It doesn't matter what sort of business you own or work in, there are always problems. Many are foreseeable - most aren't. The tricky bit is dealing with those problems or, even better, anticipating them.
Being involved in business can be a very lonely place and there are times when you are desperate for some help or advice.
That’s where people like Nicola Cook and Pete Wilkinson come in.
They are not just inspirational speakers, they are the sort of people who can help you solve problems.
Both Nicola and Pete have their own successful businesses. Nicola runs Company Shortcuts, companyshortcuts.com a sales acceleration agency offering a range of offline and online services that helps mid-size companies overcome one of the biggest inhibitors to growth – successfully scalingup their sales effort, or what Nicola describes as the business’s ‘Sales Engine.’
Pete runs Reclaro…www.reclaro.com a performance management tool for ambitious CEOs and their teams. Reclaro’s software aligns a company’s workforce and focuses everyone on knuckling down and taking consistent action towards the business’s goals.
It’s all really clever stuff which is aimed at making you more efficient and helping you to keep your eye on the ball and therefore improve your sales, your growth and your profits. Sometimes, all of this can seem rather bewildering, but that is where Nicola Cook and Pete Wilkinson have a massive advantage. Not only are they good at what they do, but they are also expert communicators, and they like to help people to be successful.
Which is a handy combination for anyone who might feel as though they’re sinking in business.
“It might sound as though we’re blowing our own trumpet when we say that Pete and I are two of the best business-focussed speakers in the country, but we have the awards to prove it”, said Nicola. “We are both members of the Vistage organisation which basically puts CEOs, business owners and executives of small to mid-size businesses in touch with one another when they need some help. It has more than 22,000 members in 20 countries and both Pete and I are heavily involved.”
In April 2019, Nicola and Pete attended the Vistage annual awards, where all the Vistage Chairs and Speakers celebrate the previous year’s achievements.
Pete Wilkinson came away with three awards, which came as no surprise really because he’s been a top speaker for them for five years and has consistently won the ‘Outperformer’ category. The award given to speakers who have consistently scored the highest for their workshop content, delivery and relevance to the Vistage members. In other words, when you are asked to speak about a particular topic, you need to know your stuff while still delivering it in an informative but hopefully entertaining style. Pete clearly delivers massive value, which is probably why he was also awarded the ‘Most Business Impact’ award. The award voted for by Vistage members, for the speaker who’s content has had the greatest business impact on their own companies.
Nicola is fairly new to Vistage, having only been accepted as a Vistage speaker at the beginning of last year, but she’s already proving to be one of their leading speakers. She won the ‘Best Newcomer’ award, a highly contested category, so it’s an incredible achievement and like Pete, she also picked up an ‘Outperformer’ gong.
What does all of this mean? To be totally blunt, it is fantastic that two entrepreneurs and professional speakers from the North East have racked-up a stack of awards from one of the leading business organisations in the World. Wow.
“Nicola and I both have successful businesses in our own right which means we speak from experience,” added Pete Wilkinson. “We both have an ambition to support entrepreneurs that far extends beyond our speaking activities. Vistage simply gives us a platform to reach more business owners, allowing us to add even more value to those businesses in the entrepreneurial community who have the desire and the will to grow fantastic businesses. We, in our small way, continue to support them on that journey.” Do you think you could do with some help and advice from Nicola Cook and Pete Wilkinson? Well, first of all check out both of their websites. They make for fascinating reading and are packed with useful presentations, templates and downloadable content.
However, here’s another idea. Do you think you are effective in how you go about business?
Not sure…or probably too afraid to answer truthfully? Pete and Nicola can help you find out quickly whether you really ARE effective in business…or not. They have created a clever website called Effectiveness Checker which takes you through a series of questions, scoring you between 1-5. At the end, you’ll be given a percentage rating on your effectiveness levels.
Log onto effectivenesschecker.com And don’t cheat. Be truthful to yourself. Nicola Cook and Pete Wilkinson.putting action into words.