When two American doctors started working with Vietnamese families to reduce malnutrition levels in children they came across a new phenomenon. 

Positive Deviance.

In other words, they looked at people who were in the minority but were consistently getting above-average results.
 
They then replicated the behaviour of the positive deviants with an amazing outcome.
 
Well, you can do the same with your business, and in this post, I explain how.
 
Positive deviation is often overlooked because we tend to focus on problems that need fixing.
 
However, looking for things that deliver better than expected results can be 10 times more productive.
 
Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments.

You’re faced with a decision. Should you attempt something you’ve never done before?

Of course, you naturally assess the consequence of failure and the likelihood of it happening.

“No, I’m only risking a little bit of time and a small amount of money. I can afford both!”

“Yes, there’s a big upside that I’d like, if it works.”

So how come you don’t leap straight in there and give it a go?

The answer is a fear of failure and that’s that with week’s post is all about.

To fulfil your potential, you need to overcome it and I’m going to explain what way you can.

The symptoms that a recruitment firm is failing are obvious: -

1 Not enough vacancies turned into fees
2 Not enough vacancies
3 Too few high-value clients
4 High staff turnover or demotivated teams
5 Under-performing marketing engine
 
But the thing that sits below all of these is weak management.
 
In this video, I will explain what Active Management is, why it’s important and what you should do if you want to implement it for yourself.
 
I can’t think of any companies that practice all three arms of active management and have failed.
 
Implementing this will help you build a strong, profitable, and safe business.
 
And who doesn’t want that?

I played golf with a very successful ex-client the other day.

He’s so busy now that he’s turning down work, and why?

Two reasons: -
1 He is very good at finding candidates that other recruiters can’t come up with, even for the most difficult of roles.
2 He has an insanely powerful network supporting him that helps win deals and find candidates.

In this edition of FTDOMA I am going to share the five golden rules of Real Networking that all great networkers, like him, follow.

I wonder how many of them you already do.

Some years ago, I decided to conduct research into why there were so few women in senior positions within law firms.

A great idea for a piece of worthwhile content but it also had an unexpected yet very beneficial upside.

I started conversations with around 15 decision makers in law firms that were great ICP matches.

In this edition of FTDOMA I explain what I did and how I got the introductions.

Honestly, it was a doddle and I have to say, I had a 100% success rate on turning an introduction into a conversation. 

I think it could work for you, too.

Metrics are data points that tell you how something has performed or is going to perform.
 
Providing they are accurate, you can then make decisions to rectify problems or head off potential future issues.
 
In this edition of FTDOMA I share three groups of metrics I believe every recruitment firm should collect.
 
The bigger your business, the more data points you’ll need; however, my advice is to start small and work your way up.
 
That said, even if you are on your own, it’s essential to collect and analyse your results and diagnostic metrics.
 
Do this, and growing your business will be easier (and safer).

Candidate or contractor registers used to be a huge asset for recruitment firms.
 
Indeed, they figured heavily in the valuation of those companies, too.
 
However, with the rise of LinkedIn and job boards, the importance of a recruitment firm’s database has diminished.
 
Of course, some companies work hard to maintain the relevance and integrity of their databases.
 
Others just hit the job boards and see what’s there when they get a vacancy.
 
You can use your register to give you an edge over the competition as a USP when pitching and to engage candidates that other agencies aren’t talking to.
 
Check this video out for more.

I recently listened to a podcast, and although the guest was knowledgeable and shared many valuable insights, I found it a bit dry.  The reason was that the interview was a series of (quite valid) pieces of advice after another.

 What was missing were stories to illustrate the point.

In this episode of FTDOMA I explain how to use stories as a business tool and yes, I do tell a couple of stories in it! 

Stories bring an extra depth to your messages and can be a powerful tool, one worth mastering in myy humble opinion.

I recently watched a podcast where Jimmy Carr said, “Small talk brings people together, and big talk separates them.”
 
How true is that!
 
In this message, I reinforce the uses of small talk in a business context and then share three tips to improve your skills in this area.
 
Can you learn to be good at small talk?
 
You sure can. I was a programmer who couldn’t look people in the eye, and now I can talk to anybody.
 
Dig into the video, and then please leave a comment with your thoughts after you’ve watched it.

You go to a restaurant, and at the end of the meal, they come round with the bill and a heap of mint chocolates and ask you how many you’d like.
 
Or, before a visit to a Spa hotel, they ask you about your preference for the size of the dressing gowns, and when you arrive, that’s the size they give you.
 
Or, on the anniversary of doing business with a client, you get a thank you card in the post or a personalised thank you video via email.
 
All of these are Sili features, Small Items with a Large Impact.
 
Build them into your service, and they will differentiate you, make people believe you get the big things right and increase referrals.