This weeks meeting was in the small room behind the restaurant at Mary Green Manor. It’s a bit of a squeeze but our proximity, one to another, does lead to an effective if not to say intimate meeting.
Education Presentation
David Plumley is the ultimate researcher of tangential material to illustrate the “Theme of the Day”.
This week his source was You Tube and his Guru was Thomas Sowell who apparently describes himself as a commentator. Whilst not in perhaps the Brian Johnston mould, said commentator has put forward three questions we should ask if we are looking to do something positive in our business as follows:-
- Compared to what?
- At what cost?
- What hard evidence do you have?
Number 1 is a call to proper research, number 2 to proper cost, number 3 to do a reality check on the whole scheme. You see, You Tube is not just about people sticking the naked bottoms in front of a camera, or even talking out of them!!
The 60 Second Round
On a slightly more interesting level, Marcelle Saad offered up the equivalent of the Paul Booth “accountancy topics for the dinner party”. When she is on holiday she checks out the local jewellery.
Alaska has everything flown in; Hawaii, with its volcanic pipes, reminded her of the formation of diamonds. The net result of this 60 second presentation was that most of us, I suspect, would prefer to find ourselves sitting next to Marcelle than to Paul if the conversation at the dinner party flagged.
Richard Reed had obviously had been listening to the Ed Slot because he considered the most important part of what he offers as not the cost but the level of service…..compared to what you might ask? All the other holiday providers or by doing it yourself. Whatever the comparison, there followed later in the meeting glowing testimonials from both Terry Maylin and Marcelle Saad.
The School of Whimsy was back in full force. Alan Shaw these days is a harassed man. In the midst of a very busy time, he started getting irritating requests from a client from 11 years back. No building regulations were apparently the problem. It produced the quote of the day “its good fun…but it’s not!”. Brian Painter was way up on the Whimsy scale; his subject was a 45-year-old man who was separated from his wife although his wife didn’t know it. He had a girlfriend who bragged of 4 one night stands in what I thought I heard to be less than 4 nights, this was followed by 3 affairs. Brian is trying to teach him to switch his brain off from the unworthy images that it was receiving which were apparently ruining the relationship. I don’t want to do Brian out of his money but I have a suggestion…go back to your wife! Nick Cooke wound up for the School of Whimsy when he declared that the high risk of subsidence was something that was classified in enviro searches in a kind of post code lottery type of way. The lesson is there for all aspiring Structural Engineers.…always look at the house.
Has Terry Maylin abandoned the rubber truncheon in favour of The Taking Control of Goods Regulations that allows access to debtors goods where they occupy premises under a commercial lease? I think the answer is yes and no.
Matt Barry, back from a relaxing holiday and thrown iinto busypreparation for a mid-September show in Amsterdam stood up and greeted us all with “…good afternoon…”. He promised to be sharper next week!!
Kim Redwood-Lee told us about a client who had “created a monster”. Rather disappointingly this was the act of setting up two companies in separate sole trading ventures to deal with his business in order to save the necessity of registering for VAT.
Tina Walker explained that she was about to support an old member…a reference by me to my underpants was perhaps uncalled for and I apologise…sort of.
Serina Almond was awarding the Oscar and was most attracted by Jo Jones assertion that muscles have to slide and an injury restricts the sliding. Make what you will of it but well done Jo.
This weeks statistics and points of note
Paul Booth still leads the Performance League,
14 referrals passed
£13,500.00 worth of business recorded
10 minute presentation by John Hammond
Recently joined member John Hammond struggled manfully with the reduced facilities of the smaller room behind the restaurant. He managed to set up his slide show and demonstrated various bits of kit without tripping over a wire or knocking a member off his/her chair.
He demonstrated the CCTV facilities he could offer which were very impressive but something we kind of already new about. What was really useful and well demonstrated were the types of locking systems and what he calls access control. This must be an area where we can find referrals for him as he evinces an enthusiasm for his business and his products that make him eminently referable.
Meeting Summary
Both Terry Maylin and Marcelle provided verbal testimonials and Terry a written one for Richard Reed.
Business was passed or acknowledged and once again another effective meeting came to an end.
good meeting. good morning.
Yes, a really interesting meeting.
For those members who were unable to make it, next week we’re having a themed 60 second round. Extra points awarded to members who talk about their favourite boxed set or tv series in reference to their own business or their clients.
I’m looking forward to seeing these and am sure that there will be some imaginative and amusing presentations.
Many thanks for the glowing verbal and written testimonials, much appreciated. John Hammond gave us a very informative 10mts against all the odds that our alternate surroundings imposed on him – even managed to take my mind off supported members, thank goodness.
Great meeting, as always, and well done to “fit” Jo for the oscar award.
I’m still laughing at that picture! A good 10 minutes from John complete with props. Well done, Miss Jones, for winning the Oscar. Look after him!
Great Picture ! Lively and interesting meeting and excellent presentation from John Hammond, must arrange a 1-2- with him.
Well what can I say …….. another great meeting and a great 10 minutes from John learning more about his company.
Looking forward to next weeks meeting.
Have a great week.
A picture says a thousand words!!, 🙂 See you all next week and well done John on your first 10 mins presentation.
Sorry I missed this week’s meeting, looks like I missed a good one according to the blog, looking forward to next weeks though.
see you all then 🙂
Well done John on your first 10 minutes. Well done Jo too for deservedly winning the Oscar.