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In this issue........
  • 5 Tips for Utilizing Skype for Business
  • Interesting Stuff
  • Corporate Hospitality and the new Bribary Act in the UK
  • The "Helicopter" Service Awards

  • Engro Foods Leadership programme
    Engro Foods Leadership programme
    Engro Foods Leadership programme
    MD2MD workshop in the Monestery, Manchester
    PSA Iran speakers
    Dhamani Diamond Ring

    Engro Foods 3 Day sparkling leadership, Dubai
    - finding new uses for drinking straws!
    - and budding actors

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    MD2MD inagural worhop in the magnificent Monastery, Manchester
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    PSA Convention - Iran speakers
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    UPCOMING PUBLIC EVENTS "Staying in the Helicopter"

    - the key to profitable growth in good times or bad

    Workshop
    The Academy for Chief Executives
    Valletta, Malta

    Friday 28 October 2011
    8.30am to 12.30pm

    More information:

    - the key to profitable growth in good times or bad

    Keynote
    Ladies (and Gentlemen) who Lunch
    The Coach, Beedon,
    Newbury, Berkshire RG20 8SD

    Tuesday 1 November 2011
    12 noon to 2.30pm

    More information:

    - for Sparkling Sales growth in good times or bad

    Workshop
    Vistage Group V19
    Edinburgh

    Tuesday 8 November 2011
    8am - 1pm
    Chair: Gary Weston
    0131 443 5334 [email protected]

    More information:

    - the key to profitable growth in good times or bad

    Keynote
    The Academy for Chief Executives
    Burhill Golf Club, Burwood Road,
    Walton on Thames, Surrey, KT12 4BX

    Wednesday 9 November 2011
    8am - 10.30am
    Contact: Chair: Gordon Bromley 01932 227345

    More information:

    - the key to profitable growth in good times or bad

    Keynote
    The Academy for Chief Executives
    Holmewood Hall, Church St,
    Holme, PE73PG

    Tuesday 15 November 2011
    8am to 1pm
    Contact: Chairman Phil Jesson 07774 241207

    More information:

    -the key to profitable growth in good times or bad

    Workshop
    Midland Leaders Group
    Ansty Hall,
    Coventry,CV7 9HZ

    Thursday 17 November 2011
    8.15am to 1.00pm
    Contact: Chairs Jay: 07879 445535 Colin: 07831 484244

    More information:

    - the key to creative and innovative change management

    Masterclass
    Pearl Continental Hotel
    Lahore, Pakistan

    Tuesday 22 November 2011
    9.00am to 5.00pm

    More information:

    - the key to creative and innovative change management

    Masterclass
    Sheraton Hotel
    Karachi, Pakistan

    Wednesday 23 November 2011
    9.00am to 5.00pm

    More information:

    - the key to profitable growth in good times or inbad

    2 x Masterclasses
    Radisson Blu Hotel,
    Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Friday & Saturday 25 & 26 November 2011
    9.00am to 5.00pm
    Contact: Humaira Afreen 88028411985

    More information:

    - the Power of 4 (basics of business)

    Keynote
    Stars of Business Awards & Summit
    Jumeirah Beach Hotel,
    Dubai

    Monday 28 November 2011
    9.00am till late

    More information:

    - the key to profitable growth Breakfast

    Keynote
    Australia & New Zealand Business Community in Qatar
    Grand Hyatt Hotel,
    Doha, Qatar

    Wednesday 30 November 2011
    7.30am

    More information:

    - the key to profitable growth

    Business Leader Masterclass
    Ramada Hotel,
    Doha, Qatar

    Thursday 1 December 2011
    8.00am to 4.oopm
    Contact: Lyn Webster +97155 4646685

    More information:

    The Helicopter
    Business Alert Vol7 No3
    Q3/2011

    Aston Martin One-77

    I've had a great summer since the last newsletter and very unusually I took 4 weeks off in August and my wife and I travelled the Coast of Ireland in a camper van. We went all the way round the North, the West and the South coast. What a fantastic country!

    As ever my speaking activities have been pretty interesting. For the first time I ran a 3-day experiential leadership programme in Dubai for a group of 40 Top Sales Executives from one of the largest food companies in Asia. You will see some pictures of the delegates being constructive with drinking straws - something I don't think they had ever done before! It all worked exceptionally well and they left with tools to improve their leadership abilities which they said, were second to none.

    You may recall in my last newsletter my talking about some of the interesting venues that I've been speaking in. Well I've had another one recently. I spoke in The Monastery in Manchester where I ran a half-day workshop for Executive Group MD2MD. The Monastery is an old monastery and is now used for events (in fact the Technical Director of one of my Clients, Kriti Murji, got married there earlier this year) and it's just a fantastic venue. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a venue in the Manchester area.

    I have a new Client way up in Peterhead in the north of Scotland, Maritime Developments Limited run by a real entrepreneur, Derek Smith, and I'm really looking forward to working with him in the future. I was recently asked for advice to a lady with a unique and fascinating business that she started only 12 months ago called the Cotswold Nanny Network. She provides highly qualified nannies to parents who are visiting the Cotswold and staying in boutique hotels - thus allowing them, to maybe enjoy a wedding or simply have a quiet meal on their own. A great idea and, I think, a business that's really going to go from strength to strength.

    As far as future events are concerned, I'm off to speak in Malta for the first time to a new Academy group based there and I'm really excited to be having a two week trip at the end of November which includes speaking for the first time in Bangladesh - I'm running two 1-day business growth master classes - and I'm speaking in Qatar for the first time - where I'm doing a breakfast keynote and running a CEO master class.
    Exciting times!

    You may be wondering what the photograph is of me on the left with a ring. Well the Marketing Manager of Dhamani Jewellers in Dubai, the wonderful Uditha Obeysekere, invited me to tour of their store in the Dubai Mall. Absolutely fascinating! They are diamond specialists and indeed they're the only people licensed to make and sell the unique 'Dubai Cut' and in the picture I am wearing a diamond ring worth a cool $5 million!

    Which brings me to another topic - scarcity. I guess we all know that De Beers, for example, limit the supply of diamonds in order to protect the price. This is a lesson for all of us - if you are able to demonstrate scarcity of your service or your product, people are more likely to buy and pay a premium. I watched a particular interesting programme in the National Geographic TV 'Megafactories' series recently all about the Aston Martin One-77.

    Aston Martin set out to build the ultimate supercar and they decided that they would only build 77 cars. They would build a brand new factory to make the car and when the 77th was built they would dismantle the factory and everything in it! The programme was all about the design and the manufacture of this ultimate vehicle - which sells for a truly remarkable $2 million each - and before they had made the first one they had sold over 60 of them (one customer, reportedly, bought ten for his family.) That's scarcity value for you!

    Let me remind you of the "Helicopter" awards for outstanding service and for lousy service below
    Three "Golden Helicopter" Awards to Interparcel, MD2MD and Hilton Hotels and two "Ditched Helicopters" 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 to follow me on Twitter

    I hope you enjoy this newsletter and find it valuable and I thank you for your support and smiles.

    Roger Harrop
    PS. I've just got the new MacBook Air - no moving parts, massive spec and weighs nothing - you MUST get one!

    Skype logo 5 Tips for Utilizing Skype for Business
    by Ben Parr Editor, Mashable

    When it comes to business communication, Skype is an invaluable tool. Its impressive array of features make it ideal for sending files, checking in on business partners, holding video conferences and making international calls. �

    Its popularity cannot be denied; the VoIP client has over 550 million users and actually accounted for 12 percent of the world's international calls in 2009. There's definitely a reason why one-third of Skype users utilize it primarily for business. �

    Very few get the full value out of Skype, though. Many in the business world don't realize just how useful Skype can be or how much time it can save for those that know its best features or the tricks for getting the most of the desktop client.

    We could write a book-length guide on using Skype, but here are five of our favorite tips for getting the most out of Skype for business:

    More

    Speaker WiKi lanyard


    OXO tower Interesting Stuff

    In the early 1900s advertising on the river Thames that could be seen from the City of London was banned. However, the first person to get around this was the Leibig Meat Company in 1920 who designed , and got approval for,the rebuilding of a tower on the site of an old power station. This had an art nouveau design of three windows, a circle, a square and a circle with a design of panels within each window which when lit up clearly showed across the City. This is now a top restaurant known as the Oxo Tower.

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    I love this great skit "My Blackberry is not working"

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    Google Product Armageddon?
    In September Google introduced new guidelines for submissions to Google Shopping. New mandatory fields are being introduced which will in many cases result in existing feeds being disapproved and thousands of products delisted. If you want to ensure that your products meet the standards required Feed Manager would be well worth talking to.If you are into e-commerce, or you know someone who is FeedManager developed by my Client Gillissa is phenomenal. This is what the media manager at H.Samuel said: "The results have been literally astounding"

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    Have you discovered Odesk yet? This is where you can safely and successfully outsource almost any job - to 'contractors' based worldwide. I used their services to do transcription for me and I found a great guy in Kenya who has done a brilliant job for me - at $4.5/hour.
    It's a fantastic resource and is very much the future way of working I believe.

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    Britain's Trillion Pound Horror Story really makes you think..........


    Corporate Hospitality and the new Bribary Act in the UK
    The Bribery Act 2010 was introduced July 2011 - does it affect you?

    Eventmasters Limited, a leading provider of Corporate Hospitality within the United Kingdom, have commissioned Ron Reid, a Partner within Shoosmiths, to provide a full report on how the Act will affect your company when choosing to offer hospitality to your important clients.

    The act is amongst the toughest anti-bribery and corruption legislation in the world. The publicity surrounding the introduction of this Act has led to concerns about how this will impact on corporate hospitality and other promotional activities.

    Such concerns are overstated. The Government in published guidance has made it clear that it is not the intention that genuine hospitality or reasonable and proportionate business expenditure should infringe the legislation. You can continue to provide bone fide hospitality; the intention of the legislation is to catch hospitality which is really a cover for bribing someone.

    In a commercial context (that is not involving foreign public officials) for there to be an offence, the prosecution must show that the hospitality:-
    (a) provided an advantage to another person;
    and
    (b) was offered or given with the intention of inducing the person to perform a relevant function improperly or in the knowledge that the acceptance of the advantage would in itself be improper performance.

    It should be understood that improper performance of a function is a performance which amounts to a breach of an expectation that a person will act in good faith, impartially or in accordance with a position of trust.
    In order to bring a case relating to the provision of hospitality or promotional expense the prosecution would have to show that the hospitality was intended to bring about improper performance and this is judged by what a reasonable person in the UK would think.

    In his foreword to the Guidance, Kenneth Clarke made it clear that the tough new legislation was aimed at making life difficult for those responsible for corruption but not to unduly burden the vast majority of decent law abiding firms. He went on to say that nobody wants to stop firms getting to know their clients by taking them to events like Wimbledon or the Grand Prix.

    So companies can be sure that continuing to provide hospitality to sporting & cultural events as a reflection of your good relations do not infringe the Act, provided that they are reasonable and proportionate for the business being undertaken. The Guidance specifically allows for the standards and norms of a particular sector to be relevant to proportionality.


    Helicopter Awards 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.


    Golden Helicopter Award

    Ditched Helicopter Award
    Ditched Helicopter Awards
    - for Lousy Service

    FedEx Couriers

    Hilton Hotel Coventry

    E Buyer

    Thames Water

    Dixons

    Costa Coffee

    Barclaycard

    The Meat Company

    Alfa Romeo

    British Airways - again!!

    Abbey National Bank

    Seven Sands Hotel, Dubai

    Air India

    PaperShow

    Ripples Bathrooms and Keramag


    Find out why here


    Quick Links
  • My You Tube Channel
  • The Professional Speakers Association
  • Make your AdWords give big value
  • The Academy for Chief Executives
  • The Institute for Independent Business
  • Gihan Perera, THE electronic marketing guru - with lots of free info!
  • Roger Harrop spent 25 years leading businesses at the highest level putting him in a unique position to deal with contemporary business challenges. He inspires, motivates and entertains his audiences with his acclaimed Staying in the Helicopter series of speeches, seminars, workshops and masterclasses focused 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

    "Thank you very much for your astonishing presentation at Credit Suisse" Carlos M. Martins Vice President

    "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

    "I am amazed at the reaction experienced by Roger's audiences.� They are totally engaged from beginning to the end and all seem to be transformed in one way or the other.� He seems to have no country or cultural barrier.� He has laser sharp focus and keeps his audience spellbound" Rakesh Bhargava, Chairman, The Academy for Chief Executives, USA and India

    T: +(44)1491613635


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