You don’t have the time or the resources to evaluate every applicant who strolls in. to guide your work, you should develop a profile of your “ideal” candidate. You may never find your ideal, but you will establish a basic framework that outlines the person you are looking for.

Developing an ideal candidate profile is similar to viewing a lineup of suspects after you’ve witnessed a bank robbery. The individual you pick out may not be the actual bank robber, but chances are the real criminal is strongly similar. Often, a lineup helps police establish the silhouette or basic framework of the person being sought. The police is clear even if the details are not. Likewise, your ideal candidate profile will give you a sharper idea of what you are really looking for, so that you can increase your odds of finding him or her.

Use the following outline to develop of profile of your ideal candidate:

1. Must have, or have done, or be able to do:
   • Experience: type and years
   • Industry: type, or specific companies, and years
   • Skills or talents
   • Education

1. Should have, or have done, or be able to do:
   • Experience: type and years
   • Industry: type, or specific companies, and years
   • Education

1. Would be nice to have, or have done, or be able to do:
   • Experience: type and years
   • Industry: type, or specific companies, and years
   • Skills or talents
   • Education

Be specific when you draft your outline. If you want someone with strong follow-up skills, say so. If you want an assertive person who can handle high stress, say so. To create a good match between job and candidate, you need to define the person as closely as you define the job.

Keep your company culture in mind, too. If your company is team-oriented and flexible, you want a candidate who is comfortable with teamwork—and not everyone is. If your department is highly structured, you want someone who works well in a structured situation. Describe the qualities that your company values so that you can find compatible candidates.

Just remember that defining the candidate is a lot like shopping for groceries: the more you toss into your shopping cart, the more you’ll pay. The cost of filling a job is influenced by two factors: how long it takes to find the candidate, and the supply of qualified candidates. The greater the number of must have items on your list, the longer it’s going to take to find that person. The greater the experience, skills, or education requirements, the smaller the supply of candidates and the larger the compensation package required to hire the person.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, and my Lectures.

Have you ever had service so bad that you made a decision right there and then NEVER to spend money in that  place ever again, and yet, when you look back at the issue,the actual cost of your complaint could have been rectified for just a few dollars??  Bottom line is that so many businesses get caught up in the cost of the “moment” they don’t calculate the cost that customers business might be over a  lifetime of service. One of the most important lessons you can learn in business is that existing customers are the most valuable asset of any business. This little fact is lost on most business owners and managers. Their brand, their reputation, their people, their products or services, and their cash flow are always mentioned, but never a mention of their customers!

So, understanding the “lifetime” value of a customer is incredibly valuable to the business.

What is the lifetime value?

The lifetime value of a customer is the amount they will contribute to the bottom line over the span of your business relationship with them. Hpwever, before you can calculate that you really need to consider the :following:

1. What’s the value of an average sale?

For this exercise, simply divide your total sales revenue by the number of sales over a given time period. Lets say the average sale is $100

2. What’s you % profit margin?

Lets assume a 20% profit margin. It’s important, however, for you to calculate the real number for your business. What’s the % of gross sales you bring to your bottom line.

3. How often do your customers buy from you?

Divide the total number of sales by the total number of customers for a given time period. Lets assume 3 times per year for the purpose of the exercise.

4. What’s Your Typical Customer’s Lifespan?

How long will a customer continue to do business with you. Clearly this will depend on your geo and demographics, however the trade associations studies have sown the average to be around 7 years.

5. How many referrals will they give you in a year?

When customers are happy, they tend to refer more often. More referrals dramatically reduce client acquisition costs. Its reasonable to expect at least 5 referrals annually from existing customers.

6. How good are you at closing referred sales?

Its reasonable to assume that since these are being referred by clients that you should be able to close 50%.

Armed with all this information, you can now calculate the typical customers lifetime value.

Using the above numbers, the customer contributes a gross lifetime revenue of $2100 (7 years x $300 (3 buys per year x $100))

IN addition, the customer generates another 2.5 customers per year ( 5 referrals x .50 closing rate) resulting in $5250 more gross revenue.

Therefore the average customer is responsible for generating $2100 + $5250 = $7350 per year. Accounting for a 20% profit margin, each customer adds $1470 to the bottom line.

If the customer remains satisfied they may actually refer another 5 referrals per year for another 6 years!! WOW!  That’s 30 referrals x .5 = 15 new clients!

In our example you would need 21 NEW customers to generate $2100 in revenue, so the question is, how much is it worth to you to keep and enhance the relationship you have with your current set of customers??

Try the example above but put in your own numbers and then calculate a 10% increase in the average sales value, 5% in the profit margin, the number of referrals from 5 to 8 and increase the number of sales per year per customer and the lifespan of a customer!  A modest change in all these areas will dramatically increase your overall business..try and let me know how you get on!

James Lawson

Business Coach and President

The Capital Coaching Group Inc

The Shang Hi Chinese buffet has  a roomy, modern interior, a very relaxed atmosphere and very friendly owners – and a fully stocked bar!   It’s £6.50 per person from 11.45am until 5pm, and in the evenings it’s £9 (£10.50 Friday and Saturday).  After 5pm your meal will start with a plate of 3 mixed satay appetisers (times by the number of diners at your table), followed by crispy duck pancakes, brought to your table and shredded before you.  The buffet also has a choice of two soups and a variety of spring rolls which make a lovely starter before you attack the main buffet!

The buffet has a good selection, though it’s not the largest compared to other Chinese buffets in the area, but the quality makes up for the quantity.  There is a good range of vegetarian dishes and spring rolls, and all the take-away favourites are there; sweet and sour, beef and black bean sauce, special fried rice, plus some you may not have tried before.  The kitchen is just behind the buffet, so you can keep your eye open for when the fresh food comes out! Crucially, for allergy sufferers, the food is labelled, but there are no allergy warnings relating to the ingredients used.

The desserts are probably one of the best things about Shang Hi.  There is a freezer full of ice cream and a whippy machine to help yourself to, as well as some amazing home-made cakes and traditional Chinese desserts.

Overall, the Shang Hi has something many buffets don’t – it doesn’t feel like you’re back at the school canteen.  The meal is very good value, particularly if you’re a big eater and the welcome and the service are warm and friendly.  They also provide a take-away service, where you fill your bowl with whatever you fancy, and you can take a soup away for no extra cost.

61 Whitworth Street

Manchester

M1 3NY

(0161) 228 7868

Timbaland Speaks Shock Value 2

Yes I was at the new painting exhibition opening by Damien Hirst. It was oh so exciting!!

and I got some snaps of some local celebs looking at the work too.

Wow they’re very VERY blurry photos, must have been well drunk. At the opening he also had a representation of his old work pharmacy:

There is a story of a consultant brought into a billion dollar atomic power plant to solve a technical problem that was reducing the efficiency of the entire operation. The plant’s engineers had been unsuccessful in identifying the source of the problem, let alone finding a solution. After two days of diligently studying the hundreds of dials and gauges in the control room, the consultant climbed a ladder and marked a large black ‘X’ on one of the gauges. Sure enough, when this apparatus had been replaced, the plant returned to full capacity. A few days later, the plant supervisor received an invoice from the consultant for $10,000. When he questioned the size of the bill, pointing out that it seemed excessive based on the work performed – in his words, “standing around for a couple of days and then marking a black ‘X’ on a gauge” – the consultant broke his invoice down this way:

For placing ‘X’ on gauge: $ 1.00

For knowing which gauge: $ 9.999.00

Total: $10,000.00

This principle applies in everyday life as well. The ‘X’ in your life represents where to focus your attention, your time and your energy. This ‘X’ is your Focal Point – the one thing you can do, at any given moment, to get the very best result in a specific area of your life. With regards to your Health and Fitness, for example, your Focal Point ‘X’ might be your weight, or your pulse rate, or your blood pressure, or the size of your waist and so on. In your Family and Relationships, it might be the amount of quality face-to-face time you spend each week with the most important people in your life. When examining your Money and Investments, a valuable Focal Point ‘X’ is your burn rate – i.e. how much money you require each month to meet all of your expenses.

For service providers, an extraordinarily valuable Focal Point ‘X’ in this area of your life is your “hourly rate.” We find that, even among the very highest earners – those earning in excess of $1 million per year – this concept, once embraced and applied, proves to be crucial in their quest to move up to the next level.

Simply stated, your hourly rate is your annual income divided by 2,000. If you are currently earning $100,000 per year, for example, your hourly rate is $50 per hour. Why is this simple concept so important? It is the key to ensuring the proper allocation of your time and energy. A simple way to assess the efficacy of your performing any task is to ask this fundamental question: “Would I pay someone $50 per hour (or whatever your hourly rate is) to do this task?” If the answer is no, then it is not the highest and best use of your time. You should either eliminate the task or delegate it to a qualified person earning the appropriate hourly rate.

By the same token, if your goal were to earn, say, $200,000 per year, you should not spend time or energy on tasks that are worth less than $100 per hour. So, what is your current hourly rate? What is your 12-month goal? Do you spend any time in your daily work on tasks for which you would not pay someone your desired hourly rate? If not, congratulations! You are well on your way to achieving your goal. If so, which tasks will you eliminate? Which tasks will you delegate? To whom? Such choices will prove to be key determinants of the probability of your reaching your goal.

If you would like more motivational bits of advice like this one, please email info@WinningWay.com.au . Our aim to for you to grow your business quicker and gain more useful information bi-monthly through this newsletter. The purpose of our newsletter is to help focus your attention on those areas of your life upon which we will work during our time together. This act of observing – focusing upon – these critical life elements ensures maximum return on your investment of time and energy.

Have a wonderful and productive December!

La Tasca is an inviting and warm Tapas bar on Deansgate in the centre of Manchester. It was founded 12 years ago and is a wonderful mix of everything that is good about Spain. Many of the staff are from Spain, which adds to the authentic feel. The décor only goes to further the feeling that you are sat on a busy boulevard in Spain.

The menu features all the Spanish favourites you would expect including paella, 30 different types of tapas and plenty of Spanish Riojas. The main dining area is a long high ceilinged room reminiscent of a Spanish bodega with Spanish artefacts covering the walls. Outside you can dine al fresco as long as our unpredictable British weather holds up.

As well as food and drink, La Tasca puts on salsa nights every Friday and Saturday till 2am in the large downstairs function room which also caters for parties and special events (with a special party menu). Visit the La Tasca website to find out more about other La Tasca restaurants. Hasta la vista!

76 Deansgate

Manchester

M3 2FW

Tel: 0161 834 8234

Fax: 0161 834 8233

Tell them you saw them on “Modern Eatery”

I do not believe that Jim Tressel, the Ohio State (OSU) football coach, hates Michigan.  Even though he wants to beat Michigan every year.  My sense of it is that Coach Tressel uses the OSU / Michigan rivalry in a way that improves what his team does and how their season progresses.  Tressel does not disparage or disrespect Michigan in any way.  He shows the rivalry and competition respect.  He focuses on what his team needs to do to win. 

Is it so much different in business?  Healthy competition in the market is good for consumers and drives the competitors to differentiate on service, quality, speed or price (qsp).   Wal-Mart and Target compete in a differentiated oligopoly.  Both want to win every holiday shopper on Black Friday.  Consumers in the US can be thankful  for the healthy competition that exists between these retailers.  Especially because we do not see or hear negative advertising from Wal-mart or Target.

Archadeck of Charlotte introduced a new division, Value Remodelers and Handyman services this fall. It is very competitively priced high quality handyman service that has been introduced only through word of mouth to existing Archadeck customers. The reception has been unbelievable! The customers already have had a great experience with high quality products and services and the handyman services division gives them solutions to everday needs. Value Remodelers (www.valueremodelers.com) is a operating division of Archadeck of Charlotte(www.archadeckofcharlotte.com), which has been in business in Charlotte since 1988. What a safe way to hire a contractor!

Can there be hope that man will find his way when he is confounded by boundless bureaucracies set up by half-men to stifle his betters? Can man cast off his ignorance and insatiable need for conformity so that he might become something better then he thinks he can be? Can man come to see that what he is now is not the pinnacle of his progression?

The answer is clear, NO!
Or at least not as a whole.

It is obvious that man is stratified and that the majority seeks ease above all else and thus they are incapable of forcing man forward. There is a very sparse minority who are capable and their numbers are dwindling and before they perish from the earth they must make an attempt for survival and then force a move beyond.

When man can finally embrace the idea that the incapable must be allowed to fall and that the capable must be encouraged to ascend we will know man has broken free from the waning plateau he has inhabited for so long. We will know man has evolved beyond tolerance of the void.

1. Knowledgeable and available staff : While a customer is making the buying decision, they want knowledgeable assistance, available when they want it . Customers place a high value on accurate information and want to be served by employees who know the product inside and out.

2. Friendly people: Customers not only want product-savvy sales people, they want them to be friendly and courteous. Your staff should value each customer more than any individual sale.

3. Good value: This is where price factors in. But customers surveyed see price as only one component of the bigger picture of “value” that includes the service, information and follow-up they also receive.

4. Convenience: The service rule here is simple: make it easy! Says Gross, “Customers want merchandise that is well organized, attractively displayed and easy to find. That’s how today’s customers define convenience, and the easier you can make the shopping, the more money you will be lugging to the bank.”

5. A fast finish: This final item is where too many businesses fall flat, right at the finish line. While customers are in the process of deciding to buy or not, they are proceeding on your time. They want thoughtful help making the right decisions. But once the buying decision is made, get out of their way because now you are working on their time, and they want to complete the transaction and be on their way as quickly as possible. At the cash register, there is no time for making additional suggestions.

So, I have my first five articles written and actually submitted.  Wow was that an interesting exercise in irritation.  Now I cheated.  A friend of ours who actually knows what he is doing on the internet, looked at the articles, spoofed them up and gave us essentially a cheat sheet to use when submitting them.  He also gave us the 5 top places he wanted us to submit them along with 1 other place that he considers a great investment site that is an up and comer.  So now that I am done I feel exhausted and a little annoyed.

The submission process was arduous enough, but after I called him to tell him how it all went and I got another lecture on how I really need to monetize the site.  Okay, first of all monetize is not a word I am familiar with and quite honestly it sounds like I am giving my site and STD.  Secondly, I remember being 17, learning everything I could, screwing up a lot, and hoping not to get fired.  If I would have known how to turn on the internet at that time I would have surfed every site I could to learn just a little bit more.  I would not have the money to pay for that knowledge.  Would that have discouraged me?  Would I have not turned into the body guy I am not if I couldn’t afford to learn?

Besides I still look around the internet to see what other guys are doing.  Sometime it’s revolting, pure hack.  Sometimes I learn a tip or shortcut.  Sometimes I just read a funny story about what body work use to be like.  The chicken wire stories are always the most interesting.  Not that you would want to follow them.  So what if I don’t want to pay for that does that make me any less worthy?  I finally relented into putting banners on my site.  I figure, if you can afford it and you want to buy it so be it but I really think that the information should be free.  I understand putting the information in a convince package and charging for that but the information should be free if they just want to log on and learn a bit.

Moral:  Well I’m not really sure… Maybe that everything shouldn’t be about money!

Seth Godin explains that its all about quality relationships rather than quantity.

The last week has been a bit rough, lots of trying situations and a few disappointments left me feeling a little flat. I find it remarkable that in the midst of hard times is when I most often hear God speak. I’m thankful that He cares enough to encourage me when I’m feeling flat and struggling through the days.

Through a combination of sources God has been encouraging me to reconnect with Him on a regular and deeper basis. I was reminded of Jesus’ example of taking time out to be alone with God and if Jesus needed to do it then how much more do I!

I was also reminded about what it really means to surrender to God. Credit goes to Ron Edmondson for his timely post today from which I’ve borrowed the following:

Surrender is less about a formula and more about knowing the person of Christ.

Surrender is less about an action plan and more about devoting one’s self to Jesus.

Surrender is less about finding answers and more about obedience to His plan as He reveals it.

Surrender is less about solving a specific problem and more about creating a lifestyle of following Christ.

So be encouraged, God does care and does love you more than you can ever imagine. Thanks God for reminding me today!

What has God reminded you of lately? Please encourage us and share it below!

The problem with the reputation of public relations as a service is the perception given out by the public relations industry.

Ask anyone outside the profession how they would describe public relations and almost everyone would say public relations is full of blondes drinking champagne.

Although we are in the communications game we are terrible at communicating clearly what public relations is and how public relations can add real value.

So why can’t we communicate the true value of public relations, not to mention exactly what PR is and how it adds value? One reason I suspect is because people working within PR don’t actually state clearly what the PR service is about.

This can be easily proven because a lot of people when asked what PR actually does – other than drink and spend a lot of money – would say PR is a press release service.

Unfortunately, some people actually working within the industry would also give this response.

True PR professionals and their clients would completely disagree with this, but then when I use the term ‘true PR professionals’ what I mean is the practitioner who delivers the full mix of services, including brand creation and protection, crisis avoidance and management services – in other words, delivers public relations.

During my career in public relations I have met a lot of account managers and account directors whose only imaginative PR thought is: we will send information to the press.

What about including other communication methods to deliver the message? Yes, I agree media relations is an important tool in the public relations mix and, yes supplying information to the media helps communicate positive messaging, but unless we as an industry start communicating what PR is and how it can add value then the general consensus about what PR is will remain the same.

Of course to achieve this involves everyone, from university lecturers, account managers and account directors, to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, to deliver a cohesive and focused message that the art and science of public relations is about creating clear understanding and awareness, not just a fancy name for a press release distribution service.

I understand that some may see my view as completely wrong, but every time I speak to a potential client most of them reflect negative views based on previous experiences with other agencies.

It’s only when I actually listen to their requirements, offer achievable solutions and then explain what PR is and how PR can support their business that they understand that their experience was not public relations – good PR, but bad service delivered by ineffective solutions presented by inexperienced people calling themselves practitioners.

Public relations is a fantastic and important tool within any organisation’s armoury, but until we as an industry start communicating its true value then we will continue receiving our own bad press.

Stage Three comprises of the moving away from disney to work on characterising the artworks themselves. As an obvious choice due to the success of the artist’s work commercially, I have chosen Damien Hirst. Also I’d been working with him before and he is relevant right now due to everyone hating his new paintings.

New characters:

These then culminate in a scene with damien hirst and his new paintings:

So I don’t really know how to talk about this work that well, but basically it portrays these characters who we feel sorry for due to Hirst’s disregard for them and also the fact that they have personality compared to the new works. I do however feel sorry for the new works as they’ve been given such a slating, I think they’re quite good myself, and its nice to see achange from Hirst. I also believe that the works are hated so much becuase they’re something we’re not used to, traditional painting. This is so very different from what is around right now. And I believe it is so in a good way. It looks back to Bacon and artists of that era or before with a nostalgic mindset.

This piece of art reflects his throwing aside of his other works. It might be interesting to create characters of the new works instead as they will become heroes to the next generation as supposed to his earlier works being my artistic heroes.

Stage Two comprises in the destruction of my wall drawings, enabling them to never be marketed as the measurements can no longer be made, and the hanging of a collector’s item over them.

These progress the destruction and also the beauty in destruction. The dots move from their spot on the wall to one on the cleaning of the silkscreen. I find it incredibly beautiful. The new triptych is hung over where the destruction took place, an ode to the obvious interest in the new and discarding of the old.