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PHD Chamber of Commerce, Delhi
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at the impressive Proton Business School, Indore
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with CEO Masterclass, Karachi, Pakistan
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GSA Convention, Mannheim with Philip van Hooser and the genius Mike Rayburn
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Academy for Chief Executives Masterclass, Indore, India
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CEO Masterclass, Long Island, New York
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The Helicopter
Business Alert Vol5 No4
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Q4/2009
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Often Business Schools and I don't get on.
I find many business schools seem to be in
the business of making business complex - and
I'm in the business of doing exactly the
opposite!
It is my belief is that business is really
simple and we should be trying very hard to
keep it that way.
I recently, however, had the privilege of
visiting two very enlightened business
schools and was most impressed by what I saw.
The first was the
Proton Business School in
Indore, India where I, together with Brian
Chernett and Rakesh Baghava from the
Academy for Chief Executives, had the
privilege of
addressing all the students. It is
undoubtedly a school, founded and led by the
inspirational Sandeep Manudhane, that is
providing a
massive service to locally and to the country
in turning out well rounded graduates
understanding the needs of business.
I also have had the honour to address
the very first Business School ever
established anywhere in the world outside the
USA namely The Institute
of Business Administration (IBA) in
Karachi, Pakistan.
Once again this was a very impressive
institution providing, I am sure, a great
service to the nation.
You would be interested to know that
everywhere I went in both India and Pakistan
- whether it was when I was running a CEO
Masterclasses in Karachi and Indore, or giving a
keynote to the highly prestigious PHD
Chamber of Commerce in Delhi or the Indore
Management Association I found delegates
who, despite
all the current problems in the world and
locally, were positive, sparky and eager to
learn from any source they can to help move
their businesses and their nation forwards.
For me it was incredibly rewarding and humbling.
I have now completed my term as President of
the wonderful Professional
Speakers Association culminating in our
three-day
Convention in Marlow in early November at
which we had top
speakers from four continents and an event
that was, simply, not to be missed.
The community of speakers is for me like no
other. It is one where there seems to be
endless giving and sharing to help us all
move onwards and upwards.
It has been my privilege to be it's President
over the last year and I now look forward to,
perhaps, a little bit of relaxation!
(Photo: aydinstone.com)
A good friend and Client of mine Gillissa are
experts at e-commerce and comparison site
submission software.
If you are the owner of an e-commerce website
you may be at risk of losing visitors, sales
and profits to your competitors NOW.
A
new and powerful Google AdWords feature
(Google PlusBox) is in limited trial in the
UK, which could easily quadruple the amount
of shoppers to your online store.
In a unique partnership between Gillissa and
the unique FeedManager(TM),
working with Google Merchant Centre, they can
provide you with enhanced product advertising
on Google search results pages by using the
new PlusBox.
Launched this autumn, you can now get more
visitors, more sales, lower advertising
costs, and increased profits from your online
advertising. More
information
I've recently been introduced to the
excellent Your
Business Channel TV and have now, with
some colleagues filmed some shows for them.
I'll let you know when they are posted.
Talking of filming those of you who are
speakers may be interested in an interview
filmed at the German Speakers Convention with
the legendary Mike Rayburn from the US,
Lindsay Adams,from Australia, The President
of the Global Speakers Federation and myself
on the topic "How
to speak more and speak better"
A colleague of mine, Debbie Swallow is an
expert on intercultural communication. Ignore
her tips
on business card etiquette at your peril!
On the business advice side of my business I
have a fascinating new Client Scott
Trawlers, based in Dumfries, Scotland -
who are
one of the largest scallop fishermen in the
UK with five boats and a unique facility to
freeze on board and a processing plant in
Plymouth.
Founded by the innovative and mould breaking
Andy Scott ten years ago it is a fascinating
business that I'm enjoying learning more
about.
They only fish for the highest
quality King Scallops and sell their entire
catch to France, Spain and Italy where they
are prepared to pay for the quality.
Finally let me remind you of the "Helicopter"
awards for outstanding service and for lousy
service.
Three "Golden Helicopter" Awards and one
"Ditched Helicopter" this time -
I welcome nominations in either category.
Explanations of why they're being recommended
should be put on my blog to back up the
listing.
Click here
if you want to follow me on Twitter
I hope you enjoy this newsletter and find it
valuable and may I thank you for your support
and smiles.
PS.A shepherd was herding his flock in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Prada suit, Gucci shoes, Dior sunglasses and D+G tie, leans out the window and asks the shepherd: "If I tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?" The shepherd looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing flock and calmly answers: "Sure. Why not?" The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his AT&T cell phone, surfs to a NASA page on the internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo. The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg , Germany .. Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with hundreds of complex formulae. He uploads all of this data via an email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response. Finally, he prints out a full-colour,150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer, turns to the shepherd and says: "You have exactly 1,586 sheep". That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my sheep," says the shepherd. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the boot of his car. Then the shepherd says to the young man: "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my sheep?" The young man thinks about it for a second and then says: "Okay, why not?". "You're a consultant," says the shepherd. "Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie. "But how did you guess that?" "No guessing required," answers the shepherd. "You showed up here even though nobody called you, you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked, and you know nothing about my business." "Now give me back my dog."
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Enrich your Life
I have just gone through the most
reassuringly stringent security checks I have
encountered at any airport anywhere.
It was not, as is so often the case, just
officials with rubber stamps and people half
asleep at x-ray screens waving through my
speakers' bag - containing potentially
questionable electronic equipment like a
projector, speakers microphone, dictaphone,
remotes and camera - without a word.
Where was I? - Karachi.
It was it was my second visit to Pakistan
this year and it's a lovely country full of
highly committed, enthused, professional,
friendly people who are simply a joy to work
with.
On each occasion I ran a day long
workshop with a group of around 30 Business
Leaders who, despite all their problems,
remained positive and keen to learn and move
their businesses forward throughout.
In all my years of travelling around the
world I have rarely found that countries
reflect the current media image we have of
them. As a case in point I was in Iran last
year and it was not even slightly how I
expected it to be - we can only be, in my
view, the recipients of disinformation
and propaganda about this country for there
to be such a
mis-match don't you think? I'm excited about
going back
there next February.
When I was in the corporate world at one time
I had a factory in Ballymena in Northern
Ireland - at the height of the
euphemistically named "troubles".
If you believed the media in the UK at the
time, let alone around the world, any visit
would put your life in peril. It was, of
course, total nonsense - I used to take my
wife and young family and travel around
Northern Ireland meeting delightful people
and feeling safer than in many parts of the
mainland.
I'm not suggesting here that you should be
foolhardy - you take precautions the same as
you do anywhere about where you go, how you
go and when. But in my opinion these are the
places that give back so much, and I would
encourage you to take any opportunity you can
to visit and spend time - and just maybe give
something back
- and I guarantee that you will enrich your
life.
PS. When you travel overseas you may also be
faced with some
interesting eating options!
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From the British Press
Commenting on a complaint from a Mr Arthur
Purdy about a large gas bill, a spokesman for
North West Gas said "we agree it was rather
high for the time of year. It's possible Mr
Purdy has been charged for the gas used up
during the explosion that destroyed his
house" (The Daily Telegraph)
Police are being handicapped in a
search for
a stolen van because they cannot issue a
description. It's a Special Branch vehicle
and they don't want the public to know what
it looks like. (The Guardian)
At the height of the gale, the
harbourmaster
radioed a coastguard and asked him to
estimate the wind speed. He replied he was
sorry, but he didn't have a gauge. However,
if it was any help, the wind had just blown
his Land Rover off the cliff. (Aberdeen
Evening Express)
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Why Americans should never travel!
The following are actual stories provided by
US travel agents:
"I had someone ask for an aisle seat so that
their hair wouldn't get messed up by being
near the window"
"A client called
enquiring about the package to Hawaii. After
going over all the cost information she asked
"would it be cheaper to fly to California and
then take the train to Hawaii?""
"A man called, furious about a Florida
package we did. I asked what was wrong with
the vacation in Orlando. He said was
expecting an ocean view room I tried to
explain that it is not possible since Orlando
is in the middle of the state. He replied
"don't lie to me I have a map and Florida is
a very thin state""
"I got a call from a man who asked "is it
possible to see England from Canada?" I said
"no" he said "they looked so close on the
map""
"A man called and asked if he could
rent a car in Dallas. When I called up his
reservation I noticed he had a one-hour lay
over in Dallas. When I asked him why he
wanted to rent a car he said "I heard Dallas
is a big airport and I need a car to drive
between the gates to save time""
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The "Helicopter" Service Awards
I find myself increasingly putting the
service I receive
from organisations into one of two categories
either "outstanding" or " lousy" - there doesn't
seem to be just 'average' any more.
I've introduced therefore
"Golden Helicopter"
outstanding service awards and "Ditched
Helicopter" lousy service awards
You'll find the story behind each in my Blog
Please add your comments and any
recommendations of your own for awards.
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Ditched Helicopter Awards
- for Lousy Service
Alfa Romeo
British Airways
Audi
Selfridges
Intercontinental Hotels
Air Canada
Carlisle City Council
British Airways - again!!
Abbey Bank
Seven Sands Hotel, Dubai
Air India
Find out why here
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Roger Harrop is a former plc CEO,
International
Speaker, business advisor,
author, mentor and consultant who inspires
and entertains his audiences with his acclaimed
Staying in the Helicopter series of speeches,
seminars,
workshops and masterclasses focussed on
transformational profitable
growth. Over 10000 CEOs, business leaders and
others have achieved
massive growth in profits and sales through his
thought provoking and entertaining speeches
laced
with real-life stories, anecdotes and humour.
He is Past President of The Professional
Speakers
Association and a Speaker of the Year with The
Academy
for
Chief Executives
What People Say
"Roger, we have seen a sustained
increase in
revenues and profits as a direct result of
attending
your workshop. Thankyou ! "
Martin Mulligan, CEO,
Martin
Mulligan Group Limited
"Without question Roger's workshops have
been the catalyst in enabling our six operating
companies to unlock the door to profitable
growth and
without exception, everyone has a real desire
to be in
the renewal room and when there, reside in it
permanently!"
Trevor Hebdon,
CEO, H&H
Group plc
"Roger Harrop's Helicopter analogy is a
great one. Having the skills to rise above
the clouds to set the vision and see the big
picture, but also the ability to fly down low
and drive the details are both essential
skills for a successful President or General
Manager. Roger's pragmatic approach and
outstanding delivery make his message
meaningful for all audiences."
Dan Daniel,
Group Executive, Danaher
Corporation
"The sessions were really good - Roger is
particularly skilled at asking the right
questions to make you find the answers to
move forward yourselves as opposed to telling
you what to do. He is a perceptive man who
is clearly skilled in motivating and getting
the best out of people. It is refreshing to
see the train of thought his influence has
provoked company wide."
Caroline Singleton, Sales Representative,
Thomas
Graham & Sons Limited
"It is no coincidence that the Group's
dramatic
improvement in performance, over the last 18
months, relates directly to Roger's
association with
us"
Ian McKernan, Chairman & CEO Molecular
Products Group plc
"Congratulations! - your workshop scored 8.9
in the survey results which is very good"
Maneesh Garg, Education Chair, Young Presidents
Organization, Lagos
Roger Harrop is a Member of SPEAKERS
WITH CONTENT
T:
+(44)1491613635
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