Scott and Terry were the crew running the meeting today in Aidan’s absence and we also welcomed Lee (substituting for Steve) and visitor Patrick. When we arrived it was light and pleasant weather too – so a great start to our Thursday.
Education Slot
Stuart delivered a great Ed Slot to start us off and reiterated that we’re all here because we need clients. However, that shouldn’t just be any client, whether they’re a good fit or not (or you end up being a Jack of all trades). Instead, we should identify our perfect customer (eg for him, that begins with an Essex-based location and 5-50 employees) and then be brave enough to turn away potential clients that don’t fit. He said we should interview our customers and even rank them – sacking the worst! Reminds me of the time our 3 year old came home from Nursery School with his apron and PE kit mid-term, clutching a note that said: “We do feel George would be happier elsewhere, as would we – with immediate effect.” Ouch. Stuart finished by reminding us to avoid the Mood Hoover client or the Time Bandit! 😀
60-Second Presentation Round
Scott asked us to do the ‘name someone to speak after you’ style of 60 second presentation today and Clara set us off by saying that her ideal client is one who really wants her help and that inspires her to find solutions that other providers fail to provide. Silvia’s perfect customer is not only a business of a certain size but that they also realise cleaning is so much more than removing grime. Blake rather likes clients who leave him alone to do what he’s good at, AI-wise!
Toby had an FI analogy about using different strokes for motivating different folks, after motivational mapping processes. Terry excels at dealing with commercial disputes and Leann followed on Toby’s theme, that what works well in one home (design-wise) may not apply to another. Catherine had a challenging proof-reading assignment recently which was a very complicated scientific thesis, but it turns out even science reports need good grammar and composition.
Matt said that his company can be an extra resource for struggling marketing departments who haven’t the personnel or time to deal with their clients’ work load. Paul B reminded that West End of City accountants would typically charge £2K for work for a small client, whereas his fee might be as low as £500. Stuart reminded about the BT Open Reach systematic shut down of copper based telecommunications. You’ll apparently know if you are one of them, because their unhelpful policy is to increase your bill by 40% every quarter! Another ouch.
Paul C helped us to avoid bad bills by having our shut-down heating systems checked during the summer, to avoid them seizing/breaking when being turned on again in the Autumn. Lee also had a money-saving tip about looking into trade credit insurance to protect your invoices. John reminded us that they like to deal with the security and CCTV needs of medium-sized clients to provide the right proof when there are break-ins or trips/falls etc. Sarah loves dealing with property matters and would enjoy referrals to estate agents to provide liaison and admin support.
Jane, freshly back from a wonderful family safari trip, talked about making life-long memories – and that her nationwide deliveries of food and treats can also facilitate memory-making occasions. Mike finished off the members’ 60 seconds with a reminder that new or expanding businesses can end up with a mish-mash of material/photographs to launch their publicity material/websites and it would be better to use fresh and cohesive images, produced by him! Lastly, visitor Patrick told us that after 17 years working for a company, he has newly branched out as a consultant in L&D offering training, workshops, soft skills and coaching. It was very nice to meet him and he loved his warm welcome and our meeting structure.
After all that, Clara donated the hidden Oscar to Paul Booth for a clear and obvious distinction in his services, compared to others. Well done.
10-Minute Presentation by John Hammond
John Hammond of JMH Technology UK was our 10 minute speaker and focussed on some of the projects they have recently achieved. He started by telling us about a security system with CCTV in Kettering. The old system had zoom-in cameras that permanently seemed to face the wrong way at a very busy site – so they installed masses of static cameras, covering every angle. These clever systems only record when required and they kick into life at a prior-motion stage. They are so high in resolution that number plates and facial recognition is easy. Barriers can automatically rise up upon such recognition although the odd black screw in a number plate can momentarily cause an issue by changing a letter/number’s appearance – but that’s surmountable. They can install access control systems which identify visitors to the site, especially pertinent for fire assembly point reports. Intercom systems are also part of their expertise with the ability for many members of staff to raise external barriers for visitors. Overall, unlike some companies who offer cheap installation but then invoice heavily on any repairs/call outs – JMH Technology UK offer up-to-the-minute working systems applying technology to security and clients really love their reliability and expertise.
The meeting ended with a positive round of referrals and much praise about John and Stuart’s presentations today. What a great meeting.
Notes by Jane Malyon, The English Cream Tea Co.
Well done Stuart on a very educational education slot!
Great 10 minute presentation John i always admire your quality work.
Nice to see visitor Patrick and hope he liked what he saw.
Great meeting. Great Ed slot, Sturat, and it was nice to see a new face as well. Have a good week, everyone
Thanks everyone for a great meeting. Thank you to Stuart and John for your ed slot and 10 minutes. Hope you all have a great weekend
Great write up Jane.
Two top presentations from Stuart and John, both showing their knowledge and experience!
A good fun jovial meeting even with the lower numbers today, and great to see Lee and Patrick filling in and visiting!
A great ed slot Stuart, reminding us that we should be interviewing our clients as well as them interviewing us. It’s important I get on with my clients as much as they connect with me as I will be working very closely with them when designing their homes. A great 10 minute presentation John, it’s always good to hear how you are protecting businesses. It was good to see our visitor Patrick and thank you, Lee for substituting for Stephen.
A really helpful Ed slot from Stuart and an excellent presentation from John. An enjoyable meeting – always a good start to a Thursday.