Business Brain Food

There’s a good chance you’ve already had some advice from our guest this week… it’s just you didn’t know it. Karen Jacobsen is the famous voice of Apple’s SIRI app as well as the voice of 400 million Sat Nav devices around the world, but here she is today, live and fully dangerous!

As well as her massive success as a voiceover artist, Karen has written a self-help book called “It’s Never Too Late To Recalculate” which uses the instructions on a Sat Nav as a metaphor for how people can change direction in their own life. We had a very interesting chat with Karen – she’s certainly had one heck of a life. Karen was kind enough to share with us some top tips from her book as well as some other advice on how to stay well and live a happy life:

** Notice when you’re “off route”. If you’re not honest enough with yourself to acknowledge that there is something fundamentally wrong, it is impossible to change direction.

** Get clear about what you love to spend your time doing. Have that conversation with yourself and focus your everyday life towards doing it.

** At the end of the year, do a “stock take” of your life, i.e. what you accomplished, what you wished you accomplished and what the disappointments were. Then create a list of what you want to do in the subsequent year. Then display this list in a prominent position at home so it can serve as a reminder and keep you focused on the right stuff.

** Try and be around likeminded people who are getting somewhere in life. Being part of some kind of mastermind group can be a great help.

** Don’t wait until you hit rock bottom before making changes. It’s easier to make small changes as you go than to take extreme action in a crisis.

  In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

** The 5 steps to recalculate formula

** How to listen to your inner GPS

** How to hear yourself think

** The benefits of meditation

  Resources mentioned in this episode:

** The SMEA has teamed up with Action Coach to deliver over 50 free business coaching workshops across Australia. Go to http:smallbizsept.com.au and find your nearest workshop. And as an extra bonus, any attendee of the workshop will get free membership to the SMEA for a year worth 400 AUD.

** Karen’s website: http://www.thegpsgirl.com

** Karen’s twitter: https://twitter.com/thegpsgirl

** Ben’s Daily Business Tips: http://www.dbtpodcast.com

** Facebook: facebook.com/businessbrainfood

** Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

** Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

** ActionCOACH: http://actioncoachanz.com/itunes

** ActionCOACH: http://actioncoachanz.com/stitcher

“It’s never too late to recalculate” says Karen, so if you feel like you’re just going through the motions in your business, follow Karen’s lead and change direction. The unknown is normally less scary than you think. Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that! Until next time, have a profitable day. Cheers, Ben Fewtrell (02) 9111 5000

Direct download: BBF103_Listening_to_your_inner_GPS_with_Karen_Jacobsen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm AEDT

Many people see customer service as something separate from marketing, but just think about it for a second: what better way is there to market your business than to give your customers such good customer service they spread the word about your company?

After many decades as a public speaker and customer service guru, Martin Grunstein has seen all-too-often how much companies neglect customer service. Time and again they will pay big money for advertising, but when it comes to follow-up calls to customers, they will say they don’t have the time or the money. Luckily, Martin has shared some very simple methods that we can all follow in order to nail our customer service. See below for a quick snapshot:

** When advertising, don’t be too obsessed with price. Talk about your point of difference, especially if that is your service.

** Don’t get into arguments with customers on social media. You need to show you’re responsive to customer complaints but it’s wise to take any debate offline. How about offering to take them for coffee?

** A recent survey found that 14% of people would stop dealing with a business on grounds of price, but 68% would on grounds of customer service.

** Ongoing communication with clients is absolutely key to understanding the quality of your customer service. Follow-up calls are absolutely paramount.

** Understand that you might have to apologise to customers even when they are in the wrong. Sometimes you are dealing with perceptions rather than reality.

  In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

** The laws of customer service and behaviour

** How customer service can drive ROI

** Customer service trends over the last 30 years

** How easy it is to shine compared to your competitors

** The relative merits of qualitative V quantitative research

  Resources mentioned in this episode:

** Exclusive offer from this week’s show sponsors BarterCard. Click this link for free advertising and 5,000 line of credit for free: http://bartercard.com.au/actioncoach

** Martin’s website: http://www.martingrunstein.com.au

** The SMEA has teamed up with Action Coach to deliver over 50 free business coaching workshops across Australia. Go to http:smallbizsept.com.au and find your nearest workshop. And as an extra bonus, any attendee of the workshop will get free membership to the SMEA for a year worth 400 AUD.

** Facebook: facebook.com/businessbrainfood

** Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

** Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

** ActionCOACH: http://actioncoachanz.com/itunes

** ActionCOACH: http://actioncoachanz.com/stitcher

  As Martin says “inertia and stupidity are the greatest enemies to business”, so don’t be complacent about your customer service. Listen to the experts and do you best for your customers today! Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that! Until next time, have a profitable day. Cheers, Ben Fewtrell (02) 9111 5000


This week we had the pleasure of speaking to James MacGregor, a man who’s been there, seen it and done it in the world of tech startups who is behind the brilliant online video-marketing tool biteable.com.

Having worked for web startups and software companies for over ten years he decided it was time to create something himself, and with a bit of help from his brother who had been working on films with Peter Jackson, biteable.com was born. From a thousand users in year one, biteable now has over half a million users worldwide. We don’t need James to tell us that video marketing is on the up – we’ve had plenty of guests confirm this in recent times – but we can all benefit from James’ tips on video marketing:

** Most people access the web on their mobile now, so consider the small screen and potentially small attention span when producing your videos.

** Try and avoid making videos that are more than two minutes in length.

** Make the video look professional. Although we are in an era when it is easier to get away with making video that doesn’t have a high production cost, make sure you get the basics right. There should never be a shaky camera, for example.

** Don’t be scared of being blunt and controversial. There is no one else censoring it so you should use your creative license as best you can.

** Video marketing is a numbers game. Your content is more likely to go viral if you do more of it. It’s better to make five short videos then agonizing over one long one.

  In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

** How much you should plan content

** The power of templates

** What can be done in 10 minutes

** How important video is to the overall marketing mix

  Resources mentioned in this episode:

** James’ video website: http://www.biteable.com

** Facebook: facebook.com/businessbrainfood

** Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

** Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

** ActionCOACH: http://actioncoachanz.com/itunes

** ActionCOACH: http://actioncoachanz.com/stitcher

  It’s quite simple: if you don’t do video marketing then you will lose business, but the good news is it’s easier than ever to create quality video content. Understanding the inner workings of James’ website is a great starting point. Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that! Until next time, have a profitable day. Cheers, Ben Fewtrell (02) 9111 5000

Direct download: BBF101_Producing_Animated_Videos_Online_In_Minutes_with_James_McGregor.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm AEDT

Whoo hoo, we’ve reached 100 not out! Thanks to every single one of you for supporting the show. Bring on the next hundred! For our centenary episode we really wanted to do something special, so we’ve pulled out all the stops to get Brad Sugars on the show, the man behind our whole operation, ActionCOACH. Brad is a multi-millionaire with businesses all over the globe in a variety of different sectors, but he is best known for his business coaching. Seen as that is what we’re all about, we thought we’d pick his brains and get inside his head. Despite his success, does he still practice what he preaches? You bet he does. He told us that ever day of his business life he is constantly speaking to his mentors and coaches. Yes, a multi-millionaire business owner still needs business coaching, even one who has made his fortune as a business coach! The over-riding theme with Brad is one of inclusiveness – that business is something that you can’t crack alone. That’s why we’re here today folks, so keep reading for some more Business Brainfood tips courtesy of Brad:

** If there is one key to Brad’s success it is finding the right people to help run his businesses.

** How do you find the right people? In short, make sure you’re very clear on the type of person you’re looking to hire, what their job actually is, and how their success can be measured.

** Marketing should not just be reserved for potential customers. You should market strongly towards your potential employees. Making videos that are sharable on social media is a good start.

** Do multiple interviews with candidates, i.e. group, formal one-on-one, informal over lunch.

** Plan the next day! As obvious as that sounds, just consider for a moment how much more productive man people are the day before they go on holiday, because they focus intently on what needs to be done.

  In this episode of Business Brain Food you will learn:

** The definition of an entrepreneur

** How to learn on the job in business

** The importance of rituals

** The importance of brand building

** The benefits of ‘lumpy mail’

  Resources mentioned in this episode:

** Brad’s website: http://www.bradsugars.com

** Brad’s facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BradleySugars/

** Brad’s twitter: https://twitter.com/bradsugars

** Facebook: facebook.com/businessbrainfood

** Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessbrainfood

** Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfewtrell

** ActionCOACH: http://actioncoachanz.com/itunes

** ActionCOACH: http://actioncoachanz.com/stitcher

  One great quote from Brad for the road: “Everyone has a level of entrepreneurial flare; the question is, do you act on it?” Also, if you are enjoying these Business Brain Food podcasts, then make sure to share them via social media sites or email the links to family and friends. A lot of time and effort goes into producing each of these podcasts with the goal in mind of the more people we can inspire about business the better. You can help us do just that! Until next time, have a profitable day. Cheers, Ben Fewtrell (02) 9111 5000

Direct download: BBF100_Secrets_of_Building_Serious_Wealth_with_Brad_Sugars.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm AEDT

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