Collaborative Journeys: The Art of Collaboration and the World of Art

May 6, 2013 under Articles & Blogs, Articles by Georgina Lester, Arts Marketing, Business, Community, Niche Marketing, PR and Sales, Small businesses

I am fascinated how art is a wonderful way to understand collaboration. I particularly like watching those who work in performance and film where there can be a huge team working towards a common goal of creating a single art event. Every one has a vital role to play and if the cogs of the whole machine work well together the result is a wonderful dance of synchronicity and synergy ultimately producing a truly magnificent spectacle.

As an onlooker, the best performances transport us to another world. We are unaware of the component parts that make the whole. Whilst we might not know of the different roles that people play, take one of them away and the magic is lost and we begin to notice the clunking of the the machine as it chugs away to its grinding conclusion.

Watching this video got me thinking got me thinking about what we can learn from this skill of working with others in a big and wonderful team. Also, what can businesses learn from this too?

My main takeaways:-

When the world is in turmoil, artists make you feel good.

A master good at his craft will ultimately make you feel good regardless of whether his art is found in music, painting, performance or in the apparently seemingly less expressive worlds of finance, business or making the world a better place. Even when someone challenges you, their ultimate goal is to make you feel good.

Meeting people feels natural and organic. So it is just natural to take it to the next level.

There should never be a sense of doing the hard sell. A working relationship is either going to work or it isn’t. There is no need to force anything. Just go with the flow.

The Groove is everything. It’s spiritual. It’s primal. It’s intellectual. It’s physical. You feel it.

Getting in ‘The Groove’ with your business or your project means that you don’t just intellectualise about it, you ffeeelll it. Some of our best work is done when we can truly immerse ourselves into the whole and we can function on all levels. True collaboration happens when everyone can get into The Groove.

Take the secondary or support role away and the melody goes away.

Everyone is important regardless of what role they play. Just as the *First Follower* is vital to make a leader what they are, so too are the ones who support and provide back up for those who stand in the front line.

Go back to go forward.

Just because something is passe does not mean that it cannot transcend to a new and higher level. Dismiss the gold of the past and you dismiss the opportunity for gold in the future.

One time events.

Every project is a ‘one time event’. It is up to us to keep every part of it interesting and take it on to the next level. Whilst we may play one song many times, each and every time it is going to be different as it captures the spirit of the moment. Even if we know that it can happen again, we should treat every one as being the once in a lifetime opportunity to manifest our maximum potential.

The ultimate ….

We make each other better. The smooth cool voice that leads is supported by someone who ‘keeps it interesting’ making both leader and supporter better than what they are on their own.

Magic happens when the right people come together to immerse themselves in the right project. We all become better working collaboratively than when we strive to work on our own.

And from this I draw these conclusions….

We need to get to the heart and soul of our businesses and find the stories that get to why we do what we do. Then we need to openly share them with the outside world.

I’d like us allow each other to immerse into our respective worlds and feel the meaning of who we can be. I want us to let The Groove happen so that we can tap into all levels of what we do – the physical, the primal, the intellectual and the spiritual. I want to help you to find YOUR leading voice that tells your stories whilst I play that supporting role that keeps things interesting. Ultimately, I’d like us to work together so that we can become better than we were before.

People are in desperate need to feel good. They are hungry for stories. They are hungry for connection. They are hungry for purpose and meaning. Regardless of whether our encounters with them is a one time moment passing through the social networks of the world or we are engaged in a life-long relationship, our objectives should be to help people achieve purpose, meaning and connection.

comments: 0 » tags: art marketing, art of collaboration, collaboration, collaborative marketing, human media, social media, social media marketing

Collaboration, cooperation and co-creative marketing – looking at our customers in a new light.

April 29, 2013 under Articles & Blogs, Articles by Georgina Lester, Arts Marketing, Business, Community, Niche Marketing, PR and Sales, Small businesses

We are experiencing a paradigm shift in the way we implement our marketing. We are rapidly moving away from mass manipulation to collective cooperation. It is about empowering both customers and companies so that they can both get exactly what they need and want. Internet technologies facilitate collection, collation and analysis of freely available open source data enabling us to understand exactly where needs are.

We can also begin to decide which of those needs we can meet and which to pass on to other more suitable suppliers. The shifting sands of an ever changing landscape of our customer communities means that as suppliers we have to get really really good at listening with a genuine ear to hear the messages put out by those we serve.

Now is the time to really get to know our customers. What makes them tick? What makes their blood boil? What makes them smile and feel good? It is not about what turns them off to keep them turned on, it is about hearing their stories.

It is not about trying to analyse them as a statistic in a mass of statistics it is about reaching out to them as individuals. Our customers are people with their own hearts, minds and souls. The sooner that we make friends with them the better.

The sooner that we actually understand who they are and what is important to them, the sooner that they will learn to trust what we offer. If our customers trust us and feel safe in the knowledge that they have made a wise choice, they are very much more likely to advocate what we do. Damage that trust and we lose not only the customer but that loss has the potential to create a tidal wave of disapproval destroying everything that we have worked hard to build.

Ultimately mutually supportive relationships between suppliers, competitors, customers, marketers and those who know anything about our markets and our business sector will ensure the success of our enterprising endeavours. If we can maintain a transparency in what we do then we can build on trusting relationships which last a life-time.

All this means that we don’t have to go chasing after every sale like it is our last but instead we can nurture our own interests and passions developing specialisms and uniqueness which serve a highly appreciative audience hungry for what we offer. Essentially the digital era is giving us permission to be unique. We can fine tune our niche business and our customers can select the companies who deliver exactly what they need and want in the way that they want.

Personal values can transform corporate core objectives generating authentic relationships based on a commonality in beliefs and values. These values may be expressed at an individual level but it moves full circle into manifesting at the community collective level.

The communities may be amorphous entities which are constantly evolving and changing but if we listen well then tuning into to those changes will enable those who are marketing to adapt alongside them.

Change is good. Change in our attitudes can only lead to a more satisfying way of doing business. The pressure is off us to polish our sales speak to fit in pre-defined format allowing instead for our individuality to be our greatest asset enabling us to reach just the people we need.

Credibility, authenticity and reputation become a valuable currency in which we can help each other trade. Specialisms and originality take on a new significance as we can begin to trust that we can find customers who like our particular style – regardless of how quirky and unique we are.

It is definitely time to open our minds to a more cooperative approach to doing business and achieve a fulfilling life doing what we love.

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comments: 0 » tags: art marketing, art of collaboration, arts, collaborations, creative marketing, customer experience, customer journey, luxury customer experience, social media

Authors – don’t leave your readers wondering… @sooziesoo

April 23, 2013 under Articles & Blogs, Articles by Sue Richardson, Books & Publishing, Business, Niche Marketing, PR and Sales, Social Media

In this age of social media your readers want and expect to know all about you. Gone are the days when a lack of information about an author shrouded them in an air of mystery and left the customer eager to read their book. Now readers expect to know a fair amount about an author so they can make a more informed decision about whether to buy their book/s.

So what can you as an author do about it? Most of us at some stage when buying books, either print or digital, are likely to visit Amazon and so it makes sense for you to be as visible as you can be there. You can do this by creating an Author Profile. By joining Author Central at https://authorcentral.amazon.co.uk/ and visiting Author Pages you can provide information about yourself and your work. This in turn promotes not only you but your book/s in a subtle and engaging way. Be sure to upload a photo so that your readers feel as if they know you – they will be more inclined to be interested in what you have to say. Try not to sell sell sell in the narrative, but give readers a little of yourself so that they want to buy your book/s.

Alongside social engagement there is another very practical reason for creating an Amazon Author Page. Amazon is one of the most successful websites in the world and Google loves it! The more information you provide the more all of the search engines have to go on to find you and your book/s when someone is searching specific terms. So think carefully about the words you use but not so much as to detract from reaching out to your readers.

Maria Waite, SRA Books, Publishing and Distribution Associate
maria@suerichardson.co.uk

comments: 0 » tags: book distribution, book marketing, books, books for marketing, busienss books, publishing, publishing consultants, publishing services

Mentoring for Business : Putting Mentoring into P.R.A.C.T.I.C.E @WilliamBuist

March 30, 2013 under Articles & Blogs, Articles by William Buist, Business, Business Mentoring, Contributor Articles, Small businesses

Whilst it’s pretty vital to choose the right mentor and understand how to work with your chosen mentor it’s also important to make sure that you give the best to the relationship so that you get the best from it. Being a successful protégé is more likely if you remember a few key things.Your Mentor wants you to succeed and there’s nothing you can do to honour them more than remembering to PRACTICE

Prepare well

Before each session think about your goals and aims from the session. If necessary write down a list of questions and areas for discussion and send them to your mentor in advance. That will help to to make sure that the session remains focussed and delivering what you need.

Respect your mentors time

Mentors have, like you, limited time and resources available, so being respectful of their needs to stick to times and stay focussed on the meeting goals is important. The more that you can do this the more that trust grows and relationships strengthen. As that happens you’ll find the value of each session really accelerates.

Actively listen

Listen to what’s being said without preparing your response mentally as you go along. Pauses for thought are something that will develop strongly in the greatest mentoring relationships and respecting silence and giving your mentor space to think is as important as it is for them to respect your need for considered thought too. Play back what you have heard even if you think you fully understand. Your mentor will know that his information has been received when you do.

Constructively discuss

So, now that there is a better understanding of the information it’s time to hone it. Your mentor has brought their knowledge to you, but in the context of their skills and experience. Your needs and experience are based on your context. Through constructive discussion you can, between you both, synthesise the best outcome.

Think and check

Take time though to reflect on what you have heard and learned. After all the decisions you are making with your mentor are important – you wouldn’t be paying for their support if their input wasn’t valuable to you. It’s important to give decisions and actions the right amount of thinking and checking time, and remember, if questions come up when you do this, your mentor should be able to comment and support you too.

Implement

Implementation is the key to putting the knowledge and skills that have informed your decision to work to turn them into real outputs for you and your business. Without this step the information you have had and the knowledge gained is valueless, so make sure you know what you need to actually implement it. Implementation is also about planning and sourcing the resources you need, as well as doing the work.

Check

Now do an immediate check, have you done everything that you said you wanted to do? Is the work complete? or are there elements still to do? What went as it should? What new knowledge did you gain?, What problems did you encounter? How can you improve the implementation process? These checks mean you can start to document how you implement things in your business. Businesses that really understand implementation and have the right checks in place are more scalable (and more valuable). Do this well and when you next need to implement the same thing, you’ll find it easier and more reliable.

Evaluate

A little time later you may want to look back and decide if the work you have done is delivering what you expected. Measure the things that you can and compare them to the expected results. When you have done that, spend time with your mentor to discuss the results and look at what worked for you and what has not. In other words we are back to the P of PRACTICE, it’s time to prepare well again.

Perfect PRACTICE makes perfect.

Working with your mentor your main aim becomes about substantially improving the outcomes you achieve – and the more you PRACTICE the better you’ll get.

About William Buist

William is an established Business Mentor and Digital Coach, working with entrepreneurial business owners seeking to build business value quickly so as to have the choice to exit if they wish. Working 121 or through exclusive invitation only small groups he’s known for giving business owners clarity abut their business models, solid proven strategy and the confidence for implementation.

Website: www.abelard-uk.com
Mobile: 07880 794127

comments: 0 » tags: abelard, business, business development, business growth, business mentoring, business planning, businessmentor, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs mentor, entrepreneurship, mastermind, mentoring entrepreneurs, small business

Coach – Mentor – Consult by @WilliamBuist

March 13, 2013 under Articles & Blogs, Articles by William Buist, Business, Business Marketing, Business Mentoring, Contributor Articles, Small businesses

CSI - Call us: 07880 794127 Based on the name, you may think a business mentor uses only the techniques of mentoring. However, good mentors use additional techniques and angles to bring out the best in their proteges (or “mentees”). A truly great mentor will act as a coach, mentor and consultant to you and your business. While at first it may be difficult to distinguish between the approaches avaialable in the mentoring process, it is a technique that spans the spectrum from coaching to consulting as appropriate.

Consulting

Consulting, by definition, is “giving advice to others in the same field,” but it also implements a fairly hands-off approach.

For instance, a mentor acting as a consultant may meet with you only a fraction of the time that someone putting an emphasis on mentoring or coaching would.
Additionally, a consultant may focus more on giving you timely advice, unlike the detailed input that a mentee with less industry experience needs.
A consultant will give statements such as, “We think you should…” as opposed to asking questions, as a coach might.

In essence, a consultant will give you an analysis of your business, provide feedback and return some time later to see what improvements have been made — then repeat the process over again.

Coaching

The coaching technique that a mentor will use is by and large a less directive approach. In many ways, it is similar to a professional sports coach watching from the sidelines. More specifically, a coach will:

Elicit plans and strategies for you to implement in your business.
Review and evaluate which you did correctly and assess those actions you can improve upon.
Ask open questions such as, “What have you considered?”

In other words, a mentor assuming the role of a coach will often give you specific goals or assignments to tackle in your business, then adjust or further develop them based on how well you carry them out.

Mentoring

Mentoring is a thorough process that requires a hands-on approach by the mentor and very attentive involvement from the mentee. This technique often produces a close working relationship and usually requires more time spent between the mentor and mentee compared to the consulting and coaching techniques.

A good mentor will make himself or herself available to you via monthly, weekly or, in some cases, daily meetings to see how you and your business are progressing.

Together, you will work to better implement and solidify the company’s core values and target other aspects of the mentor’s field of specialty. For example, a mentor with 30 years of marketing experience will not likely focus on your balance sheet or income statement. Instead, she will probably stick to her area of expertise — target marketing and developing a solid campaign strategy.

In theory, if you are the owner of a business, and you need to be involved with many facets of the company, you may have a separate mentor for each area of the business.

Conclusion

A good mentor continuously implements the three major facets of consulting, coaching and mentoring at various times when needed throughout the process. In the beginning you may need the hands-on approach of a mentor, but once you get a bit of confidence, perhaps you will benefit from the more hands-off approach of consulting or coaching.

And once you really start to flourish, you may only need periodic engagement to ensure your business development continues to progress toward your goals.

Are you playing ‘Tangerine Roulette’ with ‘customer service experience’?

March 7, 2013 under Articles & Blogs, Articles by Georgina Lester, Business, Customer Experience, Niche Marketing, PR and Sales

When eating a tangerine the other day I did not get quite what I expected and it made me wonder about our customers and how we can improve our customer service experience. How often are we aware of what we deliver? How often do we consider how consistently we deliver and how often do we think about what it is like to be at the receiving end of what we deliver?

I love tangerines, satsumas, oranges and all of the other delicious juicy citrus fruits that seem so readily available. In fact I can’t think of a fruit that I don’t like. There is nothing like the sweet delectable juice of mangoes. The experience of eating them always seems to involve juices dribbling down your chin. The crisp crunch of a fresh apple provides an experience that incorporates a smorgasbord of sumptuous imagery, crisp sound, tangy texture, nectar scents as well as taste sensations that transport you to heavenly realms.

In the world of luxury, our expectations might be higher but good customer service experience doesn’t have to be consigned to offerings for wealthy and unreachable. This thinking should be a part of every business regardless of whether it is serving the luxury market, B2B consultancy or selling sweets in the corner shop.

I personally love growing my own fruit and vegetables when I get time and providing I can successfully do battle with the slugs and bugs who feast on my efforts. It is a real treat wandering through the garden and plucking the freshest of flavours straight from bush, plant or cane. Flavours warmed and ripened to perfection by the sun. That is true wealth and luxury – to enjoy an abundance that thrives in your own garden.

When customer service experience is not quite what you expect ……

Perhaps I have been spoiled by the joys of having an orchard however small it might be but when I buy supposedly fresh fruit from the supermarket, the enjoyment is not always so predictable. Tangerines in their nets, always look divinely glossy with a life-force of delectability. However looks can be deceiving and at times my disappointment is HUGE.

The first bite might be just as you expect. Sweet explosions of orangeyness as your teeth cut into the plumpness of each segment. But the next might be so tart and sour that it lemon-shrivels your face in a nano-second. Or perhaps it is so desiccated that the juice sacs look pale and wan like they have been incarcerated in a concentration camp before being delivered. Then there are the ones that are so full of pips that you are not sure whether you are going to choke or accidentally bite into bitter unpleasantness.

I feel that I have been let down and as a customer my experience of what has been delivered is not what I would hope for. We should not have to report to the customer service team of our experience in the hope of compensation. Complaint should not even come into the equation. I expect to get the experienceI have been told I can expect by the tantalising messages printed on every label and every packet that taunt me with something that should be a real treat.

Ensuring consistency in the service you offer and creating juiciness in the experience each customer gets every time.

The point is that the fruit in my garden has a consistency. I know what I am getting. The enjoyment is as much about the anticipation as it is about the taste experience. However, there is nothing quite so disappointing as being duped into believing that our purchases are going to give us the long anticipated taste sensation.

That makes me much more aware of what I am delivering to my customers. It makes me wonder, are we consistent in what we deliver? Are we reliable? Do we set the right expectations? Do we meet clients’ expectations?

How often do you map out the journey of your customer service? How often do you spend time envisaging the full impact of your customer service experience?

How can we not only ensure that what we deliver is consistent with expectations but also how we deliver the same juicy delectability each and every time?

comments: 3 » tags: customer experience, customer journey, customer service, customer service experience, luxury customer experience, luxury marketing, luxury service, reliable service

Mentoring For Business: Business Clarity through Mentoring by @WilliamBuist

March 6, 2013 under Articles & Blogs, Articles by William Buist, Business, Contributor Articles, Small businesses

business clarity, clarity for business Achieving business clarity is substantially easier with an exceedingly knowledgeable and understanding mentor. In a business mentoring relationship there is generally an emphasis on the business owner and their role as the mentee. However, at the same time, the mentor is faced with the challenge of questioning, understanding, challenging, and ultimately elevating the mentee’s business clarity.

Yale University School of Management senior faculty fellow, Bruce Judson, says a good mentor should ask questions about the mentee’s end result, their idea of success, the ultimate objective of the business, and what it means to be financially stable on both the business end and in their personal life. Judson has a good point, as these questions will lead to a better understanding of your business, and ideally, show you how to proceed. (Source here >)

Questioning

For a mentor, questioning the mentee is a vital part of the process. Of course, this sort of questioning is much different than, say, that a Congressional hearing, but more so, it is questioning to gain insight into the core values, as well as, many other facets of the business. Through the questioning process, both the mentee and mentor should find clarity on where the relationship and business will go from here.

Challenging

On the path to help you find business clarity, your mentor will undoubtedly challenge you. Without challenging your current business model, ideals, and subsequent results, your company will almost assuredly hit a plateau and never get any better. While some businesses are fine hitting such a plateau and consequently coasting into mediocrity, it is the great business minds and their willingness to be challenged, eventually evolving into something greater —something clearer — that thrive in the mentoring process.

Understanding

Your mentor should work off the concept of questioning in order to gain understanding of the many facets of your business, including operations, core values, and other aspects like its target market and marketing strategy. Lois Zachary, author of The Mentee’s Guide: Making Mentoring Work For You, says the ideal mentor should listen, be well connected in the industry, have expertise in a specific field, and perhaps most importantly, be accessible to the mentee. Zachary goes on to say that while it may be unlikely to find all of these things in a mentor, you should prioritize which matter most, and then seek out someone that fits the bill. Working with your mentor can then lead you to figure how to improve your business moving forward.

Elevating

Taking your business to the next level with clarity is the ultimate goal of working with a mentor. Their questioning, understanding, and insight, should allow your company to flourish and your business development skills to further progress as a leader. Whether you have a mentor in mind, or consult with industry experts like those at Abelard, your main objective should be to realize your business’ clarity — identifying your customers, why they are in the market, and how you can effectively target them.

Conclusion

As mentioned, in the mentor-mentee relationship, the prime objective should be to reach business clarity to better understand your business model and those it serves. As your mentor challenges you to make the business better, take their inquisitions and discussions as a sign of good things to come. A mentor may not divulge his or her method during every step of the process, but every good mentor has a mental infrastructure of how to help a mentee. Keep in mind that they have almost certainty been in the same position as you. Every mentor has likely been a mentee in some degree, at a point in his or her career.

comments: 0 » tags: abelard, business, business clarity, business development, business growth, business mentoring, business planning, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs mentor, entrepreneurship, mentoring entrepreneurs, small business

Marketing in a luxurious world – should you invite or be invited?

March 6, 2013 under Articles & Blogs, Articles by Georgina Lester, Arts Marketing, Books & Publishing, Business, Luxury Marketing, Niche Marketing, PR and Sales

Too often people try to broadcast their message chanting the mantra “Sell. Sell. Sell” And then they wonder why it doesn’t work. Time and again, I see luxury businesses saying things like “Step into the luxurious world of …” Uhh – no! Wrong message entirely. The people who are likely to buy luxury good are already in their own luxurious world – so what on earth is so special about yours?

Think for a moment about the stories that encapsulate the essence of your business and focus on the artistry and the story of craftsmanship. Regardless of whether you are selling a concierge service, gourmet delicacies or indeed a work of art, it is the story that matters not how expensive it is.

In this book that we are working on now, we focus on the inspirations and the subtle details that form a part of the creative process which aim to draw people in to the atmosphere of luxurious elegance whilst offering a plethora of emotional experiences that range from the raw to the sublime. The power lies in the motivations that drives the artist and creator – not the status of labels.

comments: 1 » tags: arts marketing, book marketing, charles patricia lester luxury, inspirations, inspired luxury, inspired marketing, luxury markeitng, luxury marketing

Abelard Letters #5 – Thoughts and opinions in a connected world – Political Swings @WilliamBuist

March 4, 2013 under Articles & Blogs, Articles by William Buist, Business, Contributor Articles, Small businesses

@WilliamBuist, Entrepreneurs Mentor Another interesting week slips by as we slip from February into March and towards the end of the first quarter of 2013.

Interesting because we’ve seen the impact of a loss of the UK’s triple A rating, an Italian election, a by-election and the confusion of leader.

Nick Clegg found himself tied in a few knots over what he knew and what he didn’t know about the inappropriate approaches of a peer in his party. His emotions showed when he blamed the media as ‘self appointed detectives’ and of course they are. It’s what a free press means. This faux pas, perhaps, will be the thing that shifts the public opinion pendulum towards equilibrium after Leveson, it had to come, it always does.

George Osbourne found himself caught in knots having steadfastly said that the policies they had were right because they allowed us to keep the triple A rating and then having to say the policies were still right when we lost it. Saved by a standup comedian and a philandering executive in Italy as their fight for power confused and depressed world financial markets, meant George didn’t have too much downside from his confusion. This time.

David Cameron found himself caught in knots when UKIP took second place in a by election held by a party whose previous MP is a self confessed lair and in the middle of a sexual scandal involving members of the party. To see the tories as humiliated, the Lib Dems as victors, or UKIP as growing stronger could be a mistake. The real victor was representative democracy. It’s my assertion that Eastleigh just voted for the person most likely to acts their representative in Westminster. Good on them.

comments: 0 » tags: #smallbusiness, Abelard Letters, business, business development, business growth, business mentoring, business planning, finance, small business

Mentoring for business: Working with a Mentor by @WilliamBuist

March 2, 2013 under Articles & Blogs, Articles by William Buist, Business, Contributor Articles, Small businesses

CSI - Call us: 07880 794127 The idea of mentorship is nothing new. Since the days of ancient Greece, apprentices have worked beside masters to learn a trade. This journeyman tradition was so strong that it even became the foundation of surnames like Carpenter, Fisher and Baker.

But mentoring has changed too. It is no longer a simple father/son transaction, or even a master/student relationship. In more recent years, more people have learned their trades in university settings, rather than from a mentor. But now mentoring has returned to a more modern, cooperative relationship occurring between the master and the student.

The Role of Mentoring in Small Business

Today, mentoring is being recognised as an important component of small business development. Many see a void in the business world and want to fill that void, but don’t have the confidence and expertise to succeed without some assistance. This article in Forbes highlights How to make a business mentoring relationship work.

Benefits for the Mentor

While new business owners are pleased to work with those established in their trade, veteran business owners yield their own set of benefits from serving as a mentor. Many are highly passionate about their business and fully embrace passing on their knowledge. A good mentor does not simply serve as a friend in the business, but offers honest insight that a protege (often called a “mentee” these days) can apply to their own business.

By embracing the role of mentor, a business owner can:

Develop a relationship that becomes a professional networking contact
Rekindle the excitement that comes with contributing to a new and budding company
Improve their own confidence and abilities by collaborating and sharing ideas
See their ideas from a new angle, and use the insight gained to improve their business.
Make an extra contribution to develop their field in a way that makes a positive difference

Expectations of the Protégé/Mentee

There is also a sense of responsibility and accountability that occurs when an entrepreneur begins working with a mentor. They should not expect to simply follow their mentor around and hope to absorb knowledge as if they were a sponge. They should always bring their own ideas and questions to the table and offer respectful feedback. Chances are someone new to a business has some misconceptions about the way things work. Still, it is important to offer those ideas that can at least be used as a starting point in which to build better ideas and new innovation.

While a greater element of collaboration exists in today’s mentor/protege relationship, there are still times when mentors will give special guidance and advice that the mentee can apply to their own business. Here good communication skills come into play as well as a sense of graciousness as they keep their mentor informed regarding how successful their suggestions proved to be when they were applied to the new business.

What to Expect from a Mentor

Individual mentoring styles can vary considerably depending on the mentor and whatever ideas are presented, but always an environment of mutual respect and a desire to succeed should be at the forefront of the relationship. Even when a business is competitive in nature, it is in the best interest of both the business and the customer to encourage the highest-quality products and the most efficient operations and marketing plans. We’ve provided some guidane to choosing a mentor in a previous post.

Our approach

A collaborative approach and partnership that is representative of a quality mentorship is central to successful mentoring.

Our business model is rooted in helping other businesses discover and embrace their strengths and individuality.
Our proven strategies have helped many businesses improve their operations, marketing, and sales initiatives.
As we work with organisations on their business development, we never lose sight of our core values of collaboration, objectivity and empowerment.

At the end of the day, no two businesses are exactly alike. By helping businesses develop effective strategies that emphasise their strengths, each company finds its own niche and customer base.

Once businesses have a grasp on these ideas, the results are often greater workplace satisfaction, reduced costs and increased profits. And that makes for a good recipe for everyone.

comments: 4 » tags: abelard, business, business development, business growth, business mentoring, business planning, collaboration, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs mentor, entrepreneurship, mentoring entrepreneurs, small business

Mentoring for Business : Putting Mentoring into P.R.A.C.T.I.C.E @WilliamBuist