Georgina Lester - Business and Marketing Mentor

connectedweb

Georgina_Lester — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:01:43 +0000

Screenshot of a great part of an RSA video "RSA Animate - The Power of Networks" It is well worth watching to understand how our perceptions of our interconnectedness has changed.

youtu.be/nJmGrNdJ5Gw

connectedweb

Georgina_Lester — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:01:43 +0000

Georgina_Lester posted a photo:

The biggest danger to your business is competition & YOUR biggest competitor is ….

Georgina Lester's blog at Ecademy — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:43:32 +0000

.... anything that stops your clients from paying attention to you.

It does not need to be the guy down the street who does exactly what you do. In fact it is more likely to be something completely unrelated to you and what you offer. It can be anything from closing the biggest business deal ever to the football or the fact that the coffee machine has broken.

Listening to our clients and developing an understanding their interests, needs and desires is the first step in understanding what is likely to be influencing their lives and what you are up against when competing for your client's (or clients') attention.

We think that to get our clients' attention we should focus on all sorts of campaigns which invariably resort to highly competitive prices.

It is not.

It is about capturing your client's imagination by painting a picture in which their problems are magically solved.

It is about your specialist skills or niche products being the perfect solution for them just at the perfect moment when they need that solution.

It is also about them having the confidence that you understand them and the situation that they are in and what they are dealing with.

The only way to find out is by listening very carefully. Not just to their business activities and interests but to them as human beings as well.

Do you know what is taking your clients' attention away from you and what you are offering to them?

Killing Time!

Georgina Lester's blog at Ecademy — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:18:16 +0000

Why do we "kill time"?

Shouldn't we embrace it and relish every second?

Isn't every second a gift of life?

Should we not be celebrating time as being our opportunity to experience the vitality of life?

If you fear it, it will come! Are you paying attention to your fears?

Georgina Lester's blog at Ecademy — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:20:43 +0000

Beware the attention tumours, the cancerous growths that consume us from within fed by an easy access to influences which endorse the fact that our fears must be very real. Social media magnifies our fears to the extent that we can be forgiven for forgetting that we are peering into the microscope of humanity and lose sight of the room in which we reside.

One could argue that humanity itself is on the cusp of facing its deepest fears. The loss of power. The loss of love. The loss of soul even the loss of its very existence having been abandoned by its God as it stares obliteration in the face.

Why do I say that?

It may or may not have anything to do with ancient prophecies and that Mayan calendar runs out in 2012, there are many who are facing a very real need to address the things they fear before it puts out their light. Economic struggles across the globe starve us of hope that we can ever feel and taste abundance and affluence again. Massive natural disasters rear up before us as unstoppable monsters that have a power to wipe out whole clusters of cities and communities in one blow - its force greater that the whole of humanity itself. As innocent bystanders all we can do is sit and watch in horror at the atrocities as they unfold before us filling us with a sense that Armageddon will surely happen.

If you fear it, it will come. Beware. It will consume you.

If you fear illness, famine, and poverty - you will see cancer, emaciation and squalor.
If you fear death, violence and violations against humanity. You will see it.
If you fear being obliterated by a tidal wave of despair and disaster then that is what will fill your heart and soul.
If you fear being abandoned by God himself then you will surely find the proof that that will happen.

Social media gives us a view on the world which is intensely focused. It is deep, down and dirty. It is right up close and personal. No longer do we see a bird's eye view as the TV helicopter swoops in for the killer story. Instead we experience the sordid tragedy of it all looking directly through the eyes of people just like you and me.

Vicarious has become a new reality.

My fears? My fear is that you will not see the fears for what they really are and that you will be so consumed by them that you become too terrified to shine your light and be all that you can be. Perhaps I fear that for myself too.

However, there comes a time in our lives when we need to face our fears and look them squarely in the eyes and get to know them for what they really are. Perhaps they are real. Perhaps they are not. To me the only way to free ourselves is to befriend our fears, understand them and learn to love them. Perhaps we can even turn them into excitement and embrace the thrill of the ride experiencing success against all odds.

What do you think? Can you do that?

What do you need to get out of being on Ecademy in 2012?

Georgina Lester's blog at Ecademy — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:58:03 +0000

The wind is whipping around the house and the rain is definitely lashing down in torrents. Suffice to say that I am not able to do anything in the garden, so I have been more inclined to sit and ponder on the really important things in life instead.

A part of my time-out from Ecademy has been about focusing on a single project that I've been wanting to do for quite some time. It is also about re-evaluating what I am doing, where I am going and why I am where I am.

Paying attention to where we are in life, I feel is vital to ensure that we do not get into worn out habits which do not serve us well. It is something that I am incorporating in the project that I am working on now - ponderances on remaining true to our own goals and ideals especially when we step into the wide open world of social media and online interactions.

For me, being on Ecademy has been an incredibly important part of my growth and learning in recent years. However, I have to truthfully ask myself, has it become a worn out habit that does not serve me any more? What was right for me yesterday may not be right for me today.

So rather than wage war on the elements beating up my house and garden, I chose to take good look at why I am on Ecademy and what I hope to achieve from being here. After some time doing a bit of free-flow thinking and mind-mapping I discovered a few things about my intentions for being here. Focusing my attention on the value and pay-offs has been quite enlightening - to me anyway.

Before I share my findings with you, I am curious as to what YOU need and want to get out of being a part of this network.

Are your needs purely social or something much more commercial? In other words are you here for friendships or more money?

Or is it a combination of more than one ingredient?

More importantly are you getting the results that you need and want?

Just in case anyone has noticed – I’ve been taking some time out to .

Georgina Lester's blog at Ecademy — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:19:50 +0000

.. work on a project.

It's not working for clients.

It's not working on anyone else's business (yet!)

It's my own project and it feels utterly delicious being able to focus on what I want to do.

I will be sharing more as the journey progresses but in the meantime I just want you to know that I have not abandoned ship, nor have I forgotten you. I miss being here. Miss going to the events but I will be back engaging, interacting and getting involved in all the debates and discussions again very soon.

I am an investor always on the look out for great business investments!

Georgina Lester's blog at Ecademy — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:06:03 +0000

Before you get excited thinking that I have lots of money to dole out to hungry businesses - I haven't got a bean to share here. (Whoooosh! There goes the stampede of eager readers leaving the room in a huff! I hope they leave their comments first though!)

This blog is about the value of consultants and mentors.

We have seen many times on programmes like Dragons' Den that investors can make a business soar to incredible heights of success making all involved wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. This is especially true as the Dragons bring specialist expertise that is often a perfect match for the type of business proposal offered.

Dragons require a substantial share of the business which is not surprising considering that they are handing over large wads of cash. They are trusting that their judgement has been astute enough to spot a winner and the person in whom they are investing is actually going to deliver the goods - many times over.

We have frequently seen offers declined because people are unwilling to let go of a percentage of their business. Madness we cry. 50% of something substantial is worth so much more than 100% of nothing. Why oh why can they not see that especially when we can appreciate just how amazingly valuable the investors' expertise would be for their business?

As a consultant or mentor sharing my expertise with my clients, I do not require a share-holding (although if you offer, I might consider it). I do expect of course, to be compensated sufficiently for what I bring to the equation just as importantly I do also expect your engagement too. If am to invest my time and effort into your business, I would anticipate that you would too.

As a consultant working on other people's businesses, we are investing valuable time and energy in you. Any of the good consultants could work with a whole plethora of businesses but the time available to us only allows us to work with a few. We often have to make a choice.

This decision is often not about the financial rewards. It is more likely to be about which project we feel that we can add the most value and which will appreciate what we offer. There is also the matter of which would be the most fun and rewarding to work with too.

Please note that this blog although serious in topic and intent is slightly tongue in cheek. I am not so imperious to suggest that businesses have to grovel to get my attention. If anything I am too much of a tart in that I am willing to work with (almost) anyone. My interest lies in our perceptions of consultants who add value to our businesses. Even so ... I am still curious about you and your business.

What makes your business stand out from the crowd? Why should I invest in you?

What is your message?

Georgina Lester's blog at Ecademy — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:58:19 +0000

..... and why is it important to you?

Is your message something for the world? Something to have inscribed on your tombstone?

Or are you more concerned with value propositions, elevator pitches and sales spiels?

Fakes, clones & doppelgangers. My Facebook impersonator, friends & me

Georgina Lester's blog at Ecademy — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 20:58:00 +0000

What is the difference between these two people?

They are both called Georgina Lester. One is fake. One is real.

This reminds me of the scene in the Labyrinth in which Sarah arrives at two doors. One always tell lies, the other always tells the truth. One will take her to the castle at the end of the labyrinth which means that she can rescue her baby brother whilst the other leads to certain death. Question is how can she find out which is which?

Every day, without even realising it, we are being faced with this choice. How much do we take familiarity of a picture totally for granted? How certain can we be that what we see is actually what we think we see?

It is a conundrum and particularly crucial when considering our online identity especially if you want to keep your credibility and reputation intact. This particular impersonator contacted Jo Berry promising her that she was going to receive a large sum of money. Fortunately Jo knows me well enough to realise immediately that something was not right and called me immediately. What would have happened though if this person had got in touch with someone who doesn't know me quite so well? What if they have done already?

I have of course reported this through the usual channels. I have also posted a warning in a few key places so that people are aware. I am lucky in that everyone has been amazingly supportive and I am getting a steady flow of messages from people reporting back to say that they have taken action.

So what would you feel if this happened to you? What would you do?

What do you look out for when you check to make sure that someone is really who they say they are? Do you check?