or the next seminar.  It’s inside you right now, you either

1. Don’t know that it resides inside you behind a locked door
2. Don’t have a key!

My job was always to tentatively reveal some elements and core essentials of this approach to these people, and take them through some safe and gentle ‘training sessions’… ‘tentatively’ because I was unsure how easily they would accept the truth.

I was wrong to worry.

  The results of these sessions (usually an hour at a time) are already evident and there’s pages and pages of testimonies on my websites and in my client files – they are happier, healthier, in better jobs, in more passionate relationships, making more money.  Personal success is suddenly realistic instead of a hyped up cosmetic “hope”.

  But not for everybody.  I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said every client I’ve ever worked with dramatically turned around.  That’s not the case.  Some put the phone down on me.  Some weren’t prepared to do the work.  Some wouldn’t spend a few hundred pounds to make their ill-health symptoms disappear.  Some walked out of my office and never came back.  Some made appointments but never showed.  That’s life.  People are people.

  BUT, the ones who kept their appointments, invested some money in themselves and were willing to put the effort in, every one of them blossomed, flew and transformed in a matter of hours, weeks, months at most.

  NLP had to evolve. Hypnosis alone wasn’t enough.  Life Coaching is more than just hiring a personal trainer.  Huna was too ancient and esoteric and turned some people off.  There needed to be a comprehensive and ecological model which was simple and straightforward to use in your daily life.  After all, it’s what you do consistently, and persistently that shapes your life.  You can’t have a bath once and be clean forever.  To that effect, I want to share what I’ve found with you, and I’ve called it HGE™

Join me on November 10/11th in Glasgow where I'll teach you more.  Way more...

Click here

FSB Business Essentials

Highly recommend being part of FSB.  Changed from the old days.  If you own a business or are launching one, PM me if you'd like to know more.

Instant Edge Podcast Episode 2 - 3 ways to grow your business

Instant Edge Podcast Show Is Live!

Get the 9 Positioning Strategies interview at http://www.instantedge.co.uk/positioning-interview/

5 Ways To Use Your Body Language In Public Speaking

World renowned couple counsellor and family therapist Virginia Satir identified five key “Postures” that her clients adopted.  Stereotypes, which powerfully communicate non-verbal messages.

You can use these postures to increase your “presence” both on stage and off.  Powerfully use your physiology (the 55% of any communication) to send non-verbal messages that back up your verbal one, thereby doing what I call “Communicating at 100%”.  You can also use these to control the energy in the room, raising it, lowering it or maintaining it depending on your outcome.  They increase your authority and assertiveness, and women in business can use them possibly more effectively than men can.

On stage they help you deal with hecklers, or to invoke states in your audience.  They also answer the question of “How do you stand, what do you do with your hands?”  Most speakers do the Fig leaf, the Prince Charles, with their hands clasped in front or behind, or worse, hands in pockets.  These are much more powerful.

There’s nothing worse than a distracting speaker who paces around, or fiddles, or whose attention is clearly in his or her own head and not on you in the audience.  You end up watching them for their weird behaviours and not for what they’re teaching.  Ooops!

Non Verbal Communication

The five Satir categories are the answer to “what do I do with my hands?” or “How do I stand?”.  Each category is an instantly recognised stereotype, and you’re doing one or more of them unconsciously anyway!  They affect your state, and that of the audience.  Remember that physiology is 55% of the message.  You often see these on book covers as the author has been coached in how to pose for the camera.  Here’s how to do them, and what they do.

THE COMPUTER

Weight on one leg or evenly distributed

Arms folded, one hand on your chin

The thinking pose

Looks authoritative, like you are the wise one. Helps you

Deal with a threat so it’s harmless.

Says “I’m pensive, thinking it through, I’m the expert, I’m the authority”

Thoughtful, cool, calm and collected.  You can hide your

Self-worth behind big words and intellectual ideas

Completely rational.

Good to use when people ask you questions.

Common in Cerebral people

Be reasonable beyond limit, and use polysyllabic words

Statement tonality – fairly monotone

THE LEVELLER

Weight evenly distributed, feet shoulder width apart

Hands sweep down and out as if you were sweeping snow off a wall

Says “Here’s the deal, this is how it’s going to be”

Asserts authority and calms things down, especially if you leave a pause after it

Commanding tonality, straight talker

Brings energy down

Common in Kinesthetic people

Congruent, the body matches the words, telling the truth

Good for apologising whilst maintaining your dignity

THE PLACATER

Weight evenly distributed, feet shoulder width apart

Palms up hands moving up, open and vulnerable

Says “Help me out here, please?” and “I’m sorry” and “Tell me what to do”

Suggests openness and trying to please, so that the other person doesn’t get angry with you.

Useful to open a questions and answers session.

Makes the energy more emotional, safe, gentle

Questioning tonality, higher pitched voice

Common in Kinesthetic people

Agree with the other person – be a “yes” man or

Woman

Remember the helpless “Smeagol” character in

The Lord Of The Rings movies

THE BLAMER

Weight on one leg

One foot in front of the other, pointing the finger

Says “It’s your fault, on your head be it” or “I’m in charge, right?!”  Usually disagrees with people and accuses.

This is the accuser, acting superior, looking strong

Useful for ramming a message home, emphasising, or telling someone they’ve done really well

Brings energy up

Loud command tonality

Common in visual people

THE DISTRACTER

Weight on one leg, or lock your knees together

Everything moving, angular, diagonal, arms and

legs going out in all directions.

Says “Don’t ask me, I’m an airhead, I’m dizzy”

Think dumb bunny, bimbo.

Useful for defusing tension, distracting hecklers, or adding comedy.  Comedians often use Distracter with their punch line.

Ignores any threat in the hope that it’ll vanish

Releases stuck energy

Voice going up and down

Common in Auditory people

Words make no sense

EXERCISE

I want it to be that when you do move it has intention, and it has impact!  Try talking about your hobby or your career for a few minutes, or something you know a lot about.  Adopt each category for 30 seconds at a time, so 30 seconds in Computer, then 30 seconds in Leveller, then 30 seconds using them all together

You might start doing this in normal life.  These still work while you’re sitting down, as you use the top half of your body.  But think about it.  What if you became more assertive?

Women in business – try and avoid Placater and Distracter.  They make you look vulnerable and weak.  Instead use Leveller and Computer.  You’ll come over far more assertive, and you’ll probably freak the men out with your authority!

Remember that you cannot not communicate, so make sure what you’re screaming non verbally agrees with what you’re saying with your mouth.  And train up the ones that feel awkward and unfamiliar, to increase your behavioural flexibility.

Glasgow business networking group - Why invite visitors to Club Five55?

Well hello there, my name is Jonathan Clark and welcome to a quick training video on how to maximise your return to GET THE MOST out of your business networking.

This is a quick how to video to help you build your network, so you can reach your goals faster and more easily.  So you’ll make more valuable contacts who can introduce you to more potential clients, making your life easier.

Today’s topic is about inviting guests to take a look at your group.

QUICK STORY...

The other day I got a Cold caller at my door, with a clipboard

I let him do his script… then I had to tell him I’m not really in the market for what he’s selling

But then I asked him - tell me, do you like knocking on doors and pounding the streets?

You’ll be really glad you came to my door… cos I know a better way to get clients…

Why you should invite guests

Yes you get points for bringing a visitor.  Yes you get points if they join.  But beyond that there are several reasons why you ought to invite people.  Let’s talk about the bigger picture

New people are the lifeblood that keeps a networking group buzzing and healthy, therefore every group needs guests

More people in the room = more referrals.  You make more money.  Everyone benefits.

You need to talk about the benefits of business networking with other like-minded business owners

A visitor is always a good result for a group, even if they don’t join – someone ends up doing business with them.  So they may turn into paying clients. 

Also You can’t do everything on your own – the more people who can help you, the easier it gets.

You need to build your contact sphere – the number of other business owners that you have at the other end of the phone.

Networking groups lose members, so it’s vital we bring in new blood to keep the group vibrant and healthy.

It’s also great PR when a local business visits the group and hears what it’s all about, who we all are, chats with several members and takes away all of our business cards.  Does that make sense?

What it means

The fact is - The average visitor spends money with the group, regardless of whether they join or not.  Someone usually ends up doing business with the visitor.

If they join, great - you now have a new member to build a relationship with and share each other’s connections

There’s always somebody in the room that can help you reach your goals, and you can help someone else reach theirs.

Statistically If you grow a group by 10 members, the referrals should double!

There are plenty of people to invite to the meeting

Average business person has 1000 contacts- Between Your phone, your clients, your Facebook friends, your little black book, your suppliers, your LinkedIn connections and your Christmas card list.

When I started, if someone had given me the chance to stand up in front to 20-30 local business owners and decision makers I’d have sold my granny for the chance!

How to invite?

Let me give you a script to help you invite people to look at this group.

Are you in a position to handle more clients?

Great - I am working with a group of local business owners who are looking for a professional [category] to pass referrals to.  Would you be interested in meeting them?

Always remember to tell them to bring lots of business cards.

Now you can run that script by Text, email, phone call, face to face, or private message on LinkedIn or Facebook

Be as brief as possible, get them along to the meeting [pick them up and bring them if need be] and let the meeting do the job for you.  People need to experience a good structured meeting, meet the members, hear the presentations and see the professionalism to be able to judge.

One veteran networker I know used to tell a story of helping out at a Cumbernauld group

There’s his next door neighbour

What are you doing here?

I’ve been coming for a year now – half of my clients come through this group.

Had been scared to invite him.  Pre-judged him – oh he won’t be interested.

Wondered where you were going all suited and booted at that time of day

You can always invite cold - Postcard adverts on supermarket notice boards, local directories, van signage – but I’d rather bring in people I already know, like and trust.

What If You Did?

Realise that YOU’RE DOING THEM A FAVOUR by inviting them.

The average member makes money from being part of the group!  You can help them add money to their bottom line.

You’ll soon come to realise that most long term networkers look at other local business owners and think they’re BONKERS to say no

What if your group grew by 2 or more new members every month?

You can actually see how the energy goes up when there’s a guest in the room – everyone ups their game

If you’re already a member, have a think about who you could invite for next time.

If you’re a guest – now you know how you got here!  But if you’d like to tap into the power of having a ready-made sales team acting as introducers for your business all year round, then speak to us at the end of the meeting.

What's Your Goal For Your Networking?

 Well hello there, my name is Jonathan Clark and welcome to a quick article on how to maximise your return to GET THE MOST out of your business networking.

This is a quick how to article to help you get clear on why you’re there and the value of building your network, so you can reach your goals faster and more easily.

So you’ll make more valuable contacts who can introduce you to more potential clients, making your life easier.

Today’s topic is about setting an income goal for your networking.

Now that reminds me of a quick story...

I launched my own business in 1997 and I was a shy introvert who found it hard to say hello to people I knew.  I’ve been to a lot of networking events in that time and most of them didn’t work.  What I mean is, I didn’t get any business from them.  It took me a while to realise why – it wasn’t to do with the group or the people - it was that I just wasn’t doing it right.  And I certainly didn’t have any real goal or target in mind when I went.

So why is this whole goal setting thing so critical to your business?

You took time out of your day to get here and made the effort to chat to new people and introduce yourself.  That takes confidence and can be challenging.  Well, we’re here to make sure you get a good return on your investment for the time, money and energy you spend talking to people at networking events, so you should get more business and make more money.  We’re going to discuss how we’ll get you there.

So it’s essential that you have an outcome for being here.  You have to ask yourself “How much money do I want to make from networking? Now I know you probably haven’t been asked that question before, and that’s a good thing, because that means this is going to make an impact.
But just think about it - How can you hit a target you can’t see?

Every ambitious business owner sets goals, and must continually keep track of their progress towards that outcome.  If that little voice in your head isn’t telling you a clear figure, alarm bells should be ringing.  We’re all about generating income for our members, and the freedom and security that that offers you, so it’s vital you have a figure in mind.

Now, the world famous sales trainer and motivational speaker – the late Zig Ziglar – once said “You can’t be a wandering generality, you have to be a meaningful specific.”

We train our members to become very good at the process of networking effectively.  In fact, at the time of recording this video, 70% of my clients have been referred to me by members of my network.
Statistically the average business person knows about 1000 people – if you take your mobile phone contacts, your Facebook friends, your LinkedIn connections, your Christmas card list – you actually know about 1000 people.  But how many of them act as introducers and talk about you to their friends, family and colleagues?

So let’s get you to decide a specific amount of money you’d like to earn in the next 12 months
Just ask yourself - What would be a good target – how much money do you want to make from networking in year one?

You might want to write a number down.

Let’s get something concrete – tangible.
Do you want to add an extra £10,000 to your bottom line?  £25,000?  £100,000?
Get a figure on paper.  I’ll give you a moment to seriously get your head around that question.

Now, think about what an average client is worth.  In real terms.
How much is an average sale in your line of work?  What do you take home in cold, hard profit?

OK so now divide the big target figure by the average sale value = that will quickly give you the number of referrals you need in the next 12 months to smash your target.


You see, we’re not happy for you just to break even, so we want to be crystal clear on  exactly how much you want to make from this vast referral network you’re now part of.

Look at what the average referral is worth to you?  The bread and butter client?  Imagine how much a GOOD referral would be worth?   And what would a dream client look like?  Just suppose you focused on the big ticket clients…

Now paying clients is just one way to hit that target.  There are in fact 17 ways you can make money from networking – we’ll reveal what they are in a future article.

Picture yourself getting warm referrals from the members of this network, not having to search for new business so much and freeing up your time to focus on the things you want to do

So after 25 years of being in business, I now walk into a room with a plan, a target, I have a strategy and because I was also trained to keep track, I know that three quarters of my clients come from business networking events.  But I don’t just go networking, I USE networking. So I’d end with this question – are you just going to networking events or are you using networking events?

If you’re already a member, this is probably the first time you’ve thought about it like this.  You might want to look back at your membership and total up exactly how much money your business has earned as a direct result of networking.

If you’re a guest and you’d like to tap into the power of having a ready-made sales team acting as introducers for your business all year round, to help you accelerate towards that figure, then speak to us at the end of the meeting.

Glasgow Hypnotherapy & Counselling Background

Glasgow Hypnotherapy And Counselling Is Born

I help people change their lives.  

To be honest I’ve always felt the desire to help people, and when I began to get results using these methods on myself, it never crossed my mind to work with others.  I never set out to be a therapist of Life Coach or Trainer – I was going to be a journalist!  But once you know how to change a food addiction, and your mate’s sister sitting next to you at dinner confides in you that she’s hooked on pizza, why wouldn’t you help?

That was always my core drive, and still is.  To help people.  Now I’m not a complete altruist, because it’s my business and I expect to be paid.  But that was my passion – Maybe you’ve seen “Star Wars”, when Obi Wan Kenobi told the Imperial Storm troopers “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for” and they let them pass, instantly changing their minds.  “Wouldn’t it be really cool to be able to do that!” I thought.  I want someone to come to me with a problem like “I’m comfort eating cos I’m depressed”, and with a wave of my hand I tell them “Stop it!” and they stopped.  That would be magic!  Real magic.

Love helping people.  Always have.  Even in school my friends would come and ask for dating advice – even though I was single.  Like being the reliable one people come to for help.

I’m a messenger of hope. Eager to share the message that you can teach an old dog new tricks.  You CAN change if you want to.

Used these mind techniques to change my own levels of confidence, heal and ulcer and change my own self-image

Ordinary world – limited awareness of the problem

My earliest memory is waking up in Strathclyde hospital with pneumonia, aged 4.  I’m told I had been left outside in a pram and got sick.  I would catch pneumonia again in 1986 only six weeks into a new job. Another Christmas in hospital.  Somewhere in between I was told I had an allergy to house dust, so they took me into hospital and cut open one of my nostrils to make it wider.  How the **** does that work?

My family health record was atrocious.  My Mum had high blood pressure and would later develop all sorts of weird and wonderful ailments, many of them rooted in fear and psychosomatic illness – what the dictionary defines as a physical disease that is thought to be caused, or made worse, by mental factors.  Even my brother had hospital treatment when he was very young.

See, we grew up in a small cottage in the middle of nowhere, with dogs in the house, mice in the garden and my Dad’s racing pigeon lofts at the bottom of the garden.  We didn’t get out of bed until the coal fire was lit and the water was warm enough to wash with.  There was asbestos in the roof tiles and house dust that looked like tumbleweeds.  My mates at school would be running round in short sleeved shirts and I’d be dressed like a spaceman I had so many layers on – and guess who caught the cold!  No surprise that I got ill at least twice a year, especially in November.

Funnily enough, my Dad used to refer to it as “Black November”.  He told me that in his lifetime November was always cold and dark and wet, and he’d get ill every November.  And he installed that into me as well.  He’d developed testicular Cancer and as a kid I remember him going for radiation therapy.  He’d beaten it, but later that would play on my mind, especially when my brother got ill.  My Dad also had a hard time breathing – years of working with homing pigeons had given him a condition called “pigeon lung”.  Cruel that his bobby actually harmed his health.

Growing up in the 70’s we had a typical Scottish diet at the time – sugary cereal for breakfast before school, chip shop fritters and burgers for lunch, and a plate of stodge at night which invariably involved the deep fryer.  Add to the mix sweets and sugary drinks.  No wonder my dentist loved me.  No wonder I could barely stay awake in class.  I’d wake up knackered in the morning before I even started, and I’d collapse into bed at night.  In between I relied on coffee to keep me going – sometimes five mugs a day.  Can you relate to that?

At school I became terrified of reading aloud in class.  I’d get really scared, I’d break out in a sweat, I’d stutter and my chest would feel like it was going to burst and I couldn’t breathe… In fact I used to dodge English classes in case I’d have to read out loud.  Especially plays – where you can see your line coming closer as you go down the page and the closer it got the more nervous I became. 

I had a duodenal ulcer by the time I was sixteen because I was so nervous and timid with people.  Imagine that – I managed to burn a hole in my stomach with my brain.  What a crap superpower!  So at 20 years of age I’m on a drug called Tagamet which lines your intestines to prevent irritation.  I called it “an old man’s drug”.

I found it nearly impossible to say hello to people I knew!  I’d keep my head down, avoid eye contact, stay locked up tight and be shut down emotionally.  Can you relate to that at all?  You’ve probably heard the old cliché about FEAR – that it spells “False Evidence Appearing Real”, or as I prefer to say “F*** Everything and Run!”  Diagnosed with a duodenal ulcer in my teens.

My Dad had to go for frequent check-ups and the last time I saw him was when I drove him back from Stonehouse Hospital for his routine medical.  I left him at the fireside with a cup of tea and went back to work.  My Mum found him dead on the carpet that night.  And can you guess when he died?  [Black] November 1991.  How’s that for the power of suggestion.

Call to adventure – increased awareness

Now my brother had studied psychology, so I started to read all these thick, heavy books about Freud and Adler and traditional behavioural change.  But Freud said it would take 300 hours of therapy for the average person to change.  Mind you, Freud was a coke addict.  And if you prefer Carl Jung, well he based his psychological archetypes on the major arcana of the Tarot Cards.  So don’t preach to me about traditional routes.

So I started reading about personal development for my own benefit.  They say that people get into self-help books for one of two reasons – either inspiration, or desperation.  Well, I was pretty desperate!

I saw a classified ad in the local paper from the British Institute of Practical Psychology – it was a distance learning course over 4 months that taught me a lot about phantasms from the past and visualising a positive future.

Refusal of the call – reluctance to change

At the time I was working in the civil service, the only male amongst a department full of older women.  Boy that taught me to grow up fast.  But my friend and flatmate had done a runner owing lots of rent and utility bills and I felt betrayed and hurt, and I was under financial pressure to sort it all out.  That meant working 7 days a week and constant overtime to get out of the hole.

Added to that I found my girlfriend in the arms of another guy, so now I had betrayal issues.

All the positive thinking in the world and visualisation techniques I’d learned hadn’t stopped my best friend and my girlfriend from breaking my heart.  I hadn’t visualised either of those events, so I doubted the effectiveness of any of this “positive thinking malarkey”.

Meeting with the mentor – overcoming reluctance

One day I got a leaflet through my letterbox, offering a way to make some extra money through network marketing.  The guy who became my sponsor was an older man with a lot of life experience, and he introduced me to a whole library of American audiotapes by motivational speakers.  Foremost amongst them was Zig Ziglar – the perfect blend of sales man and motivational guru.  This looked like the answer – think positive and make more money.  Perfect combination!

Crossing the threshold – committing to change

So now I’m doing part time network marketing selling designer fragrances via party plan to mainly young women, and getting paid to do it!  Meanwhile I’m still doing the day job in the civil service while living on motivational tapes.  I entered a whole new world with a great bunch of motivated, upbeat people who all wanted success and achievement.

Tests, Allies and Enemies – experimenting with the first change

One day a friend of mine invited me along to a new martial arts class.  Whoah!  I’d grown up with “Enter The Dragon” and Marvel comics so I loved the idea, but I was the skinny specky asthmatic with zero coordination so what hope was there?  But despite my fears, I nervously went along, and met the Instructor – a tall skinny guy who was a world kickboxing champion.  64 of us enrolled that night.  7 years and 6 belts later I was the only one still training in Lau Gar Kung Fu.

Man I was fit.  We’d do 100 sit ups, 100 press ups, go running for 2 miles then come back and learn an hour’s syllabus 3 nights a week.  Looking back I didn’t really appreciate it at the time.  You don’t know what you’ve got, till it’s gone.

Now I’m not a psychiatrist or psychologist – but I have now spent two decades in personal development helping people transform their lives – I’ve learned and taught advanced techniques like NLP [Neuro Linguistic Programming] and Hypnosis. 

  For me it was always about making changes.  If you’re not happy with the results you’re creating, then change what you’re doing.  Whining and complaining won’t make it any better, and nobody’s going to come and rescue you.  The sooner you realise it’s up to you, the better.  It’s what you do that counts.  So initially I did private therapy to help people and earn some money, and then started doing workshops to try and share this mind-set with as many people as possible.

  Then in the late nineties I came across a magazine article on the blossoming field of Life Coaching which had just arrived from the USA, and I saw a natural extension to what I was already doing.  Scottish people love American stuff don’t they?  So many Scots sing with American accents – have you ever noticed that? 

So… NLP helped me to help my clients clear up the mental clutter and limitations that hold us all back.  Life Coaching looks at the external factors that make you who you are – your health and eating habits, your family relationships, your intimate relationships, your management of money, your environment, and your career. And the great thing about it was that it could all be done over the phone – a weekly in depth chat with your own confidant who would never judge you – only gently explore, guide and help you move in baby steps towards your life goals.   No embarrassment, no shaming.  Now I had ways of dramatically improving my own life, and the lives of others, on both the inside and the outside.

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Glasgow Counselling Communication Challenges

  Every individual has their own personal model of the world, made up of their own beliefs, values, attitudes, thinking patterns and filters.  These filters will invariably “contaminate” the interpretation of a communication.  The information comes in through the five senses, at something like two million pieces of information per second.  That’s a lot of stuff!!  Now there’s no way we could process all of that information consciously, so one of the great things your unconscious mind does for you is to filter out a lot of the content.  It does that initially through the automatic processes of deletion, distortion and generalisation:

  Deletion                    - we delete a heck of a lot of information at any one time.  Right now, become aware of your left big toe.  Now where was it until I mentioned it?  That’s deletion.

  Distortion                 -  We bend reality to fit – we read between the lines and hear what we think we hear, or make it the way we want it.  Daydreaming is distortion, seeing faces in clouds. 

  Generalisation                      - We group things together and say “This is like that”.  Cushions, stools and sofas are all places to sit, so if you came into my house and I said “please sit down” you’d know what to do.  You compare new data to what you already know, which is the basis of all learning.  Every morning when you swing your legs out of bed, they always go down to the floor.  They never go up.  You’ve learned that now.

  Whatever gets through those initial processes, gets further filtered by a number of unconscious “files in the filing cabinet” which sift through the data and codify it, make meaning out of what we’ve just perceived.  These include:

  Language – the words and labels we use to describe our experiences

  Memories – our past history and the events that have shaped us.

  Decisions - Behind every belief that something is true, is a decision that you made to make it so.  If you believe you’re a confident person, it’s because at some time in the past you decided that you were. 

  Thinking patterns - For example: are you someone who moves towards what you want, or away from what you don’t want?  Are you interested in learning, achieving, gaining, progressing, acquiring?  Or are you into security, minimising the risk, being cautious, and avoiding hassle.  That one thinking habit shapes everything you do.  That’s only one.

  Your values - Are the positive & negative emotional states that your nervous system pursues or avoids. They are your compulsions & revulsions, they are your strongest feelings about what is right or wrong for you, they dictate how you spend your time & they judge all your actions - in short they govern your entire lifestyle.

Beliefs - A belief is a feeling of certainty that something is true.  If you believe the floor is blue, then you feel very certain that it is.  And unless I get you to question it, you’ll keep that belief.

  Now apart from all of the above, most people are poor communicators, rarely truly “letting someone in”, or genuinely listening to another person without immediately launching into one’s own “stuff”.  Most people have a short attention span thanks to television, internet and Xbox.  And when they do listen, it is often grudgingly, waiting either for a chance to upstage the speaker with their own concerns, or simply counting the seconds till they can terminate the discussion.

  Lack of quality interaction leaves us feeling emotionally distanced, lonely and isolated.  We withdraw into ourselves, begging to be heard but bound and gagged by fear or resentment.  Family gatherings become endurance events, marriages become convenient flatmates, and our very sense of identity is eroded. 

  Human beings all have a need for connection, and significance.  Poor communications makes us feel detached and invisible.  Effective communication can create  miraculous change.  Verbal magic!

So what about you?  How's your communication?  And how does it affect your life now?

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Do The Law Of Attraction, The Secret & Self Help Actually Work?

Hi there,

 How you doing?

 It's a blowy Saturday morning and I'm sitting outside the school where Luke's at his usual violin lesson. Every week he goes to class, gets instruction from an experience teacher who's good at what she does, and he learns and improves his skills and he's really coming on. Which is kind of what I want to talk to you about.

 See I've been into personal development and self help for 25 years - I started with a wee correspondence course on confident psychology, then started reading positive mental attitude books before going onto audio tapes by Zig Ziglar, then NLP, Tony Robbins - all the usual gurus. I've studied and been certified with 3 different NLP training companies at practitioner, master practitioner and even nlp trainer. I went to Hawaii 5 times to study Huna and western high magic. I've used goal setting, law of attraction, time management, visualisation, you name it. And I've earned a good living as a master hypnotherapist and NLP trainer, running courses and working with over 2000 private clients.

 But here's the thing - I've met loads of people who have read all the books, listened to all the CDs, they say they applied all the principles, and it hasn't made a blind bit of difference. They're still ill, or broke, or divorced, or scared, or phobics, and they say personal development is nonsense.

 See if there are the 4 levels of life - the spiritual the mental the emotional and the physical, my theory is that everyone wants change in the physical world - money, lovers, houses, cars, things. Mental is nice, spiritual can be profound, emotional makes you feel better but my belief is that people want tangible 3d proof.

 So I'd like to hear from you in particular - if you're a fan of personal development, if you're a seminar junkie like me, has it made a difference? Did it work? Did the law of attraction being you what you wanted? Did the money and wealth courses make you money? Were there real, tangible improvements in the world of physical? Or did it just give you a warm fuzzy feeling?

 Leave your comments below and I'll reposed to the personally.

And if you haven't read my report called "If NLP and coaching are so hot where's my range rover?"  yet,the link is RIGHT HERE