Yesterday I found myself driving my girls around some of the little villages surrounding Watford. It was a beautiful day and since my daughter is currently on crutches I decided that country lanes were the best thing for us. It really was a beautiful spring day and it got me thinking about my garden and how I could make the best of it so that my summer months were delightful.
I happened across a garden store which was a business run from home. It had some really beautiful plants in that I could see making a real difference in my garden. I started walking down the aisle of plants and was in awe at the different varieties of plants, herbs and trees available. I came across some heather which I though would be great for my garden as I wanted something that could spread over the boarders but still look pretty. So I embarked on asking the person who appeared to run the centre for some help.
Hmm, well yes he did answer my question but what was missing was good old customer service. In these times of credit crunch you can’t afford to lose an interested customer… well maybe he could… After answering my questions he proceeded to have a chat with his friend and completely ignored me. I decided it was time to leave and continue my amble around the countryside with my girls.
In short he lost a sale, I chose not to buy. He never really engaged with me, he never asked me what I was trying to achieve in my garden, or suggested what could work, he never offered to show me any other alternative to the heather. I had made it clear that I was looking for something that grew quite quickly, unfortunately he never picked up on it. I had asked if he had debit card facilities and he had said yes… My goodness man, that was a buying signal if ever I’ve heard one. Opportunity knocked and opportunity was lost.
Especially in these times it is important to make your customers feel that there business is important to you. You never know who your customer could know or who and what they are responsible for, for all the garden centre man knew I could have been the buyer for a larger garden centre. When customers are holding on tighter to their money, businesses need to be alert to the clients buying signals and seize on them with care and consideration for nervous buyers.
I’m not sure that I will ever buy from that garden centre, it seems that they were not interested in my custom and as a result I am no longer interested in their business offering. If you run your own business or work within the sales environment, remember that your customers are people who want to make wise decisions and sometimes need help to decipher how your offering fits into their need.
We live in an ever increasingly instant gratification society, over the last decade we have had an exponential amount of loans, credit cards, by now pay later and other such financial carrots dangled at us as part of the “you can have it now” ethos that has taken over our world. Recently we have seen that this mentality has come crashing down around our shoulders and is fashionably referred to as the “Credit Crunch”.
When I was a child, it took time, hard work, effort and patience to make a house a home and fill it with the mod cons most home buyers expect today as standard. It took grit to afford to go on holiday and come back without owing a penny. Business took time to bed in and build so that it could be profitable and appreciated by it’s customers and suppliers instead of the set it up overnight and make a million in a philosophy that often privales in the modern board room.
What I have learnt in recent years goes against the modern norm… it takes time. It’s taken time for David and I to build Milestone and we know that it will take much more for it to be the sustainable business we want it to be. It’s taken time for us to appreciate that it “little by little” is far more powerful than “all in one go”. It takes time to build a positive reputation and it builds time for others to recognise it.
I sat proudly observing my husband today as he beamed because he was featured in “The Voice” Newspaper as one of the movers and shakers to watch in 2009. He has worked tirelessly with young people to raise their confidence and attainment levels and has networked constantly at the sacrifice of family time to build contacts who could help him gain access to the more lucrative corporate work that buoys up the work he does in education. To see him featured was a real priviledge but not something that has come over night, it has taken time and it will take more to really get where we want to go.
There is a phrase in the bible that says “Let patience have her perfect work” and every day I am learning that this is exactly what I need to do. That with patience, endeavour and a giving spirit over time all things are possible.
It’s been quite some time since I spoke about Alzheimer’ s, to be honest it’s a very painful subject and watching my mum deteriorate is really very difficult. I have questions that many people wouldn’t understand but those who has seen anyone suffer from a chronic disease might recognise them, so here they go.
When will it end? I suppose this question is really when will mum die? No one ones the answer but it’s my most prevailing question. It’s horrible to see my mum the way she is, for me she is not who I knew her to be, so when does the facade end, so that the current grieving for a mother who is no longer with us can start for a mother who is no longer with us.
What does it mean that she’s put on weight? Does it mean that she is getting better? I know that it doesn’t but I kind of expect her to waste away and then when she doesn’t what does that really mean. The cruelty of the disease it seems knows no bounds, teasing us with psuedo hope, yet there is no cure.
Why did this have to happen? This is my meaning of life question where I suppose I shout at God for a while and then collapse in a heap and say “Thy will be done”. I know there is much to learn on this journey but it is painful all the same.
Is there anything we can do to make her better? I know that some swear by glyco-nutrients as reducing the effects of the disease, but there really is a feeling of hopelessness about it all. That it is inevitable that she will die and we are just waiting for the day.
Does she know me? This is the one all about visits, when you wonder if she knew that you were there. Last time I visited she said my name and I felt great, I don’t think it was because she recognised me but to be honest you can never be sure.
I have lots of questions, Alzheimer’s has a way of making you question when you see the demise of your parent to it’s clutches. I’ve sought outside help in being able to offload the stress of it all and it has been brilliant for me in managing the pain and hurt more effectively. Alzheimer’s really is a carers disease it hurts everyone involved and it’s overwhelming. I’ve learned that it is alright to say that it hurts and that it’s OK to cry unashamedly for as long as I want to, grieving the loss of the mother I knew and the arrival of this other person.
I love my mum and will forever have her in my heart. She is wheelchair bound, she speaks in riddles much of which is gibberish, she is hunched over quite often, her head held down and her eyes not quite fully open. She holds on to whatever she can and if she has your hand she’s not letting go. But she’s my mum still even if her character seems to be lost behind those eyes.
Auguste Deter (1850-1906) the first woman to be diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease
I wish that it could be taken more seriously this disease that takes our parents before their time leaving a shell of the person who was behind. I wish that sexy campaigns could be devised to raise millions to fund the much necessary research. I wish that the NHS and government would acknowledge the millions of carers who keep the costs of the disease at a minimum. I wish that those who made the decision about not giving the disease preventing drugs to those in the early stages of Alzheimers could really understand why its necessary to have the drug so early in the life of the disease. Lastly, I wish I could have my real mum back… but sadly that it not to be.
That’s my Alzheimer’s update. If you’re experiencing it through your parent or grandparent, I hope it helps to know that you are not alone.
I’ve kept out of the Obama debate because it’s just silly. What can I say? Well all I can say is that “We’re still not equal!” I’m bored of the head lines. Barak Omaba is a man period!! Yes he is black… and so what? For all of the multiculturalism in this world, the racism still sticks out like garlic in a stew. Why don’t people just get it?
BLACK PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE TOO!! Oh for sure we have been through some hell.. treated less than animals, encaptures, enslaved, raped, torn apart and really, really affected by the slave mentality we were left with after 400 years of slavery. But we are still people. Intelligent, creative, versatile, fun, expressive and a whole lot more. We are human beings, not subhuman.
Barak Obama should be judged on his ability to get the job done. Not the colour of his skin. You don’t hear press reports or read articles saying that John McCain may loose his votes at the poles because he’s white… that’s right… because it would never cross anyones mind just because he is white. It makes him no more or no less deserving that Barak Obama because he’s black.
What a world we live in, where people pretend to be something they are really not. Racism lives and the people who know it are those who suffer it. Which is why it is so easy for those who don’t to say that it doesn’t exist. To quote an old American Indian phrase (and let’s face it they had a rough time too!).. “I will not judge a man until I have walked a mile in his moccasins.”
We were all created equal, we have the same bodies, organs, functionality, emotions. We are all unique and yet so alike, when will we accept each other without looking at the colour first? When will we all be viewed as equal
Recently I’ve had to really reassess what it is I want to do with my life or should I say my working life. Business development comes very naturally to me. Sit down in front of me and tell me about your business and inevitably I am able to help you find ways to reach your goals, focus better and maximise your business offering.
But I have had to ask myself… where does my passion life Madeline McQueen? And when I really thought about it, it comes with empowering people… women especially and helping them be the best that they can be. I’m passionate about helping them find the solutions to their problems whether that be making the best of their appearance finding the career that they want to be in or working on their relationships. It’s about helping them feel great and be great!!
So many times we follow a path because others tell us it is what we should be doing or we do so to be understood by and fit in with society. It’s just not necessary to do so! I realised that amidst all that I do work wise I have still be questioning if what I do is a legitimate job… why? Well something to do with not working 9 – 5 and having a payslip with the same amount of money in it each month! It’s silly I know, but I wonder just how many people out there who work for themselves or run their own businesses question their validity just because it doesn’t comform to the… “get a job” expectation that is placed on us from children.
So this morning, I say don’t believe the hype, be who you are and if that is not encompassed under one title… so what!! We are all many things and cannot be defined by the badge that someone else places on us. And so over the coming weeks you will find changing in my blog as I write about the varying sides of what I offer as a person and a business.
Well it’s not is it…? I have been riveted to my screen during this years Olympics, I have cheered and watched with my mouth wide open, stayed up until almost 4:00am watching the women’s marathon and Paula Radcliff’s excruciating completion of a race she was unprepared for. Watched as UK athlete’s and sporting hopefuls worked there buts of to put Great Britain just over a week into the games at 3 position of the medals tables, unable to believe that we are still on the front page and climbing.
So what is it that is not good enough? Well my husband and I and many of our friends have all posed the question….. “Why is it that other countries are able to achieve phenomenal success in sporting championships and we (Great Briton) are always watching the success go by?
Well we did discuss that maybe the reason that Chinese do well is because their government hold their parents captive and the lives of their family and themselves is at risk if they don’t perform. Or that the Americans know that it is all milk and honey when they get back home and they are truly celebrated. Whilst we had a laugh we all unanimously agreed that one this and one thing only makes the biggest difference and this is…… investment!
I felt ashamed and angered and I listened to Kate Read who ran the 10,000m who said that she had “No support, no physiotherapy and no lottery funding”. Sounds about right!!! There must be better investment into the success of our sporting teams, better facilities (stop selling of the leisure centres and land), better training (use those that can… Linford Christie is a great example), link sports to education (they do it in America.. if you don’t have the grades you can’t compete). It’s time we sorted this out. Too often programmes to engage new talent are under funded, lasting 6 months or a year or so and then they fizzle out and the talent that they were nurturing fizzles out too.
If we really want to compete on an international level then we need to look at
what is working well or other countries and model what they do, investing in the infrastructure that is required to produce quality, consistent altheletes. Maybe…just maybe this might be one of the many answers to helping resolve the youth crime and youth disengagement that we see on our streets today.
I take nothing at all away from the outstanding performances of the athletes I have eagerly watched and cheered on our screens, and yes I was willing both of the athletes who went after gymnastic bronze medalist Louis Smith to fall and I did laugh and jump when they did, Hell I wanted the boy to win a medal and he did!! I feel excited about the prospects of 2012…. but somethings got to change and I think that it might be that the powers that be take British sporting seriously and stop short changing those who work tireless to bring home the medals for their country!
Yet another shambles, with candidates setting each other up to fail and the crux of the task being left to flounder. What a mess and what a bunch of horrible people! (A little judgemental I know)
Tonight, my dislike of Claire increased as she did it again, bullying Simon and being her usual horrible self, two faced self. The apologies just did not do it for me. I truly believed that she would be a great candidate when I first saw her and I thought that she might make a great Apprentice. Unless she does something pretty spectacular in the coming weeks I think that she might just be out on her ear. The thing is I think that she might actually be a good project leader, she seems to have a decent business brain, but her interpersonal skills really let her down. You have to get people on board to manage a team effectively, but she spends so much time undermining and back stabbing her team members that she has already lost the plot. It was interesting to see the look on Michaels face when she returned to the house.
Poor Simon, he really didn’t have much of a chance, from the time that he put himself forward that had already decided that they would not support him effectively… and they didn’t. His style of management left a lot to be desired however, he was a man fighting to be heard. He knew that he had a team that didn’t believe in him and that treated him like the village idiot. He just wanted a little respect as PM and they were not willing to give it to him.
Interestingly, those in Simon’s team were very willing to take anyone as a scape goat and as soon as Claire became a possibility you saw both Jenny and Alex jump on her, to her horror! What goes around….
Helene this week completely and utterly fell off her pedastool, I was looking forward to seeing her as a PM and knew that she would be quite good at organsing the team. However, and it’s a big however, she became very Jennyesq when dealing with Lucinda. What is it about Lucinda that the girls go out of their way put her in a predicament that sets her up to be fired. Jenny did it the first week and Helene most definitely did it this week.
Lucinda made is very clear that she is a technophobe, painstakingly clear. (Now what a technophobe is doing looking to work for a man who runs a number of technology companies I’ll never know!). From what I have seen Lucinda can sell or at least get the general public interested, she’s got all the humanism’s going and yet every week she is placed in her area of weakness. They talk to her in the most terrible ways and whilst she might come across as lazy (which I don’t actually think she is by the way) no one is maximising her or her skill set.
Yes it’s a competition but to stay in the competition you need to stay out of the boardroom which means winning the task which means working together and playing to every one’s strengths. It seems to me that in this season of The Apprentice that important fact seems to have been forgotten. The focus seems to be “Set people up to be fired” before you’ve even started the task furthermore reached the boardroom.
I am finding this session, very poor indeed, poor candidated, poor attitude and even poor decisions by Sir Allen. What a shame.
So this debate has been going on for a little while now and lots of people have waded in with their views. I’ve kinda kept out of it but it’s starting to bug me so I’ve decided to comment.
I understand that emotions are running high and that everyone has an opinion so here’s mine! I do not condone cheating or the use of drugs, there is a great responsibility placed on all of us whether we are in the spotlight or not to be a positive example to others. So here is my thought!
Dwain Chambers was found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs in order to achieve the success he experienced at within athletics’s. He initially tried to cover up what he had done (I have no doubts that he was aided) and he was sentenced, served his sentence and had returned to the world of sport to prove that he can achieve without the drugs. He made expressed that he felt that most who achieved a gold medal in the world of athletics’s were using drugs.
So here we go, I think that Dwain was unwise to make the comments that he did, however, as someone who has been within the industry he most probably has some insight about some of the people he has trained and worked with. Drugs are most probably common in some circles. Funny, whilst I completely believe that Dwain has to take responsibility for his actions and choices, I also believe that there must have been a coach or trainer who would have been involved and we just don’t seem to be talking about them.
Here’s where I get frustrated, Dwain Chambers has served his time and everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone is talking about the influence and affects on the younger generation. Hmm so what of Amy Winehouse who is a wino and drug taker who can’t even perform properly she’s so lambasted yet we are awarding her with 5 Grammy’s and acclaiming her music. Great example! What of Kate Moss who is another druggie, who’s drug habit is knowingly in the public eye, yet she’s still the face of Rimmel London and has been completely forgiven of her misdemeanors but is the face of UK modelling. Sorry??? Then Pete Dogherty who although he’s been to court several times for his drug taking, he’s still selling music and gets off with a slap on the wrist every time.
So how do we get this sooo wrong. A guy who has served his time admitted his offense and wants to now prove that he has the skill and talent and he can get a medal without drugs getting such a hard time. Yet three people who influence youth culture substantially who are drug takers and alcoholics can be exempted from all responsibility and in-fact receive plenty of publicity without calls for them to step away from the limelight.
It’s a bit messed up if you ask me. One rule for one and one rule for the other!!!
For me Dwain Chambers deserves a second chance, just like the rest of us! But hey we all have our own oppinions
Too many young, talented, beautiful young people are loosing their lives over nothing. I’m not really into hip hop but this touched me deeply
Gun and knife crime is escalating out of control and the victims are so young. Our society has much to answer for with its lack of boundaries, lack of parenting, education system that skill focuses on academia, erosion of moral values and more. How many more need to die before we really take this seriously.
tunity was lost.
modern board room.
already decided that they would not support him effectively… and they didn’t. His style of management left a lot to be desired however, he was a man fighting to be heard. He knew that he had a team that didn’t believe in him and that treated him like the village idiot. He just wanted a little respect as PM and they were not willing to give it to him.
