Stand Out With Service

Hi There 

In this post-budget edition of Brand Stand, we look at standing out with service, invite you to a complimentary webinar on overcoming nerves for even greater presentability, share an inspiring podcast and introduce you to two new members of our growing community of speakers, performers, presenters and thought leaders. 

Your Brand

Want your brand to truly stand out?  Start blowing your competition out of the water with your extraordinary service. If you’re already giving sensational service then ask yourself this ‘How can we increase the quality of our service another ten percent?’


It’s eminently doable.  


Here’s a key to sensational service I learnt many years ago as the MC on a customer service conference. And the advice came from the stage; from the MD of the Virgin Mobile Contact Centre in Canada at the time. I don’t remember her name, unfortunately, but I do remember her words, ’there’s a myth in customer service that we should treat our customers how we’d like to be treated. I defy that myth. I tell my team to treat our customers the way they want to be treated.’


That’s service.     



Now more than ever, standing out with service is one of the keys to giving your customers and clients unforgettable experiences.  Why now? Because our lives are more automated and we often spend more time talking with technology than each other. We’re steered online or kept waiting on phones for growing amounts of time to speak to people overburdened or overwhelmed at the other end.


That’s not service.


But it gives you and I the edge, the opportunity to engage with our clients, to respond swiftly, to listen to their needs, address their concerns, take a true interest in what they do and how we can support their business. As I’ve heard two smart speakers say recently, ‘one of the fastest ways to get what you want is to help others get what they want.’


But don’t just do it for yourself. Do it for the sheer lavishness of giving your clients memorable experiences. You’ll feel better for it. Your culture will resonate with it. And your clients will love you for it.

Your People

One question which always gets asked when Phil Preston and I give training and coaching on presentation skills with presentability is ‘how do I overcome nerves?’ Phil and I have developed a webinar to address precisely that concern with tips and techniques from combined experience presenting, performing, speaking and facilitating. 

Click here for the complimentary webinar on Wednesday June 6.

“The course was a great way of sharpening my focus around presentation skills – particularly content structure and delivery skills.”                      

Ben Robinson Head of People and Purpose CHOICE

This is also an opportunity for you to preview content from the  presentability program which we run in-house and publicly. There’s a great earlybird offer for the next one day program. 

Click here to find out more about the public program, Tuesday June 26.

Your Recommended Listening

If you're looking for some inspiration on leadership in business and your community I highly recommend this podcast we co-produced with client Paul Mitchell speaker and author, and managing director of the human enterprise. In this podcast Paul speaks with Reverend Graham Long, Pastor and CEO of the Wayside Chapel about leading with integrity, dignity, humour and humanity. 

Click here for the inspiring interview

Your Event

We'll also be adding more podcasts with the upcoming SpeakEasy program on Brand Stand Radio, giving you the opportunity to get to know the growing community of speakers, presenters, performers and thought leaders here at MCME. 


Right now though, please meet motivational mountaineer, Patrick Hollingworth.


In May 2010 Patrick Hollingworth became only the third West Australian to stand on the summit of Mount Everest. His journey to fulfill his life-long dream is an inspiring one which is well articulated in his presentation and supported by amazing photos and video footage from the climb – it’s so real that you’ll leave his presentation feeling like you’ve just climbed Mount Everest too!

Click here to find out more about Patrick and see great footage from his video



Give Your Brand Experience

The Weekly Rap: Allora, Zizzi, Corban & Blair

If you're a little behind on your Mother's Day shopping I highly recommend these three brands we work with. 

They're all brimming with great ideas and all three businesses happen to be run by some wonderful Mothers too. 

Here are links to their online stores (might be a little late to buy online but you'll easily find out about their stockists on their site or through a quick search). 

http://www.alloraaccessories.com.au/ (with a beautiful new website next week)

http://www.zizzidesigns.com.au/

http://www.corbanblair.com.au/

Happy Mother's Day 

Brand Bully

On the weekend a friend invited me to a seminar on wealth creation. After being kept waiting in the foyer for over half an hour like cattle in a holding pen the doors were opened. Then the speaker, a noted Australian mini-celebrity, author and regular financial commentator gave a high energy introduction for an exciting two day bootcamp.

I left just after halfway through the day, and this is why:

1. If you're still telling a group what they're going to learn from this a third of the way into your presentation, then I get the feeling it's all anticipation and little substance.

2. If you tell me you prefer to work with entrepreneurs who don't think too much I smell a rat. Yes, we can all double think things, however in this case I felt it was more about indoctrination than a genuine care for seeing people succeed.

3. This was proven by his behaviour. I'm not adverse to someone swearing a bit to make a point. IF they make a point, and if the swearing doesn't BECOME the point. Kinda feels like high school then, doesn't it?

4. If someone starts a presentation with 'we're the only company in the world to put someone in a hot seat in front of an audience,' then what other falsehoods are we about to hear?

5. Telling people they're lame or slack or 'uncommitted,' to growing their business for not posting a comment on your Facebook page during the seminar is social media narcissism bar none.

What disappoints me more than anything about this is the lack of respect he showed his audience. This guy obviously has good content, but it seemed so buried beneath his own ego that the only person who looked like they were going to get wealthy from this was him.

It's a privilege to be up there in front of others. You have a position of influence, and bullying, playing on people's guilt or lack of esteem is an abuse of that power.

The best way I know to avoid buying into that game?

Don't play it.

Always

Hi and welcome to the fortnightly newsletter dedicated to making your brand, your people and your event a success. In this edition, the one word that matters most for your brand, our next presentability program and our first international speaker for you to meet. Your Brand In a regular get together with fellow consultants last week we were talking about brand and in particular what personal brand means to people. The word that kept coming up? Consistency. How true this is. If you go into McDonalds, you know you’re pretty much guaranteed of getting the same quality of food. Like or hate McDonalds, the experience is always similar, keeping their brand value high. The same goes for Coke. Tastes the same anywhere in the world. They even have an exact tone of red enforced in their packaging and marketing. Look at your favourite movie or music stars. Most have a genre, style, look and feel they’re normally associated with, often strongly. You only need to look at the Parkinson interview with Meg Ryan to see how passionately ‘Parky’ reacted to her shunning the romantic comedy brand we’d come to know her for. By Meg Ryan taking on a role outside her genre, she was perceived as being off brand. As consumers we want consistency. We want to know we’ll always be given good service, we’ll always receive a warm smile, or always receive the priority in the queue we’ve paid extra for.  So what does this mean for our personal brand? The one all of us have whether we’re working for ourselves or someone else (even if we’re working for ourselves, we’re all serving others anyway, aren’t we.) For me, a resonant personal brand is consistent, and then some. Let’s say a client tells you ‘you always deliver,’ (which I happily heard myself last year). How can you surprise your clients by giving something more, something they wouldn’t be expecting? How can you truly exceed their expectations with exceptional service, purposeful value-adds or thoughtful recommendations for their business?  'Exceeding expectations,’ can sound promising on a website, flyer or sales call, but those two words sound even better when they’re said in our clients’ own minds, prompted by the fact that we’ve actually delivered far more than they were expecting. Always. Your Presentability Our next one day program of presentation skills to support you in delivering your message and being truly memorable to increase business is on Tuesday June 26.  In response to increased interest for in-house programs we've now developed flexible options tailored for your industry and the individuals who represent your brand.  "Phil and Michael bring a wealth of presenting knowledge to the presentability course. I have learnt so much about myself and the next steps forward to improve my presentation skills. Thanks for a great day.”                     Rebecca Vella, Business Partner, Corporate Relations, RSPCA We have an excellent earlybird offer on the next public program until Thursday May 31.  Click here to find out more and book your place. Your Event  This fortnight meet Darren La Croix. Here's what you can expect from having Darren speak at your next event.  Humor... Inspiration! World Champion of Public Speaking Out of 25,000 contestants from 14 countries, Darren LaCroix became the first person from New England (USA) to win the Olympics of Oratory since the contest began in 1938. A message your audience needs to hear. Delivered by someone who lived it. Darren will make you look good! Click here to find out more and see Darren in action in his winning speech. Give your brand experience...always A: Suite 47, 50 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011 E: info@mcme.com.au P: +61 2 9331 8135

The Weekly Rap: Organisational Success Architect Phil Preston

This week's rap goes to associate Phil Preston, who specialises in organisational change.

Working with Phil on our Presentability program is a true pleasure, mainly because Phil balances intelligent insights with a genuine desire to support all individuals and organisations he works with. He is truly vested in business outcomes to better people's lives. Phil follows through.

Seeing Phil in action today facilitating a professional peer group I realised just how valuable he is as a change agent . I recommend Phil for the value he'll bring to any organisation (or individual) looking to find innovative ways to increase the productivity of their assets or improve their performance.

You'll also receive integrity.

Weekly Rap: Manly Pavilion Dining Room & Bar

In case you missed this in the Brand Stand this week....

Filming a welcome video for Paul Mitchell Speaker and Author’s site the human enterprise last week, we chose to shoot at Manly Pavilion Dining Room and Bar. While we were there we stopped to have a top lunch, and Alex Robertson and the team were gracious, the food was sensational…not to mention the view.

They currently have a Mid-Week Dining Special. 

Enjoy a 2 or 3 course lunch or dinner with a glass of sparkling on arrival. 2 courses $50, 3 courses $65

Available Tuesday to Thursdays. 


Bookings recommended. Phone 02 9949 9011 or visit Manly Pavilion online.


Remember to mention Mid-Week Dining Special when you book to receive the deal. 


Looks like they have a great Mum's Day lunch on May 13 too. 

Brand Stand: How Do You Present?

Hi, welcome to the fortnightly newsletter dedicated to making your brand, your people and your event a success. In this edition we have tips on presentability, secrets of successful marketing training, a spectacular waterfront venue, and a masterful MC and magician for you to meet. -

Your Brand

In different meeting, training sessions and a convention over the past few weeks, the power of people’s presentability has come into focus on more than a few occasions. Whether we’re working for someone else or ourselves, we owe it to both our personal and business brands to pay great attention to style, etiquette, and staying on message.


Here are some simple, effective examples and tips:

1. Style: Define a style that’s yours, but is still appropriate to the situation and people you’re working with. I once worked with Sydney’s most well groomed Goth. Sonia was extremely professional in her style, phone manner and work ethic; so much so that the call centre manager went to great lengths to protect her against newly enforced dress codes. This is an extreme example but the point is if you have enough personal style matched with grooming, quality and appropriateness to impress your clients and colleagues, you'll stand out. 
2. Etiquette: Some of the biggest challenges (and rewards) in working with new prospects, clients, industries and colleagues is learning their language, or ‘the way we do things around here.’ It’s a sure fire way to build rapport if you take the time to understand their language, nuances, and protocols. Many years in sales and being an MC has taught me that. However, what truly gives you the edge is to show a genuine interest in your newfound tribe without discounting or diminishing your own strengths, ideology or attributes.
3. Staying on Message: In all your marketing, sales and presentations, staying relevant and on message is both a relief and a sign of respect for your audience, whether it’s one or many. It’s often the trickiest thing to locate as we’ve found in our presentability workshops, but its the most vital. By staying clear on your message – and communicating it succinctly - you keep meetings on track and sales on target.

Your People 

Two upcoming training events for your calendar are:

Presentability

Our next one day program of presentation skills to support you in delivering your message and being truly memorable to increase business is on Tuesday May 1.

“Phil and Michael bring a wealth of presenting knowledge to the presentability course. I have learnt so much about myself and the next steps forward to improve my presentation skills. Thanks for a great day.”                 Rebecca Vella, Business Partner, Corporate Relations, RSPCA

We’ve extended the earlybird offer until this Friday April 20.

Click here to find out more and book your place

Secrets of Successful Marketing 

Giving another of these marketing workshops to support business owners with identifying target profiles, delivering clear marketing messages through traditional methods and social media, all with one clear goal: increase sales. 

This Wednesday 18 April
Time: 2:00 pm - 5.00 pm
Place: 31 Fennell St. North Parramatta

Sponsored and held by the Business Enterprise Centres, this workshop is only $75.

Find out more and book here

Your Venue

Filming a welcome video for Paul Mitchell Speaker and Author’s site the human enterprise last week, we chose to shoot at Manly Pavilion Dining Room and Bar. While we were there we stopped to have a top lunch, and Alex Robertson and the team were gracious, the food was sensational…not to mention the view.


They currently have a Mid-Week Dining Special. 


Enjoy a 2 or 3 course lunch or dinner with a glass of sparkling on arrival. 2 courses $50, 3 courses $65

Available Tuesday to Thursdays. 
Bookings recommended. Phone 02 9949 9011 or visit Manly Pavilion online.
Remember to mention Mid-Week Dining Special when you book to receive the deal. 

Your Event 

This fortnight meet Tony Saunders, MC and Magician. 


Having worked in the entertainment industry for more than 18 years now, Tony has dazzled and delighted hundreds of people with his sleight of hand magic, and with a wonderfully bright personality, he wins his audience over as soon as he meets them.

As well as the expected card, rope and coin magic, Tony also uses many unexpected props that can put a smile on the face of the biggest cynics.Tony’s skills have taken him abroad to many countries, and enabled him to do what he loves doing as a full time occupation – he must be doing something right!

Check out Tony's magical reel here.

Give your brand experience