GEEWIZ NEWS FOR

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006

 

 

Dear Friend of Gee Wiz,

 

In this issue you will find: -

·         New Zealand Day

·         Ideas for tough economy

·         March 22^nd Blast! into 2006

·         Up coming seminars

·         New stuff to look for

·         My support for you.

 

New Zealand Day February 6^th  -  What a wonderful day we have coming up on Monday  February 6^th, when we celebrate New Zealand Day also known as Waitangi Day.  Perhaps this is an ideal time to take the opportunity to do something that is distinctly New Zealand in it’s flavour, walk on the beach, a bush walk, have a BBQ with friends, perhaps have Pavlova & Ice-cream with some Kiwifruit topping, and drink of course some fabulous New Zealand Wine or celebrate with one of our many great beers  to the success of our great Nation, and to our own personal success for 2006.

 

Let’s celebrate New Zealand Day with friends, family and show our communities that we really care about the recognition of the formal signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which helped to bring our Nation into being.

 

It would be interesting if we could let a group of Leading Marketing Managers, Event Promoters, and Sales People loose on planning an incredible event right throughout New Zealand that could celebrate New Zealand Day, perhaps it is a “Too Hard” thought, but there is always next year, enjoy your holiday on New Zealand Day.

 

Thoughts for an Economy - 

 

STRATEGIES IN AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN.

 

 

The Business Commentators, the Economist, and the News Media are all suggesting that the New Zealand Economy has either stalled, slowed down, got itself into problems or starting to believe the stories communicated within the media that there is going to be tightening business conditions.

 

The interesting thing is that if you examine the New Zealand economy since the Share Market crash in 1987 and particularly consider 1992 as the time that it came out there has not been a bad year since 1992 in New Zealand, there have been some tightening of the economy but they don’t become long term disasters, and they are all overcome by the application of people in business in particularly the Sales & Marketing end of the business focusing on customer relationships and customer development.

 

If you choose to believe that there will be a media induced slow down of the economy consider the employment statistics which have a shortage of skilled labour, and the suppliers and customers around you that are unable to meet their full production targets because of the shortage.

 

Some strategies that you might like to implement to make sure that you don’t participate in too tougher recession could include.

 

Communicate a welcome back to 2006 message to all of your customers and in that communication tell them the good news that you have got happening in your business, the new products or services, the new people, the new added value packages marketing or promotional activities underway and generally give them some good news about your particular business to maintain a positive attitude.

 

Get out and visit your top customers in the first 12 weeks of the year and put a plan together to regularly visit groups of your customers for face to face interviews every 12 weeks during the year and talk about what projects they have coming up, what developments they have coming up and seeing in how you can get involved in assisting the success of those projects.

 

Look at adding value by repackaging the way your products or services are offered remembering that anything that has the word “new” and “free” is going to attract attention so if you can introduce some new products or services, you add some extra bonus value by free purchases, you can perhaps look at different methods of delivery, distribution just in time, ease of ordering, long hours, faster response to enquiries and customer personal issues requirements.

 

Undertake a research questionnaire of your customers to find out what they like and what they dislike and make sure that in your research questionnaire you list all of your products and services that are available, this has the effect of stimulating the customer to realize that you have these products and services and generally lifts business by about 10% as a result.

 

Focus your sales team into 12 week action plans that are about more face to face visits less hiding behind emails, telephone calls, and encouraging them to remember that people do business with people not with systems.

 

Measure your sales teams progress by the increases in face to face visits, focus the sales meetings on success stories about why customers have made a decision and how the sales people helped, look forwards to what you can achieve rather than what happened last month and remember that if you have one win per day at the end of the month you have had between 20 and 31 wins for the month a true success story.

 

Hold customer functions over the summer period, even socialize with some of your key customers by encouraging your staff to play sports or just enjoy a bit of time at the beach to build the people interaction and to focus on building loyalty with you existing clients.

 

Send a thank you card or some acknowledgement to every customer who has increased their business over the previous month to let them know that they are special.

 

Start up a customer loyalty rewards club where you reward customers for continued purchases with special incentives or rewards.

 

Encourage your CEO and Senior Management and your General Managers to get out and meet with your counterparts in your top ten customers.

 

Set up with your suppliers preferred supplier programmes that recognize those suppliers that go to special efforts to work with you and make it easy to do business, recognizing them with plaques and certificates and making available face to face meetings and listening to their ideas and getting them involved in working with your purchasing and production people.

 

Encourage your purchasing people to review their number of suppliers instead of having multiple suppliers to focus on the suppliers that really work to retain your business and give them the biggest share of your budget to encourage them to do more.   Get rid of suppliers who are difficult to deal with.

 

Hold a team vision meeting once every 12 weeks with all of the members of your business helping them to understand the progress that the company is making, the focus for the next 12 weeks, and how everybody can participate whether they be in warehousing, production, administration, management or any department of the business that every contribution will help the team to succeed.

 

Focus on training on team work, accepting change, and leadership and supervision of others.

 

Go out and visit with your sales reps and your sales managers to customers, find out exactly what they customers are looking for.

 

Undertake a marketing audit to review exactly what your strengths and weaknesses are in your marketing and the development and delivery of your brand then start breaking those down in to activities so that you can better deliver not only in the 2006 market but also to fine tune your organization to be able to continue to deliver as the market turns up again.

 

Undertake a brand audit, to check over what exactly your brand is perceived to deliver to its customers and check this against your values and your organizational culture and see whether it will help you customers to understand more about your brand if you communicate better.

 

Feed out more positive PR stories to not only your customers in the form of newsletters, your website, but also to specialist trade publications, and to general media of any successes that you have.

 

Focus your marketing efforts on customer retention, customer loyalty, building value with existing customers to as high as 80% and reducing your new customer acquisition efforts to a lesser amount in your budget say 20%.

 

Remember that new customers achieved on price will generally be lost on price, far better to get new customers on benefits and value.

 

Get our and offer to speak to business organizations, trade organizations, Rotary & Lions Clubs and speak at conferences about the successes that your business is having, the successful people that you employ, and be prepared to challenge your industry to new ways of doing things, sharing their successes and to working together.

 

Look at building alliances with other people in similar industries to you to jointly tackle customer issues or big customer purchases or tenders or RFP’s.

 

But most of all associate with positive people who believe in New Zealand model of business success and share your ideas.

 

 

 

March 22^nd Blast into 2006 – Auckland – For the first time ever in New Zealand I welcome Australasian Business Seminars coming over to present an incredible motivational, skill developing, opportunity to purchase practical books & CD’s and resource material, one day seminar called “Blast! Into 2006” at the Langham Hotel (former Sheraton) Auckland in what is an incredibly great valued priced 1 day seminar, for friends of GeeWiz it is only $137. plus GST each, and if you want to have a sumptuous lunch and sit at a special VIP table at the front of the seminar room you can do so for only an extra $50 more.

 

You will see details about the speakers and most of you will have already received an email from me giving you some details, here are the details

IMPOSSIBLE IS AN OPINION Justin Herald Justin Herald is a man with Attitude! In 1995, all Justin had to start his business was $50 and an attitude. With clever marketing campaigns and a strong desire to make something of his life, Justin set out to turn his $50 into a multi-million dollar empire in just 6 years. Attitude Gear® was the brand and motivational quotes were the key. Justin began printing t-shirts with slogans such as 'In the end it's all a matter of attitude' and now has a wide range of products selling in over 3,500 stores throughout Australia. Justin's business success has allowed him to retire from Attitude Gear® and turn his passion to helping others achieve their business and personal goals. Justin has worked closely with major organisations such as the Australian Tax Office, Phillips and IP Australia. He is in high demand as a motivational speaker and is respected as one of Australia's leading authors on getting more out of life. Voted the International Entrepreneur of the Year for 2005 and listed by BRW Magazine in their RICHEST PEOPLE under 40 GLOBAL THINKING 2006 Richard "Geewiz" Gee Richard will enlighten you on how to get your team to share your vision and deliver "better than yesterday" every day in 2006 Richard is often referred to as the globe trotting Kiwi... in apparent perpetual motion, in recent years Richard, has written 5 books and hundreds of articles in business magazines and for websites, has spoken at conference speaker seen in 24 countries and in over 7000 presentations has shared his vision with over 170,000 people. Fiercely proud of New Zealand, its people and their achievements, Richard "Geewiz" Gee will share ideas for you to help you focus on basics that work, introduce change and new ideas and how to measure results in your sales team with the help of 2006 technology and more. Be prepared for a stimulating, motivating fast paced journey, remembering "Change is not a destination it is a journey!"  PERFORM LIKE A TOP GUN Wayne Berry Wayne Berry is Australia’s own TOP GUN Sales Coach and most in-demand speaker on selling, negotiating and sales management.  Having presented with sales greats such as Waitley, Rohn, Ziglar, Hopkins and Johnson, Wayne Berry is now recognised as one of the WORLD's best sales trainers. Be prepared to experience increased sales as many of the thousands of Australian companies have achieved in the last 20 years. At Blast! Into 2006 Wayne will share ideas, teach techniques and skills that will immediately boost your sales and income DRAMATICALLY. At the leading edge of sales skills, you will never sell the same after hearing the remarkable Wayne Berry - A true TOP GUN!   THE NEW SECRET Paul Dunn The new secret - what customers REALLY want from you. In an amazing career spanning four decades, Paul Dunn has had an impact on 100,000's of Australian businesses - not to mention countless businesses in the US and the UK. Paul was a significant force in the development of the Australian computer industry in 1970's initially writing some brilliant innovative software and then becoming the marketing genius behind growing the computer company globally. Paul revolutionised the business consulting business by forming The Results Corporation in the 1980's which helped over 23,000 small to medium sized enterprises dramatically grow and prosper. He designed, developed, produced and presented some of the most innovative and successful training programs ever seen in this country. They're now used by 100's of thousands of businesses worldwide. Paul turned the way accountants did business "on its ear" in the 1990's and created a global consulting practice spanning Australia, the US and the UK. Now resident 6 months in France and the rest in Australia's sunshine state of Queensland, Paul Dunn has the credentials to share with you what will really change your future outlook.   THE ART OF BEING YOU Phil Evans Phil Evans is a guy who has gained a Degree from the University of Hard Knocks and who now thrives on challenge and diversity in his life. His Personal Development and Business Development methods, courses, and workshops are about creating positive change in people's lives.  His major focus for personal development is this ....  "Live in your own power; learn the Art of Being Yourself; and make every day count." Phil is CEO of Optimise International, a corporate business optimisation consultancy, CEO of Quality Products International and the iconic Australian company, Floaties, of flotation devices and safety equipment for children fame. Three years ago Phil started sending out inspirational emails to 18 friends in the Newcastle area. Known as PeoplEmail, these now go worldwide and through them he has created a network of business and personal associates. PeoplEmail is translated into Spanish, Korean, French, Hebrew and Arabic, many African languages and sent throughout all of those countries by the translators. To get anywhere near the success levels that so many people strive for, but often fall short of the mark, we need to be in our own power. To do this, Phil has had to learn to clear his own limiting belief systems, and has helped thousands to begin the process of doing the same! Hence, the Art of Being You!

Blast! into 2006 is the seminar you MUST attend in 2006 SPEND A DAY WITH THESE EXCEPTIONAL AUSTRALASIAN ACHIEVERS  and transform your BUSINESS, PROFESSIONAL and PERSONAL PERFORMANCE  Expect to be challenged, motivated, and to learn Justin Herald, Wayne Berry, Richard Gee, Paul Dunn and Phil Evans are Australian icons on motivation, winning, sales and marketing.  Real people - true blue Aussies - with a message that is NOW for Australasian business. Australian's and New Zealander's are renowned world wide as winners in sport and business, innovators in arts and movies, and our lifestyle is absolutely the best available on the planet. The world is hanging on the message of our speakers - their techniques, ideas and enthusiasm are world beaters.  Make a positive decision to learn from our best and leave the the advice of others to the not so well informed.  You absolutely must make the effort to be at Blast! into 2006 Early Bird Discount $137 Back to $179 from February 21st, 2006 Group Rates Early Bird Discounts available for 10 or more: $123   Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006 Auckland     You should be at Blast! into 2006 if you are a business owner, sales and marketing manager, salesperson seeking to improve your day to day effectiveness. You have team members who greet your clients, staff or associates whose duties include that of receptionist, service personnel, internal sales, account liaison, handling complaints, and any other communication requirements with people.  If you are in network marketing, bring your whole team, they will be truly INSPIRED! Fantastic Group Rates Available Any person or business wanting to gain an unfair advantage in 2006 should attend with their: receptionist, service personnel, internal sales staff, accounts people, complaints department, travel agents, hotel front office staff, bank officers and other service personnel. If it is just you, from whatever business or walk of life, you can't afford not  to be part of the Blast! into 2006 experience >> VIP PACK << Front of house cabaret style seating, bonus audio CD, buffet lunch and meet the speakers all for just $50 per head (cash or credit card only)     Business Seminars Australia has been presenting the world's best business educators since 1987 to audiences in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and the UK. With Blast! into 2006 it is our first time in New Zealand but certainly won't be our last. We have assembled the very best business educators from Australia and New Zealand to share with you ideas that will allow you to achieve world class results in your business and personal endeavours. You can rely on Business Seminars Australia to provide world class, cutting edge, business education at great prices. We are excited at bring Blast! into 2006 to Auckland New Zealand and hope to see you there.

Here is Just Some of What You Will Learn...

How To Think and Perform Like a TOP GUN

• The 10 Critical Skills for success in sales today
• How to increase your sales by 30% in 90 days or less.
• How to stay motivated all the time
• 7 Steps to creating your own better future
• Why we all need “Unreasonable Friends”
• How to become a Doctor Of Sales

Impossible is not a fact.. it is just an opinion

• Why entrepreneurs have a different mindset to others.
• The 5 senses of an entrepreneur 
• Motivating the motivated to achieve the unbelievable
• Take charge and drive forward within your business and personal life
• How to grow your business without spending a single cent

Global Thinking in 2006 and beyond... creating you own reality

• What is attitude? 
• How do you motivate people? 
• Identify attitudes, and the tools of motivating people
• People fear change, and how to overcome the effects of change 
• Remuneration strategies and motivation 
• Using leadership to hare the vision, motivate and build attitude 
• Better Than Yesterday 

The Art of Being You

• Creating positive change in people's lives. 
• Learn the art of being yourself
• Learning more from your grandchildren
• The 'gift' of understanding People Stuff 
• Identify the key to unlocking the door to consistent (and sustainable) success!
• True leadership is leading by virtue of 'who we are' 
• Defining goals with absolute clarity

The NEW secret - what customers REALLY want from you.

• How to rise way above the 'sea of sameness' in which so many remain trapped
• Why 'great service' is no longer all you have to offer
• Becoming remarkable when others are invisible
• Creating real customer attraction

 

I had the opportunity to preview these speakers when I joined them for Blast! Into 2006 in Sydney last week and I can assure you you are in for a treat if you can come on the day.

 

 To register, logo on to my website www.geewiz.co.nz,

or you can logo on to www.blastinto2006.com,

 or you can register on-line using the email format that I have sent to you, remember to use the Code bnz-gw01  to get your special Gee Wiz price.

Book Now to Secure your Seat ...

 

Booking Code : bnz-gw01

 

Seminars & Conferences - I have been very busy already since Christmas, having traveled up and down New Zealand, been to Sydney Australia, Suva Fiji, and in 2 weeks time I am off to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, if you look on my website you will see the seminars for the year that will be held around New Zealand and where possible overseas Conferences & Seminars I will be speaking at.

 

Here is a list of the Seminars you may like to invest in yourself or your staff for the next 3 months and for the full detail 12 month list go into the website.

Remember to book on these seminars, you can do so on my website a safe & secure registration facility.

February:

February 9                      QUEST WAY                                 1 Day
$$250 + GST   Auckland

February 16                        Marketing Audit                           2 days
$1500                Kuala Lumpur,contact www.knowledgegroup.co.com

February 20     Sales Basics Seminar                                                                         1 day
$365                  Auckland Chamber

February 23                        Major Account Development                                           1/2 day
$200                  EMA Northern (Auckland)

 March                                  MARCH 2006                                                                                              

March 1                          Managing the Sales Team                                               1 day
$365. plus GST                  Auckland Chamber

March 7 Advanced Strategic Account Management                                                 2 days
$ 1500               Berjaya Times Square Hotel Kuala Lumpur

March 9          Business Leadership Quest Franchises                                          2 days
$$2,000. + GST                  Auckland

March 15                             Managing & Motivating Your Sales Team                   1/2 day
$200                  EMA Northern (Auckland)

March 22                        BLAST! into 2006                                                             1 day
$$137. + GST Auckland

March 29        Dealing with Awkward and Difficult Customers                            1/2 day
$$150. plus GST                Tauranga Chamber

March 29        Debtor Control Collect & Keep Customers                                    1/2 day
$$150. plus GST                Tauranga Chamber

March 29                             Motivation and Attitude                                                    2 hours
$$55. plus GST                  Tauranga Chamber

March 30                             How to Improve your Selling Skills                               1/2 day
$$150. plus GST                Tauranga Chamber

March 30                             Marketing for Non-Marketing Managers                    1/2 day
$$150. plus GST                Tauranga Chamber

  April                                   APRIL 2006                                                                                                 

April 10                          Sales Basics Seminar                                                      1 day
$365                  Auckland Chamber

April 19                          Debtor Control Collect & Keep Customers                 1/2 day
$200 +gst         Auckland Chamber

April 26                          Managing the Sales Team                                               2 days
$1595. plus GST                AK University Short Courses

  May                                     MAY 2006                                                                                                     

May 1             Auckland University Strategic Key Accounts                                2 days
$ 1595               Auckland University Short Courses

May 2             Auckland University Strategic Key Accounts                                2 days
$                         Auckland University Short Courses

May 4                               Marketing for Non-Marketing Managers                    1/2 day
$200                  EMA Northern (Auckland)

May 10                            The Right & Wrong Way to Network                           1/2 day
$$200 plus GST                 Rotorua Chamber

May 10                            Prospecting for Profit half day                                       1/2 day
$$200. plus GST                Rotorua Chamber

May 11                            Sales Basics Seminar                                                      1 day
$$365. plus GST                Rotorua Chamber

May 12                            QUEST WAY                                                                      1 day
$$250. + GST Wellington

May 22                            Sales Basics Seminar                                                      1 day
$$365                Auckland Chamber

May 29           Marketing your Professional Services                                           
$365                  Auckland Chamber

May 29                            Selling Professional Services                                        1 day
$$365. plus GST                Auckland Chamber

May 30           Strategic Sales Skills                                                                         1 day
$365. plus GST                  Auckland Chamber

May 31                            Managing the Sales Team                                               1 day
$365. plus GST                  Auckland Chamber

  June                                    JUNE 2006                                                                                                    

June 2                             Prospecting for Profit half day                                       1/2 day
$200                  EMA Northern (Auckland)

  July                                     JULY 2006                                                                                                    

July 3             Sales Basics Seminar                                                                         1 day
$365. plus GST                  Auckland Chamber

July 6             Major Account Development                                                              1/2 day
$200                  EMA Northern (Auckland)

July 31           Debtor Control Collect & Keep Customers                                    1/2 day
$$200. plus GST                Auckland  chamber

To book just visit www.geewiz.co.nz/seminars  you can pay by Visa/Mastercard/Bartercard cash /cheque/or by invoice…  Christchurch and South Island  companies I am setting up a new location/venue in CHCH, so watch the Website  for April and June  dates…

 

 

My Support for You -  As a friend of Gee Wiz you can email me at any time with any opportunities or problems that you have that you would like to seek an alternative solution, or just an answer or even to just check over your own strategy and my promise of reply on my web site is that if you email me today I will reply tonight, as well as those of you who need a quick answer please feel free to call within New Zealand  0800 GEEWIZ and we will return your call if I am not available to answer you call immediately.

 

 In addition if you have a sponsored charity event, where you require a Guest Speaker providing the date is available I am happy to work with you to make sure it is a success. Last week I  was MC  for Orewa Rotary and their “State of the nation” night for Dr Don Brash leader of the opposition, a media  success and good fundraiser for charity.

 

In addition I work with Professional Speakers NZ and I have many colleagues and professional speakers who can assist you in developing your skills and needs.  As I know many professional speakers, trainers and consultants around the world I am only too happy to make recommendations and referrals or to check out the credentials of any other speakers if you need it.  Most of all I am interested in your success, I look forward to your success and if I can assist you Lets do it.

 

Coming up in 2006 – I will be launching my new book on “Selling opportunities” and a series of quick how to publications on doing a” Market Audit”,” Overcoming Objections”, “Closing the Sale”,” How to use Public Relations & Sponsorship” and a few more special ideas, including another double CD set for all your ideas and some interesting products in the E-books and on-line video sessions starters.

 

In addition to that I will be seeing and visiting many of you in the seminars, workshops, conferences, special events and working with many innovative companies in their consulting strategy development lets share  our success.

 

Myvideotalk.com – this is exciting, for the first time I have found a piece of software that enables you to send video emails. Using your webcam and a subscription to this online web based service that truly breaks the mould.  I encourage you to log on to www.mypicturetalk.com and check out for yourself the incredible opportunity to send video emails that people can open up on internet explorer and other such programmes easily, they can see you, hear you, you can show them things, and while it helps to have broadband it is fabulous.  You can even have video conferencing with other people around the world easily who are members of myvideotalk.com or become a guest via a login that you arrange.

 

If you are really serious about face to face email communication check this website out and of course if you choose to join it would be fantastic.

 

Welcome to new Geewiz  Friends  From :

Sydney Blast 2006, NZ Blood Service, Quest Suva, TML publishing, Academy Publishing, Australian Business Seminars, Manchester Unity, and seminar attendees.

 

Final Comment – To all of my Asian friends Happy Chinese New Year and as it is the Year of the Dog make sure that you have your house in order so that you are in control.

 

“Enron” the film is a must see, this is the history of why Enron failed coming to a cinema soon and in Auckland it is at the Academy Cinema from Feb 15… Well worth seeing and  the preview I attended at the Academy was seriously  effective.. this is a must see for business owners.

 

To all of my New Zealand friends lets enjoy celebrating New Zealand Day, and to everybody else within the Gee Wiz network let’s go out there and have a great 2006.

 

 

Kind regards

 

Richard P Gee

 

Geewiz news is  read by 15000 people in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Philippines, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, USA, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, Dubai, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, by over 15000 readers, Please enjoy and your feedback is always  welcome.

 

As a member of the GEEWIZ knowledge information network please is assured that your email contact details remain confidential to GEEWIZ news .If at any time you wish to change details, or stop receiving Geewiz news, send me an email quoting your email address this is being sent to, currently richard@geewiz.co.nz.