This month we’ve decided to give away our best-selling product. In fact, so’s you don’t even have to bother reading on if you don’t want to, here it is!

Et voila! £200’s worth of learning material to do with as you will. Show the vid, spot the gaffes, discuss better ways – simple! We’ll even send you our “gaffe guide” of mistakes and corrections if you drop us a line.

All we ask is – please pass this forward and share the love!

So now, if you’re thinking “OK, what’s the catch?” (as would have I not so long ago) we refer you to a number of inspiring sources that very much underpin our philosophy.

1          Give and Take by Adam Grant - are you a “giver, taker, matcher or faker”? – whatever path you choose, he says, will have a deep impact on your long-term success (however you measure it)…and guess who comes out on top!?  In our video, Mike, the “Coach” is clearly a taker “I need to do this to get my bonus”…..”just be me!”…Perhaps ask yourself how much you feel like helping him once he’s done!

2          The “Goldcorp” story where in 2000, Rob McEwen turned mining strategy on its head by giving away all his company’s I.P. in order to find new gold reserves – take 5 minutes to read this to see what happened!

3          We love the whole TOMS story and, like many others were inspired by Blake Mycoskie’s drive to change things. As trainers and consultants we struggled to achieve the 1:1 model, but now, with “products” we can, and do give away as much as we please..and it feels great!

4          What we’re really talking about here is the power of reciprocity. This week we signed a co-operative deal with these guys. Honestly, they were so open and generous (and of course, they have a great product) that we were falling over ourselves to find ways to pay them back…posting them on this blog is a small step in that direction!

You probably know Roberto Cialdini, but he has some “science-based” views on the matter.

If this hasn’t nudged you to think about what you can give away today, we give up! But if we were making a “HowNOT2: Build lasting business” video, our script notes would say something like:

·      Keep your ideas secret

·      Even better, lie about your ideas to throw others off the scent

·      Take what you can from others

·      Only befriend those who can definitely help

·      Act like a giver but only concede your cheap stuff

·      Only ever give if you’re likely to receive more

·      Oh, and if you’re a coach – dispense advice, however bonkers, until the coachee gives up the will to live!

“Enjoy”