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The theme of this issue is journeys, and we explore ways that your business and your personal life can take you on different journeys to personal fulfillment.
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RENAISSANCE MAGAZINE
APRIL 2009
DREAM, BELIEVE, CREATE
StrategyHow Relevant Are You Really to Your Clients?
How ToRiding the Recession10-Step Plan
Favourite ThingsLifestyle, Design & Luxuryl
Success MindsetIgnite your Dreams
Corporate InsightsMarketing in a Professional Services Firm
SpotlightBe Seduced by Egypt
Mercedes Benz5 Brand Lessons from a Global Company
2 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
Hello!
Welcome to our second issue of BOSS-
MENTOR® Renaissance Magazine™!
Thank you all for the incredibly posi-
tive feedback we received for the first
issue!
The photo on the front cover is one
from my recent holiday and is the door
to a tomb at Abu Simbel.
A recurring symbol on many hiero-
glyphics and cartouches (a cartouche
is like a personal brand for a king or
queen) is the symbol for life – the
‘Ankh’.
At Ramesses temple in Abu Simbel I
caught sight of a magnificent, beauti-
fully shiny gold key, in the shape of this
symbol. The key weighed a tonne and
I didn’t fancy my chances of bringing
it home… unfortunately… I think the
two images of the incredibly high, very
heavy wooden door opening up to lead
us into new sights and experiences,
and the symbol of life, are good images
to hold as we move forward on our
journeys.
In this issue, we have other journeys to
share with you: my journey into being
seduced by Egypt (page 22), the not al-
ways smooth journey that the Mercedes
Benz brand has taken over the last 150
years (page20), the journeys that our
dreams can take us on (Rebecca Ryan’s
article page 6), and the journey that
a relatively new professional services
firm has taken in its journey to become
global (page 16).
We have two book reviews for you, and
also a wonderful section on ‘Favourite
Things’ that will take you on a different
kind of journey (maybe shopping??)
The theme of this issue is journeys, and
we explore ways that your business and
your personal life can take you on dif-
ferent journeys to personal fulfillment.
Enjoy!
Jenny Stilwell
‘Character consists of what you do
on the third and fourth tries.’
James Michener,
American Writer.
Jenny Stilwell
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 3
Table of contents Success Mindset 4 Meditation - The Competitive Advantage 6 Ignite Your Dreams 7 The List of 100 Dreams
How To 9 Riding the Recession Survive & Thrive With This 10-Step Plan
Strategy 15 How Relevant Are You Really To Your Clients?
Corporate Insights 17 Trish Finnemore - Marketing & NBD In A Global Firm
20 Best Info
Leadership & Legacy 21 Mercedes Benz: 5 Brand Lessons from a Global Company
Favourite Things 23 Snippets of info on Lifestyle, Design & Luxury Resorts
Spotlight 25 Be Seduced by Egypt...
Business Growth, Mentoring & Coaching 31 Programs Other Resources And Products
32 About BOSSMENTOR®
4 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
Stress is what galvanises the body to get
away from the ‘tiger’ (real or imag-
ined)... ensuring we get the food rather
than become the food! Adrenaline and
hormones speed the metabolism, the
heart beats faster and our breath rate
rapidly increases, the digestive and
immune systems stop functioning, and
our natural pain-killers (cortisone and
endorphins) flood our system – this is
the fight-flight response, the survival
mechanism inherited from our caveman
ancestors. In times long past, once the
danger had disappeared, our bodies
would naturally trigger the resetting of
our internal systems bringing us back
to balance and releasing the stress.
Today however our fight-flight mecha-
nism is continually being triggered, and
rarely reset back to balance. Most peo-
ple walk around with permanent low-
grade stress, wilfully ignoring symp-
toms and continuing to subconsciously
measure self-worth and success in speed
Sarah Fletcher teaches simple and practical meditation, and believes meditation is an important life skill. She also writes a meditation blog at www.quietmindmeditation.blogspot.com.
and productivity i.e. busyness. What
then happens is that the stress simply
goes to work inside the body... silently
causing ill health and imbalance.
Medical research estimates as much as
80-85% of illness and disease is stress
related.
Meditation is now being taken up in
growing numbers as people seek to
improve their health and maximise their
performance. Anyone serious about
achieving their career and life goals
needs to ensure that they continue to
remain competitive, and for many, medi-
tation is their ‘secret weapon’ because
meditation practice not only helps get
rid of the unwanted symptoms of stress;
it also deeply rests the mind, clears out
the clutter and provides the clarity to
discern what’s important and what’s
not.
Dr. Richard Davidson of the University
of Wisconsin at Madison found that ‘the
brain functioning of serious medita-
tors is “profoundly different” from
that of non-meditators – in ways that
suggest an elevated capacity to concen-
trate, sharpened focus and improved
memory”. He calls meditation a “kind of
mental training.”
MeditationThe Competitive Advantage
“Attention is the key to learning, and
meditation helps you voluntarily
regulate it” says Dr. Davidson.
Suddenly our thinking sharpens, our
concentration and focus improve, we
become more efficient and decisive,
priorities become clearer and plans
to achieve our life’s vision magically
appear!
Meditation gives us an immediately
accessible, constantly renewable and
amazingly powerful competitive
advantage!
Anyone experiencing ongoing and unre-
solved stress will find it increasingly
difficult to make good decisions; what
tends to happen is that we fall into a
pattern of tunnel vision and reliance on
habitual reactions (reactions that may
be dead wrong in our rapidly changing
world). Reduced flexibility, inability to
listen and retain pertinent information,
disengagement, uncertainty and short
term focus are hardly going to provide
us with robust and creative solutions.
Alternatively, staying cool under pres-
sure, diffusing tension and stress as
it accumulates through the day and
unfolding the mind regularly - enables
By Sarah Fletcher
Success Mindset
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 5
us to step back from the edge, see the
bigger picture, tap into intuitive abili-
ties and bring forth creative solution.
Learning to relax consciously, and do it
quickly in any situation, is the first step
in meditation.
In recent years technology and science
have been better able to measure and
observe the many benefits of medita-
tion. Studies using modern MRI tech-
nology researching the brains of long-
time meditators, showed that meditation
affects the structure and functioning of
the brain, and found a thickening of the
cortex in areas involved with attention
and sensory processing – areas that usu-
ally shrink as we get older.
Dr. Herbert Benson, President of the
Mind Body Medical Institute and As-
sociate Professor of Medicine at Harvard
Medical School, is the man behind 30+
years of ongoing research of what he
calls the ‘Relaxation Response’. Dr.
Benson has shown that practicing medi-
tators (eliciting the relaxation response)
have significant cumulative benefits
in managing stress. To quote Benson,
‘repeated activation of the relaxation
response can reverse sustained problems
in the body and mend the internal wear
and tear brought on by stress’.
Mental Pause
Holding on for that one big annual holi-
day is not the ideal way of dealing with
ongoing stress, and we can’t just store
it on another memory stick. The best
approach to managing stress is a proac-
tive and ongoing one. For those who
cry they ‘cant afford the time’ – a bonus
from recent studies has been the finding
that with relaxation and meditation
practices a little apparently goes a long
way. One recent study showed that
after just two weeks of daily 30-minute
sessions – individuals new to meditation
showed measurable brain and behaviour
differences.
As well as increasing productivity by
preventing stress related health issues;
meditation also seems to help regulate
emotions, which helps people communi-
cate and work together better. “One of
the most important domains meditation
acts upon is emotional intelligence – a
set of skills far more consequential for
life success than cognitive intelligence”
says Dr. Davidson.
One breath at a time
Incorporating multiple short ‘spot’
meditations throughout the day is the
ideal starting point for managing stress.
Spot meditations allow us to experience
some dramatic and immediate results,
as well as the ability to recognise our
individual hallmarks of stress, and how
to trigger the relaxation response when-
ever needed.
This is meditation in the heat of the
moment!
And you can start now.
Simple 4-7-8 breath technique
This exercise is extremely simple, takes
almost no time, no change of lifestyle or
equipment needed... this exercise can be
done in a queue, on the bus or even in
a meeting. Practice the technique a few
times a day whenever you need to wash
off some stress.
Place the tip of your tongue against •
the ridge of tissue just behind your
upper front teeth (and keep it there
throughout the exercise)
Exhale completely through your •
mouth – making an audible whoosh
sound
Close your mouth and inhale quietly •
through the nose to a mental count of
FOUR
Gently hold your breath for a count •
of SEVEN
Exhale completely through your •
mouth to a count of EIGHT
This is one breath. Now inhale again •
and repeat the cycle for three more
times – to a total of four breathes.
Go ahead and try this exercise – it’s
a guaranteed positive return on your
investment!
Success Mindset
6 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
I’m standing, staring into the trol-
ley ahead of me, there are at least ten
thousand items, and here I am, with my
basket of frozen foods heating up...
The kid’s magazine in the rack oppo-
site me catches my eye. There are three
beautiful girls, all smiles and energy and
freedom, they look like they’ve never
queued for anything in their fantastic
little lives. I heard somewhere that we
build our images of what we want when
we’re kids. It looks like these three are
on a winner. I guess they dream of nice
houses and Prince Charmings and hors-
es. I remember wanting good friends
and pretty kids and horses. It sounds so
mundane now, luckily, I also dreamed of
growing up and being a mermaid...
I’m looking at the white teeth and
perfect hair of one particularly enviable
girl. You can’t see anything of who she
actually is under all the cool clothes and
makeup. She could be hand drawn for
all I can tell. I peer at her a bit, no, shes
real. Was I trying to be her, breath-
taking and lifeless, when I dreamed a
mainstream future for myself?
The trolley in front of me jostles a bit
and I’m back to loafing, watching the
checkout boy scanning one item at a
time (we’re down to just five thousand).
Suddenly my toes are very cold, I step
back, out of the icy water pooling at my
feet. Its cold but not unbearable. I slide
my basket a few inches forward and
step into the circle, maybe, as a grown
up mermaid, I’ll stand here and dream
dreams for me.
Tips for dreaming
1. Dream the impossible, who cares if it
comes off, if it makes you smile its a suc-
cessful dream.
2. Imagination is more important than
knowledge - and free and constantly
available
NB The mainstream and your inner
critic probably aren’t good places to
dream from, their dreams might not take
into account what YOU want.
Rebecca is the Director of Living
Dreams, a specialist coaching & training
company with a vision to think differ-
ently. She can be contacted via mobile
URL betterfuturenow.mobi or email
Ignite Your Dreams By Rebecca Ryan
Success Mindset
Can I dream other dreams now, at this late stage – especially as I’ve lived beyond my origi-nal ones? If I could get past the weight of my expectations and my disappointment and my fear, I wonder what I would dream. From here, where would I go? What would I do?
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 7
The List of 100 Dreams... By Jenny Stilwell
I realized some time ago that I had somehow, somewhere along
the way, let go of my dreams. I hadn’t abandoned them, but I
had definitely neglected them. It happens… and it’s not good.
As I walked through the park opposite my house the other
day, I was drawn in to a group of children playing underneath
a tree. The branches stretched way out, sort of like a Christ-
mas tree shape, and in the space between the ground and
where the lowest branches started, they were huddled around
the trunk of the tree playing a game. I couldn’t hear what they
were doing but they were totally absorbed in their game...
I have found a great replacement for hiding under tree
branches, that adults can engage in quite easily! (If you really
do prefer the tree thing, that’s OK too!) I acquired this idea
from Jack Canfield, in the book profiled in this issue. It’s hard
to get going, but once you start to limber up your imagination,
it becomes really fun.
Use a spreadsheet or a piece of paper. Draw up these headings:
Your aim is to reach a list with 100 dreams on it.
Things that make your heart sing when you think of
how you’ll feel when you achieve/do them.
Do it on your own. 9
Get your partner to do one too and see how well matched 9
your lists are.
Get the whole family to do it. 9
Have your business partner do it with you. 9
Just do it! 9
By the time the next issue of Renaissance is in your hands,
you could have done this exercise, and have started moving
toward your List of 100 Dreams…
Success Mindset
Places to go People to meet Things to achieve / do Things to have Things to be
8 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
Photographer: Chris Aschenbrener
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 9
Riding The Recession
By Jenny Stilwell
As everyone is aware,
sales and marketing
become even more criti-
cal functions in a market
downturn. Divesting your business of
marketing resources is the worst thing
to do.
If ‘Sales’ is the pointy end that goes out
and meets with prospective clients and
secures business for your firm, ‘Market-
ing’ is the driving force that attracts
people to your company/products/
services and positions you in the right
market to attract the right potential
buyers, for products or services that
deliver outcomes and value.
Right now, these functions are critical,
as are efficient and effective operational
procedures, cost management, and
measurement of return on any funds
invested (for marketing or selling activi-
ties, people, and resources of any kind
that are consumed by the business).
Here’s a summary of my 10-Step Plan to
help you focus your activities on how
to survive and thrive in the recession.
Some of this content has been published
in past issues from the BOSSMEN-
TOR® Business e-news over the last few
months.
Step 1 Reframe Your Thinking
We all have days where we can’t get our
mindset away from the negatives and
the negative ‘what-ifs’. These days put
us in hell, and keep us in hell!
I know what it’s like, you read the
newspaper or the business pages, you
have a conversation with a friend, you
meet with a client, you attend a func-
tion, and depending on the informa-
tion you take in, you could be positive,
negative, hopeful or despairing all
within about 60 seconds flat!
These are my tips to help you reframe
your thinking to get into the right
headspace to do what needs to be done
in your business:
Talk to calm, positive, resourceful •
people who have been there and sur-
vived. These people are real evidence
of what happens if you take the right
steps. They also know how to be
resourceful and will make you feel the
same way.
Stay away from the newspapers and •
the news while you do this step (and
longer if you can!).
Perspective - know what you are •
grateful for and put these things
into perspective; focus on all you are
grateful for in your life.
Focus on the process for now, not •
the outcome. Don’t worry about an
outcome; just know that when you
do the right things, the right things
happen. One step at a time and keep
moving forward; don’t stop.
Expand your thinking - Richard Bran-•
son’s philosophy is to expand when
your back is up against the wall. He
means to adopt expansionary think-
ing. Ask yourself questions like: who/
what market segments haven’t we sold
to and could we do it now, how; how
do we make our service/product com-
pelling and must-have; what are the
Survive and Thrive with This 10 Step Plan
How To
10 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
new needs emerging for our clients
and target market.
Use whatever it takes to shift your •
mindset into a calmer and more re-
sourceful state: music, physical activ-
ity, quiet time, driving with the wind
in your hair! Do it.
When you’ve reframed your thinking •
to be more resourceful, you can get
stuck into Step 2 - keeping the sales
momentum going!
Step 2 Lead Generation & Sales - Building a Pipeline
Your best source of sales is from exist-
ing clients. However, you also need to
implement lead generation activities to
attract new prospective clients so you
have a pipeline of leads for the future,
not just for now.
When creating leads, your goal is to
start with the warmest way of generat-
ing new contacts, as warm leads will en-
able you to build your relationship with
these contacts faster than cold leads.
Remember, the goal is for your contacts
to know you, like you and trust you. All
your lead generation marketing activity
needs to be around ways to make this
happen in the soonest possible time.
Ask yourself: ‘what is the most effective
way for me to not only get in touch with
new leads, but to give them a taste of
the value I could give them?
Let• other people tell them how good
you are! (referrals and testimonials)
Get in front of them and • give them
value first hand (speaking, being
interviewed, radio)
Give them • content of value and of
interest (research data relating to
their niche, webinars, teleseminars,
magazines (like this one), books, etc
– but it has to be of interest and of
value to generate new leads’
The most effective source of low cost
lead generation is typically referrals &
testimonials. Speaking engagements are
also very effective as long as you are in
front of your target audience and your
message has content they want to hear.
With referrals, you need to ask clients
who best reflect the sort of new clients
you’d like to attract. Knowing how
you’ve been able to help them, they
will more easily translate that to other
companies of similar size or type. If
relevant, don’t just ask your contact for
a referral, but any other people in the
client’s organisation that you’ve been
dealing with and have a good relation-
ship with. They can also be an excellent
source of referrals.
You can ask for referrals and do several
things with them:
call those people directly with the aim •
of setting up a meeting
have lunch or a meeting with your cli-•
ent and the person they are referring
you to – best where you have a very
good relationship with your client
and the process will flow very easily
invite your clients and their contacts •
to a function or event you are hold-
ing, where the referred contact will
have a chance to meet you, and see
you in action, so to speak
send something to the referred con-•
tacts directly so they have some back-
ground information on you and your
company, then contact them with a
view to having a meeting
For those clients who aren’t comfortable
referring, or don’t have any contacts
they think would be appropriate to
refer, ask them for a testimonial.
Use testimonials:
on your website•
in your marketing collateral•
as part of your message on hold•
framed and hung on your meeting •
room walls
Another important aspect of lead gen-
eration amongst warmer contacts is to
use affiliation. By definition, if someone
approaches you and also belongs to
the same club as you, or is part of the
same association or industry group, or
even has children at the same school
or a partner that works for the same
company as your partner, etc, you will
be more inclined toward that person
because affiliation to the same thing cre-
ates a warm contact.
So, explore your own memberships and
associations and groups to develop new
leads.
Step 3 Identifying New Growth Opportunuties
This applies to new opportunities
within your niche market, as well as op-
portunities in new niches.
Ask yourself: ‘what new things do busi-
nesses/people in my target market need
now?’
Look at the niches or companies that are
addressing those new needs and doing
well, and consider what you could do
for them right now. Are they spending
money on more people, more marketing,
more training, more financial planning
advice, more HR advice?
This step was covered off in more detail
in the November 18th, 2008 issue of
BOSSMENTOR® Business.
How To
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 11
How To
Step 4 Products & Services Marketing - Reinvent to Remain Relevant
Staying relevant and reinventing your
offer is something that should happen
on an ongoing basis in any market, as
being complacent is a cardinal sin in
business! So, it’s time to get out your
wand and weave some magic!
I established a marketing consultancy
during the last recession, against every-
one’s advice, and initially I won clients
on the basis of a very broad service
offering.
Back then, a lot of people still thought
marketing was about advertising,
or producing brochures (I know, I
know…!) so at times, the sales process
was an uphill battle. It wasn’t really
about the recession, it was about the
relevance of my offer.
Here are 10 questions to ask yourself
about your products/services, in order
to keep them relevant:
1. Is your offering easy to sell?
If not, you need to chunk it down to
more manageable offers. For example,
when I was offering a broad marketing
service, it was difficult to sell because
I was trying to be all things to all po-
tential clients! By doing that, I wasn’t
focused on any one thing and so it was
hard to sell. If you have trouble articu-
lating your offer, it won’t be relevant to
your prospects!
2. Is your offer easy to buy?
Same as the above but from the pros-
pect’s perspective. If they can’t get their
head around what your offer is it will
have zero relevance to their business.
Also, if there are too many hurdles or
steps in what they need to do to buy
your product/service, an alternative
offer is likely to have more interest and
relevance to them.
3. What is the sales trend for your
products/services?
That is, what sells well, what is it that
your clients don’t buy much of, and
what’s the trend? If there’s a product
or service that you offer but no-one is
particularly interested in it, you need to
replace it with something more relevant,
and focus on those products/services
that sell well.
4. Is there a pattern in the purchas-
ing sequence?
Which products/services do your
clients usually buy first? For example,
will they ask you to design a brochure
before they ask you to redesign their
website? Do they have you develop a
strategy first, then do what’s needed
to implement it or project manage it?
The point of this is that if you know
what the sequence is, you can lead your
clients into it, rather than focus on just
selling one service on an ad hoc basis.
Focus on the sequence.
5. Does your offer reflect market
trends?
For example, if your marketing firm
only focused on printed media and ig-
nored digital, it would have decreasing
12 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
relevance in the broad market, as clients
want a mix of media.
6. Can you quantify the outcomes
and value you can deliver to your
clients?
This is essential in any business, but in
more buoyant markets a ‘nice to have’
offer is more likely to get through. In
tougher markets, your offer needs to be
a ‘must have’ with tangible ROI for your
prospects.
7.Have you converted services to
products?
For example, a broad marketing service
becomes far more relevant when it is
packaged into products, such as Focus
Group Product Testing, Lead Generation
Campaign Development, Email Mar-
keting Campaign Packages, etc. Your
prospects understand what the service
is by the name you give it, and a prod-
uct description can highlight the value
it delivers and the outcomes it achieves.
You can charge a higher fee for a pack-
aged product and outcome, versus an
hourly fee for a general service.
8. Have you had conversations with
your clients and other business
people to determine what their chal-
lenges are?
For example, if you are a Sales Consul-
tant you could potentially be having a
field day offering lead generation and
client growth services to many busi-
nesses. If you provide services to your
clients and want to secure the busi-
ness you have, you may consider more
favourable terms for your clients.
9. What’s to be scared about the
positive aspects of reinvention?
Just because you’ve had your business
for many years, doesn’t mean it needs to
remain the same as it always has. Consider
it time for a spring clean and ‘relevance
overhaul’. Leap now, rewards later!
10. Finally, have you looked beyond
your own market?
It’s always important to continually
look at what other businesses are doing,
both in your industry and beyond, and
watch what the leading companies are
doing. Constantly scan for ideas and
fresh perspectives and approaches.
That’s for starters. Get onto it and see
what you can do to shift your relevance
rating up the scale by the next issue!
Step 5 Identify & Address Risks
Without having to do an entire analy-
sis of your business operations, here
are 3 quick strategies to minimize risk
and ensure you will ride through the
recession with a healthy and profitable
business:
Strategy 1 Analyse your sales
Know what you sell and to whom•
Know which products and services •
are more in demand
Know what each product or service •
contributes to your business)
Ideally, sell more of the ‘in demand’
products, sell more of the high value
products, focus on the products that
contribute a large proportion of your
company’s revenue or profit.
Be mindful of the sales cycle too. If you
have a very high value product that has
a long sales cycle, factor that into your
forecasting. Balance the long sales cycle
products with those that are easier to
sell, and are in effect your company’s
‘bread and butter’.
Strategy 2 Analyse your marketing returns
Marketing options are many, but •
not all marketing produces the same
results
Make a point of knowing which •
marketing activities produce the best
results. If you’ve never tracked it then
start doing so, otherwise you will
potentially waste not only money but
energy and time
Also, make sure that the marketing •
activities which produce the most
results also produce the best results
– that is, they attract the sort of po-
tential clients that match your target
profile
Strategy 3 Analyse & track your cash flow and sales forecast
I can’t tell you how many clients I have
worked with who don’t have sales fore-
casts and don’t do budgets. If you don’t
forecast and track, you can’t effectively
manage your cash flow and/or adjust
your sales and marketing activities.
Develop a P&L budget for your com-•
pany and/or your product
Over estimate your expected expenses •
and underestimate your expected
sales
Track on a regular basis (frequency •
will be determined by the length of
your sales cycle: if you own a retail
shop you can track this daily; if you
sell high-end software systems you
may track monthly)
These 3 strategies alone are very quick
and effective ways to minimize risk in
your business and stay ahead in a tight
market.
How To
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 13
How To
Step 6: Client Growth – 5 Steps to New Revenue
Focus on your existing clients and make
sure you are providing them with ev-
erything you possibly can to make their
life easier, wealthier, healthier, more
pleasant, exciting etc.
Don’t neglect these clients, just because
they are already your clients.
Remember that old saying, ‘a bird in the
hand is worth two in the bush’, which
always makes me laugh because how
often does anyone want a bird or two in
their hand?
Never mind about the birds, remember
to stay on top of your client base:
Analyse your existing clients so you •
know where the opportunities and
growth are
Set clear goals for how you want to •
grow your clients and what you are
trying to achieve
Focus on your relationships (refer to •
this issue’s article on ‘How Relevant
Are You Really To Your Clients?’)
Develop one page account plans to •
provide a clear summary of what you
need to focus on and how
Implement the actions needed to grow •
your client base, and keep this loop
going
Step 7 Manage Cashflow
This is essential but many business
owners don’t do cashflow forecasting.
Even owners of multi-million dollar
businesses don’t do it.
You must do cashflow forecasts so you
can be on top of money flowing in and
out of your business. Invoiced revenue
does not equal cash.
Draw up a cashflow forecast spread-•
sheet (if you don’t know how to do
it or have never done one before, get
your accountant to set it up for you
and take you through it)
Do your invoicing promptly•
Ensure your receivables don’t blow •
out - keep on top of collecting your
revenue (collected revenue = cash!)
Make sure all your expenses are •
itemized (again, get your accountant
to check this for you)
Make sure your terms are in your •
favour (for example, don’t invoice
projects 100% at the end but aim for
progress payments with short terms)
Manage your creditors – if you need •
to shuffle around your payments to
coincide with payments, let your
creditors know. Communicate with
them at all times. Running away
and not communicating is the worst
strategy!
Keep updating your cashflow forecast
on a regular basis – it is an ongoing
process.
Step 8 People & Getting Things Done
Make sure every person in your busi-
ness, and those resources that are
outsourced, are aware of exactly what
they need to do and how they will be
assessed.
In order to keep things moving along in
your business, you and your team will
need to be focused on high yield activi-
ties (priorities) and do them efficiently.
Efficiency applied to the right things =
effective.
Now is a good time to review everyone’s
Position Description (they all have one,
don’t they…) and the goals and KPIs
attached. You want to make sure that
you and your team are all focused on
14 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
How To
the outcomes that will produce the best
results for your business.
Key activities are likely to be sales/
business development, marketing and
promotion, new product/service rein-
vention/development, effective product/
service delivery and client growth (as
well as cashflow management!).
Make sure your processes work. A
phrase I heard from Bill Glazer (GKIC)
is ‘inspect what you expect’. In other
words, if you expect a certain process to
have a certain outcomes or to flow in a
particular way, check it and make sure
it works.
I recently did that as a matter of course
with our website, and discovered that
there was no way anyone could buy a
product from us online! That’s why the
‘Product’ section has been taken down
and when it goes back up, it will work
the way it should.
You can check these processes in any
area of your business: what happens
when you get a new client on board;
what happens if someone returns prod-
ucts; what happens when someone calls
your company; what happens when you
sign people up via your website; what
happens when your newsletter goes out;
what happens when you
Step 9 Pursue & Assess New Opportunities
These could be in the form of:
New product/services (develop your •
own; licence or distribute others)
Joint ventures (for new projects/un-•
dertakings with new partners)
Affiliates (to market/sell your prod-•
ucts)
or a daily action list that’s been accumu-
lated over a month.
They are the top two, five, ten things
that you need to do to actually move the
business forward. Your team will each
have their own list of Big Rocks.
Big Rocks define your top priorities and
keep them clear for the month ahead.
Whenever you feel a bit overwhelmed
or off-track, refer to your Big Rocks list
and you’ll be focused again.
The name and concept came from Ste-
phen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Suc-
cessful People” whereby an exercise in
fitting big rocks, stones, pebbles, sand
and water into a large jar will only work
if you put the big rocks in first and the
other items will fit in around them. If
you focus on the small items first and
give them your attention (fit them into
the jar) you won’t have any room for the
big rocks. They just won’t fit if you try
to put them in last!
Big Rocks always go first, and I sug-
gest you draw up a list for each month
to keep you on track, and have your
team do the same. Make sure you’re all
in alignment and watch as you progress
towards your big objectives.
Merging with another business•
Acquisition of another business or its •
products
New markets•
New channels (online, affiliates)•
When you assess your new opportuni-
ties, always consider:
What is the cost to do this?•
What is the estimated return? Will it •
be worth doing?
Will this take my business closer to •
our overall goal?
What is the lead time on this opportu-•
nity (i.e. is it short term or long term)
Does it capitalize on our strengths?•
Does it strengthen our weaknesses?•
Is there another alternative that could •
produce better results?
Step 10 Be Clear On Your Priorities Big Rocks
I have a system that I use for my busi-
ness, and I encourage all my clients to
use it as well.
It’s called ‘Big Rocks’ and they repre-
sent the activities in any given month
that will move your business closer to
its goals.
They aren’t a checklist or a ‘to-do’ list
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 15
Would any of your clients betray you?
Would you have any warning? Any why
would they betray you? They would
if you were no longer relevant to their
business
I want to take this opportunity to out-
line a way to help optimize your core
business in a difficult market.
A global tier one consulting firm de-
veloped a score called the NPS – Net
Promoter Score. They use it with their
multi-national clients to determine how
close they are to their clients and there-
fore how secure that relationship is. The
essence of it is, how well would your
clients really speak of you to others and
how important are you really to their
business.
A high rating with customers is es-
sential if your business is to success-
fully ride the recession. It is now more
important than ever to have a strategic
focus to protect your greatest asset –
your customers.
We have done several surveys on behalf
of our clients to determine their ‘Cus-
tomer Relevance Score’. We use six
questions and their associated feedback
to deliver results that will enable you
to constantly stay ahead of the pack
in servicing your customers. The end
result is a score you can track that ef-
fectively ‘protects’ your position with
your key customers and continues to
make you relevant to their business.
It is also a great customer service tool
from the client’s perspective, just
because you have taken the time to ask
what they think, want and need. And,
some of the results that are uncovered
include feedback on how to strengthen
your relevance to your client’s business,
and what you need to do to build or
maintain secure relationships.
For companies that deal with retailers,
there are many competitors jockeying
for shelf space and working to replace
you. For those who deal with corporate
clients, the competition is just as intense
to secure as much as possible of corpo-
rate spending budgets.
Clients don’t always complain if
your service is no longer relevant
to them. They just ‘go’.
How Relevant Are You Really To Your clients?
By Jenny Stilwell
Strategy
16 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
Strategy
If you don’t ask, you may be exposing
your business to a potential risk. Isn’t it
worth asking the question?
There are many benefits in identifying
your Customer Relevance Score now:
If you don’t take the time to do it, •
your competitors will – it will be
good for your customers to see you
take the lead
In a difficult market• , you want in-
sightful information on what really
strengthens your business position
with your customers – this is the best
way to get it
You can get feedback from more than •
one contact in the organisation, pro-
viding a more holistic perspective of
your company
It’s the best way to discover if you •
could be lifting your game, and in
what way
It can be done • quickly, in a way that
is convenient for your customers, and
at minimal cost to you
Once you have this information – your
score – you can use it in your business
as a KPI that is measured each year.
One of my clients, always mindful of
minimising risk in their business, and
adopting innovation in everything they
do, now uses this score and what it tells
them is to stay as close to their clients
as possible. There is limited room for a
competitor to take their place and they
want to keep it that way!
If your business targets high net worth
individuals, for example, this is espe-
cially important, as the level of service
these clients receive must be of a very
high level in line with their fees! Would
you like more free time and if so, how
would you spend it?
I undertook this exercise on behalf of a
business advisor and a financial advisor,
and both received very low scores. The
potential risk of their clients moving to
another firm was high. For both firms,
the level of service they received was
not of high perceived value and for
both again, their service offerings were
confusing and as such, seen as not par-
ticularly relevant. Needless to say, they
weren’t happy with their respective
results, but at least we could then put a
plan of action in place to address these
risk exposures.
If you are in a highly competitive
market where competitors are always
pitching to win your clients over, for
If your business targets high
net worth individuals, for
example, this is especially
important, as the level of
service these clients receive
must be of a very high level in
line with their fees!
If you are in a highly
competitive market where
competitors are always
pitching to win your clients
over, for example in PR,
recruitment, design and
branding firms, this is an
essential tool.
example in PR, recruitment, design and
branding firms, this is an essential tool.
You can do this exercise yourself or
you could approach us to do it for you.
Either way, if you have high value
clients in particular, just make sure you
do something to assess and protect your
relationship with them!
Set your business goals because they are
in alignment with what you really want
to do, and enable you to live a great life.
Don’t set goals simply because you can,
and be tethered by them as a result.
Think of the lines in the INXS song:
‘we all have wings, but some of us don’t
know why’. Make sure your business
enables you to use your wings and fly!
Clients don’t always complain
if your service is no longer
relevant to them. They just ‘go’.
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 17
JS: Hi Trish, thanks again for agreeing
to be interviewed for Renaissance
Magazine. I thought it would be
interesting for our readers to have
some insights into how you approach
marketing for a growing global
consulting firm.
Before we start talking about you and
your role, could you tell us a little bit
about Protiviti?
Trish: Protiviti is a global business
consulting and internal audit firm with
experts who focus on risk, advisory
and transaction services. We help firms
solve problems in finance, operations,
technology, governance, risk and com-
pliance. Protiviti has over sixty offices
in fifteen countries in Asia-Pacific, the
Americas, Europe and the Middle East
and employs over 3,000 professionals.
JS: How big is the firm in Australia and
how long have you been in operation?
Trish: In Australia, we have five offices
in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth
and Sydney. Protiviti started in the US
almost seven years ago and in Australia
we are celebrating our fifth anniversary
this month.
JS: So what’s been the driver behind
the firm’s rapid global growth?
Trish: In the first few years, our growth
came out of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
2002. SOX (that’s what it’s generally
known as) was a response to a number
of large corporate scandals including
Enron, Tyco and Worldcom which cost
investors billions of dollars. The Act
covers issues such as auditor indepen-
dence, corporate governance, internal
control assessment, and enhanced finan-
cial disclosure.
Protiviti helps companies with the SOX
compliance. This flowed on to countries
including Australia - there are many
companies here that are head-quartered
in the US that required SOX compliance.
JS: So the initial growth driver was
regulatory compliance?
Trish: Initially, but since then we’ve
built a significant Internal Audit and
Risk Consulting business in Australia
including technology risk. We have
a global alliance with SAP and work
with them on governance, risk and
compliance implementations.
JS: And what was the rollout model for
the next offices outside the US?
Trish: Each office was started by profes-
sionals, originally from other firms, who
were able to develop a client base and
build the firm up in that country
JS: And what role do you see marketing
TrishFinnemore‘Get the Marketing Mix Right’NameTrish FinnemorePositionBusiness Development & Marketing ManagerLocationMelbourne, AustraliaCompanyProtiviti, a global audit & consulting firmWebsitewww.protiviti.com Size3,000 employees
Corporate Insights
18 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
having in the growth of the company,
particularly here in Australia?
Trish: My role is much broader than
marketing. I work with Protiviti’s
executive team in Australia imple-
menting business development strate-
gies. We have an excellent CRM system,
Salesforce, that helps us to capture
leads, contacts and opportunities. In a
service firm like Protiviti, establishing
a strong business development culture
and processes is vital to its success, par-
ticularly during challenging economic
times such as these.
The business development strategies
drive the marketing plan in terms of the
target audience, key initiatives and bud-
get. Whatever marketing strategy we
implement, it has to be in synergy with
the business development plan.
I’m not sure I could do my job effec-
tively without being across both roles in
the business.
JS: So you focus on top level business
growth down to the level of account
planning?
Trish: In a service firm you need to
have your head around both areas.
Client growth – who your clients are,
how you will grow them, what their
needs are and how you can deliver that
– needs a plan. It’s about real targets
and how you’re going to achieve them.
We need to stay on top of things – for
example, we need to know about up-
coming tenders before they even go out.
We have a national approach to our key
clients. Business development - what
we do at an account level - and what
we do to market the firm overall are
crucially interwoven.
JS: So, you’ve been a brand marketer in
FMCG, and a marketer of professional
services. Broadly speaking, how does
the marketing differ?
Trish: This is a good question. I see
a lot of marketing short-sightedness
when it comes to viewing the difference
between consumer and services market-
ing. For the most part, the theory
of marketing applies in all areas of
marketing irrespective of the indus-
try and whether you are marketing a
service or a product.
I won’t deny that consumer market-
ing has been doing that successfully
for well over 50 years and the most
proficient companies at marketing are
in the FMCG industries. In my view
that’s because the whole business is
marketing centric rather than driven by
sales or accounting or other parts of the
business. They have to be because they
operate in a highly competitive market
and the only thing that sets them apart
is differentiation through the applica-
tion of marketing strategies whether
that’s in the product, pricing, advertis-
ing or whatever.
In the services industry, marketing was
much slower to take off. Banks were
focusing their attention toward market-
ing in the 1980’s and we have only seen
it in professional services firms since the
1990’s. We still have a way to go.
I have been able to use my marketing
skills obtained from a number of indus-
tries to think more broadly and strategi-
cally about the issues facing Protiviti
and how it applies to this industry. I’m
not afraid to challenge norms and try
new things. I would like to see the pro-
fession broaden its thinking about the
synergies rather than thinking about
the differences.
JS: How would you look at the syner-
gies?
Trish: Well, first of all marketers need
We all need to look outside our own industries to other strategies being used by marketers in other businesses.
Corporate Insights
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 19
Corporate Insights
to be broader in their thinking and
open their mind to employing people
from other industries. Tunnel vision
is too rampant – it stifles creativity.
You can move around and be better
marketers because of it.
JS: We all need to look outside our
own industries to other strategies
being used by marketers in other
businesses. All we have to do is look
at the airlines and how they’ve always
catered to different categories of flyer,
with First, Business, Premium Business
and Economy. That same principle has
been carried into many industries and
businesses where different levels of
experience are offered for a premium –
both product and service businesses.
Trish: That’s right. You see people not
getting marketing roles because they
don’t have the exact experience in that
industry, but they could bring a lot of
fresh ideas and creativity to it.
JS: How important is the marketing mix
in what you do?
Trish: It’s crucial to the success of the
plan and achievement of objectives.
You can only really start to determine
the most effective mix when you have
set up measurable objectives and be
in a position to calculate ROI. When
I came into this role, there was a skew
towards conferences and events. We
have adjusted our mix and now have a
more balanced approach. It enables me
to focus on other areas such as publicity
that has delivered greater returns for us
as a business.
JS: How do you go about measuring
the results of your marketing, as this is
something that many businesses, of all
sizes, struggle with?
Trish: There’s no one measure overall,
but these are some of the measures you
can use for different types of activity:
For PR you can measure number of
releases produced and the number
of those that get into the media. For
advertising, you can ask new people
approaching the firm where they hear
about Protiviti, and do informal research
that way. Formal research is costly so we
try to capture this information informal-
ly. For conferences, collecting business
cards is a measure relative to the total
number of attendees. We also try to col-
lect names and titles of people who may
be interested in our services, at a very
minimum.
You can measure on fairly simple things,
for example with electronic mail-outs
you can measure open rates and click-
throughs to downloads and links.
You have to be able to capture and
record this sort of information, and then
you can build up trend information and
analyse performance from one year, or
activity, to the next. It involves work
and follow up, but that’s what you have
to do.
JS: A lot of people don’t really under-
stand what marketing is, but a lot of
business owners in particular are now
very focused on marketing as a way to
survive and thrive in a tough market.
What’s your view of marketing as a
business function?
Trish: I’m fortunate to work for a
strategically-minded leader who looks
at these economic conditions as an op-
portunity for Protiviti. Being a young
organisation, we still have a way to go
with brand awareness so we will con-
tinue with our existing marketing plans
to improve our position in the market
while our competitors are slowing down
their efforts.
Just last week in the paper I read about
a marketing head at a high-profile law
firm being “shown the door” along with
members of her team.
It’s tough for marketers right now but
businesses equally need to ensure that
their marketing function is deliver-
ing to the bottom line. That’s why
having measurable objectives is so
important to demonstrate the value
of marketing to the business. And it
helps to have bosses who are strategic
in their approach.
The reality is for most marketers that
budgets will be cut. This is where we
need to employ all our skills to be
better communicators with the busi-
ness to make sure they are seeing the
value in what is being delivered.
JS: Finally, what do you do when you’re
not focused on marketing strategy for
Protiviti?
Trish: I’m an active person and enjoy
spending time at the gym. I workout
mainly for my brain but I also get the
benefits of keeping in shape. I love
skiing and I’m hoping for a cold winter
with lots of snow on the mountains. I
grew up in Queensland and didn’t start
to ski until I was in my thirties. And
now I’m totally addicted to the sport
and can’t get enough of it!
JS: I’ll keep my fingers crossed for
buckets of snow! Thanks Trish – it’s
been great having a chat about the
importance of marketing – one of my
favourite subjects!
20 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
Content Rating
Easy-Read Score
Promotional BlurbThe three-pointed star. Magic. Mys-
tique. Mercedes-Benz.
With its legendary performance and
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produced in a large format and richly
illustrated with previously unpublished
photographs, Enduring Passion is the
life story of the Mercedes-Benz brand
and how its iconic symbol became a
synonym for power and elegance.
SummaryFrom a marketing perspective this is
a fabulous reference book that can
provide some interesting and useful
frameworks for assessing and managing
a brand. The history of both Mercedes
and Benz and how these two companies
were brought together, with quite dif-
ferent cultures, also makes for a fascinat-
ing acquisitions and mergers case study.
Beyond that, the history of the highs
and lows of a global brand and the
strategies to keep its fortunes and value
intact, is definitely worth reading.
This is a beautiful hard cover book with
fabulous images that could also be a
coffee table book once you’ve finished
reading it.!
Success PrincipalsJack Canfield
Content Rating
Easy-Read Score
Promotional BlurbTo be human is to aspire to success: in
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SummaryJack Canfield’s style is very engaging,
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Although he himself uses these same
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Enduring Passion: The Story of the Mercedes-Benz BrandLeslie Butterfield
BOOKS
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 21
People create legacies. People create
brands that become their legacy.
So is the case of the Mercedes Benz
brand, a brand that has been appreci-
ated by several generations over the last
120 years, and a brand that is known in
most countries of the world. The brand
extends from luxury limousines to road
sweepers (yes!).
In 1995, the International
Olympic Committee conducted a
worldwide survey that revealed
that the Mercedes-Benz logo of
the three-pointed star was better
known around the world than the
Christian cross. 1
That’s a legacy. The history is colourful
and has plenty of bumps in the road,
but what are some of the lessons we can
deduce from a brand that has grown
from the alliance of two quite different
and potentially competing car compa-
nies? (The company founders were Karl
Benz, and Gottlieb Daimler.)
There are many lessons to be learned
from this amazing story of brand legacy,
but here are just a few to provide some
food for thought:
Strong brands help us to make
choices, because we know what
they stand for and what their
promise to us is.
Does your brand help your potential
clients make choices? Is it clear what
you stand for?
Think about some of the brands you
have around you – your car, your
perfume, your handbag, your makeup,
your watch.
What images come to mind when we
talk about ‘Chanel’?
What sort of lifestyle does reference to
Ralph Lauren evoke?
What sort of person wears the Nike
brand?
5 Lessons from a Global Brand Mercedes-Benz: 150 Years of Passion
Some brands have the power to satisfy a
range of human needs from belonging,
status, recognition and self esteem. Very
powerful stuff.
If someone mentioned your brand to
me, and I’d heard of you before, what
sort of images would you want me to
think of?
Not all brands are the result of
great strategy. Some evolve.
A representative from Mercedes-Benz
said the company had its first strategic
discussions only in the 1980s. That same
person said the brand was a result of
working in little steps and was up until
that point, a ‘happy accident’.
My personal view on that is that such
evolution comes from being authen-
tic in how the brand was continuously
improved and the pursuit of excellence
behind it. Being authentic in anything
can create its own level of leadership to
others.
Leadership & Legacy
22 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
Leadership & Legacy
Are you and your brand really coming
from a place of authenticity?
For brands that have the power to
evoke feelings in consumers who
want to belong to the brand and
be part of its story, the companies
behind them can charge a
premium.
The figures below are a couple of years
old now, but it shows the relative values
of global brands and how they have
shifted between 2004 and 2007 (they are
taken from Interbrand’s annual analysis
of leading brands):
Leading brands create powerful messages
Back in Henry Ford’s day, the choice of
your car in any colour, as long as it was
black, was not such a big deal because
how many cars were on the road any-
way? Choice of colour was less impor-
tant than the accessibility of actually
being able to own a car. Just having the
car was a sign of wealth.
Now, the car is often less about wealth
per se, and more about lifestyle (think
message of the brand to today’s global
consumers).
The photo on the cover of the story of
the Mercedes-Benz brand – Enduring
Passion, featured in this issue’s ‘Books’
section – is taken from inside the car,
looking over the three-pointed emblem
on the hood of the car. It is accompa-
nied by words that speak to a lifestyle
requirement of a certain type of con-
sumer. They are:
“The door shut with all the reassurance
of a vacuum sealed vault. Then I sat
back in my seat and watched the world
outside unfold upon the screen, as if it
were a silent movie.”
Great brands have an essence
This representation of the brand’s as-
sociations (both positive and negative),
outstanding features of the product, and
the values of the brand are summed up
here. The flip side represents the unin-
tended perceptions of what the brand
stands for, which if you’re going to take
care with your brand you need to be
mindful of.
The essence of the Mercedes-Benz brand
today is one of enduring passion (which
is why the book is titled thus, and not
the other way round!).
I’ve used this brand template in devel-
oping brand strategies with my clients,
and if it’s good enough for the Mercedes
Benz brand, it’s good enough for me!
Mercedes-Brand Today Essence Endur-
ing Passion Product Safe Durable Ad-
vanced Luxurious Performance Associa-
tions Positive: Trusted Special Dynamic
Negative: Ostentatious Serious Tradi-
The Top 10 most valuable global brands
2004 2004 Rank 2007 2007 Rank
Coca Cola 67.4B 1 65.2B 1
Microsoft 65B 2 58.7 2
IBM 53.8B 3 57.0 3
GE 44.1B 4 51.5 4
Intel 33.5B 5 30.9 7
Disney 27.1B 6 29.2 9
McDonalds 25B 7 29.3 8
Nokia 24B 8 33.6 5
Toyota 22.7B 9 32.0 6
Marlboro 22.1B 10 21.2 14
Mercedes ? 25.5 10
tional Values Authenticity Innovation
Leadership Quality Flip Side Complex
Inconsistent Complacent
If you’re interested in brands and
marketing I urge you to read the book
detailing the history of the brand, how
it survived through difficult times, and
the future of the brand is it looks from
today. The history of a great legacy in
automation, and marketing a brand!
1 The International Olympic Committee
survey into symbol recognition. Sample of
7,000 questioned in the UK, US, Ger-
many, Australia, India, Japan. Details
published in Today, 20 July 1995.
AssociationsPositive:TrustedSpecialDynamicNegative: OstentatiousSerious Traditional
ProductSafe Durable
Advanced Luxurious
Performance
Flip SideComplexInconsistentComplacent
ValuesAuthenticity Innovation
Leadership Quality
EssenceEnduring Passion
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 23
Amalfi CoastThe Amalfi Coast has long been on my
list of destination locations for some
time, & is more so after reading Amanda
Tabberer’s “My Amalfi Coast” (released
last year), her ‘up close & personal’
account of her life there for 18 years, &
her stories & experiences of one of the
world’s most spectacular coastal land-
scapes, its people & the culture.
Gelati colour palettes adorn the cliff
faces, & the views of the Mediterranean
are simply majestic. Cultural pride is
Amalfi Coast Image Courtesy CN Traveller
Amalfi Coast Image Courtesy CN Traveller
The Amalfi Coast Image courtesy CN Traveller
Restaurant – Amalfi Coast Casa Augerlera
everywhere, & whether you live, work
or are travelling to this exotic piece of
paradise, food, wine & happiness are
an integral way of life for all to enjoy
all day long. These photos give new
meaning to “a room with a view”...
again, white works so beautifully & ef-
fortlessly.
For another dose if Amalfi inspiration,
latest Vogue Entertaining & Travel issue
(Feb/March 2009) includes a feature
article “Stroke Of Genius”...pg 126...I’d
call it ‘heaven on earth’.
Haven Home
Favourite Things
24 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
Favourite Things
Heaven ScentFor a special dose of personal pamper-
ing, step into a touch of ‘heaven scent’
at the stunning boutique perfumery,
Peony Melbourne, in Hawthorn.
Jill Timms’ passion is dedicated to the
world of boutique fragrances, many of
which she stocks exclusively. The first
time I walked into her beautiful store,
my day had been somewhat challeng-
ing. The moment I walked in, my mood
immediately lifted, & I was totally
absorbed by all that was around me.
The magnificent array of collections,
merchandising, amimage bience, gift
wrapping & service made the half hour
experience thoroughly enjoyable &
memorable. Upon leaving, I rang a dear
friend of mine who had experienced a
similar day to mine, with the express
purpose of telling her that I had found
the perfect antidote to her tension...&
no, it didn’t involve wine!
Next time you’re in need of being
pampered, I recommend a visit to
Peony Melbourne, it’s perfect. And of
course, for those of you who celebrate
Valentine’s Day, I suggest a visit to
Peony, with or without your partner.
Claire Jackson, Interiors Consultant, authors Haven Home:www.havenhome.blogspot.com
Contact Claire:[email protected]
This is an excerpt from a blog that features the latest, and most divine, interiors, lifestyle profiles, design, and luxury resorts.
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 25
EgyptHome of the PharaohsThe Chaos of Cairo
I thought Rome’s traffic was chaotic. Cairo makes Rome look
orderly! No traffic lights anywhere (and I was looking!), no
lanes, every car has dents and scrapes, they often touch each
other and it never stops. As we travelled the one hour drive
from the airport to the hotel, which in parts was virtually a
crawl through the traffic, peddlers and beggars knocked at the
windows, drawing us in with pleading faces and sick chil-
dren, wanting money passed through the window. Confront-
ing, horrifying and tragic…
The equivalent of Australia’s entire population lives in Cairo;
personal space is an unknown concept. The comfort and rela-
tive luxury that my dog lives in would be a stretch of a dream
for so many of Cairo’s children. The poverty is heart-breaking.
Population estimates vary between 500,000 and five million
people living in the City of the Dead, a number of cemeteries
in an area of Cairo. The urban housing crisis has created a sub-
culture living in tombs amongst the dead. They make ‘houses’
from the structures built to house the dead. Some have man-
aged to hook up electricity, others haven’t…
In spite of the poverty and the overcrowding, Cairo is obvi-
ously a very religious city, and also one which is highly
dependent on tourism. This may be the reason for the contrast
between manicured gardens and beautifully maintained build-
ings of tourist hotels and places of religion, and the chaotic,
dirty streets outside.
Spotlight
26 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
By contrast, the hotels we stayed in were 5-star luxury, and in
some cases, beautifully restored old palaces.
The driving force that led me to Egypt was a lifelong fascina-
tion with Ancient Egypt’s pharaohs and their history, and a
desire to see one of the Ancient Wonders of the World, the
Pyramids of Giza.
The Pyramids of Giza
During the early hours of my first night, with a body clock
out of synch, I got out of bed and drew the curtains back.
I can’t explain how I felt at that moment. Rising up in the
darkness and reaching toward the sky I could only just see the
outline of the largest of the pyramids. The vast hotel grounds
were sheltered from the noise of the traffic out in the streets,
and in the silence I stood there in awe of a structure that had
been standing in that spot for 4,000 years.
The picture was different, but still amazing, by day. The
pyramids are surrounded by tourists from all over the world
and those tourists, in turn, are surrounded (circled more like
it) by the equally ubiquitous Bedouins on camels. A perfect
photo opportunity taken at just the right angle, is offered in
exchange for a pound (about 25 cents).
One of my friends was given a ‘leash’ at the end of which was
a camel. The owner walked away and as my friend then had to
chase after him, dragging a huge camel behind him, the photo
opportunity was captured and my friend charged five pounds.
It’s fun, but you need to be on guard!
In the early morning light, before all the tourists arrived,
we had a chance to sit in awe and take in what lay in front
of us. The three largest pyramids, and two smaller ones that
still remained – there were originally nine at Giza. It’s quite a
profound experience.
Each day was about 24-26 degrees – we went in the middle
of winter. The sky was a bright cloudless blue, sometimes
so bright that taking photos was almost impossible as we
couldn’t ‘see’ what we were trying to take.
From the madness of Cairo we flew south, to Upper Egypt
(yes, south is Upper and north is Lower). Arriving in Luxor
we were instantly transported from the dirt and dust of Cairo
to a landscape of tropical lush greenery. The Nile truly creates
abundance. Palm trees everywhere, vibrant green fields, rows
and rows of sugar cane, and a pace of life that has probably
changed little in thousands of years.
Egypt’s Original Vision Boards
The temples in Karnak and Luxor are incredible! Luxor’s
temple can be seen from the roadside, and is a monument to
Amenhotep III and later Ramesses II who added to it. There is
Spotlight
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 27
Spotlight
a huge statue of Ramesses at the entrance. Although thou-
sands of tourists were roaming the area when we were there,
it is so vast that it is quite possible to take photos without any
people in them.
In Karnak, a temple complex the size of a small suburb was
built for the Gods Mut, Amun and Montu. Huge columns
of stone in rows, decorated at the very top in the shape of a
papyrus or lotus plant, are representative of a garden of trees
for the Gods to enjoy in their after life. (On their death, the
pharaohs become Gods.)
The temples and tombs are covered in images on the walls and
pillars, depicting stories of the life and riches of the pharaoh.
After a while it’s possible to start understanding the vision
that the stories have for their pharaohs, including plentiful
amounts of food, wine, servants, and positions of great power
from defeating their enemies. I think these walls of Egyptian
hieroglyphs were the original Vision Boards!
It is still possible to see the remains of the colours used to
paint the hieroglyphs that adorn all the walls and columns
of all the temples. It is incredible that these colours have sur-
vived for so many thousands of years.
It was amongst the columns at Karnak that the soon-to-be vic-
tims and fellow travellers explored in Agatha Christie’s ‘Death
on the Nile’. Fortunately there was no such mischief as we
travelled along the Nile, our departure from the beautiful Old
28 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
Spotlight
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 29
Spotlight
Winter Palace on the banks of the river in Luxor. The pool
area, sheltered in the tropical hotel gardens, was pure luxury
for an afternoon at rest after exploring the mysteries held
within the ancient ruins…
Abundance Along the Nile
In the very early hours of the morning, before we boarded our
cruise ship, I experienced a hot air balloon ride over the Valley
of the Kings, at sunrise. If you go to Egypt, and if you have
the opportunity, you must do this. All thirty two of us in the
basket (I had no idea they held so many people) had a bird’s
eye view of Hatshepsut’s 3,000 year old temple, the tombs of
the nobles and the ruins of ancient temples. For the most part
we absorbed this experience in awed silence (apart from the
occasional blasts of hot air to take us higher into the sky) as
the balloon gently floated over an ancient landscape.
As we travelled further south, we saw many temples by the
Nile, and the contrast of the sparkling blue water, the bright
blue sky, and the dust surrounding the temples made for
beautiful scenes and interesting photos. Life along the Nile is
slow.
The Egyptians are such friendly people who truly want the
tourists to enjoy their amazing country. Tourism is one of the
highest contributors to Egypt’s foreign currency earnings, and
after tourist terrorist attacks in the nineties and earlier this
30 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
Spotlight
decade, they had to wait for tourists to start returning to their
country. In February this year, there was a bomb explosion at
the Citadel in Cairo, where we had been a few weeks earlier.
Tourism will no doubt take a slump as a result.
Everywhere you go in Egypt there is an appearance of secu-
rity. We had to place our bags into security X-ray machines
like the ones at airports, every time we re-entered the hotels.
We experienced this at the entrances to the airports. At all the
sites we visited there were security guards wandering around
with machine guns by their side, and others in sentry boxes
high up on lookout points. Many were actually asleep while
on guard – maybe the sun was too hot in those heavy woollen
military uniforms, maybe the guns didn’t fire too well anyway,
maybe they had no hope of preventing a real terrorist attack.
It is easy to absorb all of this as part of the landscape, because
the people you encounter all along the way are friendly and
helpful, whether in a uniform or on the back of a camel, or by
the river, waving as you sail past on the ship.
From the Pyramids of Giza to Ramesses II massive temple
down at Abu Simbel, and back along the Nile, Egypt offers a
feast of scenery, history and mystery (how did they build ev-
erything?). The landscape offers contrasts from dry and dusty
ruins of thousand year old stone, to azure skies and tropical
bougainvillea providing the backdrop as white-sailed feluccas
glide through the glistening water of the Nile.
A recurring symbol on many hieroglyphs and cartouches
(a cartouche is like a personal brand for a king or queen) is
the symbol for life – the ‘Ankh’. At Ramesses temple in Abu
Simbel I caught sight of a magnificent, beautifully shiny gold
key, in the shape of this symbol. The key weighed a tonne
and I didn’t fancy my chances of bringing it home….unfortu-
nately…
I will return to Egypt and look forward to spending a week in
Luxor – the ‘Nice’ of Egypt. Archaeological ruins, the myster-
ies of dynasties of Pharaohs, 5-star luxury in the old Winter
Palace Hotel, and felucca rides down the river on balmy, slow-
moving sunny days. Drinks on the terrace at sunset as you
watch the sun go down on a surreal land of contrasts.
What more could you ask for in a holiday?
BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au 31
BOSSMENTOR® provides three
fundamental levels of support for our
clients:
We help you develop the right •
strategy and structure for growth
Our • programs provide support &
direction on a group or individual
basis
Free Resources• to use in your
business – via our programs,
workshops, & website
To enquire how you can enroll in one
of our programs to get the support
you need to take your business to the
next level, e-mail our Business Devel-
opment Manager, Claire Jackson, at
Alternatively, visit
www.bossgroup.com.au/bossmentor-programs
for more detail on how we could help
you with your business growth strategy.
We listened to what you told usRecently we undertook a survey of our
readers and clients, and asked you what
your challenges were, what you wanted
more help and support with, and in
what format you would most like to
receive that support.
We listened to what you told us and
have been developing a brand new
range of resources, information, prod-
ucts and programs to offer the most
Business Growth, Mentoring & Coaching Programs
benefits and value to you in growing
and managing your businesses.
Your answers came from many different
perspectives: from recent startups, to es-
tablished businesses, from solopreneurs
to companies with twenty to thirty
people and more. However, there were
many common threads that ran right
through all the responses, and that’s
what I’ll be sharing with you very soon,
as well as our response to that.
This will all be announced in detail in
the next issue of Renaissance. Of course,
if you already subscribe to BOSSMEN-
TOR® Business fortnightly e-news,
you’ll be hearing all about these new
developments in the next couple of
weeks! If you would like to subscribe
go to this link.
32 BossMentor Renaissance Magazine • www.bossgroup.com.au
ProfessionalJenny Stilwell is the Managing Direc-
tor of BOSS Management Group. She
has helped many clients to significantly
grow their businesses, and build more
successful companies.
Prior to establishing BMG, Jenny was
Chief Executive of a publicly listed com-
pany (one of only a handful of women
heading up listed companies in Aus-
tralia at the time). Previous positions
included general management within
both large and medium sized organisa-
tions, as well as establishing a marketing
practice in the mid 1990s with a diverse
client base of small and mid-sized and
corporate clients.
Very early in her career Jenny advanced
to a senior management position at
Nortel Networks, being one of only
three women at the time in senior man-
agement roles within the Asia Pacific
region.
Jenny Chaired the Marketing Women
network for two years, and has also
mentored several women in careers and
in business as a way of ‘giving back’ to
the business community and to career
women in particular. She has also been a
Finalist in the Telstra Businesswoman of
the Year Awards.
Jenny has a Bachelor of Commerce with
a Commercial Law major, and a Bach-
elor of Arts with majors in French and
German, both from the University of
Melbourne. She is also a Certified NLP
Practitioner.
PersonalSome of the things I love
The beach, peaceful islands, big cities,
London, New York, Paris, Golden Re-
trievers, Hudson (my Golden Retriever),
Vegemite (my American friends know
that a taste test is coming – you know
who you are… ), good red wine, travel,
writing, listening to my fave music on
high volume, the Northern Hemisphere
in Winter, luxury resorts, the colour
of Autumn, laughing until I cry, and
of course, my family and my fabulous
friends.
That’s just a start… there’s so many
things
About Jenny Stilwell
PUBLISHER
BOSSMENTOR® Magazine is published by Hanby Park
Publishing, a Division of BOSS Management Group Pty Ltd
ACN 062 571 171
Disclaimer
The publisher takes due care in the preparation of this publication and takes all
reasonable precautions and makes all reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of the
material contained in this publication, but is not liable for any mistake, misprint or
omission. The publisher does not assume any responsibility or liability for any loss
or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omission in this publication,
or from the use of information contained herein. The publisher makes no warranty,
express or implied with respect to any of the material contained herein.
The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in any form in whole or in
part without written permission from the publisher.
© 2009 BOSS Management Group Pty Ltd