A British Entrepreneur in America

FAB

Apart from it’s use as an “affirmative” in the cult sixties puppet show ‘Thunderbirds’, the acronym FAB stands for “Features’, ‘Advantages’ and ‘Benefits’ in the world of sales jargon.  “Features tell and benefits sell”, you will hear drilled into you by many a sales trainer and they are right of course.

Taking a product or service, there are the features of the offering, the advantages over the competition and the benefits to the buyer/user.  Sounds simple and it is if you can steer yourself away from the textbook delivery mechanisms that sales trainers and courses teach daily.  Remember, we have to be natural in the whole process.

Now there are many salespeople who quote – “I only ever sell benefits”, but what exactly does that mean?  Let’s take the good old Staffing Industry and we are selling person A to Company B.

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Classics

I like to start the day with a laugh and this morning, I came across some very funny one liners from the late, great British comedian, Tommy Cooper.  I used to watch him as a kid and just remember that I never stopped laughing.  My late Stepfather once used to be a bodyguard in the Royal protection squad and after he finished with Royalty, he looked after a few celebrities including Mr Cooper.  He used to tell me that it was impossible to even think of guarding him as he was always telling jokes and was never serious!  Sadly Tommy died on stage after suffering a heart attack I think, but at least he went doing what he loved best.  Here are a few of his classics:

A man came round in hospital after a serious accident. He shouted “Doctor, doctor, I cant feel my legs!”  The doctor replied, “I know you cant, I had to amputate your arms.”

My friend drowned in a bowl of muesli, he was pulled in by a strong currant

A dyslexic man walks into a bra

I was reading this book the other day – The History of Glue. I couldn’t put it down

I went to the dentist the other day and he said “Open your mouth and say aah”, “Why”, I said, “My dog’s died”, he replied

I was driving home the other night after a night out at the bar and a policeman pulled me over “Can you blow into this bag”  he asked “What for”, came my reply. “My french fries are too hot”

Classics.

Anyway I have a very busy day starting with some busniess consulting, then some sales training and then beer!!!

~Neil

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Classic UK TV

 

I have been watching some classic British comedy on You Tube and back in the late sixties and early seventies was a show called On the Buses, not surprisingly about a bus company and in particular, a driver called Stan, conductor, Jack (who collects the fares) and a long suffering, miserable Hitler lookalike, called Inspector Blake or 'Blakey', Dracula or Frankenstein!  It ran on Sunday evenings, I think and was centered around the bus depot and the home of Stan, who lived with his Mother, Sister and Brother in law.

I find myself laughing every time I see it and it is like Fawlty Towers, the more you watch it, the more you laugh.

In the one episode I was watching, Stan turns to Jack and says in the finest Cockney accent that 'Blakey' has finally come out with a sensible comment.

"Blimey, they must have got his head working", says Jack and Stan replies "I did see them tighten the bolts last night". Classic!

I like the finer things in life – food, wine, clothes and haircuts! Now even though I have short hair, I am very particular as to who cuts it.  My latest hairdressing master – Mansour Aalam, is the new master of the crop, producing a graduation taper (no 'block' lines for me), finely blended with a textured top, if I might say so myself.  What is excellent about theses guys is that despite being in business for a short time, they have been shortlisted for a major award – good luck to you all and I am sure that you will do well.

I am also working with these guys – Mansour and Nasar Aalam and Johnny Walker (what a name), helping them with their marketing and some plain, ordinary business advice about the exciting and challenging world of business as experienced in business by Yours Truly.  The salon is called Aalam and I would advise anyone to give them a try.

Have to now have to attend a meeting for my staffing business Dataworkforce and then to a meeting with a golf buggy!

~Neil 

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