The recession saw the rise of sub-lux products and the coming of age of Lidl and other budget supermarkets. As we tentatively enter a phase of economic growth, are we going to see Lidl try and edge a bit further up the value chain? Their very M&S-esque Christmas ad suggests the answer is ‘yes’.
Uncategorized
Lions Tour Awards
Every tour should have an awards ceremony to celebrate the highs and lows. These are the awards I would give:
Player of the tour: Leigh Halfpenny
A point kicking machine and safe pair of hands at the back of the field. No player came close to him.
The difference maker: Will Genia
When he played well, Australia played well. When he was quiet, so were his team.
The unstoppable force: George North
A beast of a man who threw himself about, often with his opposite number on his shoulders.
The immovable object: Adam Jones
Locked in the Lions scrum in the third test and still one of the best tight heads in the game.
Best sidestep: James Horwill
Beautifully sidestepped not one judicial panel but two. A memorable feat. Unlikely to be matched any time soon.
Biggest hit: Warren Gatland
Smashed O’Driscoll out of the final test ruthlessly. Vindicated by the result, but the thump still echoes around the rugby world.
The first rule of fit club
It’s always easier to achieve your fitness goals if you’re part of a group who’s committed to achieving theirs. I’ve been lucky enough to find such a group: #ASE_Fit_Club.
Now, I’m not an ASE consultant, so am a bit of a gatecrasher. However, they’ve been kind enough to include me and I’m definitely going to push myself harder as a result. My goal is to get back into the team.
You can follow my progress on my fit club page and track the group’s progress and find out what we’ve learned about collaboration, data and a whole host of other things on the fit club blog.
From Instagram to Printstagram
I love printed photos. There’s something about holding a photo, framing it and putting it up on a wall that is satisfying. It provides a different experience to viewing a picture on a screen.
Above all, a printed photo is final. There’s no more editing, retouching or cropping to be done. You have what you have.
I also love Instagram. I love its simplicity, its beautiful filters and its square proportions that force you to crop images and think about layout.
Some of the images I’ve created using my iPhone and Instagram are priceless to me. They’re memories that only exist electronically and I’ve longed to print and frame them. Well, thanks to Metro Print, I can.
The geniuses there have played and tested and have developed a wonderful Instagram printing service that I’ve clunkily dubbed Printstagram.
They take your beautiful Instagram images and print them in lovely 5×5 squares. I collected my first order today and the results are brilliant.
http://instagram.com/p/SkuHXHS7U6/
If, like me, you love printed photos and Instagram, I think you’ll love this Metro Print service.
*as an aside, this post has been typed on my iPhone using the WordPress app. Like Instagram it’s a real testament to how much we can now do using our phones.
Own the phone
One of the reasons I was good at it was that I quickly learned how to ‘own the phone’.
Most people make a call or answer one so they can speak to people. There’s a conversation, a back and forth. It’s a sound-based medium and people expect sound. It struck me that most awkward points in a telephone conversation aren’t when both people are trying to speak, it’s when no one is.
Silence just isn’t what you expect to happen on the phone. It’s awkward, it makes people uncomfortable and they want it to end. So how did I use this little insight to my advantage?
Well, I worked out that when I asked a question and then said nothing, the silence would build pressure. The pressure would build and build. Eventually, the other person would answer. Not because they wanted to, but because they wanted the silence to end. Once they’d answered my question, I knew they’d answer all my questions, that they’d want to avoid that awkward silence.
Now, this little trick didn’t help me persuade more people to sign up for a credit card, but it did mean that people listened to me and answered my questions. They took me seriously and I didn’t waste leads.
The flipside is true too. If you ask a question and the other person doesn’t respond, the pressure builds. If you rush in with another question or clarify your original question, then you’ve lost. Deep down, they know they don’t have to answer your questions. They don’t have to talk to you. You’ve lost that call and you have wasted a lead.
Only one person can own the phone.