Lovely and Ripe!

My Personal Trainer, Sav, is brilliant. His plan, designed just for me, is really changing my overall fitness, look and mind-set. Not only does he cover my training, but also my diet and fluid (Herbalife) intake as well.

I feel so very different.

One of his suggested meals is king prawns, including, among other things, avocado.

Avocados are delicious but recently sourcing been a real pain, since five out of the eight I have purchased, from my local farm shop, have been too bad to eat.

So I’ve stopping buying them.

My reason? Well, the first two (with a photo) were replaced, but the next one, although more expensive, was replaced with a cheaper one I had, and then, for the last two, all I received was a ‘sorry’.

My confidence in the avocados was gone.

A few days ago, a close friend of mine, asked if there was a vegetable shop nearby. Oddly, a few days earlier I had come across such a shop and asked if they would like a quick visit.

We arrived a little later and one of the things my friend needed was an avocado.

The owner of the shop explained possible problems with avocados at the moment but gave them one that he thought was ready to eat.

A few days later, I was told that it was wonderful.

I have now myself purchased six from this shop. With the first two, the owner said that he was a little worried about one of them, so he gave me a discounted price. He also said to let him know if it wasn’t so good and he would refund me.

As I say, I’ve now had six and they have all been wonderful.

This week it’s gone even further, as I did my weekly buy at this shop; my local farm shop has lost a complete order. Could they lose more?

What can you learn from this?

Well, put simply, every day you need to make sure that your customers are not being overlooked.

Something may cost you a few pounds, or you might just need to say something helpful, but either way it could save you losing a great deal of business.

So, have a look today, at how you respond to your customers’ problems. Trust me, we all have them. And then see how you are dealing with them.

Get it right and you could be making even more money than you do now.

A new light!

I love going around Dorking, Surrey, as it has so many things that I enjoy.

Walking to and from on the Surrey Hills is great, Dorking Hall is a great place to go for a concert, the Sports Centre is super and, of course, it’s always fun to see the Dorking Cockerel on the way in (if coming by road in the right direction).

But, what I like the best are the shops. There’s a brilliant model shop, a shop with fishing tackle, lots of antique shops (including Arms & Armour), plus I’ve eaten at a couple of restaurants that I think are excellent.

On my last visit I discovered another exquisite shop; it was full of lamps, plates and bowls. They looked beautiful, so I popped in to see more.

I heard the person running the shop say to the person that they were helping that everything came from Turkey.

When the customer had left I was asked if I could be helped, and I asked where from Turkey the items came. The answer was Istanbul, and in return I said that, ‘I loved Istanbul.’ And, from there, we had a long chat; covering why I had been to Istanbul, what I liked, and of course, about the shop and all of the products.

The business sounded amazing, opening in August 2019, with the online shop opening in June 2020; all of this, of course, during Covid.

There are two things that truly impressed me with Ali’s Emporium; one is that the lamps, textiles, ceramics, and paintings are directly from Turkey (Istanbul) and two, and most important, that the owner is a lovely person to talk to and they will help you choose the perfect thing for you. It’s not just sales.

In business, the right attitude can make a major difference to your success; I have left shops and businesses (without purchasing), when I’ve not been treated well. Business lost – then and for good.

So, something to think about, are you and all of your staff (and I do mean all), thinking about how best to help your customers? Your sales should increase attractively if they all are.

Certainly I will be back to Ali’s Emporium very soon.

Guitar Village

I was at Guitar Village, in Farnham, today looking at the Ukuleles; they are beautiful and my birthday is soon!

However, I’m finding it almost impossible to choose one, as I like so many; not just because of their sound but also their looks and the way they are made. Such lovely woods are used, such as mahogany, koa, maple, rosewood, cedar and spruce. Then there are the different makes and types: soprano, concert, tenor, etc. (plus they are all different sizes).

I asked Richard in the shop for help and he advised that, as a beginner, it would be best to decide on how much I would be willing to spend and then buy the one I liked the look and feel of best. He then added that after six months, if I’d become a keen player, that I can look again, as I’ll have a much better idea of what would work best for me.

His advice was perfect and is just the same in business. In business there are numerous things to do and often because of that nothing much gets done. So, think about it, what one thing could you do this week that would be good for your business? Then just ‘park’ everything else and do it. I’m pretty sure that you will see the difference it makes.

Richard also added something else, which I agree with, and in fact am doing. Having a ukulele and spending some time strumming is a great way to relax and get away from the pressure of your work. I’ve got to agree that it’s fun. So, if things are tough at the moment why not get a ukulele and try it?!

Guitar Village – let Richard know that I suggested you came to see him.

Farnham, Surrey, Business Networking – 19th August

9 Days to go!!

You may have read my blog, back in June 2020, about getting Kick Started. If not here it is – Kick Started.

It was about one of my sons writing his first Comic Book; it was all about The Hoards of Surrey. It’s a great story, has some brilliant art, and is about a very British treasure hunt! Well it was a success and now Part Two is being produced.

The Hoards of Surrey

Again it is with Kickstarter and well worth a look; Kickstarter could be just what you want for something you are working on.

But, back to my sons Comic Book, you can even pledge for Book One as well. And, get your own commissioned deal by the artist.

So, please do have a look and pass on the link, I would love to see Part Two in print, but there is only nine days left for his success. You can have a look here.

Thank you.